It's another down day for the S&P / ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) with the big banks having gone ex-dividend recently and the big energy players receiving little support due to falling oil prices.
However, there are several stocks inside and outside the index making moves higher for different reasons. Let's take a look at each and consider the outlook ahead.
Capilano Honey Ltd (ASX: CZZ) is up 25 cents or more than 4% to $6.30, this most likely as a result of significant buying from institutional investor Perpetual Limited (ASX: PPT). What might be attracting Perpetual to the honey producer is Capilano's opportunity to service growing global and domestic demand for Australian honey.
Capilano remains reliant on the success of Australia's bee-keeping community and carries a considerable amount of intangible risk on this basis. It also profits more when wholesale prices for honey it sells on stay high. The group grew net profit more than 34% to $4.6 million last year and appears to have a sufficiently strong outlook to attract Perpetual and others to buy into the business.
Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX) is up 9 cents or more than 14% to 72 cents amidst an improved outlook for the uranium industry which it services via its laser-based uranium enrichment technology. The company's shares have lost more than two thirds of their value over the last year as uranium prices steadily fell after the Japanese Fukushima nuclear disaster and subsequent downturn in global demand for uranium.
However, after the Japanese government recently announced it would be restarting previously dormant nuclear power stations the company's outlook and uranium prices have taken a turn for the better.
Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) has soared more than 5 cents to a 52-week high of $1.79 today as investors react to the airline's recent forecast for a first-half profit in 2015 after it took the axe to a high cost base in order to make itself more competitive.
The other tailwind Qantas is likely enjoying is falling fuel prices thanks to booming U.S. oil production resulting in big falls to the price of aviation fuel which is one of the airline's biggest expenses. However, aviation fuel is priced in US dollars and the Australian dollar's plunge somewhat mitigates the price falls.
Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG) has climbed 18 cents or 2.66% to $6.98 after updating the market at its AGM recently. The group said comparable sales for the first half of 2015 were tracking below the prior corresponding period in part due to declining juicer sales in the U.S. market.
However, the group also said sales overall for the first four months of the 2015 financial year were tracking to expectations with the critical November through Christmas period yet to come. The group is also looking to cut costs to boost earnings in the year ahead and with significant overseas exposure looks one of the better retailers on the ASX.
