The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) traded more than 1% higher today. However, shares of the following four companies sunk sharply into the red.
- Aurizon Holdings Ltd (ASX: AZJ) – down 12.2%
Aurizon, an infrastructure owner specialising in the haulage of coal and iron ore, today reported its half-year results for the period ended 31 December 2015. The company reported an 11% fall in revenue and 135% fall in profit, from $308 million last year to a loss of $108 million. Despite the poor profit result, the company upped its interim dividend 12% to 11.3 cents per share, franked at 70%.
- XERO FPO NZ (ASX: XRO) – down 2.2%
Surprisingly, Xero Limited, the Kiwi cloud accounting software provider, today fell modestly despite climbing 8% shortly after the market's open. Xero's share price has fallen more than 32% this year, compared with the S&P/ASX 200's 8.7% decline. Today, the company released a note to the ASX stating that Ross Jenkins, its former Chief Operating Officer, sold 50,000 shares. It also granted 66,442 options to directors, Chris Liddell and Bill Veghte.
- Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) – down 4%
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd shares fell hard after Australia's fifth-largest retail bank released its half-year report to the market. The bank revealed an 8.2% fall in profit for the period, blaming rivals for their aggressive efforts to grow market share in the tightly held Australian mortgage market. Despite the slight decline in profit, the bank upped its interim dividend and said its robust balance sheet set the tone for a positive full-year result.
- Henderson Group plc (ASX: HGG) – down 5.1%
Shares of Henderson Group, the UK fund manager, fell more than 5% today despite no material company-specific news. Last week, however, the company reported a 38% fall in profit despite delivering on a number of other promising metrics, such as management fees and an increase in assets under management. Following Thursday evening's release, analysts moved to downgrade the company's shares. For example, Credit Suisse analysts reduced their price target on Henderson Group shares 19% to $5.25, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
