The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) looks set to post its seventh consecutive day of gains, with the market up 0.5% in mid-afternoon trading.
Sectors were mixed, with gold down 3.3%, and industrials and A-REITs up around 1%.
Unfortunately for shareholders in these four companies, their share prices tanked…
Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) saw its share price sink 3.6% to $24.39 and Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL) saw its share price sink 3.4% to $3.73. Gold miners were hit across the board, after the spot gold price fell 0.8% overnight to US$1,332 an ounce.
Since hitting a high of around US$1,377 an ounce earlier this month, the commodity price has been sinking and hit a two-week low yesterday. Signs of calm in Europe following Brexit and the Bank of England holding its key rate steady appear to be negative for gold.
The problem for gold miners is that as the commodity price sinks, their share prices tend to come off at a faster rate given their leverage. It's good news when gold rises, but a small fall in the gold price makes a bigger relative impact on the bottom line profits.
The Tassal Group Limited (ASX: TGR) share price dropped 2.5% to $4.07 and has now lost 6% since July 11. The salmon farmer, processor and seafood distributor has diversified since acquiring De Costi Seafoods around a year ago and is less susceptible to external impacts on its salmon farming these days. At current prices, Tassal may be cheap with a P/E ratio of around 13x and a dividend yield of 3.6% (partly franked).
Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) share price is down 2.9% at $6.75, despite no new news from the company in more than a few months. The software company – which makes products to design printed circuit boards – has seen its share price rise 60% in the past year on the back of rising revenues and a solid outlook. However, that may be its undoing – after one broker cut the stock to a Sell, and lowered its price target to $6.25 earlier this week.
