It has been a great start to the week for the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) which is up by 0.5% to 5,529 points in afternoon trade.
Gains are being posted across most sectors, with just the energy and materials sectors in negative territory at this point today. There have been many stand out performances, but here are four that I have picked out:
Australian Dairy Farms Group (ASX: AHF) shares have rocketed over 18% to 22.5 cents today after it announced that its Camperdown Dairy Company subsidiary had secured shelf space in over 220 Woolworths stores in Victoria. Considering the current trend of consumers supporting local dairy farmers, this could prove to be significant for Australian Dairy Farms moving forward. Thanks to the deal and the growth of its Farmers Own products, management expects it will result in more than doubling the production and sales of milk at Camperdown Dairy Company.
Australian Dairy Farms shares are still down over 36% year to date.
MotorCycle Holdings Ltd (ASX: MTO) shares are speeding higher by 12% to $3.26 thanks to the release of a profit update this morning. Due to a strong performance management advised that it now expects net profit after tax to come in ahead of its $6.9 million prospectus forecast by 10% to 15%. Even after the strong gains today, I believe Australia's largest motorcycle dealership could be a great long-term investment thanks to the increasing number of motorcycle riders in Australia.
MotorCycle Holdings shares have now risen by 63% since their $2 IPO in April.
Orthocell Ltd (ASX: OCC) shares have surged 16% to 39.5 cents despite there being no news out of the junior biotechnology company. Today's gain is likely to be attributable to a positive report in The Australian over the weekend that praised the company. It went on to say that its products are game-changing and will "revolutionise treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients with tendon, cartilage and soft tissue damage." With a market cap of around $25 million, this could be one to keep a close eye on.
Orthocell's share price has risen by over 40% in the last 30 days.
Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW) shares have climbed over 7% to $24.05 after the retail giant announced an operating review to tackle underperformance and return the company to sustainable operating growth. The new operating model is designed to drive improved performance and will see 1,000 staff moved out of the group office. A further 500 positions are to be cut from the support office and the supply chain. It will also close 30 underperforming stores and has placed 34 more stores on watch. Judging by the rampant buying of its shares today, the market reaction to these tough decisions has been very positive.
Woolworths shares are still down by 1% so far in 2016, despite today's gains.
