The S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) has jumped higher on Thursday morning in a good start to the day for investors. Shares in a number of companies across various sectors are on the move, so let's take a look at some of the broad market index's top performers this morning.
Which ASX 300 shares are leading the way on Thursday?
1. Orica Ltd (ASX: ORI)
Orica is one of the big names leading the index higher this morning. Shares in the explosives company have jumped 14.62% higher on Thursday to $13.80 per share.
With no new announcements this morning, that appears to be a hangover from yesterday's FY21 Individually Significant Items update.
Shares in the ASX 300 company climbed higher following the update despite reporting a $345 million to $370 million expected reduction in net profit after tax for FY21.
2. Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA)
The Codan share price burst out of the blocks on Thursday morning, climbing more than 5% in early trade. It's a welcome turnaround for investors who have watched the ASX 300 share slide 16.2% lower in the last month alone.
The Aussie communications technology manufacturer hasn't had any price sensitive announcements in recent weeks but that hasn't stopped the group's shares from charging higher on Thursday. At the time of writing, the Codan share price is up 6.84%, trading at $12.81.
3. Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT)
Beach Energy is another big-name ASX 300 share on the move this morning. Shares in the Aussie energy group are up 7.3% at the time of writing and have now climbed 40% higher in the past month.
Today's share price move comes as a global energy crisis continues to loom and ASX 200 energy exporters get put in the spotlight. That supply shortage is good news for shareholders after Beach inked a 5-year LNG deal with BP for its maiden LNG exports.
Foolish takeaway
These are just a few of the ASX 300 shares on the move this morning. The index itself has added 1.34% at the time of writing to climb above 7,297 points.
