In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a solid gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.9% to 7,805.8 points.
Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are falling:
DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)
The DroneShield share price is down 2.5% to $1.49. This is the second consecutive day of declines for the counter drone technology company's shares. This appears to have been driven by profit taking from investors following some very strong gains. For example, the DroneShield share price is still up 55% in a month and almost 300% over the past six months. Strong sales growth, major contract wins, and a very positive outlook have been behind this rise.
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)
The Paladin Energy share price is down almost 6% to $12.50. This follows news that the company has signed an agreement to acquire Fission Uranium Corp. (TSX: FCU). Paladin Energy will acquire 100% of Fission Uranium for 0.1076 shares for each Fission share. This implied an offer of approximately A$1.43 per share and valued the Canadian uranium company at A$1.25 billion. It seems that some investors aren't overly convinced by the deal or feel that Paladin Energy is overpaying.
RED 5 Limited (ASX: RED)
The RED 5 share price is down 8% to 37.7 cents. Investors appear to be selling this gold miner's shares after it reported some heavy insider selling. According to a notice, the company's managing director and CEO, Luke Tonkin, offloaded almost half of its holding. Tonkin sold 5,388,000 shares through an on-market trade on 20 June for an average of 41.9 cents per share. This equates to a total consideration of approximately $2.25 million. The company's CEO is left holding 6,276,766 Red 5 shares.
Synlait Milk Ltd (ASX: SM1)
The Synlait Milk share price is down 7% to 27.5 cents. This morning, the dairy processor announced a shareholder meeting to approve a $130 million loan from major shareholder Bright Dairy International. If approved, Synlait will fully draw down the loan to meet the $130 million payment due to its banks on 15 July 2024. Management warned that "if the $130 million payment is not made and the banks do not agree to alternative arrangements, the Board believes Synlait will need to cease trading or initiate a formal insolvency process."
