How to buy Ausnet Services shares

AusNet Services Ltd is an utilities—diversified business based in Australia. Ausnet Services shares (AST) are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and all prices are listed in Australian Dollars. Ausnet Services has a trailing 12-month revenue of around $2 billion.

How to buy shares in Ausnet Services

1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares listed in Australia, you'll need to sign up to a broker with access to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Our table below can help you choose.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, PayPal or debit card.
3. Search for Ausnet Services. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: AST. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until Ausnet Services reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. At today's price of $N/A, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of Ausnet Services. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

Ausnet Services share price

Use our graph to track the performance of AST stocks over time.

Ausnet Services shares at a glance

• Key figures

Information last updated 2020-09-25.

52-week range	AUDA$1.465 - AUDA$2.015
50-day moving average	AUDA$1.8521
200-day moving average	AUDA$1.786
Target price	AUDA$1.66
PE ratio	23.6041
Dividend yield	AUDA$0.1 (5.33%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	AUDA$0.079

Share Trading Account Offer

IG Share Trading Offer

AUD 8

Standard brokerage - Australian shares

Share Trading Account Offer

Competitive broker fees on Australian and international shares

• Brokerage - AU shares: From AUD 5 or 0.05%
• Brokerage - US shares: USD 0
• Sign-up process: Instant
• Support - After hours: Yes

Go to site

More info

Important: Share trading carries risk of capital loss.

Compare share trading platforms

The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy Ausnet Services stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Technical Analysis of AusNet Services Ltd by TradingView

Is Ausnet Services under- or over-valued?

Valuing Ausnet Services stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Ausnet Services's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

Ausnet Services's P/E ratio

Ausnet Services's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 24x. In other words, Ausnet Services shares trade at around 24x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the P/E ratio for the ASX over the 12 months to December 2019 (32.14). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

Ausnet Services's EBITDA

Ausnet Services's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is $1.2 billion.

The EBITDA is a measure of a Ausnet Services's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

Ausnet Services financials

Revenue TTM	$2 billion
Operating margin TTM	37.86%
Gross profit TTM	$1.7 billion
Return on assets TTM	3.45%
Return on equity TTM	9.24%
Profit margin	14.7%
Book value	0.807
Market capitalisation	$7.2 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Ausnet Services share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 126.4% of net profits

Recently Ausnet Services has paid out, on average, around 126.4% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 5.33% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Ausnet Services shareholders could enjoy a 5.33% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Ausnet Services's case, that would currently equate to about A$0.1 per share.

Ausnet Services's payout ratio would broadly be considered high, and as such this stock could appeal to those looking to generate an income. Bear in mind however that companies should normally also look to re-invest a decent amount of net profits to ensure future growth.

The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 19 May 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have Ausnet Services's shares ever split?

Ausnet Services's shares were split on 13 May 2009.

Ausnet Services share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Ausnet Services's shares have ranged in value from as little as $1.465 up to $2.015. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (AU average) beta is 1, while Ausnet Services's is 0.1813. This would suggest that Ausnet Services's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

Ausnet Services overview

AusNet Services Ltd owns and operates an electricity transmission network in Australia. It operates through Electricity Distribution, Gas Distribution, Electricity Transmission, and Mondo segments. The Electricity Distribution segment carries electricity from the high voltage transmission network to end users, including metering. The Gas Distribution segment carries natural gas to commercial and residential end users, including metering in central and western Victoria. The Electricity Transmission segment owns and manages an electricity transmission network, including transmission lines and towers, which carry electricity at high voltages from power generators to electricity distributors in Victoria. The Mondo segment provides contracted infrastructure asset services and specialized technology solutions to enable energy data and asset intelligence services. This segment serves customers operating in utility, renewables, and infrastructure sectors of electricity, water, gas, and rail. The company operates through an electricity transmission network of approximately 6,836 kilometers of high voltage transmission powerlines, 59 terminal stations, and 13,153 transmission towers; electricity distribution network of approximately 750,000 customers, 76 zone substations, 407,354 power poles, and approximately 61,994 kilometer of powerlines. It also operates a gas distribution network of 730,000 customers and 11,893 kilometers of underground gas pipelines. The company was formerly known as SP AusNet Ltd. and changed its name to AusNet Services Ltd in August 2014. AusNet Services Ltd was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Southbank, Australia.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of Ausnet Services is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 19.771% of Ausnet Services shares are held by insiders and 47.966% by institutions.

• When does the fiscal year end for Ausnet Services?

  Ausnet Services's fiscal year ends in March.

• Where is Ausnet Services based?

  Ausnet Services's address is: 2 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank, VIC, Australia, 3006

• What is Ausnet Services's ISIN number?

  Ausnet Services's international securities identification number is: AU000000AST5