This week has been defined by mixed results from names like Pilbara Minerals, Ansell, WiseTech, Adbri, Domino, Altium, and Coles, with inflation a common theme.

Which shares excelled?

Printed circuit board software developer Altium (ASX: ALU) has been this week standout name, racing higher following a promising earnings report, and amid rumours it may be in line for another takeover bid. 

On the back of a strong increase in profit margins, EBITDA rose by one-third to just shy of $80 million, while net profits soared more than 50% to $55.5 million. The company was also successful turning this into operating cash flow, which grew 30% year-over-year, and a higher dividend for shareholders. 

Management expects big things to continue in FY23, with revenue tipped to grow between 15% to 20%, largely on the back of increasing adoption of its cloud platform and a term-based licence model. Meanwhile, some analysts are starting to speculate that US-listed Autodesk, which bid for Altium last year, could be tempted to return with a higher offer in the wake of its results.

The uranium sector was dealt a strong hand this week as Japan prime minister indicated the country will ramp up development plans for next-generation nuclear power plants. The government is looking to restart a number of nuclear reactors, eyeing nuclear power as an energy solution in the wake of changes arising from the Ukraine war that have seen gas, oil, and coal prices soar. ASX winners this week include Paladin Energy (ASX: PDN) and Energy Resources of Australia (ASX: ERA). The lithium bonanza has translated into bumper earnings for some of the major players in this segment. Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) has been the talk of the town this week, dragging Allkem (ASX: AKE) higher in the process. 

Pilbara unveiled record numbers, with EBITDA skyrocketing from $21.4 million a year ago to $814.5 million during FY22. The company also recorded an inaugural profit, with statutory net profit after tax of $561.8 million. 

Soaring lithium prices have been one of the key levers behind the results, but operational performance also played a major role. Capacity was boosted by production restarts, and the company shipped a total of 361,035 dry metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate, 28% higher than the prior corresponding period.

Elsewhere, logistics software firm WiseTech Global (ASX: WTC) delighted shareholders with an 80% surge in profits, fuelled by a strong increase in revenue, but more importantly, higher margins. On the back of the result, management declared a fully-franked final dividend of 6.4 cents per share, ensuring total dividends for the year were 71% more than FY21.Another company that handed down strong results this week is Nick Scali (ASX: NCK). The furniture retailer shrugged off low consumer sentiment and inflation pain to boost its sales by 18.2%, totalling $441 million. As a result, the company has rewarded shareholders with a higher dividend.Reporting season has also proved fruitful for the likes of Ooh!Media (ASX: OML), Monadelphous (ASX: MND), Ansell (ASX: ANN), and Iluka Resources (ASX: ILU), which have all delivered strong earnings updates.

Which shares dragged on the market?

Building materials supplier Adbri (ASX: ABC) has been caught in the crosshairs this week as inflation took a big toll on its results. Despite revenue increasing 8% due to strong demand from the mining sector, profits were lower as the impact of inclement weather and rising expenses weighed on the company. In fact, price hikes and cost cutting failed to keep up with inflationary challenges tied to shipping, energy, and raw material costs.A slowdown in revenue for software and services firm Hansen Technologies (ASX: HSN) means the stock has had a tough week. With revenue sliding 4%, statutory NPAT dived 27% to $41.9 million, while EBITDA decreased 16% to $99.9 million. Shareholders were none too pleased by the results, despite the prior corresponding period being favoured by a large one-off revenue contribution. Leading drinks and hospitality business Endeavour Group (ASX: EDV) also finds itself among this week laggards, despite the fact the company recorded a big increase in profits. That said, the increase was coming off a low base when lockdowns had impacted its operations. Shareholders appear to be concerned by a trading update focusing on the period since July, with management indicating bottle shop sales have slowed.Fund manager Perpetual (ASX: PPT) announced it will acquire its ASX peer in Pendal Group (ASX: PDL), with the deal valued at around $2.3 billion. While that would result in Perpetual holding over $200 billion of assets under management (AUM), and potentially $60 million in pre-tax synergies per year across the first two years, shareholders appear unimpressed about the proposal, hastily selling PPT shares. At the same time, Perpetual FY22 results did little to shore up confidence, despite each of its key divisions posting earnings growth and NPAT surging 39%.Coles (ASX: COL) is another stock that has struggled to keep up over recent trading sessions, which follows its earnings report earlier in the week. The supermarket giant posted a 2% increase in sales, and a 4.3% increase in NPAT to $1.1 billion, but investors appear concerned by management outlook commentary. Due to supply chain headwinds, as well as natural disasters, price inflation accelerated throughout July, with Coles' cost base also feeling the squeeze due to higher wages and COVID absenteeism.Nanosonics (ASX: NAN), Life360 (ASX: 360), Domino (ASX: DMP), Reliance Worldwide (ASX: RWC), and Latitude Group (ASX: LFS) have also faced heavy selling pressure this week.

We'll be back next week with another Weekly ASX Trading Wrap Up - until then, have a great week!