The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Generation Development Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) shares are slipping today. 

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy provider closed yesterday trading for $10.48. In afternoon trade on Friday, shares are changing hands for $10.38 apiece, down 1%.  

That sees the Origin Energy share price at its lowest level since April 2025.

Shares are now down 19% from their recent 7 April highs, though only down around 4% over the past 12 months.

Now, nothing has gone drastically wrong for the ASX 200 energy stock. It appears shares have come off the boil amid lower realised LNG prices alongside additional headwinds as the Federal Government undertakes a review of electricity retailers’ pricing practices. 

Which brings us back to our headline question. 

With shares trading at 52-week-plus lows, is Origin Energy a good long-term passive income buy today?

What to look for with ASX passive income stocks

When I’m running my slide rule over potential passive-income stocks, there are a few things I look for.

First, while not a deal-breaker, I prefer to invest in companies that pay fully-franked dividends. That’s because with fully-franked dividend payouts, you get a credit for the 30% in taxes the company has already paid the ATO. We’ll look at the material difference that can make below. 

The second thing I look for in a passive income stock like Origin Energy shares is the company’s dividend track record. By that, I mean, has the company reliably paid dividends for many years without skipping a payout? It’s also a bonus to see those dividend payments increasing over time.

And then I look at the longer-term share price moves compared to the current dividend yield.

Sure, it’s great to see an ASX stock trading at a 10%-plus dividend yield. But if its share price has crashed by 70% over the previous year, then that’s likely a dividend trap to avoid.

Should I buy Origin Energy shares for passive income?

So, how do Origin Energy shares stack up on my passive income checklist?

First, the ASX 200 stock does pay fully-franked dividends. Over the last year, Origin Energy has paid out 60 cents a share in fully-franked dividends. At the current share price, that sees the stock trading on a 5.8% trailing dividend yield. 

Taking those franking credits into account, the grossed-up yield works out to 8.3%.

Second, Origin Energy has made two annual dividend payouts going back to 2019. And since 2022, those dividend payouts have been growing each year.

Then there’s the share price retrace.

While Origin Energy shares have tumbled 19% from their recent April highs, I’m not overly concerned about the 4% one-year decline. 

As a leading Australian power provider, the company should benefit in the long term from the energy security it provides, as well as the nation’s ongoing shift towards electrification.

The post Trading at 52-week lows, are Origin Energy shares a good passive income buy now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares rose 2.77% and produced total returns, including dividends, of 7% in FY26.  

Here, we look at which ASX 200 large-cap shares achieved the most capital growth last year. 

Large-cap stocks have a market capitalisation of $10 billion or more.

Many investors favour ASX 200 large-cap shares because they are typically well-established companies that pay reliable dividends.  

Let’s check out last year’s best six performers. 

Best ASX 200 large caps for share price growth

1. PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Formerly known as Pilbara Minerals, PLS Group is the largest lithium miner on the ASX 200. 

The PLS Group share price ripped 275% in FY26. 

The ASX 200 large-cap lithium share closed out FY26 at $5.02.   

The company’s flagship is the Pilgangoora Operation, the world’s largest independent hard-rock lithium mine. 

Like all ASX lithium shares, PLS Group benefited from surging commodity prices in FY26. 

Lithium spodumene soared 278%, and carbonate rose 160% over the financial year.  

2. Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)

The Mineral Resources share price rebounded strongly in FY26, rising 188%.  

Mineral Resources produces lithium and iron ore, and offers a raft of specialised services to other miners. 

The ASX 200 large-cap mining share finished the year at $62.65. 

Value investors returned to Mineral Resources shares in FY26 after corporate governance and financial problems pushed the share price to a 5-year low of $14.05 in April 2025. 

Mineral Resources stopped paying dividends to save cash and reported its strongest half-year result ever for 1H FY26.

Soaring lithium prices and the ramp-up of its Onslow iron ore project contributed to the company’s stronger earnings. 

3. Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)

The Lynas Rare Earths share price ripped 115.26% higher in FY26.

The ASX 200 large-cap rare earths share finished the year at $18.06 apiece.  

The Lynas share price had several tailwinds last year. 

Firstly, restricted exports from China amid rising trade and geopolitical tensions continued to push commodity values higher. Neodymium was among them, rising 80%.  

This helped Lynas deliver an impressive 1H FY26 report, with net profit after tax (NPAT) jumping from $5.9 million to $80.2 million year over year.

Arguably, the most important company-specific catalyst for share price growth in FY26 was the long-term extension of Lynas’ supply agreement with Japan Australia Rare Earths B.V. (JARE) through to 2038.

The deal included a US$110 per kilo floor price for neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide and annual purchase commitments.

4. BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

The BHP share price soared 61.63% in FY26.

The ASX 200 large-cap mining share also took back its crown as the market’s largest listed company during the year. 

The BHP share price finished FY26 at $59.40. 

A rising copper price, which hit a record US$6.60 per pound in May, contributed to BHP’s strong share price rise last year.  

While the Big Australian is still a major iron ore producer, it is now also the world’s largest copper producer.

In 1H FY26, copper accounted for more than half of BHP’s underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA). 

5. Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO)

The Rio Tinto share price roared 61.03% higher in FY26. 

Rio Tinto is also a major iron ore producer, but has diversified into lithium and copper in recent years. 

In FY26, lithium and copper were among the fastest-rising commodities relevant to Australia. 

This helped push the ASX 200 large-cap mining share to a closing price of $172.51 on 30 June. 

6. Newmont Corporation CDI (ASX: NST)

The Newmont Corporation share price increased 64.07% in FY26. 

The ASX 200 large-cap gold share benefited from a resilient gold price last year. 

The gold price rose by 18% in FY26, which was a far more subdued performance compared to FY25. 

Newmont shares finished the financial year at $134.52 apiece. 

The post 6 ASX 200 large-cap shares that rose 60% to 275% in FY26 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Is it smart to invest $5,000 into BHP shares?
• The ASX 200 sector that outperformed the benchmark 7 to 1 in FY26. Can it keep delivering?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• If I’d invested $4,000 in PLS Group shares 12 months ago, guess what I’d have now!

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in BHP Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

With only a few hours of trade left before today’s closing bell, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 0.9% since last Friday’s close, with these three surging ASX 200 stocks leaving those gains in the dust.

Here’s what’s been catching ASX investor interest this week. 

Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD)

Genesis Minerals shares closed last Friday trading for $5.39. At the time of writing, shares are swapping hands for $6.18 apiece. That sees this ASX 200 stock up 14.7% for the week.

Most of those gains are being delivered today after the Aussie gold miner released a business update.

Investors reacted positively to the miner reporting that its FY 2026 gold production hit 285,400 ounces. That’s towards the higher end of Genesis Minerals’ full-year guidance of 260,000 ounces to 290,000 ounces.

On the cost front, the gold mine also reported its full-year all-in sustaining cost (AISC) came within its FY 2026 guidance range of $2,500 to $2,700 per ounce.

And the balance sheet is growing, with Genesis Minerals reporting underlying cash and equivalents of $258 million, up from $253 million in March. 

Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT)

The second ASX 200 stock shooting the lights out this week is financial services company Perpetual.

Perpetual shares closed last Friday at $15.19 and are currently trading at $19.12. This sees the Perpetual share price up 25.9% over the week.

Perpetual shares leapt 16.8% on Wednesday after the company announced that it had received, and rejected, an unsolicited, non-binding takeover proposal from Windflower. According to the release, Windflower is indirectly controlled by EQT AB. 

Under the terms of the indicative proposal, Perpetual shareholders would have received $21.64 per share in cash, or almost 40% above Tuesday’s closing price.

In explaining its rejection, the Perpetual board noted:

The indicative proposal was highly conditional and did not adequately represent fair value for Perpetual shareholders in the context of a change of control transaction and the board determined that it was not in the best interests of Perpetual shareholders.

Which brings us to…

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU)

The top-performing ASX 200 stock on my list today is Neuren Pharmaceuticals.

Shares in the biopharmaceutical company closed last Friday trading for $12.20. At the time of writing, shares are changing hands for $16.71 each. This sees the Neuren share price up 37% for the week.

Neuren shares closed up a whopping 36.1% on Monday after announcing a crucial regulatory win in the European Union (EU) for its lead drug, DAYBUE.  

DAYBUE is intended to treat neurobehavioral symptoms of Rett syndrome.

Commenting on the positive decision from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), Neuren CEO Jon Pilcher said, “I am so delighted for all stakeholders to see this positive outcome from the CHMP re-examination process recommending marketing authorisation for DAYBU in the EU.”

The post 3 ASX 200 stocks storming higher this week on big announcements appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why this ASX 200 winner is halted on Wednesday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 3 reasons to buy this recovering ASX biotech stock

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are popular for many reasons, including easy exposure to international shares via our local exchange.  

US stocks are particularly popular given that the S&P 500 Index (SP: INX) has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) for several years. 

Currency-hedging can reduce or amplify the returns for investors, and we are seeing this play out right now. 

It’s dividend season, and a closer look shows distributions from some hedged ETFs are more than triple their unhedged counterparts. Woah.  

This largely has to do with changes to the US currency.

Since early CY25, the US dollar has been weakening against a strengthening Aussie currency. 

The Aussie dollar rose from about 62 US cents in January 2025 to a four-year high of 74 US cents in May this year. 

This has helped turbocharge distributions for some currency-hedged ETFs this season. 

The US dollar has been weakening amid expectations of interest rate cuts, concerns about the economic impact of fiscal policy, and broader geopolitical and trade uncertainty.

Meanwhile, the AUD is stronger as the outlook for interest rates improves, and rising commodity prices support our terms of trade.

Strong demand for our metals and minerals, driven by the green energy transition and the build-out of artificial intelligence (AI), also supports our currency, as foreign buyers typically pay for exports in Australian dollars.

Let’s take a look at some examples of the hedging impact on ASX ETF distributions this season. 

ASX ETF distributions: Hedged vs. non-hedged 

The unhedged VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT) will pay $11.61 per unit this season. (By the way, MOAT is one of six ETFs paying a 10% dividend yield in a single payment this season.) 

Its currency-hedged counterpart, VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat (AUD Hedged) ETF (ASX: MHOT), will pay $20.54 per unit. That’s a 75% higher distribution than MOAT. 

The iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV), the market’s largest ETF tracking the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX), is paying a distribution of 23.3 cents per unit this season. 

The currency-hedged version of IVV, iShares S&P 500 (AUD Hedged) ETF (ASX: IHVV), will pay more than 10x that amount — 270.27 cents per unit.

The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) will pay 90 cents per unit this season. 

The hedged version of this ETF, Betashares Nasdaq 100 Currency Hedged ETF (ASX: HNDQ), will pay 30% more at 120 cents per unit. 

iShares Global 100 ETF (ASX: IOO), which tracks the S&P Global 100 (Net) Index and is made up of 79% US stocks, is paying out 182 cents per unit this season.

The iShares Global 100 (Currency-hedged) ETF (ASX: IHOO) will pay investors 1,082 cents per unit, or almost 6x the IOO ETF. 

Global X S&P World ex Australia GARP ETF (ASX: GARP) will pay 70.76 cents per unit this season. 

Global X S&P World ex Australia GARP (Currency Hedged) ETF (ASX: GHRP) will pay almost 4x that amount at 269.5 cents per unit. 

Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS), which invests in 1,500 stocks in developed nations outside Australia, and has a 77% US exposure, will pay 81.54 cents per unit. 

Its currency-hedged counterpart, Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares (Hedged) ETF (ASX: VGAD), will pay more than triple that amount at 293.5 cents per unit. 

Final distributions confirmed

ETF providers have confirmed their final distribution amounts for this season. 

If you own Vanguard ETFs, see this season’s final distributions here.

Interested in VanEck ETFs? View final distributions here.

If you own Betashares ETFs, see final distributions here.

If you’re invested in iShares ETFs, see final distributions here.

Invested in Global X ETFs? Find out final distributions here.

The post The currency-hedged ASX ETFs magnifying dividends by up to 10x this season appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF, Vaneck Morningstar Wide Moat (Aud Hedged) Etf, Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF, and iShares S&P 500 Aud Hedged ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF – Currency Hedged, VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF, Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) real estate stock Aspen Group Ltd (ASX: APZ) is marching higher today.

Aspen Group shares closed yesterday trading for $5.18. During the Friday lunch hour, shares are changing hands for $5.24 apiece, up 1.2%.  

For some context, the ASX 300 is up 1.2% at this same time as well.

Taking a step back, however, Apen Group shares have strongly outperformed the 2.8% 12-month gains delivered by the benchmark index. 

Indeed, if we add in the 11 cents per share in partly-franked dividends the ASX 300 real estate stock has paid out over the past year, then the accumulated value of Aspen shares has surged 40.1% in 12 months.

And according to Joe Wright, deputy portfolio manager on the Airlie Australian Share Fund, the company is well-positioned to keep outperforming in the year ahead.  

Here’s why.

ASX 300 real estate stock in the sweet spot

“We love residential property developer and operator Aspen Group,” Wright said (quoted by The Australian Financial Review).

“There continues to be a huge undersupply of affordable housing in Australia, which is exactly the area that Aspen looks to serve,” he added.

Summing up his bullish outlook on the ASX 300 real estate stock, Wright concluded:

Joint chief executives John Carter and David Dixon are experienced operators with a fantastic track record of buying land well and building houses that are reasonably priced and people want to live in.

It means there is a lot of demand, and that’s led to significant earnings growth and returns which we expect to continue over the next five years.

What’s the latest from Aspen Group?

Aspen released its Q3 FY 2026 update on 9 April, with management noting that the company is “well on track to achieve earnings guidance for FY26 and FY27”.

As for that earnings growth Wright mentioned above, for the nine months to 31 March the ASX 300 real estate stock reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $43.1 million. That’s up 45% from the same nine-month period in FY 2025. 

Management maintained full year FY 2026 EBITDA guidance of $53.3 million.

Also growing strongly was the company’s realised development profit, which leapt 153% year on year to $19 million in the first nine months of this financial year. 

Aspen Group management noted, “By the end of March, we achieved 88% of development profit guidance [of $21.5 million] for FY26, and we expect to achieve 100% in May.”

The post Up 40%. Why this surging ASX 300 real estate stock is tipped to keep outperforming appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Talga Group Ltd (ASX: TLG) shares are having one of their best sessions in months on Friday.

At the time of writing, the ASX battery materials stock is up 28.57% to an intraday high of 27 cents. 

The rally comes after a tough run for shareholders. Talga shares are still down 28% in 2026 and 36% over the past 12 months. 

But investors finally have something to cheer about. 

After years of work on its battery anode plans, Talga has given investors a sign that commercial progress is finally starting to show. 

Here’s what the company announced. 

First commercial deliveries begin

According to the release, Talga has started commercial deliveries of its flagship battery graphite anode product, Talnode-C, to Nyobolt. 

Nyobolt is a battery technology company focused on ultra-fast charging batteries, which are being developed for areas such as heavy-duty vehicles, mining equipment, and industrial robotics. 

The first shipment was delivered from Talga’s EVA demonstration plant in Lulea, Sweden, under the binding 3,000-tonne offtake agreement announced in May last year. 

While the early volumes aren’t huge, the update is still significant for the company. It means Talga has moved from testing and customer qualification work to commercial sales under a binding offtake agreement. 

The balance of the 3,000-tonne offtake is expected to come from Talga’s planned commercial-scale anode plant in the same area. Construction is targeted to start in 2027, although this still depends on a final investment decision.

A closer look at Nyobolt

Nyobolt is working on batteries that can charge very quickly and handle heavy use. 

Talga said the company recently completed a Series C capital raise at a US$1 billion valuation. So, clearly there’s some serious money behind what it is trying to build. 

Nyobolt advised that it has already demonstrated charging from 10% to 80% in under 5 minutes.

With that kind of speed, the batteries could be valuable in markets where downtime can cost operators money.

And that is why Nyobolt is targeting heavy-duty commercial vehicles, trucks, mining equipment, and autonomous warehouse robots.

These are all areas where battery performance, charging speed, and reliability need to hold up.

Talga also pointed to demand beyond passenger electric vehicles. This includes potential uses in industrial drones, hybrid heavy-duty vehicles, defence hardware, AI data centre power solutions, and backup power systems.

Foolish Takeaway

This update should give Talga shares more support after a brutal start to the year.

Talga has talked up its battery anode opportunity for years, making these first commercial sales a welcome milestone for investors. 

Furthermore, management said it is in advanced talks with offtake parties and new customers are nearing final qualification and onboarding.

If more deals follow, the share price could keep powering higher.

 

The post Guess which ASX stock is rocketing almost 30% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares are sliding today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy stock closed yesterday trading for $28.03. In late morning trade on Friday, shares are swapping hands for $27.69 apiece, down 1.2%. 

For some context, the ASX 200 is up 1.3% at this same time. 

Some of today’s underperformance looks to be driven by another dip in global oil prices.

Currently trading for US$71.60 per barrel, the Brent crude oil price is down 0.3% overnight, which now sees the oil price down more than 25% over the past month.

Investors may also be tuning into the latest board shakeup announced by the oil and gas giant this morning.

What’s happening with Woodside shares?

Before market open today, Woodside announced that Tony O’Neill has resigned as a non-executive director, effective as of the first of this month, just two years after joining the board. 

Since June 2024, O’Neill served on Woodside’s Audit & Risk, Sustainability, Nominations & Governance committees.

Commenting on the abrupt departure that could be dragging on Woodside shares today, chairman Richard Goyder said: 

Tony’s wise counsel and strategic guidance on sustainability, decarbonisation and operational performance have been highly valued during what has been a transformative period for Woodside. We appreciate Tony’s leadership and commitment to delivering value for our shareholders and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

What are the experts saying?

According to various media speculations, O’Neill’s resignation appears to be linked to historic United Kingdom-based business dealings at Odin that he had with Mark Cutifani. Cutifani joined the Woodside board earlier this year. Their business relationship had, reportedly, not been clarified to other board directors. 

As The Australian Financial Review reported, a Woodside spokeswoman said O’Neill resigned “to allow the company and board to focus on delivery and remove ongoing distraction”. 

As for the potential impact on Woodside shares, MST Marquee energy analyst Saul Kavonic noted that O’Neill’s resignation “may now be too little, too late to fully alleviate investor concerns on governance”.

According to Kavonic (quoted by the AFR):

Governance concerns will persist for as long as the chairman succession process isn’t seen to be beyond reproach.

That Woodside’s board persist with the assertion that this is about dealing with a distraction rather than facing up to a substantive governance issue is a further sign that change of leadership of the Woodside board is overdue, and shouldn’t be passed to another director who was involved in this debacle.

Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility lead analyst Alex Hillman added:

We raised concerns at the recent AGM about the appointment of Mark Cutifani as a director, in circumstances where Tony O’Neill and Mark Cutifani have had overlapping business interests.

The resignation of Tony O’Neill does, however, create an opportunity for Woodside to appoint the type of director that the company needs.

With today’s intraday dip factored in, Woodside shares remain up 17.2% in 2026.

The post Woodside shares slide amid big leadership news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

It has been a rough year for Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL), but investors are getting something to cheer about on Friday.  

At the time of writing, the ASX gold stock is up 12.33% to $5.74.

That gives Catalyst shares some relief after a weaker year so far. Catalyst shares are still down around 22% in 2026, although they remain up about 7% since this time last year. 

Here’s what the company announced.

A record year at Plutonic

According to the release, Catalyst produced 31,812 ounces of gold in the fourth quarter from its Plutonic Gold Belt in Western Australia. 

That helped lift annual gold production to 104,000 ounces, which was in line with the company’s FY26 guidance range of 100,000 ounces to 110,000 ounces.

Catalyst said this was both a record quarterly and annual gold production result for the Plutonic Gold Belt under its ownership.

It was also the highest quarterly and annual production from Plutonic since 2013, when the asset was owned by Barrick.

Production came from four mines across the Plutonic Gold Belt, including Plutonic Main, Plutonic East, the Trident open pit, and K2.

Management said the result reflected a year of consistent operating performance across the asset. It noted that Catalyst has now lifted production from around 15,000 ounces a quarter to more than 30,000 ounces a quarter since taking control of Plutonic. 

Balance sheet improves

Catalyst’s cash position also moved in the right direction.

The company ended June with cash and bullion of $323 million. That was up $46 million since 31 March and up $85 million over the six months to 30 June. 

That increase came after exploration, capital, and corporate spending.

Catalyst also said it is debt-free. On top of that, its undrawn $100 million debt facility gives it total liquidity of $423 million.

Can the rebound continue?

This update should give Catalyst shares more support after a weak start to 2026.

The company delivered a stellar result, but most importantly, grew its cash and bullion balance, and remains debt-free. 

Catalyst said detailed operating figures and costs will be provided in its upcoming June quarterly report. That will give investors a better look at margins, costs, and how much of this stronger production result is flowing through to the bottom line. 

The K2 mine is also worth watching, with commercial production appearing to be on track despite some early grade reconciliation and cost pressures.

 

The post This ASX gold stock is jumping 12% after a record year appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gold stock Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) is charging higher today. 

Vault Minerals shares closed yesterday trading for $4.22. In late morning trade on Friday, shares are swapping hands for $4.48 apiece, up 6%. 

For some context, the ASX 200 is up 0.7% at this same time.

With today’s intraday gains factored in, the Vault Minerals share price is up 70.3% over the past 12 months, giving the miner a market cap of around $4.6 billion. 

Vault Minerals will be catching some broader tailwinds today following an overnight uptick in the gold price. The yellow metal is currently trading for US$4,135 per ounce, according to data from Bloomberg.

That sees the gold price up 2.6% since Wednesday, and it also sees the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) up 3.7% today. 

Here’s why the Vault Minerals share price is outpacing those gains.

ASX 200 gold stock jumps on production increase

Investors are bidding up Vault Minerals shares following the release of the gold miner’s preliminary fourth-quarter (Q4 FY 2026) update.

Among the highlights, the ASX 200 gold stock reported Q4 gold production of 89,338 ounces. That meets the company’s guidance and represents a 14% increase in gold production from the prior quarter.

Q4 gold sales came in at 87,922 ounces, helping deliver quarterly underlying free cash flow of $219 million.

Looking at the full (unaudited) FY 2026 year, Vault reported gold production of 336,540 ounces. FY 2026 gold sales came in at 334,901 ounces.

Turning to the balance sheet, the ASX 200 gold stock held cash and bullion of $842 million at the financial year end. Vault Minerals has no debt and remains fully unhedged, giving the miner full exposure to any further rises, or falls, in the gold price. 

FY 2026 also saw Vault pay its first-ever dividend. If you owned shares in the gold miner at market close on 9 March, you would have received the unfranked 7 cents per share interim dividend on 8 April.

Atop with Vault’s share buyback, management noted, this has seen the company return $74.3 million to shareholders over the financial year just past. 

What else is happening with Vault Minerals?

The ASX 200 gold stock also highlighted the ongoing processing upgrades underway at its flagship King of the Hills (KoTH) mine, located in Western Australia. 

Management noted:

Stage 1 was commissioned on schedule and within budget in March 2026, with the new crushing circuit consistently exceeding its 8Mtpa run rate. Stage 2 is 71% complete, remains on budget, and is tracking ahead of schedule for completion in September 2026.

The upgrade will increase KoTH processing capacity by 50%, further strengthening its position as the leading regional processing facility.

The post Up 70% in a year, guess which $4.6 billion ASX 200 gold stock is leaping higher again today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Guess which $4 billion ASX 200 gold stock is rocketing today on big Canadian news
• Vault Minerals lodges key permit, on track for Sugar Zone restart

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.