FleetPartners Group Ltd (ASX: FPR) shares are starting the week on the front foot.

At the time of writing, the FleetPartners share price is up 3.02% to $3.07.

The latest gain takes the ASX financial stock’s rise in 2026 to around 9%.

FleetPartners provides vehicle leasing, fleet management, and salary packaging services across Australia and New Zealand.

Investors are responding to the company’s third-quarter business update released this morning.

Here’s what FleetPartners reported.

New business growth picks up

FleetPartners said new business written rose 8% during the 9 months to June compared with the same period last year.

Growth accelerated during the third quarter, with new business written up 24% from a year earlier. The company wrote $246 million of new business during the quarter.

FleetPartners also completed $14 million of sale-and-leaseback transactions, while its June pipeline was 27% above the average level recorded during the first half.

The stronger result has prompted management to upgrade its FY26 new business written outlook from marginal growth to high-single-digit growth.

The company said the economic environment remains challenging, but new customer wins, contract renewals, and continued growth from smaller fleet customers are supporting the pipeline.

Core income continues to rise

Assets under management or financed (AUMOF) increased 6% year to date, while core income grew 7%.

FleetPartners had around 67,000 funded vehicles at the end of June, up 2% from March.

The novated leasing business also performed well, with new business written rising 20% from the prior corresponding period.

Management said stronger electric vehicle demand, increased sales activity, and the acquisition of Remunerator supported the growth.

The company still expects AUMOF to grow at a mid-single-digit rate in FY26, while its core margin should remain relatively stable.

Used-car market weighs on lease-end income

FleetPartners sold 1,618 vehicles during the quarter, a 31% reduction from the previous quarter. End-of-lease income came in at $8 million, while profit per unit fell to $4,951.

The company chose to hold back vehicles rather than accept weaker prices in a softer used-car market. Inventory increased by 448 units during the quarter as a result.

FleetPartners expects sales volumes and lease-end income to improve in the fourth quarter as the winter slowdown eases. However, lease-end income is still expected to remain below the levels recorded in the first two quarters.

Why are FleetPartners shares rising?

The upgrade to FY26 new business written is helping drive today’s gain.

FleetPartners is also growing its funded asset base and core income, while its pipeline remains well ahead of the first-half average.

The used-car market is still weighing on lease-end income, although management avoided selling more vehicles into weaker pricing.

The final quarter will show whether better disposal volumes can lift lease-end income as management expects.

The post Why this ASX financial stock is moving higher 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.

WAM Active Ltd (ASX: WAA) has had a stellar year and is rewarding its shareholders with a special dividend, pushing its total shareholder return for the year past 40%.

Fund outperforms its benchmarks by a healthy margin

The fund said in a statement to the ASX that its investment portfolio increased by a record 75.5% in the year to the end of June, outperforming the Bloomberg AusBond Bank Bill Index (Cash) and the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Accumulation Index by 71.6% and 69.8%, respectively.

Chairman Geoff Wilson said regarding the result:

FY2026 is the strongest year in WAM Active’s history since the Company was established in January 2008. This record result reflects the strength of WAM Active’s disciplined and flexible investment strategy, outstanding stock selection and active portfolio management. We remained focused on delivering strong long term returns and a growing stream of fully franked dividends for shareholders.

The WAM board has declared a fully-franked final dividend of 3.2 cents per share and a special dividend of 2 cents per share.

The fund added:

Including the special fully franked dividend of 1.0 cents per share announced in January 2026, shareholders will receive total fully franked dividends for FY2026 of 9.4 cents per share. The investment portfolio performance, together with the fully franked dividends paid during the year, delivered a record total shareholder return of 40.2% for the year to 30 June 2026.

WAM said the total dividends for FY26 represented a fully-franked dividend yield of 8.6% and a grossed-up dividend yield of 12.3%.

Fund leans into key themes

The fund’s lead portfolio manager, Oscar Oberg, said the fund’s outperformance was driven by exposure to four key themes: critical minerals, electrification and grid infrastructure, precious metals, and artificial intelligence (AI).

He added:

Equity markets over the 2026 financial year were characterised by elevated volatility, rapid shifts in macroeconomic expectations and pronounced rotation across sectors and themes. Changes to interest rate outlooks, geopolitical developments and the accelerating AI adoption contributed to periods where company fundamentals were often overshadowed by broader market positioning. These conditions created dislocations across parts of the market, particularly in smaller and less well-covered companies, providing opportunities for the investment team to identify mispriced securities using WAM Active’s market-driven approach.

Dividends are still on the table

The ex-dividend dates for the fund’s ordinary dividend and special dividend are 17 November and 4 December, respectively.

WAM shares are changing hands for $1.12, up 36.2% over a 12-month period.

The post This fund’s 75% return smashed its benchmark, and it’s celebrating with a special dividend appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.

Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, with a class action launched against the company and a $150 million judgment against it for cultural damage at sites in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Fortescue’s mining operations ticking along

On the operational front, however, the company is delivering solid results and is also looking to invest US$680 million in new green energy infrastructure to support its mining operations, as well as potentially data centres.

Macquarie has recently run the ruler over the company and has reaffirmed its outperform rating on the company’s shares with a positive share price target, which we’ll get to shortly.

Firstly, let’s have a closer look at the company’s most recent production report.

The company in April said it had shipped 48.4 million tonnes of iron ore in the third quarter, bringing the total amount shipped over nine months to 148.7 million tonnes, up 4% over the same period the previous year.

Fortescue Metals and Operations Chief Executive Officer Dino Otranto said at the time:

We delivered a solid quarter, contributing to record shipments of 148.7 million tonnes for the nine months to March. That reflects a significant effort from the team right across the business. At the same time, we’re getting on with decarbonising our operations and we’re already seeing the benefits. Given volatility in global energy markets, there’s never been a clearer reason why this matters. For us, it’s about strengthening energy security, lowering costs and eliminating emissions. The build-out of our green grid is well underway, with 630MW of solar and 133MW of wind generation under construction. As we bring this online, we’re fundamentally reshaping how we power our operations by cutting our reliance on fossil fuels, at a time when energy supply is increasingly uncertain.    

Meanwhile, the class action brought against the company relates to allegations including sexual harassment and sex discrimination.

Fortescue shares still looking like good value

Macquarie said it was expecting Fortescue to ship 53 million tonnes in the fourth quarter, and is also expecting the company to release an optimisation study in the next few months.

Macquarie said:

We expect an in line result at the quarterly, with FY27 guidance the key item of focus; we could see the first signs of the Hematite over magnetite strategy come through in volume guidance, with the outcomes of the portfolio optimisation study potentially occurring later in the year.

Macquarie has a 12-month price target of $21 on Fortescue shares, compared to $18.47 currently.

Including the company’s 6.5% dividend yield, this would equate to a total shareholder return of 17%.

Morgan Stanley has a dissenting view on Fortescue shares, with a sell rating and a price target of $17.25 on the company.

The post How high does Macquarie think Fortescue shares will go? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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