The AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) share price is in focus after the company flagged an expected underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) of $170–180 million for the first half of 2026, driven by stronger China partnerships and increased investment income.

What did AMP report?

• Expected NPAT (underlying) for 1H26: $170–180 million
• China partnerships contributed approximately $56 million, a 24% increase over 2H25
• Group investment income added roughly $5 million compared to 1H25, benefiting from higher interest rates
• Platforms saw a favourable $5 million impact from the North Guarantee
• Recognition of approximately $13 million in carried interest from asset sales
• Negative revaluation of about $12 million in ‘Other Partnerships’ sponsor investments

What else do investors need to know?

AMP has received a portion of its carried interest tied to the sale of a 51% stake in legacy fund assets previously held by AMP Capital’s International Infrastructure Equity business. The sale, managed by DigitalBridge, delivered $13 million in carried interest recognised in the half-year result.

There is still potential for further carried interest earnings if the remaining 49% interest is sold, but this remains subject to conditions and regulatory approvals, so nothing is guaranteed at this stage.

AMP’s full 1H26 results will be released on 6 August 2026, with the company planning to provide more detail on its FY26 outlook at that time.

What’s next for AMP?

Investors looking ahead will be waiting on the August results announcement for additional information about AMP’s earnings trajectory and future guidance for full-year 2026. The business will likely update shareholders on carried interest developments and its strategic direction in China and other partnerships.

With earnings up on stronger investment income and China activity, AMP appears positioned to keep building momentum as market conditions evolve.

AMP Limited share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, AMP shares have risen 21%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 2% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post AMP expects higher 1H26 earnings on China growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart 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. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

Shares in AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) spiked sharply in early trade after the company provided a positive earnings update for the first half.

AMP’s first half will trounce last year’s result

The financial services company said in a statement to the ASX that it expected underlying net profit to come in at $170 to $180 million.

This compares to $131 million for the same period last year.

There were several reasons for the upgrade, including a stronger contribution from AMP’s China business, a favourable investment income contribution, and a one-off contribution from the partial sale of assets in a legacy fund.

On the latter, AMP had this to say:

As disclosed on 12 February 2026, AMP’s right to receive carried interest in a legacy fund in which DigitalBridge had sold a 51% interest in remaining assets was subject to certain conditions, including sale of the remaining interest in those assets and regulatory approvals. Further to that announcement, DigitalBridge has chosen to pay a portion of the carried interest to AMP, associated with the sale of the 51% interest, prior to the sale of the remaining interest in the assets. The other sale conditions have been satisfied.

The sale netted AMP about $13 million, and the company said there was the possibility of further payments in the future.

AMP said:

There remains the potential to realise additional carried interest from the sale of the remaining 49% interest in the assets. Entitlement to any further carried interest is subject to conditions, is uncertain and cannot be determined until the sale of the remaining interest.

AMP also said it would recognise a negative revaluation of $12 million in sponsor investments.

AMP shares trading strongly

AMP shares traded as high as $1.89 on the news before settling back to be 2% higher at $1.76.

Over a one-year period, the stock is up 17.8%.

AMP also recently completed its $150 million share buyback, which bought back about 99 million shares at an average price of $1.52.

AMP chair Blair Vernon said re the buyback:

The completion of this Buyback reflects our disciplined approach to capital management, while maintaining a strong and resilient balance sheet. As we focus on driving momentum in our wealth businesses and delivering strong cash generation, we remain committed to returning surplus capital to shareholders.

AMP will announce its half-year results on August 6.

The company is valued at $4.21 billion and is currently paying a 20% franked dividend yield of 2.31%.

The post Why are AMP shares trading higher today? 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.

If you can pick the right companies, buying into ASX mining shares as the company progresses from explorer to miner can be a lucrative way to invest.

Naturally, picking the right companies to invest in is the key.

I’ve had a look at the reports coming out of broker Shaw and Partners this week, and there are two companies they think could do extremely well.

Let’s see who they like.

Brightstar Resources Ltd (ASX: BTR)

Brightstar shares have not performed well over the past year, sliding just more than 40% to be changing hands for 32 cents.

The company in recent days released a new mineral resource estimate for its Sandstone project, saying the amount of gold contained on a measured and indicated resource basis had more than doubled to 1.1 million ounces.

Overall, the company said it had resources of 4.5 million ounces.

The company also said drilling was ongoing at Sandstone, with four rigs operating.

Brightstar Managing Director Alex Rovira said:

A huge amount of drilling has been completed at the project, so it is encouraging to see the results reflected in this interim MRE update. The result has exceeded expectations for Mineral Resource growth in this first update, with the strategic focus to date on improving the quality of the Mineral Resource ahead of the prefeasibility study and eventual mining development. Importantly, the project now hosts 1.1Moz of Indicated-classified Mineral Resources. This higher confidence is crucial for the delivery of our PFS, and we are targeting further increases in subsequent estimates with drilling underway now at key deposits such as Bull Oak, Indomitable and Two Mile Hill-Shillington.

Shaw and Partners said the project, “in our view, the project suffers from perceptions of uncertainty”.

They added:

Sandstone currently has no mine study, no Reserve and limited measured and indicated resources, at least prior to today. This Resource upgrade could help persuade that Sandstone has a critical mass of gold to justify development.

Shaw and Partners has a price target of $1.23 on Brightstar shares.  

Global Lithium Resources Ltd (ASX: GL1)

Shaw and Partners said GL1’s recent deal to buy a nickel-copper processing plant from IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)’s Nova division, which it could convert to process lithium ore from its Manna lithium project, was a positive.

They added:

The acquisition will accelerate Manna’s development pathway by leveraging Nova’s commissioned infrastructure rather than GL1 having to construct a standalone processing plant. This will well and truly allow GL1 to capture the forecast 2027/28 lift in lithium demand and position GL1 as a near-term producer.

Shaw and Partners has a price target of $1.75 on GL1 shares compared to 46.5 cents currently.

The post 2 ASX mining project developers which could more than triple in value 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.