Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT (ASX: HCW) shares have had a turbulent year, having been caught up in the private hospital operator Healthscope being placed in receivership in May.

The shares took a tumble around that time but have recovered over the months since and are now trading at 75.25 cents at the time of writing, up 7.5% over a 12-month period.

Major headache for the company resolved

Healthco had some good news this week, saying binding agreements had been finalised for the 10 final Healthscope hospitals owned by itself and the associated Unlisted Healthcare Fund.

This led the company to reinstate dividends, declaring a quarterly payout of 1.5 cents per share, in line with the anticipated full-year payout of 6 cents per share.

Healthco said the new agreements “will enhance the income security and tenant diversity of the hospital portfolio”.

The company said the $1.35 billion portfolio valuation was expected to remain stable, and its weighted average lease expiry had been extended by 2.9 years to 13.5 years.

Healthco said it had locked in 20-year leases, with annual rent escalations at the rate of inflation or plus or minus 3%.

Healthco Fund Manager Christian Soberg said:

The resolution of the Healthscope situation is aligned with our previously-stated objectives including providing continuity of service across all hospitals and maximising long-term value for HCW unitholders. The new leases support distributions being reinstated, restore income certainty and provide a strong foundation for future earnings and distribution growth. The board continues to evaluate a range of strategic and capital management initiatives aimed at maximising value for HCW unitholders.

The quarterly distribution’s ex-dividend date is October 8, with payment to be made on 24 November.

Healthco valuation looking cheap

Macquarie said in a research note that now that the Healthscope issue had been resolved, attention would turn to the sustainability of distributions.

The broker said Healthco was trading at a large discount to its net tangible asset valuation of $1.35 as at the end of June.

Macquarie therefore increased its price target for Healthco from 88 cents to $1.10, up from 75 cents at the time of writing.

If achieved, this would constitute a return of 46.7%. Macquarie is also predicting a dividend yield of 8.2% this financial year, increasing to 8.7% by FY29.

At the release of its full-year results in August, Healthco said it had 99% occupancy across its tenancies.

The company had cash and undrawn debt of $158 million and a gearing ratio of 29%, below its target range.

Healthco is currently valued at $401.6 million.  

The post Macquarie tips an 8% dividend yield and 46% share price gain for this stock 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.

You might know how much money you have stashed away in your superannuation, but how does it compare to other Aussies the same age as you?

How else will you know if you have enough money to retire when the time comes?

At age 56, many Aussies are approaching their final decade of working life. At this point, you’re just four years away from your preservation age (when you can access your super, provided you’ve stopped working), and nine years from full access, regardless of whether you’re still working.

It’s an important life milestone, and how you manage your superannuation in your late 50s can determine the quality of life you live in retirement.

Here’s a breakdown of the average superannuation balance for Australians aged 56.

How does your balance stack up?

The average superannuation balance for Australian men aged 56 in FY27

There aren’t exact figures for the average balance at age 56, but the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has a rough guide.

The data shows that the average Australian male aged 55 to 59 has around $319,743 in their superannuation.

The average superannuation balance for Australian women aged 56 in FY27

Women in the same age bracket have a lot less, most likely because women are more likely to take time out of the workforce or work reduced hours. The lower superannuation income then makes a significant difference over time, and the balances between men and women at age 56 are wide.

The average balance for Australian women aged 55 to 59 is around $242,945. That’s a gap of around $77,000 compared to men the same age.

How does your super balance stack up with men and women the same age as you?

But not only that, is it actually enough?

How much superannuation should I have by age 56 to afford a good retirement lifestyle?

ASFA calculates that in order to live a comfortable retirement lifestyle, Australians will need around $630,000 each in their superannuation by age 67. Couples can get away with $730,000 combined.

In order to reach that goal, ASFA expects that Australians earning around $100,000 per year should have close to $369,000 in their superannuation by age 56.

That’s significantly higher than the average balances of both men and women around that age.

What can I do to raise my balance in the next 5 to 10 years?

If your balance is falling behind, it’s not too late to catch up. Even the smallest change can help boost compound growth over the next 5 to 10 years.

The first thing you need to do is check that your super fund is performing well and that your investment strategy and risk profile are appropriate for your personal circumstances. 

Also, consolidate your funds and double-check that your insurance coverage is necessary and the premiums are appropriate for you. 

You can also add extra contributions wherever possible. Take advantage of concessional and non-concessional limits and any potential tax reduction that may come with it. Ask your spouse to add extra too. Couples can boost their combined super savings if the higher-income earner contributes after-tax funds to the lower-income earner’s account.

You should also take advantage of any applicable government contributions that might help your personal circumstances. There is a downsizer contributions rule, a bring-forward rule, a government co-contribution rule, and many others.

The post Average superannuation balance at age 56 in Australia in FY27. How does yours compare? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies 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 was a wild and ultimately red session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday. After yesterday’s gains, investors were far more cautious today, with the ASX 200 spending time in both positive and negative territory. The bears won out, though, with the index closing at 8,727.7 points, down 0.092%.

This disappointing midweek session for the Australian markets comes after a more upbeat morning on the US markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) overcame some early jitters to finish 0.18% higher.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was a little more decisive, rising 0.45%.

But let’s return to the local markets now and examine how today’s trading conditions filtered down into the various ASX sectors this hump day.

Winners and losers

We had plenty of both winners and losers this Wednesday.

Leading the latter were financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) was left out in the cold today, plunging 0.59%.

Mining shares had a rough one as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) sinking 0.2%.

Industrial stocks were also left out. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) ended up retreating 0.17% this session.

Next came communications shares, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)’s 0.14% downgrade.

Our last losers this Wednesday were utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up dipping 0.06%.

Let’s get to the winners now.

Leading the charge were healthcare shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) roaring 1.09% higher.

We can say the same for gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) experienced a 0.94% surge.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) ran hot too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)’s 0.8% jump.

Consumer discretionary shares were also in demand. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) lifted 0.47%.

Energy stocks were next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) advancing 0.45% this hump day.

Consumer staples shares held up well, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) had gained 0.11% by the closing bell.

Finally, tech stocks only just got across the line, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)’s 0.01% bump.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

This Wednesday’s winner was the real estate investment trust Arena REIT (ASX: ARF). Arena units soared 12.98% higher today to close at $2.35 each.

This came after the REIT released a pleasing update regarding its childcare portfolio.

Here’s how the other high flyers landed their planes:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Arena REIT (ASX: ARF)	$2.35	12.98%
Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL)	$1.14	4.61%
Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP)	$21.28	4.47%
NextGen Energy (Canada) Ltd (ASX: NXG)	$13.48	4.25%
Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT)	$3.56	4.09%
Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY)	$2.74	3.01%
Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX)	$15.87	2.99%
James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX)	$36.87	2.76%
Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX)	$4.50	2.74%
Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM)	$14.76	2.57%

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

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 positions in and has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises and Telix Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises and Telix Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.