Arena REIT (ASX: ARF) has increased its FY27 distribution guidance by more than 10% after positive progress on its portfolio of assets occupied by Edge Early Learning Centres.

Business failure put dividend at risk

The childcare operator was placed in administration in August, casting doubt over whether Arena would continue to receive rent for the 27 centres it owned which were occupied by Edge.

Arena originally provided guidance to the market that it would pay distributions of 18 cents per share in FY27, based on not receiving any rent from the Edge centres.

It has now increased this guidance to 19 cents to 20.2 cents per share, based on progress it has made on that front.

Based on the share price at the time of writing, this would result in the company paying a dividend yield of 8.2% at the upper end of the range.

The lower end of the distribution guidance assumes no income after October 31 from Edge properties for which the administrator has yet to complete business sale agreements with the new operators.

It also assumes no new acquisitions and no material change in current market or operating conditions.

The company added:

The upper end of the guidance range reflects the balance of announced transactions proceeding, including the transaction announced by Goodstart Early Learning (Goodstart) and the Administrator for the acquisition of 20 Edge early learning businesses operating from Arena owned centres. The proposed Goodstart transaction remains subject to confirmatory due diligence and final transaction documentation. All transactions remain subject to the transfer of service approvals and assignment of leases. Arena is continuing to undertake due diligence on the Edge portfolio transactions, including the proposed Goodstart acquisition, as it considers its consent to the assignment of Edge leases.

Separate to the Edge matters, Arena said it was continuing to improve the quality of its portfolio through the divestment of properties that offer lower prospects for long-term rental growth.

In the first quarter, the company sold three assets worth $16.6 million.

Arena added:

Arena currently has a fully funded development pipeline and will continue to consider the best use of the proceeds from its ongoing asset recycling program, having regard to progress on the resolution of the Edge portfolio, as well as Arena’s balance sheet position, cost of capital and capital management program.

Rate rises taking their toll

Many ASX-listed real estate investment trusts are currently trading near their 12-month lows, with the recent interest rate increase pushing share prices lower.

Arena is valued at $1 billion.

The post This ASX real estate investment trust has just boosted its dividend by more than 10% 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.

The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) share price is in focus today after the bank reported a strong start to FY27, with unaudited cash earnings up 18.5% to $112.7 million, and solid deposit growth driven by term deposits.

What did Bendigo and Adelaide Bank report?

• Unaudited cash earnings: $112.7 million for the quarter, up 18.5% vs 2H26 quarterly average
• Statutory net profit after tax: $66.0 million, down 8.6% on last quarter
• Net interest margin (NIM): 1.94%, down 6 basis points from 4Q26
• Customer deposits: $74.3 billion, up 4.8% annualised with term deposits rising 13.3% annualised
• Lending balances: contracted 3.1% annualised; residential loans down 0.8%; business lending (ex. Portfolio Funding) up 3.4% annualised
• Operating expenses: down 5.8% on 2H26 quarterly average

What else do investors need to know?

Bendigo Bank updated its financial reporting disclosure, now presenting on a cash basis with notable items included—bringing the bank in line with peers and making performance easier to compare. Several items previously reported as non-cash—like strategic partnership costs and one-off regulatory remediation—are now classified as notable items.

The deposit mix continued to shift, with strong growth in term deposits but a contraction in lower-cost deposits, now making up just over half of all deposits. Loan growth was mixed: residential lending softened, while parts of the business lending segment saw modest gains despite a larger client exit impacting overall numbers. Credit expenses were $6.8 million, reflecting small increases in business portfolio provisions.

What did Bendigo and Adelaide Bank management say?

Managing Director and CEO Richard Fennell said:

Our balance sheet is strong and remains well positioned for future growth while addressing these regulatory matters. We are also progressing the building of digital onboarding capability for our Business & Agribusiness sole trader customers, which we expect to release in 2Q27.

What’s next for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank?

Looking ahead, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank plans to continue developing digital onboarding for business and agribusiness customers, aiming to make its services more accessible and efficient. The Up brand recently expanded its home loan offering to investors, broadening its appeal.

Management is keeping a close eye on loan quality and cost-of-living pressures for customers, and says the bank’s strong balance sheet leaves it well-prepared for future opportunities as regulatory work continues.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank shares have declined 18%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined

View Original Announcement

The post Bendigo and Adelaide Bank posts higher 1Q27 cash earnings on deposit 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 positions in and has recommended Bendigo And Adelaide Bank. 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.

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares have been among the best performers among ASX blue-chip shares over the last year.

Woodside produces significant volumes of LNG and oil from its portfolio of projects worldwide, including Australia, Africa, and North America.

Changing energy prices can have a significant impact on a commodity company’s financials. Production costs don’t usually change much each period, so when commodity prices rise, it can help profit substantially due to operating leverage. But the opposite effect can happen when commodity prices fall.

For Woodside, energy prices have increased amid global events. Let’s take a look at how that has helped the ASX energy share.

Strong Woodside share price performance

Over the past year, the Woodside share price has risen by 49%, as shown in the chart below.

I think the company’s latest financial results were a good indicator of why investors are more excited about the business.

In August, the business reported its 2026 half-year result for the six months to June 2026.

Its average realised (sold) price grew 20% to US$74 per barrel of oil equivalent year over year.

Woodside disclosed that its total production volume fell 13% to 86.5 million barrels of oil equivalent. Despite that, net profit grew 27% to US$1.67 billion and free cash flow surged 159% to US$352 million. This allowed the board of directors to increase the interim dividend by 8% to 57 cents per share.

I think Woodside’s production and earnings can increase as its new projects are completed and ramp up production.

The business said in its half-year results that the Scarborough project was 98% complete and was on track to deliver its first LNG cargo in the fourth quarter of 2026. The Trion project offshore Mexico was 64% complete, and the Louisiana LNG foundation development was 28% complete.

Additionally, the company has set an annual cost-savings target of $350 million from 2028, which will be delivered after a structured review of its business.

How $10,000 performed for a shareholder of the ASX energy share

If someone invested $10,000 in Woodside a year ago, that would have risen 49% and now be worth approximately $14,900. The sizeable dividends would be a very useful bonus on top of that.

Could the Woodside share price keep climbing? Analysts have had their say.

According to CMC Invest, there have been 10 broker ratings on the business in the last three months, with an average price target of $32.90. That implies a slight decline over the next year, so I’d probably look at other ASX shares as better opportunities.

The post $10,000 invested in Woodside shares 12 months ago is now worth… appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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.