• Bank of Queensland earnings: FY26 profit up 88% as dividends stay steady

    Colleagues checking out company's financial numbers on a laptop.

    The Bank of Queensland Ltd (BOQ) share price is in focus after the release of its FY26 results, which saw statutory net profit after tax surge 88% year on year to $250 million, while cash earnings after tax dipped 7% to $358 million.

    What did Bank of Queensland report?

    • Statutory net profit after tax: $250 million, up 88% on FY25
    • Cash earnings after tax (excl. notable items): $358 million, down 7% on FY25
    • Net interest margin: 1.70%, up 6 basis points on FY25
    • 2H26 fully franked dividend: 20 cents per share
    • Special dividend: 15 cents per share, paid in August 2026
    • Common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio: 11.64%, up 70 basis points on FY25

    What else do investors need to know?

    BOQ continued to simplify its operations, delivering 82% of its productivity program and successfully migrating all ME Bank customers onto its new digital platform. Notably, the partnership with Challenger Limited enabled a capital-light approach to equipment finance through a $3.6 billion whole-of-loan sale and forward flow arrangement, enhancing capital efficiency and allowing a special capital return to shareholders.

    The group’s business banking arm delivered 16% commercial lending growth, focused on industries like health and agriculture, while home lending contracted 8%, reflecting transformation activity and competitive market pressures. BOQ’s cost discipline saw expenses rise just 2% (excluding notable items), and the cost-to-income ratio edged up to 65.4%.

    What did Bank of Queensland management say?

    Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer Rod Finch said:

    FY26 was a year of consistent delivery for BOQ. We completed the ME migration, transitioned mortgage origination to digital channels, and continued to grow our Business Bank. All ME customers are experiencing an end-to-end digital banking proposition. These achievements reflect our progress in simplifying the bank, strengthening our risk foundations and investing in a scalable digital platform

    We maintained disciplined cost management and further strengthened our capital position. Reflecting the Group’s resilient financial position and strong capital levels, we returned 55 cents per share to shareholders during the year, including a fully franked special dividend of 15 cents per share.

    As we enter FY27, we are well positioned for a sustainable return to growth. While economic conditions remain uncertain, the foundations we have built give us confidence in our ability to deliver for our customers and shareholders.

    What’s next for Bank of Queensland?

    Looking ahead, BOQ is aiming for a return to growth in home lending in FY27, assisted by expanding its digital mortgage offering. Commercial lending is expected to grow at a pace similar to FY26, with a continued focus on selected industries and lending quality.

    Management is targeting flat annual cost growth and expects asset quality to remain solid. The bank will keep its CET1 target range of 10.25–10.75% and maintain a dividend payout target of 60–75% of cash earnings, providing stability for shareholders. Further productivity and technology efficiencies are planned as the decommissioning of ME legacy systems and Capgemini partnership roll out in FY27.

    Bank of Queensland share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, Bank of Queensland shares have declined 9%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 3% over the same period.

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    The post Bank of Queensland earnings: FY26 profit up 88% as dividends stay steady 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.

  • Netwealth reports record FUA and platform growth in September 2026 quarter

    Two business partner colleagues discuss financial and company results.

    The Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL) share price is in focus after the company’s September 2026 quarterly update revealed funds under administration (FUA) rose to a record $139.2 billion, up 2.5% for the quarter and 15.2% on the prior year. Custodial inflows remained strong at $7.8 billion, while funds under management (FUM) climbed 24% to $36.6 billion.

    What did Netwealth report?

    • Total FUA increased by $3.4 billion for the quarter to $139.2 billion (up 15.2% year-on-year).
    • Custodial inflows were $7.8 billion; net FUA flows totalled $3.6 billion (excluding pension payments and key outflows).
    • FUM net flows reached a record $2.4 billion, lifting total FUM to $36.6 billion (up 24.0% year-on-year).
    • Managed Account FUM increased 26.0% to $32.4 billion; Managed Funds rose 10.9% to $4.2 billion.
    • Netwealth added 3,822 net new accounts (now totalling 186,098) and 21 new financial intermediary relationships (now 4,226).

    What else do investors need to know?

    Netwealth made further progress on its platform capabilities with the launch of Individual HIN and Netwealth Private, expanding into stockbroking and private wealth markets. The company also announced the acquisition of Paradino, an AI-powered adviser platform designed to boost adviser productivity, which is expected to close by October 2026.

    Operational highlights included a major upgrade to the Managed Accounts platform, strengthening scalability and efficiency. Its virtual assistant Nova and the new Research Hub have supported advisers with tens of thousands of enquiries and investment research in the quarter. Regulatory-wise, Netwealth is defending a class action relating to First Guardian investments but says it continues to deliver on its RISE plan.

    What did Netwealth management say?

    Chief Financial Officer Hayden Stockdale said:

    Our record flows and ongoing investment in technology reflect our focus on supporting adviser growth and client outcomes. Our strategic initiatives are well on track.

    What’s next for Netwealth?

    Looking ahead, Netwealth has updated its FY27 guidance (before Paradino) to target FUA net flows of $17–19 billion and maintain a strong EBITDA margin of approximately 47%. The company expects a low capital expenditure year with strong cash reserves and recurring revenue underpinning predictable results.

    After finalising the Paradino deal, Netwealth expects a one-off EBITDA loss of around $3 million for the unit in FY27 and plans to invest a further $10 million over two years to accelerate product development. Paradino’s financials will be reported separately.

    Netwealth share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, Netwealth shares have declined 52%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 3% over the same period.

    View Original Announcement

    The post Netwealth reports record FUA and platform growth in September 2026 quarter 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 positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. 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.

  • This is an exciting ASX growth share that experts think is a buy

    Stock market board with green numbers.

    ASX growth shares can be some of the best investments to own because of how quickly they can compound in scale.

    If revenue and potentially profit double in a relatively short amount of time, that could send the share price shooting higher.

    There are plenty of businesses growing quickly, and the experts at Wilson Asset Management have picked out some specific names that could be compelling.

    One of the businesses that could be a particularly attractive investment is Dxn Ltd (ASX: DXN). It’s a pick in the WAM Active Limited (ASX: WAA) portfolio, a listed investment company (LIC) that targets mispricing opportunities in the Australian market.

    What makes this ASX growth share attractive?

    DXN is a modular data centre manufacturer and operator with a presence across the Asia-Pacific region. It says it works with major government and blue-chip enterprise customers.

    It recently established its first manufacturing footprint outside Australia, with a wholly owned manufacturing facility in Johor, Malaysia. The company said that current manufacturing expansion plans support future capacity growth.

    The company has also established a non-binding joint venture with Super Sistem Indonesia (SSI), an existing customer and Indonesian critical digital infrastructure operator, to build a strategic footprint in a region observing rapid digital infrastructure growth.

    Wilson Asset Management noted that the DXN share price rose by 53% in September as investors continued to respond positively to the company’s FY26 result, which was released at the end of August.

    That result highlighted a record order backlog and growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) related data centre infrastructure.

    WAM said it remains positive on DXN’s outlook due to its growing exposure to the rapidly expanding AI data centre sector, supported by “strong contract momentum” and pipeline opportunities across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

    The fund manager highlighted that speed to market is an increasingly critical factor in the sector. It’s rapidly expanding capacity throughout Australia and Asia, with delivery across multiple customers.

    In the FY26 update, the company said that it secured its maiden high-performance computing (HPC) contract and established a pathway to campus-scale, indicatively valued at US$200 million, though it’s contingent on the successful delivery of the proof-of-concept module.

    DXN also said in its FY26 results that it entered FY27 with growing demand across AI infrastructure markets, with its second AI HPC contract win valued at approximately $12.2 million. The ASX growth share said this demonstrates “repeatable demand for DXN’s AI-ready modular platform across markets”.

    Overall, this company is tapping into an area of strong growth where a lot of real money is being spent.

    The post This is an exciting ASX growth share that experts think is a buy 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.