S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are up 0.55% at 9,027.8 points on Thursday.

Following the August reporting season, brokers have reviewed their ratings and 12-month price targets on hundreds of ASX stocks.

Here are some companies that scored reaffirmed buy ratings following their latest financial reports.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

The CSL share price is $175.12, up 0.7% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 healthcare share has ripped 41% higher.

Morgans renewed its buy rating on CSL shares with a 12-month price target of $187.71.

This suggests a potential 7% upside ahead.

Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)

The Mineral Resources share price is $63.69, up 2.5% today.

This ASX 200 mining share has ascended 10% over the past month.

RBC Capital reiterated its buy rating on Mineral Resources shares with a price target of $80.

This implies a potential 25% upside ahead.

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)

The Santos share price is $8.26, up 7.4% today.

This ASX 200 energy share has increased 8% over the past month.

Citi renewed its buy rating on Santos shares.

The broker raised its 12-month price target from $8.30 to $9.

This suggests a potential 9% upside ahead.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

The BHP share price is $64.01, down 1% today after going ex-dividend.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 copper share has risen 5%.

Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its buy rating on BHP shares.

The broker raised its 12-month target from $67.50 to $68.

This suggests a potential 6% upside ahead.

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)

The Lynas share price is $15.46, up 2.3% today.

This ASX 200 mining share has leapt 10% over the past month.

JP Morgan reiterated its buy rating on Lynas shares with a price target of $19.10.

This implies a potential 23% upside ahead.

Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC)

The Nine Entertainment share price is 97 cents, up 1% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 communications share has fallen 2%.

Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its buy rating on Nine shares with a 12-month target of $1.40.

This suggests a potential 42% upside ahead.

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

The Coles share price is $23.58, up 0.3% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 consumer staples share has fallen 3%.

Morgan Stanley reiterated its buy rating on Coles shares.

The broker increased its price target from $25 to $25.80.

This implies potential capital gains of 9% ahead.

Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN)

The Qantas share price is $9.35, up 1.3% today.

This ASX 200 travel share has fallen 9% over the past month.

Morgan Stanley renewed its buy rating on Qantas shares with a $12.80 target.

This implies potential capital growth of 36% over the next year.

NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

The NextDC share price is $12.70, down 0.2% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 tech share has fallen 6%.

UBS renewed its buy rating on NextDC shares with a $23.45 target.

This suggests a potential 85% upside ahead.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

The Paladin Energy share price is $11.31, up 1.8% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 uranium share has soared 20%.

Canaccord Genuity renewed its buy rating on Paladin Energy shares.

The broker raised its 12-month price target from $15.40 to $15.80.

This suggests a potential 40% upside ahead.

Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)

The Flight Centre share price is $11.52, down 0.3% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 travel share has fallen 13%.

JP Morgan renewed its buy rating on Flight Centre shares with a $15.30 target.

This suggests a potential 32% upside ahead.

The post 11 ASX 200 shares with reaffirmed buy ratings post-results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How CSL shares skyrocketed 39% in August
• Top 3 ASX 200 shares that lifted their dividend this reporting season
• Own BHP, Woodside or Coles shares? Here’s what investors should know
• Buying Santos shares? Here’s why the company is celebrating this production milestone
• How to invest in quantum computing on the ASX

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 CSL and JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, CSL, Flight Centre Travel Group, and Nine Entertainment. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

August was a great month for CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares.

Not to mention the company’s shareholders.

In the month just past, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gained a respectable 1.1%.

But the Aussie biotech giant left those gains in the dust.

Indeed, on 31 July, you could have bought CSL shares at market close for $123.06. When the closing bell sounded on 31 August, those shares were swapping hands for $171.57 apiece.

This put the ASX 200 biotech stock up a whopping 39.4% in August.

And this isn’t some microcap stock we’re talking about here. CSL commands a market cap of nearly $84 billion.

What sent CSL shares soaring in August?

At the beginning of August, the CSL share price was down more than 53% over the previous 12 months.

With investors seemingly sensing that the company’s ‘reset’ process is gaining traction, bargain hunters sent shares in the ASX 200 biotech up 9.4% by market close on 17 August.

Then, on 18 August, CSL announced its FY 2026 results.

Now, full year revenue of US$15.8 billion was down 1% from FY 2025. However, that significantly beat the company’s revised guidance (issued in May) of US$15.2 billion.

And CSL also operated at a loss, with reported net profit after tax (NPAT) coming in at a loss of US$2.6 billion.

Still, management declared an unfranked final dividend of $2.277 a share, down 7% from last year’s final dividend in Aussie dollar terms.

That passive income payout is still up for grabs, by the way. If you want to bank the final CSL dividend, you’ll need to own shares at market close on 8 September. You can then expect to get paid on 2 October.

So, why did CSL shares surge 17.3% on the day of the results release?

That looks to have been driven by expectations of a stronger year (and years) ahead.

“FY26 has been a year of reset. We have taken decisive action and created a clear path to return to sustainable growth,” CSL interim CEO Gordon Naylor said.

The ASX 200 biotech stock forecasts steady revenue in FY 2027, while it expects underlying NPAT to grow by around 5%.

Is it too late to buy the ASX 200 biotech stock today?

Despite the big surge in CSL shares in recent months, Morgans’ Damien Nguyen believes the ASX 200 biotech stock remains an appealing investment (courtesy of The Bull).

According to Nguyen, who issued a buy recommendation on CSL:

CSL is a global healthcare leader with strong competitive advantages across plasma therapies, vaccines and specialty medicines. Demand for its products remain largely independent of economic conditions.

Nguyen added:

In our view, the latest full year result in 2026 is generating confidence that repeated earnings downgrades are behind CSL.

With defensive earnings, global market leadership and attractive long term growth prospects, we view CSL as an appealing investment opportunity.

The post How CSL shares skyrocketed 39% in August appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 11 ASX 200 shares with reaffirmed buy ratings post-results
• CSL shares rebound 86%: Is the ASX biotech stock a buy, sell or hold for September?
• The 5 best ASX 200 stocks to buy and hold in August revealed
• Top 3 ASX shares to buy in September 2026
• CSL shares are up more than 40% in a month. What just happened in the US?

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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 CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

James Hardie Industries Plc (ASX: JHX) shares are edging higher on Thursday.

At the time of writing, the building products stock is up 1.15% to $40.38, while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is flat at 8,983 points.

It has already been a strong year for shareholders, with James Hardie shares up around 30% since the start of 2026.

The stock traded above $43 in August before giving back some ground over the past few weeks.

So, is there still some upside left?

Why Morgan Stanley is bullish

Morgan Stanley appears to think so.

According to The Australian, analyst Joseph Michael has James Hardie among the broker’s top Australian industrial picks following reporting season.

He believes the company can keep growing faster than the broader market, helped by the AZEK acquisition, cost savings, and stronger cash flow.

Morgan Stanley estimates James Hardie could deliver around 19% more earnings than current market expectations by 2029.

And yes, that’s a pretty bullish call, particularly while the US housing market remains soft.

The latest result also gave investors some reasons to be positive. First-quarter FY27 sales jumped 64% to US$1.47 billion, while adjusted EBITDA rose 79% to US$422 million.

On a pro-forma basis, which includes AZEK in the comparison period, sales still increased 12%.

Management also lifted its FY27 outlook and now expects pro-forma adjusted EBITDA growth of 7.4% to 13.7%.

Cash flow is heading higher

The balance sheet has been one of the key concerns since the AZEK acquisition.

But there were some encouraging signs in the last quarter.

Free cash flow more than doubled to US$254 million, and the company is still targeting at least US$500 million across FY27.

The planned $840 million Euro sale of Fermacell should also give the balance sheet a boost. Around US$600 million of the proceeds is expected to go towards paying down debt, which should help bring net leverage below 2 times.

James Hardie also announced a US$250 million share buyback alongside the sale.

Would I buy at $40?

I still like the look of James Hardie shares at these levels.

The stock has already had a strong run this year, so I would not expect another easy 30% gain from here.

In addition, broker sentiment is also positive. TipRanks shows 7 buy ratings and 4 holds, with an average price target of $44.84.

That’s around 11% above the current share price.

And if the company keeps delivering on its growth plans, I think there could be more upside over the longer term.

The post This ASX 200 stock is up 30% in 2026. Here’s why I’d still buy it appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Where I’d invest $20,000 in ASX shares this spring
• ASX 200 mining shares outperform in final week of earnings season
• Why Guzman Y Gomez, Pro Medicus and James Hardie shares are turning heads on Friday
• James Hardie sells European business, launches share buyback
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

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.