• Down 36%: Will Northern Star shares ever recover?

    A little girl wearing a gold crown sulks and pokes her tongue out.

    Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) shares have fallen even further into the red in Thursday morning trade.

    At the time of writing, the shares are down around 2% and changing hands at $20.22 a piece.

    The latest decline means the ASX gold miner’s shares are now around 17% lower for the year-to-date but still roughly 5% above trading levels seen this time last year.

    What happened to Northern Star Resources shares this year?

    The shares had an incredibly strong start to 2026, climbing almost 30% to an all-time high of $31.73 in early March.

    But investors quickly sold their shares in the ASX gold miner shortly after its operational update, causing a 46% share price crash. The shares are now trading around 36% below that peak.

    The company also downgraded its FY26 production outlook on two separate occasions earlier this year. At the time, management flagged a weaker-than-expected performance across several key operations.

    Gold price weakness also added further pressure. Throughout March, the price of the safe-haven metal crashed from around US$5,300 per ounce to around US$4,300 per ounce. The drop came on the back of inflation concerns and liquidity pressures, which resulted directly from an outbreak of conflict in the Middle East.

    The outbreak of the Iran war led investors to sell liquid assets, including gold, to raise cash as broader markets declined. At the same time, rising oil prices increased inflation concerns and raised the prospect of higher interest rates, which is typically negative for gold.

    As a gold producer, Northern Star’s revenue is heavily dependent on the price of gold. Falling gold prices, combined with a lower production outlook, have compressed the company’s share price this year.

    The question now is, can they recover? Or is there more downside ahead?

    Are the shares a buy, sell or hold now?

    According to the experts, there is still plenty of potential for the ASX gold stock to recover over the next 12 months.

    Market Index data shows that the majority of brokers have a buy rating on the Northern Star shares. The $27.74 target price implies a potential upside of around 37% at the time of writing.

    On TradingView data, analysts are significantly more bullish. Out of 18 analysts, 11 have a buy or strong buy rating on the stock. Another five rate the gold shares as a hold, and two have a sell stance. 

    The average $26.37 target price implies a potential 30% upside at the time of writing. But some think Northern Star shares could soar another 65% to $33.50 over the next 12 months.

    Bell Potter is one of the more bullish brokers on Northern Star shares. It has a buy rating and $35 target price. It notes that while the guidance downgrades are disappointing, it still sees potential positives given the high capital and operating costs at some of the company’s sites.

    Baker Young has a sell rating on the shares. He said that the miner has underperformed and that the team would seek alternative gold exposure.

    The post Down 36%: Will Northern Star shares ever recover? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Northern Star Resources right now?

    Before you buy Northern Star Resources shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Northern Star Resources wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 16 June 2026

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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.

  • Ramsay Health Care shares rebound 15% in June: Can they keep going?

    Group of doctors celebrate by pumping fists in the air

    Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC) shares have climbed higher into the green on Thursday morning.

    At the time of writing, the ASX healthcare shares are up around 1% and changing hands at $41.62 a piece.

    Today’s increase comes off the back of a 3.5% price hike yesterday.

    The latest share price increase means Ramsay Health Care shares have now recovered around 15% from a dip in early June, and are around 20% higher for the year to date. Over the past year, the shares have risen 17%.

    What happened to Ramsay Health Care shares?

    Ramsay Health Care is one of the largest private healthcare providers in the world, with around 500 facilities across 11 countries. Its operations cover Australia, Europe, the UK, and Asia. 

    The company faced several headwinds in 2025, including depressed earnings, market volatility, and ongoing cost pressures.

    The ASX healthcare sector overall was under immense pressure throughout late 2025 and into early 2026 as macroeconomic pressures, rising inflation, higher cost of living, and regulatory uncertainty have driven a sector-wide share price downturn.

    Why are the ASX healthcare shares now rebounding?

    There hasn’t been any price sensitive news out of Ramsay Health Care shares to explain the share price turnaround in June.

    It’s likely the result of an overall ASX healthcare sector recovery as investors rotated back into heavily-discounted healthcare names, and improved sentiment following the company’s latest earnings results.

    The recovery has also been supported by a turnaround in the company’s finances. Ramsay Health Care posted its first-half FY26 results in February, where it confirmed underlying EBIT had grown 7.3%, underlying NPAT was up 8.1%, and its Australian hospital revenue was 8.2% higher. The company’s shares spiked over 10% on the day of the result.

    The stronger half-year result seems to have helped investor sentiment shift from concerns about cost pressures and volatility towards a recovery story.

    To me it looks like investors are still snapping up the shares while they’re trading for cheap.

    Can Ramsay Health Care shares keep climbing higher? Here’s what the experts think

    Analysts and brokers are divided about the outlook for Ramsay Health Care shares over the next 12 months.

    Market Index data shows brokers are split between a buy and a sell rating. The average $40.60 target price, however, implies a potential 3% downside at the time of writing.

    On TradingView data, sentiment is also split. Out of 12 analysts, seven have a hold rating on the healthcare stock. Another four rate the shares as a buy or strong buy and one has a strong sell stance.

    The average $41.30 target price implies a downside of around 1% at the time of writing. But some expect the shares to jump 13% higher to $47.17, and others tip the stock to crash 20% back down to $32.90 a piece.

    The post Ramsay Health Care shares rebound 15% in June: Can they keep going? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Ramsay Health Care right now?

    Before you buy Ramsay Health Care shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Ramsay Health Care wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 16 June 2026

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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.

  • Which ASX 200 bank stock is crashing 46% on profit guidance downgrade?

    A financial expert or broker looks worried as he checks out a graph showing market volatility.

    Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) shares are on the slide on Thursday.

    In morning trade, the ASX 200 bank stock is down a massive 46% to 82 cents.

    Why is this ASX 200 bank stock crashing?

    Investors have been selling the small business lender’s shares after it released an update on expectations in FY 2026.

    One item which appears to have caught the eye of investors is its FY 2026 cost of risk, which is now expected to be in the range of $116 million to $122 million.

    Management advised that this reflects an increase in specific provisions primarily driven by three exposures across different sectors that have recently emerged, as a result of customer-specific developments.

    Judo Capital now expects 90-days-past-due (90DPD+) and impaired loans to be approximately 3% of gross loans and advances (GLA) at 30 June.

    One positive is that collective provision coverage at 30 June is expected to remain broadly in line with its third-quarter trading update, which was 94bps of GLA or 1.09% of standardised credit risk weighted assets.

    It notes that provisioning levels include a management overlay for sectors impacted by the uncertain macroeconomic environment.

    Profit guidance

    In light of the above, the ASX 200 bank stock revealed that its profit before tax in FY 2026 is now expected to be between $163 million and $169 million or approximately 30% growth on FY 2025.

    This is down meaningfully on its previous guidance of between $180 million and $190 million.

    Looking to FY 2027, management has provided profit before tax guidance of between $210 million and $220 million. This represents growth of 30% again and takes into account the uncertain macroeconomic and geopolitical environment.

    Commenting on the news, the ASX 200 bank stock’s CEO, Chris Bayliss, said:

    We continue to see strong underlying momentum in the business. Recent credit outcomes have been driven by a small number of customers, who we are actively working with. These exposures have deteriorated subsequent to the customer-by-customer review undertaken in the third quarter and reflect recent, borrower-specific developments.

    While today’s update is partly a result of the macro environment, it is nevertheless disappointing. Regardless, we remain confident in the strength of our underlying business and the quality of the portfolio. We have a proven customer value proposition, are profitable and well capitalised, and have a clear path to achieving a return on equity in the low-to-mid teens.

    The post Which ASX 200 bank stock is crashing 46% on profit guidance downgrade? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Judo Capital right now?

    Before you buy Judo Capital shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Judo Capital wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 16 June 2026

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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.