The WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) fund is paying a dividend yield of 7.2%, fully franked, after its investment portfolio returned 14% for the year.

The 4.8 cent per share final dividend brings the total shareholder return for the year to 24.7%, while the grossed up dividend yield including franking credits comes in at 10.3%.

Fund has been performing well

Lead Portfolio Manager Matthew Haupt said it was a solid year.

He added:

The 2026 financial year was characterised by changing interest rate expectations, geopolitical tensions, global trade disruption and evolving views on the sustainability of artificial intelligence-led growth. These conditions created periods of volatility and meaningful shifts in market leadership, generating opportunities for active investors. The investment team and I adjusted portfolio positioning as conditions evolved, including maintaining exposure to areas of the market where we saw attractive risk-adjusted opportunities, while remaining disciplined on valuation. This approach enabled the investment portfolio to outperform the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index during the year.  

Mr Haupt said the fund would remain focused on high-quality companies trading at attractive valuations.

He added:

Periods of market volatility can create opportunities for active managers, and the investment portfolio is positioned to take advantage of these opportunities as they emerge.

Chair Geoff Wilson said the strong investment performance contributed to a 153.5% increase in operating profit after tax of $161.8 million.

WAM Leaders has increased in value by 12% per year since listing in 2016, while also paying out dividends.

Resources and financials paying off

The fund’s investments include materials at 24.8%, financials at 20.9%, real estate at 13.6%, and consumer discretionary at 10.9%.

In terms of stocks, its largest holdings are in BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).

The fund also on August 10 announced a share purchase plan, allowing shareholders to subscribe for up to $30,000 in new shares.

The fund added:

The Board also announced the successful completion of a placement to professional and sophisticated shareholders. Bids exceeded the initial target raise which resulted in the placement bookbuild closing early and allocations being subject to scale back. The final placement size was increased to $225 million in response to the excess demand. The additional capital will enable the investment team to take advantage of investment opportunities for the benefit of all WAM Leaders shareholders.

WAM Leaders shares were changing hands for $1.33. The fund is valued at $2.06 billion.

The post This investment fund is paying a 7.2% dividend yield after solid results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has positions in Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are only just inside the green at 9,076.8 points, up 0.04%, on Tuesday.

Among the 11 ASX 200 market sectors today, healthcare is screaming higher, up 7.1%.

This follows earnings releases from sector heavyweights CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL), Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH), and Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME).

Reliance Worldwide Corp Ltd (ASX: RWC) shares are the fastest risers of the ASX 200 today.

The Reliance share price is up 25% to $4.50 after a takeover offer for $4.75 per share.

Meanwhile on The Bull this week, two experts share their views on three ASX 200 shares.

Let’s take a look.

REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA)

The REA share price is $179.56, up 1.2% today and down 31% over 12 months. 

Tom Fairchild from Lazarus Capital Partners has a buy rating on this ASX 200 communications share. 

He said: 

Revenue from core operations of $1.793 billion in full year 2026 was up 7 per cent on the prior corresponding period.

Net profit after tax from core operations of $650 million was up 15 per cent. Earnings per share of $4.93 was up 15 per cent.

The final fully franked dividend of $1.73 was up 25 per cent.

Investors responded positively after the full year result was released on August 6.

But we believe the company still has ample room to improve its performance from here.

Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN)

The Suncorp share price is $18.46, down 1.3% today and down 14% over 12 months. 

Andrew Wielandt from DP Wealth Advisory has a hold rating on this ASX 200 financial share.

Wielandt said: 

Suncorp provides insurance products and services. Higher interest rates and bond yields can be a tail wind for the company’s investment portfolio.

Gross written premiums of $15.407 billion were up 2.7 per cent in full year 2026 when compared to the prior corresponding period. Cash earnings of $1.042 billion were down from $1.452 billion in 2025.

An on-market share buy-back of up to $250 million is planned for full year 2027.

All insurance companies are challenged by appropriately pricing risk in a rapidly evolving climate change environment.

It remains our long term concern, so we retain a hold recommendation.

Suncorp shares began trading ex-dividend yesterday.

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)

The Northern Star Resources share price is $22.45, down 3.2% today and up 23% over 12 months. 

Fairchild has a sell rating on this ASX 200 gold share. 

He said: 

The company announced total gold sales of 1.543 million ounces for full year 2026, which was above revised group guidance of 1.5 million ounces.

NST disappointed investors after downgrading production guidance twice in fiscal year 2026 following weaker than expected operational performance.

The shares have fallen from $31.73 on March 2 to trade at $23.28 on August 13.

The company’s final investment decision regarding the Hemi project is targeted for late fiscal year 2027. 

In our view, other gold companies appeal more at this stage of the cycle.

Northern Star will release its full-year FY26 report on Thursday.

The post Buy, hold, sell: REA, Northern Star Resources, Suncorp shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Cochlear. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL, Cochlear, and Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Investors who want to earn an easy passive income should consider ASX dividend shares.

There are several options out there. A blue-chip stock could yield anywhere from around 2%, up to riskier high-yield dividend shares which pay out closer to 8% or 10%. Sometimes they pay even more.

If you have the appetite for risk, high-yield shares could provide much higher returns. But only if you know where to look.

Here are two of my picks when it comes to high-yield ASX dividend shares, and they both pay a yield around 8%.

Atlas Arteria Ltd (ASX: ALX)

Atlas Arteria is a global owner, operator, and developer of toll roads, with a portfolio of five toll roads in France, Germany, and the United States. The company was created out of the reorganisation of Macquarie Infrastructure Group in 2010.

The company’s main asset is a roughly 31% stake in Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhone, or APRR. APRR owns concessions to toll more than 2,300 kilometres of motorways in eastern France, most ending in late 2035. The company also wholly owns the Dulles Greenway toll road in the US state of Virginia.

As a toll road operator, Atlas Arteria is a classically defensive infrastructure asset. People will continue to rely heavily on essential infrastructure regardless of what point of the economic cycle we’re in. 

ASX shares like toll roads are also long-duration assets which have visible cash flows across a long period of time. They’re also more reliant on contract renewals and can benefit from toll road increases. They’re not only reliant on traffic growth.

Atlas Arteria typically pays its shareholders two unfranked dividends a year, in April and October, with payments dating back to 2013.

It most recently paid a 20 cent unfranked final dividend to shareholders in April, which equated to a total 40 cent dividend for the year. At the time of writing, that translates to a dividend yield of around 8.1%.

Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT)

Beach Energy produces oil and natural gas from numerous joint venture projects across Australia and New Zealand. Key projects include its onshore Cooper and Eromanga Basin project, which is recognised as Australia’s most prolific oil and gas-producing basin. The project accounts for a substantial slice of the company’s total production. 

Founded in 1961, Beach Energy has expanded through a long series of mergers and acquisitions. It has ownership interests in strategic oil and gas infrastructure and assets, as well as a suite of exploration permits.

Unlike Atlas Arteria, Beach Energy is considered a more cyclical asset, which means the ASX shares can fluctuate depending on commodity prices and what part of the economic cycle we’re in. But the benefit of a cyclical stock is that they tend to outperform during times of recovery.

Beach Energy typically pays shareholders two fully-franked dividends per year, in March and September, with payments dating back to 2005.

It most recently paid an unfranked interim dividend of 1 cent per share in March and announced a 2 cents per share final dividend earlier this month. At the time of writing, that translates to a dividend yield of around 8%.

The post 2 ASX shares with dividend yields above 8% 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.