Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) shares rocketed higher at the start of the year, climbing around 18% to an all-time high in mid-May.

But as quickly as the telco‘s shares spiked, they cooled back down again. 

What has happened to Telstra shares?

The telco’s share price has been incredibly volatile recently, swinging between $5.41 and $4.97 over the past couple of months. At the time of writing, Telstra shares are trading at $5.14 a piece.

By early June, Telstra shares had fallen 11% from their peak. It looks like much of the shift in sentiment was investors taking their gains off the table after a huge rally.

The downturn also accelerated when a flurry of brokers updated their outlooks on the stock.

A broad softening in defensive shares, including telcos, and valuation concerns have also acted as headwinds.

Another headline that has weighed on sentiment is Telstra’s announcement of job cuts late last month. The company said it plans to cut 111 jobs as part of a restructuring of its technology division under new CEO Vicki Brady. The restructure collapses several of Telstra’s internal technology and infrastructure teams into two new divisions.

The latest headcount cut follows the telco’s announcement earlier this year that it would axe up to 650 roles as part of a restructuring and AI-driven efficiency programs.

It looks like investor confidence is still under pressure and the share price has struggled to rebound through June.

The question now is, what’s next?

Are the telco’s shares a buy, sell or hold?

The outlook over the next 12 months is split.

Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have a buy rating on Telstra shares. The $5.50 average target price implies a potential 7% upside ahead.

But analysts on TradingView data are a lot more reserved. All 10 analysts have a hold rating on Telstra’s shares, but their target prices vary significantly. The average $5.25 target price implies a potential 2% upside at the time of writing.

But some forecast the shares to rise 8% to $5.57, and others expect them to fall further by around 11% to $4.60 apiece.

Macquarie thinks Telstra shares are trading close to fair value. The broker downgraded its rating to a hold earlier this month and shaved its price target on Telstra shares to $5.57. Based on the current share price of $5.14, the price target suggests potential upside of around 8%.

The team at Shaw and Partners give Telstra a sell rating. The broker said it thinks the stock has been trading at elevated levels and was pushed higher by its defensive appeal. But it adds that underlying growth is limited, and the dividend yield is becoming less attractive.

The post Here’s what brokers tip for Telstra shares over the next 12 months 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 positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME) has done something it has rarely done at this scale before.

The company has signed a binding Heads of Agreement with Echo IQ Ltd (ASX: EIQ), a Sydney-based AI cardiology company, to expand its AI-driven cardiology solutions and broaden its commercial reach in the United States.

On paper, this is a small transaction for a company with a market capitalisation in the tens of billions.

The potential that lies underneath is what deserves attention.

What the Pro Medicus AI cardiology deal involves

Pro Medicus will make an initial $10 million investment in Echo IQ through secured convertible notes. The company retains the option to invest a further $10 million once Echo IQ’s heart failure algorithm, EchoSolv HF, receives clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Pro Medicus also becomes the proposed US reseller of Echo IQ’s EchoSolv product suite. This should plug an AI-powered cardiac diagnostic tool directly into the same hospital network that already runs its Visage 7 imaging platform.

CEO Sam Hupert framed the move as part of a deliberate strategy, stating:

In addition to providing financial backing, we are looking to offer our Visage 7 Cardiology customers the option of Echo IQ’s technology. This is in line with our AI strategy of offering a curated suite of algorithms that will be a mixture of algorithms created by us, those created in conjunction with our clinical partners and third party algorithms such as Echo-IQ.

Definitive legal documentation is still being finalised, with completion expected within the coming weeks.

Why this deal matters more than its size suggests

Pro Medicus has spent the past 18 months landing landmark Full Stack contracts with major US health systems. The company’s cardiology modules are increasingly attached at the point of first sale.

Bolting Echo IQ’s AI diagnostic layer directly onto Pro Medicus’ existing distribution network gives Pro Medicus a capability it does not have to build in-house, sitting natively alongside the workflow its customers already use every day.

This deal positions Pro Medicus as acquiring a low-cost option on AI-led cardiology imaging without diluting its own research and development.

The more pessimistic view states that every legacy imaging vendor in North America is now racing to add its own AI partners. This may narrow the window in which a reseller deal like this one carries exclusive competitive value.

What it means for Pro Medicus shares

Pro Medicus shares were up 3.5% to $185.30 on the news, adding to a rally that has lifted the stock roughly 50% since mid-May. Year-to-date, however, shares still remain down.

This partial recovery follows a difficult few months for the stock. This downturn was driven by broader fears that AI would disrupt rather than enhance imaging software businesses.

This deal is a direct rebuttal to that fear. Pro Medicus is not being disrupted by AI cardiology tools. Rather, it is bringing them in-house and reselling them to its own customer base.

What it means for Echo IQ shareholders

The reaction in Echo IQ shares has been even more dramatic.

Echo IQ shares jumped 28% to a record high of $1.58.

Echo IQ CEO Dustin Haines called the deal:

A transformational milestone for Echo IQ and a significant validation of both our technology and long-term commercial strategy, while also providing exceptional financial flexibility to accelerate our commercialisation activities in the US.

For a small-cap AI company, validation and distribution from one of Australia’s most successful healthcare technology exporters is about as strong an endorsement as the market could ask for.

Foolish takeaway

The dollar value of this deal is immaterial to Pro Medicus’s balance sheet.

The strategic message is not.

By investing in and reselling third-party AI cardiology technology rather than treating it as a competitive threat, Pro Medicus is reinforcing the thesis that AI strengthens its moat rather than eroding it.

For a stock that spent the first half of 2026 being sold down on exactly the opposite fear, that distinction is the real reason this deal matters.

The post Pro Medicus just struck a revolutionary AI cardiology deal. Here’s why that matters appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mark Verhoeven has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Superannuation is a popular and tax-effective way for working Aussies to build a long-term passive income for their future.

Of course, the catch is that you can’t access your funds until you reach your preservation age, typically around 60. You’ll also need to meet the conditions of release.

But by investing early, you can benefit from lower tax rates, compounding, and then eventually a retirement lifestyle boosted by a tax-free passive income.

The question is, how much do you need in your superannuation to receive the passive income you want when you’ve retired?

Let’s break it down, using $4,000 per month as an example.

How much do I need in my superannuation to get $4,000 of monthly passive income?

If you want to earn $4,000 in passive income every month from the money saved in your superannuation, that equates to $48,000 per year in dividend payments.

To work out the superannuation balance you’d need to get that, you’ll need to divide your annual passive income by the dividend yield.

The catch is that the figure varies widely depending on the dividend yield of the ASX shares you have in your portfolio.

For example, a portfolio with a dividend yield of around 6% only needs to be around half the size of one with a dividend yield closer to 3% to generate the same level of dividend income.

Let’s break it down further.

To earn $48,000 in annual passive income from a portfolio with a dividend yield around 3%, you’d need $1.6 million.

But to earn the same amount from a portfolio with a dividend yield closer to 4%, you’d need more like $1.2 million.

Then you’d need closer to $960,000 in a portfolio with a 5% dividend yield to earn the same amount.

If the yield is 6%, you’d need less, at around $800,000.

To get the same $48,000 of annual passive income from a portfolio with a 7% dividend yield, you’d need around $685,714. 

And if the portfolio’s dividend yield is closer to 8% or 9%, the portfolio size could be more $600,000 or $533,333, respectively.

And so on… 

As you can see, as your dividend yield increases, the superannuation balance needed to earn the same level of passive income goes down.

What ASX shares can I get around these dividend yields?

There is a wide range of high-quality ASX dividend shares available for superannuation investments, with yields varying significantly. 

But here are a few of my favourites to get you started.

Lower yielding ASX dividend-paying shares such as Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co Ltd (ASX: SOL) are solid and reliable shares that offer a yield of around 2% to 3%.

For a mid-range yielding ASX dividend option, I’d look at defensive assets like Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) or Transurban Group (ASX: TCL), and blue-chip majors like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), which pay a dividend of around 3% to 4%.

For a higher 5% to 6% dividend yield, I’d look at reliable payers like APA Group (ASX: APA), Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS), or Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG).

If you want to take on more risk and go for a much higher-yielding ASX stock, my picks would be something like IPH Ltd (ASX: IPH), the BetaShares Australian Top 20 Equities Yield Maximiser Complex ETF (ASX: YMAX), or the Metrics Income Opportunities Trust (ASX: MOT). These typically yield around 9% or more.

The post How much do I need in my superannuation to get $4,000 per month in passive income? 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 positions in and has recommended Transurban Group, Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Apa Group, Telstra Group, Transurban Group, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, IPH Ltd , and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.