S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are up 0.1% to 9,082 points on Tuesday.

Among the 11 market sectors, materials and miners are in the lead today, up 1.3%.

The financials and technology sectors lag behind, both down 1.5%.

Let’s check out some new ratings on ASX 200 shares today.

Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ)

The Bank of Queensland share price is $6.36, down 1.1% today and down 19% over 12 months. 

Morgans has an accumulate rating on the ASX 200 financial share with a reduced price target of $6.94.

The broker said: 

BOQ announced finalisation of its capital return related to the equipment finance whole-loan sale, alongside completion of ME customer migration to its digital bank platform.

We make material forecast downgrades. Target price reduced to $6.94/sh. ACCUMULATE retained at current prices, but noting only a c.13% potential TSR including the special dividend.

BOQ is trading on c.0.9x P:TBV and c.11x PER.

PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS)

The PLS Group share price is $4.95, down 2.8% today and up 118% over 12 months. 

Arthur Garipoli from Dolphin Partners has a hold rating on this ASX 200 lithium mining share. 

He said (courtesy The Bull): 

This high quality pure play lithium producer recently delivered a solid June quarter report in fiscal year 2026.

Sales were up 28 per cent compared to the March quarter and group revenue was up 31 per cent.

The company has benefited from rising spodumene prices and sustains a solid balance sheet.

Restarting the Ngungaju processing plant is expected to materially lift sales into full year 2027.

Speculation exists that PLS may resume paying dividends following stronger than expected cash generation in full year 2026.

Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO)

The Xero share price is $81.13, down 1.2% today and down 52% over 12 months. 

Tom Fairchild from Lazarus Capital Partners has a sell rating on the accounting software provider.

He said: 

The company generated revenue of $NZ2.75 billion in full year 2026, up 31 per cent on the prior corresponding period.

Xero shares bounced off a low of $61.58 on July 24 to trade at $77.51 on August 13, 2026.

However, the stock was priced at $168.78 on August 13, 2025.

Justifiable investor concerns about margin pressure, artificial intelligence growth and US expansion performance have weighed on the stock and sentiment. Investors can consider cashing in some gains.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Bank of Queensland, Xero, PLS Group 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 Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are climbing higher in early morning trade on Tuesday, after the ASX mining giant posted a record FY26 earnings result.

The group posted a strong operational performance across all its key segments and an impressive 27% increase in its underlying EBITDA. 

Investors are clearly thrilled with the results and many are rushing to snap up the mining shares.

At the time of writing, BHP shares are trading at $64.44. That’s around a 4% increase for the day so far and around 41% higher for the year to date.

A strong financial result and climbing share price isn’t the only reason investors are interested in the stock. Investors are also thrilled with the miner’s higher-than-forecasted FY26 dividend and opportunity for passive income.

But what if you wanted to receive $1,000 of passive income from BHP shares every single month? How achievable is it? And what exactly would it entail?

Let’s take a look.

What dividends does BHP pay to its shareholders?

BHP has a history of paying reliable and consistent fully-franked dividends to its shareholders every year, in March and September.  

As part of its FY26 earnings announcement this morning, BHP declared a total fully-franked FY26 dividend of US$1.72 per share. This includes a US$0.73 interim and a US$0.99 final dividend. 

The exact Australian dollar equivalent won’t be fixed by BHP until the currency conversion period concludes on the 7th of September. But at the time of writing, US$1.72 per share equates to around AU$2.41.

Based on the current share price, this estimated converted dividend translates to a dividend yield of around 3.7%.

How many BHP shares do I need to generate $1,000 per month in passive income?

A $1,000 per month passive income totals $12,000 for the year. Using the figures above, in order to generate $12,000 per year in passive income from BHP shares alone, an investor would need to buy roughly 4,979 shares.

How much would that cost me today?

At the time of writing, to buy the 4,979 shares needed for $1,000 per month (or $12,000 per year) of passive income, you would need to invest close to $321,000. 

It’s not a small investment, but it could be worth it in the long run. BHP shares offer both a consistent passive income and also the opportunity for capital returns thanks to its healthy business financials and growing share price.

Also note that you don’t need to invest that entire sum in one go. Start small and let compound growth do some of the work for you.  

The post How many BHP shares do I need to buy for $1,000 per month of passive income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has positions in BHP Group. 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 recommended BHP Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) share price is in focus after the company posted a 14.0% increase in its investment portfolio for FY2026, beating the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index (ASX: XJO) by 7.9%, and announced a higher fully franked full-year dividend of 9.6 cents per share.

What did WAM Leaders report?

• FY2026 investment portfolio return: up 14.0%, outperforming benchmark by 7.9%
• Total shareholder return: 21.0% (24.7% including franking credits)
• Operating profit after tax: up 153.5% to $161.8 million (FY2025: $63.8 million)
• Operating profit before tax: up 176.5% to $218.3 million
• Fully franked full year dividend: increased to 9.6 cents per share (final dividend: 4.8 cps)
• Fully franked dividend yield: 7.2% (grossed-up 10.3%)

What else do investors need to know?

WAM Leaders reduced its share price discount to net tangible assets (NTA) from 7.8% to a 0.2% premium over the year, supporting shareholder returns. Notably, the company has paid out a total of 96.5 cents per share in fully franked dividends since listing in 2016, including franking credits.

The board has launched a Share Purchase Plan (SPP), allowing eligible shareholders to buy up to $30,000 of shares without brokerage, at a discount. A recent placement for professional and sophisticated investors raised $225 million, aiming to capitalise on attractive market opportunities.

What did WAM Leaders management say?

Lead Portfolio Manager Matthew Haupt said:

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.

Looking ahead, we remain focused on high-quality companies trading at attractive valuations. 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.

What’s next for WAM Leaders?

Management says WAM Leaders is sticking with its strategy of targeting high-quality companies offering value, especially as volatility creates new opportunities. The $225 million capital raised through the SPP and placement increases flexibility for future investments with an active approach.

Shareholders can expect the board’s dividend-focused approach to remain, with the company aiming to deliver consistent income and capital growth through disciplined stock selection and sector positioning.

View Original Announcement

The post WAM Leaders lifts dividend as portfolio outperforms in FY26 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has positions in Wam Leaders. 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.