The GemLife Communities Group (ASX: GLF) share price is in focus today after the company posted its 1H26 results, exceeding its Prospectus forecasts, with revenue climbing 86% and underlying NPAT up 102% on the prior year.

What did GemLife report?

• Revenue of $195.1 million, up 86% on 1H25 Pro Forma and 36% ahead of Prospectus forecasts
• EBIT of $68.3 million, up 89% on 1H25 and 36% above forecast
• Underlying NPAT of $58.5 million, up 102% on 1H25 and 27% above forecast
• Statutory NPAT of $53.3 million, an increase of 59% on 1H25
• Inaugural annual distribution of 1.1 cents per security declared
• Gearing at 32.3%, within target range

What else do investors need to know?

GemLife delivered 208 home settlements in the half, up 75% on 1H25 and 16 above its Prospectus target. Average sale prices jumped 10% to $876,000, reflecting increased demand and more premium home sales. At 30 June, 52 further homes had been completed and sold, awaiting settlement in 2H26.

The company’s development pipeline is strengthening, with 292 homes under contract and 78 additional expressions of interest, giving a total pipeline of 370 homes. GemLife also secured approvals for 593 more homes at three sites during the half, including its first South Australian community.

What did GemLife management say?

Founder, Managing Director and Group CEO Adrian Puljich said:

GemLife is pleased to have delivered a strong 1H26 result, exceeding our final Prospectus forecast period across key financial and operational metrics. This performance reflects our continued focus on product mix optimisation and execution, supporting both average sale prices and build margins, which have remained within our 47-52% target range for the eighth consecutive year. We believe this performance is underpinned by GemLife’s premium market positioning and the efficiencies and cost savings generated through our vertically integrated business model, which has been refined over more than 40 years

GemLife now has a portfolio of 33 communities comprising 10,452 homes, providing clear visibility over future development activity in a sector supported by favourable demographic trends.

At GemLife, our focus remains on innovative and disciplined development execution through our fully vertically integrated platform, yielding greater capital velocity and sustained earnings growth. We are committed to delivering thoughtfully designed communities for our homeowners while generating long-term value for securityholders.

What’s next for GemLife?

GemLife has upgraded its FY26 underlying EPS guidance to 30.0–31.0 cents, up from 28.5–30.0 cents previously. This implies growth of 27% to 31% over FY25, reflecting management’s confidence in continued strong demand and the group’s substantial pipeline.

Looking ahead, GemLife will continue focusing on its vertically integrated model and innovative community development. With more than 3,000 lots in development across 13 sites, the group is well-placed for growth in Australia’s land lease community sector.

GemLife share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Gemlife shares have risen 9%, outpacing the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

View Original Announcement

The post GemLife beats forecasts and upgrades FY26 guidance appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Ampol profit and dividend surge in first-half 2026 results
• 1 ASX dividend stock down 35% I’d buy right now
• Alkane Resources discovers new high-grade gold zone at Costerfield
• L1 Gold Fund posts debut FY26 result and capital raise update
• Ventia Services Group delivers higher profit and fully-franked dividend in HY26

Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart 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. 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.

Ampol Ltd (ASX:ALD) share price has been in focus after the company delivered a strong first half for 2026, with a 245% jump in RCOP EBIT to $1,392 million and the interim dividend more than quadrupling to 185 cents per share.

What did Ampol Ltd report?

• Group RCOP EBITDA (excluding Significant Items) rose to $1,637 million, up 152% on 1H 2025
• RCOP Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) (excluding Significant Items) surged to $857 million, up 376%
• Statutory NPAT at $1,363 million, compared to a loss of $25 million last year
• Fully franked interim dividend of 185 cents per share, more than four times the prior year
• EG Australia acquisition completed, supporting retail growth strategy

What else do investors need to know?

Ampol’s strong result was delivered despite global market disruptions from conflict in the Middle East, with reliable supply chains and trading capabilities helping to capture opportunities across its operations. Notably, its refinery performance improved, with Lytton Refiner Margin per barrel reaching a robust US$28.26 and total production up 8.7%.

The company’s Energy Solutions division continued to progress, narrowing losses and increasing public EV charging network bays to 356 across Australia. Ampol also reported sturdy balance sheet metrics, even after settling the EG Australia acquisition, with committed liquidity facilities of $5.8 billion and leverage at 1.8 times.

What did Ampol Ltd management say?

Matt Halliday, Managing Director and CEO, commented:

The first half of 2026 was marked by the Middle East conflict and the consequential impact on the flow of oil and refined products around the world, including Australia and New Zealand which were not immune. Against that backdrop, Ampol’s primary focus was to secure fuel and minimise the impact to our customers. I could not be more proud of the resilience of our business and the capabilities our people demonstrated during this period.

What’s next for Ampol Ltd?

Ampol is expecting ongoing volatility in oil markets due to geopolitical uncertainty, but its physical supply arrangements and recent acquisition of EG Australia are expected to underpin growth. Management is confident in delivering between $65 million and $80 million of annual cost synergies from EG Australia within two years.

The outlook for the second half also includes continued benefits from strong refinery margins, contribution from newly acquired assets, and ongoing investment in the Lytton Ultra Low Sulfur Fuels Project, which is on track to start up later in 2026.

Ampol share price snapshot

The Ampol share price has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) over the past 12 months with a gain of 34%, supported by strong earnings momentum and resilient refining operations.

View Original Announcement

The post Ampol profit and dividend surge in first-half 2026 results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ASX blue-chip shares experts rate as compelling
• Ampol Ltd delivers huge earnings jump as supply chain supports profit growth
• ASX 200 energy shares rise 6% as reignited US-Iran conflict continues

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. 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.

I think one of the best times to invest in a leading ASX dividend stock is when the business has fallen significantly. That’s because of the compelling dividend yield that it can unlock. The business WAM Microcap Ltd (ASX: WMI) is one of the leading dividend picks out there, in my view.

When a share price falls, it delivers a similar boost to the yield. For example, if an investment has a 5% dividend yield and the share price falls 10%, then the yield becomes 5.5%.

I believe WAM Microcap is a compelling investment today because it’s down 35% since October 2021 and 22% from October 2025.

Let’s get into why it’s a compelling buy today for passive income.

Exciting investment strategy

This business is a listed investment company (LIC). WAM Microcap aims to give investors exposure to a portfolio of undervalued ASX microcap shares (the majority of which are growth companies), with a market capitalisation of less than $300 million at the time of acquisition.

WAM Microcap can also provide exposure to “relative value arbitrage and market mispricing opportunities”.

The ASX dividend stock’s main sector focus is industrial shares, which gives it a large hunting ground, though at the end of July 2026 it also had a portfolio double-digit exposure to consumer discretionary, financials and IT stocks.

Investing in small-cap stocks can deliver strong returns because they are earlier in their growth journeys than blue-chip stocks. These businesses are often under-researched by analysts and, as a result, can be mispriced.

Since inception in June 2017, its portfolio has returned an average of 13.1% per year (before fees, expenses and taxes), doubling the return of its benchmark in that time.

Large dividend yield

One of the benefits of the LIC structure is that it enables the investment returns to be turned into a smoothed dividend. Excellent returns in one year can be accumulated to help pay for the dividend in a weak year.

The ASX dividend stock recently announced its FY26 annual dividend. It represents a very large annual dividend yield, which is a pleasing way to receive returns.

In FY26, its annual payout of 10.7 cents per share equates to a grossed-up dividend yield of 10.75%, including franking credits.

Rising payouts

Perhaps what’s even more important to me is that WAM Microcap has provided a very reliable dividend over the years.

It started paying a dividend in FY18, and that dividend has grown every year since then, aside from FY24, when it was maintained. The FY26 payout was only increased by 1%, but when you’re talking about a double-digit dividend yield already, any increase is pleasing.

I think this is a great time to invest in the ASX dividend stock for passive income.

The post 1 ASX dividend stock down 35% I’d buy right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This fund just declared a dividend yield of better than 7%
• WAM Microcap hikes dividend for FY26 despite tricky year
• 2 ASX passive income ideas I’d use to generate $200 a month in 2027
• How much is needed in superannuation to target a $2,000 monthly passive income?
• This fund manager thinks these ASX shares are buys and have big potential!

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Wam Microcap. 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.