The Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) share price is in focus today after the company reported funds from operations (FFO) of $612 million for the first half of 2026, up 4.4%, and upgraded its full year guidance for both earnings and distributions.

What did Scentre Group report?

• FFO for the half year: $612 million, up 4.4% (11.73 cents per security)
• Distribution for the half: $481 million, up 4.9% (9.215 cents per security)
• Statutory profit: $975 million, boosted by an unrealised property valuation increase of $478 million
• Annual customer visitations reached 552 million, a record for the business
• Occupancy remained high at 99.8%, the best in over a decade
• Upgraded 2026 full year guidance to at least 23.79 cents FFO and a distribution of 18.473 cents per security

What else do investors need to know?

Scentre Group delivered solid customer engagement and strong operational metrics. Customer advocacy improved, with its Net Promoter Score rising 12 points to 65, and Westfield membership grew to 5.2 million, up 11% on the previous year.

The group completed 1,401 leasing deals, with average specialty rent escalations of 5.5%. Business partners’ sales for the year reached a record $30.3 billion, growing 4.2% year on year. Scentre remains highly engaged in ongoing redevelopments at key destinations, including Westfield Bondi, Penrith, and Tuggerah.

On the capital management front, Scentre successfully introduced Australian Retirement Trust as a joint venture partner at Westfield Mt Gravatt and reduced its average debt margin from 2.6% to 1.6%. There is ample liquidity, with $3.5 billion available and all pandemic-era debt refinanced.

What did Scentre Group management say?

Scentre Group CEO Elliott Rusanow said:

Our focus is to continue generating long term earnings growth from our Westfield business in Australia and New Zealand and create significant additional value from our substantial land holdings.

What’s next for Scentre Group?

Management has upgraded full year 2026 FFO and distribution guidance, pointing to growth of at least 4.25%. Scentre is continuing to invest in its retail destinations and progress major redevelopments, especially at Westfield Bondi and other key sites.

At the same time, the group is looking to unlock value from its strategic land holdings by progressing plans to deliver up to 25,600 dwellings, working collaboratively with governments on housing supply. Scentre also aims to strengthen partnerships and drive further economic activity in and around its Westfield centres.

Scentre Group share price snapshot

The Scentre Group share price has underperformed the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) on a 12-month basis with a decline of around 8%.

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The post Scentre Group shares on watch as 2026 half year earnings climb and guidance gets a boost appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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. 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.

Shares in Medical Developments International Ltd (ASX: MVP) are down slightly more than 20% over the past 12 months, but according to the analysts at Bell Potter there could be some serious upside from here.

Bell Potter has a buy recommendation on the shares and a bullish share price target which I’ll get to shortly. First let’s look at the company’s recently-released full year results.

Modest uplift in earnings

MVP last week announced a net profit of $600,000 for FY26, up from $100,000 for the previous year.

The company’s revenue was up 9% to $42.6 million.

The company’s main business involves the manufacture and sale of Penthrox, better know as the “green whistle” pain relief device.

MVP said in FY26 there was 28% volume growth of Penthrox in the Australian hospital segment and 18% growth in the European market.

Chief Executive Officer Brent McGregor said of the results:

We have delivered a solid financial performance in FY26 with strong cashflow generation. In our Pain Management segment we saw pleasing underlying growth, with stronger volumes in all regions. While demand in our Respiratory business was soft, pricing initiatives and lower costs helped deliver a modest improvement in segment earnings. Accelerating Penthrox volume growth was our priority in FY26. We are delighted by the progress we have made in the period on several important initiatives. This included obtaining regulatory approval for the paediatric indication of Penthrox in the UK and Europe. Penthrox can now be used by children 6 years of age and older in these markets – an important milestone for the Company. We expect to see benefits from access to the broader addressable market in future periods.

For FY27 MVP said it expected higher demand for Penthrox in Europe, “supported by the paediatric indication in Europe and the recently published health economic data”.

The company said the impact to earnings of Middle East supply chain disruptions and US tariffs remained uncertain and continued to be monitored.

Shares looking cheap broker says

Bell Potter said in a note to its clients that the result was broadly in line with their expectations, but they added that the company was poised for growth.

They said:

The completion of the transition in the European distribution arrangements for Penthrox lays a foundation for MVP to focus on improving demand and utilising the recent health economic analysis, published in “Emergency Medicine Australasia” to accelerate hospital adoption across geographical markets. MVP will be seeking to selectively open new markets, leveraging existing approvals and work towards improving the economic value of Penthrox.

Bell Potter has a price target of $1 on MVP shares compared to 50 cents currenty.

MVP is valued at $56.3 million.

The post This ASX small cap healthcare stock is tipped to double in value appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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 Medical Developments International. 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.

Investors looking for a simple way to diversify their portfolios have plenty of Vanguard ETFs to choose from. But the popular Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS) and Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY) take very different approaches.

VGS offers global exposure and a tilt towards growth, while VHY focuses on high-yielding Australian shares.

So, which Vanguard ETF comes out on top?

VGS: Global growth in one ETF

This popular Vanguard ETF invests in around 1,300 companies across developed markets worldwide.

The US accounts for the bulk of the portfolio, with exposure to countries including Japan, the UK, Canada, France, Switzerland and Germany.

Its largest holdings include NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft. That gives investors exposure to some of the world’s biggest technology companies, alongside businesses across healthcare, consumer and industrial sectors. 

VGS charges a management fee of 0.18% per year. Over the past 12 months, it has delivered a return of around 7.4%. Over the past 10 years, the Vanguard ETF has returned approximately 184%.

VGS also recently paid a distribution of around 80 cents per unit.

VHY: The dividend-focused alternative

This popular Vanguard ETF takes a completely different approach.

Rather than looking overseas, VHY targets Australian companies with higher forecast dividend yields. Its major holdings include BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) and Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS), alongside other major Australian companies. 

For income-focused investors, that’s the major attraction. The fund carries a forecast yield of around 4.2%, rising to approximately 5.5% once franking credits are included.

And VHY hasn’t exactly been left behind on performance. It delivered a 7.4% return over the past year and a return of 46% over the past decade. 

VHY charges a 0.25% management fee, slightly more than VGS. Its portfolio also has significant exposure to the Australian banking and resources sectors, meaning investors aren’t getting the same geographic or sector diversification offered by VGS.

Which Vanguard ETF wins?

There isn’t an obvious winner for every investor. VHY could be the better fit for investors who prioritise regular dividend income and want exposure to established Australian businesses. The potential benefit of franking credits is another attraction for eligible Australian investors.

VGS, meanwhile, offers something VHY simply can’t: global diversification and access to sectors such as technology that have a much smaller presence on the Australian share market. 

For an investor focused primarily on long-term capital growth and diversification, I’d give VGS the edge.

But for investors seeking income today, VHY has a compelling proposition.

Ultimately, the better Vanguard ETF depends on whether your priority is global growth or Australian dividend income.

The post VGS vs VHY: Which Vanguard ETF comes out on top? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has positions in BHP Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple, BHP Group, Microsoft, Nvidia, Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF, and Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.