The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) is a leading exchange-traded fund (ETF) for Australians wanting passive income.

The S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) is weighted towards a number of businesses with large dividend yields, which means VAS ETF investors get decent diversification as well as a solid dividend yield.

Many international-focused ETFs have very low dividend yields because the businesses inside those portfolios also have low dividend yields. ETFs simply pass through the dividends they receive to unitholders.

Thanks to the VAS ETF’s holdings, the investment can provide a pleasing distribution yield.

The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF has a large dividend yield

Dividends are not guaranteed of course, but payouts can be much more consistent than capital growth because dividends are funded from earnings but capital growth requires share prices to rise, which can be unpredictable at the best of times with the share market.

The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF regularly tells investors the fund’s dividend yield, which is the weighted average yield of the shares it holds. In other words, its largest holdings of BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) play a much more important role in the yield of the VAS ETF than the two smallest positions.

Nearly all of the top 10 holdings inside the VAS ETF pay pleasing passive income, in my view. That includes BHP, CBA, Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG). Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS). Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) is the only one with a low yield.

According to Vanguard, the VAS ETF had a dividend yield of 3.1% at the end of July 2026. Compared to many other broad-based ETFs, that’s an attractively high dividend yield.

How many VAS ETF units to pay for $10,000 of passive income?

With a dividend yield of 3.1%, an investor would need to own a sizeable amount of VAS ETF to generate $10,000 of dividends each year.

Currently, an investor would need to own 2,867 VAS ETF units to generate that much passive income.

I think the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF is a solid investment option for the long-term, with low management fees, around 300 holdings and a track record of decent returns, though it could be helpful to look at other ASX shares with strong growth potential.

The post How many Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (VAS) units do I need to buy for $10,000 of passive income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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 Goodman Group, Macquarie Group, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, Goodman Group, Macquarie Group, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The SiteMinder Ltd (ASX: SDR) share price is in focus today after the company lifted adjusted EBITDA by 96.5% to $28.1 million and grew revenue 22% (constant currency, organic) to $266.1 million in FY26, highlighting strong profitability and expansion of its Smart Platform.

What did SiteMinder report?

• Revenue up 22.0% (cc, organic) to $266.1 million (reported growth 18.6%)
• Adjusted EBITDA up 96.5% to $28.1 million; margin expanded to 10.6%
• Net loss improved to ($11.3) million, down from ($24.5) million in FY25
• Annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew 24.1% (cc, organic) to $313.7 million
• Adjusted free cash flow more than doubled to $10.5 million
• Transaction revenue up 34% (cc, organic); Smart Platform adoption surged

What else do investors need to know?

SiteMinder delivered this performance despite a stronger Australian dollar and ongoing global travel challenges. Over 85% of customer billings are in foreign currencies, making constant currency metrics a clearer guide to underlying results.

Smart Platform products saw rapid adoption. Dynamic Revenue Plus supported over 50,000 hotel rooms, Channels Plus grew its hotel count by 43% year-on-year, and ARPU climbed 9.3% (constant currency, organic) to $429. Net property additions brought SiteMinder’s total to 56,000 global hotel customers.

Improved margins reflected disciplined Smart Platform investment and broader use of AI. Lifetime value (LTV) increased, as did LTV/CAC ratio, while adjusted group gross margin reached 67.2%.

What did SiteMinder management say?

CEO and Managing Director Sankar Narayan said:

SiteMinder’s FY26 performance builds on three years of sustained progress. Subscription and transaction ARR growth have exceeded 15% and 30%, respectively, on a constant-currency and organic basis in each of those years, while adjusted EBITDA has improved by more than $50 million with margins expanding from negative 14.5% to positive 10.6%. This demonstrates the strength and scalability of our business and provides a durable foundation for continued growth and margin expansion. With continued momentum across the Smart Platform, a strong product pipeline and go-to-market engine, and significant opportunities to apply AI across our operations and product suite, we are well positioned to build on our strong performance and create long-term value for shareholders.

What’s next for SiteMinder?

Looking ahead, SiteMinder expects its adjusted EBITDA margin to keep expanding in FY27 and reach the mid-20% range by FY30. ARR is targeted to continue growing in the 20% range (CAGR) over the next four years, fueled by strong Smart Platform uptake and AI-driven efficiencies.

Management is rolling out further optimisation features for the Smart Platform and new B2B distribution support, aiming to deepen customer adoption and broaden global reach. AI use is set to accelerate across both product and internal operations, supporting ongoing margin gains and scalable growth.

SiteMinder share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, SiteMinder shares have declined 30%, trailing the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

View Original Announcement

The post SiteMinder: FY26 profit nearly doubles, revenue jumps 22% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 positions in and has recommended SiteMinder. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended SiteMinder. 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.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares have delivered some outsized gains over the past year.

In Monday afternoon trade, shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining giant were changing hands for $67.41 apiece. That sees the share price up an impressive 56.3% in 12 months, smashing the 1.6% one-year returns posted by the benchmark index.

And we shouldn’t leave out the two fully franked BHP dividends, totalling $2.431 a share, that BHP paid – or shortly will pay – to eligible stockholders.

The miner will pay out its final dividend of $1.392 on 23 September. BHP shares trade ex-dividend on 3 September. And with the company’s profits up 9% year-on-year to AU$13.7 billion, that final payout is up 51.5% from the FY 2025 final BHP dividend.

Which brings us back to our headline question.

BHP shares: Buy, hold or sell?

Red Leaf Securities’ John Athanasiou recently ran his slide rule over the Aussie mining giant (courtesy of The Bull).

“This high-quality company offers exposure to global resources,” he said.

Commenting on BHP’s FY 2026 results, Athanasiou said, “The company posted attributable profit of US$9.8 billion in full year 2026, up 9% on the prior corresponding period. Revenue of US$58.8 billion was up 15%.”

And Athanasiou sounded a bullish note on BHP’s growing copper exposure.

“The company’s copper portfolio is positioned to benefit from electrification, renewable infrastructure, power grid investment and data centre growth,” he said.

Indeed, BHP shares have gotten support as the copper price has rocketed more than 69% over the last year, recently trading for US$14,216 per tonne.

That saw BHP report a 48% year on year increase in underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) from its copper division to US$18.2 billion, despite a 3% decline in copper production to 1.95 million tonnes.

It also saw copper contribute 54% of BHP’s full year earnings.

But Athanasiou is less optimistic about the global iron ore market.

“However, BHP remains heavily exposed to iron ore, leaving earnings sensitive to Chinese demand and commodity price movements,” he said.

Recently trading for US$95 per tonne, the iron ore price is down around 6% over the past 12 months.

BHP reported FY 2026 underlying EBITDA from its iron ore division of US$14.5, up 1% year-on-year.

Connecting the dots, Athanasiou issued a hold recommendation on BHP shares.

He concluded:

The quality of BHP’s asset base, balance sheet and diversified portfolio leaves existing shareholders with little reason to sell. However, after a solid run, prospective investors may be better served waiting for a potentially more attractive entry point.

The post With profits surging to $13.7 billion, are BHP shares a buy, hold or sell now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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