ASX bank stocks have been in the spotlight over the past month as rising inflation, higher interest rates, and a cooling property market raise concerns about how the banks could perform over the long run.

The experts are pretty reserved about the outlook for the big four major banks, and most mid-tier ones too. Most are expected to fall lower over the next 12 months as macroeconomic pressures increase.

But there is one ASX bank stock with a very rosy outlook ahead.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) works differently to its peers. Unlike many other banks in the sector, Judo Bank was built to provide financial services and lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These SMEs have annual turnovers of up to $100 million.

The bank was founded in 2016 and received its banking license in 2019. That means it’s relatively new in comparison to the majors. It was listed on the ASX in 2021.

The bank provides business lending starting at $250,000 and touts itself as providing more flexibility than major banks. It also offers personal term deposit products and home loans.

What’s the latest out of Judo Bank shares?

At the time of writing, the ASX bank stock is trading at 90 cents a piece. That’s around 50% lower for the year to date and 49% lower than this time last year.

The shares suffered a crash of around 40% within one day of trading in late June. This happened after the bank downgraded its profit guidance for FY26. The move left investors questioning the bank’s near-term outlook.

But the final result in August seemed to be a little better than expected. Judo Bank announced strong gains across the board. NPAT increased 29% to $111.1 million, and profit before tax increased 34% to $168.1 million. This was at the top end of Judo’s revised guidance range.

Investors rushed to the stock, and the share spiked by around 16% following the announcement. But then a slump in overall sentiment for bank shares and profit-taking investors has seen those gains reversed over the past seven weeks.

What do brokers tip next for the ASX bank stock?

It looks like the sell-off was way overdone, and the shares are now trading well below fair value.

Brokers are very bullish on the outlook for Judo Bank shares, with the majority holding a strong buy rating, according to Market Index data. The average $1.38 target price currently implies around a 52% potential upside over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

TradingView data shows something similar. Again, the majority (12 out of 14) have a buy/strong buy rating. The $1.485 average target price implies an upside of around 64%, at the time of writing.

But some think the shares could jump another 86% to $1.68 each over the next 12 months.

Morgans has a buy rating and $1.42 target price on the bank shares.

The broker said Judo’s results were towards the top end of the revised guidance range, and FY27 guidance was reaffirmed, offering strong earnings growth. But it thinks that by the end of this decade, Judo Bank shares could be worth close to $2 per share. 

The bank is higher risk and more cyclically exposed than the major banks, but investors are compensated by higher potential returns at current prices. 

Elsewhere, the team at Macquarie said the question is whether the bank can strike the right balance between margins, growth, and credit quality to achieve returns at scale. Macquarie has a price target of $1.65 on Judo shares.

So, if I invest $5,000 into Judo Bank shares today, what could it be worth by this time next year?

Assuming Judo Bank shares reach the average forecast target price of $1.38 to $1.48 within the next 12 months, a $5,000 investment today could be worth $7,600 to $8,200 by October 2027.

And if the more bullish experts are correct. The same $5,000 investment could climb even higher, up to $9,300, by this time next year.

The post By October 2027, $5,000 invested in this ASX bank stock could turn into… appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Top 3 ASX shares I’d buy after the most recent sell-off
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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 recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Droneshield vs Zip shares: Which ASX tech stock is better for growth investors?

Trying to choose between Droneshield Ltd (ASX: DRO) and Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) for your next growth-focused investment? Both are prominent names in Australia’s tech scene, but they offer very different business models and risk profiles. Droneshield is making waves with its counter-drone technology, while Zip is a key player in digital buy-now, pay-later finance. Here’s how they stack up for those seeking the next big thing.

The case for Droneshield

Droneshield is an Australian innovator focused on artificial-intelligence-powered solutions that detect and counter drones—a growing global threat for governments, defence forces, airports, and commercial venues. Its product suite features DroneGun Tactical, RfPatrol, and DroneSentry, among others. These technologies are already in use protecting infrastructure and assets in Australia, the US, and the UK.

Looking at Droneshield’s fundamentals:

• It has a market cap of $1.57 billion, promising for a company outside the mainstream ASX 100.
• The P/E ratio is reported at an eye-watering 433.75, and earnings per share are negative at -0.033, indicating the business is still burning through cash as it scales up. Note: Droneshield’s reported P/E ratio may be based on a different earnings measure (e.g. underlying or forward earnings) than the EPS figure shown, which is why they may appear inconsistent.
• Year-to-date, its share price is down 47.6% — a stark reminder of the volatility that comes with early-stage growth stocks.

Droneshield pays no dividend, opting instead to reinvest in its technology and growth pipeline.

The case for Zip

Zip is an established fintech best known for its Zip Pay and Zip Money platforms. The company offers interest-free buy-now, pay-later services across 12 countries, including major operations in Australia, New Zealand, and the US. Zip Co is a pioneer in delivering digital tools that help consumers split and manage payments, challenging traditional credit providers and tapping into a rapidly shifting payments landscape.

A glance at Zip Co’s metrics:

• It boasts a larger market cap at $2.53 billion, putting it among the more notable fintechs on the ASX.
• The P/E ratio sits at 22.30—a far more conventional number compared to Droneshield, with positive earnings per share of 0.091. This suggests Zip has moved past the loss-making start-up phase and into sustainable profitability.
• Like Droneshield, Zip doesn’t pay a dividend, choosing growth over income for now. Its YTD return is -38.6%, still deeply negative but slightly better than Droneshield’s.

Valuation comparison

Metric	Droneshield	Zip
Market Cap	$1.57 billion	$2.53 billion
P/E Ratio	433.75	22.30
Earnings per Share (EPS)	-0.033	0.091
Dividend Yield	0.00%	0.00%
YTD Return	-47.6%	-38.6%

Note: Droneshield’s negative EPS and its reported P/E ratio appear inconsistent, likely due to different calculation bases (forward/underlying earnings). For both, dividend yields sit at zero—a standard feature of high-growth tech names investing for the future.

Recent share price momentum

Comparing recent share price perfomance up to 30 September 2026:

• Droneshield closed at $1.70, up 4.95% on the day. Its price action across September has been volatile, but the late-month rally could hint at fresh investor interest or news flow.
• Zip finished at $2.03 on the same date, up just 0.5% for the session. Zip’s September showed a mix of sharp down days and small gains, reflecting ongoing uncertainty but also a willingness for traders to buy the dips.
• Both remain well below their January levels, with Droneshield lagging more sharply YTD.

Which is the better buy?

For growth investors, I’d lean toward Zip right now, even with its own sizeable share price slump. Zip has reached profitability, giving it a lower and more grounded P/E ratio, and offers greater operational scale as seen in its higher market cap and international reach. While Droneshield is an exciting play in the defence tech space, it remains loss-making and considerably more volatile—its negative EPS and extremely high P/E imply a lot of hope is baked in, but earnings haven’t caught up yet.

If you’re comfortable with risk and want “moonshot” potential, Droneshield could be your ticket—a single contract or regulatory change could turbocharge its prospects. But for most growth-focused portfolios, I think Zip offers the better balance of proven scalability and upside at today’s prices. Of course, neither is for the faint-hearted, and sharp reversals are always possible.

The post Droneshield vs Zip Co: Which tech share is the better ASX growth pick? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Should I buy DroneShield shares after its big US news?
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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 DroneShield. 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 draft. 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.

It was a busy week for Australia’s top brokers. This has led to a number of broker notes being released. 

Three broker buy ratings that you might want to know more about are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

According to a note out of Bell Potter, its analysts have initiated coverage on this cloud infrastructure provider’s shares with a buy rating and $27.00 price target. Bell Potter believes Megaport is exceptionally well-placed for growth over the coming years thanks to strategic contracts which are being rolled out this year. In fact, the broker believes that underlying EBITDA will grow from $77 million in FY 2026 to $329 million in FY 27 and then $726m in FY 2028. Importantly, it notes that all the capex required for the roll out of the strategic contracts is fully funded. Bell Potter also highlights that Megaport is trading on an FY 2028 EV/EBITDA multiple of around 7x, while the median multiple of the domestic comps is around 15x and international comps is around 11x (based on 2027 forecasts). The Megaport share price ended the week at $22.34.

Navigator Global Investments Ltd (ASX: NGI)

A note out of Morgans reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating and $3.04 price target on this global investments company’s shares. The broker notes that Navigator Global has agreed to sell a stake in Invictus Capital Partners to New York Life Investment Management. It points out that the sale crystallises a premium of up to ~8% to cost on the initial 12.7% stake, while the company keeps its carry and future upside through a residual 8.3% stake. The good news is management believes the retained stake could be worth meaningfully more, on a pro-rata basis, when it is transferred in 2031, helped by the New York Life Investment Management partnership. In Morgans’ view, the sale shows the optionality and embedded value in its portfolio. The Navigator Global share price was fetching $2.30 at Friday’s close.

Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)

Another note out of Bell Potter reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating on this investment platform provider’s shares with a reduced price target of $25.00. The broker has updated its model to reflect equity market movements and commentary on net flow expectations. Bell Potter believes that consensus forecasts are too high. It notes that they imply that net inflows would be run rating at the upper end of the $18 billion to $20 billion guidance range during the final six weeks of the first quarter despite equity markets weakening. Nevertheless, the broker remains positive and sees value in its shares at current levels. As a result, it thinks investors should be buying the dip. The Netwealth share price ended the week at $17.21.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Tech shares shine while ASX 200 plunges to 4-month low
• Top ASX shares to buy in October 2026
• 3 ASX 200 shares I would buy and hold for 10 years
• Zip vs Megaport: Which ASX tech share is the better buy?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Megaport. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Megaport and Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.