• Why brokers think CSL shares could be on track for $200

    A man in a business suit jumps over a hurdle with a blue sky background.

    CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares have clawed back serious ground in recent months, climbing 10% over the past month and 29% over the past six months. Even so, the ASX biotech stock remains 12% below where it stood a year ago.

    The next test looms larger, though: the psychological $200 barrier. Clearing it won’t be a gimme. The $85 billion healthcare giant still has to prove it can deliver on several fronts before that milestone becomes more than just a broker’s spreadsheet fantasy.

    The good news? CSL has actually laid out the roadmap. Now it just has to walk it.

    The Behring problem, and the Behring fix

    Everything starts with CSL Behring, by far the group’s biggest business and the one that’s caused the most headaches. After a rough patch, management is now promising a return to mid-single-digit revenue growth in FY27, with immunoglobulin sales expected to climb at a mid-to-high single-digit clip.

    That’s not just corporate optimism. Demand for immunoglobulin remains genuinely strong, and CSL is squeezing more out of its plasma collection and manufacturing process at the same time. If Behring turns the corner, it drags the whole group with it.

    New kids on the block

    CSL isn’t relying on Behring alone. ANDEMBRY and HEMGENIX both posted strong uptake in FY26, and management expects that momentum to keep building.

    If these newer therapies can scale into genuine earnings contributors, they give CSL something it’s lacked for a while: a growth story that doesn’t depend entirely on plasma.

    Cost-cutting isn’t just noise

    CSL’s transformation program has actual receipts. The company banked around US$176 million in cost savings during FY26 – ahead of schedule – with more coming in FY27. Roughly half of those incremental savings are being ploughed straight back into growth initiatives.

    If revenue growth and cost discipline both fire at once, that’s a genuine earnings tailwind, not just a management slide deck promise.

    The part nobody wants to talk about

    Here’s the catch. CSL expects Vifor revenue to fall roughly 25% in FY27, hammered by generic competition in iron products. Seqirus, meanwhile, is only expected to scrape out low-single-digit growth.

    Translation: Behring and the new therapies need to do the heavy lifting almost entirely on their own, while the rest of the portfolio does its best impression of dead weight.

    Brokers are starting to bite

    That improving – if uneven – outlook is enough to get some brokers genuinely excited. In September, RBC Capital Markets upgraded CSL to outperform and hiked its price target from $148 all the way to $213. That points to a 21% upside at the current share price level.

    RBC’s bullish call rests on a simple bet: that Behring’s recovery can outrun the drag from Vifor and Seqirus, and earnings growth returns from here.

    Barrenjoey followed with an upgrade to overweight and a $180 target.

    Not everyone’s convinced. Citi is stuck at hold with a $160 target, while UBS sits at buy with $181.

    Foolish takeaway

    The path to $200 isn’t a straight line. It’s a bet that demand for immunoglobulins stays strong, new therapies scale quickly, cost savings keep flowing, and the weak links stop bleeding.

    Leadership uncertainty adds another variable to the $200 case. In a notice of annual general meeting lodged with the ASX last week, CSL chair Brian McNamee said the search for a new Chief Executive Officer was well-advanced, though still ongoing.

    Investors will want clarity on who’s steering the recovery before fully buying into it.

    That’s a lot of boxes to tick. But if CSL ticks them, $200 starts looking like the obvious next stop.

    The post Why brokers think CSL shares could be on track for $200 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the ‘five best ASX stocks’ for investors to buy right now. We believe these stocks are trading at attractive prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now…

    * Returns as of 1 August 2026

    .custom-cta-button p {
    margin-bottom: 0 !important;
    }

    More reading

    Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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 CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • 2 cheap ASX shares near 52-week lows I’d buy today

    Red arrow going down on a stock market table which symbolises a falling share price.

    Share prices of many ASX shares have fallen recently due to worries about bond yields, private credit uncertainties, AI, the Middle East, inflation and rising interest rates. There’s a lot to worry about for investors.

    With all of the above in mind, it’s not surprising that some interest rate-sensitive ASX shares are down (close) to their 52-week lows.

    Below are two of my favourites right now at a low point.

    Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)

    Interest rates act like gravity on property prices – when rates go down, interest costs fall, and property values are likely to rise. The reverse is also true. With interest rates anticipated to rise this year, the market has pushed the Centuria Industrial REIT share price down 20% in the past year to a 52-week low.

    This business owns a portfolio of industrial properties across Australia. I think it’s appealing to be able to buy a slice of so many properties in just a single transaction.

    Property values do change over time, and it’s hard to know exactly what the ASX share’s property portfolio is worth without actually going to sell it, which the business isn’t going to do.

    However, we can look at the REIT’s distribution as a way to see how attractive it is.

    The business grew its annual distribution by 3% in FY26 and expects to grow its payout by another 3% to 17.3 cents per unit. That’s a forward distribution yield of 6.1%. To me, that’s an excellent yield from a business like this.

    When rates do eventually come down, I think this valuation could make it seem like a cheap ASX share.

    JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH)

    JB Hi-Fi is another name that has seen a sell-off. The JB Hi-Fi share price has dropped 44% in the past year, and it’s now close to its 52-week low.

    Inflation of living costs and higher interest rates are already causing headwinds, and investors are feeling negative. I think it’s been heavily oversold.

    For July 2026 (the first month of FY27), the business provided a sales update showing total sales dropped 0.5% for JB Hi-Fi Australia and declined 1.7% for The Good Guys. Positively, JB Hi-Fi New Zealand’s sales growth was 20.9%.

    At this stage, sales are only slightly down in Australia.

    I believe JB Hi-Fi Australia is well-placed to serve customers with its scale benefits, very competitively priced products, a wide product range, a productive sales floor, and an expanding network of locations in Australia and New Zealand.  

    Using the projection on CommSec, the JB Hi-Fi share price is valued at under 15 times FY27’s estimated earnings, with earnings growth projected in FY28 and FY29. That makes it look like a cheap ASX share to me.

    The post 2 cheap ASX shares near 52-week lows I’d buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Jb Hi-Fi right now?

    Before you buy Jb Hi-Fi shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Jb Hi-Fi wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 1 August 2026

    .custom-cta-button p {
    margin-bottom: 0 !important;
    }

    More reading

    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 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.

  • Buy, hold, sell: Orica, GQG Partners, BHP shares

    Woman and man worker in quarry on excavation machine looking at a clipboard.

    S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares have weakened by almost 1% over the past 12 months.

    Last week, the market edged lower on growing expectations of another interest rate hike due to stubborn inflation.

    Meanwhile, here are some new ratings from the experts.

    Orica Ltd (ASX: ORI)

    The Orica share price is up 5.7% over 12 months. 

    Ord Minnett has a buy rating on this ASX 200 materials share. 

    The broker said: 

    NaCN [sodium cyanide] is a critical reagent used in gold extraction, and the two largest global producers, Orica and Draslovka, have both indicated their production capacity is fully committed.

    With supply effectively sold out, pricing power is improving, as evidenced by recent Australian trade data.

    In addition, NaCN costs have not increased at the same pace as broader mining costs despite being an essential input and the gold miners enjoying elevated profitability from strong gold prices. This suggests further pricing upside may be achievable.

    Stronger NaCN pricing and improved plant utilisation could drive returns in ORI’s chemicals division back towards historical levels (before the acquisition of Cyanco in 2024) and closer to the company’s broader target range of 13%– 15%. 

    BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

    The BHP share price has soared 53% over 12 months. 

    Dylan Evans from Catapult Wealth has a hold rating on this ASX 200 mining share. 

    Evans said (courtesy The Bull): 

    The global miner’s full year results were impressive, with the company increasing revenue and profit.

    Growth was driven by the copper division, which is now the primary revenue generator for BHP.

    As a result, future earnings will be influenced by the copper price, but the price should be underpinned by several long term themes, including electrification and growing digital infrastructure.

    BHP is a core holding. However, the share price has risen substantially in the past 12 months to the point where it can appear expensive.

    GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG)

    The GQG Partners share price has tumbled 37% over 12 months. 

    Andrew Wielandt from DP Wealth Advisory has a sell rating on this ASX 200 financial share. 

    Wielandt said: 

    GQG is a global active fund manager with a diversified range of equity strategies. However, total funds under management of $US149.2 billion at August 31, 2026 had fallen from $US156.4 billion at July 31, 2026.

    Total funds under management are also down $US14.7 billion between December 31, 2025 and August 31, 2026.

    Outflows create uncertainty about the sustainability of earnings and income.

    Until investment performance and funds under management stabilise or tick up, we retain a sell recommendation on GQG.

    The post Buy, hold, sell: Orica, GQG Partners, BHP shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in BHP Group right now?

    Before you buy BHP Group shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and BHP Group wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 1 August 2026

    .custom-cta-button p {
    margin-bottom: 0 !important;
    }

    More reading

    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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group and Gqg Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.