Woodside Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares have tumbled into the red today while AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) climb higher.

Lets find out which of the three major ASX 200 shares brokers rate a buy, a sell and a hold.

Brokers rate AMP shares a BUY

AMP shares are up around 2% to $2.57 at the time of writing on Wednesday morning. The financial services company’s shares are now up around 42% for the year-to-date.

The shares have climbed higher recently off the back of its strong first-half FY26 result in early-August. It looks like investors were pleased with the company’s 33% increase in underlying NPAT to $174 million. 

The result came within AMP’s boosted profit guidance of $170 million to $180 million and is hugely higher than the $131 million reported in the first half of FY25.

Brokers are pleased with the result too. According to TradingView data the majority have a buy/strong buy rating on AMP shares. But after today’s rally, the $2.57 target price implies around a 2% downside at the time of writing.

Brokers rate Woodside shares a HOLD

Woodside shares have dropped lower this morning, down around 1.5% to $31.22 per share. Despite today’s dip the ASX energy company is still trading around 32% higher than 12 months ago.

The company is likely tracking fluctuations in the price of oil over the past week. On the 15th of September the price of oil spiked to a four-month high of around US$106 per barrel. The price has slipped below $90 per barrel on Wednesday as signs of a potential peace agreement between the US and Iran look positive once again.

The experts are quite divided, however, about where the share price will travel to next. TradingView data shows the majority (eight out of 17) have a hold rating on Woodside shares, six have a buy/strong buy rating and three rate the oil and gas stock as a sell.

The average $33.25 target price implies a potential 6% upside, at the time of writing.

Brokers rate Wesfarmers shares as a SELL

Wesfarmers shares are climbing higher into the green this morning, up around 1% to $73.80 each at the time of writing. It’s been a difficult year of peaks and troughs for the conglomerate, though, and its shares are still around 10% lower for the year-to-date.

The shares have faced several headwinds this year, including inflation and interest rate pressures which have put broad pressure on consumer discretionary and retail stocks. There is also a question about how the business can continue growing in a weakening market.

Analysts have lost confidence too. TradingView data shows half (either out of 16) have a strong sell rating on Wesfarmers shares. The other eight experts are split between a sell and a buy/strong buy rating.

But after the latest share price decline, the average $76.59 target price implies a potential 4% upside ahead, at the time of writing.

The post Buy, sell, hold: AMP, Wesfarmers, Woodside shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating opportunities well beyond companies like OpenAI that are developing generative AI models.

These are two ASX shares I would buy for AI exposure.

NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

NEXTDC is one of my preferred ways to gain exposure to the physical infrastructure needed for AI.

The company operates data centres across Australia and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

AI workloads require enormous amounts of computing power, but that also means they require electricity, cooling, and specialist facilities capable of housing increasingly powerful hardware.

That is where NEXTDC comes in. What I like is that the company is not simply building data centres and hoping customers eventually arrive.

The ASX artificial intelligence share has accumulated a substantial amount of contracted capacity and a large forward order book. To me, that provides evidence that customers are already committing to future infrastructure.

If AI continues driving demand for computing capacity, NEXTDC could have years of expansion ahead as it develops new facilities and brings contracted capacity online.

The main risk is the amount of capital required to fund that growth. Data centres are expensive to build, and projects can face delays around power, construction, and approvals.

Even so, I think NEXTDC is well placed to benefit as demand for digital infrastructure keeps growing.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Megaport is an ASX tech share that provides investors with a different type of artificial intelligence exposure.

Rather than owning the data centres themselves, Megaport helps businesses connect data centres, cloud providers, and other digital infrastructure through its software-defined network.

I think that becomes increasingly valuable as computing becomes more complex.

A business running AI workloads may use infrastructure across several locations and cloud platforms rather than keeping everything in one place. Those systems need fast and flexible connections between them.

Megaport allows customers to set up that connectivity without relying entirely on traditional physical network arrangements.

That gives the company an opportunity to benefit as businesses use more cloud infrastructure and move larger amounts of data between different locations.

I also like that Megaport can expand without needing to fund the same level of physical infrastructure as a data centre operator.

There will still be competition, and the company needs to keep growing customers and usage.

But I think greater demand for cloud and AI connectivity gives Megaport an attractive long-term opportunity.

Foolish takeaway

I think NEXTDC and Megaport offer two different ways to invest in the infrastructure supporting AI.

NEXTDC provides the physical space, power, and cooling needed for computing capacity, while Megaport helps connect that infrastructure together.

For me, both ASX shares could have plenty of growth ahead if artificial intelligence investment continues expanding over the coming years.

The post 2 of the best ASX artificial intelligence shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino 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 Megaport. 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.

It has been another fairly quiet session for Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ) shares on Wednesday.

The bank’s share price is down 1.28% to $6.575 in midday trade, continuing its somewhat lacklustre performance over the past year.

Back on 9 June, BOQ shares fell to a 52-week low of $5.91. They’ve since recovered around 11%, although the stock remains well below its 52-week high of $7.48.

But with shares still well below their highs, are they worth buying today?

The dividend looks pretty attractive

One thing likely drawing interest from income investors is BOQ’s dividend yield.

The bank paid 55 cents per share in fully franked dividends over the past 12 months.

At today’s share price, that translates to a trailing yield of approximately 8.37%.

However, there’s something worth keeping in mind.

That figure includes the 15-cent special dividend paid in August. Excluding this one-off payment, the ordinary dividends total 40 cents, giving a yield closer to 6.1%.

Still, that’s a decent return for shareholders.

The bank also announced a $295 million capital return last month. This consists of the special dividend and an on-market share buyback of up to $196 million.

But what about the underlying business?

This is where I’d be paying closer attention.

BOQ’s half-year results showed cash earnings fell 4% to $176 million, while statutory net profit dropped 20% to $136 million.

Operating expenses also increased 6% to $553 million.

There were some positives, though.

Its net interest margin (NIM) improved to 1.67%, compared with 1.57% a year earlier, while commercial lending balances increased 16%. 

More recently, BOQ completed the migration of approximately 350,000 ME customers onto its digital banking platform.

However, the bank also flagged a $47 million pre-tax impairment charge relating to technology and other assets, which will affect its FY26 statutory results. 

Are BOQ shares good value?

Analysts appear fairly divided on where BOQ shares could be heading next.

TipRanks puts the average 12-month price target from 8 analysts at $6.20, suggesting around 5.7% downside from today’s price.

Morningstar, on the other hand, has a fair value estimate of $7.305, suggesting approximately 11% upside. However, it also rates its valuation as highly uncertain.

Personally, I can see the appeal of the dividend, but I’m not convinced BOQ is an obvious bargain at $6.58.

I’d like to see more improvement in earnings before considering buying shares.

BOQ is scheduled to release its FY26 results on 15 October, which should give us a better idea of how the turnaround is progressing.

The post Bank of Queensland shares hit a 52-week low in June. Are they cheap today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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.