S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares hit a 15-week low before closing at 8,665 points on Friday, down 0.76% for the week.

Here’s how John Athanasiou from Red Leaf Securities rates these three ASX 200 heavyweights (courtesy of The Bull). 

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

The CSL share price rose 0.77% last week to close at $176.95 on Friday.

Athanasiou has a buy rating on this ASX 200 healthcare share. 

He said: 

CSL’s recovery is gaining momentum after forecasting underlying profit growth guidance of about 5 per cent in fiscal year 2027. Guidance exceeded market expectations.

Immunoglobulin sales improved in the second half of fiscal year 2026 amid the company announcing a further share buy-back of $1.1 billion.

The outlook for this global health care company is improving after prolonged underperformance.

CSL shares have risen from $92.24 on June 3 to trade at $179.19 on September 24.

Successfully meeting or exceeding its targets leaves room for a potentially higher share price considering the stock was trading above $300 in calendar year 2024.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

The BHP share price fell 0.54% last week to close at $60.72 on Friday.

Athanasiou has a hold rating on this ASX 200 mining share. 

He explained:

BHP remains a high quality, diversified resources company, supported by iron ore and increasing exposure to copper.

However, a softer global growth outlook and uncertainty surrounding Chinese commodity demand limit the case for aggressively buying the stock at this point.

Existing investors can continue holding for its balance sheet strength, dividends and long term copper exposure.

Copper contributed 54 per cent of group underlying EBITDA in full year 2026.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)

The Commonwealth Bank share price fell 1.05% last week to finish at $150.83 on Friday.

Athanasiou has a sell rating on this ASX 200 bank share. 

He said: 

CBA is Australia’s highest quality major bank, but, in my view, quality doesn’t always represent value.

Its premium valuation leaves limited room for disappointment as rising interest rates potentially slow credit growth and increase borrower stress.

Investors could use the opportunity to take profits and consider better-value alternatives elsewhere in the banking sector.

The post Buy, hold, sell: CBA, BHP, CSL shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group and CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Once a week, I like to look at ASIC’s short position report to find out which ASX shares are being targeted by short sellers.

That’s because I believe it is worth keeping a close eye on short interest levels as high levels can sometimes be a sign that something isn’t quite right with a company.

With that in mind, listed below are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX this week according to ASIC.

The top 10 most shorted ASX shares

• Lotus Resources Ltd (ASX: LOT) remains at the top of the table despite its short interest falling sharply to 14.8%. Short sellers may still have concerns over the uranium producer’s ability to ramp up production and generate attractive returns from Kayelekera.
• DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) has seen its short interest fall materially to 14.3%. The counter-drone technology company remains heavily shorted, possibly due to its valuation and the uncertainty created by the ASIC investigation.
• Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) has jumped back into the top ten with short interest of 12.8%. Short sellers may be questioning the uranium producer’s longer-term production outlook and whether Honeymoon can deliver the growth expected by the market.
• IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) has seen its short interest rise to 12.4%. The titanium company continues to make progress with its US operations, but short sellers may believe its valuation already assumes a significant amount of future growth.
• 4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) has short interest of 12%, which is down slightly week on week. This may be due to the medical technology company’s valuation, which could be difficult to justify based on its current revenue base.
• PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) has seen its short interest rise to 11.7%. Short sellers may be positioning for continued weakness in lithium prices, which would put pressure on margins and cash flow.
• Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) has short interest of 11.7%, which is down slightly since last week. Short sellers may still want to see stronger evidence that its restructuring can restore earnings growth.
• Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) has returned to the top ten with short interest of 11%. This could reflect concerns that higher interest rates will impact the buy now pay later company’s performance.
• Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) has seen its short interest fall to 10.7%. Short sellers may remain concerned about luxury wine demand and how quickly the Penfolds owner can improve its performance in the Americas.
• Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) has short interest of 10.6%, down from 11% last week. Despite positive regulatory progress, short sellers aren’t giving up on this one.

The post These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Domino’s Pizza Enterprises and Treasury Wine Estates. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, DroneShield, Telix Pharmaceuticals, and Treasury Wine Estates. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Treasury Wine Estates. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises and Telix Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week with a decline. The benchmark index fell 0.45% to 8,665 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to edge higher

The Australian share market looks set for a mildly positive start to the week following a strong session on Wall Street on Friday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 3 points higher. In the United States, the Dow Jones was up 0.95%, the S&P 500 rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq pushed 0.5% higher.

Oil prices fall

ASX 200 energy shares Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could have a subdued start to the week after oil prices pulled back on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was down 2.3% to US$92.41 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was down 2.15% to US$104.32 a barrel. This was driven by optimism over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Codan shares upgraded

Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) shares are in the buy zone according to Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has upgraded the metal detector manufacturer’s shares to a buy rating with an improved price target of $60.00. It said: “We upgrade to Buy from Hold. Notwithstanding potential supply chain constraints in global electronics which CDA is “monitoring”, we expect current rapidly expanding production rates of Group 2 UAS to drive Communications revenue upgrades in 1H27/FY27.”

Gold price rises

It could be a positive start to the week for ASX 200 gold shares including Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) after the gold price rose on Friday night. According to CNBC, the gold futures price was up 0.55% to US$4,321.2 an ounce. Easing oil prices lowered inflation risks and gave the precious metal a boost.

Buy Mesoblast shares

Bell Potter thinks investors should be buying Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) shares. This morning, the broker has retained its buy rating and $4.45 price target on the biotech company’s shares. This is more than double its current share price. It said: “MSB has extensive IP around both Ryoncil and Rexlemestrocel-L (aka Revascor). Ryoncil carries Orphan Drug Designation and long life patents. The development of the new TIBA assay further extends the moat around future revenues.”

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Woodside vs Westpac: Which ASX share is better for passive income?
• Investors get defensive as ASX 200 drifts to a 15-week low
• Northern Star vs BHP: Which ASX share is better for passive income?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why I’d buy the dip in top ASX 200 gold stocks like Newmont, Northern Star and Evolution Mining shares today

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Woodside Energy Group Ltd. 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.