The Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT) share price is in focus after the company rejected a further revised takeover proposal from EQT and confirmed the end of discussions. The $22.50 per share proposal was deemed by the board to undervalue Perpetual and carried too much execution risk.

What did Perpetual report?

• Rejected a further revised, non-binding buyout offer from EQT at $22.50 per share.
• Proposal included the option for a permitted dividend of up to $0.60 per share for 1H27.
• Board maintained its view that the offer undervalued the company.
• Sale of Wealth Management business remains on track for completion in Q4 FY26.
• Expected move to a net cash position after the sale, offering increased financial flexibility.

What else do investors need to know?

Perpetual says its engagement process with EQT has now concluded, as the latest proposal was described as “best and final” in the absence of competing offers. Shareholders are not required to take any action in response to this announcement.

The board also reiterated that the planned sale of its Wealth Management arm is proceeding as expected, with completion likely by the end of 2026. This sale is anticipated to enhance Perpetual’s financial position and allow more capital management initiatives in the future.

What’s next for Perpetual?

With the EQT engagement process now closed, Perpetual is focused on its core Asset Management and Corporate Trust businesses. Management highlights a continued commitment to delivering sustainable long-term value to shareholders.

Once the Wealth Management business sale wraps up, Perpetual expects to be in a net cash position, providing room to consider additional capital management options alongside dividends.

Perpetual share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Perpetual shares have risen 3%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 1% over the same period.

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The post Perpetual rejects EQT’s final offer and confirms asset sale plans appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Perpetual posts higher FY26 profit and readies for business sale

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 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. 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.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) stock Orica Ltd (ASX: ORI) has slowly climbed back from yearly lows hit in March of this year. 

Since that time, its share price is up 20%.

The company manufactures, distributes, and sells commercial blasting systems, explosives, and mining and tunnelling support systems to the mining industry, as well as various chemical products and services in Australia, Canada, the US, and internationally.

Investor concerns

Lately, there has been concern surrounding the company’s North American ammonium nitrate (AN) supply arrangements. 

This has come following the termination of a key contract with CF Industries (NYSE: CF), which supplied around half of the company’s North American blasting business. 

This comes at a time when the AN supply and demand conditions in the US have tightened. 

Subsequently, this could make it more difficult for Orica to secure new contracts on attractive terms.

Why the concerns may be overblown

However, the team at Ord Minnett appear less concerned. 

The broker said the North American blasting business generated only about 10% of Orica’s FY25 operating profit (EBIT).

And the part connected to the CF Industries contract was only a portion of that.

So, even if this business becomes less profitable, the overall impact on Orica could be manageable rather than disastrous.

Orica is also looking at ways to reduce costs in this division, which could help protect its profit margins.

There is another, potentially more important story.

Orica also produces sodium cyanide (NaCN).

Sodium cyanide is a chemical that is very important for extracting gold from ore.

Demand for this chemical is strong, and supply is tight.

The two biggest producers, one of which is Orica, have said their production capacity is essentially fully booked.

Target price intact 

The team at Ord Minnett said stronger NaCN pricing and improved plant utilisation could drive returns in the company’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% to 15%. 

We increase our earnings forecasts for the chemicals segment to capture the stronger market fundamentals in NaCN. However, this has been more than offset by a stronger Australian dollar since our last note. Consequently, our EPS estimates are revised down by 1.9%, 2.9%, and 3.3% in FY26, FY27, and FY28, respectively. Our target price of $26 is unchanged.

This ASX 200 stock closed trading last week at $22.61. 

Based on the retained price target from Ord Minnett, there is 15% upside for this ASX 200 company. 

The post This ASX 200 stock just received a fresh buy rating and is tipped to climb 15% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell 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.

The Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) share price is in focus after the gold miner upgraded its FY30 production outlook and released new FY27 guidance, flagging production growth of up to 610,000 ounces by 2030 and an 11% lift on its October 2025 plan.

What did Ramelius Resources report?

• FY30 gold production target upgraded to 560,000–610,000 ounces at an AISC of A$2,100–2,400/oz (11% increase)
• FY27 gold production guidance: 205,000–225,000 ounces at an AISC of A$2,150–2,350/oz
• FY27 growth capital expenditure: A$480–570 million; Mt Magnet plant expansion costs increased (now A$280 million)
• Sale of Edna May hub delivered A$210 million in cash and A$90 million in Forrestania Resource Limited shares
• Current cash, gold and investments exceed A$1 billion

What else do investors need to know?

Ramelius’ production targets are underpinned by expanded operations at Mt Magnet, discoveries at Galaxy and Cue, and development of Rebecca-Roe. Enhanced capital outlays reflect capacity upgrades, infrastructure to future-proof operations, and inflationary impacts.

The company’s outlook assumes a higher gold price (A$5,500/oz) and cost base reflecting sector-wide pressures, but management expects to maintain one of the lowest cost positions among ASX gold miners. The recently appointed EPC contractor, Primero, will deliver a new 3Mtpa processing circuit at Mt Magnet, facilitating future production growth.

What did Ramelius Resources management say?

Managing Director Mark Zeptner said:

We are continuing to systematically unlock the full potential of our Top Tier Mt Magnet hub while de-risking Rebecca-Roe through permitting progress and advanced design work. We expect to maintain our sector-leading AISC position, despite the cost pressures being felt by all gold miners, while delivering a 205% increase in production by FY30… Our targeted exploration strategy, combined with operational and technical expertise, has driven an 11 percent uplift in our FY30 production outlook to more than 600,000 ounces, reaffirming our position as Australia’s standout gold growth story, underpinned by a long term resilient low-cost advantage… These commitments are consistent with our delivery philosophy. FY26 marks our sixth consecutive year of meeting market guidance – demonstrating the discipline and reliability of our operating model. We remain focused on organic growth through investing in exploration and optimisation of existing infrastructure, an approach that we believe will result in superior returns for our shareholders.

What’s next for Ramelius Resources?

Ramelius is pushing ahead with growth plans at Mt Magnet, aiming for a steady-state run rate of 4.3Mtpa in March 2028 and a Life-of-Mine to 2043. The Rebecca-Roe project is advancing through final permitting, with early works capital brought forward to FY27.

The business remains focused on organic growth and ramping up production with a pipeline of resource definition and mine expansion projects, while maintaining a capital-efficient approach and strong balance sheet.

Ramelius Resources share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Ramelius Resources shares have declined 3%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has fallen 1% over the same period.

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The post Ramelius Resources boosts production outlook and sets new FY27 guidance 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 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. 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.