IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) shares have crashed 24% to an all-time low of $1.64 in Thursday afternoon trade.

At one point earlier this morning, the shares dropped as low as $1.55 a piece.

The global education company’s shares are now down 71% for the year-to-date and 65% lower than 12 months ago.

What happened today?

It looks like the catalyst for today’s sell-off is IDP’s FY26 results update, which the company posted to the ASX ahead of the market open this morning.

The company posted a steep decline in NPAT, down 74% from last year. It also announced a 11% decline in revenue and an 18% decline in adjusted NPAT.

IDP said its earnings decline was caused by weaker international student demand. This is mostly a result of ongoing policy changes and tighter migration settings in key markets. 

Student Placement volumes tumbled by 27% and IELTS English Language Testing volumes dropped by 8%. 

But it’s not all bad news. Despite the headwinds, IDP still delivered a $32 million underlying reduction in overhead costs, exceeding its transformation target. It also continued to generate strong cash flow, bringing net debt down by 29% to $118.6 million.

IDP also launched a share buy-back program of up to $50 million, suggesting confidence in its transformation strategy. 

But looking ahead to FY27, the company said it expects challenging market conditions to persist, with tighter migration and student visa policies continuing to weigh on volumes.

The company’s shares also crashed in late 2025. And its dismal performance led to the stock being removed from the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) amid a reshuffle in September last year. IDP Education is now among the worst-performing shares in the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) over the past 12 months. 

Investors are clearly disappointed with the update, and many have decided to sell up their shares ahead of a further downturn.

So, what can we expect next from IDP shares?

Is it time to buy in the dip? Or is more downside coming?

Some analysts said they think visa caps and declines in student volume may have bottomed out, particularly in key markets like Canada and Australia. 

This suggests student placement volume could start rebounding, and it could lift revenue and the company’s share price.

But there isn’t much evidence of this translating to higher revenue just yet. I think we could see some adjustments to analysts and broker forecasts in the coming days as they digest the latest update.

But at the time of writing, Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have a buy rating on the ASX education shares. The $4 average target price is unchanged, which implies the shares have the potential to jump 140% higher, at the time of writing.

The post IDP shares crash 24% to historic low on Thursday: What happened? 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 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.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are just inside the green at 9,062 points as earnings season continues today.

Among the 11 market sectors, information technology is in the lead, up 3.4%, followed by materials and miners, up 3.1%.

The financials sector is the laggard, down 2.2%, amid the market’s disappointment with Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL), down 9%.

Meanwhile, three experts give us their views on three ASX shares.

Let’s review. 

Premier Investments Ltd (ASX: PMV)

The Premier Investments share price is $11.67, up 1.3% today and down 48% over 12 months. 

Bell Potter has a buy rating on this ASX 200 consumer discretionary share following a trading update.

Analyst Chami Ratnapala said: 

While we expect a period of slow growth for PMV near to medium term, we view PMV’s forward multiple as attractive considering the
Premier Retail division together with PMV’s equity investments, land bank and cash position while retaining a strong balance sheet supportive of M&A.

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)

The Santos share price is $8.42, up 1.3% today and up 11% over 12 months. 

Morgans maintained a hold rating on Santos shares after the oil and gas company’s 1H FY26 report.

The broker said: 

A healthy 1H26 result from STO, beating estimates with management confident following the start-up of Barossa and Pikka.

The interim dividend will be funded out of debt, but is entirely reasonable given the 25:75 skew we expect in CY26 earnings as operations ramp up and lagged oil increases flow through.

It is impossible to quantify the risks posed by the Federal Government’s gas reservation policy ahead of its release, but we hope it offers support for new gas supply growth that will be needed by the energy market in the coming years.

Hansen Technologies Ltd (ASX: HSN)

The Hansen Technologies share price is $3.18, down 5.1% today and down 43% over 12 months. 

Andrew Wielandt from DP Wealth Advisory put a sell rating on this S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) tech share ahead of its FY26 report this week.

On The Bull, this week, Wielandt said: 

HSN has been subjected to a broader technology sell-off in response to investor fears that software-as-a-service firms may be impacted by large language model businesses, such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Alphabet.

HSN shares have fallen from $6.14 on August 13, 2025 to trade at $4.30 on August 13, 2026.

HSN is a quality company, but we prefer to sit on the sidelines at this point given a volatile technology sector.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Premier Investments, Hansen Technologies, Santos 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 Alphabet. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet and Premier Investments. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is trending higher on Thursday as a run of bumper FY26 results draws investors back into the market. But Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares are travelling in the other direction.

At the time of writing on Thursday afternoon, Westpac shares are down around 2% to $33.86 a piece. It’s not a significant daily decline, but it comes off the back of a string of share price falls following the bank’s quarterly update earlier this month.

On Monday last week, Westpac shares fell around 6% after it announced third-quarter net profit of $1.8 billion, excluding notable items. Its net interest margin was stable at 1.89%.

The banking giant also reported moderate loan and deposit growth, but noted that mortgage application volumes declined thanks to stronger competition and interest rate uncertainty.

Westpac also said it expects margins to come under more pressure in the near term.

Westpac is the most mortgage-exposed of the big four bank shares, with approximately 69% of its loan book in residential mortgages. So, the news has raised concerns about the bank’s financial future.

Investors were spooked by the update, quickly selling off their shares in the bank. And the sell-off has continued through to the time of writing.

Westpac shares are now down around 11% since it posted its quarterly update, and down 13% since early August. The latest sell-off in Westpac shares has also left the stock down around 13% for the year to date and 12% lower than this time last year.

Now investors are questioning whether the ASX bank shares can rebound or whether another share price crash is coming.

Here’s what the experts think.

Analyst outlook for Westpac shares over the next 12 months

Analyst sentiment is pretty bearish on Westpac shares, and it looks like, after the latest share price tumble, the shares are now considered to be trading around fair value.

Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have sell ratings on the shares. The $33.91 average target price now implies a potential 0.5% downside over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

Sentiment is similar on TradingView data. Despite the 11% drop in the share price over the past 10 days, brokers still forecast further downside.

Out of 16 analysts, nine have a sell/strong sell rating on Westpac shares, and another six have a hold rating. The average $33.38 target price implies a potential 1% downside at the time of writing. Although there is a huge range between the maximum and minimum target prices. 

Some tip the shares to fall another 16% to $28.41, while the more bearish of the bunch still think Westpac shares could climb another 33% to $45 a piece over the next 12 months.

The post Westpac shares tumble to 52-week low on Thursday: Can they rebound? 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 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.