It has been a tough 12 months for ASX financials stock Regal Partners Ltd (ASX: RPL). 

The specialist alternative investment manager has seen its share price fall more than 30% year to date. 

However, a new report from Ord Minnett points to a major rebound over the next year. 

The company manages a range of investment strategies covering hedge funds, growth equity, real & natural assets and credit & royalties on behalf of institutions, family offices, charitable groups and private investors.

Not just a dividend stock 

In recent months, this ASX financials stock has been highlighted for its generous dividend yield – and for good reason. 

It currently offers a very healthy dividend yield of 11.1%, after more than doubling its net profit over the past financial year.

However, recent share price weakness now makes it an attractive growth option as well. 

According to Ord Minnett, it delivered a strong first-half FY26 result (1H26), though attention focused mainly on the announced transition to retirement of founder and portfolio manager Philip King. 

Mr King is responsible for approximately 16% of RPL’s funds under management (FUM), or $3.4 billion, and will remain in his current roles until at least 30 June 2027. The extended handover period should help support continuity. RPL declared a fully franked interim dividend of 12 cents per share (cps) which was double last year’s interim. Financially, the result was robust. Normalised net profit after tax reached $93 million (guidance was for at least $90 million), more than double the prior corresponding period, and 3% ahead of consensus.

Flows remain strong

Ord Minnett also highlighted the standout contributor during the most recent half was performance fees which came-in at $119 million. 

This was above guidance for at least $115 million, and significantly higher than the $42 million generated in the first-half of FY25. “Performance fees may moderate in the second-half of FY26 given the amount of FUM that is at, or within, 5% of its high-water mark, has fallen by $1.1 billion in the six months to 30 June 2026.

This has likely declined further in July given softer investment returns from a range of long/short strategies. Flows remain strong. Net inflows totalled $300 million in July, with additional inflows during August across credit and listed investment company products. This momentum has prompted us to lift our expectations for CY26 net inflows to $2.2 billion, ahead of management’s guidance of $2 billion.

Big upside for ASX financials stock

Based on this guidance, Ord Minnett slightly lowered its price target on this ASX financials stock. However, significant upside remains. 

The broker now has a price target of $4.90 (previously $5.40). 

We maintain a Buy recommendation. Despite the leadership transition risk, RPL is trading on an attractive FY27 price to earnings multiple of circa 8x, and on our numbers, offers around 14% per annum growth in EPS over FY26–29.

From current levels, this indicates 118% upside potential. 

The post Ord Minnett tips this ASX financials stock to double within the next 12 months  appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much superannuation do I need to earn $70,000 per year in passive income?
• 3 ASX shares with dividend yields of between 6% and 11%
• How much superannuation do I need to earn $80,000 per year in passive income?
• How much is needed in superannuation for $3,000 in weekly passive income?
• Attention! This ASX 300 stock could be set to rise 50% and has a 7% yield

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.

Goodman Group vs Nextdc shares: Which ASX stock with AI exposure comes out on top?

If you’re on the hunt for ASX stocks with exposure to the booming demand for AI infrastructure, Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) and Nextdc Ltd (ASX: NXT) are both front-runners. But they’re very different plays: one is Australia’s leading industrial property trust, while the other is the country’s top home-grown data centre operator. Let’s break down their businesses, fundamentals, valuation, and recent price moves to help you decide where you might want to put your money.

The case for Goodman Group

Goodman Group is Australia’s largest real estate investment trust (REIT) and operates an integrated property business across 14 countries. It specialises in owning, developing and managing industrial and commercial properties—including logistics hubs, warehouses, and, increasingly, cutting-edge facilities geared towards cloud infrastructure and AI.

A few fundamentals stand out for Goodman Group:

• A hefty market capitalisation of $53.42 billion, putting it among the ASX heavyweights.
• A P/E ratio of 19.42, which looks reasonable for a global property group exposed to future tech trends.
• The dividend yield sits at 1.16% with unfranked payouts, and its dividends have held steady at $0.15 per half-year for several years running.

Goodman’s scale means it can win huge development projects—like new hyperscale data centres and logistics hubs—that directly benefit from AI’s ever-growing appetite for space, power and connectivity.

The case for Nextdc

Nextdc is the quintessential ASX data centre stock—with a core focus on building and operating state-of-the-art infrastructure tailored specifically to cloud, digital services, and, increasingly, AI workloads. Its flagship data centres are critical to the digital economy, providing secure, high-speed connections for both Aussie and global tech companies.

Three things jump off the page with Nextdc:

• It’s much smaller than Goodman, with a market cap of $8.40 billion—arguably a more ‘pure play’ on AI and cloud megatrends.
• The P/E ratio is a sky-high 93.36, reflecting hefty expectations for future growth rather than immediate profits.
• Nextdc pays no dividend, preferring to reinvest heavily into expanding its footprint and ramping up capacity to capture the next wave of AI and cloud demand.

If you’re backing the digital economy and big data, Nextdc gives you direct exposure to the backbone infrastructure that makes AI possible.

Valuation comparison

Here’s how these two stack up on key numbers:

Metric	Goodman Group	Nextdc
Market Cap	$53.42 billion	$8.40 billion
P/E Ratio	19.42	93.36
Dividend Yield	1.16% (unfranked)	0.00%
Earnings per Share	1.329	0.122
Year-to-Date Return	-16.20%	-7.65%

The clear contrasts? Goodman is much larger and stands out for its steady (if modest) dividend—though it’s unfranked. Nextdc is valued much more optimistically on earnings, as often happens with “growth at all costs” tech infrastructure stocks.

Recent share price performance

Let’s look at the past month: from 18 August to 17 September 2026.

Goodman Group’s shares started this window at $30.47 and finished at $26.00—a drop of about 14.7%. That’s consistent with its negative year-to-date return of -16.20%.

Nextdc began the period at $14.73 and ended at $11.06, marking a fall of about 24.9%. However, its year-to-date return is somewhat better at -7.65%, suggesting earlier 2026 gains have softened the blow.

So, while both have fallen in the short run, Goodman’s decline has been less severe over the recent month, but Nextdc has fared a bit better year-to-date.

Which is the better buy?

Here’s how I see it. Goodman Group looks like the safer, lower-multiple choice, offering big scale and a steady, if low, dividend. It’s exposed to data centre and AI-driven property demand, but as just one part of a broader real estate strategy. Its valuation looks reasonable, but recent price falls reflect market caution toward property and infrastructure assets.

Nextdc, on the other hand, is a genuine pure-play on AI and cloud infrastructure. It’s priced for high growth—with that towering P/E and no dividend—because investors expect surging demand to boost profits down the road. But it’s riskier: one slip in execution or a slower ramp-up in demand and that valuation could compress quickly.

If I had to choose today, my pick would be Nextdc. Despite a steeper recent correction, I think it offers the most upside for those seeking direct, higher-octane AI exposure, provided you can stomach short-term volatility. Goodman is a solid anchor for a more conservative portfolio, but if it’s AI infrastructure ‘oomph’ you’re after, I’d lean towards Nextdc

The post Goodman Group vs Nextdc: Which stock is the better buy today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ASX shares tipped to surge 70% or more in the next 12 months
• 3 ASX 200 shares I’d buy and hold for a decade
• How much passive income could I make by investing $500 a month in ASX shares?
• Nextdc vs Megaport: Which ASX tech growth share comes out on top?
• How to make $26,000 of passive income from ASX shares

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 positions in and has recommended Goodman Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Goodman Group. 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 draft. 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) shares edged 0.11% lower last week, closing at 8,731.2 points on Friday.

On The Bull this week, Dylan Evans from Catapult Wealth explains his ratings on three ASX 200 shares.

Let’s take a look.  

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

The Coles share price closed at $23.12 on Friday, down 0.47% for the week.  

Evans has a buy rating on this ASX 200 consumer staples share. 

He said: 

The supermarket industry structure remains favourable, with Coles and competitor Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) dominating market share.

Coles posted group sales revenue of $45.580 billion in full year 2026, up 2.8 per cent on the prior corresponding period. Excluding significant items, group earnings before interest and tax of $2.322 billion was up 9.9 per cent.

Supermarket eCommerce sales was a highlight, growing 26.4 per cent.

Coles offers a reliable dividend yield, backed by defensive earnings.

Catalysts for growth include online expansion, population growth and supply chain automation.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

The CSL share price closed at $175.59 on Friday, up 5.08% for the week.  

Evans has a hold rating on this ASX 200 healthcare share. 

He commented: 

The CSL share price has partially recovered after the company posted a brighter outlook at its 2026 full year results.

A promising sign was profit growth guidance in full year 2027, driven by the core blood plasma business. This guidance should provide the market with confidence about CSL’s brighter future after a difficult period.

There’s potential value in the stock, particularly if CSL achieves guidance and growth recovers.

National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB)

The NAB share price closed at $38.47 on Friday, down 0.65% for the week.  

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

He said: 

Revenue grew by 2 per cent in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026 when compared to the first half quarterly average. Cash earnings also increased by 2 per cent.

In our view, the broader banking sector is facing several headwinds. The Federal Government announced changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing in the May Budget. Investment loan applications have slowed amid a cost of living crisis.

While the NAB business is well managed and the balance sheet is solid, it’s difficult to identify any significant growth on the horizon.

Investors may want to consider taking some profits and explore superior earnings growth opportunities elsewhere.

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

More reading

• 2 ASX 200 shares to buy and 1 to sell now
• ASX 200 healthcare shares lead a weaker market amid 82% chance of a rate hike
• Down 15% and paying record dividends: Are CBA shares now a good buy for passive income?
• How much passive income could I make by investing $500 a month in ASX shares?
• Are BHP, CBA, and CSL shares top buys?

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