Junior medical device company EBR Systems Ltd (ASX: ABR) recently secured reimbursement for its devices in the US.

The analyst team at Bell Potter has examined the new announcements, and has reiterated its bullish price target on the company, which we’ll get to shortly.

First let’s have a look at what was announced.

More funds for heart implant procedures

EBR has developed a system called WiSE which it says is designed to overcome the limitations of conventional cardiac resynchronisation therapy and, “is the only leadless left ventricular endocardial pacing (LVEP) device”.

The company recently released a quarterly report and said that it had surpassed its hundredth commercial WiSE implant, “with multiple sites performing their first WiSE implants and numerous sites performing their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and greater cases”.

In mid-September the company released another update, saying the base US Medicare inpatient reimbursement rates for eligible WiSE procedures had increased by about 58% and 93%.

The company added that assuming the maximum available New Technology Add-on Payment (NTAP), the total Medicare payment could reach about US$77,839 and $US66,566 respectively.

EBR Chief Executive Officer John McCutcheon said:

The final FY2027 Medicare payment rates represent a significant reimbursement and commercial milestone for WiSE. The increased inpatient reimbursement provides hospitals with a clearer and stronger payment pathway for eligible WiSE procedures, while better recognising the resources required to deliver this differentiated leadless technology. This outcome further strengthens the commercial foundation for WiSE as we scale our U.S. launch and work to expand access for heart failure patients who are not well served by conventional CRT.

The new pricing comes into effect on 1 October.

Analysts say this ASX biotech is looking cheap

Bell Potter said the increased reimbursements meant that, “financial considerations should not drive decision making in WiSE system utilisation, enabling physicians and hospitals to focus on the clinical criteria”.

The broker noted that the new payment schedules applied to inpatient procedures, which accounted for only about 20% of WiSE procedures.

Bell Potter has a price target on EBR shares of 70 cents, compared to the current price of 25 cents.

Fellow Broker Morgans has a much more bullish price target on the company, recently issuing a new research note with a price target of $1.95.

Morgans said regarding the company’s rollout:

With 17 sites already having completed ≥3 cases, we see an opportunity for utilisation to compound as physicians gain experience and WiSE becomes embedded in clinical workflows.

EBR Systems is valued at $202.9 million.

The post This ASX biotech could nearly triple in value Bell Potter says appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.

Woodside Energy vs Ampol shares: which oil stock looks better?

If you’re weighing up Australia’s energy giants, Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) and Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) are two heavy hitters you’ll almost certainly consider. Both are strong, dividend-paying names in oil and gas, but with quite different businesses and investment profiles. Here’s how I think these oil stocks compare for Aussie investors today.

The case for Woodside Energy

Woodside is Australia’s largest independent oil and gas company, operating oil fields and gas projects mainly offshore, plus a global portfolio of assets after merging with BHP’s oil and gas business. Its history dates to 1954, and today it stands as a pillar of the ASX energy sector. The company generates big cashflows from oil and LNG production, and returns much of that to shareholders.

Some standout fundamentals for Woodside:

• Market cap of $60.3 billion makes it a true blue-chip, offering stability and scale.
• Dividend yield sits at a solid 5.14%, fully franked—an important benefit for income-seekers at tax time.
• Reliable track record on dividends, paying fully franked distributions twice a year going back decades, with consistency that’s hard to fault.
• The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is 13.9, reflecting a moderate earnings multiple for a sector leader.

Woodside is also Australia’s biggest offshore oil and gas operator, and its assets span both domestic and international markets. The recent BHP petroleum merger has only added to its production scale and diversification.

The case for Ampol

Ampol is best known to most Aussies as the country’s largest petrol station owner and operator, with about 2,000 branded sites nationally. But it’s more than retail fuel: Ampol refines oil at Lytton, supplies fuels, lubricants and chemicals, and operates a growing business in New Zealand and the Philippines.

Here’s what stands out for Ampol:

• Dividend yield of 5.51%—a touch higher than Woodside’s—also fully franked and paid regularly, with a long history of distribution growth.
• A current P/E ratio of just 7.41, suggesting the market is pricing Ampol’s earnings more conservatively than it does for Woodside.
• Year to date, Ampol shares have returned an impressive 46.95%, slightly ahead of Woodside’s 41.37%.
• With a market cap of $10.6 billion, Ampol is mid-cap sized—smaller than Woodside by some margin but still a leader in its patch.

Ampol (formerly Caltex Australia) is unique in that it combines refining and fuel retailing. It’s also moving into low-carbon fuels and international markets, diversifying its traditional business.

Valuation comparison

There are some clear differences in valuation and dividend metrics between these oil stocks. Here’s how they stack up:

Metric	Woodside	Ampol
Market Cap	$60.3 billion	$10.6 billion
P/E Ratio	13.90	7.41
Dividend Yield	5.14% (100% franked)	5.51% (100% franked)
Dividend per share	$1.63	$3.70
Earnings per share (EPS)	1.605	7.444
YTD Return	41.37%	46.95%

Note: When comparing P/E and EPS, Ampol’s much lower P/E stands out even with a higher reported EPS. This suggests the market is more cautious on Ampol, perhaps reflecting its integrated refiner-retailer model, or possible future earnings volatility. Also, please note that the reported P/E ratios may use differing earnings measures to the stated EPS, which could explain any minor inconsistencies.

Recent share price performance

Comparing recent share price activity until 25 September 2026:

• Woodside closed at $31.72, up 0.35% from the previous day. Over the past month, the general trend has seen some volatility, but its year-to-date return is a strong 41.4%.
• Ampol closed at $44.47 on the same date, dipping 0.74% that day, with a standout year-to-date return of 47.0%—even stronger recent momentum than Woodside.

Which is the better buy?

If I had to pick just one oil stock today based strictly on these numbers, my choice would be Ampol. Here’s why: it has a lower P/E ratio, meaning investors are paying less for every dollar of the company’s earnings—an appealing starting point if you want value. Its dividend yield is a touch higher than Woodside’s, with a fully franked payout supported by solid profits. Most impressively, Ampol’s share price has outpaced even Woodside’s in 2026 so far.

Yes, Woodside offers much greater scale, and its business is heavily weighted to upstream oil and LNG, which could mean bigger swings if energy prices spike or slump. But for now, Ampol looks cheaper on fundamental multiples, pays out more in dividends per share, and has delivered even greater price returns this year. Unless I saw something in the news that changed the picture, my pick would be Ampol shares for their blend of income and value right now.

The post Woodside Energy vs Ampol: Which ASX oil stock looks better this week? 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 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.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) shares closed up 9% on Tuesday afternoon at $20.63.

The uptick follows a strong share price rally for the ASX tech shares over the past six months. After slumping to a multi-year low in mid-April, the shares have rebounded strongly. The share price started trending higher in mid-April before quickly picking up pace in mid-May.

Megaport shares have now climbed 204% higher since late-March, and they’re also up 73% for the year-to-date.

What has driven the rebound in Megaport shares?

Megaport shares rebounded strongly in May thanks to a run of good-news announcements and a sharp improvement in investor sentiment.

The software-defined network (SDN) service provider has confirmed several new contracts since late-April, including a three-year compute and storage contract with a total contract value (TCV) of approximately US$25.1 million (A$35.4 million), and three additional binding contracts with two US AI customers, worth a TCV of approximately US$183 million and annualised recurring revenue (ARR) of approximately US$65 million. 

In early June, Megaport went into a trading halt ahead of the launch of a new fully underwritten $827.3 million entitlement offer. The company completed the institutional component of the offer, priced at $14.30 per share, on the 5th of June.

In August, Megaport also posted a huge 37% increase in revenue, a 24% increase in EBITDA, and a 62% hike in group annual recurring revenue for FY26. The results came in at the high end of guidance.  

Why are the shares flying higher again this week?

The rebound has picked up pace this week after the company announced that it has locked in almost $1 billion of news AI deals. 

Ahead of the market open on Tuesday, Megaport posted a note to the ASX confirming it has signed three new AI infrastructure contracts through Megaport’s Latitude.sh business. Two are with new customers, and one is with an existing customer.

The deals are worth roughly $978.6 million in total. Megaport will receive around $322.6 million in prepayments, with roughly $281.5 million coming from one new customer before services are delivered.

Megaport said that once everything is up and running, it expects its pro forma ARR to reach around $1.1 billion.

After a difficult start to 2026, it’s been tailwind after tailwind for Megaport shares over the past few months.

So are the shares now trading around fair value, or is there more upside left? 

Here’s what the experts think.

Megaport shares: Buy, sell or hold?

After today’s impressive update, I expect some experts could revise or upgrade their expectations for Megaport shares in the coming days.

But at the time of writing, brokers are very bullish about where the shares could travel to next.

Market Index data show that all brokers agree on a strong buy rating for Megaport shares. The $24.66 average target price implies a potential 22% upside, at the time of writing.

According to TradingView data, the majority of analysts (15 out of 16) also have a buy/strong buy rating on the shares.

The average $26.26 target price implies a potential 29% upside at the time of writing. However, some are even more bullish and project the shares to rise by up to 65% to $33.52 over the next 12 months.

The post Megaport shares fly 204% in just 6 months. Can they keep climbing? 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 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.