Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL) shares are charging higher today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) coal stock closed yesterday trading for $5.68. At the time of writing, shares are changing hands for $5.96 apiece, up 4.9%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is down 0.4% at this same time.

Yancoal shares have been strong performers in 2026, up 20.2% since market close on 31 December. That compares favourably to the more modest 0.5% gain posted by the ASX 200 over this same period.

And that’s not including the 12.2 cents per share fully-franked dividend Yancoal paid eligible stockholders on 15 April.

The ASX 200 coal stock trades on a fully-franked trailing dividend yield of 3.1%.

But following these strong share price gains, is the coal miner still a buy today?

Yancoal shares: Buy, hold, or sell?

Investor Pulse’s Mark Elzayed recently analysed the outlook for the resurgent coal miner (courtesy of The Bull).

“Yancoal is balancing strong fundamentals against a near term overhang,” he said.

Elzayed elaborated:

In April, YAL announced it would acquire 80% of the Kestrel metallurgical coal mine in the Bowen Basin for US$2.4 billion. The acquisition is accretive over the long term, but adds leverage.

Summarising his hold recommendation on Yancoal shares, Elzayed concluded:

Diesel cost inflation threatens to push 2026 unit costs toward the top end of its guidance range. Consensus targets of about $7.02 on July 15 imply upside, but integration and coal price risks argue for holding the stock rather than adding.

What’s the latest from the ASX 200 coal stock?

Yancoal reported its second-quarter (Q2 2026) results after market close on Monday.

Highlights for the three months to 30 June included a 20% quarter on quarter lift in attributable saleable coal production to 10.8 million tonnes. That presents a new quarterly production record.

The Yancoal share price also looks to be getting a lift today, with the company reporting that the average prices it received for most of its seaborne thermal coal increased by 14% to 19% over the quarter.

As for the rising diesel costs that Elzayed mentioned above, Yancoal noted:

While diesel price pressure has eased compared to early 2Q, some price uncertainty remains. We are still incurring higher prices, but the outlook for the overall impact on our 2026 operating costs has moderated.

Commenting on the company’s recent US$2.4 billion acquisition, Yancoal CEO Sharif Burra said:

In April, we announced the acquisition of an 80% interest in the Kestrel Coal Mine. Adding a large, long-life asset that produces hard-coking coal at strong margins is a compelling step forward in Yancoal’s growth strategy.

The post Up 20%, are Yancoal shares still a good buy right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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.

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) shares are up around 0.5% in Tuesday morning trade, at $2.17 a piece.

The increase is good news for investors, but it’s been a volatile ride for the ASX defence stock this year.

DroneShield shares have fluctuated anywhere between $4.74 in January and a low of $2.14 late last week. At the current trading price, the stock is down 35% year to date and 54% from its January 2026 peak.

The shares are also now 41% below trading levels this time last year.

What happened to DroneShield shares in the first half of 2026?

There has been a turnaround in sentiment around DroneShield shares over the past few months.

After a strong start to the year, supported by higher global defence budgets and geopolitical volatility following conflict in the Middle East, the share price started falling. Investors flocked to defence-related shares when governments around the world hiked their defence budgets and geopolitical risk worsened. 

After a peak in late-March, it looks like investors started turning their back on the stock and a sell-off accelerated into May and again in June.

A combination of recent governance and regulatory issues and the cooling of conflict in the Middle East dragged DroneShield shares down.

And surprisingly, reignited conflict in the region hasn’t done anything to support investor interest in the defence technology company.

It looks like, now, investors are concerned that the company’s future growth may not be large enough to justify its share price. 

Is the ASX defence stock a buy, sell, or hold?

I think sentiment around DroneShield shares is finally cooling. I think we could see some more downside over the next few weeks ahead of the company’s half-year FY26 financial results announcement in mid August.

It looks like analysts are sharply divided about DroneShield shares, too.

TradingView data shows that out of four analysts, two have a strong buy rating, and two have a sell or strong sell rating.

The average $3.22 target price still implies a potential 48% upside at the time of writing. The maximum $4.80 target price implies that DroneShield shares could leap another 120%. 

Meanwhile, some are more bearish, tipping the shares to fall 6% from the current trading price, to $2.05 a piece. 

Canaccord Genuity is one analyst with a bullish view on the shares. It renewed its buy rating on Droneshield shares earlier this month, with a 12-month price target of $3.75.

The post Down 41%: Can DroneShield shares bounce back, or is the rally finally over? 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 DroneShield. 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.

Earning a passive income off your superannuation balance is easier than you’d think.

You just need to know how to invest it, and understand what level of passive income to expect.

The benefit of investing your superannuation for a passive income in retirement is that it comes with the added benefit of low tax rates and long-term compounding.

The only downside is that you can’t access it until you reach retirement age.

But how much do you actually need in your super to be able to earn the passive income you want in retirement?

Let’s break it down, using a monthly $7,000 passive income as a guide.

How much do I need in my superannuation to get a passive income of $7,000 every month?

There’s a simple calculation you can use. First you’d need to work out what your monthly passive income totals over the year, then divide that annual passive income figure by the dividend yield of your portfolio.

For example, $7,000 x 12 = $84,000. Divide that by a 3% yielding portfolio and you’ll need a $2.8 million portfolio in order to earn $84,000 per year (or $7,000 per month).

Of course, a $2.8 million superannuation balance isn’t achievable for many Australians. 

But the good news is that, as your dividend yield increases, the superannuation balance required to earn the same passive income goes down.

For example, a portfolio with a dividend yield of around 6% only needs to be half the size of one with a dividend yield of around 3% to generate the same level of passive income. 

How much do I need in my superannuation if my portfolio yields 4%?

To earn $84,000 per year off a 4% yielding portfolio, you’d need to have a balance of around $2.1 million.

ASX shares that could fit the bill are things like Westpac Banking Corporation Ltd (ASX: WBC), ANZ GRoup Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ), or Transurban Group (ASX: TCL). These all yield 4% or a little more.

• How much do I need in my superannuation if my portfolio yields 5%?

To earn the same $84,000 per year off a 5% yielding portfolio, you’d need to have a superannuation balance closer to $1.68 million.

Shares that yield 5% or just over are things like Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) Universal Store Holdings Ltd (ASX: UNI) and AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL).

What about for a 6% yielding portfolio?

A superannuation balance around $1.4 million can earn the same passive income on a 6% yielding portfolio.

Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN), Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) and Dexus Industria REIT (ASX: DXI) are good examples of ASX shares that yield around 6%.

And for a portfolio that yields 7% or 8%, what do I need then?

Higher yielding shares mean investors can earn the same passive income off a much smaller superannuation balance, but they do come with added risk.

A $1.2 million or $1.05 million portfolio yielding 7% or 8% respectively, could earn $84,000 in passive income.

Higher yielding options are ASX shares like the BetaShares Australian Top 20 Equities Yield Maximiser Complex ETF (ASX: YMAX), GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) or Centuria Office REIT (ASX: COF).

The post How much do I need in my superannuation to earn $7k per month in passive income? 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 Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Harvey Norman and Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Gqg Partners and Universal Store. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.