BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL), and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) are three of the biggest names on the Australian share market.

They also give investors exposure to very different parts of the economy, spanning resources, healthcare, and banking.

But if I were looking at these ASX shares today, I would not treat all three the same.

Here is how I see each one.

BHP shares

BHP would be firmly in the buy category for me.

The mining giant gives investors exposure to some of the commodities I think could remain important for decades, particularly iron ore and copper.

Iron ore remains central to BHP’s earnings, while copper could become an increasingly important part of the story as investment in electrification, power networks, renewable energy, and data centres supports demand.

I also like BHP’s scale. Mining is inherently cyclical, and commodity prices can move sharply, but large, low-cost operations can leave a business in a stronger position when conditions become more difficult.

There will inevitably be periods when weaker commodity prices put pressure on earnings and dividends. That comes with investing in resources.

But for investors prepared to look through those cycles, I think BHP remains one of the ASX mining shares I would be most comfortable owning for the long term. For me, that makes BHP shares a buy.

CSL shares

CSL is another share I would be happy to buy.

The healthcare giant has been through a difficult period, with investors becoming much less enthusiastic about the stock than they were several years ago.

For me, that creates an opportunity. CSL still owns high-quality healthcare businesses with significant global operations. Its plasma therapies business remains the centrepiece, while vaccines and other specialised treatments add further diversification.

What I like here is the potential for earnings growth to improve as the company continues rebuilding margins and growing demand across its major businesses.

CSL also operates in areas where barriers to entry are high. Plasma collection networks, manufacturing expertise, regulatory approvals, and established healthcare relationships are difficult to replicate.

The recovery may still take time, and investors will want to see continued evidence that margins and profit growth are moving in the right direction.

Even so, I think the long-term opportunity looks attractive after the weakness in the share price. That leaves CSL shares as a buy for me.

Westpac shares

Westpac is where I become more cautious. It remains one of Australia’s major banks and has a huge customer base across mortgages, deposits, and other financial services.

That gives the business plenty of stability, and I can understand why existing shareholders may be happy to continue holding it, particularly those focused on dividends.

My hesitation is around how much growth investors can reasonably expect from a mature Australian bank.

Westpac has substantial exposure to residential lending, where competition can be intense and growth depends heavily on the Australian housing and consumer markets. And with the housing market going through a weak period, Westpac’s growth looks challenged to me.

For existing shareholders, I see no strong reason to sell. But if I were investing new money today, I would look for other opportunities.

That makes Westpac shares a hold for me.

Foolish takeaway

BHP and CSL are the two ASX shares here where I would be most comfortable putting new money to work.

They offer very different investment cases, but both have long-term growth drivers that I think can reward patient investors.

Westpac remains a solid business, and I would be comfortable continuing to own it. At current levels, though, I would rather hold than add.

The post Buy, hold, sell: BHP, CSL, and Westpac shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has positions in CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group and CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Shares in Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO) are down almost 20% over the past 12 months, but according to the analysts at Morgans, now could be the time to buy.

The broker has upgraded its share price target for the company following a new deal to acquire Crown Currency Exchange (CCE) for $135 million.

Before we get to what the share price target is, let’s look at that deal in more detail.

Expansion potential from the new deal

Helloworld announced the deal earlier this week, saying it would buy out CCE, which operates 68 stores across Australia.

The company added:

It was acquired by the vendor in 2019 and has expanded its footprint across Australia under the management of Emily Palermo. Both Emily Palermo and Greg Woolley will be remaining with the business in their respective capacities as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. The business employs over 200 people with the Head Office located in Hobart and outlets throughout Australia.

Helloworld’s Managing Director, Andrew Burnes, said the acquisition would be highly complementary to Helloworld’s retail agency businesses and would present multiple opportunities for expansion across the company’s retail networks.

CCE generated EBITDA of $22 million in FY26.

The size of the acquisition is large relative to Helloworld’s current market capitalisation of $229.2 million.

The deal will be funded by debt, equity, and a vendor loan facility.

Helloworld shares look cheap

Morgans said in its research note to clients that CCE was Australia’s third-largest foreign exchange retailer behind Travelex and Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd’s (ASX: FLT) Travel Money Oz.

The broker agreed that CCE was a good fit for Helloworld.

HLO’s retail travel agency network sells roughly 2.4m airline tickets a year to outbound travellers, a natural tie-in for currency exchange. The agents will now have the ability to sell foreign currency alongside travel bookings. Synergies are expected mainly from rolling CCE outlets into HLO’s existing agency network. CCE does not currently operate in New Zealand, unlike its peers, giving HLO a further expansion opportunity.

Morgans said Helloworld was currently paying a 7.3% fully franked dividend yield, and stated:

We think patient investors will be well rewarded when a travel industry rebound eventuates. With ANZ’s largest agency network, HLO is well placed to leverage the structural tailwinds favouring leisure travel given its target market is becoming wealthier, living longer and travelling more. FY27 earnings guidance at the 23 October AGM is the next share price catalyst.

Morgans has increased its share price target for Helloworld from $2.18 to $2.24, against a current price of $1.37.

The post Which ASX travel stock does Morgans tip to jump 60%? 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 recommended Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS), AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL), and PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares have all fallen into the red in Thursday morning trade as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) falls on higher oil prices and interest rate jitters.

Here’s the latest from the three ASX 200 stocks, and which ones brokers tip as a buy, sell or hold over the next 12 months.

Brokers rate PLS Group shares a BUY

PLS Group shares have dropped around 5% this morning, to $3.98 each at the time of writing. 

It’s been a rocky ride for the lithium miner this year and its share price has swung between a peak of $6.81 and a low of $2.32 over the past 12 months. The shares are now down around 27% over the past month, are down 7% for the year-to-date, but 66% higher than a year ago.

The shares rebounded in August off the back of growing investor optimism that the lithium price recovery is improving, and then they rocketed higher again when the miner posted a strong FY26 result in mid-August.

PLS posted a 152% increase in revenue, a 59% increase in underlying EBITDA, and a swing into profit in NPAT (from a loss in the prior corresponding period).

There isn’t any price sensitive news out of the company recently to explain the latest selloff. It’s likely a combination of investors taking gains off the table and a softer lithium price.

But experts are bullish that PLS shares could keep climbing. Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have a buy rating on the shares. The $5.47 average target price implies a 38% upside at the time of writing.

Brokers rate Telstra shares a HOLD

Telstra shares are down around 0.5% at the time of writing, to $4.80 a piece. The ASX telecommunications company’s shares are now down around 1% for the year-to-date and are 2% lower than 12 months ago.

The shares spiked to a multi-year high in May but tumbled lower in June to August after the company suffered a major nationwide network outage and a disappointing FY26 result.

Telstra posted a 0.8% decline in revenue and a 4.4% increase in underlying earnings.

The shares have rebounded slightly over the past month, likely as investors rotate towards more secure, defensive assets amid geopolitical uncertainty and Australian sharemarket weakness.

Brokers are on the fence about the outlook for Telstra shares over the next 12 months. Market Index data shows the majority have a hold rating on the stock. The $5.01 average target price implies an upside of around 4% at the time of writing.

Brokers rate AGL shares a SELL

AGL shares are down around 0.5% at the time of writing, to $8.18 a piece. The shares have generally tumbled lower so far in 2026 and are now down 12% since January. They’re also around 6% lower than 12 months ago.

The ASX energy shares rebounded in August when it posted its FY26 results, but the increase was short lived.

The company posted a 2% increase in both its underlying EBITDA and underlying NPAT for FY26. It also confirmed a 60% increase in its operating free cash flow. For FY27, AGL is guiding underlying EBITDA between $1.9 to $2.2 billion and underlying NPAT between $470 to $670 million.

Brokers aren’t impressed either. Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have a sell rating on AGL shares. However, after the latest share price decline, the $9.70 target price implies a potential 19% upside.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Telstra, AGL, PLS shares 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 positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.