Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) shares are firmly in the line of fire. The ASX financial stock slipped another 1% on Wednesday to $69.31, extending a rough run that’s seen it fall 9% over the past month, 28% year to date, and a brutal 35% over the past 12 months.

For a stock once treated as an ASX tech darling, that’s a stunning reversal. So what’s actually driving the sell-off?

The real issue: flows are slowing

Here’s the crux of it. Investors are growing nervous about slowing net flows. In FY26, net inflows fell 4% year-on-year to $18.9 billion. That might not sound like a disaster, but for a stock priced for extremely high growth, any hint of deceleration is enough to trigger a serious re-rating.

The market’s question is simple but brutal: can Hub24 keep growing at the pace investors have paid up for? When a stock trades on lofty multiples built around rapid expansion, like Hub24 shares, even a modest slowdown can wipe out a huge chunk of the share price. And that’s exactly what’s playing out here.

Add in a broader wobble across the tech sector with investors reassessing valuations and grappling with how AI could reshape competitive dynamics, and growth stocks like Hub24 have been caught in the crossfire.

Markets tend to sell first and ask questions later, and even high-quality names can get dragged down in a broad de-rating cycle.

The numbers tell a different story

Strip away the flow concerns, and Hub24’s operational performance still looks genuinely strong. FY2026 delivered record results: group underlying EBITDA rose 30% to $211.4 million, underlying NPAT climbed 40% to $137.3 million, and total revenue grew 23% to $501.1 million.

This ASX tech stock continues to benefit from structural growth as more financial advisers adopt its platform. More than 5,200 advisers now use Hub24. One industry trend in particular is working in its favour: “platform monogamy,” where advisers consolidate client assets onto a single provider instead of spreading them across multiple systems.

That shift could help offset some of the flow slowdown as advisers prioritise efficiency, integration and scale.

A hidden growth engine

There’s also a less obvious driver worth watching: operating leverage. Platform businesses like Hub24 often see this play out strongly — once fixed costs are covered, additional funds flowing onto the platform can generate higher incremental margins.

That means earnings growth can outpace revenue growth over time, even if net inflows moderate from their previous blistering pace.

Brokers aren’t buying the pessimism

Analysts, for their part, seem largely unfazed. According to TradingView data, 14 of 18 brokers currently rate Hub24 a buy or strong buy. The average price target sits at $97.81, implying roughly 41% upside from current levels.

The most bullish target stands at $126, while the lowest sits at $71.40, still above today’s price. Citi has a buy rating with a $93.50 target, and RBC Capital sits at $91.00, pointing to roughly 30% upside.

The post Hub24 shares have crashed 35%. What’s actually going on? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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 Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Woodside Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares have tumbled into the red today while AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) climb higher.

Lets find out which of the three major ASX 200 shares brokers rate a buy, a sell and a hold.

Brokers rate AMP shares a BUY

AMP shares are up around 2% to $2.57 at the time of writing on Wednesday morning. The financial services company’s shares are now up around 42% for the year-to-date.

The shares have climbed higher recently off the back of its strong first-half FY26 result in early-August. It looks like investors were pleased with the company’s 33% increase in underlying NPAT to $174 million. 

The result came within AMP’s boosted profit guidance of $170 million to $180 million and is hugely higher than the $131 million reported in the first half of FY25.

Brokers are pleased with the result too. According to TradingView data the majority have a buy/strong buy rating on AMP shares. But after today’s rally, the $2.57 target price implies around a 2% downside at the time of writing.

Brokers rate Woodside shares a HOLD

Woodside shares have dropped lower this morning, down around 1.5% to $31.22 per share. Despite today’s dip the ASX energy company is still trading around 32% higher than 12 months ago.

The company is likely tracking fluctuations in the price of oil over the past week. On the 15th of September the price of oil spiked to a four-month high of around US$106 per barrel. The price has slipped below $90 per barrel on Wednesday as signs of a potential peace agreement between the US and Iran look positive once again.

The experts are quite divided, however, about where the share price will travel to next. TradingView data shows the majority (eight out of 17) have a hold rating on Woodside shares, six have a buy/strong buy rating and three rate the oil and gas stock as a sell.

The average $33.25 target price implies a potential 6% upside, at the time of writing.

Brokers rate Wesfarmers shares as a SELL

Wesfarmers shares are climbing higher into the green this morning, up around 1% to $73.80 each at the time of writing. It’s been a difficult year of peaks and troughs for the conglomerate, though, and its shares are still around 10% lower for the year-to-date.

The shares have faced several headwinds this year, including inflation and interest rate pressures which have put broad pressure on consumer discretionary and retail stocks. There is also a question about how the business can continue growing in a weakening market.

Analysts have lost confidence too. TradingView data shows half (either out of 16) have a strong sell rating on Wesfarmers shares. The other eight experts are split between a sell and a buy/strong buy rating.

But after the latest share price decline, the average $76.59 target price implies a potential 4% upside ahead, at the time of writing.

The post Buy, sell, hold: AMP, Wesfarmers, Woodside 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 positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating opportunities well beyond companies like OpenAI that are developing generative AI models.

These are two ASX shares I would buy for AI exposure.

NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

NEXTDC is one of my preferred ways to gain exposure to the physical infrastructure needed for AI.

The company operates data centres across Australia and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

AI workloads require enormous amounts of computing power, but that also means they require electricity, cooling, and specialist facilities capable of housing increasingly powerful hardware.

That is where NEXTDC comes in. What I like is that the company is not simply building data centres and hoping customers eventually arrive.

The ASX artificial intelligence share has accumulated a substantial amount of contracted capacity and a large forward order book. To me, that provides evidence that customers are already committing to future infrastructure.

If AI continues driving demand for computing capacity, NEXTDC could have years of expansion ahead as it develops new facilities and brings contracted capacity online.

The main risk is the amount of capital required to fund that growth. Data centres are expensive to build, and projects can face delays around power, construction, and approvals.

Even so, I think NEXTDC is well placed to benefit as demand for digital infrastructure keeps growing.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Megaport is an ASX tech share that provides investors with a different type of artificial intelligence exposure.

Rather than owning the data centres themselves, Megaport helps businesses connect data centres, cloud providers, and other digital infrastructure through its software-defined network.

I think that becomes increasingly valuable as computing becomes more complex.

A business running AI workloads may use infrastructure across several locations and cloud platforms rather than keeping everything in one place. Those systems need fast and flexible connections between them.

Megaport allows customers to set up that connectivity without relying entirely on traditional physical network arrangements.

That gives the company an opportunity to benefit as businesses use more cloud infrastructure and move larger amounts of data between different locations.

I also like that Megaport can expand without needing to fund the same level of physical infrastructure as a data centre operator.

There will still be competition, and the company needs to keep growing customers and usage.

But I think greater demand for cloud and AI connectivity gives Megaport an attractive long-term opportunity.

Foolish takeaway

I think NEXTDC and Megaport offer two different ways to invest in the infrastructure supporting AI.

NEXTDC provides the physical space, power, and cooling needed for computing capacity, while Megaport helps connect that infrastructure together.

For me, both ASX shares could have plenty of growth ahead if artificial intelligence investment continues expanding over the coming years.

The post 2 of the best ASX artificial intelligence shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino 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.