With the Australian markets, and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) specifically, being on quite the roller coaster of 2026 to date, ASX investors have arguably never valued the security of receiving dividend income more. Share prices have risen and fallen this year, minting on-paper gains and losses respectively. But dividends represent locked-in returns, making them a valuable cushion for all the volatility that this year has brought thus far. With that in mind, let’s talk about three ASX dividend shares that I would buy for income in September 2026.

Three ASX dividend shares to buy for income today

First up, we’ll start with a favourite of dividend investors. Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) has long been a top pick for those seeking income on our share market. This venerable telco has been a hefty dividend payer for decades. This company’s dominant mobile infrastructure and superlative network coverage make it the first choice for millions of Australians seeking reliable mobile or fixed-line internet and telephony.

This makes Telstra’s earnings base, and thus dividend capacity, highly resilient. At recent prices, Telstra shares were trading on a decent dividend yield of 4.35%.

Next, let’s talk Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL). Coles is an ASX dividend share that offers many of the desirable defensive characteristics that make Telstra a top income pick. It is a dominant supermarket operator, with stores within reach of the vast majority of the population. As a provider of consumer staples (life’s essentials like food, drinks and household supplies), Coles is a company that is well-placed to weather any kind of bad economic weather, including inflation and recessions. That makes it a formidable dividend stock for those seeking income certainty.

Coles is currently trading with a dividend yield of 3.41%, which comes with full franking credits attached too.

Last but not least…

A final stock to consider for income is the listed investment company (LIC) MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF). Like most LICs, MFF holds an underlying portfolio of investments that it manages on behalf of its shareholders. In this case, that underlying portfolio is mostly made up of US stocks. These include many household names, such as Alphabet, Amazon, Mastercard, and Visa.

MFF is one of the ASX’s most impressive dividend growth stocks. The company has increased its annual payout every year for almost a decade now, and at breakneck speed too. To illustrate, the company has gone from paying 6.5 cents per share in 2021 to a planned 21 cents in 2026. Those dividends all come fully franked as well. Today, MFF shares trade on a trailing dividend yield of 3.83%

The post 3 for income: I’d buy these ASX shares for dividends today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Mastercard, Mff Capital Investments, and Visa. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Mff Capital Investments and Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

I believe long-term investing is the best approach for ASX shares. It gives our investments more time to compound into a pleasing number.

If $1,000 rises 10%, it becomes $1,100. But if an investment grows at 10% each year for eight years, it’ll grow to $2,143. Simply achieving a solid rate of return over a long time period can lead to good results.

I’m optimistic that the following two investments can compound for a long time to come at a good pace.

Guzman Y Gomez Ltd (ASX: GYG)

Guzman Y Gomez is a Mexican food business with restaurants in Australia, Singapore and Japan. Some of the Australian locations are corporate-owned, while the rest across Australia and Asia are franchise operations.

In terms of its compounding growth, the ASX share is delivering impressive results.

Network sales have grown at an impressive rate year after year. In FY26, Australian network sales grew 17.9% to $1.29 billion and Asian network sales rose 17.9% to $87.1 million. Total network sales grew 17.9% to $1.38 billion.

When a company’s top line is growing in the teens, it looks like an appealing investment to me. Within that, comparable sales growth is an important driver of network sales because it means the existing network is growing. In FY26, comparable sales growth was 5.3%.

I’m optimistic the company’s restaurant network can keep growing. In FY26, it added 32 Australian locations to bring the total to 255. Singapore saw three more restaurants added to 24 locations. Japan maintained five locations during the period.

It expects both the Singapore and Japan networks to grow in FY27. In Australia, it expects to open 35 new restaurants, three more than it opened in FY26.

GYG wants to reach 1,000 Australian restaurants within the next 20 years, which means a lot of compounding.

Net profit could grow even faster. FY26 underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) rose 29.7%. The company expects its operating profit margin to increase in FY27. As it grows, I expect the ASX share’s margins to increase significantly.

Global X S&P World Ex Australia GARP ETF (ASX: GARP)

The other investment I want to highlight is this exchange-traded fund (ETF), which aims to give investors exposure to some of the most attractive global stock ideas.

These 250 stocks in the portfolio have strong earnings growth, solid financial strength and trade at reasonable valuations. The idea of ‘GARP’ stands for growth at a reasonable price. It can be a powerful combination.

To measure growth, the GARP ETF looks at a company’s sales and earnings growth.

Value is measured with the price/earnings (P/E) ratio.

Quality is measured by financial leverage (meaning debt levels) and return on equity (ROE).

Since inception in September 2024, the GARP ETF has returned an average of 15.4% per year. I think virtually any ASX share would be happy to generate a return of that size.

The post 2 top ASX shares to buy and hold for the next decade appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Guzman Y Gomez. 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.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares have slipped into the red for 2026, down 1% in the calendar year-to-date (YTD).

Let’s check out some new ratings from the experts.

Regal Partners Ltd (ASX: RPL) 

The Regal Partners share price has plummeted 29% over the YTD.

Ord Minnett has a buy rating on this specialist alternative investment manager.

In a new note, the broker said:

Regal Partners (RPL) delivered a strong first-half FY26 result (1H26), although the attention was 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.

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.

RPL ended FY26 with approximately $289 million of balance sheet capital and access to a further $130 million of undrawn debt facilities. 

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.

APA Group Ltd (ASX: APA)

The APA Group share price is up 20% over the YTD.

Andrew Wielandt from DP Wealth Advisory has a hold rating on this ASX 200 utilities share. 

Wielandt said (courtesy The Bull): 

APA owns an extensive portfolio of energy infrastructure assets across Australia and benefits from long term contracts and inflation-linked tariff increases, which the company negotiates directly with its customers.

APA delivered a strong performance in full year 2026. Underlying EBITDA of $2.183 billion was up 8.3 per cent on the prior corresponding period. Underling EBITDA margins increased to 77.9 per cent.

APA remains a reliable income focused investment, but with more capital to be invested, we retain a hold recommendation.

HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (ASX: HDN)

The HomeCo Daily Needs REIT share price has fallen 20% over the YTD.

This ASX ETF is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that holds properties in the retail, health, and services sectors.

Wielandt has a sell rating on this ASX REIT.

He explains:

Occupancy was 99 per cent in full year 2026. The underlying properties continue to perform well, with a steady increase in rental income.

However, like a number of other REITs, I believe the prospect of higher interest rates, finance costs amid struggling consumers may pressure HDN’s performance numbers in full year 2027 in what is a challenging retail sector.

HDN shares have fallen from $1.38 on September 18, 2025 to trade at $1.105 on September 17, 2026.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Regal Partners, HomeCo Daily Needs REIT, APA Group shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Rio Tinto vs APA Group: Which is better for passive income?
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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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Apa Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended HomeCo Daily Needs REIT. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.