The Koala Company Ltd (ASX: KOA) share price will be in focus after the company delivered a $24.6 million net profit for FY26, swinging strongly back to profitability, on revenue up 20.1% to $332.3 million.

What did The Koala Company report?

• Revenue rose 20.1% to $332.3 million (up 24.4% in constant currency)
• Net profit after tax (NPAT) improved from a $4.6 million loss to $24.6 million profit
• Pro forma EBITDA rose 139% to $27.9 million at an 8.4% margin, beating IPO Prospectus targets
• Group ended the year debt-free, holding $71.2 million in net cash
• Gross margin expanded to a record 65.3% (+2.9 percentage points over FY25)
• No dividends declared for FY26

What else do investors need to know?

FY26 was Koala’s first reporting period as an ASX-listed company following its March 2026 debut. The business delivered results ahead of Prospectus forecasts, driven by double-digit growth across all core geographies—Australia, Japan, and the US. Koala also entered the UK, marking its fourth market, using its capital-light global expansion model.

During the year, the company deepened its focus on product innovation, highlighted by launches such as the Torquay and Tamarama modular sofas, and upgraded best-sellers like the Koala Sofa Bed. Strong gross and contribution margin growth reflected disciplined cost control and stable marketing ratios. Koala also accelerated its supplier diversification program to strengthen supply chain resilience.

What did The Koala Company management say?

Co-Founder and CEO Dany Milham said:

We have built a repeatable model that enables us to create category-winning products, strengthen our brand equity, scale efficiently across global markets and generate the cash required to fund future growth. To our shareholders, thank you for backing us. To our customers, thank you for choosing Koala. And to our people, suppliers and partners, thank you for continuing to build alongside us.

What’s next for The Koala Company?

Koala expects to deliver further growth in sales and profits over the coming years by expanding ranges, driving innovation, and growing in both existing and new markets. Immediate priorities include strengthening its core product lineup, launching new bedroom and sitting furniture, entering Canada and priority European markets, and boosting brand equity. The company also plans to expand its physical retail footprint and deliver its first stand-alone sustainability report in FY27 in line with new climate reporting standards.

Koala remains focused on scaling its direct-to-consumer and product innovation model, aiming to further expand market share outside Australia.

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The post The Koala Company jumps to profit in FY26: Earnings highlight strong growth 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 summary of the company announcement. 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.

The ASX stock L1 Long Short Fund Ltd (ASX: LSF) is one of my favourite ideas for passive income due to its rapid growth in quarterly payouts for shareholders amid impressive investment performance.

The listed investment company (LIC) is already one of the larger players in the LIC sector, with a market capitalisation of around $3 billion, according to the ASX. I wouldn’t be surprised if it became the largest in Australia one day, given its growth trajectory.

The investment team from L1 Group Ltd (ASX: L1G) have delivered great portfolio returns which has unlocked share price growth and dividends.  

Let me explain why the LIC is such an attractive pick to unlock $500 per week of passive income.

Compelling investment process

Before I talk about the returns, it’s important to keep in mind that past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Plus, we should judge fund managers based on long-term returns, not just an excellent single year.

The LIC’s portfolio has delivered an average net return per year of 17.9% over the last three years, 16.1% per year in the past five years and 20% per year in the prior seven years. Since the start of the L1 long-short strategy in September 2014, it has returned an average of 19.9% per year.

It invests in both ASX shares and international shares, using both long-term investing and short selling (betting that a share price could go down) strategies. By investing in different markets and stocks for both gains and declines, it has been able to match the ASX in positive months and significantly outperform during market downturns.

The LIC’s latest commentary on its portfolio highlights its process for picks, which are sometimes contrarian:

We continue to focus on company-specific opportunities where valuation and earnings delivery can drive returns across a range of market environments. We believe the portfolio looks well placed at present, with the median long position trading on 10x P/E, supported by double-digit EPS growth and modest debt levels.

Great dividend payouts

Given those investment returns, the business has been steadily increasing its passive dividend income to shareholders.

The business has increased its annual payout each year since it started paying its dividend in 2021. It changed to a quarterly payment frequency last year rather than half-yearly payouts. The ASX stock’s quarterly payout has been hiked each quarter since the shift last year.

Over the next four quarters, I expect the dividend will be at least 15.8 cents per share, which currently translates into a dividend yield of 3.3% excluding franking credits and 4.75% including franking credits.

I think that’s a great starting point for the yield considering the dividend could significantly increase in the coming years.

$500 of passive income per week

The LIC doesn’t pay every single week, but we can think of the weekly goal as an annual, or annualised, goal. With $500 per week, we’re talking about an annual goal of $26,000.

With a potential 15.8 cents per share in the year ahead, it would take 164,557 L1 Long Short Fund shares to unlock the desired income goal.  

The LIC does have a diversified portfolio itself, so I wouldn’t mind investing significantly into the LIC. However, I do think it would be a good idea to own a diversified portfolio rather than put all of that money into one name, so I’d want to buy additional stocks to generate returns.

The post I’d buy 164,557 shares of this ASX stock to aim for $500 a week of passive income appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in L1 Group and L1 Long Short Fund. 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.

The Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) share price is in focus today after the company delivered FY26 results showing revenue rose 0.8% to $2,636.3 million and group EBITDA climbed 10.3% to $431.7 million.

What did Tabcorp report?

• Group revenue: $2,636.3 million, up 0.8% on FY25
• Group EBITDA: $431.7 million, up 10.3% on FY25
• Net profit after tax (before significant items): $71.1 million, up 43.6% on FY25
• Final dividend: 1.5 cents per share, unfranked; full year dividend: 3.0 cents, up 50%
• Net debt at 30 June 2026: $533 million; leverage reduced to 1.2x EBITDA
• Wagering & Media EBITDA: $361.8 million, up 9.9%; Integrity Services EBITDA: $69.9 million, up 12.0%

What else do investors need to know?

Tabcorp highlighted a strong focus on executing its transformation strategy, including cost discipline and a differentiated wagering product. The retail commercial model was updated, new betting terminals rolled out, and TAB LIVE in-play launched in pubs and clubs across approved states.

After the reporting period, Tabcorp announced an agreement to acquire BetMakers Technology Group, aiming to modernise its wagering technology and expand global B2B operations. This acquisition is expected to support further growth and efficiency once completed.

The company also extended and diversified its funding, issuing $300 million in notes and lengthening loan maturities. Liquidity stood at $1,161 million at 30 June 2026, and the company declared a 3.0 cent full-year dividend with a 58% payout ratio.

What did Tabcorp management say?

Gillon McLachlan, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, said:

Midway through our turnaround journey, we’re executing on the plan, continuing to exercise cost and capital discipline and the Company is delivering earnings growth. The first two stages of our transformation were to get fit and operationalise our game plan. We’ve done that and we’re ready to enter the growth phase of our transformation. Our proposed acquisition of BetMakers will accelerate our strategy, allowing us to release products faster and more cheaply while using BetMakers’ complementary global assets to grow our international revenue opportunities.

What’s next for Tabcorp?

Tabcorp expects domestic wagering turnover growth in FY27 to be broadly consistent with FY26, with further benefits anticipated from the Next-Gen terminal rollout and commercial model changes. Ongoing cost control and continued investment in strategic initiatives remain priorities.

Completion of the BetMakers acquisition, expected in the third quarter of FY27 and subject to regulatory conditions, is set to further modernise Tabcorp’s operations and create new global growth opportunities. The company’s strong balance sheet is expected to support its strategic goals.

Tabcorp share price snapshot

The Tabcorp share price has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) on a 12-month basis with a strong gain of around 27%.

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The post Tabcorp lifts FY26 profit, unveils new tech acquisition appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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 summary of the company announcement. 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.