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.

The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) share price is having a rough Thursday session.

The buy-now, pay-later company’s shares have fallen heavily to around $2.09, adding to what has already been a volatile year for shareholders.

At this level, the Zip share price is well below its recent highs. But has the sell-off gone far enough to create a buying opportunity?

I think there is a strong case that it has.

How cheap is the Zip share price?

I think some context around the share price could be helpful.

Zip shares have traded as high as $4.94 over the past 52 weeks and as low as $1.38. At $2.09, the stock is now almost 60% below that 52-week high.

Of course, a falling share price does not automatically make a stock cheap. The more important question for me is what investors are paying relative to the earnings Zip could generate over the next few years.

On that front, the valuation is starting to look quite interesting.

Consensus forecasts indicate earnings per share (EPS) of approximately 15 cents in FY27.

At a share price of $2.09, Zip shares are trading at a forward price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of roughly 14 times FY27 forecast earnings.

The valuation becomes even cheaper again next year if Zip meets expectations.

Consensus EPS is expected to rise to 18 cents in FY28. That would put the shares on a forward PE ratio of around 12 times.

By FY29, analysts are forecasting EPS of 22.4 cents, which would reduce the PE ratio to just over 9 times at today’s share price.

For a business still expected to deliver meaningful earnings growth, I think those multiples look cheap.

Why I think the sell-off creates an opportunity

Zip is still a growth investment, so I would not look at the current valuation in isolation.

The investment case depends on the company continuing to expand earnings over the coming years. If the consensus forecasts are roughly right, EPS would rise by almost 50% between FY27 and FY29.

Investors need to remember that growth stocks can remain volatile. Zip has already moved between $1.38 and $4.94 during the past year, showing just how quickly market sentiment can change.

Forecasts can also move. If earnings growth disappoints, the low forward PE ratios based on FY28 and FY29 expectations may prove less compelling than they currently appear.

Still, I think today’s share price gives investors a reasonable margin for some uncertainty.

Foolish takeaway

For me, the Zip share price is looking cheap at around $2.09.

A FY27 PE ratio of roughly 14x does not look demanding, and the valuation could fall into the single digits by FY29 if current earnings forecasts are met.

There is plenty that Zip still needs to deliver, and I would expect the share price to remain volatile along the way. But after such a sharp fall from its 52-week high, I think the risk/reward is compelling.

At $2.09, I would be comfortable buying Zip shares and holding them for the next few years.

The post Is the Zip share price a bargain at $2.09? 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 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.