Share prices of many ASX shares have fallen recently due to worries about bond yields, private credit uncertainties, AI, the Middle East, inflation and rising interest rates. There’s a lot to worry about for investors.

With all of the above in mind, it’s not surprising that some interest rate-sensitive ASX shares are down (close) to their 52-week lows.

Below are two of my favourites right now at a low point.

Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)

Interest rates act like gravity on property prices – when rates go down, interest costs fall, and property values are likely to rise. The reverse is also true. With interest rates anticipated to rise this year, the market has pushed the Centuria Industrial REIT share price down 20% in the past year to a 52-week low.

This business owns a portfolio of industrial properties across Australia. I think it’s appealing to be able to buy a slice of so many properties in just a single transaction.

Property values do change over time, and it’s hard to know exactly what the ASX share’s property portfolio is worth without actually going to sell it, which the business isn’t going to do.

However, we can look at the REIT’s distribution as a way to see how attractive it is.

The business grew its annual distribution by 3% in FY26 and expects to grow its payout by another 3% to 17.3 cents per unit. That’s a forward distribution yield of 6.1%. To me, that’s an excellent yield from a business like this.

When rates do eventually come down, I think this valuation could make it seem like a cheap ASX share.

JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH)

JB Hi-Fi is another name that has seen a sell-off. The JB Hi-Fi share price has dropped 44% in the past year, and it’s now close to its 52-week low.

Inflation of living costs and higher interest rates are already causing headwinds, and investors are feeling negative. I think it’s been heavily oversold.

For July 2026 (the first month of FY27), the business provided a sales update showing total sales dropped 0.5% for JB Hi-Fi Australia and declined 1.7% for The Good Guys. Positively, JB Hi-Fi New Zealand’s sales growth was 20.9%.

At this stage, sales are only slightly down in Australia.

I believe JB Hi-Fi Australia is well-placed to serve customers with its scale benefits, very competitively priced products, a wide product range, a productive sales floor, and an expanding network of locations in Australia and New Zealand.  

Using the projection on CommSec, the JB Hi-Fi share price is valued at under 15 times FY27’s estimated earnings, with earnings growth projected in FY28 and FY29. That makes it look like a cheap ASX share to me.

The post 2 cheap ASX shares near 52-week lows I’d buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares have weakened by almost 1% over the past 12 months.

Last week, the market edged lower on growing expectations of another interest rate hike due to stubborn inflation.

Meanwhile, here are some new ratings from the experts.

Orica Ltd (ASX: ORI)

The Orica share price is up 5.7% over 12 months. 

Ord Minnett has a buy rating on this ASX 200 materials share. 

The broker said: 

NaCN [sodium cyanide] is a critical reagent used in gold extraction, and the two largest global producers, Orica and Draslovka, have both indicated their production capacity is fully committed.

With supply effectively sold out, pricing power is improving, as evidenced by recent Australian trade data.

In addition, NaCN costs have not increased at the same pace as broader mining costs despite being an essential input and the gold miners enjoying elevated profitability from strong gold prices. This suggests further pricing upside may be achievable.

Stronger NaCN pricing and improved plant utilisation could drive returns in ORI’s chemicals division back towards historical levels (before the acquisition of Cyanco in 2024) and closer to the company’s broader target range of 13%– 15%. 

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

The BHP share price has soared 53% over 12 months. 

Dylan Evans from Catapult Wealth has a hold rating on this ASX 200 mining share. 

Evans said (courtesy The Bull): 

The global miner’s full year results were impressive, with the company increasing revenue and profit.

Growth was driven by the copper division, which is now the primary revenue generator for BHP.

As a result, future earnings will be influenced by the copper price, but the price should be underpinned by several long term themes, including electrification and growing digital infrastructure.

BHP is a core holding. However, the share price has risen substantially in the past 12 months to the point where it can appear expensive.

GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG)

The GQG Partners share price has tumbled 37% over 12 months. 

Andrew Wielandt from DP Wealth Advisory has a sell rating on this ASX 200 financial share. 

Wielandt said: 

GQG is a global active fund manager with a diversified range of equity strategies. However, total funds under management of $US149.2 billion at August 31, 2026 had fallen from $US156.4 billion at July 31, 2026.

Total funds under management are also down $US14.7 billion between December 31, 2025 and August 31, 2026.

Outflows create uncertainty about the sustainability of earnings and income.

Until investment performance and funds under management stabilise or tick up, we retain a sell recommendation on GQG.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Orica, GQG Partners, BHP shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• If I invest $15,000 in BHP shares, how much passive income will I receive in 2027?
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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 recommended BHP Group and Gqg Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT) share price is in focus after the company rejected a further revised takeover proposal from EQT and confirmed the end of discussions. The $22.50 per share proposal was deemed by the board to undervalue Perpetual and carried too much execution risk.

What did Perpetual report?

• Rejected a further revised, non-binding buyout offer from EQT at $22.50 per share.
• Proposal included the option for a permitted dividend of up to $0.60 per share for 1H27.
• Board maintained its view that the offer undervalued the company.
• Sale of Wealth Management business remains on track for completion in Q4 FY26.
• Expected move to a net cash position after the sale, offering increased financial flexibility.

What else do investors need to know?

Perpetual says its engagement process with EQT has now concluded, as the latest proposal was described as “best and final” in the absence of competing offers. Shareholders are not required to take any action in response to this announcement.

The board also reiterated that the planned sale of its Wealth Management arm is proceeding as expected, with completion likely by the end of 2026. This sale is anticipated to enhance Perpetual’s financial position and allow more capital management initiatives in the future.

What’s next for Perpetual?

With the EQT engagement process now closed, Perpetual is focused on its core Asset Management and Corporate Trust businesses. Management highlights a continued commitment to delivering sustainable long-term value to shareholders.

Once the Wealth Management business sale wraps up, Perpetual expects to be in a net cash position, providing room to consider additional capital management options alongside dividends.

Perpetual share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Perpetual shares have risen 3%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 1% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post Perpetual rejects EQT’s final offer and confirms asset sale plans 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.