Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares have been pushed into the spotlight in 2026 amid ongoing oil supply concerns and macroeconomic pressures.

Volatility surrounding continued conflict in the Middle East has been a strong tailwind for Woodside shares so far this year. 

The US-Iran war has shown renewed signs of cooling. But each time it looks like conflict is calming down, it ramps back up again. The region is highly volatile, and the movement of oil from the area will continue to be uncertain until a final resolution is reached. 

Oil shipping disruptions and production cuts pushed oil prices to a multi-year high of around US$111 per barrel in April. 

Trading Economics data crude oil is now trading around US$89 per barrel. That’s a 4% increase over the past month and 45% higher than last year.

It’s not just volatile oil prices driving the company’s shares higher, either. ASX energy companies have also enjoyed a rise in production and improved cash flow.

Woodside grabbed headlines late last month when it posted its first-half FY26 update. The company reported a 13% increase in operating revenue, a 27% increase in NPAT, a 7% increase in underlying NPAT, and a huge increase in free cash flow to US$352 million.

This strong performance is great news for investors, especially those looking to earn a good passive income from their investment in Woodside shares.

What’s the latest out of Woodside shares?

At the time of writing, Woodside shares are trading for $31.41 each. That’s a 33% increase for the year-to-date and 26% higher than this time last year.

What does Woodside’s dividend look like?

Woodside traditionally makes two fully franked dividend payments to shareholders every year, payable in March and September.

As part of the company’s latest financial update, its management declared a fully franked interim dividend of 57 US cents per share (the equivalent of 79.5 Australian cents). It paid this to investors last month. 

At the time of writing, that translates to a dividend yield of around 5.1%.

What is the oil and gas major forecasted to pay its shareholders in FY26 and FY27?

CommSec forecasts show Woodside is expected to pay a full-year FY26 dividend of AU$1.764 in FY26 and AU$2.149 in FY27.

So, how many Woodside shares do I need to generate $1,000 per month in passive income in FY27?

First, we’d need to calculate what $1,000 per month in passive income is over the year ($12,000). The oil and gas giant doesn’t pay monthly, so we can only calculate it annually.

In order to earn $12,000 per year in passive income from Woodside shares in FY26, at $1.764 per unit, investors would need to own around 6,802 shares.

To earn the same amount from the $2.149 projected dividend in FY27, investors would need to own roughly 5,583 Woodside shares.

What would that cost?

At a $31.41 share price, 6,802 shares would require an investment of approximately $213,650 for FY26. This would give an annual passive income of around $12,000 (equivalent to $1,000 per month).

To earn the same amount in FY27, the 5,583 shares would cost closer to $175,362.

The post How many Woodside shares do I need to buy for $1,000 per month of passive income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Expert names Woodside and CSL shares as top buys today
• Woodside Energy vs Ampol: Which ASX oil stock looks better this week?
• Buy, hold, sell: Woodside, Life360, Ramsay Health Care shares

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 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.

10 years is a long time in the share market.

If I were buying S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares with that timeframe in mind, I would want businesses with opportunities that can keep expanding.

With that in mind, these three ASX 200 shares stand out to me.

Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG)

I think Sigma Healthcare looks very different today following last year’s merger with Chemist Warehouse.

The combined business now brings together a major pharmacy retail network and Sigma’s pharmaceutical wholesale operations, creating scale across several parts of the healthcare supply chain.

FY26 gave investors an early look at that potential. Revenue reached $10.8 billion, while normalised EBIT increased by more than 20%. Sigma is also working towards $100 million of annual integration synergies by FY29.

But I think the 10-year opportunity goes far beyond extracting merger savings.

Chemist Warehouse still has room to expand its store network and international presence, while Sigma can use its scale across distribution, retail pharmacy, and own-brand products to keep growing alongside it.

If management executes well, I think this ASX 200 share could be significantly larger a decade from now.

Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)

Breville is an ASX 200 share that I think has done an excellent job of turning a local brand into a global one.

Its premium coffee machines remain an important growth engine, but what interests me over 10 years is the model behind them.

Breville continually invests in new products, marketing, and new geographic markets, giving it several ways to keep growing without relying on consumers simply buying more of the same appliances.

FY26 revenue reached a record $1.81 billion, and remarkably, the company has now increased revenue, gross profit, and EBIT in every financial year since FY15.

Newer markets also provide another avenue for expansion. Breville has been building its presence in markets including China and the Middle East while continuing to develop its established businesses in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

I think that global runway could keep the business growing well beyond the next few years.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Megaport is the higher-growth pick of the three ASX 200 shares.

It has traditionally helped businesses connect data centres and cloud providers through its global software-defined network. More recently, its acquisition of Latitude.sh has expanded that opportunity into AI infrastructure.

Latitude.sh provides GPU and CPU computing power, storage, and networking for AI workloads, and the early demand has been strong. 

Megaport has already announced a series of very large strategic contracts through the business, giving it a much bigger growth avenue than connectivity alone.

For me, that is what makes the 10-year story so compelling. 

If Megaport can keep building both sides of the business, it could become a much larger digital infrastructure company by 2036.

Foolish takeaway

I cannot know what the market will look like in 2036.

I would rather spend a 10-year holding period backing ASX 200 shares that still have ways to expand. Sigma, Breville, and Megaport all give me that potential, but through three completely different parts of the economy.

That is enough for me to be comfortable buying them and giving the businesses plenty of time to grow.

The post 3 ASX 200 shares I would buy and hold for 10 years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Zip vs Megaport: Which ASX tech share is the better buy?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Bell Potter just put a buy rating on Megaport shares with 33% upside
• Which were the best-performing ASX 200 shares in September?

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.

Fortescue vs National Australia Bank shares: Which blue chip is the better buy?

When it comes to ASX blue chips, Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) and National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) are two household names that regularly appear on investor watchlists. Both deliver fully-franked dividends, boast huge market caps, and are pillars of the local stock market—yet they couldn’t be more different in what they do or how they’ve performed recently. With volatility hitting miners and banks alike, here’s my take on Fortescue vs National Australia Bank shares today.

The case for Fortescue

Fortescue is a mining powerhouse, best known for its iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The company operates major mining hubs and some of the most efficient rail and port infrastructure in the game. According to its most recent public description, Fortescue is now ranked as the world’s fourth largest iron ore producer, which gives it serious scale and bargaining power.

Three fundamentals really stand out to me for Fortescue shares right now:

• Dividend yield: It boasts a fat 6.64% yield (fully franked), one of the highest among ASX blue chips.
• P/E ratio: At 12.25, Fortescue trades on a much lower price-to-earnings multiple than most large ASX companies.
• YTD performance: Its year-to-date return is a disappointing -21.2%, showing it’s faced real headwinds in 2026 so far.

Fortescue’s dividends have been consistently fully franked, and the company has a history of paying out special dividends when iron ore prices have been strong. However, as a miner, its fortunes are closely tied to iron ore prices and China’s demand for steel.

The case for National Australia Bank

National Australia Bank is one of the “Big Four” banks, with a huge network across Australia and New Zealand. NAB delivers a broad suite of banking services, from retail and business banking to wealth management and institutional finance. Thanks to its established brand and extensive branch network, NAB is a pillar of the local financial system and a favourite with steady-income investors.

Here are the top points for NAB:

• Dividend reliability: Its current yield is 4.35% (fully franked), not as high as Fortescue but underpinned by a long track record of steady and uninterrupted payouts.
• P/E ratio: NAB trades on a P/E of 19.56, which is meaningfully higher than Fortescue’s but still reasonable for a major bank.
• Market cap: It dwarfs Fortescue with a $122.05 billion market cap, reflecting NAB’s position as one of the largest companies on the ASX.
• YTD performance: NAB shares are only down 5.6% so far in 2026, which is much steadier than what we’ve seen from Fortescue.

NAB’s dividends are fully franked, and the payout has been remarkably consistent over the past decade-plus, weathering economic turbulence and regulatory changes much better than most cyclical stocks.

Valuation comparison

Here’s how these giants stack up on the key numbers:

	Fortescue	National Australia Bank
Market Cap	$50.62 billion	$122.05 billion
P/E Ratio	12.25	19.56
Dividend Yield	6.64% (100% franked)	4.35% (100% franked)
Earnings Per Share (EPS)	0.931	2.000
Dividend Per Share	1.08	1.70
YTD Return	-21.2%	-5.6%

Note: National Australia Bank’s P/E ratio is quite a bit higher than Fortescue’s, but keep in mind that mining and banking are completely different sectors with different typical valuations. Also, Fortescue’s reported P/E and EPS figures suggest a lower implied share price than spot prices, possibly reflecting the difference between underlying or forward earnings and reported EPS.

Recent share price momentum

Comparing recent share price performance up to 30 September 2026:

• Fortescue: Closed at $16.44, up 1.04% on the day but still down 21.2% for the year to date.
• National Australia Bank: Closed at $39.15, up 0.10% on the day and down just 5.6% year to date.

Over the past few weeks, both stocks have seen short bursts of volatility, with Fortescue buffeted by commodity swings and NAB supported by steady, if unspectacular, trading.

Which is the better buy?

If I had to pick one blue chip from these two today, I’d lean toward National Australia Bank. Yes, Fortescue’s dividend yield is higher and its valuation appears cheaper on a P/E basis, but that hefty yield comes at the price of much greater volatility—and its share price shows it, down over 21% for the year so far. NAB, in contrast, offers a steadier ride with fully franked dividends, strong brand strength, and much less price downside over 2026.

Fortescue is attractive if you believe iron ore has further to run or want maximum yield while accepting serious swings along the way. But for my money—and especially for investors focused on stability, income reliability, and blue chip defensiveness—NAB looks the safer bet for the current market environment.

The post Fortescue vs National Australia Bank: Which ASX blue chip is the better buy this month? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Is the Fortescue share price a cheap buy?
• If I invest $10,000 in ANZ shares, what passive income could I receive in FY27?
• Regis Resources vs Fortescue: Which ASX miner is the better buy?
• Are ASX 200 bank stocks a buy in October?
• If I invest $10,000 in Fortescue shares, how much passive income could I earn in FY27?

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 draft. 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.