The CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) share price is in focus after the company announced an exclusive agreement to co-develop and co-promote lixudebart for rare kidney and liver diseases, with an initial US$355 million payment to Alentis Therapeutics and plans for expanded trials.

What did CSL report?

• Entered exclusive deal with Alentis Therapeutics for lixudebart, a treatment targeting rare kidney and liver conditions
• CSL to make an upfront payment of US$355 million to Alentis
• Additional commercial milestone payments of up to US$1.2 billion possible
• CSL will fund all upcoming Phase 2 and 3 trials for lixudebart in key indications
• Profits from global sales to be shared, with 55% to CSL and 45% to Alentis

What else do investors need to know?

CSL’s new agreement centres around lixudebart, a novel antibody designed to slow both inflammation and fibrosis—key factors in organ damage for conditions like ANCA-associated vasculitis and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (AAV-RPGN). Both are life-threatening and currently have limited treatment options.

The company plans to expand clinical trials to cover other rare diseases such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), supporting the growth of CSL’s nephrology portfolio.

What did CSL management say?

Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Dr Bill Mezzanotte said:

We believe lixudebart has the potential to become an important new therapeutic option to help improve kidney function and prevent progression to end-stage kidney disease…Our collaboration with Alentis reflects CSL’s commitment to building a leading global nephrology franchise, and our strategic intent to create high-value external partnerships.

What’s next for CSL?

Looking forward, CSL aims to complete the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial for lixudebart and start new trials in additional rare kidney and liver diseases. The company’s strategy is to strengthen its position in nephrology through innovation and global partnerships.

Investors can expect further updates as results from these trials are released and as CSL moves closer to potential commercialisation, which would generate shared global profits.

CSL share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, CSL shares have declined 15%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 3% over the same period.

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The post CSL unveils exclusive Alentis deal to advance rare disease treatments 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 positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. 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 dividend stock Universe Store Holdings Ltd (ASX: UNI) has fallen 19% from its 2026 high in February 2026, as the chart below shows. I think it’s a great time to invest in the ASX retail share.

Universal Store says it owns a portfolio of premium youth fashion brands. Its principal businesses are Universal Store (trading as Universal Store and Perfect Stranger) and CTC (trading as the THRILLS and Worship brands),

At the last count, it had 123 physical stores across Australia. Its strategy is to grow and develop its premium fashion apparel brands and retail formats, targeting fashion-focused customers.

Higher dividend yield

When a share price changes, it means investors can get a higher dividend yield.

For example, if a business has a dividend yield of 6% and then the share price drops 10%, then the dividend yield becomes 6.6%, which is a big difference for investors wanting dividend income.

As I’ve mentioned, Universal Store’s share price has fallen 19%, significantly boosting the dividend yield.

In FY26, the ASX dividend stock hiked its annual dividend per share by 11.7% to 43 cents per share. That’s currently a grossed-up dividend yield of 8.1%, including franking credits, at the time of writing.

The projection on Commsec suggests the business could hike its annual dividend per share by 4.7% to 45 cents per share. That implies a forward grossed-up dividend yield of 8.4%, including franking credits, at the time of writing.

In terms of passive income, the company is clearly expected to deliver huge payouts.

Ongoing growth

The ASX dividend stock is showing it can deliver growth, even in weak economic conditions. Not many ASX retailers can say that right now.

In FY26, the company generated group sales growth of 12.9% to $376.1 million, with particularly impressive performance by Perfect Stranger which grew sales by 40.8% to $35.9 million.

It also reported that the gross profit margin improved by 140 basis points to 62.5%, and underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) rose by 16.3% to $40.5 million. As you can see, its profit margins rose despite inflation in costs.

FY27 has started strongly and I think this bodes very well for future growth.

In the first seven weeks of FY27, group direct-to-customer sales were up 9.1%, including Perfect Stranger sales growth of 45.8% (partly powered by like-for-like sales growth of 17.6%). Universal Store sales growth was 5.5%, with LFL sales growth of 2.9%.

Management intends to open between 16 and 20 stores in FY27, including nine to ten new Universal Store locations, six to eight new Perfect Stranger stores and one or two new THRILLS stores.

According to the projection on Commsec, the Universal Store share price is valued at 13x FY27’s estimated earnings. I think this is a great time to invest in the ASX dividend stock, though it’s not the only opportunity out there right now.

The post 1 ASX dividend stock down 19% I’d buy right now 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 recommended Universal Store. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

One of Australia’s leading funds, Australian Foundation Investment Co Ltd (ASX: AFI) (AFIC), recently made some S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) share investments in its portfolio.

AFIC is the largest and one of the oldest listed investment companies (LICs), meaning it invests in other shares on behalf of shareholders.

The LIC structure is beneficial because it provides permanent capital for long-term investment. LICs can also provide investors with a good source of dividends. AFIC recently announced it would move to pay quarterly dividends, giving investors more regular cash flow.

What are the types of investments that AFIC targets?

It has outlined that it focuses on quality companies and it has built a well-diversified portfolio with the right mix of income and growth. By making those investments, Aussies can benefit from compounding over the long-term.

There were six ASX 200 shares amid three growth trends that AFIC decided to invest in.

Rising dividends per share

Two of the ASX 200 shares that AFIC recently invested in were ASX blue-chips: Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS).

Both of these companies have achieved a turnaround from a growth halt in recent history.

AFIC highlighted that the supermarket business is delivering dividend growth amid rising profits.

In FY26, Woolworths grew its annual dividend by 15% to 97 cents per share. AFIC highlighted that analysts estimate the annual dividend is projected to increase by another 10% in FY27.

For Telstra, the ASX telco share hiked its annual dividend per share by 10.5% to 21 cents per share. Analyst forecasts suggest the company could hike its dividend again in FY27 by another 4.75% to 22 cents per share.

Growing earnings per share

Some of the best ASX 200 shares have delivered earnings growth for many years in a row, and they can continue to deliver impressive profit growth. Earnings projections suggest profit could compound.

Pro Medicus provides a full range of medical imaging software and services to hospitals, imaging centres and healthcare groups worldwide. Earnings per share (EPS) rose 26.4% in FY26, and it’s predicted to increase another 30.9% in FY27, according to AFIC.

Meanwhile, TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) is a provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for businesses, local councils, governments, universities and so on. It’s benefiting from rising demand for digitalisation and efficiencies.

The TechnologyOne EPS rose by 16.7% to 42 cents in FY25, and EPS is forecast to increase 19% to 50 cents, according to AFIC.

Compelling gold outlook

The final duo of ASX 200 shares that AFIC revealed it had bought were ASX gold shares.

They are two of the ASX’s largest players and there are various tailwinds for the sector such as inflation, investors seeking safety away from the uncertainty of government bonds (and currency).

A higher gold price over the last few years has led to significant improvements in operating cash flow.

For Newmont Corporation CDI (ASX: NEM), operating cash flow grew 60% to US$10.3 billion in FY25 and is projected to rise another 28% to US$13.2 billion in FY26, according to AFIC.

With Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN), operating cash flow grew 30% in FY26 to A$2.6 billion, it’s forecast to rise another 3.8% in FY27.

Of course, these aren’t the only ASX shares that could be compelling long-term buys.

The post A leading fund just bought these top ASX 200 shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Technology One. 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.