For me, one of the most exciting aspects of the ASX’s earnings seasons, held twice a year, is the dividend season. Whenever an ASX dividend-paying share reports its latest numbers, it also tends to reveal what its next dividend (if there is one) will look like.

Given we are, right now, in the middle of 2026’s second ASX earnings season, it’s an exciting time to be watching the stock market. Today, let’s go through two ASX dividend shares that have just announced that their investors are set to enjoy a dividend pay rise in 2026.

2 ASX income shares that just hiked their dividends

Aussie Broadband Ltd (ASX: ABB)

First up, we have ASX telco Aussie Broadband. Telcos are well-known for their dividend potential, and Aussie Broadband seems to be trying to live up to that reputation.

Today, the company revealed a final dividend worth 3.6 cents per share. That’s a significant 50% increase over the final dividend of 2.4 cents per share that investors enjoyed last year. As well as an increase over 2026’s interim dividend, also worth 2.4 cents per share.

As with all of Aussie Broadband’s past payouts, this latest one will come with full franking credits attached.

Investors have not reacted well to this ASX share’s earnings today. At the time of writing, Aussie Broadband stock is down by 6.35% to $4.73. At this price, this S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) share is trading on a trailing dividend yield of 1.01%.

Argo Global Listed Infrastructure Ltd (ASX: ALI)

Next up, we have the listed investment company (LIC) Argo Global Listed Infrastructure. Argo Global Infrastructure is run by the same team behind Argo Investments Ltd (ASX: ARG), a veteran fund manager on the ASX.

It seems the infrastructure LIC shares its parents’ predilection for slow-but-steady dividend hikes. Its latest earnings were also released this morning. In these earnings, Argo Infrastructure announced that its final dividend for 2026 would be worth 5.5 cents per share. That’s fully franked. That matches 2025’s final dividend.

However, this ASX share’s interim dividend earlier this year was worth a fully franked 4.5 cents per share. This takes Argo’s full-year dividends to a record 10 cents per share. It also marks the fourth year in a row of annual dividend pay rises from the LIC.

Like Aussie Broadband, Argo Global Infrastructure shares have not reacted well to the latest earnings, and are currently down 1.5% at $2.61 each. At that price, this ASX share is trading on a trailing dividend yield of 3.83%.

The post These 2 ASX shares have given investors a 2026 dividend pay rise appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Aussie Broadband FY26 earnings: double-digit growth and new acquisitions
• Argo Infrastructure FY26 earnings: Record dividend
• Buy, hold, sell: Aussie Broadband, James Hardie, Macquarie shares

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 Aussie Broadband. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Aussie Broadband. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are having another big day on Monday.

At the time of writing, the BHP share price is up 3.55% to $67.47 after reaching a new all-time high of $67.72 during midday trade.

The S&P/ASX 200 Resources Index (ASX: XJR) is also having a strong session, up more than 2.2%.

The mining giant has been on a strong run. BHP shares are up almost 10% over the past week, around 48% in 2026, and more than 60% over the past 12 months.

BHP has also comfortably outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) over the past year.

So, after hitting another record today, can BHP shares keep climbing?

Copper is doing the heavy lifting

BHP’s FY26 result last week gave investors plenty to like.

Revenue rose 15% to US$58.8 billion, while underlying EBITDA increased 27% to US$32.9 billion. Underlying attributable profit was also up 30% to US$13.2 billion, with net operating cash flow climbing 17% to US$21.8 billion.

Copper was a big part of that result.

It accounted for 54% of BHP’s underlying EBITDA during the year, surpassing iron ore as the company’s largest earnings contributor. Record copper production and higher metal prices helped drive the increase.

BHP also cut unit costs by 6% across its major assets, while net debt ended the year at US$8.7 billion.

Dividend gives shareholders more to celebrate

Shareholders also received a much bigger final dividend.

BHP declared a fully-franked final dividend of US 99 cents per share, up 65% from FY25. That took the full-year dividend to US$1.72 per share, with US$8.7 billion in dividends determined during the year.

At current exchange rates, the final dividend is worth around $1.39 per share. BHP shares are due to trade ex-dividend on 3 September, with the payment following on 23 September.

Looking further ahead, management is targeting annual copper-equivalent production growth of 3% to 4% through FY35.

Can the BHP share price keep rising?

There’s a lot working in BHP’s favour right now, particularly if copper prices remain strong.

The miner is producing record volumes, generating plenty of cash, and building its exposure to copper. Demand for the metal is expected to grow over the coming years as more copper is needed for power grids, renewable energy, electrification, and data centres.

But after such a strong run, the share price is starting to look expensive to some brokers.

Morgans recently downgraded BHP shares to a trim rating with a $55.30 price target. That sits around 18% below where the shares are trading today.

Red Leaf Securities has also placed a hold rating on BHP shares, suggesting investors looking to buy may be better off waiting for a cheaper entry point.

BHP’s earnings are heading in the right direction; however, after rising more than 60% in a year, a lot of good news is already being priced in.

The post BHP shares just hit a record high. Can the run continue? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Buy, hold, sell: CSL, BHP, Westpac shares
• How much must I invest in BHP shares to earn a $1,000 passive income in 2027?
• How much do you need invested in ASX dividend shares to replace a $90,000 salary?
• How much is needed in superannuation for $1500 in weekly passive income?
• 7 ASX 200 shares with reaffirmed buy ratings this week

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

There are quite a few S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares that are reporting their latest earnings to investors this Monday. ASX health insurance stock NIB Holdings Ltd (ASX: NHF) is one of them. Unfortunately, investors did not like what they saw, with NIB shares currently down a nasty 10% to $6.66 each.

However, this represents a compelling buying opportunity for income investors.

Before we get into why, let’s go over what NIB had to say this morning.

As my Fool colleague covered earlier today, it was an interesting earnings report to go through. NIB reported group revenues of $3.8 billion for its 2026 financial year, up 6.2% on what the company brought in over FY 2025. Group underlying profits were up 9.1% to $260.9 million, but statutory net profits after tax fell 5.9% to $186.9 million.

It seems investors did not like what they saw, going off the steep drop in NIB shares that we are currently witnessing.

But let’s talk about income. NIB has always been a decent dividend stock. The company has substantially increased its income in recent years, going from paying out an annual 14 cents per share in fully franked dividends in 2020 to 29 cents per share in 2025.

2025’s payouts consisted of an April interim dividend of 13 cents per share and an October final dividend of 16 cents per share. Both payments came fully franked, as is NIB’s habit. The company’s first dividend of 2026 matched that of the 2025 interim dividend, with shareholders once again bagging 13 cents per share.

NIB shares drop despite new special dividend

Today, though, NIB threw some spice into the income soup. It declared a final dividend of 16 cents per share, once again matching 2025’s ordinary payout. But it also unveiled a special dividend alongside its ordinary payout. Yep, shareholders are set to enjoy a concurrent dividend worth another 5 cents per share. That will bring NIB’s dividend total for 2026 to 34 cents per share.

Right now, NIB shares are trading on a trailing dividend yield of 4.36% (boosted mightily by today’s steep share price sell-off). However, we can now assign the stock a forward yield of 5.12%.

So does that make NIB a buy for income? Well, investors shouldn’t take too much from this special dividend. It is entirely possible, even likely, that 2027’s total payouts don’t match what investors will receive in 2026. Special dividends by nature tend to be one-off events.

Saying that, this company occupies a defensive sector of the ASX and has a strong history of delivering dividend increases. As such, I would be happy to include it in a diversified income-focused portfolio.

The post Special dividend: Is now the time to buy NIB shares for income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• nib reports FY26 profit growth
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• How much do I need in my superannuation to earn $50,000 per year in passive income?

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 NIB Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.