ASX mining shares like South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) are a popular choice among Australian investors looking for passive income.

The attraction is simple. When commodity prices are strong, large-scale miners can generate a huge amount of cash and return a good portfolio to their shareholders in the form of dividends.

But what exactly would it entail to earn the passive income you want?

Let’s take a look at what it takes to earn $6,000 off South32 shares in FY26.

What passive income does South32 pay its shareholders?

First, we need to understand what dividends the mining giant pays its shareholders.

South32 typically pays its investors twice-yearly dividends: an interim dividend in April and a final dividend in October.

South32 paid a fully-franked interim dividend of 3.9 US cents (equivalent to 5.52 AUD cents) per share in April.

As part of its FY26 results announcement this morning, the miner declared another final 5.4 US cent (equivalent of 7.5 AU cents) dividend will be paid to shareholders in October. 

That comes to a total FY26 dividend of 9.3 US cents (equivalent of 13 AU cents) per security.

At the time of writing, this translates to a dividend yield of around 1.8% for FY26. 

So, how many South32 shares do I need to generate $6,000 of passive income every year?

Using the FY26 total dividend payment of 13 cents per share, investors would need to own around 46,154 South32 shares in order to earn $6,000 in passive income.

What would that cost me?

At the time of writing, South32 shares are $5.14 each.

That means, in order to buy the 46,154 shares needed for $6,000 of annual passive income in FY26, you would need to invest roughly $237,231. 

It’s not a small amount, but it could be worth it in the long run.

And remember, you don’t need to invest the entire amount in one go. Start off small and let compound growth do some of the work for you.

Could South32 shares climb higher in value this year?

The experts are optimistic about the outlook for South32 shares over the next 12 months.

Market Index shows the majority of brokers have a buy rating on the mining stock. But the $4.94 average target price now implies a potential 4% downside ahead.

Sentiment is also mostly positive on TradingView. The data shows that the majority of analysts (seven out of 14) have a buy/strong buy rating on the shares. Another six rate South32 shares as a hold.

But after the latest rally, the average $4.77 target price now implies a potential downside of around 7%, at the time of writing. 

The post How many South32 shares do I need to buy for $6,000 per year of passive income? 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 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.

The Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) share price is in focus today after the company posted a statutory profit after tax of $1.29 billion and declared a final fully franked dividend of 19.8 cents per share for FY26.

What did Qantas Airways report?

• Underlying Profit Before Tax: $2.06 billion, down $330 million from FY25
• Statutory Profit After Tax: $1.29 billion, down $316 million
• Final dividend: 19.8 cents per share (fully franked), total FY26 dividends $600 million
• Underlying earnings per share: 96 cents, down 14 cents
• Net capital expenditure: $4.0 billion, up 3%
• 17 new aircraft delivered during the year

What else do investors need to know?

Qantas continued to invest heavily in new aircraft and training facilities, marking the largest fleet renewal in its history. The group opened a new training centre in Mascot as part of a $100 million upgrade.

Around 25,000 eligible non-executive employees will each receive $1,000 in Qantas shares, following another year of meeting financial targets. Qantas Loyalty delivered strong results, with a 12% increase in underlying EBIT and record engagement from frequent flyers.

Net debt increased to $6.2 billion, remaining within management’s target range. The Board cancelled a planned $150 million share buy-back as part of its capital management.

What did Qantas Airways management say?

Commenting on the results, Qantas’ CEO, Vanessa Hudson, said:

This has been another year of progress, with customer satisfaction at its highest in a decade and world-leading operational performance, even as the aviation industry faced record high fuel costs and disruption from the conflict in the Middle East. We came through it with a strong result, which is what allows us to continue investing in the largest fleet renewal in our history and deliver more for our customers, people and shareholders.

What’s next for Qantas Airways?

Qantas expects domestic and international travel demand to remain resilient, with capacity growth and new routes on the horizon in FY27. The group will receive its first Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR in April, and the first non-stop Sydney-London flight will launch in October.

Management forecasts unit revenues to grow by 8–10% in the first half of FY27, despite ongoing pressure from elevated fuel prices. Qantas Loyalty earnings are expected to increase by 5–7% next year, and investment in new aircraft and employee training will continue.

Qantas Airways share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the Qantas Airways share price has underperformed the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) with a decline of almost 20%.

View Original Announcement

The post Qantas Airways share price on watch as FY26 profit dips but dividend and upgrades unveiled appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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.

Two of the most influential ASX defence stocks released half-year results yesterday: Droneshield Ltd (ASX: DRO) and Elsight Ltd (ASX: ELS). 

These companies are involved in the defence sector, which boomed on the back of tailwinds through 2025 and into 2026. 

However, since then, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. 

How the tables have turned

Defence-related ASX shares surged in 2025 as investors anticipated sustained growth in global military spending.

Ongoing conflicts, strategic competition, and a growing focus on national security reinforced expectations of stronger demand for defence equipment, cybersecurity, surveillance systems, and advanced military technologies.

However, the share prices of many ASX defence stocks have reversed course in recent months. 

This decline has largely reflected profit-taking and a reset in valuations after a strong rally, with investors becoming less willing to pay the high premiums built on expectations of sustained defence spending growth.

One stock hit harder than almost any other has been DroneShield shares. Once fetching over $6, DroneShield shares have come crashing back to earth in 2026. 

Its stock price is down 45% year to date and is now hovering around $1.70. 

Meanwhile, Elsight shares have continued to steadily grow. 

Its share price is up more than 220% in the last 12 months. 

Why Elsight shares are a buy

Despite moving in such different directions this year, the team at Bell Potter has similar optimism about both companies over the next 12 months. 

Following the half-year results, the broker has a buy recommendation on Elsight shares along with a price target of $8.20. 

From current levels, this indicates an upside potential of 42%. 

We believe ELS has developed a market leading product that is leveraged to the proliferation of unmanned systems in both a defence and commercial context. We believe ELS shares offer relative value versus listed peers at 33x CY26e EV/EBIT given its recurring revenue, high ROIC business model and defensible niche.

Elsight’s half-year report can be found here.

DroneShield shares a bounce-back candidate

After crashing in 2026, the team at Bell Potter believes DroneShield shares could be a value at its current price. 

Following its results, the team at Bell Potter issued a new report on the company. 

The broker has a buy recommendation and $2.40 (previously $2.50) price target on DroneShield shares. 

From yesterday’s closing price, this indicates an upside of 38%. 

We expect RFRecon and new high-moat next gen products to drive continued contract wins, particularly from Europe where DRO has a leading presence in the CUAS EW vertical. Top end of CY26 revenue guidance looks achievable. Retain Buy.

The post Defence Duel: Are Elsight or DroneShield shares a better buy right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell 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 DroneShield. 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.