On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form and pushed higher. The benchmark index rose 0.35% to 8,823 points.

Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to jump

It looks set to be a great session for Australian investors on Thursday despite a subdued night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 75 points or 0.85% higher this morning. In late trade in the United States, the Dow Jones is up 0.1%, the S&P 500 is 0.05% lower, and the Nasdaq is down 0.35%.

Hold Beach Energy shares

Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) shares are around fair value despite falling heavily this year according to Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has retained its hold rating on the energy producer’s shares with a reduced price target of 95 cents (from $1.15). It said: “BPT is in a production replacement cycle with respect to exploration and appraisal. Production growth should return in FY27 and capex ease, enabling positive free cash flow to support balance sheet deleveraging and ongoing dividends. We are positive on BPT’s exposure to Australian east coast gas markets (around half of sales volumes) and cautious with respect to global oil markets.”

Oil prices rise again

ASX 200 energy shares Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a good session after oil prices charged higher again overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 3.3% to US$87.12 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 3.65% to US$94.33 a barrel. Traders were bidding oil higher after the US claimed that Iran is not serious about signing a peace deal.

Buy Paladin Energy shares

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) shares are undervalued according to Bell Potter. In response to its quarterly update and release of FY 2027 guidance, the broker has retained its buy rating on the uranium producer’s shares with a trimmed price target of $14.80 (from $15.30). It commented: “We retain our Buy recommendation. We have a positive medium- to long-term outlook for the uranium market, supported by barriers to new supply and demand growth linked to electrification, energy security and AI-related power requirements. PDN has around ~53% exposure to spot prices out to 2030. Production at LHM continues to improve with higher-grade mined ore feeding the processing plant and continued process optimisation.”

Gold price climbs

It could be a good session for ASX 200 gold shares including Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) on Thursday after the gold price rose overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is up 1.55% to US$4,139.4 an ounce. Safe haven demand sent the gold price to a two-week high.

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• The Santos share price is in the spotlight this week. Here’s why
• Why is everyone talking about Resolute Mining, Westgold and Paladin shares on Wednesday?
• Why this top expert thinks Qantas shares can fly 20% higher
• Beach Energy posts steady Q4 production and a resilient outlook

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Woodside Energy Group Ltd. 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a happy hump day this Wednesday. After a bumpy start to the week, investors seemed to be in a positive mood all session today. After some bouncing around, the ASX 200 ended up closing 0.34% higher. That leaves the index at a flat 8,823 points.

This excitable Wednesday on the ASX comes after an even more upbeat night over on the American markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in a great mood, rising 0.74%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was even more jubilant, gaining 1.29%.

But get back to the local markets now and dive a little deeper into what the different ASX sectors were doing this hump day.

Winners and losers

Despite the broader market’s gains, there were a few sectors that were left out in the cold.

First amongst those were again healthcare shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) tanked 1.93% today.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also shunned, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) diving 1.44%.

Consumer discretionary stocks matched that loss. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) also tumbled 1.44%.

Tech shares were on the nose too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)’s 1.07% slump.

Communications stocks weren’t much better. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) dipped 0.93% this session.

Utilities shares came next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) shedding 0.75% of its value.

Industrial stocks fared better, though. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) saw its value decline 0.08% this Wednesday.

Our final losers were consumer staples shares, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)’s 0.02% slip.

Turning to the winners now, it was gold stocks that came out on top. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) enjoyed a 3.98% surge today.

Broader mining stocks also ran hot, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) roaring 2.3% higher.

Energy shares didn’t miss out either. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) jumped 0.67% this session.

Last and least, financial stocks joined the party, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)’s 0.19% increase.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Titanium stock IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) was our index winner this Wednesday. IperionX shares rocketed 8.67% higher today to close at $3.51 each. Although there was no news out from the company, most mining shares had a stunner today.

Here’s how the other chart-toppers pulled up at the kerb: 

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX)	$3.51	8.67%
Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd (ASX: KCN)	$4.27	7.56%
Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM)	$1.11	7.28%
FireFly Metals Ltd (ASX: FFM)	$1.78	6.91%
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)	$9.13	6.66%
Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL)	$6.29	6.61%
Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX)	$4.85	6.13%
Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD)	$6.10	5.90%
Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB)	$3.72	5.68%
Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL)	$5.92	5.34%

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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.

Of all the ASX healthcare shares, Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL) is one of the most appealing businesses to me in the sector.

Sonic Healthcare describes itself as a global healthcare provider with specialist operations in laboratory medicine and pathology, radiology, general practice medicine and corporate medical services.

It’s headquartered in Sydney, but it has operations in a number of countries including Australia, Germany, USA, Switzerland, the UK, Belgium, Poland and New Zealand.

There are (at least) three great reasons to like the business.

Revenue growth with good tailwinds

The business is regularly delivering good revenue growth, which is an important element of long-term success. Sonic Healthcare is benefiting from the fact that there are ageing and growing population demographics in its core markets.

The FY26 half-year result showed the ability of the business to grow – revenue rose 17% year over year to $5.4 billion. That included organic revenue growth of 5%.

Sonic Healthcare has managed to drive its revenue through both organic expansion and acquisitions.

The great thing about being a global business is that Sonic can allocate its organic investment and acquisition attention to whichever market or opportunity it thinks is the best place for its money.

I believe the ASX healthcare share will be able to continue growing revenue at a good pace for the foreseeable future.

Good profit growth

Profit growth is even more important than revenue growth, of course.

Sonic’s profit is growing at a pleasing pace, which I think the market is underestimating. In the FY26 half-year result, Sonic Healthcare revealed operating profit (EBITDA) growth of 10%, net profit growth of 11% and operating cash flow growth of 10%.

As the business become larger, I expect its profit margins to increase, as it did in the past. The company noted that its underlying EBITDA margin did increase in the HY26 period.

According to the projection on Commsec, the Sonic Healthcare share price is valued at less than 18x FY26’s estimated earnings. The forecast on Commsec suggests the business could grow its earnings by 15% in FY27 and another 14% in FY28.

If the ASX healthcare share is able to continue growing its earnings by more than 10% in the coming years, it could justify more market excitement again about its prospects.

Rising dividend

One of the benefits of owning the ASX healthcare share is that the business is regularly increasing its payout.

It has increased its annual payout each year since FY13, meaning it has been able to give investors a pleasing level of payout consistency.

According to the projection on Commsec, the business could pay an annual dividend per share of $1.095 in FY26, which translates into a 5.25% dividend yield, excluding any franking credits.

Overall, I think this business is undervalued and has a promising future.

The post 3 reasons why this ASX healthcare share price is a buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Healthcare shares lead the ASX 200 again as sector rotation gathers pace

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