The Alkane Resources Ltd (ASX: ALK) share price is in focus today, after the company declared its first-ever fully franked final dividend of 2 cents per share for FY26 and announced a $50 million on-market share buy-back.

What did Alkane Resources report?

• Maiden fully franked final dividend of 2.0 cents per share for FY26
• Dividend record date: 8 September 2026; payment date: 1 October 2026
• Board approval of up to $50 million on-market share buy-back over the next 12 months
• Closing FY26 with cash, bullion and listed investments of A$454 million
• Record production, revenue and profit following merger with Mandalay Resources

What else do investors need to know?

Alkane Resources’ maiden dividend reflects a strong financial performance and aims to reward long-term shareholders, marking a new chapter for the gold and antimony producer. The buy-back will be executed on-market at the company’s discretion and is expected to represent less than 3% of total shares on issue, not requiring shareholder approval.

The announcement comes after a transformational year in which Alkane merged with Mandalay Resources, combining three operating mines across Australia and Sweden. The company continues with active near-mine exploration and holds a robust pipeline of potential growth projects, including its Boda-Kaiser Project.

What did Alkane Resources management say?

Alkane Resources’ CEO, Nic Earner, commented:

In conjunction with our maiden 2.0cps fully franked dividend announced today, the Share Buy-Back is a clear signal of confidence in Alkane’s ability to generate future cash flows and return capital to shareholders.

FY26 was a transformational year – we completed the merger of equals with Mandalay Resources, brought together three operating mines across two continents, and delivered record production, revenue and profit in our first year as a combined group, closing the year with cash, bullion and listed investments of A$454 million.

As the business evolves, our capital management strategies evolve in unison. A maiden dividend and a Share Buy-Back together reward our shareholders while preserving the balance sheet strength to continue funding organic growth across the portfolio.

What’s next for Alkane Resources?

Looking ahead, Alkane will focus on disciplined capital allocation, ongoing organic growth and delivering value through its diversified asset base. Management has earmarked reinvestment in the business as its top priority, followed by increased shareholder returns, and maintaining balance sheet strength.

Resource expansion activities at its existing mines and progressing the Boda-Kaiser Project will remain key strategic pillars. Investors can expect updates as these growth initiatives advance.

Alkane Resources share price snapshot

The Alkane Resources share price has significantly outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) over the past 12 months with an impressive gain of 90%.

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The post Alkane Resources declares maiden dividend and $50m share buy-back after strong FY26 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.

Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) shares could be one of the most underrated options for passive income on the ASX because of its dividend yield, in my view.

Medibank is the largest private health insurer in Australia, through two brands – Medibank and ahm.

For a variety of reasons, I believe Medibank may be one of the most underrated ASX dividend shares within the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

Regular dividend growth

I think one of the most important factors when it comes to passive income is consistency.

If I’m investing in something primarily for the passive income, then I want to have a high level of certainty that the dividends will continue flowing in all economic conditions, including when times become leaner.

There’s no guarantee of dividend payments, of course – they are not term deposits or annuities.

But I think some businesses are more likely to deliver regular payouts than others. Firstly, some businesses may already have a long dividend growth record they want to continue. Second, specific ASX shares operate in sectors that provide more predictable, defensive earnings. Healthcare is fairly defensive.

Medibank has increased its dividend every financial year (except for FY20) since its listing in FY15. It has a good track record of regularly increasing the payout.

In FY26, the business decided to hike its annual dividend per share by 6.7% to 19.2 cents. Earnings per share (EPS) jumped 27.5% to 23.2 cents, while underlying EPS grew 2.9% to 23.1 cents.

Good dividend yield

If Medibank continues to increase its payout each year, the dividend yield for long-term shareholders could keep improving.

The company’s 6.7% increase in the dividend was pleasing, considering the dividend yield was already at a pleasing level.

At the time of writing, and based on the current Medibank share price, the business has a FY26 grossed-up dividend yield of 6%, including franking credits. I expect the annual payout will grow in FY27.

Good outlook for growth in FY27

The ASX dividend share has provided outlook commentary suggesting further earnings improvement in the 2027 financial year.

Medibank said it aims to grow its resident policyholder market share in a disciplined way, including improved momentum for the Medibank brand. It also expects the FY27 resident private health insurance gross margin to be broadly consistent with FY27.

Non-resident private health insurance gross profit is expected to deliver solid growth in FY27.

With the compelling Medibank health division, segment profit growth is expected to be approximately 25% in FY27, partly due to a full-year contribution from Better Medical.

The ASX dividend share also expects to pursue further acquisition opportunities, which could help grow and diversify the overall business.

Overall, I think Medibank shares and its dividend yield are a compelling investment that I’d be happy to own for the long term.

The post Why I’d buy Medibank shares for the dividend yield 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 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 GQG Partners Inc. (ASX: GQG) share price is in focus after the global fund manager reported half-year revenue of US$397.2 million and net profit after tax of US$228.4 million for the six months ending 30 June 2026.

What did GQG Partners Inc. report?

• Revenue from ordinary activities: US$397.2 million, down 1.4% year on year
• Net profit after tax: US$228.4 million, down 0.8% year on year
• Average funds under management: US$164.5 billion, up 1.0% year on year
• Distributable earnings: US$234.9 million, down 0.7%
• Final dividend: US$0.0365 per share paid in March; interim dividend: US$0.0354 per share paid in June; new dividend declared: US$0.0362 per share, unfranked
• Net tangible assets per CDI: US$0.10 (30 June 2026), up from US$0.08

What else do investors need to know?

GQG Partners managed US$156.0 billion in assets at the end of June 2026, with net flows in the period negative at US$(15.1) billion. The business reported that all four major investment strategies trailed their benchmarks over one, three, and five years, mainly due to defensive positioning in volatile markets.

Operating expenses were tightly managed, falling 0.5% from the previous year. The company maintained a robust balance sheet with US$168.9 million in cash and no debt, and returned 90% of distributable earnings to shareholders through dividends.

What did GQG Partners management say?

Chief Executive Officer Tim Carver said:

It is my pleasure to share GQG’s results for the first half of 2026…Our business is headquartered in the United States, with offices in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom…We remain focused on delivering long-term value for clients through a disciplined investment process designed to compound capital across a range of market environments.

What’s next for GQG Partners?

Looking ahead, GQG Partners aims to stick with its active, benchmark-agnostic investment approach and continue building concentrated, high-conviction portfolios. Management highlighted opportunities for product innovation, especially in ETFs, following strong growth in its US Equity ETF.

The fund manager expects to maintain its disciplined cost base and strong dividend payout in line with its policy. GQG says it remains well positioned to serve and grow its diversified global client base, supported by a culture of co-investment and long-term value creation.

GQG Partners share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, GQG Partners shares have declined 18%, trailing the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

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The post GQG Partners: 2026 half-year earnings 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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Gqg Partners. 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.