Consumer staples shares have performed strongly in 2026 as investors have pushed towards defensive options.

The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) has risen 13% year to date. 

This has far outpaced the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which is up just 0.66% in the same span. 

Despite the sector performing well, ASX consumer staples stock Select Harvests Ltd (ASX: SHV) is down significantly year to date. 

However, a new report from Bell Potter has indicated it could be set for a strong rebound. 

Company overview

Select Harvests is an integrated grower, processor and marketer of almonds, owning and operating farming and processing assets in Australia. 

It offers a vertically integrated model with core capabilities in farming, processing and marketing.

The company operates a diversified portfolio of almond orchards as well as a state-of-the-art processing facility in Carina VIC (with capacity to process 50,000t of almonds).

In 2026, the stock has fallen 20%, however Bell Potter’s latest guidance indicates it could recover in the next 12 months. 

Here’s what the broker had to say. 

Production maintained

Bell Potter said in yesterday’s report that the recent weakness in this ASX consumer staples stock is not supported by improving almond market fundamentals. 

Global almond prices have risen 11% year-on-year, while a weaker Australian dollar has lifted implied Californian almond prices to A$10.55-10.60/kg. 

This is above SHV’s 1H26 pricing assumption of A$10.21/kg.

Despite Select Harvest shares falling around 20% since the start of 2026, the company has maintained FY26 production guidance of 28,000–31,000 tonnes, which aligns with its expected theoretical production of around 29,000 tonnes. 

Bell Potter believes this suggests the market is overly focused on past operational issues rather than current fundamentals.

Taking into account the company’s foreign exchange hedge position, stronger-than-expected almond price trends, and benchmark market performance, Bell Potter sees upside risk to the company’s 1H26 almond price assumption. 

If current market prices persist, realised prices could be closer to A$10.50–10.60/kg, providing potential upside to earnings and the share price.

Strong upside in tact for consumer staples stock

Based on this guidance, Bell Potter has retained its buy recommendation and $5.30 price target. 

From current levels, this indicates an upside potential of 35%. 

SHV has had a series of disappointing results in recent years, however, the fundamental drivers of the business are improving – almond prices are rising, crop input prices (fertiliser and ag-chem) have weakened from the highs and forward year water lease coverage has improved.

The post Why this could be the best buy in the consumer staples sector right now: Expert  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 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.

Superannuation may be the best place to invest for passive income, thanks to the fact that the tax rate is so low compared to individual and company tax rates.

Superannuation investors could have a low tax rate in the accumulation phase and perhaps a 0% tax rate in the retirement phase.

When the income is taxed so little, it means investors’ after-tax income can be similar (or identical) to the before-tax income. It’s the after-tax income figure that investors should focus on, in my view.

If superannuation investors are after passive income, I think the following ideas are very compelling with $5,000 (or more).

Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)

This is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns a portfolio of industrial properties across the country. These buildings are located across high-demand areas where vacancy is low.

With tailwinds like e-commerce adoption, refrigerated space, and data centres driving increased demand for industrial demand, this is a strong tailwind for rental income and supporting distributions.

In the first half of FY26, the business reported like-for-like net operating income (NOI) growth of 5.1%, which I think is a solid rate of growth for a REIT. It also noted that its portfolio’s rental income potential growth is strong, with an average under-renting of 20% of its real estate, suggesting a big rental increase when the contract comes up for renewal.

The business declared passive income of 16.8 cents per security in FY26, translating into a distribution yield of 5.6%. I think it’s a good time to invest while interest rates are higher because that’s a headwind for property values – this effect could reverse once interest rates start coming down again.

Plus, it’s trading at a large double-digit discount to its net tangible assets (NTA), which was reported as $3.95 per unit as of 31 December 2025.

MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF)

Another ASX share that looks like an excellent passive income buy for superannuation is the listed investment company (LIC) MFF. LICs are a great investment structure because they enable the board to declare the size of dividends they want, allowing for consistent, growing dividends.

MFF has a stated intention to increase dividend payments to investors, which I believe makes it an appealing pick for investors seeking payout stability (and growth).

Companies pay for dividends from the profit they make. MFF generates income by generating investment returns from a portfolio of high-quality international shares with strong economic moats.

If you’re going to invest in shares, why not own some of the best contenders that can deliver good compounding earnings, which is a key driver of shareholder returns?  Retained investment returns that aren’t paid out as dividends can help drive the MFF share price higher over time as the underlying value of the business – measured by the NTA – grows.

MFF intends to pay an annual dividend per share of 21 cents for FY26, translating into a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.8%, including franking credits.

The post How to invest $5,000 for passive income in superannuation? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Mff Capital Investments. 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 Mff Capital Investments. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX dividend shares are a great way for Australian investors to earn a consistent passive income.

Passive income can also give investors a buffer against share market volatility. This is particularly valuable when share markets swing between peaks and troughs.

The catch is that it can be difficult to spot the ASX shares that are most reliable and can give you the passive income you’re targeting.

Let’s break it down, using $10,000 per year in passive income as an example.

What portfolio size do I need to get $10,000 in annual passive income from ASX shares?

The easy way to work out the amount of money you’d need is to divide your annual $10,000 passive income by the dividend yield of your overall portfolio.

The tricky part is that the answer varies widely depending on the dividend yield of the ASX shares you’d have in your portfolio. 

For example, a portfolio with a dividend yield of around 6% only needs to be half the size of one with a dividend yield of around 3% to generate the same level of dividend income. 

So, to receive $10,000 per year in passive income from ASX shares with a 3% dividend yield, you’d need a portfolio of around $333,000.

Then, as your dividend yield increases, the portfolio size needed to earn the same level of passive income goes down.

That means that if your portfolio has an overall dividend yield of around 4%, you’d need to invest closer to $250,000 to receive your $5,000 per year in passive income.

To get the same passive income from a 5% dividend yield, you’d need to invest $200,000.

You’d then need closer to $166,000 to earn the same income off shares with an overall 6% dividend yield.

Raise that portfolio yield to 7% or even 8%, and you would need to be closer to $143,000 or $125,000, respectively.

And so on.

These figures are based on cash dividends before any tax or franking credit benefits.

What ASX shares can I invest in to get my $10,000 annual passive income?

There is a huge range of ASX dividend shares available to buy, and their yields vary significantly. 

But here are a few of my favourites to get you started.

Lower yielding ASX dividend-paying shares such as Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) are solid and reliable shares that offer a yield of around 2% to 3%.

For a mid-range yielding ASX dividend option, I’d look at defensive assets like Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS), and blue-chip majors like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), which pay a dividend of around 3% to 4%.

For a higher 5% to 6% dividend yield, I’d look at dividend-payers like National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), retail giant Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN), or a REIT like Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT (ASX: CQE).

Packaging giant Amcor (ASX: AMC) yields closer to 7%, as does Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ).

If you want to take on more risk and go for a much higher-yielding ASX stock, my picks would be Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) or BetaShares Australian Top 20 Equities Yield Maximiser Complex ETF (ASX: YMAX). These typically yield 9% or more.

But keep in mind that ASX shares carry market risk. So, diversifying across established, cash-flow-heavy dividend-payers and income ETFs is the most reliable strategy.

What does a diversified portfolio look like?

Say you have $200,000 to invest; to earn $10,000 per year in passive income, you’d need a portfolio yield of around 5%. 

But remember, you don’t need to invest the whole $200,000 at once, and the dividend is the overall portfolio dividend, not exclusively ASX shares with individual dividend yields at 5%. 

For example, you could split your portfolio up so that around 65% is invested into mid-range yielding ASX shares, another 20% is invested into slightly higher yielding stocks, and the remaining 15% could be invested into riskier but much higher yielding shares.

I’d also look to buy the ASX shares across multiple sectors to diversify my portfolio even further.

It’s important to note that while a 5% yield from a diversified portfolio is a reasonable long-term target, it won’t be achieved every year. Your passive income will likely fluctuate, depending on the company’s profits and dividend decisions.

The post These ASX shares could generate $10,000 per year in 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 positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Amcor Plc, Harvey Norman, and Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, Nine Entertainment, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.