On Tuesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form and raced higher. The benchmark index rose 0.7% to 9,164.6 points.

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

ASX 200 to rise

The Australian share market looks set for a good session on Wednesday following a positive night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 31 points or 0.35% higher. In the United States, the Dow Jones rose 0.3%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.3%, and the Nasdaq charged 0.65% higher.

Oil prices sink

ASX 200 energy shares including Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a tough session on Wednesday after oil prices sank overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 5% to US$80.81 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 6% to US$86.63 a barrel. This was driven by easing US-Iran war fears.

Buy EOS shares

In response to its results on Tuesday, Bell Potter has retained its buy rating and $12.60 price target on Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS) shares. It said: “EBITDA was $21.6m (4% beat vs. BPe) driven by higher-than-expected gross margins offset partially by higher opex which reflected a 42% YoY expansion in headcount as EOS scales geographic presence for further order book growth plus MARSS sign on bonuses.. […] Retain Buy. EOS is positioned as a C-UAS market leader leveraged to increasing budget allocations to C-UAS tech. The next 3-12 months is catalyst rich for EOS.”

Gold price rises

ASX 200 gold shares Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a good session on Wednesday after the gold price rose again. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is up 0.45% to US$4,719 an ounce. Traders bid the gold price close to a three-month high on US dollar weakness.

More ASX 200 results

Another group of ASX 200 shares will be releasing their results on Wednesday and will be on watch. This includes counter-drone technology company DroneShield (ASX: DRO), pizza chain operator Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP), supermarket giant Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), investment platform provider Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL), and logistics technology company WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC).

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

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, WiseTech Global, and Woolworths Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, DroneShield, Electro Optic Systems, Netwealth Group, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises. 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 surged to a new all-time record $68.22 on Tuesday, taking their 2026 gain to 48% and 12-month return to 58%.

That’s great news for BHP shareholders — myself included.

More than five years ago, I made one of my first Australian share purchases: BHP shares. So, how has that early bet worked out?

Let’s run the numbers.

$25,000 in BHP shares

At the end of 2020, I backed the $330 billion ASX mining giant at $36.63 per share. I invested $24,987 to buy 682 BHP shares.

What followed was an extraordinarily volatile five years. The investment began amid pandemic uncertainty, with commodity prices swinging wildly and BHP shares briefly falling into the low $30s.

Then came the commodity boom. Iron ore prices surged, BHP’s profits ballooned and the stocks climbed above $50 during 2021 and 2022.

The cycle eventually turned. China’s property slowdown weighed on iron ore and mining stocks, pushing BHP back towards the high $30s before the shares recovered.

The income and capital gains

With BHP shares now around $67, my original 682 stocks would be worth approximately $45,694. That represents a capital gain of about $20,707 before dividends.

But BHP isn’t just a capital-growth story. Its dividends have been a major part of the investment return. Over the five-year period, the miner paid approximately $19 per share in dividends. Across 682 shares, that equates to around $12,958 in income.

Add that to the capital value and the investment has generated roughly $58,650 in total value if dividends were taken as cash. That’s more than double the original investment.

Reinvesting the dividends

However, I opted to participate in BHP’s dividend reinvestment plan (DRP).

Assuming the dividends were reinvested at an average share price of around $51, the original 682 BHP shares could have grown to approximately 806 shares. At $67 per share, that holding would now be worth roughly $54,002.

Compared with the original $24,987 investment, that’s a gain of more than $29,000.

And the benefit doesn’t stop there. Owning more shares means future dividends are calculated on a larger holding.

The DRP effectively turned volatility into an opportunity. When BHP shares traded in the $30s and $40s, reinvested dividends bought more shares. When the mining cycle recovered, those additional shares amplified the gains.

Was the BHP investment worth it?

The past five years demonstrate two important things about BHP shares.

First, the mining giant remains highly cyclical. Investors need to stomach significant swings driven by commodity prices and global demand.

Second, when the commodity cycle works in BHP’s favour, its combination of earnings growth and substantial dividends can be powerful.

For a patient investor willing to ride out the volatility, my $25,000 BHP investment has turned into a holding worth more than $54,000.

Not bad for one of my first ASX share purchases.

The post I put $25,000 into BHP shares 5 years ago. Here’s what it’s worth now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has positions in BHP Group. 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.&amp;amp;amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;</p>

As earnings season continues, one ASX 300 stock that is drawing significant broker attention is Regal Partners Ltd (ASX: RPL). 

Regal Partners provides investment management services. It offers access to a diverse range of strategies covering hedge funds, private markets and real assets.

Over the last 12 months, it has experienced some volatility, and is down 3% in that span. 

However, following the release of full-year results, the team at Morgans have an improved outlook on the ASX 300 stock moving forward. 

What did this ASX 300 stock report?

In strong news out of the company, Regal Partners reported normalised NPAT of $93.3 million for the half, more than doubling the previous year. Funds under management rose to $21.4 billion, supported by record net inflows.

Other results included: 

• Normalised fully diluted earnings per share of 21.4 cents, up 104%
• Fully franked interim dividend of 12 cents per share declared for 1H26
• Balance sheet with approximately $290 million in capital post-dividend. 

The stock price has climbed more than 6% since Monday when these results were announced. 

The team at Morgans believe this is a sign of what’s to come over the next 12 months. 

What did Morgans have to say?

The team at Morgans said this ASX 300 stock has delivered another solid result. 

It was moderately above prior guidance (NPAT of “at least $90m” in July-26), resulting in Normalised NPAT increasing 108% (vs pcp) to $93.3m, supported by performance fees which increased 180% (vs pcp) to $119m. 

Importantly, the largely recurring management fees increased 14% (vs pcp), while the business trades on <10x PER. Phil King’s intended retirement is likely to continue weighing on the market, something we believe investors will overcome as the deep bench gains in profile (and presumably performance persists). On this basis, we retain our Buy recommendation with a $4.25/sh price target (previously $4.00).

Based on this updated price target, the broker sees approximately 50% upside from current levels. 

Elsewhere, Bell Potter has retained its buy rating and $4.80 price target on the company, suggesting 70% upside. 

Don’t forget the dividend 

If 50% upside isn’t enough, this ASX 300 stock also offers a very attractive dividend yield. 

Bell Potter is forecasting fully franked dividends per share of 19 cents in FY 2026, 20 cents in FY 2027, and then 22 cents in FY 2028. 

This represents yields of 6.7%, 7.1%, and 7.8%, respectively.

The post Attention! This ASX 300 stock could be set to rise 50% and has a 7% yield appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Regal Partners 1H26 earnings: Profit surges, FUM hits record high

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.