Stock Pick

  • Woodside, New Hope, Flight Centre shares: Buy, hold, or sell?

    A male investor sits at his desk looking at his laptop screen holding his hand to his chin pondering whether to buy Macquarie shares

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has sunk lower again in early morning trade on Wednesday. Here’s how three major ASX shares, Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS), New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC), and Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) are tracking today, and what brokers expect next.

    Brokers rate Flight Centre shares as a BUY

    Flight Centre shares have fallen around 1% to $10.16 in Wednesday morning trade. The ASX travel shares have now fallen around 26% since the company posted a weaker FY26 result in late-August. They’re also down 32% for the year-to-date. Flight Centre hasn’t posted any price-sensitive news since its results announcement.

    The company faced several headwinds through its fourth quarter after conflict in the Middle East disrupted global travel plans. Its FY26 underlying profit before tax came in around 2% below market expectations and its leisure division missed consensus by about 8%.

    The company also expects travel to be subdued through the first half of FY27 while the conflict still goes unresolved. Flight Centre expects corporate earnings to be more heavily weighted toward the second half, with first-half profit likely to come in below last year.

    Investors aren’t impressed, and Flight Centre’s share price continues to be depressed.

    But the experts are much more bullish. Market Index shows that the majority of brokers still have a strong buy rating. The $13.75 average target price implies an upside of around 35%, at the time of writing.

    Brokers rate Woodside shares as a HOLD

    Woodside shares are climbing higher on Wednesday, up around 0.5% to $32.92 at the time of writing. The ASX energy shares have now climbed nearly 7% higher in October so far, and they’re up around 39% for the year-to-date.

    There isn’t any recent price-sentivie news out of the oil and gas major to explain this month’s rebound. The increase in investor interest is mostly likely the result of a climbing oil price.

    Trading Economics data shows that crude oil is close to US$95 per barrel, marking its fifth consecutive session of gains as conflict between ITan and Saudi Arabia intensifies further, renewing concerns about global oil supply out of the region.

    Woodside shares are also gathering investor attention following the company’s first-half FY26 update in August. The company reported a 13% increase in operating revenue, a 27% increase in NPAT, a 7% increase in underlying NPAT, and a huge increase in free cash flow to US$352 million.

    This past year has been a great success story for Woodside shares, but it looks like the shares could now be at, or past, fair value.

    Market Index data shows that all brokers have a hold rating on the shares. And thanks to the latest rally, the $28.51 average target price implies a downside of around 13%, at the time of writing.

    Brokers rate New Hope shares as a SELL

    New Hope shares are roughly flat, at $6 each, at the time of writing on Wednesday morning. The thermal coal miner’s shares have had a rocky ride over the past 12 months, fluctuating between $3.77 and $6.61. But they’re now up around 48% for the year-to-date.

    The miner lost some investor confidence last month after it posted its latest coal production update. But it flagged that weaker coal prices hit earnings hard, with its underlying EBITDA falling 32.8% to $514.3 million. Net profit after tax (NPAT) also came in at $161 million, down 63.4% from the previous year.

    The experts were also unimpressed, saying that the results came in below expectations.

    Market Index shows that the majority of brokers now have a sell rating on New Hope shares. The $5.68 average target price now implies a downside of around 5%, at the time of writing.

    The post Woodside, New Hope, Flight Centre shares: Buy, hold, or sell? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    More reading

    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 recommended Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • This ASX gold developer could rise more than 70%: Broker

    Stacked gold bricks.

    WIA Gold Ltd (ASX: WIA) has recently made progress on several fronts at its Kokoseb gold project in Namibia, where it is planning a mining operation valued at US$475 million.

    The progress has piqued the interest of the analysts at Barrenjoey, who have issued a new research report on the company with a bullish share price target, which I’ll get to shortly.

    First, let’s have a look at what the company has been up to.

    Drilling shores up confidence

    Most recently, WIA Gold said in a statement to the ASX that recent drilling results from 33 new holes demonstrated strong grade continuity at the underground resource.

    The central underground exploration target was also extended by 170m to the northeast and continuity of the mineralisation was confirmed for 300m to the southwest.

    Significant assay results included 15.5m at 6.53 grams per tonne of gold from 499.5m.

    WIA Managing Director Henk Diederichs said:

    Our underground drilling programme continues to deliver both scale and grade, reinforcing the underground opportunity emerging beneath the planned open pit at Kokoseb. Recent drilling has extended the Central Underground Exploration Target by approximately 470 metres, while the Southern Underground Exploration Target remains open at depth and continues to return encouraging widths and grades. Results from the Deep High-Grade Exploration Target continue to highlight the broader underground potential of the Project.

    Expansion on the cards

    The drilling results follow WIA announcing in September that a review of their definitive feasibility study had found that an increase in processing throughput from 5.25 million tonnes per year to 7 million was viable.

    The company added:

    Based on a preliminary review, the definitive feasibility study mine schedule could supply a 7Mtpa plant without modification to the underlying mining schedule. No changes to mining costs, Ore Reserves or production schedules have been considered as part of the process plant engineering review.

    Barrenjoey said in its new research note on the company that the new drilling results supported its exploration target of 10 to 15 million tonnes of ore at 2 to 2.5 grams per tonne of gold.

    They added:

    Definition of sufficient high grade material at depth could boost Kokoseb project economics in the future through underground mining.

    Barrenjoey has a price target on WIA shares of 80 cents compared to 45 cents currently.

    The broker said:

    Our valuation is based on an exclusively open pit operation. Underground mining could expand operational mine life and is not included in our current forecasts.

    WIA Gold is valued at $898.5 million.

    The post This ASX gold developer could rise more than 70%: Broker appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.

  • Orora FY26 earnings: Cans strong, Glass under pressure

    A woman sits in a cafe wearing a polka dotted shirt and holding a latte in one hand while reading something on a laptop that is sitting on the table in front of her

    The Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA) share price is in focus after the company reported underlying NPAT of $142.2 million for FY26 with flat underlying EPS at 11.4 cents per share. While the Cans business delivered robust growth, the Glass division faced ongoing challenges, including a €450 million non-cash impairment.

    What did Orora report?

    • Revenue: Cans revenue up 13.3% to $880 million; Saverglass revenue up 0.8% to €617.2 million; Gawler revenue flat at $284.5 million
    • Underlying NPAT: $142.2 million, down 6% from FY25
    • EBITDA: $420.3 million, broadly flat year on year
    • Underlying EPS: 11.4 cents, unchanged from prior year
    • Net debt: $481.1 million; cash realisation at 98.3%
    • Share buyback: 56 million shares repurchased for $118 million in FY26

    What else do investors need to know?

    Orora’s Cans division enjoyed strong demand, with 6.3% volume growth thanks to capacity expansion and ongoing customer preference for cans. The company’s large-scale Rocklea expansion neared completion, adding further production capacity to the network. In contrast, the Glass business—comprising Saverglass and Gawler—continued to face softer consumer demand, disrupted export markets, and adverse price/mix effects.

    A key development was the €450 million non-cash impairment of the Glass business, reflecting ongoing geopolitical, trade, and market pressures. Saverglass did achieve volume and market share growth, but this was tilted toward lower-margin products. Gawler’s operational shift from three furnaces to two delivered efficiency gains despite subdued market conditions.

    What did Orora management say?

    Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer Brian Lowe said:

    While FY26 was certainly a challenging year, it demonstrated the strength of our Cans business, the resilience of our people and our willingness to act when performance does not meet expectations. We enter FY27 having largely completed our Cans capacity expansion program and with a clear plan to improve performance in Glass. Our responsibility now is execution: improving safety, delivering consistently for customers and converting our investments and market positions into stronger earnings, cash flow and shareholder returns.

    What’s next for Orora?

    Looking ahead to FY27, Orora expects continued growth in its Cans business, with volume increases of 4–6% and higher EBIT predicted due to major network expansions. The Glass division is focused on six clear priorities to lift EBIT by over €30 million by FY30, but management warns that Saverglass EBIT will remain under pressure in the short term due to ongoing external challenges.

    The company will keep a sharp eye on economic and geopolitical risks, especially US tariffs and Middle East disruptions, with benefits from Glass turnaround initiatives expected to build later in FY27 and beyond. Continued execution of sustainability initiatives and disciplined capital management remain top priorities.

    Orora share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, Orora shares have declined 34%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 2% over the same period.

    View Original Announcement

    The post Orora FY26 earnings: Cans strong, Glass under pressure appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    More reading

    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 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.

The Latest

Sorry, but nothing was found. Please try a search with different keywords.