Shares in AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) spiked sharply in early trade after the company provided a positive earnings update for the first half.

AMP’s first half will trounce last year’s result

The financial services company said in a statement to the ASX that it expected underlying net profit to come in at $170 to $180 million.

This compares to $131 million for the same period last year.

There were several reasons for the upgrade, including a stronger contribution from AMP’s China business, a favourable investment income contribution, and a one-off contribution from the partial sale of assets in a legacy fund.

On the latter, AMP had this to say:

As disclosed on 12 February 2026, AMP’s right to receive carried interest in a legacy fund in which DigitalBridge had sold a 51% interest in remaining assets was subject to certain conditions, including sale of the remaining interest in those assets and regulatory approvals. Further to that announcement, DigitalBridge has chosen to pay a portion of the carried interest to AMP, associated with the sale of the 51% interest, prior to the sale of the remaining interest in the assets. The other sale conditions have been satisfied.

The sale netted AMP about $13 million, and the company said there was the possibility of further payments in the future.

AMP said:

There remains the potential to realise additional carried interest from the sale of the remaining 49% interest in the assets. Entitlement to any further carried interest is subject to conditions, is uncertain and cannot be determined until the sale of the remaining interest.

AMP also said it would recognise a negative revaluation of $12 million in sponsor investments.

AMP shares trading strongly

AMP shares traded as high as $1.89 on the news before settling back to be 2% higher at $1.76.

Over a one-year period, the stock is up 17.8%.

AMP also recently completed its $150 million share buyback, which bought back about 99 million shares at an average price of $1.52.

AMP chair Blair Vernon said re the buyback:

The completion of this Buyback reflects our disciplined approach to capital management, while maintaining a strong and resilient balance sheet. As we focus on driving momentum in our wealth businesses and delivering strong cash generation, we remain committed to returning surplus capital to shareholders.

AMP will announce its half-year results on August 6.

The company is valued at $4.21 billion and is currently paying a 20% franked dividend yield of 2.31%.

The post Why are AMP shares trading higher today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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.

If you can pick the right companies, buying into ASX mining shares as the company progresses from explorer to miner can be a lucrative way to invest.

Naturally, picking the right companies to invest in is the key.

I’ve had a look at the reports coming out of broker Shaw and Partners this week, and there are two companies they think could do extremely well.

Let’s see who they like.

Brightstar Resources Ltd (ASX: BTR)

Brightstar shares have not performed well over the past year, sliding just more than 40% to be changing hands for 32 cents.

The company in recent days released a new mineral resource estimate for its Sandstone project, saying the amount of gold contained on a measured and indicated resource basis had more than doubled to 1.1 million ounces.

Overall, the company said it had resources of 4.5 million ounces.

The company also said drilling was ongoing at Sandstone, with four rigs operating.

Brightstar Managing Director Alex Rovira said:

A huge amount of drilling has been completed at the project, so it is encouraging to see the results reflected in this interim MRE update. The result has exceeded expectations for Mineral Resource growth in this first update, with the strategic focus to date on improving the quality of the Mineral Resource ahead of the prefeasibility study and eventual mining development. Importantly, the project now hosts 1.1Moz of Indicated-classified Mineral Resources. This higher confidence is crucial for the delivery of our PFS, and we are targeting further increases in subsequent estimates with drilling underway now at key deposits such as Bull Oak, Indomitable and Two Mile Hill-Shillington.

Shaw and Partners said the project, “in our view, the project suffers from perceptions of uncertainty”.

They added:

Sandstone currently has no mine study, no Reserve and limited measured and indicated resources, at least prior to today. This Resource upgrade could help persuade that Sandstone has a critical mass of gold to justify development.

Shaw and Partners has a price target of $1.23 on Brightstar shares.  

Global Lithium Resources Ltd (ASX: GL1)

Shaw and Partners said GL1’s recent deal to buy a nickel-copper processing plant from IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)’s Nova division, which it could convert to process lithium ore from its Manna lithium project, was a positive.

They added:

The acquisition will accelerate Manna’s development pathway by leveraging Nova’s commissioned infrastructure rather than GL1 having to construct a standalone processing plant. This will well and truly allow GL1 to capture the forecast 2027/28 lift in lithium demand and position GL1 as a near-term producer.

Shaw and Partners has a price target of $1.75 on GL1 shares compared to 46.5 cents currently.

The post 2 ASX mining project developers which could more than triple in value appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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.

ASX stocks are a fantastic place to invest for passive income in retirement. But, I’d only choose investments that I’m confident can provide rewarding and resilient payouts.

Not every business can be reliable, partly because of the industry they operate in. Miners, for example, are heavily exposed to movements in resources prices – this can lead to large rises and large declines of resource prices (and dividend payouts).

There are plenty of great dividend options beyond the large ASX blue-chip shares. I’m going to outline two I’d happily invest $15,000 into.

Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)

I think Rural Funds is one of the leading real estate investment trusts (REITs) for passive income. The business owns a portfolio of farms across the country, including almonds, macadamias, cattle, vineyards, and cropping.

Having this investment gives Aussies diversification because Rural Funds offers something different to most other ASX dividend shares, and its own portfolio is diversified across various food segments.

Rural Funds recently took the responsible decision to sell some of its farms to improve its debt position, and this is also expected to improve its adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) – that’s the net rental profit.

The business’ FY26 payout of 11.73 cents per unit translates into a distribution yield of 5.3%, which I’d describe as a solid starting yield for retirement. It hasn’t ever reduced its cash payout since it started paying more than a decade ago.

The payout can increase in the future thanks to its built-in rental indexation. Most of the farms have rental increases that are fixed, or linked to inflation, plus market reviews.

Future Generation Global (ASX: FGG)

Another ASX stock I want to highlight is the listed investment company (LIC) Future Generation Global, an investment vehicle that gives exposure to the global share market.

All of the fund managers involved in the LIC work for free so that Future Generation Global can donate 1% of its net assets each year to youth mental charities. The LIC is invested in more than a dozen different funds from different fund managers, giving shareholders exposure to more than 3,000 underlying shares – that’s great diversification!

The business is able to provide investors with a solid dividend thanks to all of the investment returns it has already made over previous years and continues to make.

Future Generation Global recently lifted its FY26 interim dividend by 5% year over year, taking its annualised payout to 8.4 cents per share. This translates into a forward grossed-up dividend yield of around 7%, including franking credits, at the time of writing. I think that’s a wonderful yield for people in retirement. The ASX stock has increased its payout each year since FY19, so it has given investors several years of dividend hikes already, and I expect more in the coming years.

The post How to invest $15,000 for passive income in retirement appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much superannuation is needed to target a $100,000 annual passive income?
• Why this ASX dividend share is a retiree’s dream for FY27
• How should I invest my money in FY27?
• How much is needed in superannuation to target a $70,000 annual passive income?
• How much is needed in superannuation to target $60,000 in annual passive income?

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Future Generation Global and Rural Funds 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 positions in and has recommended Rural Funds Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.