Forrestania Resources Ltd (ASX: FRS) has agreed to buy the Edna May Gold Hub from Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) in a deal worth $300 million in cash and scrip.

Transformational gold opportunity

Under the deal, Forrestania will pay Ramelius $200 million in cash and $100 million in its own shares for the hub, which includes the 2.9 million tonne per annum Edna May mill, associated infrastructure and the existing 945,000 ounce gold resource.

The company said the deal complements its Lake Johnston processing hub which is currently undergoing refurbishment.

Forrestania Chair David Geraghty said regarding the deal:

This transaction upholds Forrestania’s strategy to consolidate the proven and prospective gold assets in the Forrestania region. Approximately 12 months ago, Forrestania embarked on an aggressive M&A strategy to consolidate stranded high-quality gold assets and underexplored tenure surrounding Edna May. This strategy has been incredibly successful and set Forrestania up for today’s acquisition. Forrestania believes it has the proven development and delivery team that is ready to refurbish, upgrade and commission the 2.9Mtpa Edna May Mill going forward. This work will be completed in conjunction with Forrestania’s commissioning of Lake Johnston which is on-track for late 2026.

Forrestania said it was targeting a restart of the Edna May mill in the first half of 2027.

Forrestania shares were in a trading halt on Monday while the company completed a $300 million capital raise to fund the deal.

The company said it was targeting more than 6 million tonnes of ore processing capacity by the first half of 2027, with the Lake Johnston facility on track for commissioning in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Building a bigger WA footprint

The company added:

With Forrestania already holding significant tenure and JORC Resources surrounding Edna May, the acquisition builds-out its dual processing hub-and-spoke network, increasing Forrestania’s operational flexibility and ensuring the right ore goes to the right mill. With a permitted and existing processing plant and associated infrastructure, Edna May presents a compelling near-term restart opportunity and allows Forrestania to avoid the approvals burden, development timeline and increased capital intensity associated with greenfield developments.

Forrestania shares, which last changed hands for 42.5 cents, are expected to remain in a trading halt until Wednesday, July 1.

The company is currently valued at $569.2 million.

Ramelius shares were up 3% on the news.

Ramelius said in a statement to the ASX, “the transaction provides Ramelius with an opportunity to crystallise value from a non-core asset and further focus resources on its core business”, while also retaining exposure to Edna May through its equity in Forrestania.

The post This ASX gold company’s aggressive M&A program continues with $300 million deal 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.

With lots of ASX shares to choose from on the Australian market, it can be difficult to decide which ones to buy. The good news is that brokers across the country are doing a lot of the hard work for you.

Three top ASX shares that leading brokers have named as buys this week are outlined below. Here’s why they are bullish on them:

ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ)

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have retained their buy rating and $39.25 price target on this banking giant’s shares. Citi highlights that Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) recently downgraded its earnings guidance due to three specific exposures. The broker believes these exposures are a credit risk problem and not signs of a systemic issue. As a result, it isn’t worried about ANZ at this stage. However, it concedes that the economy is in a challenging place and there are macro headwinds that the big banks could face. Nevertheless, the broker likes ANZ due to its exposure to business banking, which it prefers to retail banking at present. The ANZ share price is trading at $35.11 on Monday.

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU)

A note out of Bell Potter reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating on this biotechnology company’s shares with an improved price target of $23.50. This follows news that European regulators have reversed a negative recommendation on its Daybue product, which makes its approval quite likely now. Outside this, the broker estimates that the market is giving no value to Neuren’s NNZ-2591 product, which is under development. This could be a big mistake given how it estimates the product could be a multi-billion-dollar value asset if it succeeds in its Phase 3 trial. Trial results for NNZ-2591 are expected towards the end of 2027. The Neuren Pharmaceuticals share price is fetching $15.63 at the time of writing.

Qualitas Ltd (ASX: QAL)

Analysts at Macquarie have retained their outperform rating on this alternative asset manager’s shares with a trimmed price target of $3.95. According to the note, the broker was pleased to see Qualitas upgrade its margin guidance for long-term funds management EBITDA. It notes that this is being driven by benefits from an AI-enabled platform that should streamline the investment process. In addition, it has been pleased to see the company continues its long run of growing funds under management quicker than peers. It expects this to underpin strong earnings per share growth through to at least FY 2028. The Qualitas share price is trading at $3.01 this morning.

The post Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why this ASX biotech stock is soaring 30% today
• Bell Potter says this ASX healthcare share could rise 93% (It’s not CSL)
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• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. 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 positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group and Qualitas. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Some investors enjoy picking individual shares.

I do too. But I also think there is a lot to be said for owning an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that can quietly keep working in the background for years.

That is why I would consider buying Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS).

It is not the most exciting ETF on the ASX. It does not try to pick the next hot sector, chase the latest theme, or concentrate money in a handful of fast-moving stocks.

But that is why I think it can be so useful.

A simple way to invest globally

The first thing I like about the VGS ETF is the access it provides.

The ETF gives investors exposure to a large portfolio of international shares across developed markets. That means an investor can gain exposure to many of the world’s largest companies without needing to pick individual winners overseas.

For Australian investors, I think that is valuable.

The ASX has plenty of good companies, but it does not offer the same depth in areas such as global technology, healthcare, consumer brands, industrials, payments, and software.

A global ETF can help fill that gap.

Rather than relying only on Australian banks, miners, retailers, and infrastructure names, investors can own a broader mix of businesses that earn money across many countries and industries.

That can make a portfolio feel more balanced over the long term.

Why simplicity can be powerful

One of the underrated strengths of ETFs is that they reduce the number of decisions an investor has to make.

Investing can become harder than it needs to be when every dollar has to be allocated to one specific company. Investors need to think about valuation, earnings, management, competition, risk, and whether something better is available.

With a broad ETF, the decision is simpler. Investors are buying a slice of a large market and letting time do more of the work.

That does not mean returns are guaranteed. Share markets can fall, currencies can move, and global investors can go through long periods of poor sentiment.

But I think the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF suits investors who want to keep adding money over time without constantly needing to make big calls.

It can be a useful default option for spare cash, regular investing plans, or long-term wealth building.

A long-term compounding machine

The reason I like VGS ETF is not because it will shoot the lights out every year.

It is because it offers exposure to thousands of businesses competing, adapting, reinvesting, and trying to become more profitable over time.

Some companies in the ETF will disappoint. Others may become much larger. The beauty of a broad ETF is that investors do not need to know in advance which names will do all the best work.

The fund can evolve as markets evolve.

That is important because the global economy changes. New leaders emerge, old leaders fade, and industries shift. A broad international ETF can move with those changes in a way that a static list of hand-picked shares may not.

Foolish Takeaway

If I wanted to keep investing simple, the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF would be one of the first ASX ETFs I would consider buying.

It offers global diversification, access to industries that are harder to find on the ASX, and a straightforward way to keep putting money to work over the long term.

It will still have weak years, and investors need patience. But for those trying to build wealth without overcomplicating the process, I think it could be a smart ETF to buy and hold for decades.

The post The amazing ASX ETF I’d buy for easy investing appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Own Vanguard ASX ETFs? Here is your next dividend

Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino 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 Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.