Of all the ASX healthcare shares, Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL) is one of the most appealing businesses to me in the sector.

Sonic Healthcare describes itself as a global healthcare provider with specialist operations in laboratory medicine and pathology, radiology, general practice medicine and corporate medical services.

It’s headquartered in Sydney, but it has operations in a number of countries including Australia, Germany, USA, Switzerland, the UK, Belgium, Poland and New Zealand.

There are (at least) three great reasons to like the business.

Revenue growth with good tailwinds

The business is regularly delivering good revenue growth, which is an important element of long-term success. Sonic Healthcare is benefiting from the fact that there are ageing and growing population demographics in its core markets.

The FY26 half-year result showed the ability of the business to grow – revenue rose 17% year over year to $5.4 billion. That included organic revenue growth of 5%.

Sonic Healthcare has managed to drive its revenue through both organic expansion and acquisitions.

The great thing about being a global business is that Sonic can allocate its organic investment and acquisition attention to whichever market or opportunity it thinks is the best place for its money.

I believe the ASX healthcare share will be able to continue growing revenue at a good pace for the foreseeable future.

Good profit growth

Profit growth is even more important than revenue growth, of course.

Sonic’s profit is growing at a pleasing pace, which I think the market is underestimating. In the FY26 half-year result, Sonic Healthcare revealed operating profit (EBITDA) growth of 10%, net profit growth of 11% and operating cash flow growth of 10%.

As the business become larger, I expect its profit margins to increase, as it did in the past. The company noted that its underlying EBITDA margin did increase in the HY26 period.

According to the projection on Commsec, the Sonic Healthcare share price is valued at less than 18x FY26’s estimated earnings. The forecast on Commsec suggests the business could grow its earnings by 15% in FY27 and another 14% in FY28.

If the ASX healthcare share is able to continue growing its earnings by more than 10% in the coming years, it could justify more market excitement again about its prospects.

Rising dividend

One of the benefits of owning the ASX healthcare share is that the business is regularly increasing its payout.

It has increased its annual payout each year since FY13, meaning it has been able to give investors a pleasing level of payout consistency.

According to the projection on Commsec, the business could pay an annual dividend per share of $1.095 in FY26, which translates into a 5.25% dividend yield, excluding any franking credits.

Overall, I think this business is undervalued and has a promising future.

The post 3 reasons why this ASX healthcare share price is a buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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 Sonic Healthcare. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Of all the ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in my portfolio, of which there are a few, there’s only one that I think is looking attractive right now. Sure, my index funds, which include the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) and the Vanguard MSCI Australian Small Companies Index ETF (ASX: VSO), are always solid options. But neither of these funds is looking like a screaming bargain at today’s prices. At least in my opinion.

But the VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)? That’s a different story.

The VanEck Wide Moat ETF is a rather unique fund on the ASX. It is not your traditional index fund, blindly following an entire market. Instead, it is an actively managed ASX ETF that holds a relatively concentrated portfolio of US stocks.

Not just any US stock finds its way into the MOAT portfolio, though. Each holding is only selected if it appears to display signs of possessing a wide economic moat. A moat is a concept first coined by legendary investor Warren Buffett. It describes an intrinsic competitive advantage that a company can possess and use to keep its customers coming back and its competition at bay. Much as a literal moat protected a castle from marauders in days of yore.

There are many types of moats that a company might have. It could be a powerful and trusted brand, or a cost advantage that allows a company to offer consistently lower prices than its rivals. It could also be offering a product or service that customers find difficult to avoid using.

Only companies that Morningstar determines possess at least one of these moats are eligible for inclusion in the VanEck Wide Moat ETF. To illustrate, some of its current holdings include Airbnb, Microsoft, Nvidia, Nike, Disney, Clorox, Amazon, and PepsiCo.

Whether it’s Airbnb’s brand, Nvidia’s cutting-edge chips, Disney’s intellectual property assets, or Amazon’s cost advantage, you can see why these companies might possess a moat.

But let’s talk about this ETF itself.

Why this ASX ETF is looking hot right now

Over long periods of time, MOAT units have returned some impressive numbers. As of 30 June, this ASX ETF has delivered an average of 14.4% per annum over the past ten years (that’s growth plus dividend returns). Since inception in 2015, the number is 13.94% per annum.

Yet the past year has been a lacklustre one for this fund. Over the 12 months to 30 June, investors banked just 5.97%. Indeed, over this same period, the MOAT unit price itself has gone backwards by about 3.8%. As of today’s pricing, the gap is even wider at a 6.2% loss.

Yet I think this makes this ASX ETF a compelling investing opportunity. This ETF has the runs on the board to show that its strategy is a successful one over long periods of time. As such, any pullback or departure from the mean might be a great time to pick up some units. I’ve had this ETF in my portfolio for many years, and it has been a lucrative investment. As such, I’m considering adding some more at current levels.

The post I think this Buffett-inspired ASX ETF is in the buy zone right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Amazon, Microsoft, PepsiCo, VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF, Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF, and Vanguard Msci Australian Small Companies Index ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Airbnb, Amazon, Microsoft, Nike, Nvidia, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Airbnb, Amazon, Microsoft, Nike, Nvidia, VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

It’s been a tough year for the Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price.

In afternoon trade on Wednesday, the world’s first and biggest crypto by market cap is trading for US$66,185.

While that’s up 1.2% over the past 24 hours and up 3.4 over the past month, the price remains down 47.5% since the token hit an all-time high of US$126,198 on 7 October.

And crypto investors won’t have found any shelter in Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) either.

At US$1,930, the Ethereum price is up 3.2% over the last week, but down 48% since this time last year.

The world’s number two crypto by market cap notched its own record high of US$4,954 on 25 August 2025, leaving the token down 61% from that record.

Which brings us back to US lawmakers.

Could this US legislation support a Bitcoin price rebound?

Yesterday the Bitcoin price jumped 2.5% amid news that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the nation’s crypto regulating Clarity Act was close to potentially passing through Congress.

If passed, the Clarity Act will give the SEC and the CFTC departments oversight into crypto trading, which could fully open the door to trading in cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum in US stock markets.

Commenting on potential impact of the Clarity Act, should it pass, Miller Tabak + Co chief market strategist Matt Maley said (quoted by Bloomberg):

Bitcoin has quietly been building a nice ‘base’ by trading within a sideways range since early June. Now, with the Clarity Act getting closer to passage, it is trying to rally past of the top end of that range. So, if the act can push over the goal line, it could be a nice catalyst for a strong breakout move by Bitcoin.

Why has the world’s top crypto crashed this year?

Through much of 2025, the Bitcoin price enjoyed strong buying support from the so-called debasement trade. That trade saw investors buying crypto currencies and gold as a hedge against a falling US dollar.

But that trade went into reverse this year as investors eyed a rapidly changing outlook for previously forecast interest rate cuts from the US Federal Reserve. Indeed, with inflation ticking higher in the world’s top economy, many analysts expect the Fed to hold tight or even raise rates this year.

These changing expectations have seen the US dollar gain against most international currencies. And they’ve sent the Bitcoin and Ethereum prices tumbling.

The post Could US lawmakers drive a rebound in the beaten-down Bitcoin price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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 Bitcoin and Ethereum. 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.