The IDP Education Ltd (ASXL IEL) share price is in focus after the company reported revenue of $795.4 million, down 11% from last year, and net profit after tax of $13.3 million, a fall of 74%.

What did IDP Education report?

• Revenue: $795.4 million, down 11%
• Statutory net profit after tax (NPAT): $13.3 million, down 74%
• Adjusted NPAT: $57.1 million, down 18%
• Adjusted EBIT: $122.9 million, down 3%
• Final dividend: 6.0 cents per share, unfranked
• EBITDA margin: 15.4% (Adjusted EBIT as percentage of revenue)

What else do investors need to know?

The drop in IDP Education’s earnings was mainly caused by weaker international student demand as a result of ongoing policy changes and tighter migration settings in key markets. Student Placement volumes tumbled by 27% and IELTS English Language Testing volumes dropped by 8%. Despite these headwinds, IDP delivered a $32 million underlying reduction in overhead costs, exceeding its transformation target, and continued to generate strong cash flow, bringing net debt down by 29% to $118.6 million.

IDP also launched a share buy-back program of up to $50 million, reflecting strong capital management and confidence in its transformation strategy. The business continued investing in technology and AI tools, launching new digital products such as FastLane Propose and expanding into the Chinese testing market.

What did IDP Education management say?

IDP Education’s CEO, Tennealle O’Shannessy, commented:

I would like to thank our people around the world for their hard work, resilience and unwavering commitment to delivering meaningful outcomes for our students and university partners. Despite the challenges faced by both our teams and student community, maintaining outstanding NPS and trust scores is an exceptional achievement.

What’s next for IDP Education?

Looking ahead, IDP expects challenging market conditions to persist in FY27, with tightening migration and student visa policies likely to weigh on volumes for a third year. However, management remains focused on building a more agile, technology-enabled business and driving further cost efficiencies. The multi-year transformation program aims to diversify revenue streams, improve margins, and consolidate IDP’s position as a quality leader in international education.

The company plans to leverage its strong balance sheet to invest in digital capability, data, and AI, while expanding its Student Placement destinations and IELTS English testing centres. Investors can also expect continued focus on shareholder returns through the announced buy-back.

IDP Education share price snapshot

The IDP Education share price is down approximately 55% over the past 12 months, while the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) has gained around 1.5% in the same period.

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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 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 Australian Finance Group Ltd (ASX: AFG) share price is in focus today after the company reported FY26 profit up 39% to $49 million, with EBITDA surging 32% and residential lending settlements growing by 18% to $75 billion.

What did Australian Finance Group report?

• Reported NPAT rose to $49 million, up 39% year on year
• EBITDA increased 32% to $74.4 million
• Residential lending settlements grew 18% to $75 billion
• Asset finance settlements were up 19%, reaching $4.3 billion
• Final dividend of 4.8 cents per share, total DPS 9.5 cents (up 4%)
• Net interest margin expanded 9 basis points to 1.25%

What else do investors need to know?

Australian Finance Group has broadened its earnings base, with recurring and diversified income streams now making up 78% of its mix, helping to cushion short-term mortgage market volatility. BrokerEngine subscribers climbed 19% to 4,400, and broker services subscription income rose 13% to $24 million, now representing 23% of Distribution earnings.

The company invested $21 million to drive further growth, including technology, new funding, and minority stakes in broker businesses. AFG’s balance sheet remains strong with $63 million in unrestricted cash and a 94% cash conversion rate, while a share buy-back of up to $15 million was announced in June 2026.

What’s next for Australian Finance Group?

AFG expects continued EBITDA uplift into FY27, with around $13 million in annualised benefit already embedded from recent investments. The group is maintaining focus on margin discipline, funding diversity, and efficiency gains, with further investments in systems, automation, and artificial intelligence planned to support productivity and future growth.

While residential activity has softened in the last two months, AFG sees long-term demand for brokers and competitive lending options supporting its position. The company aims to increase the share of broker service income and expand its AFG Securities loan book, tracking towards FY29 aspirations.

Australian Finance Group share price snapshot

Over the 12 months, Australian Finance Group shares have declined 36%, trailing the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 1% over the same period.

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The post Australian Finance Group reports FY26 profit growth and expanded earnings base appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Brambles Ltd (ASX: BXB) share price is in focus today after the supply chain giant reported sales revenue of US$7.04 billion, up 2%, and underlying profit of US$1.49 billion, up 4% for the year ended 30 June 2026.

What did Brambles report?

• Sales revenue: US$7,042.9 million, up 2% (constant FX)
• Underlying profit: US$1,494.4 million, up 4% (constant FX)
• Operating profit after tax: US$948.5 million, up 5% (constant FX)
• Basic EPS (continuing operations): 69.9 US cents, up 6% (constant FX)
• Final dividend: 23.15 US cents per share (total FY26 dividends up 16% on FY25)
• Free cash flow before dividends: US$1,048.2 million

What else do investors need to know?

Brambles navigated a year marked by persistent inflation and softer consumer demand, especially across its major US and European markets. The company faced operational challenges in the US during the fourth quarter, including repair capacity constraints that created service level issues and dented underlying profit by about US$90 million.

Despite these headwinds, Brambles invested in network upgrades and additional pallet purchases to improve availability and service quality for customers, with clear plans to boost repair capacity and resilience in the US. Strong demand from new customers and momentum in digital and sustainability initiatives continued across key markets.

What did Brambles management say?

Brambles CEO, Graham Chipchase, commented:

We delivered a resilient FY26 result, growing earnings and generating strong free cash flow while advancing initiatives across quality, network and digital that strengthen our long-term competitive advantage and support future growth and value creation.

Our actions are already delivering positive results, with customer order fulfilment improving materially since mid-April. We remain on track to resolve the repair capacity constraints by the end of the first half of FY27 and position our US business to strengthen customer relationships and pursue growth, with quality as a key source of competitive advantage.

What’s next for Brambles?

Looking ahead, Brambles expects sales revenue growth of 2–4% and underlying profit growth of 2–6% at constant currency in FY27. Free cash flow before dividends is forecast between US$800 million and US$950 million.

The company is focused on resolving US repair constraints, accelerating digital transformation, and supporting customers with resilient, efficient supply chains. A decision on a potential North American rollout of its Serialisation+ digital solution is expected in the third quarter of FY27. Brambles also reaffirmed its FY28 margin expansion target and plans to complete its current share buy-back program.

Brambles share price snapshot

The Brambles share price has been a poor performer over the past 12 months. During this time, its shares have fallen 16%, compared to a modest 1.5% gain by the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO).

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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 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.