Well, one of the biggest pieces of news on the ASX so far this week has been the blockbuster earnings of healthcare giant CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL). CSL delivered its full-year results for FY2026 yesterday. And boy, did the markets grab them (and plenty of CSL shares) and run.

By the end of yesterday’s session, the CSL share price had rocketed a massive 17.25% for its best day in 20 years.

As we covered yesterday, there were a lot of lukewarm numbers in this ASX 200 healthcare stock‘s latest report. The company reported total revenues of US$15.89 billion for the year ended 30 June 2026. That was down 1% year-on-year. Underlying net profits after tax dropped 2% to US$3.1 billion.

A number of one-off costs and impairments drove CSL to a statutory net loss after tax of US$2.6 billion.

However, as my Fool colleague Mark discussed yesterday, it seems that the unbridled optimism we have seen for CSL shares this week has stemmed from its optimistic guidance for FY2027 and beyond.

CSL told investors to expect underlying net profits after tax growth of around 5% over FY27. This indicates a return to form is on the cards for a company that repeatedly dazzled investors for the decade leading up to 2020, before a series of events tanked the company’s fortunes.

Hopefully, CSL can deliver this turnaround. But now, I want to focus on one metric that has caught my eye in CSL’s latest numbers.

CSL shares surge despite a dividend hold

That metric is the final dividend that CSL will pay out in October. Yesterday, CSL revealed that this dividend will be worth US$1.60 per share. Coupled with April’s interim dividend of US$1.30 per share, the company is set to dole out a total of US$2.92 in dividends per share in 2026.

That metric is significant because it marks only the second time that CSL will not be delivering a dividend hike to its shareholders. In fact, the last time that CSL didn’t increase its year-on-year payouts was in 2022, largely thanks to the aftermath of the pandemic. You’d have to go back at least another decade to find any more instances of a dividend hold from this company.

This is a personal disappointment for me. I bought CSL shares many years ago, in part thanks to its strong history of dividend growth. As such, I was rather dismayed to see another hold on CSL’s 2026 payout. A company’s dividend growth is, in my view, one of the most vital indicators of a company’s health. It is difficult to fudge and provides a sharp insight into the health of a company. Not to mention the fact that ASX shares that consistently grow their dividends over time tend to be market beaters.

Now, CSL has been upfront about its challenges for a while now. So this hold isn’t really a surprise. But it is still something I didn’t want to see. That’s why I’ll be watching the payouts that this company declares next year like a hawk.

The post CSL shares: 1 number that investors shouldn’t ignore appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) shares have both underperformed the 3.6% gains posted by S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) in 2026.

In afternoon trade on Wednesday, Xero shares are changing hands for $82.32 apiece. That sees shares in the accounting software provider down 26.6% since 2 January.

Northern Star has struggled as well.

At time of writing, shares in the ASX 200  gold stock are trading for $22.55 each, down 7.7% year to date.

Though we shouldn’t forget the fully franked 25 cent per share dividend that Northern Star paid out on 26 March. If we factor that in, then the accumulated value of Northern Star stock is down a lesser 5.4% this calendar year.

Despite the underperformance in 2026, Lazarus Capital Partners’ Tom Fairchild expects that both ASX 200 stocks could continue to struggle in the months ahead (courtesy of The Bull).

Here’s why.

Should I sell Northern Star shares today?

“The gold producer operates mines and exploration programs in Western Australia and Alaska,” Fairchild said.

Commenting on the miner’s June quarter update, released on 29 July, Fairchild noted:

The company announced total gold sales of 1.543 million ounces for full year 2026, which was above revised group guidance of 1.5 million ounces. NST disappointed investors after downgrading production guidance twice in fiscal year 2026 following weaker than expected operational performance.

Summarising his sell recommendation on Northern Star shares, Fairchild concluded:

The shares have fallen from $31.73 on March 2 to trade at $23.28 on August 13. The company’s final investment decision regarding the Hemi project is targeted for late fiscal year 2027. In our view, other gold companies appeal more at this stage of the cycle.

Northern Star is scheduled to report its audited full year FY 2026 results tomorrow, 20 August.

Time to exit Xero shares?

Atop his sell recommendation on Northern Star shares, Garipoli also recommended selling Xero shares.

“Xero is an accounting software provider,” he said.

Xero released its full year results on 14 May, with shares closing down 9.0% on the day.

Commenting on those results, Garipoli said:

The company generated revenue of NZ$2.75 billion in full year 2026, up 31% on the prior corresponding period. The company acquired Melio, a US business-to-business payments platform in June 2025 for about US$2.5 billion.

The company recently surpassed 5 million subscribers.

But with Xero shares up more than 33% since late July, Garipoli recommended taking profits.

He concluded:

Xero shares bounced off a low of $61.58 on July 24 to trade at $77.51 on August 13, 2026. However, the stock was priced at $168.78 on August 13, 2025. Justifiable investor concerns about margin pressure, artificial intelligence growth and US expansion performance have weighed on the stock and sentiment.

Investors can consider cashing in some gains.

The post Sell alert! Why this expert is calling time on Xero and Northern Star shares 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 Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) shares were climbing higher in early-morning trade on Wednesday before nosediving around 14% just after midday.

At the time of writing, the ASX tech shares are down around 10% for the day at $38.90 a piece.

The latest decline means the shares are now down 43% for the year-to-date and 66% lower than 12 months ago.

What happened to WiseTech shares today?

Investors rushed to sell up their shares after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) executed a search warrant on the company. The move is part of an investigation into potential breaches of competition law.

In a statement to the ASX, WiseTech said that an “ACCC search warrant was executed on the Company requiring the production of documents and electronic data in relation to the supply of global logistics services and software”.

The company added that it intends to “fully cooperate with the investigation”.

WiseTech said the action forms part of an ACCC investigation into alleged contraventions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. It didn’t offer any further details about the allegations or which sections of the business the ACCC is investigating.

WiseTech shares have been smashed this year

Today’s decline is just one of many steep sell-offs that the company has suffered from this year. The declines have mostly been driven by a tech sector-wide sell-off and an investor rotation to more stable assets amid global volatility earlier this year. 

WiseTech shares also experienced a steep and sustained share price crash through to a five-year low of just $28.76 in late June. The dip followed media reports that the Australian Federal Police was investigating founder Richard White over alleged trafficking matters. The matters relate to a former cleaner at WiseTech.

The company responded at the time that the alleged investigation concerns Richard White in a personal capacity. It added that there is no suggestion in this media commentary of an investigation into WiseTech. But it didn’t stop investors rushing for the exit.

ASIC and the AFP also searched WiseTech Global’s headquarters in late October 2025. The search concerned alleged trading in WiseTech shares by founder Richard White and three employees. At the time, WiseTech said no charges had been laid and that there were no allegations against the company itself. 

There is no indication that any of these events are related to today’s search warrant. 

Should investors buy in the dip or stay clear of WiseTech shares?

At the time of writing, the outlook for WiseTech shares is unchanged. Brokers and analysts are still very bullish on where we’ll see the share price travel from here.

Market Index shows that the majority of brokers (three out of four) are very bullish on the ASX tech stock and hold a strong buy rating. The average $54.71 target price implies a potential 39% upside over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

The post Why did WiseTech shares just crash 10%? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.