One of the most significant and least publicised changes to hit the superannuation system this week directly affects new parents.

From 1 July 2026, eligible parents who receive government-funded Parental Leave Pay will also receive a 12% superannuation contribution on those payments. This will be paid directly by the ATO into their nominated super fund.

The scheme has expanded to 130 days, or 26 weeks, of paid parental leave, with the super contribution applying across the full period.

Why this superannuation change matters

Australia has one of the widest gender super gaps in the developed world.

Women retire with approximately 25% less superannuation than men, a gap driven in large part by career breaks taken for caring responsibilities.

Every year spent on parental leave without super contributions is a year of compounding returns lost. The new measure directly addresses that dynamic.

The Parental Leave Pay is based on the national minimum wage, now $26.44 per hour, which means a parent taking the full 26 weeks receives approximately $26,218 in total parental leave pay across the period.

At a 12% super guarantee rate, that translates to approximately $3,146 in super contributions for a parent taking the full scheme entitlement.

Over a working life, compounded at the historical ASX 200 return of approximately 8.5% per annum, a single year’s parental leave super contribution of $3,146 grows to approximately $33,000 by retirement for a 30-year-old today.

That is not a trivial amount from what looks like a small policy tweak.

How to make the most of it

The super contribution arrives as a lump sum after the end of the financial year. This is paid by the ATO directly to the parent’s nominated fund.

Parents who are on their employer’s own parental leave scheme, rather than the government scheme, should check whether their employer separately pays super during that period, since employer policies vary.

For parents with a self-managed superannuation fund or a choice fund, ensuring the ATO has the correct fund details is the most important practical step.

The investment choice inside the fund also matters enormously over a 30-year compounding period.

Two ASX shares that benefit

More superannuation flowing into the system more frequently means more assets landing on the wealth management platforms that administer that money.

Both Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) and Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL) are direct beneficiaries of this dynamic.

Hub24 delivered record half-year net inflows of $10.7 billion in 1H FY26 and upgraded its FY27 platform funds under administration target to $160 billion to $170 billion. This comes as Australia’s growing super pool continues to flow toward technology-enabled platforms.

Netwealth reached a record $125.6 billion in platform funds under administration in 1H FY26. Platform revenue climbed 25% on the strength of consistent inflows and sticky adviser relationships.

As payday super, expanded parental leave contributions, and the broader super pool growth combine into FY27, both platforms are positioned to capture a growing share of that expanding pool.

Foolish takeaway for your superannuation

The new parental leave super entitlement is worth approximately $3,146 for parents taking the full 26 weeks of government parental leave.

It is automatic, it flows directly into the nominated super fund, and it directly narrows a gender super gap that has been decades in the making.

For investors, Hub24 and Netwealth are two of the clearest ASX beneficiaries, as Australia’s superannuation pool grows not just in size but in the frequency and breadth of contributions flowing into it.

For specific information on how the changes might impact you, it might be worth consulting a financial advisor.

The post New parents are now earning superannuation on parental leave. Here’s how to make the most of it appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mark Verhoeven 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 Hub24 and Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The party is back on for two battered ASX tech shares.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) and Catapult Sports Ltd (ASX: CAT) were among the biggest winners on Tuesday, jumping 6% and 8% respectively as investors returned to beaten-down technology names.

Could this be the start of a much bigger recovery, or just a short-term bounce after a brutal sell-off?

Both companies have plenty to prove, but analysts still see significant upside if they can rebuild investor confidence.

WiseTech: Can the rally really begin after chair steps down?

WiseTech shares received a boost on Tuesday after the company announced that co-founder Richard White would step down from the chair role, with Raeline Murphy taking over.

White said recent personal media attention had become an unnecessary distraction from the strength of the underlying business.

The leadership change appears to have helped ease some investor concerns, but the recent recovery remains tiny compared with the damage already done.

The ASX tech share is up around 11% over the past five trading days, yet it remains down roughly 67% over the past year, making it one of the worst performers on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

Despite the collapse, analysts remain surprisingly positive. According to TradingView data, 12 of the 15 analysts covering WiseTech rate the stock as either a buy or strong buy. The remaining three have a hold rating.

The average 12-month price target sits at $66.69, suggesting potential upside of around 78%. The most bullish analyst sees the shares reaching $120.60, which would represent upside of more than 220%.

Bell Potter remains optimistic as well. While the broker recently cut its price target from $78.75 to $71.75, it maintained its buy rating. The revised target still implies potential upside of more than 90%.

Catapult: Expanding while maintaining competitive edge

Catapult shares also enjoyed a strong session on Tuesday, although there was no specific price-sensitive announcement behind the move.

Instead, investors appear to be continuing the rebound from the stock’s late-June lows.

The recovery has already pushed Catapult shares more than 20% higher from those levels, although the bigger picture remains challenging. The stock is still down around 44% over the past 12 months.

Catapult’s biggest strength is the stickiness of its technology. Professional sporting teams build years of performance data into its platforms, creating switching costs that make it difficult for competitors to win customers.

The company provides athlete performance and analytics technology used by some of the world’s biggest sporting organisations, including teams across the AFL, NRL, Premier League, NFL, NBA, MLB and international rugby competitions.

The challenge is growth. Like many smaller technology companies, Catapult needs to keep expanding its customer base while proving that it can maintain its competitive edge.

Analysts believe the market may be underestimating its potential. All brokers that cover the ASX tech share rate it a buy. The most bullish forecast is $8.25, a potential gain of 146% for the next 12 months.

Morgans currently rates Catapult as a buy with a $5.40 price target, which is in line with the average price target. Based on recent trading levels around $3.35, that implies upside of approximately 60%.

The post These ASX tech shares crashed hard. Could they double from here? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• ASX 200 slips again: Why the market can’t follow Wall Street higher
• WiseTech shares surge 10% as Richard White steps back from chair role
• Qube Holdings: Supreme Court approves takeover scheme

Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has positions in WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Looking for some investment ideas for July? Well, it could be worth hearing what Ord Minnett has to say about the ASX shares in this article.

Are they buys, holds, or sells? Let’s find out:

CAR Group Limited (ASX: CAR)

Ord Minnett has put a buy rating and $35.00 price target on this auto listings company’s shares.

While it is facing a tough period, the broker remains positive and highlights its strong track record of resilience. It said:

CAR Group (CAR) has a strong track record of resilience through macroeconomic cycles, but current conditions suggest some modest near-term pressure. Reflecting this, Ord Minnett has trimmed its forecasts slightly, with our EPS estimate for FY26 and FY27 by around 1% for FY26–FY27. Our changes imply slightly softer growth than the broader market is anticipating. Our central assumption is that growth in the second half of FY26 moderates compared to the first half, before re-accelerating into FY27 and beyond.

Overall, currency movements and these modest operational adjustments translate to only minor forecast changes. On a constant currency basis, CAR is still expected to deliver around 10–11% net profit growth in FY27, or approximately 9% after foreign exchange impacts. Importantly, these macroeconomic pressures are likely to be temporary, with scope for growth to strengthen again from FY27.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO)

The broker isn’t feeling as positive on this small business lender. In response to a disappointing trading update, Ord Minnett downgraded Judo Capital shares to a hold rating with a heavily reduced price target of $1.60.

Commenting on the downgrade, it said:

The speed at which conditions for these three specific exposures deteriorated – none were on a watch list – is a significant concern for Ord Minnett and the broader market, raising questions as to just how rigorous and reliable Judo’s monitoring processes are, not to mention management’s credibility. We also highlight the large size of these particular loans – the combined exposure for Judo is $80 million, versus its average SME loan size of around $3 million – and question why Judo was making such large individual loans.

Post the trading update, we have cut our EPS estimates by 9.4%, 19.6% and 7.6% for FY26, FY27 and FY28, respectively, which drives a steep downgrade of our target price to $1.60 from $2.40. We also cut our recommendation on Judo to Hold from Buy despite the apparent value on offer, given uncertainty around the company’s processes and the time it will take for management to rebuild market confidence.

Worley Ltd (ASX: WOR)

Worley is another ASX share that Ord Minnett has downgraded. It has cut its rating on the engineering company’s shares to a hold rating with a reduced price target of $12.70.

Ord Minnett has concerns about its near-term earnings outlook. It explains:

There remains considerable uncertainty over short-term earnings for Worley and its peers. More broadly, we highlight the change in Worley’s business mix, with a modest shift to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work, i.e. larger developments and responsibility for full project delivery, a business segment that is higher risk than traditional consultancy and advisory.

‍Worley does not have the same exposure as the EPC sector’s major operators, e.g. Italy’s Maire or France’s Technip Energies, but its risk profile has increased versus consulting and advisory peers such as US-based Jacobs Solution and Fluor Corp. There is apparent value on offer in Worley but the uncertainty around near-term earnings, and what we see as an increasing risk profile, mean we cut our recommendation to Hold from Accumulate.

The post Buy, hold, sell: CAR Group, Judo Capital, and Worley shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Judo Bank shares rise despite Morgan Stanley price target cut
• 7 ASX shares downgraded by brokers this week

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 recommended CAR Group Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.