Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares closed in the red on Thursday afternoon.

The shares ended the day down 1.3% at $28.03 a piece.

It looks like the latest decline is a mix of oil price weakness and an overall sentiment slump across the sector.

The oil and gas giant’s shares are now down around 22% from a three-year high of $35.80, recorded in early-April this year.

But thanks to a strong rally earlier in the year, the shares are still around 18% higher than 12 months ago.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is around 1.5% higher than 12 months ago, at the time of writing.

So, if I invested $5,000 in Woodside shares 6 months ago, what would they be worth now?

On the first day of trading in 2026, Woodside shares sold for $32.82 a piece. That’s around 18% lower than the share price at the time of writing.

That means, if you’d invested $5,000 in Woodside shares on the first day of trading in 2026, you’d be sitting on closer to $5,900 today.

Can the oil and gas giant’s shares keep climbing?

The experts are divided about the outlook for Woodside shares over the next 12 months.

Market Index data shows that most brokers have a buy rating on the shares. The average $22.19 target price implies a potential 17% upside at the time of writing.

Analysts on TradingView are more reserved. Out of 14 analysts, half have a hold rating, another five have a buy or strong buy rating and two rate Woodside shares as a sell or strong sell.

The $32.81 average target price implies a potential 17% upside, at the time of writing. But some are very bullish and think Woodside shares could rocket another 63% to $45.42 over the next 12 months.

Fairmont Equities has a buy rating on the ASX energy share. The broker believes that Woodside’s shares have been oversold recently, creating a buying opportunity for investors. It expects tighter crude oil supplies to lead to higher prices moving forward. And as the biggest oil stock on the ASX, Woodside is expected to attract investors when sentiment around the oil price starts shifting.

Niv Dagan from Peak Asset Management has a hold rating on the stock. Dagan said that while the energy giant continues to execute strongly, quarterly production has been affected by seasonal weather events.

Mark Gardner from MPC Markets is more bullish and has a buy rating on Woodside shares. He doesn’t think the market is fully pricing in the production uplift from the company’s major growth projects.  

 

The post $5,000 invested in Woodside shares 6 months ago is now worth… 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 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.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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.

The team at Bell Potter has provided updated guidance on one of Australia’s most popular defensive shares: Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS). 

Why Telstra shares are in so many portfolios

Telstra is Australia’s largest and longest-running provider of telecommunications and information products and services. 

As one of the largest listed companies on the ASX, the telecommunications and information service provider also has a presence in 20 countries around the globe.

Its market dominance provides a defensive option for many investors, while also having a strong track record of paying healthy dividends.

These characteristics have helped Telstra shares climb 6% in 2026, while much of the ASX 200 has lagged amid global headwinds and inflation fears.

So is it a buy, hold or sell according to Bell Potter?

Here is what the broker is saying. 

Under the microscope

Bell Potter has updated its forecasts before the end of the financial year.

The changes reflect:

• Higher mobile plan prices introduced in early May.
• Higher NBN broadband prices for home and small business customers from 1 July.
• Growing competition from Starlink, especially in regional and remote Australia.
• More certainty about Telstra’s share buyback, which affects the number of shares on issue.

Bell Potter slightly increased its revenue forecasts (by less than 1%) to reflect Telstra’s recent price rises, but trimmed its underlying EBITDAaL profit forecasts by around 1% for FY26–FY28, as higher costs and increasing competition are expected to offset much of the additional revenue.

Overall, Telstra’s recent price increases should modestly boost revenue, but stronger competition (particularly from Starlink) and other factors slightly reduce profit expectations. 

Bell Potter still expects Telstra to deliver on its guidance and maintain its dividend.

Hold recommendation maintained

Based on this guidance, Bell Potter has a hold recommendation on Telstra shares along with a $5.10 price target. 

This target indicates that Telstra shares are currently trading close to fair value. 

We expect little if any surprises at the upcoming result so the focus shifts to the FY27 guidance and outlook. We and the market continue to forecast mid to high single digit growth in the key metrics of underlying EBITDAaL, cash EBIT and EPS.

Bell Potter said the key focus, therefore, is more likely to be on capital management and, in particular, whether any further share buy-back is announced. 

Telstra has already flagged growing dividends as part of its Capital Management Framework but there is perhaps some question over whether it can continue to fund share buy-backs consistent with the levels of the past two years.

The post What is Bell Potter’s updated view on Telstra shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell 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 positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.