The WAM Global Ltd (ASX: WGB) share price comes into focus after the company announced a fully franked full-year dividend increase to 13.2 cents per share, despite the investment portfolio falling 4.2% in FY26 while the MSCI World Index (AUD) climbed 14.8%.

What did WAM Global report?

• Investment portfolio declined 4.2% for the twelve months to 30 June 2026
• MSCI World Index (AUD) benchmark rose 14.8% over the same period
• Fully franked full year dividend increased to 13.2 cents per share
• Fully franked final dividend of 6.6 cents per share, payable 16 November 2026
• Reported operating loss before tax of $50.3 million (last year: $147.6 million profit)
• Operating loss after tax was $35.2 million (last year: $103.3 million profit)

What else do investors need to know?

The Board highlighted that the fund’s listed investment company structure and profits reserve enabled ongoing payment of fully franked dividends, even during challenging market conditions. Shareholders benefit from a fully franked dividend yield of 6.0% and a grossed-up yield of 8.6%, both well above global equity averages.

Performance lagged its benchmark primarily due to historic concentration of returns among AI-driven companies and a 4.3% negative impact from a stronger Australian dollar. While WAM Global held several AI beneficiaries, this was not enough to outpace broader markets as seen over the year.

The company’s experienced investment team maintains a diversified, quality-focused portfolio. Participation in the dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) is available, with new shares issued at the VWAP following the ex-dividend date, and no discount applied.

What did WAM Global management say?

Chairman Geoff Wilson AO said:

The benefits of the listed investment company structure, together with the profits reserve available, have enabled the Board to continue to provide fully franked dividends to shareholders through market cycles. The investment team remains focused on our proven investment process, particularly during times where there is a lack of breadth in the market.

What’s next for WAM Global?

Looking ahead, WAM Global’s management remains disciplined and focused on investing in high-quality AI beneficiaries across sectors such as hardware, infrastructure, and semiconductors, while avoiding speculative names with stretched valuations.

Despite ongoing market volatility and elevated index valuations, WAM Global expects ongoing dispersion in company returns to create opportunities for patient, value-seeking shareholders. The team is committed to using its investment process to identify undervalued growth companies and maintain dividend payments through various market cycles.

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The post WAM Global lifts dividend despite underperforming global benchmark 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.

Oracle of Omaha Warren Buffett is one of the world’s greatest investors.

His basic investing concepts include a long-term, value-focused approach to investing, and he has decades of experience identifying high-quality businesses and holding them over the long term.

His investing wisdom boils down to a few key philosophies: rational decision-making, patience, and focus on high-quality businesses.

With that in mind, there are three ASX 200 stocks that I think look like something Warren Buffett would invest in.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

Warren Buffett famously prioritises good-quality businesses. He always looks for companies with a strong history, trustworthy management, and reliable long-term profit growth. 

Australian conglomerate, Wesfarmers, embodies all three of these key traits. 

The company is well-established and financially sound with a history of reliable growth and stability. 

The retail giant also has a huge and highly diversified exposure across multiple industries and sectors. It owns and operates major everyday brands including Bunnings, Kmart, Target, and Officeworks. It also has operations across health and wellbeing, industrials, chemicals, energy, and even more.

Not only that, but it continually focuses on expanding its markets, product categories and digital capabilities to drive long-term growth. 

It’s this stability and consistent long-term net profit growth that make Wesfarmers stand out amongst other ASX blue-chip shares. 

Transurban Group Ltd (ASX: TCL)

One of the key qualities Warren Buffett looks for in an investment is a strong competitive moat.

Major toll-road operators, like Transurban, are a great example of businesses with deep structural advantages that help protect their long-term profitability.

Transurban shares are classically defensive because its services are essential. The company builds and operates major urban toll road networks, tunnels, and bridges and operates 22 assets across Australia, the US, and Canada.

Even in the event of a downturn, people still need to travel to work or transport goods and services. Transurban’s toll roads typically have stable traffic volumes year-round, which means the business enjoys resilient cash flow regardless of whether the economy is booming or slowing.

Transurban’s tolls generally increase according to inflation or its long-term agreements. That means Transurban can increase revenue over time without necessarily needing to win more customers.

Transurban owns an asset that can raise prices while customers continue using it. That’s a very attractive trait for investors like Warren Buffett.

Washington H Soul Pattinson and Co Ltd (ASX: SOL)

Soul Patts is another ASX 200 share which fits perfectly into the Warren Buffett style of investing. 

In fact, the Australian diversified investment house is often compared to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway because it invests in a broad portfolio of assets. These range from ASX-listed companies, to private credit, to real estate, and others.

It is widely regarded as Australian dividend royalty and it’s also one of the few ASX shares that have continually raised its dividend payments over the past 28 years.

Soul Patts is heavily value-orientated. The company explicitly targets businesses capable of long-term compounding. It also focuses on investments where the price paid is justified by the company’s underlying quality, cash flows and long-term prospects. That’s a classic Warren Buffett strategy. 

The post These 3 ASX 200 shares look like classic Warren Buffett investments 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 Transurban Group, Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Transurban Group and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Warren Buffett has long been touted as one of, if not the, greatest investors of all time. Although he has now stepped back from running his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B), Buffett has achieved immortality by securing an average return of 19.9% per annum between 1965 and 2024. That’s almost double what the broader S&P 500 Index has managed over the same span (10.4% per annum). As such, it might surprise readers to learn that there is an ASX index fund on our own market that has topped even Buffett’s average return over the past ten years.

That ASX index fund is none other than the BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ). Yep, as of 31 July, NDQ units have delivered an average of 20.87% per annum over the preceding ten years. Since its inception in May of 2015, this index fund has averaged 19.32%.

Does that make NDQ the best index fund on the ASX? Perhaps even its best investment, period?

How has this ASX ETF delivered Buffett-like returns for ten years?

Well, there’s no denying that NDQ has been a phenomenal asset to have held for at least the past 16 years. A return of around 20% per annum is real wealth-building stuff. Just look at Buffett’s net worth. But before declaring it the best investment on the ASX, let’s go deeper into how it has delivered those returns.

At its core, the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF is a simple index fund that holds the largest 100 non-financial stocks listed on the American NASDAQ exchange. The NASDAQ is one of the USA’s two major stock exchanges. The New York Stock Exchange is the historic, flagship market, holding some of America’s most storied stocks. These include General Motors, Coca-Cola Co, Procter & Gamble, and Ford Motor Company.

The NASDAQ is the NYSE’s hip younger cousin. It is more modern and has attracted many of the companies that first found success in more recent decades. That includes almost every major tech stock listed in the United States.

That’s why NDQ’s top holdings are dominated by tech. To illustrate, NDQ’s current top-ten holdings are as follows:

1. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA)
2. Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL)
3. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)
4. Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ: MU)
5. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN)
6. Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ: AMD)
7. Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL)
8. Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO)
9. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA)
10. Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META)

As almost every investor under the sun knows, tech shares have been the driving force behind much of the US’ incredible returns over the past decade or two. This ASX index fund holds the US’ largest tech stocks at even higher concentrations than the broader market. That’s why NDQ’s returns have been so Buffett-esque of late.

Foolish takeaway

I think the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF will continue to be a solid investment going forward. Depending on how tech and AI continue to unfold, it could well keep up its returns going forward. However, investors need to be cautious. Many of NDQ’s largest holdings are now in the trillion-dollar club. Whilst this highlights their success, it also places a significant handicap on their future growth potential. After all, it’s a lot easier to go from a million-dollar company to a billion than from a billion to a trillion, and so forth.

Additionally, investors need to be aware that if sentiment turns on the tech sector, this ASX index fund could be hit hard, far harder than a fund covering the broader market.

Even so, it’s hard not to conclude that the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF has been one of the best ASX investments to have owned for the past decade. Let’s see if it can keep it up going forward.

The post 20% a year: Is this the ASX’s best index fund? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Berkshire Hathaway, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and Procter & Gamble. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Advanced Micro Devices, Berkshire Hathaway, BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended General Motors. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Advanced Micro Devices, Berkshire Hathaway, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.