ASX growth shares have spent much of 2026 out of favour, but a few brokers are starting to change their tune.

The ASX 200 has been dragged higher by miners, banks and healthcare, while technology has largely been left behind.

However, things may change going forward.

Here are three names worth watching into the back half of reporting season.

Why brokers are warming to ASX growth shares again

Two things have shifted this year.

Earnings downgrades across the technology sector appear to have bottomed, and several companies have reset their guidance to levels they can realistically beat.

Valuations have also come a long way down from their 2024 peaks.

When a quality business trades at half its old multiple, the risk and reward equation starts to look very different.

WiseTech Global: the comeback candidate

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) has been the most heavily punished technology stock on the ASX.

The shares fell roughly 80% from their November 2024 peak of $141.61 to a low of $28.76 in late June.

They have since rebounded into the mid-$40s.

Macquarie has upgraded the logistics software group to an outperform rating ahead of results, which land on 26 August.

Management has guided to revenue of US$1.39 billion to US$1.44 billion and EBITDA of US$550 million to US$585 million.

The company also hit its US$50 million annualised cost synergy target from the e2open acquisition ahead of schedule.

Delivering inside those ranges would go a long way towards rebuilding credibility with the market.

Megaport: recurring revenue is compounding

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) has had a quieter but more consistent run.

Group annual recurring revenue reached $338 million in the first half of FY26, a 49% increase.

Revenue rose 26% to $134.9 million and EBITDA came in at $35.3 million.

The company added 167 net new customer logos, double the prior corresponding period.

Chief executive Michael Reid highlighted where that growth is coming from.

Our global business continues to scale, with the United States delivering exceptional momentum, pushing the Americas to 24% YoY ARR growth.

Megaport upgraded its outlook after securing $254 million in new contracts and now guides to FY26 revenue of $302 million to $317 million.

The shares recently pushed through the $5 billion market capitalisation mark.

DroneShield: a backlog the market is ignoring

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) is the most speculative of the three.

First-half revenue jumped 74% to $125.8 million, whilst the counter-drone specialist has also locked in contracts that lifted its backlog to $206 million by late July.

Full-year guidance sits at $250 million to $270 million. Yet the share price has fallen roughly 13% over the past month.

Heavy short interest explains part of that disconnect.

The other part is that defence spending is lumpy, and a signed backlog is not the same thing as revenue recognised.

DroneShield reports on 26 August, and its margins in particular will be in focus.

What could derail these ASX growth shares

Each of these businesses is priced for flawless execution.

WiseTech needs to show its artificial intelligence restructuring has not disrupted customers.

Megaport is spending heavily, with FY26 capital expenditure guided at $90 million to $100 million.

DroneShield has to convert its pipeline while protecting its margins.

Any stumble over the coming fortnight is likely to be punished hard.

Foolish takeaway

Reporting season will settle a lot of arguments over the next two weeks.

Brokers see upside in all three of these ASX growth shares, though none of them is a low-risk proposition.

Personally, I would want to see the numbers before adding to any of them.

For investors with a high tolerance for volatility, these ASX growth shares still deserve a place on the watchlist.

The post 3 ASX growth shares brokers say could beat the market appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why did WiseTech shares just crash 10%?
• Is the DroneShield share price now too cheap to ignore?
• By August 2027, $8,000 invested in WiseTech shares could turn into…
• WiseTech shares are up 25%. Could this be the start of a huge comeback?
• Down 50% – Are these the best value ASX 200 shares right now?

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 DroneShield, Megaport, and 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.

ASX gold stock Astral Resources Ltd (ASX: AAR) has had a big week for news at its Mandilla gold project in Western Australia, and according to the analysts at Shaw and Partners the company is one to watch.

They have a buy recommendation on the stock, albeit with a high-risk warning, and a bullish share price target, which I’ll get to shortly.

First let’s look at what the company has announced.

Solid drilling results from WA gold prject

Earlier this week, Astral released the latest drilling from the Theia deposit at the Mandilla project, saying further broad zones of mineralisation had been intersected.

The best results included 52.7m at 4.67 grams per tonne of gold from a depth of 445m, and 21m at 1.61 grams per tonne from 321m.

To date 13 holes of a total of 21 have been drilled.

Commenting on the result, Astral Resources Managing Director Marc Ducler said:

The Theia Deeps drill program, which has now been extended to 21 holes for 11,000m, continues to show tremendous potential for additional growth at Theia, with the program targeting further high-grade extensions to the Theia resource at depth and along strike. These latest assay results … have all demonstrated broad zones of high-grade gold mineralisation beyond the base of the current April 2026 Mineral Resource shell. These programs position Astral for a very active second half of 2026 as we continue to both de-risk and grow the Theia deposit, advance the Mandilla Project definitive feasibility study (DFS) and kick-off a series of very promising exploration programs to test for growth opportunities at Kamperman and across our highly prospective Spargoville tenure.

In addition to the new exploration results, Astral announced it had struck a land-use agreement with the Marlinyu Ghoorlie Native Title Claimant Group for the project.

The company said the agreement covers protocols for heritage surveys, activities to protect identified sites and clearance procedures to facilitate mining activities at the Mandilla project.

This ASX gold company’s shares are looking cheap

Shaw and Partners said the land use agreement was an important hurdle for the company.

They also said they saw good prospects for a mineral resource upgrade from the company either accompanying or following the DFS.

They added:

We maintain Buy rating on Astral Resources and $0.30 price target. The combination of continued high-grade extensional drilling at Theia and the completion of native title agreements across the Mandilla DFS tenement package both support the de-risking thesis into DFS completion in MarQ’27. Next key catalysts include further Theia Deeps assays, the Spargoville and Kamperman follow-up drilling in SepQ, and delivery of the Mandilla DFS itself.

Astral shares are currently changing hands for 18.5 cents. The company is valued at $297.2 million.

The post This ASX gold stock could jump in value by 60%: Broker appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This ASX dividend share just blew me away
• ASM share price suspended as EFR Critical Minerals completes takeover
• 3 ASX growth shares brokers say could beat the market
• Solvar earnings: NPAT up, commercial lending grows, dividend rises
• How many Brambles shares do I need to buy for $5,000 per year of passive income?

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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 Solvar Ltd (ASX:SVR) share price is in focus today after the company reported a 7.5% lift in normalised NPAT to $36.1 million, as well as continued progress in scaling its commercial lending and an increased fully franked dividend for FY26.

What did Solvar report?

• Normalised Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) up 7.5% to $36.1 million
• Statutory NPAT down 6.2% to $29.5 million
• Normalised earnings per share rose 14.7% to 19.0 cents
• Total FY26 fully franked dividend of 19.5 cents per share (including special dividend)
• Loan book in continuing operations up 10.5% to $920.3 million
• Commercial loan book now $109.8 million, with Bennji reaching $49.7 million

What else do investors need to know?

Solvar has been simplifying its operations and investing in scalable growth platforms, with commercial lending through Bennji now a key strategic pillar. The continued rise in the commercial loan book has helped diversify the group’s earnings and underpins a shift towards sustainable long-term growth.

Funding remains robust, with the company securing a new $488 million warehouse facility for Money3 and expanding overall funding capacity to around $1.1 billion. These moves bring over $400 million in available capacity, positioning Solvar for further loan book growth and expected funding cost savings in FY27.

Solvar also completed its exit from the New Zealand market, selling its written-off loan book and reducing future complexity. The group resolved historical ASIC proceedings this year and highlighted improvements made in credit assessment and compliance frameworks.

What did Solvar management say?

Mr Scott Baldwin, CEO and Managing Director of Solvar, said:

FY26 was an important year for Solvar as we continued rebuilding the foundations of the business to create a platform delivering sustainable growth.

What’s next for Solvar?

Solvar expects to see continued growth in both its consumer and commercial lending portfolios heading into FY27. The group will focus on expanding its commercial offering through Bennji, driving productivity through technology, and keeping capital allocation disciplined.

Management believes that Solvar’s strengthened funding platform, scalable operations, and focus on responsible lending leave it well placed to deliver sustainable growth and attractive returns for shareholders.

Solvar share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Solvar shares have risen 6%, outperforming the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 1% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post Solvar earnings: NPAT up, commercial lending grows, dividend rises appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This ASX dividend share just blew me away
• ASM share price suspended as EFR Critical Minerals completes takeover
• 3 ASX growth shares brokers say could beat the market
• This ASX gold stock could jump in value by 60%: Broker
• How many Brambles shares do I need to buy for $5,000 per year of passive income?

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.