The Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) share price will be in focus on Friday after the company delivered a record 54% jump in underlying EBITDA to $953.3 million, with gold production reaching 336,540 ounces for FY26.

What did Vault Minerals report?

• Group gold production: 336,540 ounces; gold sales: 334,904 ounces
• Revenue from metal sales: $1,880.2 million (up 31% on prior year)
• Underlying EBITDA: $953.3 million (up 54%)
• Statutory net profit after tax: $278.4 million
• Free cash flow: $487.8 million
• Maiden interim dividend: 7 cents per share declared in February 2026 and paid in April 2026

What else do investors need to know?

Vault Minerals ended FY26 with cash and bullion of $841.6 million and no debt, an increase of $155.7 million over the year. The company internally funded the early settlement of all remaining gold hedges, removing fixed price exposure and giving full upside to the prevailing gold price going forward.

Investment in strategic growth continued, including the King of the Hills (KoTH) processing plant upgrade, which remains on budget and ahead of schedule. Vault also returned $126.8 million to shareholders via share buybacks and the maiden interim dividend. No final dividend was declared due to the proposed merger with Genesis Minerals, with eligible shareholders to receive a cash component as part of the merger consideration.

What’s next for Vault Minerals?

Vault has provided standalone FY27 guidance for gold production of 355,000 to 375,000 ounces at an AISC of A$3,150 to A$3,350 per ounce, with further growth targeted for FY28. The KoTH processing plant upgrade is expected to support a 50% increase in throughput and a 34% uplift in Leonora gold production by September 2026.

Meanwhile, the proposed merger with Genesis Minerals remains on track for completion in November 2026, aimed at creating a leading Australian gold company poised to benefit from operational synergies and scale.

Vault Minerals share price snapshot

The Vault Minerals share price has been among the best performers on the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) over the past 12 months with a gain of around 140%.

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The post Vault Minerals share price in focus after record FY26 earnings appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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.

It was a happy Thursday session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Thursday. A welcome development for investors, no doubt, after six straight days of selling.

After opening in the green this morning, the ASX 200 spent the entire day in positive territory. Despite some bumpiness, the index ended up closing 0.33% higher at 9,083.8 points.

This happy session for ASX shares followed a similarly optimistic night over on Wall Street.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in a good mood, managing to rise 0.22%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared similarly, gaining 0.16%.

But let’s get back to today and our local markets for a closer look at what was going on amongst the various ASX sectors this session.

Winners and losers

Despite today’s good mood across the broader market, there were still a few sectors that went backwards.

Leading those losers were financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) was hit hard today, tanking by 1.93%.

Consumer staples shares were left out in the cold as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) sinking 1.17%.

Industrial stocks were also unlucky. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) slumped 1.05% this session.

Communications shares didn’t find many buyers either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)’s 0.71% dive.

Next came consumer discretionary stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) copped a 0.27% slide this Thursday.

Our last losers this session were utilities shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) getting a 0.05% reduction.

Let’s get to the winners now, though. Leading the green sectors today were gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had an absolute blowout, rocketing up a huge 8.39%.

Broader mining shares were also on fire, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)’s 3.52% surge.

Tech stocks had a day to remember, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had roared 2.54% higher by the closing bell.

Healthcare shares lived up to their name as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) lifting 1.39%.

Energy stocks enjoyed another positive session. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) put on another 0.45%.

Finally, real estate investment trusts (REITs) got over the line, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)’s 0.13% jump.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

It’s very rare that we see ten ASX 200 shares all gain more than 10% in one day, but here we are. Today’s winner did much better than 10%, though. Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) shares exploded 18.22% higher this session to finish at $3.05 each.

This followed the financial stock’s latest earnings, which clearly made an impression.

Here’s how the other top stocks tied up at the dock:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)	$3.05	18.22%
Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL)	$14.45	15.05%
Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM)	$1.59	14.03%
Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA)	$48.88	12.42%
Alkane Resources Ltd (ASX: ALK)	$1.77	10.97%
Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL)	$8.23	10.92%
Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA)	$6.66	10.82%
Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD)	$8.01	10.33%
Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM)	$17.59	10.28%
Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN)	$15.07	10.16%

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Buy, sell, hold: Dexus, APA, Zip shares
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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 positions in and has recommended Super Retail Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Super Retail Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are 0.2% higher at 9,073.3 points on Thursday.

As earnings season continues, Morgans has updated its ratings and 12-month price targets following company reports.

Let’s take a look at the broker’s assessment of these ASX shares post-results.

SRG Global Ltd (ASX: SRG)

The SRG Global share price is $3.99, down 2.8% today and up 115% over 12 months. 

Over the past month, this ASX 200 industrial share has risen 13%.

Morgans kept a buy rating on this ASX 200 industrial share after reviewing the company’s FY26 report.

SRG delivered a strong FY26 with EPSA growth of +30%, largely consistent with its 5-year EPSA CAGR of +32%.

FY27 guidance was upgraded, and the momentum looks set to continue.

Organic growth is strong (2H EBITA +19%) and the order book has risen sharply (+20% in 6 months), providing robust visibility into FY27 and beyond.

Although SRG has re-rated, earnings momentum via organic and inorganic growth could see the company continue to compound +30% EPS growth over the next 3 years.

The broker raised its share price target from $4.20 to $4.70.

This implies a potential 15% upside from here.

Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH)

The Cochlear share price is $137.26, down 0.1% today and down 55% over 12 months. 

Over the past month, this ASX 200 healthcare share has increased 15%.

Morgans retained a hold rating on this healthcare heavyweight share after its FY26 report.

FY26 result was mixed, with underlying NPAT of A$322m, 6% above our forecast, despite revenue of A$2,348m being broadly in line.

The result benefited from a stronger 2H, particularly Services and cochlear implant (CI) volumes, although margins remained under pressure.

Notably, Nexa adoption has been solid, capturing >95% of developed-market (DM) implants, but has yet to translate into an acceleration in underlying market growth.

FY27 NPAT guidance of A$330-350m implies only modest growth and not yet a material earnings inflection.

Morgans has a share price target of $138.42, which implies just 1% growth ahead.

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)

The NAB share price is $38.33, down 1.5% today and down 9% over 12 months. 

Over the past month, this ASX 200 bank share has fallen 3%.

Morgans maintained a trim rating on the ASX 200 bank share after NAB’s 3Q FY26 update.

The broker said:

3Q26 cash profit growth trailed 2H26 consensus expectations, driven by slower revenue growth (particularly the relatively higher quality net interest income).

No change to FY26F EPS, but FY27/28F moderated on lower net interest income growth outlook.

DCF valuation declines -3% to $35.19/sh.

TRIM retained. Potential TSR c.-5% at current prices (including c.4.4% yield).

Morgans has a 12-month target of $35.19 on NAB shares.

This implies a potential 8% downside ahead.

The post Buy, hold, sell: SRG Global, Cochlear, NAB shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Buy $5,000 of Cochlear shares today and it could be worth this much in 12 months
• This high flying industrials stock just rocketed 9% on results and is expected to keep rising
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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 Cochlear. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear and Srg Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.