Category: Stock Market

As Christmas approaches, plenty of investors start thinking about where to put fresh money to work before the new year. I am no different. With markets still a bit choppy and sentiment mixed across sectors, I have been focusing on quality businesses where the risk-reward balance looks attractive heading into 2026.

Two ASX shares are standing out to me right now, despite sitting at opposite ends of the market. For different reasons, both are worth a closer look.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

The CSL share price has had a tough run over the past year and is trading around $175, well below the levels investors had become used to. Softer profit guidance, higher costs, and a slower-than-expected recovery in plasma collections weighed on sentiment, and the market did not take kindly to that.

That being said, the long-term story has not broken. Plasma collections have been improving, Seqirus continues to perform solidly, and CSL Vifor is starting to settle after a challenging integration period. Cost discipline is also coming into focus, which is usually the first step toward margin recovery.

Several brokers continue to describe CSL as oversold, with price targets well above current levels. For a global healthcare leader with a long track record of growth, a strong balance sheet, and solid demand for immunoglobulin and vaccines, the current share price is starting to look far more appealing than it did a year ago.

If CSL can show steadier execution across FY26, the share price could start to find support.

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

At the other end of the spectrum sits Accent, with its share price trading around 90 cents. The footwear retailer owns well-known brands such as Platypus, Hype DC and The Athlete’s Foot, and it has built a strong omnichannel business across Australia and New Zealand.

What really stands out here is income. Accent paid 10 cents per share in fully franked dividends over the past year, which puts the trailing yield at roughly 11% at current prices. That is a big number for an ASX 200 stock.

While retail always carries some risk, Accent has performed better than many of its peers, with resilient margins and solid digital sales. Management continues to invest in store rollouts and owned brands, which support earnings over time.

For income-focused investors who are comfortable with some volatility, Accent offers a level of yield that is hard to ignore.

Foolish Takeaway

CSL and Accent Group are very different businesses, but both stand out to me as we head into Christmas. CSL offers quality and long-term growth at a much lower price than usual, while Accent provides immediate income at an attractive yield.

For investors looking to add ideas before the year ends, these two ASX shares are well worth having on the watchlist.

The post Looking for ideas before Christmas? These 2 ASX shares stand out to me appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has positions in CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Accent Group and CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The gold sector has been a great place to invest this year.

You only need to look at the performance of the S&P/ASX All Ords Gold index to see why.

Since the turn of the year, this gold index has more than doubled in value.

The good news is that it may not be too late to invest in this side of the market, with Bell Potter picking out one ASX gold share that it thinks could still rise 50%.

Which ASX gold share?

The gold share that Bell Potter is bullish on is Ausgold Ltd (ASX: AUC).

It is focused on the development of its 100% owned Katanning Gold Project (KGP) in the Wheatbelt Region of Western Australia.

Bell Potter notes that its optimised definitive feasibility study (DFS) has outlined an open pit mine development with average production of 118,000 ounce per annum at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of A$2,252 per ounce over an initial 10 year mine life.

It also points out that the ASX gold share’s largely underexplored 3,500km2 Katanning Greenstone Belt mineral tenure holds potential for significant resource growth and mine life upgrades. This includes the potential for regional, high grade satellite deposits to feed a central KGP processing hub.

Big potential returns

According to the note, the broker has responded to the DFS by retaining its speculative buy rating and lifting its price target to $1.70 (from $1.60).

Based on its current share price of $1.12, this implies potential upside of 52% for investors over the next 12 months.

Bell Potter notes that the ASX gold share’s management team has a strong track record of advancing assets from exploration through development. Commenting on the company, it said:

AUC’s management team has a demonstrated track record of advancing assets from exploration through development, positioning the company to unlock substantial value as the KGP de-risks toward production. We expect constant updates to include: Drill results (ongoing); permitting & approvals activities (ongoing); updated MRE (midCY26); KGP funding package (mid-CY26); and FID (mid-CY26) for potential first production from late 2027.

Our valuation is based on a potential project development at Katanning, risked for its pre-FID stage of development. AUC is an asset development company with prospective operations and cash flows. Our Speculative risk rating recognises this higher level of risk and volatility of returns.

The post Why this cheap ASX gold share could rise 50% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Up 143% in 2025, ASX All Ords gold stock announces 82,000-ounce gold boost
• Why Ausgold, DroneShield, EML, and TPG shares are falling today
• Why is this high-flying ASX All Ords gold stock crashing 10% today?

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 originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

It looks like Buffett isn’t the only leadership change at Berkshire Hathaway. Other notable changes include Todd Combs, one of Buffett’s key managers, leaving the company to join JPMorgan Chase, and CFO Marc Hamburg announcing his retirement, effective June 2027.

These changes don’t necessarily mean that Buffett’s influence on Berkshire Hathaway’s culture is fading. Still, it does drive home the point that change is inevitable, especially when an icon like Buffett steps down.

Berkshire Hathaway currently has $381.7 billion in cash on its balance sheet. 

Berkshire Hathaway could invest in tech stocks more than it has previously

It’s widely known that Berkshire Hathaway hasn’t invested very heavily in tech stocks over the years. Warren Buffett typically felt more comfortable in other market sectors, referencing what he called his circle of competence. Even Buffett’s investment in Apple seemed more from the standpoint of a consumer products company than a tech stock.

Berkshire Hathaway’s tech investments have increased as Buffett has given more authority to his staff in recent years. For example, when Berkshire finally invested in Amazon in 2019, Buffett noted that it wasn’t he who bought the stock but one of his fund managers.

More recently, the company opened a nearly $5 billion stake in Alphabet, which, given Buffett’s looming retirement, was probably not his investment either. It’s hard to deny the importance of technology in modern society, and it’s challenging to see how Berkshire Hathaway, at its colossal size, can avoid investing more of its capital in tech companies moving forward.

The company might finally pay a dividend

Buffett has consistently expressed his affinity for dividend stocks throughout his career. He has also been equally vocal about his disdain for the idea of Berkshire Hathaway paying one. Instead, Buffett has long preferred to retain Berkshire’s profits and invest them in acquisitions or other opportunities.

It has not been easy to find places to invest all those profits in recent years. Berkshire Hathaway has been a net seller of stocks lately, and Buffett has pointed out the stock market’s lofty valuation, as well as refrained from doing many share repurchases.

Now, as Buffett retires, he leaves his successor, Greg Abel, with a $381.7 billion question to tackle: What will the company do with all that cash? The pressure to take action will likely rise as the cash continues to accumulate.

Given the apparent lack of investment opportunities in today’s market, a dividend just makes a ton of sense at this point. It could be something small and symbolic, even if it’s just a way to share some of the company’s profits with shareholders who are looking for reasons to hold the stock after Buffett steps down.

The stock has a higher floor but a lower ceiling

This leads into the final change, and that’s the stock’s upside moving forward. Berkshire Hathaway is a legendary stock because it has consistently outperformed the broader market for decades, transforming modest investments into substantial fortunes.

But with a $1 trillion market cap, Berkshire Hathaway’s massive size is likely to work against it. Buffett himself predicted in his last shareholder letter that a handful of other stocks would outperform Berkshire Hathaway in the future.

The good news is that Berkshire Hathaway is a highly diversified juggernaut. Its subsidiaries and investments span the economy, including energy, manufacturing, insurance, and railroads, among others, and that’s before getting into the cash reserves and additional billions of dollars worth of blue chip stocks the company owns.

If nothing else, investors can buy and hold Berkshire Hathaway, knowing that Buffett built the company to last seemingly forever.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The post A new leadership group is emerging at Berkshire Hathaway. Here are some changes that could be in store for Warren Buffett’s massive holding company. appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Justin Pope has positions in Alphabet. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares are trading in the red again on Wednesday. At the time of writing the shares are down 1.77% for the day, to $23.56 a piece.

It’s been a rocky year for the Australian petroleum exploration and production company, with its shares fluctuating between $27.30 and $18.61. Over the past month, the shares are 10.97% lower and for the year-to-date they’re down 5.61%. 

Dwindling oil prices dampened Woodside’s performance potential throughout most of the year, but the company’s share price pushed higher on the back of a steep uptick in the crude oil price in late October. It climbed nearly-20% over a 4-week period.

Today’s share price slump is likely due to a sharp overnight decline of global oil prices. 

The Brent crude oil is trading at near five-year lows, down 2.7% overnight to US$58.92 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil is trading at its lowest levels since February 2021, at around US$55.27 per barrel.

What about Woodside’s plan for 2026?

In October, the company reported a 3% increase in quarterly revenue to $3.359 billion and a 1% rise in production to 50.8 MMboe, highlighted by strong performances from its Sangomar and Pluto LNG assets.

It also upgraded its full-year production guidance to 192–197 MMboe, progressing key projects like Scarborough and Beaumont New Ammonia, and completed a significant asset sale worth A$259 million.

In 2026, Woodside plans to progress its pipeline of global projects, with the Scarborough and Trion energy projects advancing on schedule. The company is focused on delivering first LNG from Scarborough in 2026 and first ammonia from Beaumont later in 2025.

What next for Woodside shares?

Analysts seem to be relatively optimistic about the outlook for Woodside shares over the next 12 months. 

TradingView data shows that 7 out of 15 analysts have a buy or strong buy rating on the shares. The remaining 8 have a hold rating. The maximum target price is $33.44, which represents a potential 42.33% upside for investors over the next 12 months. With potential upside like that, I wouldn’t be selling up Woodside shares anytime soon.

Morgans has a buy rating on Woodside with a share price target of $30.50. The broker said the oil producer’s Scarborough, Sangomar and Trion sites are all tracking on time and budget. 

Last month, Fairmont Equities’ Michael Gable said he thinks Woodside shares are at, or close to, the bottom. He added that he is seeing signs of it starting to move higher again. Although the broker currently has a hold rating on the shares.

The post Should I sell my Woodside shares in 2026? 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.

Many of Australia’s top brokers have been busy adjusting their financial models and recommendations again. This has led to the release of a number of broker notes this week.

Three ASX shares that brokers have named as buys this week are listed below. Here’s why their analysts are feeling bullish on them right now:

Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS)

According to a note out of Bell Potter, its analysts have retained their buy rating on this defence and space company’s shares with an improved price target of $9.00. This follows news that Electro Optic Systems has signed an agreement worth US$80 million with a customer in Korea. This will see the company manufacture and sell a 100kW High Energy Laser Weapon (HELW). The broker believes that current competitive dynamics in the HELW industry are favourable for Electro Optic Systems. It notes that US companies are unable to export directed energy technology, the UK offers a lower power (30kW) weapon, and Israel’s Iron Beam system lacks clarity on export restrictions. The Electro Optic Systems share price is trading at $7.54 on Wednesday.

Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)

A note out of Morgans reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating on this travel agent’s shares with an improved price target of $18.38. Morgans was pleased with the company’s decision to acquire Iglu and sees it as a strategically sound acquisition for its Leisure business unit. Especially given the cruise sector is a high growth and high margin segment within the travel industry. Morgans also feels that Flight Centre’s strong balance sheet can comfortably fund this acquisition and its capital management strategy. Overall, it has upgraded its forecasts to reflect the acquisition and boosted its valuation accordingly. The Flight Centre share price is fetching $15.06 at the time of writing.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)

Analysts at Macquarie have retained their outperform rating and $4.85 price target on this buy now pay later provider’s shares. According to the note, the broker believes that Zip will deliver on its net transaction margin guidance despite elevating loss rates caused by its accelerating total transaction value (TTV) growth. Outside this, it is forecasting Zip to continue to deliver rapid growth supported by increased product adoption, expansion of merchant network, increased customer engagement, and digital product innovation. The Zip share price is trading at $3.03 on Wednesday afternoon.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today 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 positions in and has recommended Electro Optic Systems and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Sentiment around base metals miners has “prevaricated” in recent times according to the research team at Bell Potter, however they’ve dug up two companies which they believe represent good buying at current levels.

Base metals have for much of the year played second fiddle to hot stocks in the resources sector such as rare earths, lithium and gold, with Bell Potter saying the market has been impacted by “the potential impact (or not) of global trade tariffs on economic growth and hence metal consumption”.

There is one metal about which analysts agree, however, as Bell Potter says:

In respect to copper, we remain cognisant of a tight supply-demand balance in the copper market and the sector’s capacity to provide a supply response in the face of significantly stronger forecast demand. This is predicated on copper’s base industrial demand with growth coming from exposure to the renewable energy/ electrification theme, electric vehicle uptake and new demand sources such as from data centres and AI. In our view, any opportunity to add production exposure amidst weak sentiment is an excellent buying opportunity.

Copper stock to watch

On the ASX, which is not short of copper exposure, the team at Bell Potter have singled out Aeris Resources Ltd (ASX: AIS) as a company worth looking at.

As they say:

Aeris Resources represents a copper dominant mining exposure whose primary assets are the Tritton Copper Operations in NSW and the Cracow Gold Mine in Queensland. Its near-term outlook is highly leveraged to rising copper grades and production at the Tritton copper mine.

This is underpinned by the company’s plans to ramp up open pit mining in 2026, Bell Potter says, which they expect will drive margin expansion “into a rising copper price”.

Bell Potter has a price target of 65 cents on Aeris shares compared with 52 cents currently, with Aeris valued at $586.1 million overall.

In other base metals the Bell Potter team like Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC).

As they said:

Nickel Industries operations are located in Indonesia and are long-life, bottom-of-the-cost-curve projects. In 1HCY26 we anticipate the delivery of major positive growth catalysts. These include ore production ramp up to a 19Mtpa run-rate (pending permits) at the Hengjaya Mine and the commissioning of the ENC HPAL project for ramp-up to full production of +70ktpa in1HCY26.

The analyst team expect these developments to increase production, margins and earnings for the company.

Bell Potter has a price target of $1.20 on Nickel Industries shares compared with 74.2 cents currently.

The post Bell Potter names two base metals companies which are worth a look appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) share price is getting clobbered today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) drone defence company closed yesterday trading for $2.81. In early afternoon trade on Wednesday, shares are changing hands for $2.46 apiece, down 12.5%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is down 0.1% at this same time.

Here’s what’s happening.

Why is the DroneShield share price getting hit today?

If you own DroneShield stock this week, you’d do well to take a Dramamine to help settle the motion sickness.

Here’s what I mean.

On Monday, the ASX 200 defence stock closed up 10.6% even as the ASX 200 sank 0.7%.

Then yesterday, the DroneShield share price closed up a whopping 22.2%, again flying against the 0.4% retreat in the ASX 200.

That put the share price up 35.1% in just two days.

With no fresh price-sensitive news out from the company that would be likely to stir investor angst, today’s sharp sell-down then looks to be driven by some healthy profit-taking.

Why did investors pile into the ASX 200 drone defence stock on Tuesday?

The huge uptick in the DroneShield share price on Tuesday followed the announcement of a new contract with a European military customer.

The company expects all deliveries and payments for the $49.6 million contract to be finalised in the first quarter of calendar year 2026.

The unnamed customer was said to be a longstanding European reseller for a military end-customer who is buying handheld counter drone systems, alongside the associated accessories and software updates.

And investors reacted favourably to news that a large part of that contract order is ready to ship. Management noted that this will allow the company to make the delivery early next year and help boost DroneShield’s cash flow.

What else has been impacting the DroneShield share price?

Despite today’s fall, the DroneShield share price remains up an impressive 304.1% since this time last year.

But things might have gone even better for stockholders, if not for early November’s big share sale by a number of the company’s top executives, crucially including CEO Oleg Vornik.

Between 6 November and 12 November, Vornik sold 14.81 million shares in the company he spearheads. Those share sales netted Vornik a very tidy $49.47 million.

When that news hit the wires on 13 November, ASX investors were quick to join in with the selling.

By the time the smoke cleared, the DroneShield share price had crashed 31.4% on the day.

Like I said up top, a little Dramamine may not be out of order for longer-term stockholders.

The post Why is the DroneShield share price crashing 13% on Wednesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why DroneShield, Graincorp, Treasury Wine, and Woodside shares are sinking today
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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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. 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.

With 2026 fast approaching, we look at three S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares analysts believe could struggle to deliver market beating turns over the coming months (courtesy of The Bull).

So, without further ado…

2 ASX 200 shares facing potential headwinds

First up we have Lendlease Group (ASX: LLC).

Lendlease shares are down 0.7% during the Wednesday lunch hour, changing hands for $5.00 apiece.

This sees the Lendlease share price down 22.9% over 12 months. Losses that will have been only partly ameliorated by the stock’s partly franked 4.6% dividend yield.

And looking ahead, DP Wealth Advisory’s Andrew Wielandt expects Lendlease could continue to struggle in the near term.

“Lend Lease is a property developer and investment manager. The company is focusing on growing its Australian operations,” said Wielandt, who has a sell recommendation on the ASX 200 share.

Wielandt explained:

The company has reduced debt and risk by divesting overseas projects and operations. However, in our view, this may lead to fewer development opportunities as it has less capital to recycle.

The company expects fiscal year 2026 to be one of transition. The shares have fallen from $6.77 on February 17 to trade at $5.125 on December 11. We prefer to be on the sidelines at this point, while monitoring developments.

Wielandt also recommends selling Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP) shares.

Bapcor shares are up 3.1% today, trading for $1.76 each. Despite that welcome lift, the Bapcor share price remains down 61.8% since this time last year. The stock also trades on a fully franked 7.7% dividend yield.

“Bapcor is an aftermarket automotive parts provider. It operates the Autobarn, Burson and Autopro brands,” said Wielandt.

As for his sell recommendation on the ASX 200 share he noted:

Shares recently hit a 12-month low after the company downgraded profit guidance. Bapcor expects to deliver a statutory net loss of between $5 million and $8 million in the first half of fiscal year 2026.

Performance in the trade segment was below expectations in October and November. Revenue declined in tools and equipment when compared to the prior corresponding period. The shares have fallen from $5.11 on July 23 to trade at $1.792 on December 11.

Wielandt concluded, “We retain a sell recommendation until there is clear evidence of an operational recovery.”

Which brings us to…

Time to take profits on this surging Aussie miner?

Alto Capital’s Tony Locantro believes investors would do well to take profits on Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) shares.

“MIN is a diversified resources company, with extensive operations in lithium, iron ore, energy and mining services across Western Australia,” Locantro explained.

Shares in the lithium miner and diversified resources producer are up 3.8% today, changing hands for $52.49 apiece. That sees the Mineral Resources share price up 51.3% in 12 months. And investors who bought at the recent lows on 9 April will be sitting on eye-watering gains of 261% today.

Locantro noted:

The company delivered strong operational results in the first quarter of 2026, which included record iron ore output from Onslow Iron, triggering a $200 million payment. MIN’s joint venture lithium terms with POSCO Holdings will realise it an upfront payment of $A1.2 billion for part of MIN’s lithium business.

But with the ASX 200 share having rocketed higher over the past eight months, Locantro thinks further near-term gains appear limited.

He concluded:

MIN’S shares have risen from $14.40 on April 9 to trade at $51.90 on December 11. With most of the upside seemingly priced in and commodity cycles still volatile, it may be prudent to cash in some gains made on the strong share price recovery.

The post Alert! Analysts name 3 ASX 200 shares to sell today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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.

Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) shares are capturing a lot of attention this week. 

At the time of writing, on Wednesday lunchtime trade, the shares are down 0.62% to $4.78 a piece. Today’s decline means the shares have now fallen 6.4% from an all-time high of $5.10 in mid-November.

For the year to date, Telstra shares are 18.61% higher.

Why is Telstra in the spotlight this week?

In August, Telstra announced a $1 billion on-market buyback following a previous $750 million buyback that was completed in June 2025. The company said it would be executed over time in the ordinary course of trading. 

Telstra has undertaken the on-market buyback, where it has been actively repurchasing its own shares on-market, over the past couple of weeks. This might explain the latest share price softening. Updates on the buyback programme have been closely watched by investors.

In a note to the ASX this morning, the company announced it has ceased over 35 million ordinary shares via on-market buybacks. Telstra said the securities bought back between 24 November 2025 and 12 December 2025 were progressively cancelled up to and including 16 December 2025.

Meanwhile, Telstra has also been in the headlines this week amid continued political and regulatory scrutiny. The telecoms provider has been in the spotlight recently amid concerns about its emergency calling reliability. 

A Senate inquiry is reportedly examining cases where Triple Zero calls may have failed, including situations linked to older devices and network/handset software interactions. 

What’s next for Telstra shares?

As a defensive stock, Telstra tends to perform steadily, regardless of the stage of the economic cycle. And this is great news for investors who want to hedge against potential volatility elsewhere. 

The company’s financial performance has been robust this past year. Its first-half FY25 results, announced in February, showed strong earnings growth across almost all of its products, improved operating profit, higher returns for shareholders, and plans to enhance its network coverage.

The telco giant’s full-year results, released in August, also showed stronger underlying growth and financial performance. At the time, Telstra also said it expected its year-on-year growth to continue. 

Analysts are also optimistic that the growth of the red-hot telco will continue in 2025.

TradingView data shows that out of 9 analysts, 4 have a buy or strong buy rating on the stock. Another 5 have a hold rating on Telstra shares. Analysts expect the share price could rise as high as $5.40, which implies a potential 12.97% upside for investors at the time of writing.

The team at Macquarie have an outperform rating and $5.04 price target on Telstra’s shares. They said that as Australia’s largest telecommunications provider, it benefits from nationwide mobile demand, essential network usage, and growing data consumption.

The post Why is everyone talking about Telstra shares this week? 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 Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and Telstra Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The Dexus (ASX: DXS) share price is back on investors’ radars today after the company released two updates late this morning. Currently, the property company’s shares are up 0.57% to $6.98.

Both announcements provide insight into the health of the property portfolio and the timing of the next distribution.

Taken together, the updates provide a useful snapshot of the business’ current position as 2025 draws to a close, offering investors a clearer view of what to expect heading into the new year.

Property values show early signs of stabilising

Dexus confirmed that 174 of its 175 assets have now been externally valued as at 31 December 2025. The draft valuations point to a modest uplift of around $83 million, or roughly 0.7%, across its stabilised and development portfolio over the past six months.

While the increase is modest, it stands out given the higher interest rate environment and ongoing pressure across the property sector.

The office portfolio recorded a lift of about 0.4%, while industrial assets increased by roughly 1.4%, driven mainly by rental growth. Capitalisation rates edged slightly higher in offices, while industrial cap rates tightened modestly.

This suggests that valuation pressure may be easing, particularly for higher-quality assets in stronger locations.

Dexus CEO Ross Du Vernet said it was encouraging to see a second straight half-year of valuation growth, adding that quality properties continue to outperform the broader market.

Distribution details confirmed

Alongside the valuation update, Dexus also confirmed an estimated distribution of 19.3 cents per security for the six months to 31 December 2025.

The key dates investors will want to note are:

• Ex-distribution date: 30 December 2025
• Record date: 31 December 2025
• Payment date: 27 February 2026

The final distribution amount will be confirmed when Dexus releases its HY26 results on 18 February 2026, but this gives income investors a clear timeline.

Why this matters for investors

For a REIT like Dexus, stability is important. After a tough period for property valuations across the sector, signs that values are flattening out, or even ticking higher, are important.

It also helps that Dexus has been actively managing its balance sheet, raising capital where needed, and maintaining flexibility. Combined with steady distributions, that positions the group reasonably well as conditions slowly improve.

At the current share price, investors are still being paid to wait, while watching for further signs that the property cycle is turning.

Foolish Takeaway

Today’s updates are unlikely to prompt a strong market reaction, but they do suggest Dexus is moving in the right direction. Valuations appear to be stabilising, industrial assets are holding up well, and income remains intact.

For long-term investors who prioritise steady cash flow and gradual recovery over quick wins, Dexus remains a REIT worth keeping on the radar as we head into 2026.

The post Dexus shares lift after property update and dividend news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Dexus issues $500 million in new subordinated notes to boost flexibility
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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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.