Category: Stock Market

S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) shares are 1.5% lower at 9,145.2 points at the time of writing on Friday.

The market is taking a breather after a strong week that saw the ASX All Ords rise to a 14-week high of 9,281.8 points.

Between Monday and Thursday, the ASX All Ords ascended 3.65% on the back of strong results from several major companies.

The stand-out was an unexpected 6% cash profit lift from Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) in 1H FY26.

The result saw the market’s biggest ASX 200 bank share reassume the crown as the largest stock by market cap on the All Ords.

CBA declared a fully-franked interim dividend of $2.35 per share, up 4% from 1H FY25, with the ex-dividend date next Wednesday.

ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) also surprised with a $1.94 billion cash profit in 1Q FY26, up 75% on the 2H FY25 quarterly average.

The news sent ANZ shares to a record high (surpassed today at $40.95), alongside several other ASX All Ords large-cap shares.

Meantime, earnings season continues on Friday.

Next week, a small group of ASX All Ords shares will go ex-dividend.

To pick up a dividend payment, you must own the stock before the ex-dividend date.

On the ex-dividend date, share prices tend to fall because the stocks are less valuable without their next dividends attached.

This also presents an opportunity to buy the stock or do some dollar-cost averaging if you’re already a shareholder.

ASX shares with ex-dividend dates coming up

ASX All Ords share	Ex-dividend date	Dividend amount	Pay date
Computershare Ltd (ASX: CPU)	17 February	55 cents per share	18 March
Bravura Solutions Ltd (ASX: BVS)	17 February	10.2 cents per share	12 March
Spheria Emerging Companies Ltd (ASX: SEC)	17 February	1.3 cents per share	27 February
WAM Income Maximiser Ltd (ASX: WMX)	17 February	0.005 cents per share	27 February
Regal Partners Global Investments Ltd (ASX: RG1)	18 February	6 cents per share	23 March
Commonwealth Bank of Australia Ltd (ASX: CBA)	18 February	$2.35 per share	30 March
Teaminvest Private Group Ltd (ASX: TIP)	19 February	1.5 cents per share	27 March

Which companies are reporting next week?

According to the calendar, we’ll hear from JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) on Monday.

On Tuesday, BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares will be on watch as the miner releases its 1H FY26 numbers.

On Wednesday, Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Lottery Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLC) will report.

Thursday will be a huge day for the ASX All Ords.

We’ll hear from Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC), Goodman Group (ASX: GMG), and ZIP Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP), as well as Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO), PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS), Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR), Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS), and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).

On Friday, Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN), Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1), and QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) will be up.

The post ASX shares with ex-dividend dates next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Buy, hold, sell: James Hardie, CSL, and CBA shares
• What’s going on with ASX bank stocks this week?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why ANZ, CBA, Northern Star, and Origin Energy shares are charging higher today
• The ASX 200 is back over 9,000 points! It’s thanks to just 2 ASX shares

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in BHP Group and Zip Co. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Bravura Solutions, Goodman Group, Megaport, The Lottery Corporation, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bendigo And Adelaide Bank and Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, Goodman Group, The Lottery Corporation, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having a poor finish to the week. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down 1.3% to 8,919.9 points.

Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here’s why they are rising:

AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)

The AMP share price is up 8% to $1.38. Investors may believe this financial services company’s shares were oversold on Thursday following the release of its full-year results. AMP posted a 20.8% increase in underlying net profit after tax to $285 million. However, statutory profit was down 11.3% to $133 million. The team at Ord Minnett saw the heavy decline as a buying opportunity. This morning, it upgraded AMP’s shares to a buy rating with a reduced price target of $1.65 (from $2.05).

GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG)

The GQG Partners share price is up 7% to $1.73. This follows the release of the fund manager’s full-year results. GQG Partners posted a 6.3% increase in revenue to US$808.3 million and a 7.3% lift in net income to US$463.3 million. This allowed the company to lift its total dividends to 14.69 US cents per share. GQG Partners’ CEO, Tim Carver, said: “While we faced some headwinds in 2025, our team achieved several important milestones this year. On the back of a very strong 2024, GQG steadily grew funds under management (FUM) in the first half of 2025, reaching a month-end record high of USD 172.4 billion as of 30 June 2025.”

Nextdc Ltd (ASX: NXT)

The Nextdc share price is up 5.5% to $14.26. This may have been driven by news that Google parent, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), has raised US$100 billion from a 100-year bond sale to fund its artificial intelligence spending. This level of spending appears to support the view that NextDC’s data centres are well-positioned to benefit from growing demand over the next decade and beyond.

Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG)

The Origin Energy share price is up a further 3.5% to $11.90. This energy giant’s shares have been charging higher this week following the release of its half-year results. Origin Energy reported an underlying profit of $593 million. While this was down from $924 million in the prior corresponding period, it appears to have been better than feared. Another positive was that management upgraded its Energy Markets full-year underlying EBITDA guidance.

The post Why AMP, GQG, NextDC, and Origin Energy shares are racing higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 ASX 200 stocks smashing the benchmark this week
• Why are AMP shares lifting off in Friday’s sinking market?
• GQG shares rise 4% as resilient earnings ease fund outflow concerns
• GQG Partners posts strong FY25 earnings and record FUM
• $2,000 invested in AMP shares at the start of 2026 is now worth…

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Gqg Partners and Nextdc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet and Gqg Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Amcor PLC (ASX: AMC) shares are trading higher again on Friday morning. At the time of writing, the shares are up another 0.20% to $70 a piece.

The uptick means the shares are now up 10.27% for the month of February alone, although they’re 11.89% below the trading price reported this time last year.

What has driven Amcor shares higher this month?

The packaging giant posted its results for the December quarter last week, which boosted the share price higher. The company announced a huge 68% increase in its quarterly net sales, and its adjusted EBITDA soared 83% higher.

The bumper results have come straight off the back of its recent acquisition of Berry Global. The US$6.4 billion deal added around US$2.2 billion in quarterly sales and also gave US$55 million in synergy benefits.

Management also confirmed full-year guidance, expecting adjusted EPS between US$4 to US$4.15. This translates to 12% to 17% growth on a constant currency basis.

The company also declared an unfranked interim dividend of 93 Aussie cents per share. Amcor pays quarterly dividends, with this latest declared payout up 356% from the prior corresponding quarter.

At the time, Amcor CEO Peter Konieczny said, “Our Q2 financial performance was in line with expectations in a challenging volume environment. Strong Adjusted EPS growth was driven by disciplined execution and synergy benefits from the Berry acquisition at the upper end of expectations.”

Investors were clearly thrilled with the result, with many rushing to snap up shares in the packing business while prices were still cheap.

What do the analysts think of the stock?

Brokers confirmed their buy recommendations for Amcor shares after the company delivered its solid quarterly results. 

Analysts at Goldman Sachs and Jeffries said the results were broadly in line with expectations.

The team at Morgans, however, said that the results were softer than they expected. The broker was pleased that synergy benefits were at the high end of guidance, but it expected more from operating performance. But Morgans thinks the company could improve performance in the second half of FY26. 

Is there any more upside left?

Data shows that most analysts have a buy or strong buy rating on Amcor shares (18 out of 22 analysts). The maximum target price is $86.50 a piece, which implies a 23.62% upside ahead at the time of writing.

Even the average target price of $76.48 implies a 9.32% upside over the next 12 months.

It’s fair to say that it looks like we could see more gains from the packaging business this year.

The post Amcor shares jump 10% higher in February. Is there more upside ahead? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Argo Investments reports record profit and dividend
• 3 ASX 200 stocks jumping higher in this week’s falling market
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• Morgans names 2 ASX shares to buy now

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 Goldman Sachs Group and Jefferies Financial Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Amcor Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

With just a few hours of trade left before Friday’s closing bell, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 2.5% for the week, with plenty of lifting help from these three surging ASX 200 stocks.

One this week’s outperforming companies is a national energy provider, one develops and manages data centres, and the third produces building materials.

Which fast-rising stocks am I talking about?

Read on!

ASX 200 stocks leaping higher this week

The first outperforming ASX 200 stock on my list for the week is NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT).

Shares in the data centre operator and developer closed last Friday trading for $12.71. At time of writing, shares are changing hands for $14.28 each. This sees the NextDC share price up 12.4% for the week.

There was no fresh news out from the company this week. But NextDC shares look to have benefited from a broader rebound in US and Aussie tech stocks, following the sharp sell-off last week.

Moving on to the second fast-rising ASX 200 stock this week we have AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL).

Shares in the Aussie energy provider closed last week trading for $8.95. Shares are currently trading for $10.16 each. This puts the AGL share price up 13.6% for the week.

Most of those gains were delivered on Wednesday. AGL shares closed up 11.8% on the day following the release of the company’s half year results (H1 FY 2026).

AGL reported underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $1.09 billion for the six months, in line with H1 FY 2025.

While underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) was down 6% year on year to $353 million, management fine-tuned their FY 2026 underlying EBITDA guidance to the range of $2.02 billion to $2.18 billion. Full year NPAT guidance was narrowed to $580 million to $680 million.

Management also declared a fully franked interim dividend of 24 cents per share, up 4.3% from last year’s interim payout. AGL shares trade on a fully franked 4.8% dividend yield.

Which brings us to…

Also racing higher

James Hardie Industries PLC (ASX: JHX) shares also raced ahead of the benchmark this week.

Shares in the building materials company closed last week trading for $32.46 and are currently swapping hands for $36.68. That sees this ASX 200 stock up 13.1% for the week.

James Hardie shares closed up 11.8% on Wednesday following the release of the company’s third quarter results.

Highlights included a 30% increase in net sales for the three months to US$1.24 billion.

Adjusted EBITDA of US$330 million was up 26%.

The post 3 ASX 200 stocks smashing the benchmark this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why AMP, GQG, NextDC, and Origin Energy shares are racing higher today
• Buy, hold, sell: James Hardie, CSL, and CBA shares
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• A once-in-a-decade chance to buy ASX 200 tech stocks like WiseTech, Megaport and NextDC?
• Where to invest $10,000 in ASX growth shares

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.

Beating the market consistently is not easy. Most professional fund managers fail. But it is possible. 

Over the next five years, I believe certain themes have the potential to deliver stronger growth than the broader Australian share market. 

But rather than trying to pick individual winners with exposure to these themes, I think it could be a smart choice to use targeted exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to gain diversified exposure to those areas.

Here are three ASX ETFs I think could beat the market over the next five years.

BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

The NDQ ETF tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, which includes some of the world’s most recognised and fastest-growing companies.

The ETF provides access to global leaders in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital payments, biotechnology, and advanced consumer platforms. These businesses reinvest heavily in research and development and operate scalable business models that can expand margins over time.

While the BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF can be volatile in the short term, I think the long-term earnings growth of its underlying shares gives it the potential to outperform the Australian market.

BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

Cybersecurity is not just a trend. It is quickly becoming an ongoing necessity.

As digital systems become more interconnected and data volumes continue to expand, governments and corporations must invest in protecting their networks. What I like is that spending in this area tends to remain resilient, even when broader economic conditions soften.

The HACK ETF provides exposure to a global portfolio of cybersecurity specialists involved in cloud security, threat detection, and identity management. Over a five-year period, I believe this structural growth theme could outpace the broader market.

Vanguard FTSE Asia Ex-Japan Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAE)

The VAE ETF offers exposure to Asia outside Japan, including China, Taiwan, India, and South Korea.

Asian markets have underperformed developed markets for much of the past decade, but they remain home to a large share of the global population and manufacturing base. The region includes major semiconductor manufacturers, fast-growing consumer markets, and expanding financial systems.

If economic growth in Asia accelerates or investor sentiment improves, the Vanguard FTSE Asia Ex-Japan Shares Index ETF could deliver stronger returns than the broader Australian market over the next five years.

Foolish takeaway

Outperforming the share market requires exposure to businesses and regions that can grow faster than average.

While no ETF guarantees success, the NDQ ETF, the HACK ETF, and the VAE ETF provide diversified access to structural growth themes that I think could deliver stronger returns over the next five years.

For investors willing to accept some volatility in pursuit of higher growth, these ASX ETFs are worth considering.

The post The ASX ETFs I think could beat the Australian share market over the next 5 years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino 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 BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF and BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX 200 stock Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA) hit a new 12-month high on Thursday after the company announced a new share buyback following a “robust” half year result.

The question is, will the share price hold up or has it got a bit ahead of itself?

Let’s look at the results first. The bottle and packaging maker posted a first-half net profit of $58.9 million, up $58.7 million from what was effectively a breakeven position for the same period last year.

This was achieved on revenue of $1.12 billion, up 9.7%.

Orora Managing Director Brian Lowe said it was a “robust operating result for the first half of FY26, underpinned by disciplined execution”.

He added:

In line with our full year guidance, we achieved EBITDA growth across all businesses, reflecting the strength of our operating platform and the benefits of our recent investments and business optimisation actions. Market dynamics and trading conditions vary across Orora’s business segments. Favourable market dynamics in Cans, including the continued consumer preference shift to aluminium and growth in new beverage categories, has supported 11.2% volume growth. Despite softness in premium spirits and wine, disciplined execution supported performance across glass, with Saverglass volumes up 2.6% in the first half primarily driven by tequila and vodka categories.

Mr Rowe said the company was maturing from a high capital expenditure phase to one defined by more cash generation.

So, what do analysts think?

The team at Barrenjoey said the earnings were in line with expectations, and that key full-year guidance was reiterated.

But they believe there are headwinds ahead, noting:

Going forward, we believe performance in Saverglass will drive the share price given the division has the widest range of earnings outcomes and represents roughly half of Orora’s enterprise value. Fundamentally, we think it will be difficult for Saverglass to grow earnings at the rate consensus expects unless alcohol trends improve materially to support sales volume and pricing power. Cost management in Saverglass has been a key focus since the acquisition and will need to continue if our cautious view on alcohol consumption persists.

The Barrenjoey team has a price target of $2 on Orora shares, compared with the current share price of $2.17.

The team over at Macquarie were more positive on the stock, with an outperform rating and a $2.45 price target.

They said regrading the result that, “no bad news was good news”, and it was good to see Saverglass volumes growing.

They said there were more positives than negatives out of the half year report and the “worst appears to have passed for Saverglass and cost out initiatives increase leverage to recovery”.

The new buyback announced on Thursday will purchase up to 10% of the company’s stock on issue.

The post Are Orora shares a buy following their half-year results? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Orora shares hit a fresh 12-month high as new buyback announced
• Orora earnings: robust half-year profit growth and outlook
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• These two packaging majors are tipped to return better than 25%

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 recommended Orora. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) posted a robust increase in profit this week, but the question is, with the stock having nearly doubled over the past year, where to from here?

Firstly, let’s look at the results.

Strong profit

Northern Star reported a net profit of $714 million for the first half, up 41% on the previous corresponding period, but negative free cash flow to the tune of $320 million.

This came about due to a “soft” performance in the second half, $275 million of tax payments, and growth project investment, the company said.

The company also announced a fully-franked dividend of 25 cents, in line with the previous first half.

Northern Star Managing Director Stuart Tonkin said regarding the result:

This first half result demonstrates the resilience and growing returns we are embedding in our business, which allowed the Board to declare a 25 cents per share interim dividend despite a soft operating performance. Our balance sheet remains in a net cash position notwithstanding the significant investments we are making to transform Northern Star into a lowest-half global cost producer. We look forward to safely commissioning the KCGM Mill Expansion on schedule in early FY27, positioning the business for a significant uplift in cash generation and return on capital employed. This enhanced cash flow outlook strengthens our ability to deliver attractive returns on investment, supports capital management, and allows us to continue to advance the Hemi Development Project in a disciplined manner.

What do the analysts think?

The analyst team at Barrenjoey have had a look at the Northern Star results and said they were in line with expectations.

They said management also flagged that a final investment decision for the Hemi project was likely to be pushed out to FY27 with first production in FY30.

The Barrenjoey team added:

Although this may drive some small downgrades to consensus forecasts, we think this is expected by investors and possibly welcomed as it implies a window for strong free cash flow generation from the new Superpit mill expansion before Hemi construction. Despite reiterating Superpit mill commissioning in the Sep-26 qtr, we maintain our Neutral rating, as we still see near-term execution risk.

The Barrenjoey team said Northern Star appeared inexpensive relative to its local and global peers, but there was a reasonable amount of execution risk in the near future.

They added:

FY26 is clearly a massive year of investment for Northern Star, with the focus on completing the Superpit mill expansion due for Sep-26 quarter. The successful delivery to time/budget is the key catalyst for Northern Star from which the share price performance should follow. The completion of this project is expected to provide a step-change in production and cashflow for Northern Star but is not without execution risk, particularly in the final stages of the build.

Barrenjoey has a neutral rating on the stock but a bullish price target of $36, which would be a 28.5% increase from Friday’s price of $28.

Northern Star was valued at $42.1 billion at the close of trade on Thursday.

The post Are Northern Star Resources shares a buy following their profit results? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
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• Up 92% since August, why is the Northern Star share price lifting off again today?
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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.

AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) shares are storming higher today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) diversified financial services company closed yesterday trading for $1.28. In earlier trade today, shares were changing hands for $1.40 each, up 9.4%. At the time of writing, shares are trading for $1.37 apiece, up 6.9%.

That performance is noteworthy amid the broader market selling action today, with the ASX 200 down 1.2% at this same time at 8.931.8 points.

Here’s what looks to be driving AMP’s outperformance today.

AMP shares in oversold zone

With no fresh news out from the company, the ASX 200 financial stock appears to be benefiting from bargain-hunting investors today, after getting clobbered yesterday.

If you had an eye on the boards, you’ll have noticed that AMP shares closed down a precipitous 26.7% on Thursday, with shares down as much as 33.1% in intraday trading.

That big sell-down followed the release of AMP’s full calendar year 2025 results, with many of those results falling short of consensus expectations.

On the plus side, the wealth manager reported a 9% year-on-year increase in total assets under management (AUM) to $161.7 billion. And underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) was up 20.8% to $285 million.

However, statutory NPAT went the other way, slumping 11.3% to $133 million, which the company said reflected legacy legal settlements during the year.

And with the company forecasting tighter margins in its platforms business, even the boosted final dividend wasn’t enough to keep AMP shares from tumbling.

Management declared a partly franked final dividend of 2 cents per share, bringing the full-year payout to 4 cents per share. That’s up from the 3 cents per share AMP paid out in 2024.

At the current price, AMP stock trades on a partly franked dividend yield of 3%.

If you’re after that final AMP dividend (representing a 1.5% yield in itself), you’ll need to own shares at market close on 26 February. AMP trades ex-dividend on 27 February. You can then expect to receive that passive income payout on 2 April.

What did management say?

“2025 was an important year for AMP with resolution of legacy items and stabilisation of the portfolio,” outgoing CEO Alexis George said.

Looking to what’s ahead for AMP shares, George added:

This enabled renewed focus on winning in the segments we play, growing the wealth businesses, and building on the vision to be the place that customers come to plan for a dignified retirement

George will step down from her role as CEO on 30 March. She will be replaced by Blair Vernon, the current chief financial officer (CFO) of AMP.

The post Why are AMP shares lifting off in Friday’s sinking market? 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.

Shares in NIB Holdings Ltd (ASX: NHF) are slightly higher in mid-morning trade following a fresh announcement from the private health insurer.

At the time of writing, the NIB share price is up a modest 0.31% to $6.40. By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 1.1% following losses on Wall Street overnight.

NIB has confirmed it has agreed to a transaction involving one of its business segments.

Here is what investors need to know.

Details of the agreed transaction

According to the ASX announcement, NIB has signed a binding agreement to sell the World Nomads international travel insurance brand.

The business will be sold to International Medical Group, a subsidiary of SiriusPoint Ltd, for $67.5 million.

The company expects net cash proceeds of around $70 million on completion.

The sale only includes the international World Nomads brand. It does not include NIB’s other travel insurance assets or its Australian and New Zealand travel insurance operations.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to complete during the 2026 financial year. NIB will provide transitional support to ensure a smooth handover.

Management said the decision reflects its focus on simplifying the group and concentrating capital on its core health insurance businesses.

How the core business is tracking

NIB is a private health insurer operating across Australia and New Zealand. It provides private health cover for residents, international students and workers, as well as travel and related insurance products.

The group reported underlying operating profit of $239.2 million in its most recent full year result, with revenue of $3.6 billion. The majority of earnings come from its Australian residents health insurance segment.

Over the past 12 months, NIB shares have traded between $5.82 and $8.26. At around $6.40, the stock remains below its recent peak.

NIB also pays dividends. Based on the current share price, the stock offers a dividend yield of roughly 4.5%, which is broadly in line with other ASX listed insurers.

What investors should focus on next

The sale of the international travel insurance business is relatively small compared with the size of NIB’s overall operations. However, it signals a clear strategy to focus on core health insurance and reduce complexity.

Investors will likely watch how the company deploys the sale proceeds. This could include reinvestment into higher return areas of the business or potential capital management initiatives.

NIB is due to release its half year results on 23 February, which may provide further detail on trading conditions and capital allocation plans.

The post Why Nib shares are edging higher after today’s update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH) shares have plunged into the red on Friday morning.

At the time of writing, the hearing solutions company’s shares are down 17.5% to $202.60.

This has been driven by the release of a softer-than-expected half-year result and an update on its earnings guidance for FY 2026.

Cochlear shares tumble on results

For the six months ended 31 December, Cochlear reported sales revenue of $1.176 billion, up just 1% on the prior corresponding period and down 2% in constant currency.

While cochlear implant units increased 6% to 27,016, revenue growth lagged unit growth due to mix, particularly a higher proportion of lower-priced emerging market units.

Gross margin declined two percentage points to 73%, reflecting a higher mix of lower-margin emerging market sales. Operating expenses rose 1% as the company continued investing in R&D and long-term growth initiatives.

This led to Cochlear’s underlying net profit falling 9% to $195 million, while statutory net profit dropped 21% to $161.5 million.

Despite this, the company’s board held its interim dividend steady at $2.15 per share, representing a 72% payout of underlying earnings.

Nexa rollout slower than hoped

A key factor weighing on Cochlear shares today appears to be the slower-than-expected rollout of the new Cochlear Nucleus Nexa system.

Management said the product registration and contract renewal process for the new implant took longer than anticipated, particularly where price increases were sought. While approvals in Europe, Asia Pacific and the US were secured mid-year, availability expanded progressively across the first half.

By December, around 80% of units sold comprised the new Nexa system, and management pointed to gains in market share late in the half. However, the delay meant only low single-digit revenue growth in developed markets during the period.

This timing issue appears to have disrupted the earnings trajectory investors were anticipating.

Outlook

Cochlear has reaffirmed its full-year underlying net profit guidance range of $435 million to $460 million.

However, it now expects earnings to land at the lower end of that range due to the first-half contracting delays.

There is also currency risk. Guidance assumes AUD/USD of 66 cents and AUD/EUR of 56 cents. If the Australian dollar remains at current levels, underlying net profit could be reduced by approximately $30 million.

The post Cochlear shares sink 17% on results day appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Cochlear. 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. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.