Category: Stock Market

Yesterday, Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH) shares fell 1.3% following a trading update.

The homewares and home furnishings retailer has now seen its share price fall by 18% for the year to date. 

This has reflected broader sector wide headwinds for consumer discretionary shares. The sector has been hit hard by high interest rates and inflation. 

What did the company announce?

As my colleague Aaron Teboneras reported yesterday, Adairs announced it expects FY26 group sales to land between $640 million and $641.5 million.

At the midpoint, this represents an increase of 3.7% on FY25.

However, group underlying EBIT is expected to come in between $53.5 million and $55.5 million. This would be down 1.3% on FY25.

This put a halt to the positive momentum it had felt over the past month. Subsequently, the team at Bell Potter has provided updated guidance on Adairs shares for the next 12 months. 

Here is the broker’s updated view. 

Slightly below expectations

Bell Potter said Adairs’ FY26 trading update was slightly below market expectations on revenue (around 1%).

The core Adairs brand was the standout performer. It delivered 3% sales growth from late February to June and stronger margins following product range improvements under the new management. This helped offset weaker performance at Focus on Furniture.

Mocka (an online furniture and homewares retailer owned by Adairs) performed largely as expected. Meanwhile, Focus on Furniture continued to face pressure from increased competition and its ongoing turnaround under new leadership.

Following the update, Bell Potter has lifted its assumptions for the core Adairs business but now expects Focus on Furniture to remain loss-making in the second half of FY26 and continue to weigh on earnings in coming years. 

The broker forecasts modest group growth of 2.6% in revenue and 1.8% in EBIT, supported by foreign exchange benefits in FY27 and healthy inventory levels. 

As a result, Bell Potter increased its FY26 NPAT forecast by 16%, while reducing FY27 and FY28 forecasts by 5% and 8%, respectively.

Minimal upside

Based on this guidance, Bell Potter slightly increased its target price on Adairs shares to $1.45 (previously $1.40). 

It retained its hold recommendation. 

Despite raising its target, it appears Adairs shares are trading close to fair value, after closing yesterday just above Bell Potter’s target price. 

With the positive customer response to the range curation efforts at Adairs continuing to play out from the CY25 peak to the 4Q26 seasonal period and appears to be maintained into FY27, we attribute successful management strategy. 

However, our views on the recovery timeline at FoF in a highly competitive near-term value furniture market sees us remaining cautious over the next 12 months considering the current transition phase at ADH.

The post Are Adairs shares a buy, hold or sell after their trading update? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• This ASX retail stock is falling as a $68 million furniture headache bites

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell 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 Adairs. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Adairs. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

This ASX healthcare share has finally come back to earth.

4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) shares fell 7% to $4.10 during Wednesday’s session, extending a sharp pullback that has now left the stock about 46% below the record highs reached in April.

Before anyone panics, though, it’s worth zooming out. This ASX healthcare share is still up an astonishing 1,528% over the past 12 months. Yes, that’s more than fifteen-fold in a year.

But here’s the catch: 4DMedical isn’t a tiny speculative medical technology company anymore. With a market capitalisation of roughly $2.6 billion, investors are already betting on a business that becomes much, much larger.

So where does it go from here?

Solving a real problem

The story behind this ASX healthcare share isn’t just hype.

4DMedical has developed advanced respiratory imaging technology that shows how lungs actually function rather than simply what they look like.

Using proprietary software and artificial intelligence, its technology creates detailed functional images that can help doctors diagnose and monitor respiratory diseases far more effectively than traditional imaging.

That’s a powerful proposition in a world increasingly embracing AI-driven healthcare.

Company keeps expanding its opportunity

This ASX healthcare share hasn’t been sitting still. One of management’s biggest recent moves was acquiring Austrian imaging specialist Contextflow.

The deal immediately strengthened 4DMedical’s presence in Europe, added lung cancer screening capabilities and provided access to existing reimbursement pathways in Germany.

Management believes the acquisition expands its addressable market by around 50%. That’s no small upgrade. Instead of being an emerging Australian medical technology company, 4DMedical is steadily building the foundations of a global imaging business.

Major scalp in the US

The United States remains the biggest prize for this ASX healthcare share. Recently, the company signed a major agreement with SimonMed, one of America’s largest outpatient imaging providers with more than 170 imaging centres.

The partnership supports the rollout of 4DMedical’s CT:VQ lung imaging technology across a substantial healthcare network. Even more importantly, the company believes these initiatives could expand its US addressable market for CT:VQ to around US$3 billion.

If adoption continues gathering pace, that’s a very large runway.

Where to from here?

Success creates a funny problem. The better this ASX healthcare share performs, the higher the expectations become.

After last year’s extraordinary rally, investors are no longer rewarding exciting stories alone. They want evidence of growing revenue, expanding reimbursement coverage and increasing commercial adoption.

The Contextflow acquisition also needs to deliver on its promise.

Any slowdown in customer adoption or execution could trigger more volatility, particularly after such an enormous share price run.

The next chapter now depends less on headlines and more on execution. If 4DMedical continues converting clinical success into commercial wins, today’s speed bump could eventually look like just another pit stop on a much longer journey.

The post This red-hot ASX healthcare share hit a speed bump. What next? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• ASX shares vs. property in FY26: Which investment outperformed?

Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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.

Consumer staples shares have performed strongly in 2026 as investors have pushed towards defensive options.

The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) has risen 13% year to date. 

This has far outpaced the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which is up just 0.66% in the same span. 

Despite the sector performing well, ASX consumer staples stock Select Harvests Ltd (ASX: SHV) is down significantly year to date. 

However, a new report from Bell Potter has indicated it could be set for a strong rebound. 

Company overview

Select Harvests is an integrated grower, processor and marketer of almonds, owning and operating farming and processing assets in Australia. 

It offers a vertically integrated model with core capabilities in farming, processing and marketing.

The company operates a diversified portfolio of almond orchards as well as a state-of-the-art processing facility in Carina VIC (with capacity to process 50,000t of almonds).

In 2026, the stock has fallen 20%, however Bell Potter’s latest guidance indicates it could recover in the next 12 months. 

Here’s what the broker had to say. 

Production maintained

Bell Potter said in yesterday’s report that the recent weakness in this ASX consumer staples stock is not supported by improving almond market fundamentals. 

Global almond prices have risen 11% year-on-year, while a weaker Australian dollar has lifted implied Californian almond prices to A$10.55-10.60/kg. 

This is above SHV’s 1H26 pricing assumption of A$10.21/kg.

Despite Select Harvest shares falling around 20% since the start of 2026, the company has maintained FY26 production guidance of 28,000–31,000 tonnes, which aligns with its expected theoretical production of around 29,000 tonnes. 

Bell Potter believes this suggests the market is overly focused on past operational issues rather than current fundamentals.

Taking into account the company’s foreign exchange hedge position, stronger-than-expected almond price trends, and benchmark market performance, Bell Potter sees upside risk to the company’s 1H26 almond price assumption. 

If current market prices persist, realised prices could be closer to A$10.50–10.60/kg, providing potential upside to earnings and the share price.

Strong upside in tact for consumer staples stock

Based on this guidance, Bell Potter has retained its buy recommendation and $5.30 price target. 

From current levels, this indicates an upside potential of 35%. 

SHV has had a series of disappointing results in recent years, however, the fundamental drivers of the business are improving – almond prices are rising, crop input prices (fertiliser and ag-chem) have weakened from the highs and forward year water lease coverage has improved.

The post Why this could be the best buy in the consumer staples sector right now: Expert  appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell 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.

Superannuation may be the best place to invest for passive income, thanks to the fact that the tax rate is so low compared to individual and company tax rates.

Superannuation investors could have a low tax rate in the accumulation phase and perhaps a 0% tax rate in the retirement phase.

When the income is taxed so little, it means investors’ after-tax income can be similar (or identical) to the before-tax income. It’s the after-tax income figure that investors should focus on, in my view.

If superannuation investors are after passive income, I think the following ideas are very compelling with $5,000 (or more).

Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP)

This is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns a portfolio of industrial properties across the country. These buildings are located across high-demand areas where vacancy is low.

With tailwinds like e-commerce adoption, refrigerated space, and data centres driving increased demand for industrial demand, this is a strong tailwind for rental income and supporting distributions.

In the first half of FY26, the business reported like-for-like net operating income (NOI) growth of 5.1%, which I think is a solid rate of growth for a REIT. It also noted that its portfolio’s rental income potential growth is strong, with an average under-renting of 20% of its real estate, suggesting a big rental increase when the contract comes up for renewal.

The business declared passive income of 16.8 cents per security in FY26, translating into a distribution yield of 5.6%. I think it’s a good time to invest while interest rates are higher because that’s a headwind for property values – this effect could reverse once interest rates start coming down again.

Plus, it’s trading at a large double-digit discount to its net tangible assets (NTA), which was reported as $3.95 per unit as of 31 December 2025.

MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF)

Another ASX share that looks like an excellent passive income buy for superannuation is the listed investment company (LIC) MFF. LICs are a great investment structure because they enable the board to declare the size of dividends they want, allowing for consistent, growing dividends.

MFF has a stated intention to increase dividend payments to investors, which I believe makes it an appealing pick for investors seeking payout stability (and growth).

Companies pay for dividends from the profit they make. MFF generates income by generating investment returns from a portfolio of high-quality international shares with strong economic moats.

If you’re going to invest in shares, why not own some of the best contenders that can deliver good compounding earnings, which is a key driver of shareholder returns?  Retained investment returns that aren’t paid out as dividends can help drive the MFF share price higher over time as the underlying value of the business – measured by the NTA – grows.

MFF intends to pay an annual dividend per share of 21 cents for FY26, translating into a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.8%, including franking credits.

The post How to invest $5,000 for passive income in superannuation? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 3 of the best ASX dividend shares I own for passive income

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Mff Capital Investments. 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 positions in and has recommended Mff Capital Investments. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX dividend shares are a great way for Australian investors to earn a consistent passive income.

Passive income can also give investors a buffer against share market volatility. This is particularly valuable when share markets swing between peaks and troughs.

The catch is that it can be difficult to spot the ASX shares that are most reliable and can give you the passive income you’re targeting.

Let’s break it down, using $10,000 per year in passive income as an example.

What portfolio size do I need to get $10,000 in annual passive income from ASX shares?

The easy way to work out the amount of money you’d need is to divide your annual $10,000 passive income by the dividend yield of your overall portfolio.

The tricky part is that the answer varies widely depending on the dividend yield of the ASX shares you’d have in your portfolio. 

For example, a portfolio with a dividend yield of around 6% only needs to be half the size of one with a dividend yield of around 3% to generate the same level of dividend income. 

So, to receive $10,000 per year in passive income from ASX shares with a 3% dividend yield, you’d need a portfolio of around $333,000.

Then, as your dividend yield increases, the portfolio size needed to earn the same level of passive income goes down.

That means that if your portfolio has an overall dividend yield of around 4%, you’d need to invest closer to $250,000 to receive your $5,000 per year in passive income.

To get the same passive income from a 5% dividend yield, you’d need to invest $200,000.

You’d then need closer to $166,000 to earn the same income off shares with an overall 6% dividend yield.

Raise that portfolio yield to 7% or even 8%, and you would need to be closer to $143,000 or $125,000, respectively.

And so on.

These figures are based on cash dividends before any tax or franking credit benefits.

What ASX shares can I invest in to get my $10,000 annual passive income?

There is a huge range of ASX dividend shares available to buy, and their yields vary significantly. 

But here are a few of my favourites to get you started.

Lower yielding ASX dividend-paying shares such as Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) are solid and reliable shares that offer a yield of around 2% to 3%.

For a mid-range yielding ASX dividend option, I’d look at defensive assets like Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS), and blue-chip majors like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), which pay a dividend of around 3% to 4%.

For a higher 5% to 6% dividend yield, I’d look at dividend-payers like National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), retail giant Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN), or a REIT like Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT (ASX: CQE).

Packaging giant Amcor (ASX: AMC) yields closer to 7%, as does Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ).

If you want to take on more risk and go for a much higher-yielding ASX stock, my picks would be Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) or BetaShares Australian Top 20 Equities Yield Maximiser Complex ETF (ASX: YMAX). These typically yield 9% or more.

But keep in mind that ASX shares carry market risk. So, diversifying across established, cash-flow-heavy dividend-payers and income ETFs is the most reliable strategy.

What does a diversified portfolio look like?

Say you have $200,000 to invest; to earn $10,000 per year in passive income, you’d need a portfolio yield of around 5%. 

But remember, you don’t need to invest the whole $200,000 at once, and the dividend is the overall portfolio dividend, not exclusively ASX shares with individual dividend yields at 5%. 

For example, you could split your portfolio up so that around 65% is invested into mid-range yielding ASX shares, another 20% is invested into slightly higher yielding stocks, and the remaining 15% could be invested into riskier but much higher yielding shares.

I’d also look to buy the ASX shares across multiple sectors to diversify my portfolio even further.

It’s important to note that while a 5% yield from a diversified portfolio is a reasonable long-term target, it won’t be achieved every year. Your passive income will likely fluctuate, depending on the company’s profits and dividend decisions.

The post These ASX shares could generate $10,000 per year in passive income appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Why I’d buy BHP and CBA shares in July

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 Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Amcor Plc, Harvey Norman, and Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, Nine Entertainment, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The team at Bell Potter have provided fresh analysis on ASX healthcare stock Cogstate Ltd (ASX: CGS). 

The company is a healthcare service provider focused on optimising brain health assessments, predominantly for clinical trials of novel medicines. 

It has been a shining light in 2026 amongst a weaker ASX healthcare sector. 

Cogstate shares have risen 17% year to date while the S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) has fallen almost 20%. 

Bell Potter appears optimistic the growth can continue in the next 12 months. 

Here is what the broker had to say. 

Strong performance continues

According to the broker, the company had another strong quarter.

The company reported new contract sales of US$21.9 million. 

This is the fourth quarter in a row with more than US$20 million in sales. Total contract sales for the year reached US$89 million, which is a record for its Clinical Trials business.

Additionally, the company’s revenue backlog (work already contracted but not yet recognised as revenue) grew to US$118.5 million, up 32% from a year ago.

This is important because the business now has more future work secured than ever before.

This was a comfortable beat to our prior expectations and is a 54% increase compared to where FY26 contracted revenue started.

Forecasts lifted

The broker also noted the US$21.9 million in new contracts signed in the latest quarter, US$12.7 million will be recognised as revenue in FY27.

This increases the amount of revenue already locked in for FY27 to US$48.3 million, up from US$35.6 million three months earlier.

Bell Potter says this result was better than expected and means FY27 starts with 54% more contracted revenue than FY26 did.

Because of this stronger starting position, Bell Potter has raised its FY27 revenue forecast by 11% and also increased its FY28 forecast.

Bell Potter now expects EBITDA in FY27 and FY28 to be 19-23% higher than previously forecast, with profit margins improving to the mid-30% range.

Increased upside for ASX healthcare stock

Based on this guidance, Bell Potter has increased its price target on Cogstate shares to $3.70 (previously $3.20). 

The broker has retained its buy recommendation. 

Based on yesterday’s closing price, this indicates 37% upside potential for this ASX healthcare stock. 

We were surprised with the soft share price response today following what we considered to be another strong quarterly update with little to scrutinise.

The discount is despite Cogstate’s far higher growth rate than peers, now forecast at ~18% annualised over the next 2 years compared to peers ranging from -1% to 8%, i.e. Cogstate has more than double the growth outlook of the next best CRO peer, not to mention a higher NPAT margin (BPe 24%) and no debt.

The post Top broker tips 37% upside for this exciting ASX healthcare stock appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell 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 Cogstate. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Cogstate. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was out of form and ended the day in the red. The benchmark index fell 0.2% to 8,785.1 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to fall again

It looks set to be a difficult session for Australian investors on Thursday after a poor night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 47 points or 0.55% lower this morning. In late trade in the United States, the Dow Jones is down 1.1%, the S&P 500 is 0.35% lower, and the Nasdaq is down slightly.

Buy Minerals 260 shares

Minerals 260 Ltd (ASX: MI6) shares could have major upside according to analysts at Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has retained its speculative buy rating on the ASX gold stock with an improved price target of $1.40. This implies potential upside of approximately 120%. It said: “MI6 offers gold exposure via the 6.2Moz Bullabulling MRE, valuation uplift through discovery success, project advancement and de-risking as the BGP progresses towards production. MI6 holds ~$250m cash, sufficient to fund to Final Investment Decision (FID) in early CY27, long-lead items and early site works. We lift our valuation to $1.40/sh and retain our Speculative Buy recommendation.”

Oil prices jump

ASX 200 energy shares such as Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a great day after oil prices jumped overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 4.4% to US$73.57 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 5.2% to US$78.04 a barrel. Traders were bidding oil higher following an escalation in US-Iran tensions.

Uranium miners on watch

Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) and other ASX uranium shares will be on watch today. There are reports that the Australian government could sign an agreement with India this week that delivers on a nuclear co-operation plan between the two countries that was signed over a decade ago. Boss Energy shares certainly need a boost. They are down 22% year to date.

Gold price tumbles

It could be a poor session for ASX 200 gold shares including Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) on Thursday after the gold price tumbled overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is down 1.5% to US$4,096.85 an ounce. Rising oil prices have sparked inflation and rate hike concerns.

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Woodside Energy Group Ltd. 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.

July could be a good time to revisit your income portfolio.

But which ASX dividend shares could be worth considering?

Let’s take a look at five top options for this month.

APA Group (ASX: APA)

APA could be an ASX dividend share to look at in July.

It owns energy infrastructure, including gas pipelines, processing assets, storage, and electricity transmission interests.

These assets play an important role in moving energy around the country. Households, manufacturers, power stations, and major industrial customers all need reliable infrastructure, regardless of whether the economic backdrop is strong or weak.

That gives APA a defensive position in an income portfolio.

The energy transition will continue to change the sector over time, but reliability, storage, firming, and transmission are likely to remain important. This could support the company’s cash flows and distributions over the long term.

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

Another ASX dividend share to look at is Charter Hall Long WALE REIT.

It offers exposure to property income with long lease structures. The company’s portfolio includes properties leased to government tenants, major corporates, and operators across sectors such as convenience retail, industrial, office, and social infrastructure.

Given that tenants are locked into long-term leases, this can give investors more visibility over future earnings and dividends. That can be valuable when markets are uncertain.

Interest rates and property valuations remain key risks, but a long lease portfolio can be a good option for investors who want income backed by contracted rental streams.

Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN)

Harvey Norman is more than a retailer selling televisions, couches, computers, and appliances.

It also owns a significant property portfolio, which gives the business a different shape from many other consumer-facing companies.

Retail earnings can move with household spending, housing activity, and consumer confidence. But the property backing gives Harvey Norman an extra layer of asset support and flexibility.

Things may be tough for retailers at the moment, but when the retail cycle improves, the company will be positioned to generate strong cash flow and pay attractive fully franked dividends.

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

Transurban could be a top ASX dividend share for income investors in July.

The company owns and operates toll roads across major cities in Australia and North America.

Its roads help commuters, freight operators, airport travellers, and businesses move around major cities more efficiently. This ties the company to urban population growth, congestion, and the value people place on saving time.

Traffic volumes can soften during weak periods, but major road networks are hard to replicate. Once built, they can remain important infrastructure for decades.

Universal Store Holdings Ltd (ASX: UNI)

Universal Store is a youth-focused fashion retailer. This means it doesn’t have the defensive profile of infrastructure or property. But it does have a clear customer niche, a curated store format, and exposure to brands and trends that resonate with younger shoppers.

When retailers get this right, cash generation can be strong.

Universal Store also has growth options through new stores, online sales, and its owned brands.

Its dividend may not be as predictable as some larger defensive names, but its growth profile could make it an interesting option for investors who want more than a traditional slow-moving ASX dividend share.

The post 5 top ASX dividend shares to buy in July appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Want passive income? These ASX dividend shares keep delivering
• A rare buying opportunity in 1 of Australia’s top shares?
• How much do I need in my superannuation to get $6,000 per month in passive income?
• 2 ASX dividend shares with yields over 4% right now
• How should I invest my money in FY27?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Universal Store. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Apa Group, Harvey Norman, and Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Universal Store. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) is an ASX bank share that can divide opinion.

It is a major bank with a large customer base, an attractive dividend profile, and a strong position in business banking.

But investors also need to think about the economy, bad debts, mortgage competition, and whether bank valuations leave enough room for upside.

So, are NAB shares a buy, hold, or sell this month?

The NAB share price looks reasonable

The NAB share price is currently around $39.59.

That compares with a 52-week range of $35.48 to $49.45, meaning the shares are still trading well below their recent high.

That does not automatically make NAB a bargain. But I do think the pullback has made the valuation more appealing for investors looking at the big banks.

Using CommSec consensus estimates, NAB is expected to generate earnings per share of $2.43 in FY26 and $2.53 in FY27.

Based on the current share price, that puts the bank on a price-to-earnings ratio of around 16.3 times FY26 earnings and 15.7 times FY27 earnings.

I think that looks reasonable for a major Australian bank with NAB’s market position.

The dividend case is solid

NAB also offers an attractive income profile.

Consensus dividend forecasts are $1.70 per share in FY26 and $1.72 per share in FY27.

At the current share price, that implies forward dividend yields of roughly 4.3% and 4.35%.

That is not the highest yield investors can find on the ASX, but I think it is attractive when paired with the scale and profitability of a major bank.

Dividends are never guaranteed, especially in banking. Credit quality, regulation, capital requirements, and economic conditions all matter. But for investors wanting passive income from ASX shares, I think NAB’s forecast yield is strong enough to deserve attention.

Why I’d call NAB a buy

My verdict is that NAB shares are a buy this month.

The main reason is the bank’s business banking strength.

Retail banking is a challenging market. Mortgage competition remains intense, deposits are valuable, and households are still dealing with cost-of-living pressure.

NAB’s business banking exposure gives it a different angle. Businesses need loans, deposits, payment services, transaction accounts, and working capital support. Those relationships can be deeper and more valuable than a single home loan.

That does not remove economic risk. If conditions weaken, business confidence and credit quality could come under pressure.

But I like NAB’s position in a part of banking where relationships, scale, and service still count.

Foolish takeaway

I think NAB shares are a buy this month.

The share price remains well below its 52-week high, the valuation looks reasonable on consensus earnings forecasts, and the dividend yield is attractive.

The banking sector still has risks, so I would not expect a perfectly smooth ride. But I think NAB’s business banking strength gives it a useful edge in the current environment.

For investors looking for ASX bank exposure, I would be happy to buy NAB shares at current levels.

The post Are NAB shares a buy, hold, or sell this month? 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 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 BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) is one of the most popular exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the ASX. In fact, it is currently the third-largest ETF covering international shares on our market, with more than $9 billion in assets under management.

However, thanks to its rather opaque name, many investors might not actually know what this ETF is offering up to them. 

This is important for any ASX ETF, but arguably particularly so for NDQ units. This ETF is one of the most concentrated funds when it comes to the US stocks it is exposing ASX investors to. Some investors who don’t yet own the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF might wish to buy some after hearing about these stocks. Others may want to stay away from the heavy exposure to tech stocks that this index fund offers up.

If you wish to find out which side of this ledger you might fall on, you’re in the right place.

NDQ: What’s in this ASX ETF?

Let’s start at the top. The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF is technically an index fund that tracks the NASDAQ-100 Index (NASDAQ: NDX). This index contains the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the NASDAQ, one of the two major stock exchanges in the United States of America.

The NASDAQ, together with the New York Stock Exchange, houses almost all of the publicly listed stocks in America. However, the NASDAQ is the more modern exchange that tends to attract newer companies, particularly of the tech persuasion. As a result, the Betahsares Nasdaq 100 ETF is heavily exposed to America’s largest tech companies.

In fact, its current top ten holdings are all tech stocks. Here’s a look at them, including how much weight they take up in the NDQ ETF’s portfolio:

1. Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA) at 7.5% of NDQ’s portfolio
2. Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) at 7.2%
3. Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ: MU) at 4.8%
4. Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) at 4.5%
5. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) at 4.1%
6. Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ: AMD) at 3.9%
7. Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) at 3.4%
8. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) at 3.3%
9. Alphabet Inc Class C (NASDAQ: GOOG) at 3.1%
10. Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) at 2.8%

As you can see, NDQ’s top ten reads as a who’s who of the tech world. Of course, this isn’t a tech-only ETF. Some other names in this fund that you might recognise that hail from other sectors include Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT), PepsiCo Inc (NASDAQ: PEP), and Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ: COST).

But drilling down, a whopping 61.4% of NDQ’s weighted portfolio is in tech stocks. The next-most dominant sector in this ASX ETF is communications, at a mere 12.1%.

Tech lifts the BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF

Of course, NDQ’s fans will tell you (and they aren’t wrong) that it is this tech exposure that is responsible for this ETF’s breathtaking returns over many years.

Since its inception in 2015, the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF has returned an average of 20.37% per annum. That’s as of 30 June. That extends to 22.45% per annum over the past ten years.

Over the past five years, investors have enjoyed 17.86% per annum, 24.4% over three years, and 26.37% over the past 12 months.

Let’s see how NDQ fares going forward.

The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF charges a management fee of 0.48% per annum.

The post Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF: What stocks are actually in NDQ? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Costco Wholesale, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and PepsiCo. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, Costco Wholesale, Meta Platforms, Micron Technology, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, and Walmart. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.