Category: Stock Market

A recent report from VanEck Australia suggests that after two down years for healthcare stocks, emerging tailwinds could spark a rebound. 

The report said healthcare stocks have lagged over this period, mostly due to potential US policy effects on the growth rates for biopharma, healthcare plans, and medical technology firms.

The tide is turning

According to VanEck, over the past two years, healthcare stocks underperformed relative to the broader market. 

This is despite catalysts such as innovation and progress in weight-loss drugs.

However, the ASX ETF provider said the tide could now be turning. 

Recently, there has been some clarity on healthcare policies, increased M&A activity, as well as interest from investors who are rotating back into defensive growth and quality earnings due to the volatile macro environment.

Additionally, recent earnings season results from Q3 in the US shows over 80% of reported healthcare companies have “surprised to the upside”, and price reactions post earnings have also been positive. 

Looking ahead, the long-term structural growth drivers, including ageing populations, chronic disease management, med-tech adoption, and digital health, remain present.

Emerging tailwinds 

VanEck pointed towards changing policy in the US as one emerging factor set to benefit the sector. 

It said there has been renewed clarity on US drug pricing policy following the Pfizer–Trump administration agreement. 

The agreement included exchanging Medicaid cost cuts for tariff relief. 

The ETF provider said this has lowered market fears of sweeping “most-favoured-nation” (MFN) mandates that would have pressured pricing across the sector. 

Pfizer, Merck, and Johnson & Johnson all experienced price rises after the announcement due to improved sentiment toward the sector.

VanEck believes the sector is now trading at a relative value to the broader market. 

With macro uncertainty at the forefront of investors’ minds, many are rotating toward defensive growth, benefiting healthcare broadly and many investors are targeting those companies with quality characteristics and/or wide moats.

How to target global healthcare stocks

Healthcare stocks are relatively underexposed on the ASX compared to sectors like financial (Big four banks) and materials (mining giants). 

This means Aussie investors are often looking overseas to tap into healthcare markets.

The team at VanEck believes long-term structural trends supporting the sector could make it an ideal time to gain exposure to international healthcare stocks, including: 

• The combination of global population growth and ageing demographics.
• Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, which will continue to drive up the demand for healthcare.
• Increasing expenditures in emerging economies that need to close the gap to match the levels of spending in developed economies, as their growing and increasingly wealthy populations will demand it.

For investors looking for diversification into global healthcare stocks, there are several ASX ETFs offering focussed exposure to this sector. 

Investors may consider: 

• Vaneck Vectors Global Health Leaders ETF (ASX: HLTH) – Gives investors exposure to a diversified portfolio of the largest international companies from the global healthcare sector.
• iShares Global Healthcare ETF (ASX: IXJ) – Made up of more than 100 global equities in the healthcare sector.
• BetaShares Global Healthcare ETF – Currency Hedged (ASX: DRUG) – Aims to track the performance of the largest global healthcare companies (excluding Australia). 

Another option for investors looking for overweight to the sector, with a broader fund, could consider Vaneck Vectors Morningstar World Ex Australia Wide Moat ETF (ASX: GOAT).

It has a 25.7% allocation to the healthcare sector within a portfolio of attractively priced international ‘wide moat’ companies with sustainable competitive advantages.

The post Is there a turnaround coming for healthcare stocks? 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.

I’m a big believer that investing in ASX shares can make a world of difference in someone’s long-term personal finances and wealth overall.

Investing in the right companies could make a world of difference to how much our portfolio is worth in five or ten years from now.

The three ASX shares I’ll highlight are exciting opportunities, in my view, and I’m optimistic of significant returns in the coming years.

Nexgen Energy (Canada) CDI (ASX: NXG)

Energy could be one of the challenging areas for the world to contend with in the coming decade, as coal power generation reduces, but energy demand increases because of data centres and AI.

Nuclear energy could be the answer for a number of countries, particularly places like the US, as well as certain European and Asian countries.

Nexgen owns a project in Canada where it’s developing the Arrow deposit, which is expected to become one of the world’s largest and lowest-costing uranium projects.

In the coming years, I think there’s a fair chance uranium prices will increase as energy demand rises. Even at today’s prices, the ASX share could make significant cash flow once the project is operational and justify a higher Nexgen share price.

VanEck MSCI International Quality ETF (ASX: QUAL)

I believe that the best businesses are likely to deliver the strongest returns over the long term because of their ability to compound earnings, leading to compounding shareholder returns.

There are a variety of ways to judge whether a business is high quality or not. The QUAL ETF aims to invest in 300 of the best companies in the world.

The fund looks for three factors to decide if a business has world-leading quality: a high return on equity (ROE), stable (and growing) earnings, and low debt levels.

Thanks to that combination of elements, the QUAL ETF has returned an average of 16.5% per year over the last five years. While past performance is not a guarantee of future returns, a similar sort of return over the next five years could double an investor’s money.

With the holdings from a variety of countries and sectors, I think it ticks the diversification box effectively.

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)

This ASX share is one of the leading options for a combination of dividends and capital growth, in my opinion.

It owns a portfolio of assets, with both listed and unlisted businesses, including telecommunications, resources, swimming schools, agriculture, credit, industrial property, building products, and plenty of other areas.

The company’s existing portfolio can achieve growth over time as those businesses deliver on their plans. Soul Patts regularly makes additional investments with its portfolio, adding further growth for the company.

Its portfolio of assets generates an impressive level of cash flow each year, which enables the company to reward investors with a growing dividend, using a majority of the funds, and reinvest the remainder in additional opportunities.

A combination of a growing portfolio and rising dividends (from the cash flow) is a winning combination and could help our wealth building and annual cash flow. That’s exactly how I’m using my Soul Patts holding.

The post Buying these 3 ASX shares could change your life appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in VanEck Msci International Quality ETF and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

This ASX 200 stock has taken a beating recently. The share price of SEEK Ltd (ASX: SEK) tumbled with 11.8% in the past month to $24.14 at the time of writing.

Over the past year, this ASX communications share has fallen 7.7%, underperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) which has risen 1.4% over the same period.

SEEK’s drop raises a timely question. Does the weakness offer a buying opportunity or is it a warning for investors?

Pricing power

SEEK remains a leading online employment marketplace across Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia. That position gives the company scale advantages and pricing power. Beyond job ads and talent-search databases, SEEK invests in education, career development and employment-related technology to broaden its growth opportunities.

There are a few clear reasons behind the recent slump of this popular ASX 200 stock. In FY 2024, SEEK’s earnings declined due to reduced ad volumes and a major write-down of its China-based investment. The combination of poor macroeconomic conditions, the decreased hiring demand and lingering fallout from prior expansion missteps seem to have spooked investors.

In its core markets Australia and New Zealand, the ASX share recently reported a 14% drop in job advertisements, leading the revenue in this region to drop 4% year-on-year.

Recent slump as a turning point?

However, not all the commentary is negative. Several brokers and fund managers argue the recent weakness could mark a turning point. They believe SEEK still dominates employment classifieds in its core markets, retains pricing power and seems to have tightened cost control.

Some analysts view the recent slump as more cyclical than structural. Other market-watchers highlight SEEK’s improved structural profitability of this ASX stock. Its return on equity (ROE) is modest – around 9% – but stable. The underlying free cash flow also remains intact, which could reward long-term investors.

During a recent AGM-presentation the board of the ASX 200 stock told investors that, despite the economic uncertainty, it remains confident in the resilience of its core businesses. The group continues to diversify its revenue streams, especially in high-growth regions across the Asia-Pacific region.

What’s next for the ASX stock?

Analyst consensus remains positive with most brokers recommending SEEK as a (strong) buy. The average 12-month price target is $30.35, with a range roughly between $22.60 and $33.50.

Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) is more bullish on the ASX 200 stock than most other brokers. Analysts of the top broker recently rated the communications share a ‘buy’ and they expect its fundamentals to improve.

Macquarie has set a price target of $32.50, which suggests a potential 34% increase over the next 12 months.

The post Down 12% past month, is it time to buy this popular ASX 200 stock? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

I’m trying to fill my portfolio with ASX shares that are going to be worth more in the coming years. That’s a big part of the allure of owning businesses – they can go up in value over time.

I own a range of investments, some of which deliver sizeable passive income each year. The two recent buys I want to tell you about definitely fit into the ASX growth share category, though they do also pay a small dividend yield.

While they’re not significant positions in my portfolio (yet), I’m planning to invest more in the coming months, particularly if the software ASX share stays at the current valuation (or becomes even cheaper).

VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

This has been one of my preferred exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for a long time, and now I’ve finally started a position.

It typically owns a portfolio of around 50 names from the US share market, which are viewed by Morningstar analysts as businesses with long-term economic moats.

An economic moat describes the competitive advantages a business possesses, which can take various forms, such as brand power, intellectual property, cost advantages, switching costs, or network effects.

The MOAT ETF only invests in these businesses when it seems like their economic moat is more likely than not to last at least 20 years. This means investors can invest in the fund for the long term with confidence.

On top of that, the fund only invests in these competitively advantaged businesses if they believe the target company is trading at a good value.

The investment strategy has led to the fund returning an average of more than 15% per year over the last decade. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns, of course, but I believe the MOAT ETF can continue to perform strongly in the coming years.

TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE)

I have admired TechnologyOne for a long time and slightly regret not investing in the ASX share sooner. However, I took the opportunity to buy after its fall in November.

The enterprise resource planning (ERP) software business continues to demonstrate attractive aspects.

Its core business continues to grow strongly, with a net revenue retention (NRR) rate of 115% in FY25. That means the business made 15% more revenue from its existing client base than the prior year. Growing at 15% per year means revenue doubles in just five years.

The ASX share invests around a quarter of its revenue into research and development to help justify subscribers such as local councils, universities, and companies paying more for (improved) software.

The NRR growth, plus ongoing customer wins, means its annual recurring revenue (ARR) is rising quickly. It has a goal to reach $1 billion of ARR by FY30, with the UK playing an important role in its growth plans. In FY25, UK ARR surged 49% with strong growth in both the local government and higher education segments.

TechnologyOne is also expecting its profit before tax (PBT) margin to increase in the coming years, thanks to its operating leverage, which I believe will enhance its bottom line and drive the TechnologyOne share price upward at a pleasing pace in the years ahead.

The post These are my latest 2 ASX share buys and I’m planning to buy more appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Technology One and VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Technology One. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Technology One and VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

With December now underway and markets still rattled by pockets of volatility, many investors are wondering where to put fresh capital to work before the end of the year.

The good news is that there are several high-quality ASX shares that look like compelling opportunities right now.

If you are investing $10,000 this month, the three shares below could be worth considering.

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)

Goodman Group has been one of the quiet stars of the ASX 200, and December offers an attractive entry point for long-term investors. The company is a global leader in logistics, warehousing, and industrial property, with blue-chip customers including Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), FedEx (NYSE: FDX), and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA).

What could make Goodman so attractive heading into 2026 is its rapidly expanding data centre pipeline. As AI models and cloud services drive an explosion in global computing demand, Goodman is positioning itself as a critical landlord for hyperscalers around the world. These developments have the potential to become a major profit driver over the next decade.

The team at UBS recently put a buy rating and $36.41 price target on its shares.

Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)

Another ASX share that could be a top buy is Macquarie. It has been going through a softer period but its diversified model, spanning asset management, banking, commodities, and infrastructure, leaves it well-placed for growth over the long term.

Especially given that when conditions improve, Macquarie usually rebounds harder and faster than peers. Its green energy, infrastructure, and private markets businesses are positioned for a major upswing as rates normalise and capital begins flowing more freely again.

At current levels, the long-term risk–reward looks very attractive for a business with a world-class management team and decades of wealth-creation history.

Ord Minnett has a buy rating and $255.00 price target on its shares.

TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE)

TechnologyOne has had a rare pullback recently, falling meaningfully from its highs despite continuing its strong form.

The company continues to deliver double-digit recurring revenue growth and exceptional customer retention across government, education, and enterprise clients.

Very few ASX tech names offer this blend of stability, profitability, and long-term growth. With the broader tech sector under pressure, some high-quality names have been unfairly dragged lower and TechnologyOne is one of them. For patient investors, this kind of weakness often proves to be a golden opportunity.

Morgan Stanley has an overweight rating and $36.50 price target on its shares.

The post Where to invest $10,000 in ASX shares in December appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Goodman Group and Technology One. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Amazon, Goodman Group, Macquarie Group, Technology One, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended FedEx. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon, Goodman Group, and Technology One. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Whenever ASX dividend investors see a popular income stock with an 8.7% yield, it’s enough to make most stop and take a second look. Particularly if that 8.7% yield comes with franking credits too.

That’s exactly what is on display right now from WAM Capital Ltd (ASX: WAM).

WAM Capital is a listed investment company (LIC) that has been around for more than 25 years. Like most LICs, it holds a portfolio of underlying shares that it owns and manages on behalf of its investors.

In WAM’s case, this portfolio usually consists of small to mid-cap ASX shares which WAM’s team views as undervalued, or else poised to benefit from some kind of pricing catalyst. When the value rises, or the catalyst is realised, the shares are often sold, and the profits banked, ready to be passed on to investors through franked dividends. 

Over the past 12 months, WAM Capital shares have paid out two dividends, both worth 7.75 cents per share. That annual total of 15.5 cents per share is the level of income that this company has paid out for eight years now. 

These dividends used to come fully franked, but WAM Capital has lost the ability to fund full franking credits in recent years, with 2025’s two payments coming partially franked to 60%. 

Even so, at the current WAM Capital share price of $1.79, the company trades on a trailing yield of 8.67% today.

However, I think there’s reasonable cause to believe that this popular ASX income stock could be a dividend trap.

How might this popular ASX income stock be a dividend trap for investors?

A dividend trap is the dreaded term used to describe an income stock that seemingly promises a high level of payouts, only to rob investors of capital down the road by either dropping significantly in value or cutting its dividends (or both).

The first red flag comes from WAM Capital’s profit reserve. At the end of October, WAM reported that it had just 21.1 cents per share left in its profit reserve. That’s not enough to cover its annual dividend for longer than one year. If the company has a tough 2026, that reserve could fall even further.

Secondly, WAM Capital’s actual share price performance has been horrendous. At $1.79 today, the company is trading almost 30% lower than it was in early 2017. Furthermore, you could have purchased this company’s shares at the same price they are currently going for today as far back as 2006. That’s two decades of zero capital growth, and an awfully long time to tread water.

All the while, the company is taking hefty management fees worth at least 1% per annum from its investors.

Putting all of this together, I believe there are numerous cheaper and lower-risk shares that income investors can opt for instead of WAM Capital at present. Even a simple ASX 200 index fund would have been a better investment than this LIC over the past ten years.

The post Why this popular 8.7% income stock could be a dividend trap appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has 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.

There are a lot of options for Aussie investors to choose from on the local share market.

But which ones could be buys today? Let’s see what analysts are saying about these popular options, courtesy of The Bull. Here’s what you need to know:

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

The team at Red Leaf Securities thinks that this biotech giant has been oversold and have named it as an ASX share to buy this week.

It highlights CSL’s buyback, transformational restructuring, and demand tailwinds as reasons to be positive. Red Leaf said:

This biotechnology company is massively oversold, in our view. CSL offers a rare chance to buy a global plasma therapy powerhouse at a discount. Its $1.5 billion US investment strengthens the core Behring business and secures long term immunoglobulin supply. Its planned transformational restructuring is expected to unlock between $500 million and $550 million over three years, turbocharging cash flow. Share buy-backs, a rising dividend and secular demand tailwinds for chronic therapies point to significant upside if management can successfully execute its strategy.

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)

Red Leaf Securities isn’t in a hurry to recommend this counter drone technology company’s shares despite its significant share price weakness. This morning, it has named DroneShield as an ASX share to sell.

Its analysts are expecting DroneShield shares to remain under pressure in the near term amid governance and confidence concerns among investors. They explain:

The company provides artificial intelligence based platforms for protection against advanced threats, such as drones and autonomous systems. The stock plunged after disclosures to the ASX revealed DRO directors had been selling their holdings. The company announced that November contracts were inadvertently marked as new ones rather than revised contracts due to an administrative error. In our view, such an error raises governance and confidence concerns among investors. The shares have fallen from $6.60 on October 9 to trade at $1.997 on November 27. We believe the shares will remain under pressure.

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)

Finally, this gold miner has been named as a hold by Red Leaf Securities. While it acknowledges its quality, it believes that Northern Star’s upside is being limited by key risks. Red Leaf explains:

This gold miner has solid fundamentals, strong cash flows and a growing project pipeline, but upside is tempered by key risks. Major growth projects, including KCGM (Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines) mill expansion and the Hemi development are capital intensive with execution uncertainty. Costs are under pressure, and earnings remain exposed to volatile gold prices, which increases uncertainty. Until a clearer picture emerges in relation to project delivery and commodity stability, a hold position is prudent.

The post Buy, hold, sell: CSL, DroneShield, and Northern Star shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

Although the last official ASX earnings season is well behind us now, some ASX 200 shares like to report their latest numbers fashionably late. Grocery and hardware supply stock Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS) is one of those ASX 200 stocks, with investors finding out this morning just how much the next Metcash dividend will be worth.

As we covered earlier today, it was an interesting set of numbers for investors to digest.

Metcash reported a 0.1% rise in revenues to $8.48 billion for the six months to 31 October, compared to the same period in 2024. That was helped by growth in food, liquor, and hardware. However, they were significantly hindered by tobacco sales, which continue to haemorrhage. Without tobacco, revenues were up 4.5%.

Meanwhile, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) lifted 2% to $367.2 million. But total earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) dropped 2.4% to $240.2 million.

On the bottom line, Metcash revealed a reported profit after tax of $142.2 million. That’s up 0.3% from last year’s half.

It seems the market wasn’t impressed with what Metcash had to show for itself today, though. At present, Metcash shares are down a nasty 9.2% to $3.36. That perhaps indicates that the market was expecting to see better numbers. Saying that, the stock has been significantly impacted by the ASX’s issues today. As such, investors may wish to take that with a grain of salt.

But let’s talk Metcash dividends.

Metcash holds its dividend steady

This morning, the company revealed that its latest dividend will be worth 8.5 cents per share. It will come fully franked, as the payouts from Metcash tend to do.

This dividend matches last year’s interim payout exactly. However, it is lower than the 9.5 cents per share final dividend investors enjoyed back in August.

This latest interim dividend will find its way to shareholders’ bank accounts on 28 January next year. To be eligible, though, investors will need to have Metcash shares against their name by the close of trading on 11 December next week. That’s before the company trades ex-dividend on 12 December.

Eligible investors also have the choice to opt in to Metcash’s dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) if they wish to receive additional shares in lieu of the traditional cash payment (at zero discount). The cut-off for the DRP is close-of-business on 16 December.

Since Metcash’s dividend is flat year-on-year, its current (at the time of writing) dividend yield of 5.36% holds steady going forward.

The post Here’s how much the new Metcash dividend is worth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has 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.

With so many shares to choose from on the Australian share market, it can be difficult to decide which ones to buy. The good news is that brokers across the country are doing a lot of the hard work for you.

Three top ASX shares that leading brokers have named as buys this week are listed below. Here’s why they are bullish on them:

AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL)

According to a note out of Ord Minnett, its analysts have retained their buy rating on this energy company’s shares with an improved price target of $13.00. This follows an investor day event which has given the broker increased confidence in Bayswater Power Station and Liddell Battery assets. It expects Bayswater to become the lowest cost generator in New South Wales and has boosted its earnings forecasts. Overall, with major upside and an attractive dividend yield on offer here, Ord Minnett thinks it could be a good time to invest. The AGL share price is trading at $9.31 on Monday afternoon.

Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB)

A note out of Bell Potter reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating on this investment platform provider’s shares with a trimmed price target of $125.00. This follows the release of an investor day update, which had both positives and negatives. The main positive was that it sees upside risk to funds under administration (FUA) guidance as Hub24 continues to broaden its offering and lift volumes. The negative was that management has increased its expense growth guidance to 18% to 20%. However, this reflects a deliberate move to outpace peers and bring forward investment. Overall, the broker left the event feeling confident in its growth outlook and cadence over peers. The Hub24 share price is fetching $98.70 at the time of writing.

QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)

Another note out of Bell Potter reveals that its analysts have upgraded this insurance giant’s shares to a buy rating with an improved price target of $21.80. This follows the release of the company’s third quarter update, which was largely in line with expectations. Bell Potter points out that management has reiterated its combined operating ratio guidance of 92.5% in FY 2025 and is expecting this to continue in FY 2026. In light of this and its attractive valuation, the broker feels that QBE’s shares are now in buy territory. The QBE share price is trading at $19.31 on Monday.

The post Leading 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 Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.