The Meridian Energy Ltd (ASX: MEZ) share price is in focus today after the company released its monthly operating report for November 2025, highlighting national hydro storage reaching 153% of historical average and a 12.1% rise in retail sales volumes compared to November last year.

What did Meridian Energy report?

• National hydro storage increased from 143% to 153% of historical average by 8 December 2025.
• South Island storage reached 157% of average, North Island storage climbed to 132% of average.
• November 2025 inflows were 149% of historical average, with year-to-date inflows the highest since 1988/89.
• Retail sales volumes in November rose 12.1% year on year, with residential segment up 23.2%.
• National electricity demand was 5.9% higher than in November 2024.
• Meridian’s total New Zealand customer connections grew by 20% since November 2024.

What else do investors need to know?

November was the warmest on record for New Zealand, with temperatures above average in most areas and higher rainfall for the North Island and the west of the South Island. Despite drier conditions in the east, strong hydro inflows supported impressive storage levels.

Meridian’s generation for November was 2.7% higher than the same month last year, mainly due to increased hydro output. Year-to-date generation is tracking 12.7% ahead of last year, and the average price received for generation in November rose 93.3% compared to November 2024.

Higher demand from New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Ltd (NZAS) also featured, with average load rising to 569MW from 451MW a year ago.

What’s next for Meridian Energy?

Investors can keep an eye on Meridian’s ability to maintain strong hydro inflows and storage as summer progresses, supporting both generation and retail sales. The company continues to benefit from rising electricity demand and expanded customer connections.

Ongoing investment in renewable energy and a focus on operational efficiency position Meridian well for future growth, though weather patterns and wholesale market dynamics will remain key factors to watch.

Meridian Energy share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Meridian Energy shares have declined 8%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) which has risen 5% over the same period.

View Original Announcement.

The post Meridian Energy lifts hydro storage and sales in November 2025 update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia

Wondering which popular ASX shares to buy, hold, or sell? Let’s take a look at what analysts are saying about three popular options, courtesy of The Bull.

Here’s what they are recommending to their clients:

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

This biotechnology giant’s shares have fallen hard this year for a number of reasons. But EnviroInvest isn’t recommending that investors buy them just yet and has labelled them as a sell.

It highlights that declining vaccination rates are weighing on its performance and feels that capital could be better deployed in other opportunities. EnviroInvest said:

CSL recently cut revenue and profit growth forecasts for fiscal year 2026. The company’s vaccine division Seqirus is under pressure from declining vaccination rates in the United States. Plasma collection remains healthy, but integration costs involving CSL Vifor, a leader in iron deficiency and nephrology, amid restructuring expenses continue to weigh on margins and cash flow, in my view. In the absence of near-term catalysts and years of share price stagnation, capital could be better deployed elsewhere until the outlook improves.

Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL)

One ASX share that EnviroInvest is positive on is Vulcan Energy. It has put a buy recommendation on the Germany-based lithium developer.

EnviroInvest was pleased with the announcement of its financing package and gives it a materially stronger strategic positioning. It said:

Vulcan recently secured a €2.2 billion ($A3.929 billion) financing package to fully fund phase one of its Lionheart project, It’s Europe’s first fully integrated, zero carbon lithium and renewable energy project. Funding enables immediate construction. The package includes €1.185 billion in senior debt, €204 million in German government grants, €150 million from KfW, plus strategic equity from HOCHTIEF, Siemens and Demeter. Phase one targets 24,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide per year. With funding risk removed and execution underway, VUL’s strategic positioning is materially stronger.

Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)

This supermarket giant has been named as a sell by Alto Capital. It fears that higher costs and subdued discretionary spending could weigh on its growth and profitability. It explains:

The supermarket giant’s full year 2025 results fell short of market expectations, highlighting margin pressure and subdued sales growth. WOW was recently trading on a lofty price/earnings ratio of about 37 times, which leaves limited upside, in our view. Rising costs combined with subdued discretionary spending suggest growth and profitability may remain constrained. We believe much of the upside is already priced in, so investors may want to consider taking some gains in a high cost, low growth environment.

The post Buy, hold, sell: CSL, Vulcan, Woolworths shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in CSL and Woolworths Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Woolworths Group. 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.

The Contact Energy Ltd (ASX: CEN) share price is in focus today after the company reported a lift in both mass market electricity and gas sales to 319 GWh in November 2025, up from 290 GWh a year ago. Wholesale contracted electricity sales also rose to 845 GWh from 733 GWh, showing growth across both its Customer and Wholesale businesses.

What did Contact Energy report?

• Mass market electricity and gas sales reached 319 GWh (up from 290 GWh in November 2024)
• Wholesale contracted electricity sales jumped to 845 GWh (733 GWh in November 2024)
• Average electricity sales price was $353.82/MWh (previously $307.43/MWh)
• Unit generation cost rose to $39.62/MWh (from $34.43/MWh a year earlier)
• Customer netback improved to $138.75/MWh (up from $134.39/MWh)
• Total customer connections grew to 667,000 (from 635,000)

What else do investors need to know?

Contact Energy has several renewable energy projects underway, including the Glenbrook-Ohurua battery project (expected online Q1 2026), Kowhai Park Solar (expected Q2 2026), and Te Mihi Stage 2 geothermal project (expected Q3 2027). These investments total over $1 billion and reflect the company’s focus on low-carbon energy solutions and future growth.

Hydro storage levels remained strong, with South Island and North Island controlled storage well above long-term averages as of December 2025. Nationwide electricity demand was up 4.1% versus November 2024, signalling a generally positive market environment for the company.

What’s next for Contact Energy?

Contact Energy is pressing ahead with its major development projects, which are expected to bolster renewable output and further diversify its generation mix. The company continues to manage gas contracts and energy storage closely, positioning itself to meet rising demand and future-proof its operations.

ESG remains a priority, with ongoing investment in emissions reduction, water management, biodiversity, and community initiatives. Investors should watch for further project updates and operational data in the coming quarters.

Contact Energy share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Contact Energy shares have declined 1%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) which has risen 5% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post Contact Energy reports lift in November sales and renewable projects progress appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

Most ASX investors would turn their heads at a stock or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that returned close to 20% over more than nine years.

Investing in ASX shares has always generated inflation-beating, wealth-building returns for long-term investors. But those that invest in ASX index funds are used to an average return of something like 8.5% per annum over the past few decades. Those are get-rich-slow kinds of returns, not get-rich-quick.

But at 17.8% per annum, those lines begin to blur.

Yes, that’s the return that the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK) has generated for its investors since this ASX ETF’s inception in August of 2016 (as of 28 November). Yep, HACK units have gone from the ~$5 per unit level they floated at back then to the $14.84 the fund commanded on 28 November. Adding in the divided distributions that HACK had paid out along the way, and we get to that magic 17.8% figure.

More recent years have been even more lucrative for owners of the Betashares Global Cybersecurity ETF. HACK units have returned an average of 22.84% per annum over the three years to 28 November.

As the name implies, this ASX ETF invests in a global portfolio of the leading companies in the cybersecurity space. Most of its holdings (about 79%) are US stocks, but countries like India, Israel, France and Canada are also represented. Some of its major holdings include Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet.

The risks and rewards of this ASX ETF

Past performance is never a guarantee of future success. But let’s talk about one reason investors might wish to buy this ETF, and one reason they might wish to avoid it.

First, the good. Cybersecurity is obviously a growth industry. Every year, more and more of our personal lives, business, government interactions and commerce move to the internet. This is a trend that is unlikely to abate anytime soon. Individuals, governments, and businesses are thus arguably going to be willing to spend more and more money on protecting their customers’ and clients’ personal information, not to mention their own reputations, from threats going forward.

We know how much a company’s reputation can be damaged by a cybersecurity breach. Just ask Optus.

These trends should benefit the companies in the Betasahres Global Cybersecurity ETF immensely if so. And that bodes well for this ETF’s continuing prosperity.

But what of the downsides? Well, this ETF represents one very narrow and concentrated corner of the global economy, with no real diversification.

If some kind of crisis or black swan event engulfs one or more of HACK’s major holdings, it could result in a permanent loss of capital for investors. Unlike broad-market index funds, there are no companies from other corners of the economy to dilute this risk and provide the strength of diversification.

Of course, it’s impossible to know what that risk might be. But we do know that only investing in one corner of the economy comes with inherent risk. That’s why, if I bought this ETF, I would keep it as a small slice of a diversified stock portfolio.

The post Meet the ASX ETF that has returned 17.8% for 9 years 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 BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF, Cisco Systems, and Fortinet. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Broadcom and Palo Alto Networks. 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.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares are a popular option for income investors, but with a trailing dividend yield of just 3.1%, they may not be the best.

Especially when most analysts believe that the big four bank’s shares are overvalued and destined to fall from current levels.

But don’t worry, because there are plenty of quality alternatives for investors to choose from with bigger dividend yields and potential for plenty of upside.

Here’s what analysts are recommending to income investors:

Harvey Norman Holdings (ASX: HVN)

The first ASX dividend share that could be worth considering is Harvey Norman.

It is of course one of Australia’s largest retailers with a growing network of superstores across Australia and the world. It also owns one of the largest retail property portfolios, which provides both stability and an additional layer of asset backing for shareholders.

Bell Potter is bullish on the retailer and believes it is positioned to pay fully franked dividends of 30.9 cents per share in FY 2026 and then 35.3 cents per share in FY 2027. Based on its current share price of $7.06, this would mean dividend yields of 4.4% and 5%, respectively.

The broker has a buy rating and $8.30 price target on the company’s shares.

Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL)

Another ASX dividend share that Bell Potter rates highly is Sonic Healthcare.

It is a medical diagnostics company with laboratories and collection centres across Australia, Europe, and the United States.

After a tough period following the end of COVID testing, Bell Potter thinks the company is ready for a return to consistent growth.

It is expecting this to support partially franked dividends of 109 cents per share in FY 2026 and then 111 cents per share in FY 2027. Based on its current share price of $22.98, this equates to dividend yields of 4.75% and 4.8%, respectively.

Bell Potter has a buy rating and $33.30 price target on its shares.

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

A third ASX dividend share that could be a good alternative to CBA shares is Transurban.

It is a toll road giant that operates a network of important roads across Australia and North America. This includes the newly opened West Gate Tunnel in Melbourne, the Eastern Distributor in Sydney, and AirportlinkM7 in Brisbane.

The team at Citi believes the company’s portfolio is positioned to pay dividends per share of 69.5 cents in FY 2026 and then 73.7 cents in FY 2027. Based on its current share price of $14.42, this equates to dividend yields of 4.8% and 5.1%, respectively.

Citi has a buy rating and $16.10 price target on its shares.

The post These shares have bigger dividend yields (and more upside) than CBA shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. 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 Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Harvey Norman and Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sonic Healthcare. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Owning Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN) shares usually comes with a decent dividend yield. But, the more important question may be whether shareholders will see dividend raises or cuts in the coming years.

Following the divestment of Suncorp Bank to ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Suncorp is now focused on being one of the largest insurers in Australia.

Insurance is not exactly known for being a consistent industry, so investors may need to be aware that dividends can bounce around. Let’s see what analysts think could happen with the payments in the next few years.

FY26

We’re currently in the 2026 financial year, and the broker UBS expects Suncorp’s FY26 net profit and dividend per share to fall significantly due to catastrophe costs that were higher than expected.

UBS expects Suncorp to overrun its FY26 catastrophe budget by around $580 million, despite previously adding additional conservatism to its FY26 catastrophe budget.

But, on a positive note, UBS suggest that recent weather events could “extend the positive home/motor pricing cycle”.

Despite cutting its FY26 forecast earnings per share (EPS) for Suncorp by 31%, UBS still thinks Suncorp is a buy, with a price target of $22. The forecast profit for the year is $934 million.

UBS projects that Suncorp could pay an annual dividend per share of 66 cents. That translates into a potential grossed-up dividend yield of 5.5%, including franking credits.

FY27

The broker thinks the greater potential positive outlook for motor and home premiums can roll over to the 2027 financial year.

In FY27, UBS is expecting Suncorp to hike its annual dividend per share to 92 cents per share.

FY28

The 2028 financial year could see the business decide to hike the dividend again.

UBS has predicted that Suncorp could increase its payout to 97 cents per share in FY28.

FY29

UBS is forecasting that the insurance giant could hike its payout again for owners of Suncorp shares in the 2029 financial year.

In FY29, investors are predicted to see an annual dividend per share of $1.03.

FY30

The final year of this series of projections could see the business deliver investors an annual dividend per share of $1.09 in the 2030 financial year.

That translates into a possible grossed-up dividend yield of 9%, including franking credits.

Suncorp share price valuation

At the time of writing, Suncorp is valued at 20x FY26’s estimated earnings. UBS says Suncorp shares are attractive because it’s at a discount to its historical average, excluding the bank segment.

The post Here’s the dividend forecast out to 2030 for Suncorp shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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 ASX is packed with small and mid cap stocks that are quietly building world-class businesses behind the scenes.

They may not be household names yet, but they have the growth engines, competitive advantages, and scalability to potentially become major players by the end of the decade.

If you’re looking for ASX stocks with the kind of long-term upside that could transform a portfolio, analysts think these three mid-caps stand out.

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)

DroneShield is one of the most exciting defensive technology players on the ASX. As drones become increasingly prevalent in both commercial and military settings, demand for counter-drone and electronic warfare systems has surged worldwide.

The company’s cutting-edge technology is now deployed by military customers, government agencies, and critical infrastructure operators across multiple continents. Its product suite has expanded rapidly, margins are improving as scale increases, and recent contract wins highlight growing credibility with tier-1 customers.

Defence spending globally is rising and counter-drone systems are becoming a standard requirement rather than a niche specialty. And with a growing pipeline and a technology advantage over many competitors, DroneShield could easily become a globally recognised name by 2030.

Bell Potter is bullish on its outlook and has a buy rating and $5.30 price target on its shares.

Gentrack Group Ltd (ASX: GTK)

Another mid cap ASX stock that could be a top buy is Gentrack. It provides software used by utilities, airports, and energy retailers to manage billing, customer information, compliance, and operations. These systems are mission-critical and once they are installed, they are deeply embedded and extremely difficult to replace.

In recent years, Gentrack has undergone a major transformation, modernising its product suite and winning significant new contracts across the world. The energy transition, with its rising number of green retailers, decentralised grids, and complex billing requirements, is creating long-term structural demand for the kind of software Gentrack specialises in.

If the company continues to secure global market share and deepen relationships with major utilities, it could grow very strongly over the remainder of the decade.

Bell Potter is also a fan of Gentrack. It has a buy rating and $11.00 price target on its shares.

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

Finally, Temple & Webster has spent the past few years cementing itself as the go-to destination for furniture and homewares online. While its category has traditionally been dominated by large physical retailers, the structural shift toward online shopping shows no sign of slowing and it is capturing that trend better than anyone else.

With online penetration in homewares still far below levels seen in the US and Europe, Temple & Webster could be multiple times larger by 2030 if industry adoption continues.

Macquarie is a fan of the company and recently put an outperform rating and $24.15 price target on its shares.

The post 3 ASX mid-cap rockets that could become future blue chips appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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