With 2026 fast approaching, we look at three S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) titans leading analysts expect to outperform in the months ahead.

One of the promising companies operates in the global defence space, while the other two are in the healthcare sector.

So, if you’re looking to add one or more ASX 200 stocks to your investment portfolio to help start the new year off on the right foot, read on!

ASX 200 stock with ongoing growth prospects

The first company that could be set for a year of outperformance is DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO).

“The company provides artificial intelligence-based platforms for protection against advanced threats, such as drones and autonomous systems,” said MPC Markets’ Mark Gardner (courtesy of The Bull).

Gardner, who has a buy rating on this ASX 200 titan, noted the meteoric rise of DroneShield shares over the first nine months of the year, and the painful crash over the past month.

He said:

The shares had enjoyed a strong run, rising from 76 cents on January 3 to close at $6.60 on October 9, driven by new deals with foreign governments and growth forecasts. The shares fell to $2.25 on November 13 and were trading at $2.095 on November 19.

Explaining the rapid fall, Gardner said, “Investors sold their shares after disclosures to the ASX revealed DRO directors had been selling their holdings.”

But Gardner noted the fundamentals and valuation look solid. He concluded:

The company generated strong revenue in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 and has a strong contract pipeline across government and military sectors. The shares are trading at a reasonable price for a company with growth prospects.

Despite the big recent fall, DroneShield shares are up 147% over 12 months.

Sigma Health Care shares off to a strong FY 2026 start

The second ASX 200 titan you may wish to add to your portfolio today is Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG).

That’s according to Ord Minnett’s Tony Paterno, who has a buy recommendation on Sigma Healthcare.

“The healthcare giant reported normalised earnings before interest and tax of $834.5 million in fiscal year 2025, up 41.4% on the prior corresponding period,” Paterno said.

“Beyond the strong earnings, SIG’s result was underpinned by operating cashflow of $599 million, better than expected net debt of $752 million and a positive outlook,” he added.

Paterno concluded:

SIG has started strongly in fiscal year 2026, with Chemist Warehouse posting double-digit network sales growth and an upgraded synergies target. Furthermore, we continue to expect upside via the international rollout and private label strategies.

Sigma Health Care shares are up 12% in a year.

Which brings us to…

ASX 200 titan with ‘growth momentum’

Securities Vault’s Nathan Lodge this week recommends buying clinical-stage biotechnology company Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB).

“Mesoblast develops allogenic cellular medicines for treating severe and life-threatening inflammatory conditions,” he said. “This regeneration therapy company offers growth momentum.”

According to Lodge:

Mesoblast’s lead product Ryoncil achieved meaningful revenue growth and now benefits from favourable reimbursement codes in the United States.

The company holds a strong cash position of about $US145 million and offers flexibility via a US$50 million convertible note facility to fund the next growth phase. Company commercialisation is progressing and MSB has generated a pipeline of depth.

The Mesoblast share price is up 41% over 12 months.

The post Leading analysts name 3 ASX 200 titans to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why are DroneShield shares flying 16% higher on Tuesday?
• Mesoblast shares push higher on strong sales update
• Top 10 most-traded ASX shares last week
• Should you buy Mesoblast, Paladin Energy, and Xero shares?
• Why DroneShield shares could rise a massive 200%

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

In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a small decline. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 0.1% to 8,517 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are falling:

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN)

The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank share price is down 8% to $10.11. Investors have been selling the regional bank’s shares following the results of an investigation by Deloitte into suspicious activity indicative of money laundering at one of its branches. The investigation, which was initiated by the bank, concluded that deficiencies existed regarding the bank’s approach to the identification, mitigation and management of money laundering (ML) and terrorism financing (TF) risk. In response, its board stated: “The Board is very disappointed with the findings and is fully committed to ensuring that the Bank undertakes the necessary enhancements to its systems, processes and frameworks to ensure it is fully compliant with its obligations.”

Bougainville Copper Ltd (ASX: BOC)

The Bougainville Copper share price is down 49% to 59.5 cents. This morning, this Papua New Guinea based copper developer released an update on its Panguna Project. It has been busy progressing a confidential strategic partnering process to investigate the potential involvement of an international mining partner in the future redevelopment of the Panguna Project. However, the company has just found out that the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL). It understands that the MOU serves to establish a formal framework for collaboration on major development projects across Bougainville, including the Panguna Project.

Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE)

The Iress share price is down 5% to $9.17. This has been driven by news that the financial technology company has not received a formal takeover approach. In response to media speculation, the company said: “Iress continues to engage with multiple parties in order to ascertain whether there is a proposal which could be recommended by the Iress Board and will continue to update the market in accordance with its continuous disclosure obligations.”

IVE Group Ltd (ASX: IGL)

The IVE Group share price is down 5% to $2.84. Investors have been selling this marketing company’s shares following the release of an update at its annual general meeting. Management advised that year to date revenue has been softer than expected across the retail and media sectors. As a result, underlying net profit after tax is now expected to be at the bottom end of its guidance range of $50 million to $54 million in FY 2026.

The post Why Bendigo Bank, Bougainville Copper, Iress, and IVE shares are falling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Bendigo Bank shares are crashing today on ‘very disappointing’ deficiencies
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Moody’s upgrades Bendigo and Adelaide Bank credit rating: what investors need to know
• Where to from here for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank shares?
• Why Bendigo Bank, CBA, Coronado, and Life360 shares are dropping today

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bendigo And Adelaide Bank. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Judo Capital Holdings Limited (ASX: JDO) shares are trading in the green on Tuesday morning. At the time of writing, the shares are 1.17% higher, trading at $1.47 each. Over the month, the ASX bank stock’s shares are 16.65% lower. They’re now 25.36% below where they were this time last year.

Judo Capital Holdings is the parent company of Judo Bank. The bank specialises in lending to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). It also provides loans, lines of credit, and other tailored financial products. As of November 2025, Judo Capital Holdings has a market cap of A$1.63 billion ,which makes it a lot smaller than the big four banks. Over the past year, the Judo share price has been on a rollercoaster ride. Here’s why.

What happened to the ASX bank stock this year?

In late April, Judo Bank’s share price crashed 19% after releasing its third-quarter update. The ASX bank stock revealed it has seen a slowdown in performance. This led investors to hit the sell button.

The bank’s share price gradually increased after it announced a strong outlook and improved profit expectations for its FY25 results. The share price spiked again in October when the FY25 result was finally announced, showing robust lending growth and profit ahead, along with an optimistic  FY26 forecast. The Judo share price has tumbled again since.

So, why could it be the best buy for 2026?

While the ASX bank stocks’ share price has suffered a significant decline throughout 2025, Judo Bank has had a strong start to FY26 and looks set to continue strengthening.

At its annual general meeting (AGM) last week, the bank said lending momentum had remained strong over the first quarter of FY26. The company stated that it was confident it would achieve FY26 guidance of $180-$190 million and meet its net interest margin guidance of 3% to 3.1%. Managing director Chris Bayliss said the bank has a “clear and simple strategy” to be Australia’s most trusted SME business bank. 

What do the analysts think?

Analysts and investors were pleased with the latest AGM update. Analyst consensus appears to be that the bank’s shares are significantly undervalued and that there is likely to be a substantial upside ahead.

Macquarie has an outperform rating and $1.90 price target on Judo Bank shares. This implies a 29.52% upside over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

UBS is more bullish on the stock. It also has a buy rating on Judo shares but a higher $2.20 price target. This implies a potential 49.7% upside ahead for investors. The broker is pleased with the bank’s latest AGM announcement and suggested that Judo’s position as a high-growth ASX stock within the SME lending sector offers a potential scarcity premium in the Australian banking industry.

E&P Capital’s Oliver Coulon also thinks the shares have a way to run. He recently said that the company’s stock price has been “very weak” since it announced its full-year results in August and has a valuation on the company of $2.31 per share. This implied a potential 57.1% upside for investors, at the time of writing.  

The post Why this ASX bank stock could be the best buy in 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Brokers rate these 3 top ASX shares as buys in November
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• What’s Macquarie’s current outlook on the big 4 banks?

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

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

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is a fascinating business. The electric-vehicle and energy company is pushing into autonomous ride-sharing and humanoid robots while still ramping its core electric vehicle and energy storage operations.

I admire what Tesla is building and expect the company to be extremely successful over time. But valuation is a critical part of investing — and at today’s price, the stock already bakes significant growth for years to come, leaving very little margin of safety if the company’s growth plans take longer than expected or if expanding into these new business lines costs more than anticipated.

With this backdrop in mind, I’d buy into the story — but only at the right price.

Growth is recovering

After a sluggish first half of 2025, Tesla returned to double-digit revenue growth in Q3. Total revenue for the period reached $28.1 billion, a 12% increase year over year, driven by record vehicle deliveries and strong demand for large-scale energy storage projects. Automotive revenue rose 6% year over year to about $21.2 billion, while the energy generation and storage segment grew revenue 44% to roughly $3.4 billion as deployments reached 12.5 gigawatt-hours.

The company delivered more than 497,000 vehicles in the quarter.

Profitability, however, told a different story. Third-quarter operating income fell 40% year over year to $1.6 billion, and operating margin dropped to 5.8% from 10.8% a year earlier. Operating expenses increased by 50% to approximately $3.4 billion, as the company invested heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure and new product development.

Valuation and my buy price

As of this writing, the stock has a price-to-earnings ratio of about 270 and trades at about 14 times sales. Those are demanding multiples for a company that still earns most of its revenue from selling vehicles. And even if investors expect Tesla to look more like a high-margin software and services platform over time, today’s valuation already prices this in.

In the meantime, Tesla’s business remains capital-intensive. But management hopes high-margin businesses — self-driving software sales and an autonomous ride-sharing network — can help the company transform into a technology company with tech company-like margins. Then there’s Tesla’s plans for humanoid robots, but it’s unclear what kind of margins it can achieve in such an unprecedented business.

The problem? Each of Tesla’s growth initiatives will require significant sums of capital to scale. In addition, there’s timing risk. These growth initiatives carry technical and regulatory risk that could delay commercialization.

Investors can already see the strain. Operating expenses in the third quarter rose much faster than revenue. That kind of spending is understandable for a company that believes it has an opportunity of unusual size. But does the stock’s valuation leave enough room for the risks associated with building out these new product initiatives?

At a price that values Tesla well over 250 times current earnings and about 170 times forward earnings, even modest setbacks in autonomy timelines or vehicle demand could create sharp swings in the stock.

That is why my own discipline points to a lower entry point. I believe that at around $220 per share, the stock would still carry a valuation that reflects Tesla’s position in electric vehicles and its growth opportunities in higher-margin businesses.

Of course, this doesn’t mean investors should sell shares they already own. Extreme volatility is part of owning a stock with so much future potential baked in. So it’s normal for shares to trade in a wide band. In addition, given Tesla’s long history of incredible growth, the company could very well exceed even my most optimistic expectations.

Still, I’m happy to admire the business from the sidelines and keep my buy price near $220, for now. This, of course, is a moving target that may very well move up over time as I get new information about Tesla’s ever-expanding business.

While there’s no guarantee shares actually fall to this price, I’ll be ready if they do. In the meantime, I’ll take new capital elsewhere. 

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

The post I would buy Tesla stock at this price appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

More reading

• Ranking the best “Magnificent Seven” stocks to buy for 2026. Here’s my No. 7 pick.
• The best ASX ETFs to buy and hold for 20 years
• How does Tesla make money?
• US stocks will underperform over next decade: Goldman Sachs
• 5 top ASX ETFs to buy and hold for 5 years+

Daniel Sparks and/or his clients have positions in Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Tesla. 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.

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) shares are 0.52% lower at $40.46 apiece on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 0.04%.

With Christmas only a month away now, major organisations are starting to release their corporate calendars for 2026.

If you own this ASX 200 bank share, here are the important dates to note in your diary.

Here are the dates to diarise for 2026

NAB will release its 1H FY26 results and announce its interim dividend on 4 May.

The ex-dividend date for the interim NAB dividend will be 7 May.

The record date will be 8 May.

NAB will pay the dividend to shareholders on 2 July.

The bank will announce its FY26 full-year results and final dividend on 5 November.

The ex-dividend date for the final dividend will be 10 November.

The record date will be 11 November.

NAB will pay the dividend on 15 December.

National Australia Bank will hold its annual general meeting on 10 December.

Recap on FY25 results

Earlier this month, NAB revealed its full-year FY25 results.

For the 12 months ending 30 September, NAB reported a 2.9% increase in revenue against a 4.6% increase in expenses.

The cost increase reflected higher personnel and technology costs, as well as $130 million in payroll review and remediation charges.

With costs rising faster than revenue, NAB reported cash earnings of $7,091 million for FY25, down 0.2% on the prior corresponding period.

As my colleague James reported, this was also short of the consensus analyst estimate of $7,183 million.

The statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) was $6,759 million, down 2.9% on FY24.

NAB also reported a net interest margin (NIM) of 1.74%, up 0.03%.

CEO Andrew Irvine said:

We are making good progress on our key priorities of growing business banking, driving deposit growth and strengthening proprietary home lending.

This has been supported by targeted investments in front line bankers and technology enabled solutions delivering simpler, faster and safer outcomes.

NAB declared a final dividend of 85 cents per share, which brought the full-year FY25 dividend to 170 cents per share.

When will your next NAB dividend be paid?

NAB shares will pay the fully franked final FY25 dividend of 85 cents per share on 12 December.

The bank’s full-year dividend of 170 cents per share was 1 cent higher than FY24.

NAB shares are currently trading on a 4.2% trailing dividend yield.

The post Invested in NAB shares? Here are the key dates for 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• An ASX dividend giant I’d buy over NAB stock right now
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• Brokers say Mesoblast, NAB, and Pilbara Minerals shares are sells

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 energy share Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) has seen significant volatility over the past few years, as the chart below shows. After everything that has happened, it’s a good time to ask whether it’s the right time to invest.

The business is not one of the greenest companies on the ASX, but it plays an important role as part of the global energy mix in the coming years.

It produces both oil and gas, which can help the company generate pleasing levels of cash flow in the coming years and pay for sizeable dividends.

Firstly, let’s take a look at what Woodside is expecting from its energy portfolio of commodities for the foreseeable future.

Outlook for the energy it produces

Woodside stated that oil is expected to continue playing a significant role in the global energy mix.

The ASX-listed energy company believes that gas demand is expected to grow in the coming years, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) playing an increasingly significant role in the global energy mix, supporting energy security while helping customers achieve lower overall emissions.

LNG demand is forecast to grow by around 60% by 2035, with potential supply delays likely to tighten the balance between demand and supply. Woodside believes LNG can displace higher-emission coal in regions such as Asia.

Woodside also believes that there’s a growing role for ammonia across a wide variety of use cases, with broad regulatory support from European and Asia Pacific countries.

The company is seeing developed nations continue to see trends of increased power demand from uses such as AI and data centres.

Woodside also said that rapid non-OECD growth presents an opportunity to supply reliable, lower-carbon energy. Those countries are experiencing continued growth in population, which helps boost potential future demand.

Do owners of Woodside shares get good dividends?

The company has a dividend policy to maintain a dividend payout ratio of at least 50%.

Excluding non-recurring items, the company aims to pay out between 50% and 80% of its net profit after tax (NPAT).

Woodside is also open to providing investors with special dividends and share buybacks if it has excess cash on hand. The business is also targeting a gearing (debt) ratio of between 10% and 20% through the cycle.

UBS is projecting that the business could pay an annual dividend per share of US 52 cents in FY26 and US 79 cents in FY27. If it does pay that amount in FY27, that’d be a grossed-up dividend yield of 7%, including franking credits, in the 2027 financial year.

Is the Woodside share price a buy?

According to CMC Markets, the business has received nine ratings, comprising three buy ratings and six hold ratings, with an average price target of $26.52. That implies a possible rise of more than 5% from where it is today, so it could still generate positive returns for investors, but it doesn’t seem like the best time to invest.

Other ASX shares may be capable of stronger returns, in my view.

The post Is the Woodside share price a buy right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Woodside vs Fortescue shares: One I’d buy and one I’d sell
• These were the 10 most-traded Australian shares last week
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Are Woodside shares still a good buy for passive income?

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.

SRG Global Ltd (ASX: SRG) is not a well-known name on the ASX, but its shareholders have had plenty to celebrate in 2025.

Since the start of January, shares in the engineering and construction services provider have ballooned from $1.35 each to $2.80 per share at the time of writing.

This performance represents a handsome 107% gain in less than a year.

In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has risen by 4.4% over the same timeframe.

The powerful rally in SRG shares has been headlined by several notable developments.

In August, the group revealed a record financial performance in FY25, showcased by a 52% surge in net profit after tax (NPAT).

And in October, the company upped the ante by securing a “transformational” acquisition of diversified marine infrastructure services provider, TAMS.

Investors appeared to welcome the acquisition with SRG shares soaring by 29% on the day of the announcement.

Fast forward to today, and the company appears to have added another spark to its operations.

Let’s take a closer look at what went down.

What happened?

This morning, SRG announced that it has been awarded a bumper $650 million worth of new contracts across Australia and New Zealand.

More specifically, the contract wins consist of new and existing blue-chip clients in the water, defence, transport, energy, industrial, resources, health, and education sectors.

They include the delivery of specialist earthworks and civil services for the Bonney Downs Wind Farm, operated by ASX 200 iron ore titan Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG).

Elsewhere, SRG has been tasked with providing specialist major shutdown maintenance services across Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)’s Kwinana operations in Western Australia.

The company also secured contracts with other ASX 200 giants, including Alcoa Corporation CDI (ASX: AAI), Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO), and South32 Ltd (ASX: S32).

Outside of the ASX, SRG will provide rehabilitation and maintenance works at the San Remo Bridge in Victoria.

It will also design and construct concrete tanks for the Alkimos Seawater Alliance in Western Australia.

And in New South Wales, SRG will provide flood resilience works for the Byron Shire Council.

SRG Global Managing Director, David Macgeorge, commented:

We continue to secure a diverse range of contracts across Australia and New Zealand in a broad range of sectors with both key repeat and new clients. These contract awards are a further demonstration of our market-leading capabilities as a truly diversified infrastructure services company.

Share price response

The market appeared to approve the company’s new treasure trove of contract wins.

Shares in the ASX 300 industrials stock raced out of the blocks on the back of the announcement, jumping by as much as 7.5% in Tuesday morning trading.

Shares are changing hands at $2.80 apiece at the time of writing, up by about 5% from Monday’s close.

The post Up 107% this year! Another boost for this ASX 300 high-flyer with $650m in new contract wins appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Gentrack, IPD, SRG, and Web Travel shares are racing higher today
• This fund manager is bullish on these ASX 300 shares

Motley Fool contributor Bart Bogacz 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 recommended Srg Global and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) shares are soaring today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) drone defence company closed yesterday trading for $1.745. In morning trade on Tuesday, shares flew to $2.030 each, up 16.3%. After some likely profit-taking, shares are changing hands for $1.945 in late morning trade, up 11.5%.

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

So, why are DroneShield shares leaving the benchmark in the dust today?

What’s behind the surging DroneShield shares?

In an announcement this morning labelled non-price sensitive, the ASX 200 defence stock reported that it has received a follow-on contract for $5.2 million.

While the value of the contract, for handheld counter-drone systems and associated accessories, isn’t huge, it nonetheless looks to be reassuring rattled investors who today are piling back into DroneShield shares.

The company noted that the contract comes from an in-country European reseller, that is contractually required to distribute the products to a European military customer.

Management said that DroneShield has all the required stock ready to go to deliver the order. The company expects to receive a cash payment before the end of the year, with no additional material conditions needing to be satisfied.

The company said:

The reseller is a vetted counterparty that DroneShield has worked with for three years. Over this period, and excluding the contract announced today, DroneShield has received 12 contracts from this reseller totalling over $70 million.

A welcome respite from the record high retreat

If you’ve been following the company, you’re likely aware that DroneShield shares hit an all-time closing high of $6.50 each on 9 October.

At that stage, shares in the ASX 200 defence stock were up an eye-popping 780% since 2 January.

Following that kind of meteoric rise, it doesn’t take much for investors to start taking some profits off the table.

Unfortunately, a number of reasons arose over the past weeks that saw shares go into a tailspin.

Those concerns included withdrawn ASX announcements relating to United States military contracts that were marked and reported to investors as new contracts rather than revised contracts.

ASX 200 investors also look to have been selling amid media speculations that the company’s products could be impacted by more basic drones using fibre optic technology. Speculations that DroneShield dismissed as inaccurate in an update on Monday.

And the biggest one-day hit came on 13 November.

DroneShield shares plunged 31.4% after investors learned that CEO Oleg Vornik had sold $49.47 million shares in the company, joining several other directors who also sold material holdings.

While still well off the record highs, it’s worth noting that shares in the ASX 200 drone defence company remain up 153% in 2025.

The post Why are DroneShield shares flying 16% higher on Tuesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Top 10 most-traded ASX shares last week
• Why DroneShield shares could rise a massive 200%
• DroneShield share price hit as company strikes back
• DroneShield shares tank again as investor call abruptly cancelled
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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended DroneShield. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a small decline on Tuesday. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down a fraction to 8,521.9 points.

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

Gentrack Group Ltd (ASX: GTK)

The Gentrack share price is up a further 6% to $8.48. Investors have been buying the airport and utilities software provider’s shares since the release of the FY 2025 results on Monday. Gentrack reported an 8% increase in revenue to NZ$230.2 million and an 18% jump in EBITDA to NZ$27.8 million. And while management gave no firm guidance, it has spoken positively about the future. It has reiterated its mid-term target of more than 15% compound annual revenue growth and an EBITDA margin of 15%–20%. In response to the update, this morning Bell Potter retained its buy rating on Gentrack’s shares with an improved price target of $11.00.

IPD Group Ltd (ASX: IPG)

The IPD share price is up 10% to $3.76. This follows the release of the electrical solutions provider’s guidance for the first half of FY 2026. Management advised that it expects EBITDA growth of approximately 6.1% for that half. It said: “There are encouraging signs of recovery and resilience across our end markets, with sustained positive momentum observed across all business units. Earlier investments made into CMI’s longer-term growth-oriented strategies are starting to generate tangible benefits, underpinned by strong order book growth. The Group’s current opportunity pipeline is positioned well for continued growth through FY26.”

SRG Global Ltd (ASX: SRG)

The SRG Global share price is up 4% to $2.78. This morning, this infrastructure services company revealed that it has won a number of lucrative contracts. It advised that it has secured $650 million of contracts with blue-chip clients across Australia and New Zealand. These contracts are across the water, defence, transport, energy, industrial, resources, health and education sectors. SRG Global’s CEO, David Macgeorge, commented: “We continue to secure a diverse range of contracts across Australia and New Zealand in a broad range of sectors with both key repeat and new clients. These contract awards are a further demonstration of our market-leading capabilities as a truly diversified infrastructure services company.”

Web Travel Group Ltd (ASX: WEB)

The Web Travel share price is up 10% to $4.40. Investors have been buying this travel technology company’s shares following the release of its half year results. Web Travel reported an 18% increase in bookings to 5.1 million, a 22% lift in total transaction value (TTV) to a record of $3.17 billion, and a 17% jump in underlying EBITDA to a record of $81.7 million. Web Travel’s managing director, John Guscic, was pleased with the half. He said: WebBeds continues to deliver world class TTV growth. We reported $3.2 billion TTV for the first 6 months of the financial year, 22% more than the same period last year, driven by the significant above-market growth coming through in our top 3 regions, particularly the Americas.

The post Why Gentrack, IPD, SRG, and Web Travel shares are racing higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Web Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Gentrack Group and Ipd Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Gentrack Group and Ipd Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Srg Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.