The NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) share price is in focus after the company announced the successful pricing of a $1.1 billion convertible notes offering, aiming to strengthen liquidity and support growth plans.

What did NEXTDC report?

• Issued $1.1 billion of 1.75% subordinated convertible notes due 2031
• Net proceeds expected to be approximately $1.006 billion after Capped Call Transactions and before other costs
• Initial conversion price set at $16.695 per ordinary share, a 32.5% premium to the $12.60 reference price
• Pro forma available liquidity at 30 June 2026 would have been about $9.8 billion, before costs
• Convertible notes to mature in September 2031 and are listed on the Vienna Multilateral Trading Facility

What else do investors need to know?

The notes issue broadens NEXTDC’s funding base and supports its ongoing data centre development pipeline. The offering is seen as a way to maintain balance sheet flexibility, with the notes ranking junior to existing senior debt but above ordinary shares.

A Delta Placement of around 18.6 million existing ordinary shares was completed at $12.60 per share to facilitate hedging for investors. This does not result in new shares being issued or direct proceeds to NEXTDC.

The company also entered into capped call transactions, providing an economic hedge for share price increases up to a cap price of $21.42 per share, a 70% premium to the reference price.

What did NEXTDC management say?

Craig Scroggie, NEXTDC Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, said:

I am pleased to see such strong support for the Offering. The transaction provides NEXTDC with efficient, committed funding for our development pipeline and diversifies NEXTDC’s sources of capital with a new deep global investor base whilst preserving our senior debt capacity and balance sheet flexibility.

What’s next for NEXTDC?

With this convertible notes offering, NEXTDC has secured significant resources to fund its planned development and expansion across Australia. The company continues to prioritise a strong balance sheet and funding flexibility as it invests in its data centre infrastructure.

NEXTDC plans to continue delivering on its development pipeline for data centre projects, supporting customer-driven growth and scaling up its technology platform for the digital economy.

NEXTDC share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, NEXTDC shares have declined 24%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 1% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post NEXTDC secures $1.1bn in convertible notes for data centre growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• You don’t need to own Nvidia to invest in AI – Here are the best Aussie artificial intelligence shares
• NEXTDC launches $1.1bn convertible notes to fund data centre growth
• Why I’d buy BHP and these ASX shares with $5,000
• 3 ASX growth shares experts think could double
• NextDC shares have fallen 14% in a month. Is the AI data centre boom over?

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.

The West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) share price is on investors’ radar today after the gold miner reported a first-half net profit after tax (NPAT) of $437 million and declared a special dividend of 20 cents per share.

What did West African Resources report?

• Revenue: $1.46 billion for the half year ended June 2026
• NPAT: $437 million
• Operating cash flow: $690 million
• Gold production: 232,905 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of US$1,823/oz
• Gold sales: 214,883 ounces at US$4,744/oz realised price
• Special dividend: 20 cents per share (unfranked), totalling $228.8 million
• Cash and bullion balance: $876 million cash plus 42,453 ounces of unsold gold bullion

What else do investors need to know?

West African Resources achieved record revenue and profit off the back of its first full six months of combined production from the Sanbrado and Kiaka operations. The company noted no significant health or safety incidents during the half, reflecting positively on operational standards.

Shareholders can expect a 20 cents per share special dividend—unfranked, with a record date of 18 September and a payment date of 7 October 2026. West African Resources will also accelerate repayments on its secured debt facilities in the coming 12 months, helping to strengthen its balance sheet even further.

What did West African Resources management say?

Executive Chairman and CEO Richard Hyde said:

WAF delivered an outstanding result for the first half of 2026, with the Group’s first full six months of combined production from Sanbrado and Kiaka. We are pleased to reward shareholders with a 20 cents per share special dividend and intend to accelerate debt repayments with our secured lenders over the next 12 months.

What’s next for West African Resources?

West African Resources is looking to build on its strong start to the year, supported by its updated 10-year production outlook and ongoing investment in growth. Pre-production mining at Toega is making good progress, and more than 100,000 metres of exploration drilling is planned for 2026.

With two large, low-cost, and long-life gold production centres, the company is positioning itself for long-term success. Management’s focus remains on operational excellence, healthy cash flow generation, and ongoing shareholder returns.

West African Resources share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, West African Resources shares have risen 37%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 1% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post West African Resources delivers profit surge and special dividend in H1 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much could the Fortescue share price rise in the next year?
• 2 cheap ASX shares near 52-week lows I’d buy today
• Which ASX ETFs could be top picks for beginner investors?
• Why this ASX AI stock could rise 50%
• How much do I need to invest in CBA shares for $10,000 of passive income?

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.

The Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) share price has seen plenty of volatility over the past year, as the chart below shows. I think it’s a good time to consider what could happen next.

As one of the largest ASX-listed iron ore companies, the company is highly dependent on iron ore prices for its profits.

While Fortescue reported several growth figures in its FY26 results, the ASX mining share relied heavily on higher iron ore prices to drive earnings growth.

During the 2026 financial year, its hematite realised price (the iron ore sold price) rose by 7% to US$90 per dry metric tonne (dmt). This drove a 9% rise in revenue to US$17 billion. Underlying operating profit (EBITDA) also increased 9% to US$8.6 billion, while underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) rose 3% to US$3.46 billion.

One earnings headwind was a 4% increase in the C1 unit cost per wet metric tonne (wmt), driven by elevated energy prices and inflationary pressures.

On the cash flow side, operating cash flow grew 6% to US$6.8 billion, and free cash flow soared 25% amid a reduction in capital expenditure. This helped net debt improve by 23% to US$857 million.

What could happen with the Fortescue share price?

Without a crystal ball, it’s hard to know exactly what will happen with the Fortescue share price in the next 12 months. The performance of the iron ore price could be essential for how it plays out.

Analysts have given their view on whether they think the Fortescue share price is undervalued or not.

According to CMC Invest, there have been 11 analyst ratings on the ASX mining share within the last three months. It was a mixed bag. Two ratings were a buy, six were a hold, and three were a sell.

A price target tells investors where they think the (Fortescue) share price will go over the next 12 months, from the time of the investment call.

According to CMC Invest, the average price target of those 11 analyst ratings on the ASX mining share is $18. That implies the analysts collectively think the Fortescue share price could rise by 2% over the next year.

The most optimistic price target of $20.06 suggests a possible rise of 14% over the next year, while the most negative price target is $15.45, suggesting a decline of 12% from where it is.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens next, but analysts don’t seem to think Fortescue is a great opportunity. There could be a lot better ASX share investments out there.

The post How much could the Fortescue share price rise in the next year? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much passive income can I earn off a $750,000 superannuation balance?
• How much do I need in my superannuation to earn $10,000 passive income every month?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• These ASX shares benefit from a high Aussie dollar
• How much do I need in my superannuation to earn $200 a day in 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.