WiseTech Global vs Xero shares: Which fallen tech giant bounces back first?

If you’re juggling between WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) and Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) shares, you’re not alone. These two tech heavyweights have led Australia and New Zealand’s software scene, but both have seen major declines from recent market highs. Let’s break down their fundamentals and find out which might be the buy after the fall.

The case for WiseTech Global

WiseTech Global builds logistics software that powers the world’s largest freight companies. Its flagship CargoWise One platform is used by top 25 global freight forwarders—think names like DHL and Toll. Founded in 1994 and based in Sydney, WiseTech has expanded its reach worldwide, helping streamline complex supply chains across every continent.

What stands out for WiseTech is its proven global customer base, consistent profitability, and a small—but steadily rising—fully franked dividend. As of the latest data, WiseTech trades on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 44.37 with a market cap of $10.91 billion. Its dividend yield is just 0.67%, but those payouts have grown impressively over the years and are 100% franked. Year to date, the share price has dropped a hefty 51.93%. That’s a big pullback for any investor.

The case for Xero

New Zealand’s Xero is a cloud-based accounting software business that’s become a leader for small to medium enterprises. Running a classic SaaS (Software as a Service) model, Xero offers monthly subscriptions at varied price points, making life easier for businesses needing streamlined accounts. Founded in 2006, it’s quickly carved a global name in cloud accounting.

Xero is actually the larger company by market capitalisation ($11.54 billion) but lacks WiseTech’s dividend appeal—payouts are currently zero. The latest P/E ratio stands at 49.87, significantly higher than most traditional businesses, and crucially, Xero posted negative earnings per share (-$0.158), meaning it’s not currently profitable. Franking is not applicable. Still, despite the lack of profits or dividends, Xero’s recurring revenue base is sticky, and its growth aspirations are ambitious. Yet the share price is down 41.19% over the year to date, tracking a major fall from its earlier highs.

Valuation comparison

There’s plenty to weigh up between these two. Here’s a head-to-head of the key numbers:

Metric	WiseTech Global	Xero
Market Cap	$10.91 billion	$11.54 billion
P/E Ratio	44.37	49.87
Earnings per Share	$0.485	-$0.158
Dividend Yield	0.67% (100% franked)	0.00%
Year-to-date Return	-51.93%	-41.19%

Xero commands a slight premium on size and valuation, but WiseTech is more profitable and offers a (modest) dividend. Both have seen huge share price declines, with WiseTech falling further in percentage terms.

Recent share price performance

Neither stock has been immune from the market’s tech re-rate. According to closing prices from 14 September 2026, WiseTech Global finished at $32.44—down from recent highs near $46 in late August, with a year-to-date loss of nearly 52%. Xero, meanwhile, closed at $67.63, having traded above $89 as recently as late August and is now down 41% for the year.

The data shows both stocks have tumbled heavily from recent peaks, but WiseTech’s slump is steeper: from $45.47 on 25 August to $32.44 on 14 September, a loss of about 29% in less than three weeks. Xero’s decline in the same window was from $88.95 to $67.63, about 24%. These are not live prices and only reflect the last reported period.

Which is the better buy?

Both WiseTech and Xero have suffered hard falls from grace, and I reckon this creates opportunity—but also real risk. If I had to pick one, my choice would be WiseTech Global. Here’s why: it’s still generating profits, pays a growing (if small) 100% franked dividend, and offers fundamental exposure to trade and global supply chains that should recover with the economic cycle. Xero’s negative earnings, lack of dividends, and a higher valuation ratio tilt the risk/reward less in its favour for now, despite its sticky SaaS model and global ambitions.

That said, both companies remain high-growth, high-multiple tech stocks that have come back to earth hard. I see WiseTech’s collapse as the harsher overreaction, with the safety net of actual profits and cash returns—even if modest—being enough to give it my nod over Xero right now.

The post WiseTech Global vs Xero: Which fallen ASX tech share is the better buy today? 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 positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global and Xero. 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 draft. 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has fallen lower in Tuesday afternoon trade off the back of surging oil prices and investor concerns about potential interest rate increases.

At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is down around 1% for the day, and is now roughly 2% lower than 12 months ago.

But brokers have pinpointed some ASX 200 shares which could drag the index higher over the next year. Here are two of them, and they’re forecast to return up to 83% to investors.

NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

NextDC operates data centres in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. The company builds and operates secure facilities where businesses can house their servers and IT equipment. 

It has physical centres, cooling, power, and security services and project support. And as data usage explodes, demand for secure, high-quality infrastructure is likely to grow alongside it.

The company is heavily investing in expanding its business too, including plans to accelerate the development of new facilities and expand existing sites, including its Sydney projects. 

Just last week the company confirmed it had secured a $1.1 billion funding boost to support its growth plans.

The company will also be added to the S&P/ASX 50 Index as part of a quarterly rebalance, effective from the 21st of September.

Late last month the company also reported a record FY26 result, including a 16% increase in total revenue, a 16% increase in net revenue, and a 15% increase in underlying EBITDA. Net revenue and underlying EBITDA figures came in above guidance.

For FY27, NextDC has guided for net revenue between $615 million and $640 million and underlying EBITDA of $385 million to $410 million, representing expected growth of over 50%.

Brokers are very bullish about the outlook for the ASX 200 shares over the next 12 months. Market Index data shows all brokers have a strong buy rating on the stock and the $20.79 average target price implies a potential upside of 83% at the time of writing.

Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB)

The clinical-stage ASX biotech company has had a slow start to 2026 but leapt higher in mid-July. The shares have slumped again over the past month, seemingly off the back of an increase in investor caution around clinical timelines and profit-taking after the mid-year rally.

Late last month the company reported a sharp increase in revenue to US$120.3 million for FY26 (up from US$17.2 million in FY25) and a 44% reduction in net loss to US$57.5 million.

But there are opportunities for robust growth going forward. Mesoblast develops and commercialises allogeneic cellular medicines to treat complex diseases. Some products are already in use, and other cell therapies are in the late stages of clinical trials. 

Some of its products, particularly Mesoblast’s Ryoncil product, are gaining traction and the business is well-funded. 

Looking ahead, Mesoblast said it plans to expand its Ryoncil label to adults with severe SR-aGvHD and further advance development for chronic low back pain using rexlemestrocel-L. 

The company is also planning to develop next-generation cell therapies through new CAR-MSC and oncolytic virus technologies, broadening its pipeline for inflammatory and immunological diseases.

Brokers are also bullish that business growth and sales can continue growing strongly in FY27. Market Index data shows all brokers agree on a strong buy rating for the ASX 200 shares. The $3.60 target price implies a potential 73% upside, at the time of writing. 

The post 2 ASX 200 shares tipped by brokers to return 73% and 83% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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.

When it comes to investing in ASX shares, I try to be as optimistic as possible. That’s not just blind optimism. Statistically, it makes sense to be optimistic when investing in stocks or ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The markets have historically gone up far more often than they go down. Plus, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has never failed to exceed its previous all-time high, as we’ve seen many times in 2026.

Saying that, there are more than a few reasons to feel less-than-optimistic about the current state of the global economy. Inflation remains uncomfortably high across the world’s advanced economies. Interest rates have been ticking up and look likely to continue to do so. And adding literal fuel to the fire, oil prices have been surging higher over the past week, crossing US$100 a barrel. They could well hit US$110 a barrel if the current trajectory continues.

Now, if these factors result in a recession or stock market crash, my investing strategy won’t be changing. I’ll continue to buy high-quality companies at prices that make sense, and hold for the long term. But many investors don’t have that luxury. Many, particularly retirees and income investors, rely on their ASX shares and ETFs for their retirement income. These investors may struggle to cope, either psychologically or financially, if the markets take a tumble tomorrow.

If that’s you, you may wish to consider investing in what I think is one of the most defensive ETFs on the ASX. This ETF is none other than the iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF (ASX: IXI).

A defensive ASX ETF

This fund does pretty much what it says on the tin. It invests in an underlying portfolio of shares that are all leaders in the global consumer staples sector. Consumer staples are goods we tend to need to buy, rather than ones we purchase when we’re flush with cash or in the mood to splash out. They include food, drinks, and household essentials, as well as tobacco and alcohol products.

The beauty of these products as an investment comes from their very nature as staples. Even if times get tough and we have to collectively tighten our belts, we still need to eat, drink, and stock our households with life’s essentials. That makes the companies that manufacture and sell these goods very stable, predictable investments. Just consider some of the iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF’s holdings. They include Coca-Cola, Walmart, PepsiCo, Unilever, Costco Wholesale, Philip Morris International, Nestle, Monster Beverage, Colgate-Palmolive, and Procter & Gamble. Even our own Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) are included.

These companies are some of the world’s most resilient, defensive businesses. They either manufacture goods that people will buy, rain, hail, or shine, or else provide an easy place to buy those goods. That makes them incredibly resistant to both economic slowdowns and inflation.

So if you’re an investor who is looking at the state of the global economy with concern, this might be an appropriate ASX ETF to consider for your portfolio.

The post This ASX ETF could help protect your portfolio appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• WiseTech Global vs Xero: Which fallen ASX tech share is the better buy today?
• 2 ASX 200 shares tipped by brokers to return 73% and 83%
• DroneShield shares have crashed 51% in a year. Here’s why I’d buy them today
• Santos shares slide from fresh multi-year high: What’s next for the ASX energy stock?
• Woodside shares up 38% in 2026: Here’s what brokers tip next

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Coca-Cola, Costco Wholesale, PepsiCo, Philip Morris International, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Colgate-Palmolive, Costco Wholesale, Monster Beverage, and Walmart. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Nestlé, Philip Morris International, and Unilever. 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.