CSL Ltd’s (ASX: CSL) board has admitted the financial performance of the business has been disappointing, but vowed to do better ahead of the company’s upcoming annual general meeting.

Aiming for improvement

In the notice of meeting lodged with the ASX, CSL chair Brian McNamee said the past year had been one of “significant change” for the blood products company, “and the board acknowledges that many shareholders are frustrated with the recent disappointing commercial and financial performance of the company”.

Mr McNamee added:

This includes reporting a multibillion-dollar statutory loss, driven by significant restructuring activity, leadership transition and the recognition of substantial non-cash balance sheet impairments. We built up substantial fixed costs, we were slow to adapt to competitive pressures, our research and development efforts didn’t deliver and some investments the Company made did not perform. We recognise this, and the management team is acting with urgency to earn back the confidence of shareholders through results.

Mr McNamee said the company’s core markets remained attractive, and the business was resilient and delivering strong cash flows.

He said the strategy was to invest in the core of the plasma business, “with selective investment beyond that”.

He added:

The industry fundamentals remain attractive. Plasma is a structurally stable therapeutic area, with durable demand and significant unmet patient need. CSL also maintains strength in influenza vaccines through the Seqirus business.

Mr McNamee said the board was encouraged by the early positive results of changes implemented by the management team.

He said the company needed to focus on stronger execution and adapt more rapidly as markets evolve.

Mr McNamee said the search for a new Chief Executive Officer was well-advanced, and in the meantime interim CEO Gordon Naylor was positioning the company for the next phase of growth.

CSL shares were 1 cent lower at $174.40 on Thursday. The shares have traded as low as $90 over the past year and as high as $222.47.

CSL shares looking like a good buy

Brokers are currently positive on the outlook for CSL following the company’s August results release.

RBC Capital Markets this week upgraded the company to an outperform rating with a $213 price target.

The broker said they now believed that “growth in the Behring business can offset the weak outlook in the Seqirus and Vifor business, and enable the company to deliver mid-single digit EPS growth for the next 3 years”.

The company is valued at $83.7 billion. The AGM will be held on Tuesday 27 October.

The post CSL acknowledges “disappointing” results but aims to do better appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has positions in CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. 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.

Retiring at 60 would sound pretty good to me.

But finishing work earlier means my superannuation may need to support me for a long time.

So, how large would I want my balance to be before calling it a day?

Start with the lifestyle I want

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) provides a helpful starting point.

Its latest Retirement Standard estimates that a single homeowner aged 65 to 84 needs around $56,166 a year for a comfortable retirement. For a couple, the figure is approximately $78,998 a year.

That comfortable lifestyle includes things such as private health insurance, regular leisure activities, meals out, maintaining a car, home repairs, and occasional travel.

Of course, my own spending could be higher or lower.

But I think those figures provide a sensible benchmark for thinking about how much income my super may need to provide.

Retiring at 60 changes the numbers

ASFA estimates that a single homeowner needs around $630,000 in super to fund a comfortable retirement from age 67. A couple needs around $730,000 combined.

The important part is the age.

Those figures assume retirement at 67, whereas I am looking at stopping work seven years earlier.

Age Pension eligibility also currently begins at 67, subject to the relevant income, asset, and residency rules.

That means someone retiring at 60 may need to fund several additional years before any potential Age Pension support begins.

For people born from 1 July 1964, 60 is also the current preservation age for superannuation, although a condition of release still needs to be met before the money can generally be accessed.

How much would I want?

If I were a single homeowner aiming for something close to ASFA’s comfortable lifestyle, I would personally want around $900,000 in super before retiring at 60.

That is not an official ASFA target.

It simply gives me more room to fund those extra seven years while leaving plenty of capital invested for later in retirement.

For a couple, I would be thinking closer to $1.1 million combined, depending on our expected spending and other assets.

I would not treat either figure as a magic number. Someone with inexpensive hobbies, a paid-off home, and modest travel plans may be comfortable with less. Someone planning regular overseas holidays or helping family financially may want considerably more.

I would keep investing after retirement

I would also want my superannuation to continue growing after I stopped working.

At 60, retirement could still last 30 years or more.

That is too long for me to become entirely focused on cash and defensive investments like bonds.

I would still want exposure to Australian and international shares, alongside enough defensive assets to cover spending without being forced to sell shares during a market downturn.

Investment returns could then help offset some withdrawals and give the balance a better chance of keeping up with inflation.

Foolish takeaway

If I planned to retire at 60, I would personally aim for around $900,000 in superannuation as a single homeowner, rather than relying on the age-67 benchmark of $630,000.

Retiring seven years earlier creates a larger job for the portfolio.

For me, having that extra buffer would provide more flexibility around spending, market downturns, and the possibility of a retirement lasting several decades.

The post How much superannuation would I want if I planned to retire at 60? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino 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.

Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) shares are edging higher on Thursday, but investors probably won’t be celebrating just yet.

The Hub24 share price is up 0.26% to $70.38 at the time of writing, but that barely makes a dent in the recent losses.

The shares have fallen almost 20% in the past month and around 27% in 2026.

They are now trading only slightly above their 52-week low of $68.70 and more than 42% below the $122.03 high.

So, has the sell-off gone too far?

Why have Hub24 shares fallen so much?

The sell-off looks pretty harsh when you look at Hub24’s latest financial results.

FY26 revenue rose 23% to $501.1 million, while underlying EBITDA climbed 30% to $211.4 million. Underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) increased 40% to $137.3 million.

Platform funds under administration (FUA) reached $139.5 billion, up 24%, while total FUA grew to $164.3 billion.

Hub24’s platform market share increased from 8.6% to 9.9%, while active advisers rose 11% to 5,649.

While those were solid numbers, what seems to be worrying investors more is the slowdown in inflows heading into FY27.

The company said outflows from discretionary IDPS accounts were still high in August, although superannuation flows were holding up better.

If that weakness hangs around, Hub24 may find it harder to keep FUA growing at the same pace.

What are the brokers saying?

Brokers are still much more positive on Hub24 shares after the recent drop.

According to TipRanks, the average 12-month price target from 13 ranked analysts is $97.18. From the current price of $70.38, that points to potential upside of around 38%.

Most of the targets are sitting in the $90s. Citi has a target of $93.50, Jefferies is at $93.75, Morgans is at $92, RBC Capital has $91, and JPMorgan is at $98.

Jarden has the highest target shown at $101, while Bell Potter is a little more cautious with a $90 target and a hold rating.

Why $70 has my attention

After falling almost 20% in a month, Hub24 shares are starting to look a lot more interesting around these levels.

The stock is still trading on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 48, so I wouldn’t call it cheap. And if inflows stay weak, that could put more pressure on the valuation.

Nonetheless, Hub24 is still growing earnings, and winning market share.

Management is also targeting Platform FUA of $186 billion to $200 billion by FY28, excluding PARS.

At around $70, I think the risk-reward looks much better than it did above $120.

The next big update comes on 20 October, when Hub24 releases its first-quarter results.

The post Hub24 shares have fallen 27% in 2026. Could they really rebound 38%? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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, JPMorgan Chase, and Jefferies Financial Group. 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.