Once a week, I like to look at ASIC’s short position report to find out which ASX shares are being targeted by short sellers.

That’s because I believe it is worth keeping a close eye on short interest levels as high levels can sometimes be a sign that something isn’t quite right with a company.

With that in mind, listed below are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX this week according to ASIC.

The top 10 most shorted ASX shares

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) remains at the top of the table with short interest of 15.4%, which is up week on week. The counter-drone technology company continues to attract plenty of attention from short sellers, possibly due to its valuation and the ongoing ASIC investigation.

Lotus Resources Ltd (ASX: LOT) has seen its short interest jump to 15%. Short sellers may still have concerns over the uranium developer’s funding requirements and the execution needed to deliver its growth plans.

4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) has short interest of 12.3%, which is down slightly week on week. The medical imaging technology company remains heavily shorted as investors weigh its significant growth potential against a very high valuation.

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) has seen its short interest ease to 12%. Short sellers may be unconvinced that the pizza chain operator’s restructuring and store closures will be enough to restore strong earnings growth.

Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) has short interest of 11.8%, which is down slightly week on week. Weakness in parts of the global wine market and uncertainty around the company’s recovery continue to give short sellers something to focus on.

PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) has 11.1% of its shares held short, which is broadly unchanged since last week. Short sellers may be expecting lithium prices to be under pressure, which would weigh on margins.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) has seen its short interest rise to 11.1%. The buy now pay later company’s strong share price recovery may have encouraged some investors to bet that expectations are becoming too optimistic.

Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) has returned to the top ten with short interest of 10.9%. Short sellers may have concerns over rural spending conditions and the outlook for earnings growth across the agribusiness.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) has seen its short interest fall to 10.7%. Despite this, short sellers may still believe expectations for uranium prices and future production are running ahead of reality.

Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) has seen its short interest ease again to 10.6%. Short sellers may remain cautious on the travel agent due to margin pressure, consumer spending conditions, and disruption to international travel.

The post These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Domino’s Pizza Enterprises and Treasury Wine Estates. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, DroneShield, and Treasury Wine Estates. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Treasury Wine Estates. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, Elders, and Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares have staged a remarkable comeback, surging 35% in the past month and gaining 94% from their 52-week low in June.

But zoom out, and the picture looks less spectacular. CSL shares remain about 16% lower over the past 12 months.

So, after such a powerful rebound, where do experts think the biotech giant could go from here?

What do brokers think?

Not every broker believes the recovery is firmly established. Of 19 analysts tracked on TradingView, 10 rate CSL shares a hold, while nine have a buy or strong-buy rating.

More importantly, the average 12-month price target is $171.94, below the share price of $174.50 at the time of writing.

However, forecasts vary dramatically. The most bullish target sits at $206.86, implying another 19% upside, while the lowest is just $131.56, pointing to roughly 25% downside.

Macquarie is among the most bearish, with a neutral rating and target of just over $133. UBS is considerably more optimistic at $181, while Morgan Stanley has a $172 target.

Bell Potter has retained its hold rating on the ASX biotech stock but recently increased its target from $120 to $150.

Why have CSL shares soared?

The catalyst was CSL’s FY26 result. On the surface, it looked ugly, with the $80 billion biotech company reporting a US$2.6 billion net loss after tax.

But investors quickly looked beyond the headline number.

The loss included US$7.1 billion of pre-tax impairments and US$799 million of restructuring costs, much of which was non-cash. Most impairments related to CSL Vifor intangibles and under-utilised property, plant and equipment.

Investors had already received a warning in May, when CSL flagged around US$5 billion of impairments and cut its FY26 guidance.

Excluding exceptional items, underlying NPATA was US$3.1 billion, down just 2%. Revenue fell 1% to US$15.8 billion but still beat analyst expectations.

For investors, the result therefore represented something potentially more valuable than headline profit: a reset year, cleaner balance sheet and better-than-feared outlook.

CSL Behring remains the standout. Its plasma division generated US$11.4 billion of revenue, while immunoglobulin revenue held steady at US$6.2 billion. CSL Vifor grew revenue 3% to US$2.4 billion, although Seqirus remained under pressure, with revenue falling 8% to US$2 billion.

Could FY27 send the biotech stock higher?

The bull case centres on FY27. CSL expects underlying NPAT to grow approximately 5%, ahead of consensus expectations of around 2%.

Behring is forecast to deliver mid-single-digit growth, with immunoglobulins expected to grow at a mid-to-high single-digit rate.

The major challenge remains Vifor, where revenue is expected to plunge about 25% as iron generics enter the market.

For CSL shares, the recovery story is clearly gaining momentum. The question now is whether improving fundamentals can justify the renewed optimism already priced into the stock.

The post CSL shares are up 94% from their low. What are brokers forecasting next? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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 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.

The ASX dividend stock Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW) has fallen steeply – it’s down 35% since April 2022 and 22% in the past year. I think this is a great time to look at the real estate investment trust (REIT) at such a cheap price.  

This business has several positives, and I think this period of higher interest rates has created an excellent buying opportunity for brave investors.

It’s invested in a number of areas including service stations, telecommunication exchanges, data centres, government-related buildings (such as Geosciences Australia), hotels/pubs and so on.

When share prices fall, investors get the chance to buy at a better yield. That’s exactly what’s happening here. So, let’s run through why it’s an appealing buy.

Strong dividend yield

One of the most pleasing elements of this business is how it operates with a distribution payout ratio of 100% of its net rental earnings, unlocking a very strong distribution yield for investors.

However, REITs typically have sizeable amounts of debt on their balance sheets as a way to partially fund their commercial property investments. So, it’d be understandable if some names in the sector face lower rental earnings and a lower distribution in FY27.

But, thanks to the resilience of the ASX dividend stock’s operations and compelling rental contract agreements, the business has guided that it will be able to maintain its FY27 annual payout at 25.5 cents per security.

That means the business could pay a distribution yield of 7.25% in FY27.

Pleasing rental growth

One of the reasons why the business has been able to maintain its dividend payout is because it has pleasing rental growth built into its contracts with tenants.

Rental growth is built into the rental contracts, with increases either fixed annually or tied to inflation. With consistent growth, the business can deliver stable, growing payouts over time.

Not only does the business achieve regular rental growth, but its tenants are signed on for a very long time, on average. It currently has a weighted average lease expiry (WALE) of around nine years. That means it can offer investors both long-term income visibility and security.  

Very attractive valuation for the ASX dividend stock

Not only is there a good yield, diversification and decent growth on offer, but I think it’s also undervalued.

The business reported that on 30 June 2026, its net tangible assets (NTA) was $4.71 per unit, which was a year-over-year increase of 2.6%. The NTA includes the value of the properties, the loans, cash and all the other tangible assets and liabilities.

That $4.71 valuation per unit is based on the entire property portfolio being independently valued during the financial year. At the time of writing, the ASX dividend stock is valued at 25% discount, so I think it’s a great time to invest.

I think Charter Hall Long WALE REIT is one of the best value stocks around, though it’s not the only one.

The post 1 ASX dividend stock down 35% I’d buy right now 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.