Australian supermarket rivals Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) have been in close competition for decades. The two supermarket shares dominate the Australian supermarket sector, and account for around 70% of market share combined.

They compete closely for grocery prices, customers, and supplier terms.

Here’s the latest out of the two retailers, and what is expected next. 

In my view, one is a buy and one is a sell.

I’d buy Coles shares

Coles shares have climbed higher so far in 2026 off the back of stronger financial results, execution of its turnaround strategy, and higher sales figures. 

At the time of writing, the shares are up around 12% for the year-to-date and are trading at $23.85 a piece.

The company posted its FY26 results last month, which included a 2.8% increase in its group sales revenue, a 9.9% increase in its EBIT excluding significant items, and a 13.7% increase in its NPAT excluding significant items.

Management also declared a fully-franked total dividend of 78 cents per share for FY26, an increase of 13%.

It looks like investors are pleased that the company’s efforts have started to translate in better earnings.

And there are also more growth plans in the works.

Coles said it is ramping up its investment in new stores, renewals, and technology, including accelerated eCommerce and supply chain automation.

Most experts are positive about the outlook for Coles shares over the next 12 months.

According to TradingView, the majority of analysts (eight out of 17) have a buy/strong buy rating on Coles shares, and another seven rate Coles shares as a hold. Two experts have a sell/strong sell rating.

The average $24.46 target price implies a potential 3% upside over the next 12 months, at the time of writing. 

I’d sell Woolworths shares

Woolworths shares have had a more stable run this year, versus Coles. The supermarket shares have mostly trended upwards and at the time of writing, are around 34% higher for the year-to-date.

It looks like the increase is mostly driven by investor confidence that the turnaround is coming to fruition. There is renewed investor confidence that the retailer’s earnings are recovering after a difficult period in late 2025.

The ASX consumer staples stock gathered more attention after it posted its FY26 results last month. 

The supermarket giant reported a 3.6% year-on-year boost in sales to $71.54 billion. And EBITDA (before significant items) increased by 6.7% to $6.09 billion. On the bottom line, Woolworths achieved a NPAT (before significant items) of $1.60 billion, up 15.4%.

The bumper results meant management was able to increase the final fully franked dividend by 15.6% from last year’s final payout of 52 cents per share.

Investors were clearly pleased with the result, and the shares rallied to a new multi-year high shortly afterwards.

But it looks like the shares are now fully priced with little room for more upside. 

Market experts agree. TradingView data shows the majority of analysts (nine out of 17) have a hold rating on Woolworths shares. But another six rate the shares as a sell/strong sell.

The average $39.71 target price implies a potential 1% upside over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

The post Coles vs Woolworths shares: One I’d buy and one I’d sell 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.

Shaw and Partners has released research notes on two ASX small caps that it believes can deliver substantial returns over the next year.

Let’s have a look at who they like.

Objective Corp Ltd (ASX: OCL)

The Objective Corp share price fell sharply on the release of the company’s FY26 results, but Shaw and Partners believes this was an over-reaction.

The company reported revenue of $134.7 million, up 9%, and adjusted EBITDA of $51.5 million, up 11%.

It also increased its dividend from 22 cents per share to 26 cents.

The company said regarding its results:

During FY2026, 100% of our software revenue was contracted under a subscription model and recurring revenue represented 86% of total revenue from customers. The Annualised Recurring Revenue (ARR) balance at 30 June 2026 decreased by 2% to $117.3 million ($120.2 million at 30 June 2025). Information Intelligence ARR decreased by 5% to $81.0 million (FY2025: $85.1 million); Regulatory Solutions ARR increased by 4% to $17.6 million (FY2025: $16.9 million); Planning and Building ARR increased by 3% to $18.7 million (FY2025: $18.2 million).

The company said it had a strong balance sheet, which “provides significant capacity to further pursue investment opportunities that enhance returns for stakeholders”.

Shaw and Partners said Objective Corp delivered solid underlying growth despite the loss of a defence contract.

They said the company was now poised for growth:

Strategically, years of R&D investment have delivered a mature product portfolio, with the focus now shifting toward sales and monetisation. FY27 establishes a new earnings base, with sales execution key to re-accelerating growth. Reiterate Buy.

Shaw and Partners has a price target of $9.50 for Objective Corp, compared with $6.40 at the time of writing.

Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM)

This finance and credit card company’s shares have been on a slide in recent months, and are now down 35% over the past 12 months.

Humm Group’s full-year net profit fell from $39.6 million to $15.7 million, but Shaw and Partners said this was largely due to one-off costs associated with corporate activity.

They said they expected net profit to “materially recover” this financial year, and noted that the company was trading at a substantial discount to the small-cap financial sector.

The company itself said re the outlook:

Humm Group enters FY27 with a clear focus on disciplined execution, with the final stages of platform transformation expected to create a shift in focus from building foundations, to realising benefits. This focus will enable meaningful and cost-effective scale in the consumer portfolios, accelerate AI adoption, simplify and automate processes and deliver better experiences for customers, merchants and employees.

Shaw and Partners has a price target of 80 cents on Humm Group shares compared to 42.25 cents at the time of writing.

The post 2 ASX small caps which could deliver 50% to 90% returns appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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 Objective. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Objective. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Australia’s community of ASX shares investors is getting bigger and younger, according to new research from CommSec.

CommSec recorded 11.5% growth in active customers over FY26, with trading volumes up 27%, and traded value up 33%.

Millennials were the dominant investor group in FY26, representing 37% of active trading accounts.

Young investors were more proactive, with the total trade value among clients under 40 years increasing 55% in FY26.

By comparison, trade value among customers aged over 40 years rose 30%.

Gen Z (born 1997-2012) accounts for just 1.6% of the wealth held by CommSec investors, but they were the most active traders.

Gen Z represented 19% of active market participants in FY26.

CommSec said Gen Z was turning to ASX shares to build wealth because they were priced out of Australia’s property market:

Where 40 years ago, Baby Boomers and Gen Xers could buy a typical first home in Sydney or Melbourne for around 3-4 times the average salary of the time, Gen Zers face a price ratio of up to 14 times their average salary, following several decades of property values far outpacing average wage growth.

Consequently, investing in the stock market to generate capital has become an appealing alternative to property for many Gen Zers…

First-time ASX shares investors

First-time investor activity in FY26 was strongest amongst clients aged under 40 years at 66%, up from 63% in FY24.

Female investors accounted for 42% of first-time investors, up from 36% two years ago.

Overall, 66% of active investors on CommSec in FY26 were men and 34% were women.

Gillian Bowen, Head of Media and Markets at CommSec, said:

Australians are investing in greater numbers than ever before, but the path they’re taking increasingly reflects their life stage, priorities and financial circumstances.

Younger investors are entering the market earlier and are highly engaged, while older generations continue to hold significant pools of wealth built over decades.

Young Australians’ portfolios were primarily full of ASX shares.

The most traded ASX shares among Millennials were: Droneshield Ltd (ASX: DRO), PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS), Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP), and CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL).

The most traded among Gen Z were: Droneshield, PLS Group, Zip, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares.

While younger investors retained the home bias of previous generations, they were increasingly engaged in overseas markets.

Younger investors more open to international shares

Younger Australians were increasingly focusing on international shares, the research showed.

About 10% of Gen X (born 1965-1980), Millennials (1981-1996), and Gen Z portfolios on CommSec contained international shares.

That compared to 5% for Baby Boomer (born 1946-1964) portfolios.

CommSec said global tech shares featured prominently among the most traded shares for all investor groups in FY26.

The most traded US stocks among Millennials were: Tesla, Nvidia, Super Micro Computer, and Space X.

The most traded among Gen Z were: Tesla, Nvidia, ProShares UltraPro QQQ, and Direxion Daily TSLA Bull 2X ETF.

More than two-thirds of Gen Z investors held exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the largest proportion of any generation.  

The most traded ASX ETFs among Gen Z investors were: BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ), iShares Global 100 ETF (ASX: IOO), iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV), and Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS).

Average value of portfolios

The average Gen Z shares portfolio on CommSec was worth about $20,000.

Millennials’ portfolios were worth an average $66,000.

The average Gen X shares portfolio was worth $233,000.

Baby boomers held the most wealth, with the average portfolio worth $541,000.

The average number of shares held within a portfolio was surprisingly small.

Gen Z portfolios had, on average, three stocks or ETFs.

Baby boomers had an average of eight shares in their portfolios.

The post ASX shares investors are getting younger and trading more often: CBA report appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in Zip Co. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, CSL, DroneShield, Nvidia, Tesla, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL, Nvidia, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.