Shares in National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR) surged almost 20% on Wednesday after the company confirmed it was in takeover talks with private equity buyers.

The company asked for its shares to be halted from trade before the start of the session on Wednesday after The Australian reported that Brookfield Property Group and GIC Investments were running the ruler over the $3.2 billion self-storage giant.

Company definitely in play

National Storage initially did not confirm that talks were afoot; however, late in the trading day on Wednesday, the company confirmed that it had indeed been approached about “an unsolicited, non-binding, indicative and conditional proposal”.

As the company said:

Under the terms of the indicative proposal, NSR securityholders would receive $2.86 cash per stapled security on the basis that a dividend or distribution of 6 cents in respect of the financial half year ending 31 December 2025 may be paid, in which case, the cash payable per stapled security will be reduced by the amount of the dividend or distribution paid. The indicative proposal follows earlier confidential, unsolicited, non-binding and indicative proposals from the consortium and a period of negotiation including the provision of limited due diligence.

The proposal is subject to conditions, including satisfactory due diligence and a unanimous recommendation from the National Storage board. It would also be subject to regulatory approvals, including sign-off from the Foreign Investment Review Board.

National Storage stated that it had assessed the proposal and decided to grant the consortium the right to conduct due diligence.

It went on to say:

The NSR Board has also agreed to provide a period of exclusivity to the consortium ending on 7 December 2025 unless a superior proposal is received before that time and the NSR board determines to pursue it, in which case exclusivity will end at that time. The exclusivity arrangements comprise customary non-solicit, no talk, no due diligence and notification of approach obligations.

National Storage shares closed on Wednesday up 19.5% at $2.70, but still well below the potential bid price.

Takeover hype spills over to Abacus

News of the takeover approach for National Storage also put a rocket under shares in Abacus Storage King (ASX: ASK), which closed 9.3% higher on Wednesday at $1.52.

National Storage is a shareholder in Abacus, holding a stake of just under 5%, and Abacus was itself the target of takeover suitors earlier this year.

Ki Corporation and US-listed firm Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) brought a $1.47 per security bid to the company, which was rejected in May, but left Ki Corporation with a 63.5% stake in the business.

Abacus said at the time that its net tangible asset value was $1.73 based on an independent valuation, and hence the consortium’s bid was too low.

The post This ASX storage REIT’s shares surge as takeover talks confirmed 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 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.

Small-cap stocks tend to exhibit increased volatility compared to well-established, blue-chip companies. 

However, history shows that a select few of these penny stocks will grow into the mid-cap or even large-cap stocks in the future. 

Identifying them early is the challenging part. 

One small-cap stock to keep an eye on is Macmahon Holdings Limited (ASX: MAH). 

It has already risen by more than 67% in 2025, and the team at Bell Potter has just bumped up its share price target on the back of a key contract win for the company. 

Macmahon Holdings is an Australian company providing mining services across Australia and Southeast Asia. Its services cover surface and underground mining, civil construction, and resources engineering.

At the time of writing, shares are trading for approximately $0.59; however, Bell Potter has just raised its price target, indicating potential for more growth ahead. 

Here is the latest guidance from the broker. 

Key contract win

In a report released by Bell Potter on Monday, the broker stated that the company has secured an underground contract win in Indonesia. 

The contract is for a term of 34 months, with a contract value of $36m in the first year. 

This follows a contract win in Indonesia announced in August 2025, for an underground mine in North Sulawesi, with PT Tambang Tondano Nusajaya. 

This contract is valued at $33m over a 32-month period.

Bell Potter said these two contracts will partly replace the revenue lost from a previous agreement with Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU). 

However, the broker believes this will increase exposure to underground mining, in line with the company’s strategy, which is expected to be less capital-intensive. 

The company has delivered strong growth, and the shares have performed well in 2025, but continue to trade on just 10.5x prospective earnings.

The company is guiding to EBIT(A) of $180m-$195m in FY26, which at the mid-point would be 9% ahead of FY25.

Buy recommendation for this small-cap stock

Based on this guidance, Bell Potter has increased its target price on this ASX small-cap stock to $0.65 (previously $0.50). 

Based on yesterday’s closing price of $0.59, this indicates an upside of 10.17%. 

This optimism is based on a combination of factors, including: 

• Strong revenue base: FY25 secured revenue of $2.1bn, and an order book of $5.4bn provides visibility and stability.
• Underground mining growth: Expected 50% growth over the next 2–3 years.
• International expansion: Targeting 15% of group turnover from international work, supported by new contracts in Indonesia.
• Competitive advantage in Indonesia: Strong existing relationships and expertise in hard-rock underground mining.

The post Already up 67% YTD Bell Potter thinks this small cap stock can keep soaring appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This ASX storage REIT’s shares surge as takeover talks confirmed
• Buy these dirt cheap ASX dividend stocks before it’s too late
• It’s time to buy: 1 Australian stock that hasn’t been this cheap in years
• Netflix’s 10-for-1 stock split: Time to buy before it’s too late?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell 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.

Are you looking for some new ASX dividend stocks to buy?

If you are, then it could be worth considering the two listed below.

They have been named as buys and are tipped to offer good dividend yields in the near term. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)

Bell Potter thinks that Rural Funds could be an ASX dividend stocks to buy.

It owns a diversified portfolio of Australian agricultural assets. From these 63 properties across five states, its strategy is to generate capital growth and income from developing and leasing agricultural assets.

The broker thinks its shares are significantly undervalued at current levels. It said:

Our Buy rating is unchanged. The -~35% discount to market NAV remain higher than average (~6% premium since listing) and likely reflects the proportion of assets that are underearning as operating farms. With a continued improvement in most counterparty profitability indicators in recent months (i.e. cattle, almond and macadamia nut prices), resilience in farming asset values and the progress made in creating headroom in funding lines to complete the macadamia development we see this as excessive.

As for income, Bell Potter expects dividends per share of 11.7 cents in both FY 2026 and FY 2027. Based on its current share price of $1.95, this would mean dividend yields of 6% for both years.

The broker currently has a buy rating and $2.45 price target on its shares, which implies potential upside of 25% for investors.

Universal Store Holdings Ltd (ASX: UNI)

Another ASX dividend stock that Bell Potter is positive on is Universal Store.

It is a youth fashion focused retailer behind the Universal Store, Thrills, and Perfect Stranger brands.

The broker also thinks that its shares are being undervalued at present. Especially given how well it is executing on its rollout strategy. It said:

Universal Store Holdings is a leading youth focused apparel, footwear and accessories retailer in Australia. UNI will continue to increase store numbers over the next few years, supporting earnings growth of 10% p.a.. Valuation looks attractive, trading on a forward P/E of ~16x. UNI is a quality small cap (ROE ~26%) that is executing on its rollout strategy.

Bell Potter expects this to underpin fully franked dividends of 37.3 cents in FY 2026 and then 41.4 cents in FY 2027. Based on its current share price of $8.65, this represents dividend yields of 4.3% and 4.8%, respectively.

The broker has a buy rating and $10.50 price target on its shares. This suggests that upside of 20%+ is possible from current levels.

The post Buy these dirt cheap ASX dividend stocks before it’s too late appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Universal Store. 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 positions in and has recommended Rural Funds Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Universal Store. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

If you’re looking for a high-quality Australian tech stock trading well below what analysts believe it is worth, Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) may be the opportunity hiding in plain sight.

After a bruising year for ASX technology names and widespread concern about an AI-driven selloff, Xero’s share price has cratered.

This is a level that implies a dramatically weaker future than analysts actually expect.

And according to a note out of Macquarie, the current price simply doesn’t reflect Xero’s long-term earnings power. In fact, the broker argues that the market is mispricing the company’s US opportunity entirely.

Macquarie currently has an outperform rating and a $230.30 price target on Xero. Based on its current share price, this implies potential upside of 92% for investors over the next 12 months.

Why Xero looks undervalued today

Macquarie’s highlights that today’s share price suggests that from FY 2028 Xero will miss the Rule of 40, which is a benchmark for high-performing software stocks, until FY 2033.

That means the market is pricing in a dramatic slowdown in growth after FY 2-28, despite evidence to the contrary.

The broker believes that its current valuation assumes Xero’s core business slows to 12% annualised revenue growth beyond FY 2028 and never reaches the free-cash-flow margins achieved by its key competitor, Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU). Macquarie stresses that these assumptions are far too conservative.

The US could be the game-changer

One of the most important points that Macquarie makes is that the US market is finally showing the same conditions that historically drove Xero’s strongest growth in other regions.

It notes that payment digitisation and cloud-accounting adoption are accelerating across the US, which has been a missing ingredient in past years. Xero’s recent Melio acquisition gives the company a powerful distribution network and access to ~18 million small businesses via syndication partners. It said:

Management are moving quickly, with deal close 2 months earlier than expected. This coincides with Trump’s digitisation of payments gaining momentum. The IRS is phasing out paper refund checks from Sep 30 2025 and pushing customers to digital rails. Moreover, the GENIUS Act and the updating/adoption of FedNOW & FedRamp are pushing more customers to digital rails and digital tax. Historically, these are the two necessary preconditions for XRO to grow strongly in a market, and they are manifesting in the US now.

Macquarie describes this as a “perfect storm” in Xero’s favour and highlights that there is no clear number-two competitor in the US, and Intuit’s growing focus on the mid-market leaves Xero’s core small-business segment under-served.

Should you buy this Australian stock?

With the stock down sharply and Macquarie forecasting significant upside as its US strategy unfolds, Xero looks like one of the most attractive opportunities on the ASX right now.

As a result, this is one Australian stock that I would happily buy more of at the current price.

The post It’s time to buy: 1 Australian stock that hasn’t been this cheap in years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Bear market alert: ASX 200 tech shares down 24% since September peak

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Intuit, Macquarie Group, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group 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 originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

It’s been a week now since Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) stock split its stock 10-for-1, transforming a $1,125-per-share stock into a $112.50-per-share stock in the blink of an eye — but doing absolutely nothing to change the business. And do you know what? During that week, Netflix stock haas gotten even cheaper, falling from $112.50 to close at $110 on Monday, and continuing to fall to just $104 and change today. 

And there’s still no substantive reason for this.

Netflix stock just got cheaper.

What does this mean for you, the investor? Well, let’s review. In 2016, Netflix shares cost even more than they do today — about $115 pre-split. But Netflix was earning a lot less than it is today. Full-year profit was about $187 million in 2016, or about $0.04 per share.

Nine years later, Netflix stock once again costs just a little over $100 per share (post-split, though, so it’s really up about tenfold in price). Yet Netflix earned $39 billion last year, or $1.98 per share. That’s 50 times more profit today, on a stock that costs only 10 times more.

So effectively, for every $1 you invest in Netflix today instead of nine years ago, you’re earning five times more profit. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. What’s more, with the stock falling 7% in price over the past week, this deal is getting even better!

Long story short, if you didn’t take advantage of Netflix’s bargain price after its stock split, last week, there’s still time to do so. Granted, you still need to decide for yourself whether Netflix stock is worth its valuation, currently 42.5 times trailing earnings, with a long-term expected growth rate of 25%. But if you do think Netflix stock is a “buy,” then no, it’s not “too late” to buy at all.

Indeed, you just got rewarded for waiting… with an even better stock price.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The post Netflix’s 10-for-1 stock split: Time to buy before it’s too late? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

More reading

• Should you buy Netflix before 2026?
• Netflix just announced a 10-for-1 stock split — Here’s why the stock looks like a no-brainer buy right now
• 3 US stocks that could make you rich
• $10,000 invested in the NDQ ETF 5 years ago is now worth…
• Netflix pops on long-anticipated 10-for-1 stock split. Here’s why the “Ten Titans” growth stock is a great buy in November.

Rich Smith 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 Netflix. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Netflix. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had another strong session and raced higher. The benchmark index rose 0.8% to 8,606.5 points.

Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to rise again

The Australian share market looks set for another positive day following a strong night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 27 points or 0.3% higher this morning. In late trade in the United States, the Dow Jones is up 0.85%, the S&P 500 is up 0.85%, and the Nasdaq is 0.95% higher.

Oil prices rise

ASX 200 energy shares including Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a good session on Thursday after oil prices pushed higher overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 1.1% to US$58.55 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 0.85% to US$63.01 a barrel. Traders were buying oil after it hit a one-month low.

QBE update

All eyes will be on QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) shares today when the insurance giant releases its third quarter update. Commenting on its expectations, Bell Potter said: “We anticipate a relatively benign quarter. Short bond yields have been stable, but H1 saw strong returns on risk assets. Premium rate increases remain positive but have been slowing (Q2 rates were +0.8% vs pcp) and we will be watching whether these have flattened out or continued to soften. Inflation remains present and this may be storing up problems for the combined ratio (COR), so there will be a focus on whether the company continues to expect a COR of ~92.5%.”

Gold price rises

It could be a good session for ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) on Thursday after the gold price pushed higher. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is up 0.6% to US$4,164.1 an ounce. This was driven by increasing US interest rate cut hopes.

Buy Temple & Webster shares

Bell Potter thinks investors should be buying Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) shares after they crashed on Wednesday. This morning, the broker has reaffirmed its buy rating with a reduced price target of $19.50. It said: “Our views are unchanged of TPW’s ability to outperform over the long term as market share capture in an expanded TAM is expedited with range, pricing/scale advantages, backed by a strong balance sheet (+$150m cash). Trading at ~2x EV/Sales post the ~40% correction in the share price from the recent peak, we see risk-reward heading into the Feb 1H result and continue to see a buying opportunity. Maintain BUY.”

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.