It was a busy week for Australia’s top brokers. This has led to a number of broker notes being released. 

Three broker buy ratings that you might want to know more about are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)

According to a note out of Morgans, its analysts have resumed coverage on this corporate travel specialist’s shares with a buy rating and $3.06 price target. Morgans notes that after a long suspension, Corporate Travel Management has returned to trade after lodging its FY 2025 and FY 2026 audited accounts. This has seen material earnings restatements in response to years of overcharging clients and will result in refunds of $246m by September 2027. While this is clearly disappointing, Morgans remains positive. It believes earnings growth should resume from FY 2028 given new management’s strategy. This view is supported by the acceleration of new client wins in the first two months of FY 2027, which the broker sees as encouraging. Overall, the broker believes it is a turnaround story under new leadership with material upside potential if it executes. The Corporate Travel Management share price ended the week at $2.46.

Life360 Inc. (ASX: 360)

A note out of Citi reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating and $28.80 price target on this location technology company’s shares. Citi was pleased to see Life360’s app downloads accelerate to 8% growth year-on-year in August from flat growth in July. This was driven largely by its US business, which delivered a record month. Looking ahead, the broker believes Life360 is well-placed to deliver a marked improvement in its EBITDA margin in the fourth quarter. This is expected to be supported by seasonal advertising and hardware revenue. The Life360 share price was fetching $19.73 at Friday’s close.

Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS)

Analysts at Macquarie have upgraded this wholesale distributor’s shares to an outperform rating with a $3.20 price target. According to the note, the broker was pleased with Metcash’s trading update, highlighting that food sales were better than expected. And while its growth in the liquor segment was softer, it believes that the company is winning market share. Cost pressures are weighing on margins, but overall, Macquarie remains positive on the investment opportunity here and is recommending it to clients. The Metcash share price ended the week at $2.83.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Brokers rate these 5 ASX shares as a strong buy, and tip upsides of 28% to 62%

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Life360. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Corporate Travel Management, Life360, and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Corporate Travel Management and Life360. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

There is something appealing about investments you do not have to keep second-guessing.

Buy them, add to them over time, and let the underlying companies do the work.

Of course, no investment should literally be ignored forever. But for investors with a very long time horizon, these five ASX exchange traded funds (ETFs) could be strong candidates to hold for decades.

iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV)

The iShares S&P 500 ETF could be an obvious place to start.

It gives investors exposure to 500 of America’s largest listed companies.

The attraction here is not simply that the United States has performed well historically.

It is that the S&P 500 continually evolves. Successful companies grow into larger positions, new leaders enter the index, and businesses that decline in importance can eventually drop out.

That makes the iShares S&P 500 ETF a simple way to back the long-term strength of corporate America without trying to predict today’s winners decades into the future.

VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF takes a more selective approach.

It invests in US companies that Morningstar believes possess sustainable competitive advantages and are trading at attractive valuations.

Those advantages could come from brands, intellectual property, cost advantages, network effects, or customers that are difficult to lose.

I think this philosophy makes plenty of sense for a long holding period.

A business that can defend its profits from competitors has a better chance of compounding earnings for many years.

Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Shares Index ETF (ASX: VEU)

The Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Shares Index ETF could be a good option for investors wanting to look beyond America.

It invests across developed and emerging markets outside the United States.

This provides exposure to companies in Europe, Japan, Asia, Canada, and other markets around the world.

Nobody knows which country will produce the strongest returns over the next 20 years.

VEU allows investors to participate in growth across a huge part of the global economy without needing to make that call.

Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

The Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF is a more targeted long-term idea.

It invests in major Asian technology companies across semiconductors, ecommerce, gaming, digital platforms, and other areas.

Asia is home to some of the world’s most important technology businesses and enormous consumer markets.

I think that combination could provide plenty of growth over the decades ahead as more spending, services, and economic activity move online.

Global X FANG+ ETF (ASX: FANG)

Finally, the Global X FANG+ ETF could suit investors who want concentrated exposure to some of the world’s dominant growth companies.

The fund invests in a small collection of major technology and consumer businesses involved in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital advertising, ecommerce, electric vehicles, and online entertainment.

It will inevitably have periods of significant volatility.

But over a very long period, I think owning companies that are helping shape how people work, communicate, shop, and use technology could prove rewarding.

The post 5 ASX ETFs to buy and hold forever appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Betashares Capital – Asia Technology Tigers Etf and VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Vanguard International Equity Index Funds – Vanguard Ftse All-World ex-US ETF and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF 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.

In an era of uncertainty, I think it could be a smart idea to own some of the most reliable ASX dividend stocks if we’re relying on the dividend payments. I’d name Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL) as the top option.

Soul Patts, as it’s commonly known, is an investment house that has been operating for more than 120 years. Not many ASX shares can say they’ve been listed for more than a century.

But, I’m not just going to say it’s a great business to own because it’s old, though longevity is a useful attribute.

One of the more impressive elements of Soul Patts is that it has paid a dividend in every single year of its listed life, including through the world wars, the global pandemics, the economic recessions and so on. That alone is a very impressive history of reliability.

There’s a lot more to like about the business as a reliable ASX dividend stock.

Excellent dividend record

There are very few ASX shares that have grown their annual dividend every year going back to the GFC approximately 20 years ago.

But, only one ASX share has increased its annual payout every year this century. Soul Patts has the best record.

The ASX dividend stock has increased its annual ordinary dividend every year since 1998. If that doesn’t make it Australia’s most reliable business for dividends, I don’t know what would.

In the latest result, being the FY26 half-year result, Soul Patts decided to hike its interim dividend per share by 9.1% to 48 cents. That shows the business isn’t just growing its payout by 1% per year, it’s delivering sizeable increases.  

It currently has a grossed-up dividend yield of 3.5%, including franking credits, at the time of writing.

Rising cash flow

The business pays for its dividends from the cash flow that’s generated by its portfolio.

Its investment portfolio is spread across a number of industries including resources, energy, swimming schools, agriculture, property, credit, retirement living, water entitlements, financial services and plenty more.

By having a diversified portfolio that generate defensive cash flow, the business is able to continue providing reliable dividends.

But, the company doesn’t pay out all of its cash flow each year. The retained earnings can be used to invest in more opportunities.

In the FY26 first-half result, the company reported that its net cash flow from investments grew by 15.4% to $334 million. Its interim dividend only represented 54% of net cash flow from investments.

I expect the ASX dividend stock’s cash flow can continue to grow in the coming years.

Growing net asset value

Not only is the company growing its dividends and cash flow for shareholders, but the underlying value of the Soul Patts portfolio is increasing over time, which is a tailwind for the Soul Patts share price.

The business is investing in new assets, and its existing investments are growing.

In the first half of FY26, its net asset value (NAV) grew by 14.6% to $13.8 billion. I’m not expecting every result to show year-over-year growth of around 15%, but I think it’s likely to continue compounding at a pleasing pace.

With $2,000, an investor could buy 45 Soul Patts shares, which I think would be a great long-term buy.

The post $2,000 buys 45 shares in an impressively reliable ASX dividend stock appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.