The West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) share price is on investors’ radar today after the gold miner reported a first-half net profit after tax (NPAT) of $437 million and declared a special dividend of 20 cents per share.

What did West African Resources report?

• Revenue: $1.46 billion for the half year ended June 2026
• NPAT: $437 million
• Operating cash flow: $690 million
• Gold production: 232,905 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of US$1,823/oz
• Gold sales: 214,883 ounces at US$4,744/oz realised price
• Special dividend: 20 cents per share (unfranked), totalling $228.8 million
• Cash and bullion balance: $876 million cash plus 42,453 ounces of unsold gold bullion

What else do investors need to know?

West African Resources achieved record revenue and profit off the back of its first full six months of combined production from the Sanbrado and Kiaka operations. The company noted no significant health or safety incidents during the half, reflecting positively on operational standards.

Shareholders can expect a 20 cents per share special dividend—unfranked, with a record date of 18 September and a payment date of 7 October 2026. West African Resources will also accelerate repayments on its secured debt facilities in the coming 12 months, helping to strengthen its balance sheet even further.

What did West African Resources management say?

Executive Chairman and CEO Richard Hyde said:

WAF delivered an outstanding result for the first half of 2026, with the Group’s first full six months of combined production from Sanbrado and Kiaka. We are pleased to reward shareholders with a 20 cents per share special dividend and intend to accelerate debt repayments with our secured lenders over the next 12 months.

What’s next for West African Resources?

West African Resources is looking to build on its strong start to the year, supported by its updated 10-year production outlook and ongoing investment in growth. Pre-production mining at Toega is making good progress, and more than 100,000 metres of exploration drilling is planned for 2026.

With two large, low-cost, and long-life gold production centres, the company is positioning itself for long-term success. Management’s focus remains on operational excellence, healthy cash flow generation, and ongoing shareholder returns.

West African Resources share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, West African Resources shares have risen 37%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 1% over the same period.

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The post West African Resources delivers profit surge and special dividend in H1 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart 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. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

The Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) share price has seen plenty of volatility over the past year, as the chart below shows. I think it’s a good time to consider what could happen next.

As one of the largest ASX-listed iron ore companies, the company is highly dependent on iron ore prices for its profits.

While Fortescue reported several growth figures in its FY26 results, the ASX mining share relied heavily on higher iron ore prices to drive earnings growth.

During the 2026 financial year, its hematite realised price (the iron ore sold price) rose by 7% to US$90 per dry metric tonne (dmt). This drove a 9% rise in revenue to US$17 billion. Underlying operating profit (EBITDA) also increased 9% to US$8.6 billion, while underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) rose 3% to US$3.46 billion.

One earnings headwind was a 4% increase in the C1 unit cost per wet metric tonne (wmt), driven by elevated energy prices and inflationary pressures.

On the cash flow side, operating cash flow grew 6% to US$6.8 billion, and free cash flow soared 25% amid a reduction in capital expenditure. This helped net debt improve by 23% to US$857 million.

What could happen with the Fortescue share price?

Without a crystal ball, it’s hard to know exactly what will happen with the Fortescue share price in the next 12 months. The performance of the iron ore price could be essential for how it plays out.

Analysts have given their view on whether they think the Fortescue share price is undervalued or not.

According to CMC Invest, there have been 11 analyst ratings on the ASX mining share within the last three months. It was a mixed bag. Two ratings were a buy, six were a hold, and three were a sell.

A price target tells investors where they think the (Fortescue) share price will go over the next 12 months, from the time of the investment call.

According to CMC Invest, the average price target of those 11 analyst ratings on the ASX mining share is $18. That implies the analysts collectively think the Fortescue share price could rise by 2% over the next year.

The most optimistic price target of $20.06 suggests a possible rise of 14% over the next year, while the most negative price target is $15.45, suggesting a decline of 12% from where it is.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens next, but analysts don’t seem to think Fortescue is a great opportunity. There could be a lot better ASX share investments out there.

The post How much could the Fortescue share price rise in the next year? 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.

When compelling ASX shares trade at low prices, they could be unmissable buys. Falling to near 52-week lows may be the best price we can buy at.

Of course, just because something has fallen doesn’t mean it’s going to rise again quickly. But I think investing at the lower price gives brave investors a much better margin of safety and will hopefully lead to stronger returns.

With the above in mind, let’s look at two compelling ASX shares.

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

Temple & Webster is one of the leading online retailers in Australia, selling hundreds of thousands of products across homewares, furniture and home improvement.

A significant majority of the products sold are shipped directly by suppliers to customers. This means the company operates with a capital-light model and can offer a vast range compared to competitors with physical stores.

The digital nature of its operations also means it can provide digital tools to customers such as AI chat, augmented reality (see a product in your room) and so on.

While the current retail conditions are challenging – with a higher cost of living and lower house prices – I think things will improve at some point, we just don’t know when. I believe this is why the Temple & Webster share price has fallen so far and why it makes sense to invest now.

Overall FY26 revenue may have only increased by 11% to $665 million, but home improvement revenue increased by 39% to $59 million. I think the home improvement segment could become increasingly important to the overall business as the years go by.

I believe online shopping adoption will help the company grow earnings in the coming years. The ASX share looks like great value to me, trading at 23x FY29’s estimated earnings after falling around 80% in the past year (and close to its 52-week low).

Propel Funeral Partners Ltd (ASX: PFP)

The Propel share price is also near its 52-week low after dropping more than 40% over the past year. I think the market is punishing Propel partly because of higher interest rates (hurting the valuations of stocks like Propel), as well as higher inflation.

Propel is one of the largest funeral providers in Australia and New Zealand. It operates from more than 210 locations, including 42 cremation facilities and nine cemeteries.  

It’s a morbid idea, but the company has compelling long-term growth tailwinds because of Australia’s ageing and growing population.

Propel says that Australian projected deaths are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8% between 2026 to 2035 and then a further 2.3% between 2036 to 2045. In other words, there’s clear revenue tailwinds for two decades.

With rising average revenue per funeral and an ageing demographic, I think the ASX share is a good long-term hold while it trades near a 52-week low.

The post 2 cheap ASX shares near 52-week lows I’d buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Propel Funeral Partners and 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.