The Regis Healthcare Ltd (ASX: REG) share price is in focus after the company noted only a 2.55% increase to the industry-wide government funding rate, with inflation and wage pressures running well ahead of this increase.

What did Regis Healthcare report?

• The AN-ACC starting price will rise 2.55% from $295.64 to $303.19 per resident per day from 1 October 2026
• The hotelling supplement will remain at $22.15 per resident per day
• Government has kept the care minute requirements and funding categories unchanged
• Recent cost drivers: 4.75% wage increase for award-based workers; up to 4.4% increase for nurses; 3.8% CPI growth

What else do investors need to know?

Regis Healthcare pointed out that the 2.55% funding uplift lags well behind sector cost growth, driven by higher wages and inflation. The annual wage review and recent Fair Work Commission decisions mean that wages for nurses and care staff are rising significantly faster than aged care government reimbursement.

The company reaffirmed its strategy to manage ongoing margin pressure, noting initiatives such as raising room prices, rolling out Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) services, and enhancing both revenue optimisation and operational efficiency.

What’s next for Regis Healthcare?

Regis says it will continue advocating for adequate sector funding to support growing demand for residential aged care. Its ongoing strategy to mitigate rising costs includes service enhancements, pricing adjustments, and operational improvements.

The company remains focused on delivering high-quality care to its 10,000 residents and clients, supported by a 13,000-strong team, while navigating ongoing policy and inflationary challenges.

Regis Healthcare share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Regis Healthcare shares have declined 23%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 3% over the same period.

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The post Regis Healthcare reacts to government funding change 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.

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) shares are back near their lowest level in a year after another fall on Wednesday.

The counter-drone stock finished the session down 2.83% at $1.72, taking its 2026 decline to around 44%.

It has been quite a reversal from last year, when DroneShield shares climbed as high as $6.71.

There was some hope of a turnaround in early August when the share price pushed above $2.20, but that bounce didn’t last long. The stock has since drifted lower again and is now only around 5% above its 52-week low of $1.62.

Still, I think the setup is becoming much more interesting at these levels.

Here’s why.

Revenue keeps climbing

The recent half-year result certainly gave investors a few things to worry about.

Underlying EBITDA swung to a $12.4 million loss, while DroneShield reported a statutory net loss of $32.2 million.

But the top line continues to move in the right direction. First-half revenue jumped 74% to $125.8 million, while recurring revenue increased 229% to $11.5 million.

DroneShield also had $240 million of committed FY26 revenue as at 21 August. That covers between around 90% of its full-year revenue guidance of $250 million to $270 million.

There is another $43 million already committed for FY27 and beyond, while the company finished June with $180 million in cash and term deposits and no debt.

More growth ahead?

I also like what the company is doing on the product side.

DroneShield recently launched its new RfAI-3 software engine and flagship RfRecon hardware, which is designed to identify, locate and assess radio-frequency activity.

Bell Potter believes these products can help drive more contract wins, particularly in Europe, and said the top end of FY26 revenue guidance “looks achievable”. The broker kept its ‘buy’ rating after the half-year result, although it trimmed its price target from $2.50 to $2.40.

From yesterday’s closing price, that suggests potential upside of around 40%.

Canaccord Genuity is even more bullish with a $2.60 target, although not every broker agrees for now. Jefferies sits at $1.45 and Ord Minnett at $1.50.

Why I’d be buying

DroneShield is clearly not a low-risk stock. It is still losing money, margins need to improve, and short interest remains very high at 15.5%.

But a lot has also changed in the share price.

At $1.72, investors are paying a very different price to the $6-plus levels seen last year, while revenue, committed orders and the product pipeline continue to grow.

I wouldn’t try to pick the exact bottom. But if I wanted long-term exposure to the counter-drone sector, I’d be comfortable buying a small position around these levels.

The post DroneShield shares have fallen 44% in 2026. Here’s why I’d buy the dip appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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 DroneShield. 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.

Quantum computing has become one of the most interesting themes to buy into for tech-savvy investors.

The companies behind this trend that are actually building the machines are mostly listed in New York.

Despite this, Australia has world-class research, although none of the company’s monetising this is publicly traded.

For example, Silicon Quantum Computing, Diraq, and Q-CTRL are all private.

That leaves three practical routes for ASX investors to get exposure.

The one ASX quantum computing pure play

Archer Materials Ltd (ASX: AXE) is the closest thing the local market has to a direct exposure.

The company is developing a semiconductor qubit chip and employs just eight people.

It carries a market capitalisation of roughly $55 million and the shares trade at 20 cents, against a 52-week range of 18 cents to 50 cents.

In July, the company announced some significant news.

Archer signed a three-year agreement with IonQ (NASDAQ: IONQ), the Nasdaq-listed quantum hardware business, giving it access to IonQ’s cloud platform, its Forte-class systems and its upcoming Tempo-class machines.

Archer pays US$250,000 on signing and US$250,000 every six months, for US$1.5 million across the initial term.

The two companies will also study the feasibility of deploying an IonQ quantum computer inside Australia.

The agreement was funded alongside a $7 million placement and a $3 million share purchase plan.

Chief executive Dr Simon Ruffell was very bullish on the news:

Quantum compute power is no longer a horizon technology, but a strategically critical utility ready for commercial deployment.

The ETF route

The simplest option came to the ASX last month.

VanEck listed Australia’s first quantum computing ETF on 6 August, the Vaneck Quantum ETF (ASX: QNTM).

The fund tracks the MarketVector Quantum Computing Ecosystem Index and charges 0.65% a year.

The index targets businesses building quantum hardware, businesses writing quantum software, and the companies supplying components to both.

For most investors, this is the sensible way to own the theme, because it removes the risk of picking the wrong machine individually.

The infrastructure angle

Quantum computers still need somewhere to be housed.

NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) is the obvious beneficiary if any sovereign machine is deployed here.

FY26 net revenue rose 16% to $405.0 million with underlying EBITDA of $248.8 million.

Contracted utilisation more than tripled to 740.1 megawatts against built capacity of 288 megawatts.

FY27 revenue guidance is $615 million to $640 million, though capital expenditure guidance of $5.25 billion to $5.75 billion is enormous against a $10.5 billion market capitalisation.

The risks worth naming

Timelines in this field slip constantly.

Archer has been developing its chip for years and still generates no revenue from it.

The IonQ agreement is an access deal rather than a revenue contract, and the feasibility study may conclude nothing.

Similarly, funds like QNTM diversifies the single-company risk without removing the sector risk, since every holding is priced on a future earnings that are highly volatile.

Foolish takeaway

I would treat quantum computing as a small satellite position rather than a core holding.

The ETF is the route I would choose for most portfolios, because it spreads the bet across an entire ecosystem for 0.65%.

Archer is the speculative stock, at 20 cents with eight employees.

NextDC is the least direct and the most commercially proven of the three.

Owning a theme this early means accepting that the payoff may be a decade away, or may never come at all.

The post How to invest in quantum computing on the ASX appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mark Verhoeven 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.