The ASX healthcare share Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL) could be one of the best picks within the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) for retirees wanting dividends.

Sonic Healthcare describes itself as one of the world’s leading medical diagnostic companies. It operates in nine countries, including Australia, the UK, Germany, the US, and Switzerland, with 330 laboratories and 47,000 employees. Impressively, it’s the number one player in six countries.

For multiple reasons, I think it’s a great option for retirees.

Defensive earnings

Healthcare is a defensive sector because of the nature of the types of services it provides.

People don’t choose when to become sick or injured – healthcare demand doesn’t change like discretionary spending does. I’d imagine most people (and governments) would prioritise spending on health over most other categories.

Sonic Healthcare provides an essential service in the healthcare process, so I think its earnings are very defensive.

The ASX healthcare share reported an impressive set of numbers in FY26, considering the economic uncertainty.

Revenue grew 13% to $10.9 billion, underlying operating earnings (EBITDA) climbed 11% to $1.9 billion, and underlying earnings per share (EPS) grew 14% to $1.256.

Profit growth is key for a business to deliver a stable and rising dividend because profit pays for passive income. Therefore, even retiree passive income investors need to look at the earnings outlook.

Good dividend credentials

The ASX healthcare share has paid dividends since 1994. It has increased its dividend almost every year since 1994, except in 2011 and 2012, when it maintained it.

There are very few ASX businesses out there that have increased their payout as consistently over the last 25 years.

I expect the business will be able to continue growing its payout for the foreseeable future.

In the 2026 financial year, Sonic Healthcare continued its progressive dividend policy, hiking the payout by 1 cent per share to $1.08. That translates into a dividend yield of 5.4% excluding franking credits and around 7% including franking credits.  

That’s a really attractive starting yield for retirees, in my opinion.

The ASX healthcare share has earnings tailwinds

I expect the business will be able to increase its payout in the coming years because its earnings could grow materially.

Demand for its services could grow for the foreseeable future, driven by the ageing and growing population in the company’s core markets.

Another way that the company can grow its earnings is by making the occasional acquisition. Its focus in recent times has been Europe. This tactic gives the business a much stronger scale in that market, boosting profit margins.

Over time, I think this business can continue to grow its profits and dividends, making it a compelling pick for investors.

The post Why this ASX healthcare share is a retiree’s dream for FY27 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 recommended Sonic Healthcare. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares are marching higher today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) biotech giant closed on Friday trading for $172.32. In late morning trade on Monday, shares are changing hands for $173.38 apiece, up 0.6%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is up 0.3% at this same time.

Today’s outperformance is par for the course for stockholders since CSL shares closed at a multi-year low of $92.24 on 3 June.

Indeed, with today’s intraday moves factored in, the share price is up a whopping 88.0% since plumbing that low water mark less than three months ago.

Atop those capital gains, investors who hold the stock at market close next Tuesday, 8 September, will receive the final unfranked CSL dividend of $2.277 a share. CSL will pay that dividend on 2 October.

CSL stock trades on a 2.4% unfranked dividend yield (partly trailing partly pending).

Why did the ASX 200 biotech stock plunge to multi-year lows in June?

Despite the remarkable turnaround since 3 June, CSL shares remain down 39% since January 2025.

The company has faced a number of headwinds that saw investors reaching for their sell buttons.

Among these, was the management’s announcement of their intent to spin off the CSL Seqirus segment, its influenza vaccine business, into a separate ASX-listed company.

The company has also been hit by lower than forecast plasma demand, which were partly to blame for CSL’s repeated earnings downgrades.

And investors were taken off guard by former CSL CEO Paul McKenzie’s unexpected exit in February this year.

But, judging by the surging share price these last three months, CSL’s FY 2026 ‘reset’ looks to be paying off handsomely.

And looking to ahead, Morgans’ Damien Nguyen believes the ASX 200 biotech stock remains an appealing opportunity (courtesy of The Bull).

Here’s why.

Should I buy CSL shares today?

“CSL is a global healthcare leader with strong competitive advantages across plasma therapies, vaccines and specialty medicines,” Nguyen said. “Demand for its products remain largely independent of economic conditions.”

Summarising his buy recommendation on CSL shares, Nguyen concluded:

In our view, the latest full year result in 2026 is generating confidence that repeated earnings downgrades are behind CSL.

With defensive earnings, global market leadership and attractive long term growth prospects, we view CSL as an appealing investment opportunity.

What did CSL report for FY 2026?

CSL announced its FY 2026 results on 18 August.

While the company reported a 1% year-on-year decline in revenue to US$15.8 billion, that came in well ahead of its revised guidance (issued in May) of US$15.2 billion.

Management also painted a more positive outlook for FY 2027.

“FY26 has been a year of reset. We have taken decisive action and created a clear path to return to sustainable growth,” CSL interim CEO Gordon Naylor said.

CSL expects steady revenue in FY 2027, while underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) is forecast to grow by around 5%.

CSL shares closed up 17.3% on the day the results were released.

The post Up 88%! Why CSL shares remain an ‘appealing’ buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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 CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) shares are edging higher on Monday after a difficult end to reporting season.

At the time of writing, the Endeavour share price is up 0.96% to $3.14.

That follows a rough week for shareholders, with the stock falling around 12% and briefly touching a 3-month low of $3.08.

However, a new ASX filing released after market open has given investors something else to think about.

So, has the recent sell-off gone too far?

CEO loads up

According to the latest ASX filing, chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka bought 323,468 Endeavour shares across 25, 26, and 27 August.

The purchases were made at prices between $3.06 and $3.106 per share and totalled just under $1 million.

That lifted her indirect holding from 4,196 shares to 327,664 shares.

This is a pretty sizeable purchase, especially after the shares were hit hard following last week’s FY26 result.

Endeavour shares are now down around 18% over the past 12 months and are trading well below their 52-week high of $4.12.

Why have Endeavour shares been falling?

The latest result showed why investors have been nervous.

Endeavour reported FY26 sales of $12.2 billion, up 1.3%, but underlying group earnings fell.

Underlying EBIT dropped 8.7% to $845 million, while underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) came in at $363 million, down 14.8%.

Retail was the biggest drag, with sales rising just 0.7% to $10 billion and underlying EBIT falling to $464 million.

Hotels held up better, with sales increasing 4.2% to $2.2 billion and underlying EBIT rising to $462 million.

Statutory profit was much weaker at $52 million after the group booked $372 million of pre-tax restructuring costs and asset write-downs.

The final dividend was also cut, with Endeavour declaring 12 cents per share for FY26.

The next test for Endeavour

Hrdlicka is now pushing ahead with a major restructure aimed at simplifying the business and improving returns.

That includes selling winery assets, cutting grape production, and reviewing weaker parts of the retail and hotel portfolio.

There have at least been some better signs early in FY27. In the first 7 weeks, retail sales were up 4.6%, while hotel sales increased 2.2%.

Brokers are still cautious, though. Recent price targets range from $2.50 at Macquarie to $3.10 at Bell Potter, putting most below the current share price.

The next test will be whether that early sales growth can continue through the rest of the first half.

Keep an eye out for Endeavour’s AGM, which will be held on 30 October.

The post Endeavour shares fell 12% last week. Is the CEO calling the bottom? 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 Macquarie Group. 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.