At the end of August, Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) shares were trading above $88. Today, you can pick them up 25% cheaper for $66.34. Xero shares have lost 17% in a month, 42% year to date, and collapsed 59% over 12 months.

For a tech stock once treated as an ASX growth darling, this is a stunning fall from grace.

A beating with no obvious trigger

Here’s the strange part: there hasn’t been a fresh earnings downgrade or a bombshell announcement behind this month’s slide of Xero shares. The company’s latest updates have mostly been routine substantial shareholder notices, and its FY26 result, released back in May, was actually pretty solid.

Revenue rose 31% to NZ$2.75 billion. Annualised monthly recurring revenue climbed 37% to NZ$3.27 billion. Subscribers grew 11% to 4.92 million. On the surface, this doesn’t look like a business in trouble.

So what’s spooking investors?

The market isn’t looking at the top line, it’s fixated on the risks underneath. Melio integration costs helped drag net profit down 27% to NZ$167.4 million, while gross margin slipped from 89% to 83.9%.

Add in broader questions about what AI could mean for software incumbents, plus lingering worries that elevated interest rates will keep punishing growth stocks, and you have a sell-off with plenty of narrative but not much hard news.

The growth case is still very much alive

Strip away the noise, and Xero added 506,000 customers over the year, lifting its global base to 4.92 million. Management isn’t backing off either — FY27 guidance points to revenue of NZ$3.62 billion to NZ$3.73 billion, implying roughly 30% growth at the midpoint.

Xero’s roots are in Australia and New Zealand, but the UK has grown into a genuine second pillar. Even so, the company reckons its total addressable market sits at around 100 million small and medium-sized businesses worldwide, a number that dwarfs its current customer base.

That’s where the US comes in. Xero finished FY26 with roughly 424,000 US customers, a fraction of what’s on the table in one of management’s three priority markets.

The Melio acquisition has strengthened Xero’s US proposition by letting businesses manage outgoing payments directly through the platform, and management pegs the US small-business payments opportunity alone at US$29 billion.

If Xero can even chip away at that, the current profit dip starts to look like the cost of buying future growth rather than a red flag.

What are brokers saying?

Opinion is split, but the tone is more optimistic than the share price suggests. Citi has a buy rating on Xero shares with a $113.60 target — nearly 70% above the current price. Morgan Stanley sees $130, and UBS is at $127.

Ord Minnett and Morgans sit more conservatively at $110 and $111. On the cautious end, RBC Capital and Jefferies have targets of $85 and $77 respectively. That’s still above where the stock trades today.

Foolish takeaway

Not a single broker target for Xero shares sits below the current share price. That’s a striking signal for a stock that’s lost more than half its value in a year. The growth numbers, the US opportunity, and now the broker consensus all point the same direction — even if the market hasn’t caught up yet.

The post Xero shares crashed 59%. What do brokers see next? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• WiseTech Global vs Xero: Which fallen ASX tech share is the better buy today?
• 3 ASX 200 shares I’d buy if I couldn’t sell for 10 years
• Down 13% in a week: Is the Xero share price finally cheap enough to buy?
• Down 54% in a year, are Xero shares now a buy, hold, or sell?

Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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 Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has suffered heavy losses over the past month. 

Since August 6th, Australia’s benchmark index has fallen more than 6%. 

Despite the pain for many investors’ portfolios, there are several strong value options. 

Yesterday, these three ASX shares hit 52-week lows:

• GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG)
• IVE Group Ltd (ASX: IGL)
• Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX: GDG). 

For value investors, these ASX shares could be enticing opportunities. 

GQG Partners

GQG Partners is a global boutique asset management company focused on active equity portfolios. It offers investment advisory and portfolio management services for investors across three continents.

In the last 12 months, its share price has fallen 38%. 

At the time of writing, it is trading at a 52-week low of $1.05. 

However, it now sits well below where many experts believe is fair value. 

Late last month, Morgans placed an accumulate rating and price target of $1.52. 

The near-term operating environment remains difficult for GQG; however, we think it’s hard not to see long-term value in the franchise at current levels, trading on ~7x FY1 PE.

This indicates an upside potential of almost 45%. 

While this capital gain upside is already enticing, this ASX stock also offers a strong dividend yield. 

At the time of writing, it offers a yield of over 10%, providing investors with passive income and potential capital gains. 

IVE Group

IVE provides communication solutions. Its services include creative services, personalised communications, print production, retail display, promotional merchandising, third-party sourcing, logistics and fulfilment, and managed solutions.

In the last 12 months, its share price has fallen 13%, and now sits at a 52-week low of $2.34. 

However, analysts’ forecasts via TradingView have an average one year target of $3.20. 

This indicates an upside potential of 36%. 

-It also recently posted some healthy full-year results, suggesting the underlying businesses remain sound. 

It also offers a dividend yield of over 7%. 

Generation Development Group

Generation Development Group is a diversified financial services company focused on investment and retirement products.

Its share price has fallen more than 57% in the last 12 months and is now hovering near a 52-week low of $2.92. 

The current price sits well below broker targets. 

TradingView analyst data has an average 12-month price target of $5.39 on this ASX stock. 

This indicates 84% upside from current levels. 

The post 3 ASX shares trading at 52-week lows that could be outstanding value plays  appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• GQG Partners shares in focus after August 2026 FUM update
• Buy, hold, sell: Generation Development, Fletcher Building, Saluda Medical shares
• How much passive income can I earn off a $550,000 superannuation balance?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

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 recommended Generation Development Group and Gqg Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The value of investment assets you can own while still qualifying for the age pension is about to get a boost. From 20 September, the upper thresholds are rising and if you’re sitting close to the old limit, this change could be the difference between missing out and pocketing a payment.

The lift comes from indexation adjustments, made twice a year to keep pace with inflation. Here’s exactly what’s changing.

Who qualifies, and when

If you were born on or after 1 January 1957, you become eligible for the pension at age 67 — retired or not.

Two tests decide your payment of the age pension: an assets test and an income test. Both get new guardrails on 20 September. This article zeroes in on the assets test.

What counts and what doesn’t

Your home is excluded entirely from the assets test. Renters get more breathing room too, with higher thresholds to compensate for not owning property.

What does count: superannuation, ASX shares, bonds, investment properties, and cash.

This round of indexation only lifts the upper thresholds, the point where your part-pension cuts out completely.

New limits if you own your home

Single homeowners with assets under $333,000 get the full pension. Between $333,001 and $745,750 (up from $733,500), you’ll get a part-payment.

Couple homeowners with assets under $499,000 get the full pension. Between $499,001 and $1,121,000 (up from $1,102,500), it’s a part-payment.

New limits if you rent

Single renters with assets under $600,000 get the full payment. Between $600,001 and $1,012,750 (up from $1,000,500), you’ll get a part-payment.

Couple renters with assets under $766,000 get the full payment. Between $766,001 and $1,388,000 (up from $1,369,500), it’s a part-pension.

How much will you actually get?

Payments are rising too. Single pensioners get an extra $36.80 per fortnight from 20 September, lifting the full pension to $1,237.70 per fortnight.

Couples get an extra $27.80 per partner, per fortnight, bringing the full pension to $933 per partner, per fortnight.

Even a tiny pension is worth claiming

Here’s the part too many retirees overlook: even if your assets sit right near the upper limit and you only qualify for a few dollars a fortnight, apply anyway.

Why? Because that part-pension unlocks the Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), and the PCC is worth far more than the payment itself. It can shave thousands of dollars a year off everyday living costs in retirement, from healthcare to utilities to transport.

Foolish takeaway

Indexation changes like this rarely make headlines, but they can genuinely shift whether you qualify for age pension or how much.

If your asset position is anywhere near these thresholds, it’s worth checking your eligibility again after 20 September. A payment that looked out of reach in August might be back on the table in September.

The post Want the age pension? Here’s the new asset limit you can’t exceed appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• The ASX 200 is finally rising. Is the sell-off running out of steam?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• ASX 200 drops again as selling continues

Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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.