S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are down 0.3% to 9,052.1 points on Tuesday.

Among the 11 market sectors, energy is in the lead, up 1.7%, while consumer discretionary is the laggard, down 2.5%.

Let’s check out some new ratings on ASX shares today.

Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB)

The Mesoblast share price is $2.30, down 2.8% today and up 14% over 12 months. 

Bell Potter has a buy rating on this ASX healthcare share following its FY26 results.

Analyst John Hester said: 

(All US$m) Revenues $120.2m and loss at the EBIT line -$49.9m were in line with our forecast. Ryoncil sales of $115m were at the mid-point of the guidance range.

Operating expenses $153m were dominated by R&D expense ($97m), driven by the investment in label expansion for Ryoncil and the ongoing Phase 3 trial for Rexlemestrocel in chronic lower back (CLBP).

Loss at NPAT $57.4m with net cash burn for the year -$43.8m inclusive of just -$13m in 2H26.

MSB has a long pipeline and label expansions for Ryoncil alone which we expect will come to market on a 3 to 5 year time horizon.

Pivotal moments in the short term include the interim readout on adult GvHD and the pending submission of the BLA for Rexlemestrocel in HF.

Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF)

The Challenger share price is steady at $9.45 today, and up 14% over 12 months. 

Jonathan Tacadena from MPC Markets has a hold rating on this ASX 200 financial share. 

Tacadena said (courtesy The Bull): 

Australia’s largest annuities provider delivered a strong result in full year 2026. Statutory net profit after tax of $506 million was up 163 per cent. Annuity sales of $6.2 billion were up 19 per cent. It delivered a normalised return on equity of 11.6 per cent.

The full year ordinary dividend of 31.5 cents, fully franked, was up 7 per cent. The share buy-back was upsized to $450 million.

The shares have performed strongly since March. Hold for the buy-back and yield, and perhaps consider adding on any weakness.

APA Group Ltd (ASX: APA)

The APA share price is $10.82, down 0.6% today and up 22% over 12 months. 

Morgans has a sell rating on this ASX 200 utilities share. 

Analyst Damien Nguyen said: 

This energy infrastructure business provides investors with stable, regulated cash flows and a defensive earnings profile.

Total revenue was down 6.3 per cent in full year 2026, but profit after tax was up 81.4 per cent.

Balance sheet leverage is significant, in our view, and funding costs can be a challenging headwind.

The market is concerned about the shift away from gas may create uncertainty about future demand in the longer term.

Although APA is pursuing energy transition opportunities, we believe these are unlikely to materially improve earnings in the near term.

We believe investors can find better risk-adjusted opportunities elsewhere.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Challenger, APA Group, Mesoblast shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 positions in and has recommended Apa Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Challenger. 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) notched a record closing high on 6 August and ended the month up 1.1%, but these five ASX 200 shares went the other direction.

Below, we look at five large-cap ASX companies that investors would have done well to avoid in August.

Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI)

Centuria Capital shares tumbled 17% in the month just past, closing out August trading at $1.22 apiece.

The real estate funds manager reported its FY 2026 results on 27 August.

The company reported operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $182.5 million and a 12.9% year-on-year increase in operating net profit after tax (NPAT) to $113.8 million.

But amid sticky inflation and potential further interest rate hikes, the ASX 200 share just closed out a month to forget.

Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC)

Charter Hall shares were also best avoided in August.

Shares in the Aussie property investment and funds manager fell 17.2% over the month to close at $19.32 each.

Charter Hall released its FY 2026 results on 21 August.

Shares closed down 6.3% on the day, despite the company reporting operating earnings of $488.1 million. Operating earnings per security (OEPS) post-tax of 103.2 cents were up 26.8% from FY 2025.

But Charter Hall could also face headwinds if the Aussie property market struggles with higher interest rates for longer.

JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH)

The third ASX 200 share that had a month to forget is electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi.

JB Hi-Fi shares closed on 31 August trading for $66.90 each, down 18.3% for the month.

JB Hi-Fi shares plunged 12.3% on 17 August after the company reported its FY 2026 results.

On the positive side of the ledger, JB Hi-Fi achieved record revenue of $11.06 billion, up 4.8% year on year. And on the bottom line, the company reported a net profit after tax (NPAT) of $489.9 million, up 6%.

But investors were pressuring JB Hi-Fi shares amid concerns that FY 2027 could be a tougher year. Indeed, the company reported a 1.4% decline in comparable sales growth for JB Hi-Fi Australia for July.

Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)

Life360 shares also got walloped in August, falling 21% to end the month trading for $20.25 each.

Shares in the location-sharing software developer crashed by 19.4% on 11 August after the company released its second-quarter (Q2 2026) results.

Positively, Life360 achieved a 38% year-on-year increase in revenue to US$159 million. And adjusted EBITDA of US$31.1 million were up 53%.

However, the company’s second-quarter net income of US$5.1 million was down 17.8% from Q2 2025, while Life360’s net income margin (NIM) fell to 3%, down from 6% a year earlier.

Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX: GDG)

The fifth ASX 200 share to get heavily sold down in August is diversified financial services business Generation Development.

Generation Development shares tumbled 22.6% to close out the month trading for $3.18 apiece.

Shares closed down 15.4% on 27 August following the release of the company’s FY 2026 results.

On the plus side, the company achieved a 23% year-on-year increase in revenue to $178.7 million, with funds under management (FUM) rising 37% to $46.5 billion.

And Generation development reported underlying NPAT of $40.7 million, up 21% from FY 2025.

However, statutory NPAT fell 10% year on year to $31.9 million. And costs increased faster than revenue, with the company reporting a 26% increase in its operating expenses.

The post The five worst-performing ASX 200 shares in August unmasked 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 Life360. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Life360. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Generation Development Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) shares are up around 2% to $8.28 at the time of writing.

Today’s increase means the shares have rebounded 8% over the past month and are up 35% for the year-to-date. The oil and gas major’s shares are also around 4% higher than 12 months ago.

Why are Santos shares climbing higher?

Santos shares have trended higher through 2026 so far as recurring tensions between the US and Iran continue to fuel concerns over global oil supplies and supported energy prices.

The shares spiked in February and March, around the time news first broke that conflict had escalated between the two nations. The shares continued climbing in value as the war heated up.

Rising oil prices were the main tailwind for Santos shares, as tight oil supply made prices highly volatile. 

But every time there is renewed optimism about a potential US-Iran peace agreement, the price of oil softens, and the Santos share price follows suit. In June and July the share price tumbled before rebounding again over the past month.

In mid-August, after the company posted its half-year FY26 results, Santos shares reached a multi-year high of $8.45 a piece.

The company reported a 2% year-on-year increase in sales revenue to US$2.62 billion. Production volumes were also higher, up 1.7% to 48 million barrels of oil equivalent (mboe).

But Santos also posted a 19% decline in its half-year statutory net profit after tax (NPAT), which fell to US$355 million. 

Santos also managed to generate free cash flow from operations from its strong base business performance.

The company is well placed to increase its production in the coming reporting periods, which could help boost earnings.

What do brokers tip for the ASX energy shares over the next 12 months?

Brokers are mostly bullish on Santos shares, with the majority tipping upside.

Market Index data shows all brokers have a strong buy rating on the shares. The $8.57 average target price implies an upside of around 3% over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

Sentiment is similar on TradingView. The majority (13 out of 15) have a buy/strong buy rating on the shares. One rates Santos as a hold, and another rates it as a sell.

The $8.72 average target price implies a slightly higher 5% upside ahead, but some tip the shares to jump another 25% to $10.42 by this time next year.

Citi reaffirmed its buy rating on the ASX 200 energy share following its half-year update. The broker also increased its target price to $9, which is a little above the average.

Morgans maintained its hold rating on Santos shares following the announcement. The broker noted that the results beat estimates, but that it is impossible to quantify the risks posed by the Federal Government’s gas reservation policy ahead of its release. 

The post Santos shares rebound 8% in a month: Buy, sell or hold? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies 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.