BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares will trade ex-dividend tomorrow.

That means time is running out for ASX investors who want to bank the mining giant’s supersized final dividend.

In order to be entitled to receive a dividend, you must own the ASX share before its ex-dividend date.

So, if you want to receive BHP’s FY26 final dividend, you’ll need to buy the ASX 200 mining share today.

BHP shares are among 37 stocks going ex-dividend this week.

How much is the BHP dividend?

BHP declared a final dividend of 99 US cents for FY26, which is equivalent to A$1.38 on today’s exchange rate.

The FY26 final BHP dividend is 65% higher than the FY25 final dividend of 91.9 AU cents.

This is the richest final dividend for BHP shares in four years, and equates to a 72% payout ratio.

The full-year dividend totals US$1.72 per BHP share.

That’s a 56% increase, and the largest full-year BHP dividend in four years.

In its FY26 report, BHP said:

We have determined a final dividend of US$5.0 bn.

This brings total cash returns to shareholders announced for the year to US$8.7 bn, which is US$1.72 per share fully franked, the highest in four years.

The miner added:

Including the FY26 final dividend determined, we will have returned >US$115 bn to shareholders since the introduction of the Capital Allocation Framework in 2016.

The ASX 200 iron ore and copper miner is able to dish out bigger dividends this year due to stronger commodity prices.

BHP is now the world’s biggest copper producer, and in FY26 the copper price rose 18%.

The miner is also a major iron ore producer, and the iron ore price rose 7% in FY26.

BHP also produces metallurgical coal, which is used in steelmaking. The coal price rose 39% in FY26.

BHP will pay its FY26 final dividend to shareholders on 23 September.

What did BHP report for FY26?

BHP reported underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$32.9 billion, up 27% on FY25.

The underlying attributable profit was US$13.2 billion, up 30%.

Net operating cash flow came in at US$21.8 billion, up 17% on FY25.

Net debt as of 30 June was US$8.7 billion.

BHP achieved record iron ore production in FY26, while copper accounted for 54% of group EBITDA.

The BHP share price rose 10% during the August reporting season compared to a 1% bump for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

Last week, the BHP share price hit a new record of $68.77 per share.

The post Last chance to grab the supersized BHP dividend today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Buy, hold, sell: South32, Mineral Resources, BHP shares
• Top 3 ASX shares to buy in September 2026
• Want to bank the boosted BHP dividend? You’d better hurry!
• BHP shares are pulling back from a record high. What now for ASX investors?
• Are these 3 top Betashares ETFs a buy in September?

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

A $630,000 superannuation balance is the amount the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) estimates Australians need at age 67 to fund a comfortable retirement.

It’s the type of nest egg that many strive for and one that can support a comfortable lifestyle during their retirement years. 

Many Aussies focus hard on building their superannuation balance, ensuring the fund is performing well and adding extra contributions wherever they can.

It’s a solid strategy. But superannuation is more than just a savings pot to draw money from when you retire.

If invested wisely, your superannuation can also generate a passive income.

But how much passive income could the suggested $630,000 balance realistically generate each month?

Let’s take a look.

What passive income can I earn off my $630,000 superannuation balance?

To calculate your potential passive income, you need to multiply your total superannuation balance by the overall dividend yield of your portfolio.

The tricky part is that the answer varies widely depending on what dividend yield you pick.

For example, $630,000 x 3% = $18,900 per year in dividend payments.

And as your dividend yield increases, the passive income you can earn off your $630,000 super balance also increases.  

The figures are also based on cash dividends before any tax or franking credit benefits.

Break it down for me by yield. What could I earn?

We already know what your portfolio can generate if it yields around 3%.

But if your portfolio has a slightly higher dividend yield of around 4%, your passive income will go up too because $630,000 x 4% = $25,200 per year in dividend payments. 

If your superannuation portfolio yields closer to 5%, you could earn $31,500 every year in dividend payments off the same superannuation balance ($630,000 x 5% = $31,500).

At a 6% yield, you could earn an annual passive income closer to $37,800, and at 7%, that could be even higher, at around $44,100.

And so on… 

Give me some options for ASX shares that yield around 4% or 5%

A 4% or 5% yielding portfolio on a $630,000 superannuation balance will earn around $25,200 to $31,500 every year.

That’s a decent income, and there are a lot of quality high-yield ASX shares that yield around that level.

My top picks would be ASX blue chips like National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO), Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG), Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS), Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN), or Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL). These blue chips are highly reputable stocks that all pay out around 4% to 5%.

Alternatively, defensive stocks like Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS), Transurban Group (ASX: TCL), APA Group (ASX: APA), and TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG) are a good option because they are able to maintain stable earnings through each part of the economic cycle. And stable earnings translate to a stable dividend payout.

And what about high-yield options closer to 8%?

There are some high-yield options that could fit the bill. A yield around this level on a $630,000 superannuation balance could generate around $50,400 in annual passive income, but it comes with additional risk.

If high-yielding shares are still what you’re after, these would be my top picks.

Your best bet would be to go for an ETF like the BetaShares Australian Top 20 Equities Yield Maximiser Complex ETF (ASX: YMAX), BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK), or the iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV). 

If you’re after a single stock, then GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) and IPH Ltd (ASX: IPH) both yield above 8% at the time of writing.

The post How much passive income can I earn off a $630,000 superannuation balance appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Buy, hold, sell: Challenger, APA Group, Mesoblast shares
• Fortescue shares just hit a 52-week low. Is it time to buy?
• Top 3 ASX dividend shares to buy before they go ex-dividend
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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 positions in and has recommended BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF, Transurban Group, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Apa Group, Bendigo And Adelaide Bank, Telstra Group, and Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Gqg Partners, IPH Ltd , and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

August saw National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares all come under pressure.

Indeed, amid a deteriorating outlook for the Aussie economy and housing market, all of the big four S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank stocks underperformed the 1.1% gains posted by the ASX 200 in the month just past.

Here’s how they stacked up.

CBA shares trail the pack

CBA shares tumbled 9.9% in August, closing the month trading for $159.90 apiece.

Though we should note that CBA stock traded ex-dividend on 19 August. If we add the final fully-franked dividend of $2.70 a share back in, then the accumulated value of Australia’s biggest bank stock declined by a lesser 8.4%.

CommBank reported its full-year FY 2026 results on 12 August.

CBA achieved a 6.2% year-on-year increase in operating income to $30.2 billion. And the bank’s cash net profit after tax (NPAT) of $11.0 billion was up 7%.

But investors appeared concerned over the outlook, with management noting that household spending is softening while it expects Australia’s economic growth to slow.

CBA shares closed down 0.7% on the day of the results release.

Westpac shares tumble on quarterly update

Westpac shares also just finished a month to forget, tumbling 8.8% to close out August trading for $34.55 apiece.

Westpac released its third-quarter update on 10 August.

Positively, the ASX 200 bank stock reported a 1% year-on-year increase in operating income to $5.7 billion, with the net interest margin (NIM) remaining steady at 1.89%.

On the bottom line, Westpac achieved a quarterly statutory net profit of $1.8 billion, up 3% from the prior quarter.

However, investors will also have noted the bank’s expectations of moderated lending growth in the months ahead.

And the bank could be facing higher non-performing loans.

According to management:

Credit impairment provisions were $5.3 billion as at 30 June 2026, with provisions above expected losses of the base case economic scenario increasing to $2.0 billion.

Like CBA shares, Westpac shares came under pressure following the update, closing the day down 5.9%.

NAB shares fall on lower home loans

NAB shares didn’t escape the selling pain in August either, closing the month down 6.5% to trade for $38.63 each.

NAB shares closed down 4.6% on 17 August following the release of the bank’s own third-quarter results.

Highlights from the quarter included cash earnings of $1.83 billion, up 2% from the first-half quarterly average (excluding large notable items). And NAB achieved a 32% increase in net profit to $1.81 billion.

But investors were favouring their sell buttons with management flagging a decline in the bank’s crucial home lending market.

“The Australian home lending market softened in 3Q26 with our applications down 15% compared with 2Q26,” NAB CEO Andrew Irvine said.

ANZ shares lead the pack

Outperforming NAB, Westpac, and CBA shares in August, though still edging lower, we find ANZ.

ANZ shares closed on 31 August trading for $37.20, down 0.3% over the month.

Unlike the other three big bank stocks, ANZ shares closed up 4.5% on 13 August following the release of the company’s third-quarter update.

While revenue was flat for the quarter, ANZ reported a cash profit of $1.90 billion, up 1% on the quarterly average for the half year ended 31 March.

And investors were favouring their sell buttons, despite ANZ noting a 12% drop in mortgage applications since the Federal Budget’s changes to property taxes.

The post How Westpac, ANZ, NAB and CBA shares stacked up in August appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Is the ANZ share price good value in September?
• Buy, hold, sell: Mineral Resources, Ansell, CBA shares
• The RBA could hike rates in September. Which ASX shares are most at risk?
• Are these 3 top Betashares ETFs a buy in September?
• 3 top ASX dividend shares to target in September 

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 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.