Data centre companies have been in demand on the ASX over the past year, but not all of them are created equal.

I’ve selected two broker reports published in the past week which profile companies the brokers think will perform well following their recent results announcements.

Let’s see who they like.

Nextdc Ltd (ASX: NXT)

This data centre operator reported net revenue of $405 million for FY26, up 16%, with net profit improving from a $60.5 million loss to an $82.1 million profit.

The company spent $3.39 billion on capital expenditure in FY26, and expects to follow that with $2.7-$3 billion in spending this year, “reflecting additional land acquisitions and accelerated delivery of contracted capacity”.

Nextdc Chief Executive Officer Craig Scroggie said of the results:

FY26 was the largest contracting year in Nextdc’s history. Contracted utilisation tripled to 740.1MW on a pro forma basis, and we exceeded guidance on both net revenue and Underlying EBITDA. Our Forward Order Book of 565MW is now more than 3.2 times our billing utilisation, and our focus is on delivering that capacity and converting it into revenue and cash inflow. Since August 2025 we have also raised $9.75 billion of new capital, taking pro forma liquidity from $5.5 billion to $8.7 billion and providing significant capital to deliver the contracted capacity and grow our development pipeline.

Nextdc is expecting to grow its net revenue by 52%-58% this year and underlying EBITDA by 55%-65%.

UBS said the profit result was better than expectations, and they expected large consensus upgrades to earnings across FY27-FY29.

UBS has a price target on Nextdc of $22.55, well above the current share price of $13.99.

Macquarie Technology Ltd (ASX: MAQ)

This data centre operator reported its twelfth straight year of EBITDA growth, posting FY26 earnings of $115.9 million, up 2%.

During the year the Federal Government also invested $200 million into Macquarie Technology, ”via the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) – a sovereign investment fund to support nationally significant technological innovation, digital infrastructure, defence and national security”.

After the end of the financial year the company also completed the acquisition of a 34,200sqm site in Macquarie Park, which underpins a proposed 200MW Macquarie Engineering & Technology Campus.

On the outlook for the current year the company is expecting modest growth in EBITDA.

Broker Macquarie said the FY26 result was largely in line with expectations, while the outlook was slightly softer than expected.

Macquarie has a price target of $87.80 on Macquarie Technology shares, compared to $57.27 currently.

The post 2 ASX data centre stocks rated a buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has positions in Nextdc. 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.

It was a pleasant end to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Friday. Investors shook off the negativity that we saw yesterday right off the bat this morning, pushing the market higher at open.

The ASX 200 stayed in green territory all session, steadily climbing to close with a 0.6% gain. That leaves the index at 9,092.3 points as we head into the weekend.

This happy day for Australian investors followed an upbeat Thursday session for US markets overnight.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) enjoyed a modest 0.1% gain.

Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) ran much hotter, rising 1.57%.

But let’s get back to the local markets now for an examination of how the various ASX sectors fared amid today’s pleasant trading conditions.

Winners and losers

There were only a couple of sectors that weren’t invited to today’s ASX party.

The most conspicuous absentee was real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) was left out in the cold, slumping 0.78%.

The other unlucky corner of the market was utilities shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) slipping 0.09%.

Let’s get to the winners now, though. Leading said winners this Friday were tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was on fire, shooting 2.31% higher.

Mining stocks were in high demand too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)’s 0.98% surge.

Gold shares were also popular. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) roared 0.9% higher this session.

Financial stocks had a day to remember as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) soaring 0.75%.

Energy shares didn’t miss out. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) enjoyed a 0.66% jump this Friday.

We could say something similar for consumer discretionary stocks, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)’s 0.44% leap.

Its consumer staples counterpart was a little less enthusiastic. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) still managed a 0.3% improvement, though.

Communications stocks were our next corner of the market, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) advancing 0.25%.

Healthcare shares were decent performers, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) put on 0.08% today.

Finally, industrial shares only just got over the line, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)’s 0.04% bump.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Gold stock Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX: PNR) was our chart-topper this Friday.

Pantoro shares rocketed up 5.88% to close at $2.88 each today. That was despite no news or announcements from the company today.

Here’s the rest of today’s best:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX: PNR)	$2.88	5.88%
Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL)	$2.71	5.04%
Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO)	$85.64	4.78%
Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR)	$1.20	4.37%
Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX: RSG)	$1.44	4.36%
IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX)	$3.05	4.10%
PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS)	$5.36	4.08%
IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)	$8.58	3.50%
TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE)	$32.74	3.48%
Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI)	$71.00	3.06%

Enjoy the weekend!

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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.

With earnings season in full swing on the ASX this week, we heard from two titans of the ASX, and two companies that almost all of us visit at least once a week. Yep, both Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) have just dropped their results. Coles stock reported on Tuesday, while Woolies shares followed up on Wednesday.

The market reacted positively to both companies’ numbers. By the time trading had wrapped up on Tuesday, the Coles share price had jumped 4.9%. Woolworths shares had gained 3.42% by the close of trading on Wednesday.

Both reports were arguably positive, with plenty of green numbers. You can read more about Coles’ FY2026 here, or about Woolies’ year here, if you’re curious.

But today, I want to focus exclusively on the final dividends that both companies declared, and assess which was the more pleasing announcement.

Coles stock or Woolies shares: Which had the better final dividend?

Let’s go through Woolworths shares’ new dividend first. Woolies revealed that its final dividend for 2026 will come in at 52 cents per share. Like all dividends from this ASX 200 stock, it will come with full franking credits attached. This final dividend represents a 15.56% increase over the equivalent payouts that shareholders enjoyed in 2025, worth 45 cents per share.

It takes Woolworths’ full-year payouts for 2026 to 97 cents per share. That’s up 15.48% from the 84 cents that shareholders bagged in 2025.

Meanwhile, owners of Coles stock are set to receive a final dividend of 37 cents per share for 2026. It will come fully franked. 37 cents per share is up 15.6% on the 32 cents investors bagged this time last year. It pushed Coles’ full-year payouts up to 78 cents per share, which was up 13% from the 74 cents the company paid out over 2025.

So on the surface, it appears these two ASX stocks have delivered markedly similar dividend results this August. And they have. However, I still think there’s a clear winner here.

Coles has given its income investors far more certainty over the past few years than Woolworths. 2026 marks the seventh year in a row that Coles has raised its annual dividends. In stark contrast, Woolies’ recent dividends have been far more yo-yo-like. To illustrate, the company doled out $1.04 per share over 2023, $1.44 per share in 2024, and then 84 cents per share in 2025.

Finally, Coles stock is sitting on a trailing dividend yield of 3.3% right now, while Woolworths shares are trading on a 2.46% yield. Enough said.

The post Coles stock vs Woolworths shares: Who had the better dividend this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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.