It has been a volatile year for S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) stock Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD). 

The company is an agribusiness that provides goods and services to Australian primary producers. 

It sells seed, fertiliser, agricultural chemicals, animal health products, and general rural merchandise. It also supplies professional and technical services to farmers via its network of agronomists.

Rollercoaster 12 months 

In the past 12 months, the ASX 300 stock has hit highs of nearly $8 per share, and lows of less than $5 per share. 

Back in June, it was hovering around the $5 mark, but has since rallied significantly. 

Since then, it has risen an impressive 30%. 

When ASX 300 stocks bounce around this significantly, it can be difficult for investors to identify fair value.

However, a new report from Bell Potter has provided a fresh outlook for the next 12 months. 

Slight downgrade

Overall, Bell Potter has downgraded Elders from buy to hold. The broker also slightly increased its target price from $6.45 to $6.70 per share.

The main reason for the downgrade is that Elders’ underlying earnings drivers remain positive. However, growth is starting to moderate as the company faces tougher year-on-year comparisons.

Agency markets remain supportive. Cattle slaughter and yardings are both up 2% year on year, while cattle prices are up 23%. 

Sheep volumes have fallen significantly, but this has been offset by stronger pricing, with lamb prices up 21% and mutton prices up 40%. Wool volumes are expected to be broadly flat to slightly higher, while the EMI is up 43%.

The broker also identified that crop conditions are favourable.

Recent upgrades to Australian crop forecasts, supported by rainfall, should help demand for Elders’ agricultural services, particularly in Western Australia and southeastern Australia. 

However, the forecast for summer crop acreage was weaker than expected, at 1.121 million hectares, down 17% year-on-year.

Minimal upside for ASX 300 stock

Overall, Bell Potter expects FY26 earnings to be broadly unchanged, with NPAT estimates revised by +1% for FY26, -2% for FY27 and -4% for FY28. 

The broker believes the business remains fundamentally sound, but the earnings tailwinds are easing, which supports a Hold rather than Buy rating.

From yesterday’s closing price, the updated target from Bell Potter indicates roughly 3% upside over the next 12 months. 

Following the recent recovery in the share price we are moving our rating from Buy to Hold. 

Investments in Delta and Systems Modernisation programs are the largest drivers of near term growth, however, we see the large livestock tailwinds the agency business has benefited from the past two years facing more difficult comparisons moving forward.

The post This ASX 300 stock has rebounded 30% from yearly lows – can it keep rallying? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• What are the most shorted ASX shares on the market right now?
• This ASX materials stock is up 700% this year and could be the next big copper winner
• This ASX consumer staples stock is tipped to rise 23%: Expert
• 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 Elders. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Australia’s corporate sector is cautious heading into the current financial year, according to the analysts at Canaccord Genuity, however, there are some standouts in terms of likely profit growth going forward.

The broking house said in the recent reporting season, there was “healthy” headline earnings per share growth of 12%, however, this was driven largely by the mining sector.

Uncertainties have big business on the back foot

Looking ahead, CG said company guidance on the outlook was “broadly cautious across the board”.

They added:

High interest rates, tax policy changes, the weaker housing market, cost-of-living pressures and geopolitical uncertainty together constrained management confidence and limited visibility into the near-term outlook for operating conditions. Retail trading updates provided the clearest evidence of a softening consumer, with top-line growth slowing through 2H26 and into early FY27. The major Banks similarly pointed to tougher macro conditions and slower housing credit growth over the year ahead.

CG said the market was in a clear downgrade cycle outside of the resources sector.

They added:

Accordingly, we remain cautious on ASX 200 returns over the next twelve months. However, active investors willing to look beyond the index can still find high-quality companies offering resilient earnings despite the soft macro, credible growth prospects, and reasonable valuations.

But there are some sectors which are likely to perform well, the broking house said.

The energy sector is expected to grow earnings by 38%, driven by high oil prices, while the IT sector is expected to grow earnings by 22%, with strength from the major software as a service companies.

Consumer services are expected to grow earnings 13%, materials are expected to be up 11%, and retail staples also 11%.

Financial services facing challenges

CG is expecting the weakest growth to come from the financial services sector, with banks growing earnings just 3%.

Discretionary retail is also expected to be weak with 6% growth.

CG said:

Prior to reporting season, we flagged our caution towards both Banks and Retail. As expected, reporting season showed that both sectors face mounting macro headwinds from a weaker housing market, fragile consumer sentiment, high interest rates and persistent cost-of-living pressures (exacerbated by petrol price volatility). For Banks, this was reflected in cautious outlooks pointing to softer credit growth. For Retail, early-FY27 trading updates generally pointed to weakening top-line growth, particularly among retailers with greater exposure to housing activity.

CG said elevated bank valuations remain hard to reconcile with a weakening macro outlook and subdued earnings prospects.

They added:

Despite the soft sector outlook, the Big 4 trade at an average P/E ~20% above their ten-year average, supporting our continued sector underweight.

The post Where will the best returns in the ASX 200 be in the next year? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• CSL shares are up 90%. How much higher can they go?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• The ASX 200 is down nearly 4% in a month. Is the sell-off getting serious?
• Aussie stocks are getting harder to pick. Here’s why

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.

The Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) share price is in focus after the company announced a six-year extension of its Premier League streaming and broadcast rights, securing access to all matches in Australia through 2034.

What did Nine Entertainment report?

• Secured exclusive Australian streaming and broadcast rights for the Premier League from 2028–29 to 2033–34
• FY29 rights fee to remain broadly in line with FY28, before increasing at a ~3% CAGR over six years
• Stan EBITDA more than doubled from $40 million in FY21 to $81 million in FY26
• Premier League key to 50% growth in average Stan Sport subscribers over past year

What else do investors need to know?

Nine’s new deal includes all Premier League matches each season, spanning 38 match weeks annually. The company will use both Stan and its broader media platforms to maximise audience reach and awareness for the sport.

The cost structure will shift, as legacy Optus contributions will end, but this will be offset by removing discounts for Optus subscribers and rolling out new cost-saving and revenue initiatives. The Premier League has been instrumental to the growth of Stan Sport, which itself has supported increases in subscription pricing.

What did Nine Entertainment management say?

Nine CEO Matt Stanton said:

Football is the ultimate global game, followed with remarkable intensity by millions of fans across Australia. Bringing the Premier League to Stan has been a genuine game-changer for our business, and we are very pleased to be extending the partnership for another 8 years. It sits at the heart of our strategy of premium content, particularly Sport that Unites.

This agreement further strengthens Nine’s premium sport offering alongside the NRL and NRLW, all four Tennis Grand Slams, the Olympic Games, Rugby Union, the NBL and WNBL, Netball and more. Together, these partnerships reflect Nine’s long-term strategy of investing in premium live sport and delivering the sporting moments that matter most to Australians.

What’s next for Nine Entertainment?

Nine’s focus remains on delivering premium sports content to build engagement on Stan Sport and across its platforms. The Premier League partnership is expected to underpin further subscriber growth and support pricing strategies for Stan Sport.

As costs rise gradually over the new rights term, Nine plans to balance this through new revenue initiatives and efficiencies while leveraging its wider broadcast assets.

Nine Entertainment share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Nine Entertainment shares have declined 51%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has risen 1% over the sam period.

View Original Announcement

The post Nine Entertainment secures Premier League rights through 2034 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 ASX growth shares experts think could double
• 6 ASX shares tipped by brokers to rise 34% to 88%
• WIN Group increases Nine Entertainment stake past 31%
• 40 ASX shares with ex-dividend dates next week
• 11 ASX 200 shares with reaffirmed buy ratings post-results

Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart 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 Nine Entertainment. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.