Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT), Air New Zealand Ltd (ASX: AIZ), and Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd (ASX: VGN) shares are turning heads on Friday.

In morning trade today, two of the well-known ASX shares are outpacing the 0.2% gains posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO), while one is trailing the benchmark.

Here’s what’s catching investor interest.

Virgin Australia shares rise on renewed dividend

Virgin Australia shares are up 1.1% at the time of writing, swapping hands for $2.84 apiece.

This follows the release of the ASX 300 airline’s full-year FY 2026 results.

Highlights included a 13.4% year-on-year increase in underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to $753 million.

And on the bottom line, Virgin Australia shares look to be getting support today from the airline’s 21.9% increase in underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) to $404 million.

The company also issued its first dividend since relisting on the ASX in June 2025. Management declared a fully-franked dividend of 7.6 cents per share.

Air New Zealand shares sink on net loss

Air New Zealand also released its FY 2026 results today.

But unlike Virgin Australia shares, Air New Zealand shares are down 0.8% following the release, trading for 32.3 cents each.

On the positive side of the ledger, the Kiwi airline reported a 3.9% year-on-year increase in revenue to NZ$7.0 billion.

However, operating cash flow of NZ$819 million was down 12.8% from FY 2025.

And the company posted a net loss after tax of NZ$242 million.

Much of the pressure has come from surging jet fuel costs amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Air New Zealand management noted, “The Middle East conflict increased fuel cost by an estimated $328 million compared to what we expected going into the second half, and by $205 million after hedging.”

Flight Centre shares lift amid board shakeup

Joining Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia shares in creating a buzz today, we find Flight Centre.

After reporting its FY 2026 results on Wednesday, today the ASX 200 travel stock announced some major leadership changes.

Flight Centre revealed that Gareth Turner will join the board as an independent non-executive director. Turner will succeed Rob Baker, a 13-year veteran of the company’s board.

Commenting on Turner’s appointment, Flight Centre chair Gary Smith said:

Gareth brings deep financial and commercial experience across the technology, telecommunications and travel and tourism sectors, along with a strong track record as a CFO.

The board looks forward to drawing on his expertise as our company continues to evolve and targets near-term and longer-term growth opportunities.

Flight Centre shares are up 0.6% at the time of writing, trading for $12.26 apiece.

The post Why is everyone talking about Flight Centre, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia shares on Friday? 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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd (ASX: VGN) shares are in the green on Friday after the airline released its FY26 results.

At the time of writing, the Virgin share price is up 2.14% to $2.87.

There were plenty of numbers for investors to unpack, with earnings and revenue both moving higher during the year.

However, income investors may be paying particularly close attention to one part of the result.

Virgin Australia has declared its first dividend since returning to the ASX last year.

So, how much will shareholders receive?

Virgin Australia declares a fully-franked dividend

Virgin has declared a fully-franked dividend of 7.6 cents per share for FY26.

It’s a notable moment for shareholders, with this being the airline’s first dividend since returning to the ASX last year.

At the current share price of $2.87, the payment works out to a yield of almost 3% before franking credits.

The company said the dividend follows its capital allocation framework, which focuses on keeping the balance sheet strong and funding the business first.

Virgin Australia finished FY26 with net debt of $1.2 billion and leverage of 0.9 times underlying EBITDA, below its target range of 1 to 2 times.

It also had $1.84 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and term deposits at the end of June.

When will Virgin Australia pay its dividend?

Virgin shares are locked in to trade ex-dividend on 14 September.

The record date will follow on 15 September, with the dividend due to be paid one month later on 15 October.

And because it is fully franked, shareholders can also benefit from franking credits.

What did Virgin Australia report?

The airline delivered a stronger result in FY26, with underlying EBIT rising 13.4% to $753 million.

Underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) increased 21.9% to $404 million, while statutory NPAT rose 4.7% to $501 million.

Underlying revenue increased 8.1% to $6.28 billion, helped by strong customer demand and growth across both the airline and Velocity businesses.

Virgin Australia’s airline segment reported underlying EBIT of $616 million, up 15.2%, while Velocity EBIT increased 12.3% to $143 million.

Operating cash flow also came in at $1.3 billion for the year.

What’s next on the horizon?

Seeing dividends return is another positive for shareholders since Virgin Australia relisted.

Looking ahead, the company said demand and forward bookings remain strong, although first-half FY27 underlying EBIT is expected to be relatively flat.

Domestic capacity is expected to fall by around 3% during the half, while revenue per available seat kilometre is forecast to rise 6% to 8%.

If earnings keep moving in the right direction, shareholders could have more dividends to look forward to.

The post Virgin Australia shareholders are getting a dividend. Here’s how much appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Virgin Australia posts robust FY26 results and first dividend since re-listing
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• Buy, hold, sell: Orora, Virgin Australia, and ResMed shares
• 5 ASX shares I’d buy with $5,000 in August

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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.

Shares in Bubs Australia Ltd (ASX: BUB) are down almost 50% over the past 12 months, but if the brokers are to be believed, the shares are about to make a comeback.

Both Bell Potter and Shaw and Partners have released new research reports on the baby formula company, and each is predicting solid share price gains.

I’ll get to the specifics of their share price targets shortly. First, let’s look at the company’s recent full-year report.

Profits on the rise

Bubs said in its report released this week that full-year revenue had increased 9.2% to $111.9 million, while underlying EBITDA came in at $5.3 million, up from $2.1 million.

Bubs Chief Executive Officer Joe Coote said of the result:

FY26 marked important progress against our growth strategy, delivering revenue growth of 9% and strengthening the foundations for future growth. This was driven by continued momentum in the United States, where revenue increased 24% as we expanded distribution to more than 10,000 stores across targeted retail formats. During the year we rebuilt inventory levels, expanded distribution channels, launched adjacent products, increased brand investment and strengthened our leadership team to support future growth. This progress was achieved despite a challenging operating environment, with changing tariff policies, geopolitical disruption and evolving regulatory requirements increasing supply chain costs and affecting product availability, particularly in the second half.

The company said it expected improved momentum in the first half of FY27, with strong growth expected in the US, growth expected in China supported by expanded distribution and marketing, and continued marketing investment in Australia to accelerate recovery.

The company added:

Gross margin is expected to rebound, with working capital positioned to support the anticipated growth.

Bubs Australia shares looking cheap

Shaw and Partners said the results were largely in line with expectations, and the current year would be driven by growth in the US.

They said:

Our key investment thesis remains centred on the US business, where revenue grew 24% to $65.8 million and distribution expanded to over 10,000 stores, while management expects growth and margin recovery in FY27 as regulatory and tariff headwinds ease and permanent FDA approval progresses. Following the result, we have reduced our DCF valuation from $0.16/s to $0.15/s, reflecting forecast revisions and model roll-forward, but maintained our buy rating given the forecast 74% total shareholder return potential and confidence in the company’s medium-term growth outlook.

Bell Potter has a price target of 13.5 cents on Bubs shares, compared to 8.6 cents currently.

Bubs is valued at $76.9 million.

The post How high do brokers think Bubs Australia shares will go? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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.