Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) shares are having a big Friday session.

At the time of writing, the accounting software stock is up 8.36% to $88.56 after climbing as high as $89.54 earlier in the day.

It continues an impressive turnaround over the past month, with Xero shares now up around 35% during that period.

However, investors who have owned the stock since the start of the year are still playing catch-up, with the share price down around 22% in 2026.

So, could the shares be heading back towards $100?

Let’s take a closer look.

Why are Xero shares surging?

According to The Australian, Xero is having its best trading day in around 2 months and is now testing a key resistance level.

The newspaper noted that trading volume was running 69% above average earlier on Friday, while the stock had reached a 3-month high.

There could also be some short covering helping the rally along.

Almost 5% of Xero shares were reportedly sold short last week, which was a record high. When a heavily shorted stock starts moving higher, some short sellers may decide to buy back their shares and cut their losses, which can add more buying pressure.

The Australian said the next level to watch is the June high of $89.69. If Xero can break through that level and stay above its 200-day moving average, further short covering could potentially push the shares closer to $100.

A massive turnaround from July

The rebound in Xero shares looks even more impressive when you look back just over a month.

The stock closed at $61.58 on 24 July, meaning it has now climbed more than 40% from that level.

The recovery has come during another busy stretch of news from the company.

At Thursday’s annual meeting, chair David Thodey acknowledged the weak share price performance over the past year, but said the business itself continued to perform well.

He said weaker software valuations and investor concerns around the returns from the Melio acquisition had both weighed on the share price.

Management also pointed to a strong FY26 result, with operating revenue rising 31% to NZ$2.75 billion and adjusted EBITDA increasing 18% to NZ$757 million.

What should investors watch?

The next level to watch is around $89.69, which was the June high highlighted by The Australian.

If Xero can break through that level and hold above $90, it could give the rally another boost and force more short sellers to buy back their positions.

However, keep in mind that the stock has already covered a lot of ground in a very short period.

Thursday’s low of $81.50 is another level worth keeping an eye on if some of the recent momentum starts to fade.

The post Xero shares just jumped 8%. Is $100 next? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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.

As we approach the Friday closing bell, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up a slender 0.1% for the week, with these three ASX 200 stocks leaping ahead of those gains following strong earnings results.

Here’s what’s been piquing investor interest.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

At time of writing, Aussie uranium miner Paladin Energy shares are trading for $12.00 apiece. That sees this ASX 200 stock up 18.5% since last Friday’s close.

Paladin Energy released its FY 2026 results on Wednesday.

Following the successful ramp-up of Paladin’s Langer Heinrich Mine (LHM), the miner reported production of 4.82 million pounds of uranium (U₃O₈), which came in at the upper-end of guidance.

The company also achieved a 71% year on year increase in sales revenue to US$304 million. That was spurred by both higher sales of 4.35 million pounds of uranium and a 7% increase in the realised average price, which came out at US$70.0 per pound.

Paladin Energy reported a gross profit of US$52 million, up from a gross loss of US$26 m million in FY 2025.

The miner still ended the financial year with a net loss after tax of US$9.1 million, though that’s a big improvement from the US$77 million net loss reported in FY 2025.

Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV)

The second ASX 200 stock shooting the lights out in this week’s fairly stagnant market is fashion jewellery retailer Lovisa.

Currently trading for $26.38, Lovisa shares are up 14.2% for the week.

Most of those gains were delivered on Wednesday as investors pored over Lovisa’s FY 2026 results release.

Highlights included a 17.6% year on year increase in revenue to $939 million. And earning before interest and tax (EBIT) were up 14.1% to $158 million.

On the bottom line, Lovisa achieved a net profit after tax (NPAT) of $95.6 million, up 10.7% from FY 2025.

The company delivered a full year dividend 86 cents per share, 50% franked. That up 11.7% from last year’s dividend payouts.

Which brings us to…

ASX 200 stock Ansell Ltd (ASX: ANN)

At time of writing, shares in ASX 200 stock Ansell are up 15.8% from the week, changing hands for $40.40 apiece.

The ASX health and safety products company got a big boost on Monday after reporting its own FY 2026 earnings results.

Investors reacted positively to Ansell’s record sales of US$2.14 billion, up 6.8% from FY 2025. Earnings grew strongly too, with Ansell reporting adjusted EBIT US$322 million, up 14.1%.

And on the bottom line, the company reported a 15.8% year on year increase in adjusted NPAT to US$212 million.

Over the full year, Ansell paid 68.1 US cents per share in dividends, up 35.7% from the prior year’s passive income payouts.

The post 3 ASX 200 stocks, including Paladin Energy, storming higher on earnings results this week 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 Lovisa. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Ansell and Lovisa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) shares are back in recovery mode on Friday.

At the time of writing, the WiseTech share price is up 5.13% to $41.58, helped by a strong night for US tech stocks.

Shareholders will probably welcome the rebound after what has been a rough couple of days.

WiseTech shares fell from $45.47 on Tuesday to $39.55 on Thursday, wiping around 13% off the stock in just two sessions following the company’s FY26 result.

It has been a pretty wild month overall. Even after that sell-off, the shares are still up around 30% over the past month. However, they remain down roughly 40% since the start of 2026.

So, with the share price bouncing again, could there be more upside ahead?

Here’s what the brokers think.

Brokers are still mostly bullish

Despite the recent volatility, brokers remain pretty positive on WiseTech shares.

According to TipRanks, 9 analysts currently rate the stock as a buy, while 2 have hold ratings.

The average 12-month price target is $57.77. Based on the current share price, that suggests the shares could climb around 39% from here.

Nonetheless, there is still a wide range of views on where the share price could end up. The highest target is $70, while the lowest sits at $40.

While most brokers remain bullish, there’s clearly some uncertainty over just how much upside WiseTech still has.

The latest broker calls

Several brokers have updated their views since Wednesday’s result.

Morgan Stanley kept its buy rating and $70 price target. Bell Potter also remains bullish, although it lowered its target from $71.75 to $65.

Citi went the other way, lifting its price target from $55.05 to $58.75. UBS cut its target from $65 to $56 but kept its buy recommendation.

Macquarie also nudged its target higher to $48.20 and retained its buy rating.

Not every broker is convinced, though. Jefferies downgraded WiseTech to hold and set a $45 target, while JPMorgan has a hold rating and $40 target.

Morgans also made a change today, trimming its price target by 6.7% to $62.50.

Even after the cut, Morgans still sees around 50% upside from where WiseTech shares trade today.

What should investors watch?

There are still a few things investors will want to keep an eye on from here.

Management is guiding for FY27 revenue of $1.48 billion to $1.54 billion and underlying EBITDA of $725 million to $780 million.

The company is also looking for more savings from e2open and greater use of AI across the business.

At the same time, the market will want to see WiseTech deliver on that guidance, especially with regulatory concerns still hanging over the company.

The shares have bounced strongly from their June low of $28.76, but recent sessions show how quickly sentiment can change.

The post WiseTech shares are bouncing back. Is it time to buy? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. 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 positions in and has recommended JPMorgan Chase, Jefferies Financial Group, Macquarie Group, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. 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.