Having topped new all-time highs earlier this week, BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares have had a really strong run so far in 2026.

In fact, the Aussie mining giant has performed so well, that earlier this year it retook the biggest ASX stock crown from Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA).

And that lead has kept on growing, spurred by this year’s 15% increase in global copper prices to US$14,283 per tonne, according to data from Bloomberg.

BHP currently commands a market cap of around $338.3 billion, or more than 29% higher than CBA’s market cap of $261.6 billion.

So, just how well has BHP been doing this year?

I’m glad you asked!

What a $5,000 investment in BHP shares on 2 January is worth today

On 2 January, you could have picked up shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining giant at an intraday low of $45.17 each.

So, with $5,000 you could have bought 110 BHP shares with enough change left over for a large pizza.

In early afternoon trade today, shares are changing hands for $66.81, just off Tuesday’s record closing high of $67.67 per share.

That means the 110 shares you bought on 2 January would be worth $7,349 today.

But wait.

There’s more.

Atop those capital gains, BHP also paid out a fully franked interim dividend of $1.039 a share on 26 March.

If we add that back into today’s share price, then the accumulated value of BHP stock bought and held since 2 January is now worth (a rounded) $67.85 a share.

Which brings the accumulated value of the 110 shares you bought for $5,000 to $7,463 today. Or a gain of more than 49%, smashing the 4% gains posted by the ASX 200 over this time.

And don’t forget that large pizza!

What about the upcoming BHP dividend?

BHP reported its full year FY 2026 results on 18 August.

And the ASX 200 miner pleased passive income investors with a 51.5% boost in its final dividend.

That was enabled by the company’s 15% year-on-year increase in revenue to US$58.8 billion. While underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 27% to US$32.9 billion.

And with underlying profits up 30% from FY 2025 to US$13.2 billion, management declared a fully franked final dividend of $1.392 per share.

But if you sold those BHP shares you bought on 2 January today, you wouldn’t receive that passive income payout.

To bank the final BHP dividend, you’ll need to own the stock at market close on 2 September. You can then expect to see that passive income hit your bank account on 23 September.

The post $5,000 invested in BHP shares on 2 January is now worth… appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Should I buy BHP shares before the end of August?
• 37 ASX shares going ex-dividend next week
• South32, Woolworths, BHP shares reach 52-week high: Buy, sell or hold?
• 2 ASX 200 shares I’d buy and 2 I’d avoid amid a surging Aussie dollar
• Will CBA shares ever get back to the top of the ASX 200?

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

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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• What on earth’s going on with Xero shares?
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• Xero vs Zip shares: Which ASX 200 tech stock has made investors richer over the past month?

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.

More reading

• After a big jump this week, what are brokers saying about the Lovisa share price?
• 37 ASX shares going ex-dividend next week
• 7 ASX 200 shares downgraded by brokers this week
• Buy, hold, sell: Coles, Paladin Energy, and Woodside shares
• 3 ASX mining shares Bell Potter rates a buy

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.