The St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) share price is in focus today as the gold miner revealed a statutory profit after tax of $490 million for FY26 and announced a fully franked dividend of 5 cents per share.

What did St Barbara report?

• Statutory profit after tax of A$490 million, up from a loss of A$94 million in FY25
• Revenue from ordinary activities (continuing operations) down 76% to A$3.6 million
• Net assets increased 148% to A$928 million by 30 June 2026
• Cash position of A$475 million with no debt or hedging
• Fully franked final dividend of 5 cents per share declared, payable 16 October 2026
• EBITDA (excluding significant items) loss of A$18 million

What else do investors need to know?

St Barbara’s strong result was largely driven by a A$500 million gain on the deconsolidation of New Simberi Gold, following a major strategic investment by Lingbao Gold Group. This transaction saw St Barbara reduce its ownership in New Simberi Gold to 50% minus one share, making it an investment in associate rather than a controlled entity.

The company reported New Simberi Gold generated an underlying profit of A$40 million for the first nine months, compared to a A$30 million loss in FY25. The board also announced the transfer of A$355 million of FY26 statutory profit to a distributable reserve, supporting the dividend payment.

Additionally, St Barbara is considering an on-market share buy-back of up to 100 million shares, with a final decision expected after an update to the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project Pre-Feasibility Study later in 2026.

What did St Barbara management say?

Managing Director and CEO Andrew Strelein commented:

FY26 was a breakthrough year for St Barbara. We completed the Lingbao strategic investment, secured the funding and early mining lease renewal for FID on the New Simberi Gold Expansion Project, completed permitting and FID for the Touquoy Restart and we delivered a compelling 15-Mile Processing Hub Project Pre-Feasibility Study.

The strengthened balance sheet and healthy funding position has enabled the Board to declare a fully franked dividend of A$0.05 per share. The Company is also considering an on-market share buy-back of up to 100 million shares but will delay a decision until we have been able to announce the results of the update to the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project Pre-Feasibility Study, which is anticipated to be released at the end of September.

The Company is committed to prudent capital discipline and will take the opportunity to pass on the available franked dividends as quickly as the balance sheet and funding outlook permits. St Barbara enters FY27 focused on value creation for shareholders, through project delivery, operational performance and efficient capital management.

What’s next for St Barbara?

Looking ahead, St Barbara intends to remain focused on project delivery and capital management following its recapitalisation and strategic partnership with Lingbao. The board expects to decide on a potential share buy-back after the release of further details on the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project.

The New Simberi Gold Expansion Project and the Touquoy Restart in Canada are both moving forward, with St Barbara highlighting sustainable value creation for shareholders as a top priority for FY27.

St Barbara share price snapshot

Over the past year, the St Barbara shares have risen 84%, significantly outpacing the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

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The post St Barbara posts $490m profit and declares 5¢ dividend for FY26 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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. 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.

One of the largest ASX consumer discretionary stocks has been tipped to rise significantly following earnings results. 

It has largely been a down year for the sector, which relies heavily on consumer spending and household confidence. These have both come under pressure amid elevated living costs and high interest rates.

However, following earnings results, Bell Potter has issued fresh guidance on Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE). 

Eagers is the largest automotive retailing group in the Australian market. 

The company’s core business involves the ownership and operation of motor vehicle dealerships covering a diversified portfolio of automotive brands.

What did the company report?

Yesterday, the company released half-year results, which included revenue rising 24% to $8.05 billion and net profit after tax up 23% to $165.2 million.

Other results included: 

• Underlying EBITDA up 23% to $364.6 million
• Ordinary interim dividend up 4% to 25 cents per share, fully franked
• Liquidity at $2.61 billion and net debt at $674.9 million as at 30 June 2026
• Acquisition of CanadaOne Auto Group contributed $40.5 million in profit before tax across two months  

Despite the results, this ASX consumer discretionary stock dipped 5% on the announcement. 

However, Bell Potter sees this as a clear buying opportunity. 

Strong results

In yesterday’s report, Bell Potter said Eagers Automotive delivered a strong H1 FY 2026, with underlying operating earnings coming in 4% above Bell Potter’s forecast. 

This was driven by stronger-than-expected revenue and better results in both Australia and Canada. 

The 25-cent fully-franked final dividend was also slightly ahead of expectations.

Bell Potter sees a positive outlook for H2, noting the resilience of the business, continued market-share gains, and opportunities to optimise operations and pursue disciplined growth across Australia and North America. 

While Eagers does not provide formal guidance, Bell Potter expects a significant improvement in H2 earnings, helped by a full six-month contribution from Canada.

Bell Potter has upgraded revenue forecasts by around 1% for FY26 to FY28, but trimmed underlying operating PBT forecasts by around 2% due to slightly lower margin assumptions in Australia and Canada.

Healthy upside for this ASX consumer discretionary stock

Based on this guidance, Bell Potter has retained its buy recommendation on this ASX consumer discretionary stock. 

The broker has a $27.50 price target, indicating almost 24% upside from current levels. 

This TP is >15% premium to the share price so we maintain our BUY recommendation. There is perhaps a lack of catalysts this half but we see continued good monthly VFACTS data in Australia (particularly for Toyota and BYD) as providing support and confidence in a strong H2 result.

The post Why this ASX consumer discretionary stock could be the sector’s top pick  appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 recommended BYD Company. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Eagers Automotive Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA) share price is in focus after the digital property settlement company posted 7% revenue growth to $406.9 million and a 12% jump in EBITDA for the full year 2026.

What did PEXA Group report?

• Group revenue rose 7% to $406.9 million (FY25: $379.5 million)
• EBITDA increased 12% to $151.7 million, with margins up 1.7 percentage points to 37.3%
• NPATA climbed 35% to $65.3 million; statutory NPAT from continuing operations improved to $19.2 million from a $65.6 million loss
• Free cashflow grew 39% to $93.5 million
• Leverage (Net debt/EBITDA) reduced to 1.0x, down from 1.8x
• No final dividend declared

What else do investors need to know?

PEXA delivered strong growth across both Australian and international operations, although its UK EBITDA remained negative as investment continued. Domestically, PEXA increased its property market coverage to all Australian states and territories, with TAS and NT onboarding during the year.

The business sharpened its strategic focus by divesting its Digital Solutions arm, strengthening the balance sheet and paying down $92.4 million in net debt. The UK business marked a major milestone by delivering NatWest’s digital remortgage functionality ahead of schedule, alongside steady progress with other lenders and growing transaction volumes.

What did PEXA Group management say?

PEXA’s CEO, Russell Cohen, said:

FY26 was my first full financial year as PEXA’s CEO. It has been a year of intentional change for PEXA, clearing the pathway for more disciplined execution, a sharpened focus, which resulted in a strengthened financial position to enable us to continue investment in the products and services that matter most to our customers.

What’s next for PEXA Group?

Looking ahead to FY27, PEXA expects challenging market conditions in Australia to impact property transaction volumes and revenue. The company is focused on strengthening its Australian Exchange, growing compliance services via PEXA Clear, piloting a capital-light model in New Zealand, and accelerating platform adoption in the UK with plans to launch Sale and Purchase for NatWest.

PEXA continues to engage with regulators over proposed changes to fee settings, advocating for outcomes that balance consumer value with ongoing investment in digital property infrastructure. Management guidance points to group revenue between $385 million and $415 million and NPAT of $5–20 million for FY27.

PEXA Group share price snapshot

The PEXA Group share price has been among the worst performers on the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) over the past 12 months with a decline of around 50%.

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The post PEXA Group jumps to FY26 profit as revenue and EBITDA lift appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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. 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.