It has been a remarkable month for CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shareholders, and the stock is pushing higher again on Tuesday.

The CSL share price is up 2.09% to $175.15 at the time of writing, extending a rally that has driven the stock up more than 40% over the past month.

That recovery has wiped out most of its losses from earlier in the year, leaving CSL shares roughly flat in 2026.

So, what has investors looking at the stock again today?

CSL reaches deal with the US government

According to the release, CSL has reached two agreements with the Trump administration covering drug pricing and its manufacturing plans in the United States.

The first is with the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Under the deal, CSL will give the Medicaid program access to its medicines at prices comparable with those available in other developed countries.

It has also agreed to take a similar approach with any newly launched therapies across US payers.

The second agreement is with the US Department of Commerce and relates to CSL’s US$1.5 billion expansion in Kankakee, Illinois.

That project was first announced in April and is designed to increase the company’s capacity to produce plasma-derived therapies in the US.

CSL said the agreements give it “greater certainty regarding exposure to U.S. drug pricing and certain Section 232 tariffs”.

Despite the new arrangements, the company does not expect them to have any material financial impact in FY27.

Why this could be a relief for investors

US drug pricing has been one of the issues hanging over global pharmaceutical companies this year.

The agreement gives investors more clarity around how CSL will operate in its biggest market, while also tying in with its existing plan to increase US manufacturing.

And this announcement comes just after a difficult period for the company.

CSL reported a statutory net loss of US$2.58 billion in FY26 after recording major impairments, although underlying profit came in at US$3.1 billion.

Revenue increased 1% to US$15.8 billion, while management is targeting around 5% underlying profit growth in FY27.

The company has also been dealing with weaker US vaccination rates and softer sales in parts of its plasma business.

Has the rally gone too far?

After a move of more than 40% in just over a month, CSL shares have already come a long way from their July lows.

The stock was trading below $125 in late July and is now back above $175, which changes the conversation a little.

Yes, the latest US deal is another positive step, but a lot of the easy recovery has already happened.

From here, I think investors will be looking more closely at whether earnings can start doing some of the heavy lifting.

The post CSL shares are up more than 40% in a month. What just happened in the US? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 5 things reporting season taught ASX investors about FY27
• Where will CSL shares be in 12 months? Brokers weigh in
• Up 88%! Why CSL shares remain an ‘appealing’ buy today
• Experts name 2 ASX 200 blue chip shares to buy this week

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

Reporting season ended on Monday, and the FY26 numbers are no longer the accountants’ problem.

Hundreds of ASX companies reported through August.

Guidance was revised, brokers rebuilt their models, and volatility impacted many ASX stocks.

Once the noise settles, a handful of lessons are worth carrying into FY27.

Here are the five that struck me most.

1. The outlook mattered more than the result

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) posted the ugliest headline of the month and one of the best share price reactions.

FY26 revenue slipped 1% to US$15.8 billion and impairments of US$7.1 billion drove a statutory loss of US$2.6 billion, yet the shares rose 17.9% on the day anyway.

Investors ignored the write-downs entirely and focused on FY27 guidance of roughly 5% underlying profit growth, against a 2% consensus.

The lesson is simple enough: the market is pricing next year, not last year.

2. Costs are now the swing factor for miners

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) reported a record FY26 profit and still disappointed.

Underlying net profit after tax reached $1.8 billion on revenue of $7.6 billion.

The problem sat in FY27 guidance, which put all-in sustaining costs at $3,050 to $3,450 an ounce against $2,698 in FY26.

For a decade, the commodity price was the only variable that mattered for Australian miners.

That is no longer true, and cost guidance now moves share prices as much as spot prices do.

3. Cash flow separated reporting season’s winners from the headlines

Northern Star makes this point too.

A $1.8 billion underlying profit produced only $190 million of underlying free cash flow, because capital spending at the KCGM mine peaked during the year.

Plenty of companies reported record profits this reporting season while funding enormous capital programs.

For investors, the cash flow statement has become more and more important.

That is a healthy development, and I expect it to continue through FY27.

4. The income came from resources, not the banks

FY26 flipped the usual assumption about where dividends live.

Utilities shares paid an average yield of 5.98% across the year, with energy at 5.14% and materials at 4.63%, against an S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) average of 4.23%.

Final dividends declared in August have followed the same pattern, and the largest payments this month are coming from energy and mining companies rather than financials.

Anyone building an income portfolio around the big four banks may want to reconsider their strategy in the short to medium term.

5. Growth was repriced, not abandoned

The harshest treatment this reporting season went to companies that grew but missed expectations.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) is down 58% over twelve months, and Objective Corporation Ltd (ASX: OCL) has fallen 69% to five-year lows.

Yet brokers still see upside of 52% and 33% respectively.

The market has not stopped believing in growth, but it has stopped paying extreme multiples for that growth, and that discipline is likely to persist.

What reporting season means heading into FY27

Two macro threads run underneath all five points.

The economy is slowing, which showed up in softer credit growth and weaker consumer spending across the results.

Inflation also remains stubborn, and Morgan Stanley now expects the Reserve Bank to raise the cash rate when it meets on 29 September.

Neither is fatal, but both argue for owning businesses with strong pricing power and real cash generation.

Foolish takeaway

Reporting season is useful because it forces companies to be specific about what is driving their business.

Guidance, costs and cash flow are all much harder to spin than a headline profit number.

CSL showed that a terrible statutory result can still be a good investment case.

On the other hand, Northern Star showed that a record profit can still be a warning.

All in all, the investors who did best out of this reporting season were the ones reading the outlook statement rather than the press release.

The post 5 things reporting season taught ASX investors about FY27 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• ASX gold shares soared 34% in August. Is the run over?
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• CSL shares are up more than 40% in a month. What just happened in the US?
• WiseTech shares enjoy best month in over a year. More to come?
• Where will CSL shares be in 12 months? Brokers weigh in

Motley Fool contributor Mark Verhoeven 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 CSL, Objective, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Objective and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The clock is ticking for passive income investors who want to bank – or reinvest – the upcoming BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) dividend.

In morning trade today, shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining giant are trading for $66.23 apiece.

That sees the BHP share price up 55.1% since this time last year. And it doesn’t include the two fully franked BHP dividends the miner has paid (or shortly will pay) for FY 2026.

BHP currently trades on a 3.7% fully franked trailing dividend yield, or 5.2% grossed up if we factor in those franking credits.

How do I get the BHP dividend?

When BHP released its full year results on 18 August, the miner reported a 15% year-on-year increase in revenue to US$58.8 billion. And on the bottom line, BHP achieved a 30% increase in underlying profit to US$13.2 billion.

This saw management boost the final dividend to 99 US cents per share. The company said it won’t determine the precise Aussie dollar equivalent until “on or around 7 September”. But CommSec currently has it listed at AU$1.392 per share. That’s up more than 51% from last year’s final dividend.

Commenting on the dividend payout on the day, BHP CEO Brandon Craig said:

Alongside unlocking of capital from undervalued assets and investing in growth, net debt fell to below US$9 bn, while returning substantial cash to shareholders through a final dividend of 99 US cents per share…

This brings total cash returns to shareholders announced for the year to US$8.7 billion, which is US$1.72 per share fully franked, the highest in four years. Including this dividend, we will have returned more than US$115 billion to shareholders since the introduction of the CAF [capital allocation framework] in 2016.

If you want to bank the boosted dividend, you’ll need to own BHP shares at market close tomorrow, 2 September. The ASX 200 miner trades ex-dividend on Thursday. You can then expect to see that passive income hit your bank account on 23 September.

You can also make use of the company’s dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) to receive the payout as new BHP shares instead of cash.

Are BHP shares a good buy today?

Morgans’ Damien Nguyen recently issued a buy recommendation for BHP shares (courtesy of The Bull).

According to Nguyen:

BHP offers exposure to a portfolio of high-quality mining assets and remains well positioned to benefit from long term demand for copper and other critical minerals. A strong operating performance, healthy cash generation and a disciplined approach to capital allocation continue to support the investment case. While iron ore remains important, increasing copper exposure provides leverage to electrification and decarbonisation trends.

BHP appeals for potential capital growth, income and for diversified resources exposure. The company posted an attributable profit of US$9.8 billion in full year 2026, up 9% on the prior corresponding period. Revenue of US$58.8 billion was up 15%.

Nguyen also pointed to the boosted BHP dividend.

“BHP recently declared a final fully franked dividend of US 99 cents a share,” he noted.

The post Want to bank the boosted BHP dividend? You’d better hurry! appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Chasing dividends? 11 ASX shares in top-paying sectors going ex-dividend this week

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.