S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) shares closed 1.19% higher at 8,983.3 points on Friday.

The ASX All Ords is up 6% in the year to date (YTD).

The market peaked at 9,414.6 points in October and has since fallen 4.8%.

Let’s take a look at two ASX All Ords shares that the experts tip to rip in the new year.

Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL)

The Nuix share price closed at $1.82, up 2.54% on Friday and down 70% in the YTD.

Nuix is an investigative analytics and intelligence software provider.

This ASX All Ords tech share has a market capitalisation of $594 million.

Moelis Australia has a buy rating on Nuix shares with a 12-month price target of $3.37.

This implies a potential upside of 85% in the new year.

Last week, Nuix revealed its acquisition of Linkurious, a French-based artificial intelligence graph data platform.

In a note, Moelis said Nuix “seems oversold”, commenting:

Nuix’s share price has retraced significantly as recent operating performance fell below market expectations.

On our estimates the current price undervalues the company.

The acquisition of Linkurious highlights that Nuix has strategic options to support its Neo-led growth strategy. 

We have made revisions based on conservative estimates of success upselling/bundling Linkurious.

Symal Group Ltd (ASX: SYL)

The Symal Group share price closed at $3.11, up 2.3% yesterday and up 83% in the YTD.

Symal Group is a diversified services provider operating in critical Australian industry segments like transport, defence, and ports.

This ASX All Ords share has a market cap of $727 million.

Morgans issued a note after Symal revealed two new acquisitions.

Symal announced a $28 million deal to acquire the assets of Queensland-based civil contracting and haulage businesses Timms Group and L&D Contracting via an upfront cash purchase.

The broker said the acquisitions largely reflect Symal’s intention to continue expanding both its geographic and sector diversification through organic growth and acquisitions.

Morgans said:

The further expansion into South East Queensland is seen as a positive, as the business expands its wider East Coast presence and looks to take advantage of South East Queensland infrastructure projects.

SYL’s mix of organic and acquisition-led growth, combined with a healthy balance sheet and an undemanding earnings multiple (vs peers), sees us reiterate our Buy recommendation …

The broker raised its target price to $3.75 due to higher anticipated earnings and a progressively lower peer multiple discount.

This implies a potential upside of 20% in 2026.

The post 2 ASX All Ords shares tipped to rip 20% to 85% in 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 Ma Financial Group and Nuix. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Investors who are retired or on the verge of retiring have different needs from their ASX shares. Instead of prioritising maximum capital growth, these investors usually want to set up a safe and dependable stream of income – a retirement fund –  to help pay the bills that don’t stop once one has walked off the job for the last time.

Finding ASX shares that can act as a foundation in such a retirement fund is easier said than done. Today, let’s examine two ASX shares that I believe would make excellent candidates.

2 premier ASX shares that are perfect for a retirement fund

APA Group (ASX: APA)

First up, we have the gas pipeline owner APA Group. Although APA has operations ranging from power production to energy storage, its primary asset is the nationwide network of gas pipelines that the company owns and operates. These provide extraordinarily stable cash flows, which APA uses to increase its dividends like clockwork.

APA has raised its annual dividend every single year since 2004. At recent pricing, this premier ASX share was trading with a dividend yield of 6.24%. Investors should note, however, that these dividends don’t come with too much in the way of franking credits. Even so, this stock’s income dependability, as well as its massive upfront yield, lead me to regard APA Group as a prime candidate for any retirement fund.

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

Next up, we have a company with far more name recognition in Coles Group. Coles is the company behind the eponymous grocery chain that makes up a huge chunk of the Australian grocery and supermarket industry. It also owns the Liquorland bottle-shop chain.

I like Coles as a retirement fund investment due to its durable nature as a consumer staples stock and its strong track record of paying out large, fully-franked dividends.

On the former, Coles sells goods such as food and household essentials that we all need, rather than want, to purchase on an ongoing basis. As long as the company is one of the cheapest places to fulfil these needs, it should do well as a business. That’s regardless of whether the economy is booming or busting, or whether inflation is high or low.

On the latter, Coles has increased its annual dividend every year since its listing in late 2018. At recent pricing, investors could buy shares of this ASX share with a fully franked yield of 3.16%.

The post 2 premier ASX shares for your retirement fund appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Are APA shares a good buy for passive income?
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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 positions in and has recommended Apa Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Global spending in defence is increasing at a rapid rate and a number of ASX stocks stand to benefit.

But which ones should you be buying right now? Let’s take a look at what Bell Potter is saying about the industry and its recommendations.

What is the broker saying?

Bell Potter notes global defence strategy is at a structural junction, with demand for drones and counter drone solutions growing rapidly. It said:

Global defence strategy is undergoing a structural pivot, driven by the proliferation of low-cost, high-lethality unmanned systems in recent conflicts. This rise of asymmetric warfare has exposed the economic inefficiency of traditional air defence, creating an urgent mandate for “attritable” drones and cost-effective counter-measures. We view the twin themes of resilient drone connectivity and counter-drone solutions as key drivers of defence procurement for the coming cycle.

Which ASX defence stocks are buys?

The first ASX defence stock that the broker is recommending is Elsight Ltd (ASX: ELS).

However, with a price target of $2.00 and a share price of $2.65, investors may want to wait for a better entry point.

Commenting on the supplier of communication modules to drone manufacturers, the broker said:

CY25e marked a pivotal inflection point for ELS, with the company achieving profitability and delivering estimated revenue growth of 12x YoY (BPe). We enter CY26e viewing Halo as a market-leading enabler of BVLOS connectivity for unmanned systems. Accordingly, we forecast a 41% revenue CAGR over CY25-28e, driven by the rapid proliferation of unmanned systems across both defence and commercial verticals.

Another ASX defence stock that gets a big thumbs up from Bell Potter is space and defence company Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS).

The broker believes the massive $125 million contract award for a High Energy Laser Weapon earlier this year gives it a first-mover advantage in the market. It said:

Following the landmark A$125m award for the world’s first export of a 100kw High Energy Laser Weapon (HELW) in August 2025, EOS has secured a first-mover advantage in the high-value HELW counter-drone vertical. Looking ahead to 2026, we see upgrade potential to our revenue estimates, driven by increasing global capital allocation toward counterdrone capabilities. Specifically, we anticipate the advancement of HELW contracts (>1 unit) through the sales pipeline alongside continued awards for conventional and counter-drone RWS.

Bell Potter has a buy rating and $8.10 price target on its shares. This is notably higher than its current share price of $5.01.

The post Bell Potter names the best ASX defence stocks to buy 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 positions in and has recommended Electro Optic Systems. 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.

When share prices of great ASX shares fall, I view them as unmissable buying opportunities.

When a cyclical business like a miner or retailer falls, it can be difficult to know when it’s a good time to buy – I’d only want to invest when the share price seems to be at around the lowest point of an economic cycle. That should give investors a large margin of safety for good returns.

But, businesses that are consistently growing could be good buys today because it’s clear the forward price/earnings (P/E) ratio has declined to a more appealing number.

The two businesses I’ll highlight below are both trading at valuations that are far too cheap while delivering rapid underlying growth.

REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA)

REA Group is the owner of realestate.com.au, realcommercial.com.au, property.com.au, Mortgage Choice, PropTrack and other Australian-based property businesses. It also has investments in property-related businesses in India, the US and Canada.

As the chart below shows, the REA Group share price is down by almost 30% from August 2025.

I think this is a great opportunity to buy one of the best ASX shares that has built a very strong economic moat and a cash flow cow.

Its strong market position, with regular new features for property vendors, has allowed it to charge a sizeable amount to advertise a property on the portal.

The business has a clear advantage compared to its main rival. Realestate.com.au saw 147.9 million average monthly visits during the first quarter of FY26, 111.4 million more monthly visits on average than the nearest competitor.

That FY26 first quarter saw the business deliver 4% higher revenue, 5% higher operating profit (EBITDA) and 16% higher cash flow, despite there being an 8% decline in national buy listings.

With additional properties being built in Australia every year, REA Group’s total addressable market is increasing and I think this ASX share is an effective way to profit from the residential sector without having to own a property.

Using the projections on CMC Markets, the REA Group share price is valued at 38x FY26’s estimated earnings and less than 33x FY27’s estimated earnings.

Bailador Technology Investments Ltd (ASX: BTI)

Bailador describes itself as a growth capital fund that’s “focused on the information technology sector which is actively managed by an experienced team with demonstrated sector experience.”

The company provides exposure to a portfolio of IT companies with global addressable markets. These companies also have the ability to generate repeat revenue, have a proven business model with attractive unit economics, have international revenue generation potential and are founder-led.

Some of the areas that it looks to invest in are: software as a service (SaaS) and other subscription-based internet businesses, online marketplaces, software, e-commerce, high value data, online education and tech-enabled services.

Companies that it’s invested in include Siteminder Ltd (ASX: SDR), DASH, Updoc, Access Telehealth, Expedition Software, Rosterfy, PropHero and Hapana.

In FY25, Bailador’s companies delivered combined portfolio revenue of $592 million, with revenue growth of 47% over the prior 12 months. That’s an excellent revenue growth rate, in my view, and should help push the underlying value of these businesses higher as they continue to grow.

It’s trading at a large discount to its underlying value. Bailador said its pre-tax net tangible assets (NTA) – the portfolio value essentially – was $1.91 per share at November 2025. The Bailador share price is trading at a discount of close to 40%, at the time of writing, which is huge. The post-tax NTA discount is around 30%.

Considering the track record of Bailador and its underlying businesses, I think it’s trading far too cheaply.

The post These 2 great ASX shares are bargain buys! appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Bailador Technology Investments and SiteMinder. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Bailador Technology Investments and SiteMinder. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended SiteMinder. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Bailador Technology Investments. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares had a strong day on Friday, rising 1.23% to close at 8,697.3 points.

The strong rise capped off a sluggish week for the local bourse, which lifted 0.73% over the five trading days.

ASX shares were depressed earlier in the week after the Reserve Bank confirmed what we all expected — a hold call on interest rates.

Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve cut rates by 0.25% for the third time in four months to support a slowing economy.

Looking ahead to 2026, brokers are issuing notes on which ASX shares to buy for the new year.

Here are a few examples.

ASX shares to buy for 2026

IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)

The IGO share price closed at $7.12, up 2% on Friday and up 46.5% in the year to date (YTD).

Macquarie says IGO shares are a buy and the company is its key pick in the lithium segment.

Improving lithium prices prompted Macquarie to upgrade its assumptions for IGO’s earnings.

In a note last week, the broker said:

Incorporating updated commodity prices, FX and changes to our Kwinana costs assumptions drives 14-78% earnings uplift to FY26-FY28 while EPS are also increased by 1-6% for FY29 and FY30E.

Nufarm Ltd (ASX: NUF) 

Nufarm is a chemical and seed-technology company with customers all over the world.

The Nufarm share price closed at $2.20, down 0.9% yesterday and down 39% in 2025.

Morgans has a buy rating on this ASX agriculture share.

Following the company’s FY25 results, Morgans said:

While NUF’s FY25 result was weak, it was slightly above guidance.

Now that there is certainty on Seed Technologies future, industry operating conditions have improved and there is a clear pathway to deleveraging the balance sheet, we upgrade NUF to a Buy recommendation and A$3.20 price target.

Morgans has a 12-month price target of $3.20 on Nufarm shares.

Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC)

The Ramsay Health Care share price closed at $35.48, up 0.31% on Friday and up 4% in the YTD.

Jabin Hallihan from Family Financial Solutions says this ASX financial share is a buy.

On The Bull, Hallihan said strong fundamentals and margin recovery supported long-term growth for the private hospital operator.

Ramsay’s shares remain undervalued relative to our fair value estimate of $54, as we expect profitability to improve through higher indexation, digital efficiencies and easing wage pressures.

Capstone Copper Corp CDI (ASX: CSC)

The Capstone Copper share price closed at $14.93, up 3.7% yesterday and up 47% for the year.

Macquarie has a buy rating on the ASX copper share with a 12-month price target of $17.

In a note last week, the broker said Capstone is its preferred copper exposure.

The red metal’s price has lifted 38% in the YTD amid increasing demand due to the clean energy transition.

The broker said:

We increase CSC EPS 9%/18% in CY25/26e due to Cu price upgrades, remaining our preference in the Cu space due to its strong organic growth profile and attractive relative value.

The post Wondering which ASX shares to buy for 2026? Experts weigh in appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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 Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and 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.

There are a number of compelling ASX blue-chip shares that could be useful buys for retirees. Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) shares could be one of the best options, in my opinion.

There are plenty of reasons to like Coles as an investment. As a retiree, I’d want to have a high level of confidence that the dividend payments continue flowing year after year.

If dividend payments are key to funding someone’s life expenditure, then stability is essential!

Let me explain what makes it so appealing.

Good dividend yield

A good ASX dividend share should be competitive (or better) than a term deposit when it comes to the dividend yield.

A large dividend yield isn’t necessarily the only thing to look for, but it does mean the investment is unlocking a pleasing cash return each year.

In the 2025 financial year, Coles decided to pay annual dividend per share of 69 cents per share, an increase of 1.5% year-over-year.

At the current Coles share price, that represents a grossed-up dividend yield of 4.5%, including franking credits. That’s similar to the best rates offered by term deposits in Australia right now.

But, there’s another reason why Coles shares are an attractive pick for passive income for retirees.

Ongoing dividend growth

Coles is one of the few major ASX blue-chip shares that has increased its annual dividends each year since 2019. That’s one of the main advantages of owning shares over cash in the bank – the investment can deliver growth itself.

The business is predicted by analysts to continue this growth streak in the coming years.

Broker UBS projects that the business could deliver an annual dividend per share of 79 cents in the 2026 financial year and 93 cents per share in the 2027 financial year.

At the current Coles share price, this could mean the supermarket business delivers a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.1% in FY26 and 6% in FY27, including franking credits.

UBS predicts the supermarket business can continue growing its dividend in FY28, FY29 and FY30.

Why this is a good time to buy Coles shares

The Coles share price declined 8% since the end of August 2025, which is a sizeable decline for a business as defensive as Coles.

But, it’s not just a defensive play, in my view. It’s also growing at a reasonable pace.

In the first quarter of FY26, Coles overall sales (which includes the liquor sales) rose 3.9% to $10.96 billion, while supermarket sales rose 4.8% to $9.96 billion. In the supermarket division, sales rose 7% excluding tobacco.

Coles supermarkets are growing sales faster than rival Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), with e-commerce sales being a key highlight. Coles supermarket FY26 first quarter e-commerce sales soared by 27.9% to $1.3 billion. But, it’d be unwise to expect stronger growth every quarter forever.

Rising sales, combined with new advanced warehouses, could help the business deliver a higher operating profit (EBIT) margin in the coming years. UBS predicts Coles could achieve a 5.1% EBIT margin FY26, a 5.3% margin in FY27 and a 5.4% margin in FY28.

At this lower valuation, I think the Coles share price is an appealing buy for retirees for both possible passive income and capital growth.

The post Why Coles shares are a retiree’s dream appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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 positions in and has recommended Woolworths Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.