• Invested in NAB shares? Here are the key dates for 2026

    a woman puts a pen to her mouth as she smiles slightly while checking an old book style diary/calendar.

    National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) shares are 0.52% lower at $40.46 apiece on Tuesday.

    Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 0.04%.

    With Christmas only a month away now, major organisations are starting to release their corporate calendars for 2026.

    If you own this ASX 200 bank share, here are the important dates to note in your diary.

    Here are the dates to diarise for 2026

    NAB will release its 1H FY26 results and announce its interim dividend on 4 May.

    The ex-dividend date for the interim NAB dividend will be 7 May.

    The record date will be 8 May.

    NAB will pay the dividend to shareholders on 2 July.

    The bank will announce its FY26 full-year results and final dividend on 5 November.

    The ex-dividend date for the final dividend will be 10 November.

    The record date will be 11 November.

    NAB will pay the dividend on 15 December.

    National Australia Bank will hold its annual general meeting on 10 December.

    Recap on FY25 results

    Earlier this month, NAB revealed its full-year FY25 results.

    For the 12 months ending 30 September, NAB reported a 2.9% increase in revenue against a 4.6% increase in expenses.

    The cost increase reflected higher personnel and technology costs, as well as $130 million in payroll review and remediation charges.

    With costs rising faster than revenue, NAB reported cash earnings of $7,091 million for FY25, down 0.2% on the prior corresponding period.

    As my colleague James reported, this was also short of the consensus analyst estimate of $7,183 million.

    The statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) was $6,759 million, down 2.9% on FY24.

    NAB also reported a net interest margin (NIM) of 1.74%, up 0.03%.

    CEO Andrew Irvine said:

    We are making good progress on our key priorities of growing business banking, driving deposit growth and strengthening proprietary home lending.

    This has been supported by targeted investments in front line bankers and technology enabled solutions delivering simpler, faster and safer outcomes.

    NAB declared a final dividend of 85 cents per share, which brought the full-year FY25 dividend to 170 cents per share.

    When will your next NAB dividend be paid?

    NAB shares will pay the fully franked final FY25 dividend of 85 cents per share on 12 December.

    The bank’s full-year dividend of 170 cents per share was 1 cent higher than FY24.

    NAB shares are currently trading on a 4.2% trailing dividend yield.

    The post Invested in NAB shares? Here are the key dates for 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in National Australia Bank Limited right now?

    Before you buy National Australia Bank Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and National Australia Bank Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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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 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.

  • Is the Woodside share price a buy right now?

    Female oil worker in front of a pumpjack.

    The ASX energy share Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) has seen significant volatility over the past few years, as the chart below shows. After everything that has happened, it’s a good time to ask whether it’s the right time to invest.

    The business is not one of the greenest companies on the ASX, but it plays an important role as part of the global energy mix in the coming years.

    It produces both oil and gas, which can help the company generate pleasing levels of cash flow in the coming years and pay for sizeable dividends.

    Firstly, let’s take a look at what Woodside is expecting from its energy portfolio of commodities for the foreseeable future.

    Outlook for the energy it produces

    Woodside stated that oil is expected to continue playing a significant role in the global energy mix.

    The ASX-listed energy company believes that gas demand is expected to grow in the coming years, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) playing an increasingly significant role in the global energy mix, supporting energy security while helping customers achieve lower overall emissions.

    LNG demand is forecast to grow by around 60% by 2035, with potential supply delays likely to tighten the balance between demand and supply. Woodside believes LNG can displace higher-emission coal in regions such as Asia.

    Woodside also believes that there’s a growing role for ammonia across a wide variety of use cases, with broad regulatory support from European and Asia Pacific countries.

    The company is seeing developed nations continue to see trends of increased power demand from uses such as AI and data centres.

    Woodside also said that rapid non-OECD growth presents an opportunity to supply reliable, lower-carbon energy. Those countries are experiencing continued growth in population, which helps boost potential future demand.

    Do owners of Woodside shares get good dividends?

    The company has a dividend policy to maintain a dividend payout ratio of at least 50%.

    Excluding non-recurring items, the company aims to pay out between 50% and 80% of its net profit after tax (NPAT).

    Woodside is also open to providing investors with special dividends and share buybacks if it has excess cash on hand. The business is also targeting a gearing (debt) ratio of between 10% and 20% through the cycle.

    UBS is projecting that the business could pay an annual dividend per share of US 52 cents in FY26 and US 79 cents in FY27. If it does pay that amount in FY27, that’d be a grossed-up dividend yield of 7%, including franking credits, in the 2027 financial year.

    Is the Woodside share price a buy?

    According to CMC Markets, the business has received nine ratings, comprising three buy ratings and six hold ratings, with an average price target of $26.52. That implies a possible rise of more than 5% from where it is today, so it could still generate positive returns for investors, but it doesn’t seem like the best time to invest.

    Other ASX shares may be capable of stronger returns, in my view.

    The post Is the Woodside share price a buy right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Woodside Petroleum Ltd right now?

    Before you buy Woodside Petroleum Ltd shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Woodside Petroleum Ltd wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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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 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.

  • Anthropic has a 2-hour engineering take-home test. It says its new Claude 4.5 model outscored every human who took it.

    llustration by ANTHROPIC, August 1, 2025. Anthropic is an American artificial intelligence (AI) (intelligence artificielle (IA) company founded in 2021. It develops Claude, a family of large language models, and is also known for its research in AI safety, particularly interpretability.
    Anthropic said its Claude Opus 4.5 AI model outperformed all humans on its coding test.

    • Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.5 AI model outperformed all humans on the company's own coding test.
    • The two-hour engineering exam measures technical ability and judgment under time pressure.
    • The new release is another notch for Anthropic in the AI coding tools space.

    Anthropic's new AI model is outperforming humans in coding, the company said of its latest release.

    On Monday, the company introduced Claude Opus 4.5 and described it as its most advanced AI model to date, and said that the new model "scored higher than any human candidate ever" on "a notoriously difficult take-home exam" that the company gives prospective engineering candidates.

    In a blog post on Monday, Anthropic said that the two-hour take-home test is designed to assess technical ability and judgment under time pressure, and though it doesn't reflect all skills an engineer needs to possess, the fact that an AI model "outperforms strong candidates on important technical skills" is raising questions about "how AI will change engineering as a profession."

    In its methodology, the company said that this result came from giving the model several chances to solve each problem and then picking its best answer.

    There is not much publicly known information regarding what the engineering test consists of. A 2024 interview review published on Glassdoor said that the test has four levels and asks prospective candidates to implement a specific system and add functionalities to it. It is unclear if the test that Claude 4.5 was given was similar. Anthropic didn't provide further details in its blog and did not respond to a request for comment.

    The latest release of Claude 4.5 comes just three months after the rollout of its previous edition. Aside from coding, the new model also has upgrades in generating professional documents, including Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.

    The new release continues to solidify Anthropic's dominance in AI coding. Even Mark Zuckerberg's Meta is using Claude to support its Devmate internal coding assistant despite being rivals in the AI race.

    The company has kept its training methods a secret. Eric Simons, the CEO of Stackblitz, the startup behind the vibe coding service Bolt.new, previously told Business Insider that he believes Anthropic had its AI models write and launch code on their own, then the company reviewed the results using both people and AI tools. Dianne Penn, the Head of Product Management, Research and Frontiers, at Anthropic, said this description was "generally true."

    In October, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said at the Dreamforce conference that Claude AI is already writing 90% of code for most teams at the company, though he would not be replacing any software engineers with the bot.

    "If Claude is writing 90% of the code, what that means, usually, is, you need just as many software engineers. You might need more, because they can then be more leverage," said Amodei. "They can focus on the 10% that's editing the code or writing the 10% that's the hardest, or supervising a group of AI models."

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Up 107% this year! Another boost for this ASX 300 high-flyer with $650m in new contract wins

    One hundred dollar notes blowing in the wind, representing dividend windfall.

    SRG Global Ltd (ASX: SRG) is not a well-known name on the ASX, but its shareholders have had plenty to celebrate in 2025.

    Since the start of January, shares in the engineering and construction services provider have ballooned from $1.35 each to $2.80 per share at the time of writing.

    This performance represents a handsome 107% gain in less than a year.

    In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has risen by 4.4% over the same timeframe.

    The powerful rally in SRG shares has been headlined by several notable developments.

    In August, the group revealed a record financial performance in FY25, showcased by a 52% surge in net profit after tax (NPAT).

    And in October, the company upped the ante by securing a “transformational” acquisition of diversified marine infrastructure services provider, TAMS.

    Investors appeared to welcome the acquisition with SRG shares soaring by 29% on the day of the announcement.

    Fast forward to today, and the company appears to have added another spark to its operations.

    Let’s take a closer look at what went down.

    What happened?

    This morning, SRG announced that it has been awarded a bumper $650 million worth of new contracts across Australia and New Zealand.

    More specifically, the contract wins consist of new and existing blue-chip clients in the water, defence, transport, energy, industrial, resources, health, and education sectors.

    They include the delivery of specialist earthworks and civil services for the Bonney Downs Wind Farm, operated by ASX 200 iron ore titan Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG).

    Elsewhere, SRG has been tasked with providing specialist major shutdown maintenance services across Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)’s Kwinana operations in Western Australia.

    The company also secured contracts with other ASX 200 giants, including Alcoa Corporation CDI (ASX: AAI), Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO), and South32 Ltd (ASX: S32).

    Outside of the ASX, SRG will provide rehabilitation and maintenance works at the San Remo Bridge in Victoria.

    It will also design and construct concrete tanks for the Alkimos Seawater Alliance in Western Australia.

    And in New South Wales, SRG will provide flood resilience works for the Byron Shire Council.

    SRG Global Managing Director, David Macgeorge, commented:

    We continue to secure a diverse range of contracts across Australia and New Zealand in a broad range of sectors with both key repeat and new clients. These contract awards are a further demonstration of our market-leading capabilities as a truly diversified infrastructure services company.

    Share price response

    The market appeared to approve the company’s new treasure trove of contract wins.

    Shares in the ASX 300 industrials stock raced out of the blocks on the back of the announcement, jumping by as much as 7.5% in Tuesday morning trading.

    Shares are changing hands at $2.80 apiece at the time of writing, up by about 5% from Monday’s close.

    The post Up 107% this year! Another boost for this ASX 300 high-flyer with $650m in new contract wins appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in SRG Global Limited right now?

    Before you buy SRG Global Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and SRG Global Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    Motley Fool contributor Bart Bogacz 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 Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Srg Global and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Why are DroneShield shares flying 16% higher on Tuesday?

    A smiling boy holds a toy plane aloft while a girl watches on from a car near an airport runway.

    DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) shares are soaring today.

    Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) drone defence company closed yesterday trading for $1.745. In morning trade on Tuesday, shares flew to $2.030 each, up 16.3%. After some likely profit-taking, shares are changing hands for $1.945 in late morning trade, up 11.5%.

    For some context, the ASX 200 is up 0.1% at this same time.

    So, why are DroneShield shares leaving the benchmark in the dust today?

    What’s behind the surging DroneShield shares?

    In an announcement this morning labelled non-price sensitive, the ASX 200 defence stock reported that it has received a follow-on contract for $5.2 million.

    While the value of the contract, for handheld counter-drone systems and associated accessories, isn’t huge, it nonetheless looks to be reassuring rattled investors who today are piling back into DroneShield shares.

    The company noted that the contract comes from an in-country European reseller, that is contractually required to distribute the products to a European military customer.

    Management said that DroneShield has all the required stock ready to go to deliver the order. The company expects to receive a cash payment before the end of the year, with no additional material conditions needing to be satisfied.

    The company said:

    The reseller is a vetted counterparty that DroneShield has worked with for three years. Over this period, and excluding the contract announced today, DroneShield has received 12 contracts from this reseller totalling over $70 million.

    A welcome respite from the record high retreat

    If you’ve been following the company, you’re likely aware that DroneShield shares hit an all-time closing high of $6.50 each on 9 October.

    At that stage, shares in the ASX 200 defence stock were up an eye-popping 780% since 2 January.

    Following that kind of meteoric rise, it doesn’t take much for investors to start taking some profits off the table.

    Unfortunately, a number of reasons arose over the past weeks that saw shares go into a tailspin.

    Those concerns included withdrawn ASX announcements relating to United States military contracts that were marked and reported to investors as new contracts rather than revised contracts.

    ASX 200 investors also look to have been selling amid media speculations that the company’s products could be impacted by more basic drones using fibre optic technology. Speculations that DroneShield dismissed as inaccurate in an update on Monday.

    And the biggest one-day hit came on 13 November.

    DroneShield shares plunged 31.4% after investors learned that CEO Oleg Vornik had sold $49.47 million shares in the company, joining several other directors who also sold material holdings.

    While still well off the record highs, it’s worth noting that shares in the ASX 200 drone defence company remain up 153% in 2025.

    The post Why are DroneShield shares flying 16% higher on Tuesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in DroneShield Limited right now?

    Before you buy DroneShield Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and DroneShield Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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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 DroneShield. 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.

  • Why Gentrack, IPD, SRG, and Web Travel shares are racing higher today

    a young woman raises her hands in joyful celebration as she sits at her computer in a home environment.

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a small decline on Tuesday. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down a fraction to 8,521.9 points.

    Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here’s why they are rising:

    Gentrack Group Ltd (ASX: GTK)

    The Gentrack share price is up a further 6% to $8.48. Investors have been buying the airport and utilities software provider’s shares since the release of the FY 2025 results on Monday. Gentrack reported an 8% increase in revenue to NZ$230.2 million and an 18% jump in EBITDA to NZ$27.8 million. And while management gave no firm guidance, it has spoken positively about the future. It has reiterated its mid-term target of more than 15% compound annual revenue growth and an EBITDA margin of 15%–20%. In response to the update, this morning Bell Potter retained its buy rating on Gentrack’s shares with an improved price target of $11.00.

    IPD Group Ltd (ASX: IPG)

    The IPD share price is up 10% to $3.76. This follows the release of the electrical solutions provider’s guidance for the first half of FY 2026. Management advised that it expects EBITDA growth of approximately 6.1% for that half. It said: “There are encouraging signs of recovery and resilience across our end markets, with sustained positive momentum observed across all business units. Earlier investments made into CMI’s longer-term growth-oriented strategies are starting to generate tangible benefits, underpinned by strong order book growth. The Group’s current opportunity pipeline is positioned well for continued growth through FY26.”

    SRG Global Ltd (ASX: SRG)

    The SRG Global share price is up 4% to $2.78. This morning, this infrastructure services company revealed that it has won a number of lucrative contracts. It advised that it has secured $650 million of contracts with blue-chip clients across Australia and New Zealand. These contracts are across the water, defence, transport, energy, industrial, resources, health and education sectors. SRG Global’s CEO, David Macgeorge, commented: “We continue to secure a diverse range of contracts across Australia and New Zealand in a broad range of sectors with both key repeat and new clients. These contract awards are a further demonstration of our market-leading capabilities as a truly diversified infrastructure services company.”

    Web Travel Group Ltd (ASX: WEB)

    The Web Travel share price is up 10% to $4.40. Investors have been buying this travel technology company’s shares following the release of its half year results. Web Travel reported an 18% increase in bookings to 5.1 million, a 22% lift in total transaction value (TTV) to a record of $3.17 billion, and a 17% jump in underlying EBITDA to a record of $81.7 million. Web Travel’s managing director, John Guscic, was pleased with the half. He said: WebBeds continues to deliver world class TTV growth. We reported $3.2 billion TTV for the first 6 months of the financial year, 22% more than the same period last year, driven by the significant above-market growth coming through in our top 3 regions, particularly the Americas.

    The post Why Gentrack, IPD, SRG, and Web Travel shares are racing higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Gentrack Group right now?

    Before you buy Gentrack Group shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Gentrack Group wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Web Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Gentrack Group and Ipd Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Gentrack Group and Ipd Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Srg Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Bill Gates just sold 2.4 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway — Should investors panic?

    A head shot of legendary investor Warren Buffett speaking into a microphone at an event.

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    Key Points

    • The Gates Foundation Trust is selling off many major positions.
    • Its Berkshire Hathaway stake was trimmed heavily.

    Billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have been close friends for decades. Unsurprisingly, the Gates Foundation Trust owns more than 21 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) — a stake worth around $11 billion. The Gates Foundation Trust sold many stocks last quarter, including part of its Berkshire Hathaway stake.

    Why did Gates sell 2.4 million more shares of Berkshire last quarter? There are two obvious reasons

    1. Berkshire Hathaway is holding a lot of cash

    It’s no secret that the stock market in general is getting pretty expensive. The S&P 500 currently trades at roughly 30 times earnings, nearly twice its long-term historical valuation. With that in mind, it would make sense that skilled investors are having a tough time finding market values. Just take a look at Buffett’s holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett has long warned against market timing, yet Berkshire now has more than $380 billion in cash — more than one-third of its entire market cap!

    This oddly makes Berkshire a wonderful investment for those who are worried about the market. It’s like buying a mutual fund that has 30% of its investments in cash. If the stock market declines by 10%, you could expect this fund to fall by only 7% if all else were equal. But Berkshire holds a bigger advantage than simply buffering the effect of a market decline. If markets were to experience a correction, Berkshire now has a ton of cash it can deploy at lower valuations. Few investors have this advantage: the ability to put a ton of cash to work while markets are crashing.

    In essence, Berkshire is a fantastic choice for nervous investors. By buying shares, you keep your money invested, but have the ability to both shoulder marketwide declines and take advantage of potentially lower valuations if a correction does occur. The portfolio managers at the Gates Foundation Trust are likely aware of these advantages, which may explain why Berkshire is the trust’s biggest position. But like Buffett, these portfolio managers may be getting nervous about the market’s high valuation. Of the trust’s 25 holdings, 12 experienced net selling last quarter. A total of zero positions were increased. So while Berkshire may be a relatively safe stock during market downturns, it appears as if the Gates Foundation Trust is so nervous that even Berkshire isn’t a candidate for buying at current levels. 

    2. Selling Berkshire stock balances the Gates Foundation Trust’s other bets

    Selling Berkshire stock has one other benefit for the Gates Foundation Trust’s portfolio: more balanced diversification.

    Even after the selling, Berkshire remains the trust’s largest position, with a 25% portfolio weight. That’s right: Roughly one-quarter of the trust’s entire portfolio is invested in one stock. Granted, Berkshire itself is fairly diversified, with interests across dozens of industries and geographies. But it’s still a single business, leaving the trust’s portfolio relatively undiversified versus broader market indexes.

    The latest sales brought down Berkshire’s portfolio weighting from 30% to 25%. The selling also occurred near Berkshire’s all-time highs — both in terms of trading price and relative valuation. Last quarter, for instance, Berkshire stock had a price-to-book ratio of around 1.6. Over the past decade, however, shares have usually traded between 1.2 and 1.5 times books value. So while the net selling of Berkshire stock by the Gates Foundation Trust may relate to market valuations and diversification needs, it may also be an indication that it simply thinks that Berkshire stock is overvalued. The fact that Buffett himself declined to execute any share repurchases last quarter backs up this belief.

    Both Gates and Buffett have preached long holding periods. Buffett is clearly nervous about today’s market valuations, leaving him so unable to find deals that he needs to sell down top positions simply to hold cash. The selling by the Gates Foundation Trust seems to mirror this nervousness. But remember that this isn’t Gates’ personal portfolio — it is the portfolio of a charitable trust whose primary mission is to distribute profits to other causes. Selling, therefore, could simply be the trust delivering on its mission statement, and not a signal of its skittishness over current market valuations.

    Still, the foundation has been a net buyer of stock is previous quarters. So while the selling isn’t a smoking gun, it’s another potentially bearish sign for investors.

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    The post Bill Gates just sold 2.4 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway — Should investors panic? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway Inc. right now?

    Before you buy Berkshire Hathaway Inc. shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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

  • Analysts name 3 ASX shares to sell now

    Three guys in shirts and ties give the thumbs down.

    Knowing which ASX shares to avoid is just as important as knowing which ones to buy.

    After all, owning the wrong shares could hold back your portfolio returns and limit your wealth creation.

    With that in mind, let’s take a look at three ASX shares analysts rate as sells, courtesy of The Bull. Here’s what they are saying:

    Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)

    The team at Ord Minnett thinks that this rare earths producer’s shares are overvalued despite a recent pullback. They said:

    Lynas is the only significant producer of separated rare earths materials outside of China. Gross sales revenue of $200.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 was up on the prior quarter and the prior corresponding period, but missed consensus. The shares have fallen from $21.64 on October 15 to trade at $15.51 on November 19. In our view, the shares remain overvalued, so investors may want to consider cashing in some gains.

    Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

    Another ASX share that has been named as a sell by analysts this week is Paladin Energy.

    Ord Minnett is also bearish on this one and thinks that its valuation has outpaced its fundamentals. It said:

    This uranium producer owns 75 per cent of the Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia. It also owns uranium exploration and development assets in Australia and Canada. The company delivered record production in the September quarter, but sales volumes fell on the previous quarter and prior corresponding period.  Despite a decent result, PDN’s share price recently doubled in the past six months and has outpaced its fundamentals.

    Starpharma Holdings Ltd (ASX: SPL)

    A third ASX share that is being rated as a sell is biotechnology company Starpharma.

    Analysts at Securities Vault think investors should be selling its shares after a “rapid” rise this year, which as seem them rise over 200% in 2025. They said:

    Starpharma is a biotechnology company. The company has developed a drug delivery platform to enhance the effectiveness of pharmaceutical drugs. It recently received an upfront payment of $A8.5 million from Genentech in line with a recently announced licence agreement. The shares have performed strongly, rising from 13 cents on September 19 to trade at 39.5 cents on November 19. The company’s valuation sits at a steep premium relative to peers, indicating lofty expectations are already priced in. The company reported a loss of $10 million in full year 2025. In our view, trimming or exiting positions is prudent given the rapid share price rise.

    The post Analysts name 3 ASX shares to sell now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Lynas Rare Earths Ltd right now?

    Before you buy Lynas Rare Earths Ltd shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Lynas Rare Earths Ltd wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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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 recommended Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. 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.

  • Samsung CMO says AI connects your home, empowers young geniuses, and improves daily life

    Screengrab of Allison Stransky, CMO of Samsung Electronics America
    Allison Stransky is chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics America

    • Samsung Electronics' most recent ad campaign highlights AI integration across products to enhance daily life.
    • The company's Solve for Tomorrow competition fosters student innovation using AI and STEM for community impact.
    • Allison Stransky, the brand's chief marketing officer for America, spoke to Business Insider in a video interview for The AI Marketer.

    Allison Stransky, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics Americas, shared in a video interview for CMO Insider how the brand is trying to help consumers embrace AI-connected homes, the inspiring inventions coming out of its student competition, and how her favorite AI device doesn't have a screen.

    Following is an edited transcript and video of the interview.

    Artificial intelligence is a concept that we are talking about in everything that we do. At Samsung, AI currently exists in all of our categories, across almost all of our products. While AI has come into the consumer lexicon recently, we've been innovating in AI for over a decade.

    We're trying now to help consumers understand that AI is a tool, and that the reason we're putting it on all of our products is because it's going to help make your life better.

    This year, we started a campaign called "Smart Things meets AI Home," and what we're communicating is that our connectivity app, Smart Things, helps you create the concept of your own personalized, individualized AI home. The campaign included multiple lines of business and products, rather than talking about one product like your smartphone or your TV.

    The storyline was about how all of this works together to create benefits that are above and beyond the features of any individual product.

    Because when your washer and dryer can get you of the house faster, or your TV can become the source of the best all-encompassing home entertainment experience, we believe that's when you see the benefits of AI as the thing that is going to make your life better and different.

    Fostering student innovation and loyalty

    One of the most special things we do is the Samsung "Solve for Tomorrow" program, a STEM competition for students in sixth through 12th grade. The only ask is that you use STEM to solve a problem in your community.

    That's the whole brief. Because it's so intentionally vague, the things that these students come up with are absolutely incredible. Over the last couple of years, our winners have been using AI, machine learning, and robotics to solve problems in their communities.

    What we've been most impressed by is the incredible amount of empathy that goes into all of these solutions.

    Last year, there was a team that created an oral cancer screening app —  an easier way to see if that problem in your mouth is a simple canker sore, or something much worse.

    There was a team that recognized a doctor shortage and created an AI bandage. It could help treat patients faster by actually reading the health of the wound for them.

    Screengrab of woman pointing to ring on her finger
    Stransky's favorite AI tool tracks her sleep, fitness, and stress.

    Finally, there was an all-girls team that recognized that if you are a hearing-impaired athlete, you have a different set of challenges on the field. The team created a sensory headgear piece that not only keeps your hearing aids in, but helps you track what's going on on the field in a much more helpful way.

    We are super impressed by these kids, but we're also really hoping to start an early relationship with them. We believe that by giving them a platform and a microphone for their incredible ideas, not only will we give them a chance to give back to their communities, but we expect that they'll love Samsung as well.

    So when the time comes that they are in the market for their own phone, TV, or refrigerator, they will remember the great experiences they had with us.

    AI at home

    I love my Galaxy ring because it tracks my movement, what I do, my sleeping habits, and then makes recommendations. What's been fascinating to me is that you forget that it's on — it is completely seamless in your life, and you have these learnings.

    The most valuable lessons I learned from my ring has been that my stress level is at its highest not in the boardroom, but when we have lost my daughter's favorite stuffed animal. You see a serious stress spike.

    Knowing that this is just going on, providing these quiet benefits, I love what AI and my Samsung products can do for me.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • $10,000 invested in IVV ETF a year ago is now worth…

    the australian flag lies alongside the united states flag on a flat surface.

    Investors holding iShares Core S&P 500 AUD ETF (ASX: IVV) units are benefiting from strong momentum in the US stock market in 2025.

    The IVV exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index (SP: INX) before fees.

    It’s an easy way of gaining exposure to the roaring US share market without having to trade on an overseas exchange.

    Geographical diversification is valuable in any investor’s portfolio to help us capture the best returns and reduce our overall risk.

    While the ASX follows the US closely in terms of whether it goes up or down each day, the pace of that movement often varies.

    For example, in the year to date, the S&P 500 is up 14% while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 4.2%.

    Another benefit of the IVV ETF is that it provides exposure to some of the world’s largest and most profitable companies.

    The exchange-traded fund’s top 10 holdings are Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA), Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO),  Alphabet Inc Class C (NASDAQ: GOOG),  Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), and Berkshire Hathaway Inc Class B
    (NYSE: BRK.B).

    Today, the IVV ETF is trading on the ASX for $69.14 per unit, up 1.04%.

    Let’s find out what $10,000 invested a year ago is worth today.

    What is a $10,000 investment in IVV ETF now worth?

    On 25 November 2024, the IVV ETF closed at $61.25 apiece.

    If you had invested $10,000 in IVV then, it would have bought you 163 units (for $9,983.75).

    There’s been a capital gain of $7.89 per unit since then, which equates to $1,286.07 of capital growth.

    Therefore, your portfolio is now worth $11,269.82.

    What about dividends?

    IVV pays four distributions (dividends) per year.

    The ETF paid investors $2.134185 per unit in December 2024, $1.764574 per unit in March this year, $1.866967 per unit in June, and $1.994748 in September.

    This means you would have received just over $7.76 per unit of income over the past 12 months, or $1,264.88 in total.

    Total returns…

    Your capital gain of $1,286.07 plus your income of $1,264.88 gives you a total return of $2,550.95.

    Now remember, you invested $9,983.75 buying your 163 units on 25 November 2024.

    This means you have received a total return, in percentage terms, of 25.55%. Wow!

    And that happened during a year of turmoil, too. Remember the April rout caused by new US tariffs?

    A distant memory now.

    The IVV ETF has more than $705 billion in funds under management and charges a 0.03% annual fee.

    The post $10,000 invested in IVV ETF a year ago is now worth… appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in iShares S&P 500 ETF right now?

    Before you buy iShares S&P 500 ETF shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and iShares S&P 500 ETF wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Broadcom and has recommended the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.