S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are 0.3% higher at 9,062.7 points on the second last day of earnings season.

Brokers have been reviewing ASX 200 company reports and updating their ratings and 12-month price targets accordingly.

Here are three updates from Morgans.

Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW)

The Woolworths share price is $38.95, down 1.5% today and up 37% over 12 months.

Woolworths released its FY26 earnings this week.

Morgans reiterated its accumulate rating on the ASX 200 consumer staples share.

The broker raised its 12-month price target from $37.30 to $43.50.

This implies potential capital gains of 11% ahead for Woolworths shares.

Morgans said:

WOW’s FY26 result was slightly better than expected. Australian Food earnings were in line with our forecast, while Australian B2B and W Living exceeded expectations. NZ Food was softer following a challenging 2H26.

Encouragingly, Australian Food sales momentum has continued into early FY27, supported by the popular Disney Ooshies collectibles campaign. Excluding this benefit, sales growth remained solid, indicating the underlying business continues to perform well.

Our target price increases to $43.50 (from $37.30), reflecting changes to earnings forecasts and a higher valuation multiple.

The multiple expansion reflects continued positive momentum in the core Australian Food segment, our increased confidence that this sales growth can be sustained, and improved execution.

Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC)

The Ramsay Health Care share price is $50.98, up 1.8% today and up 50% over 12 months.

Ramsay Health Care released its FY26 report this week.

Morgans renewed its hold rating on the ASX 200 healthcare share with a $49.39 target.

This suggests the stock is fully valued.

The broker said:

FY26 underlying NPAT increased 23% and was ahead of expectations, with EBIT growth and positive OCF (ex РSant̩). Australia remained the earnings driver, while UK Acute was the standout and Elysium showed a material 2H turnaround.

Pleasingly, Australia delivered EBIT growth of 11.2% and 30bp margin expansion despite a 4% headwind from new funding at Joondalup public, supported by activity, acuity, theatre utilisation, PHI indexation and cost control.

While we view result quality as encouraging (OCF & ROCE up), FY27 guidance is qualitative, with management only targeting EBIT growth and margin expansion (ex РSant̩), leaving the sustainability question open for debate.

PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS)

The PLS Group share price is $5.34, up 3.6% today and up 132% over 12 months. 

PLS Group released its FY26 results this week.

Morgans downgraded the ASX 200 lithium share from hold to trim with a $4.60 target.

This suggests a potential 13% downside ahead.

Morgans commented:

PLS delivered an in-line FY26 Underlying EBITDA result and surprised with a maiden 5cps fully franked final dividend (22% FCF payout).

We view PLS as fairly valued at current levels, with its premium to peers already reflecting the company’s best-in-class execution, balance sheet and growth optionality.

Depleted lithium inventories leave scope for short-term upside, though we see the medium-term outlook as more volatile given uncertainty around supply and demand drivers.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Ramsay Health Care, PLS Group, Woolworths shares 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 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.

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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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.