Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL) shares were stationary at $19.54 during Tuesday trading, but the ASX healthcare share has had a rough run. Sonic is down 11% over the past month, 14% year to date and 18% over the past 12 months.

That weakness could be catching the attention of passive income investors. But can this healthcare giant also deliver meaningful earnings growth?

Growth remains a key attraction

Sonic Healthcare is the largest private medical laboratory and pathology services operator in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. It is also a major provider of diagnostic imaging in Australia and the country’s largest medical centre operator.

The company’s FY26 result was impressive despite ongoing economic uncertainty. Revenue rose 13% to $10.9 billion, underlying EBITDA climbed 11% to $1.9 billion, while underlying earnings per share (EPS) increased 14% to $1.256.

There are reasons to believe demand can continue growing. Sonic operates in markets with ageing and growing populations, potentially supporting long-term demand for pathology, diagnostics and medical services.

Acquisitions provide another avenue for growth. The $10 billion ASX healthcare share has focused on expanding its European operations, with acquisitions helping increase its scale and potentially improve profit margins.

For investors, sustained profit growth is particularly important because earnings ultimately fund dividends.

A compelling dividend history

There aren’t many ASX companies with a dividend track record quite like Sonic Healthcare’s.

The ASX healthcare share has paid dividends since 1994 and has increased its payout almost every year since then. The only exceptions were 2011 and 2012, when Sonic maintained its dividend.

In FY26, Sonic continued its progressive dividend policy, increasing the payout by 1 cent per share to $1.08. Based on the current share price, that represents a dividend yield of approximately 5.4% before franking credits, or around 7% including franking credits.

That’s an attractive income proposition if Sonic can continue growing earnings and supporting its progressive dividend policy.

What do brokers think?

Sonic isn’t universally viewed as a buy. TradingView data shows 10 of 18 brokers rate the ASX healthcare share a hold, while four rate it a buy or strong buy and four have a sell or strong sell recommendation.

The average 12-month price target is $22.11, implying potential upside of roughly 13% from the current share price.

Bell Potter is more bullish. The broker maintained its buy rating after reviewing Sonic’s FY26 results, although it reduced its 12-month price target from $28.75 to $27.50.

Even after that downgrade, the target implies potential upside of around 40%.

Is Sonic Healthcare a buy?

At roughly 16 times earnings, Sonic Healthcare doesn’t appear excessively valued given its defensive operations, impressive dividend history and potential for long-term earnings growth.

The combination of a 7% fully franked-equivalent yield and potential earnings growth makes Sonic an ASX healthcare share income-focused investors may want to consider.

The post Could this 7%-yielding ASX healthcare share be a growth winner? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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 Sonic Healthcare. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

September could be a good time to look at the income side of your portfolio.

But which ASX dividend shares could be worth considering this month?

Three shares that I think could be strong picks for passive income are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

APA Group (ASX: APA)

APA Group could be an ASX dividend share to consider in September. It owns and operates a large portfolio of energy infrastructure assets across Australia.

This includes gas pipelines, processing assets, storage facilities, electricity transmission assets, and other infrastructure that helps move energy from where it is produced to where it is needed.

That gives APA Group a different profile to many other income shares. Its assets are tied to the movement of energy, which remains essential for households, businesses, and industry.

A large portion of APA Group’s earnings is supported by long-term contracts and regulated assets. This can provide a level of income visibility that is attractive for dividend investors.

Energy markets are changing, but Australia will still need reliable infrastructure for a long time.

Based on current estimates, APA Group offers a FY 2027 dividend yield of approximately 5.4%.

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

A second ASX dividend share for income investors to look at is Charter Hall Long WALE REIT.

This real estate investment trust (REIT) owns a portfolio of properties leased to government, corporate, and major tenant customers.

As its name suggests, a key feature is its long weighted average lease expiry. That means many of its properties are leased for long periods, which can provide better visibility over future rental income.

The portfolio includes assets across areas such as government, social infrastructure, industrial, convenience retail, and other essential or mission-critical properties.

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT has not been immune to higher interest rates and property market pressure. But its long leases and quality tenant base remain attractive features for income investors.

For FY 2027, the market is expecting Charter Hall Long WALE REIT to offer a dividend yield of roughly 7.3%.

HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (ASX: HDN)

Finally, HomeCo Daily Needs REIT is an ASX dividend share to consider.

The property company owns convenience-focused assets across neighbourhood retail, large-format retail, health, and services.

These are properties linked to things people keep using. Its tenants include supermarkets, pharmacies, healthcare providers, pet stores, childcare operators, and other daily-needs businesses.

That does not make the REIT risk-free, but it does give its portfolio a practical defensive quality.

People may delay big purchases when household budgets are tight, but groceries, healthcare, medicines, and essential services remain part of everyday life.

This can help support rental income and dividends through different market conditions.

At current levels, HomeCo Daily Needs REIT is expected to offer a FY 2027 dividend yield of around 7.7%.

The post 3 strong ASX dividend shares with yields up to 7.7% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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At age 64, you’re approaching the final few years before you can retire and enjoy the superannuation you’ve worked hard to accumulate.

But do you know if you actually have enough money in your account to live the retirement lifestyle you’ve planned?

Or how your super compares to others the same age?

Here’s a breakdown of the average superannuation balance for Australians aged 64, and how much you actually need to retire well.

How does yours stack up?

The average superannuation balance for Australian men aged 64 in FY27

There aren’t exact figures for the average balance at age 64, but the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) provides a bracket which can be used as a starting point.

The data shows that the average Australian male aged 60 to 64 has around $395,852 in their superannuation.

But as age 64 is right at the top of that age bracket, it can be helpful to look at the one above too.

ASFA’s data shows that the average superannuation balance for Australian men aged 65-69 is $448,518.

And the average superannuation balance for Australian women at age 64

Women in the same age bracket have a lot less. The average balance for Australian women aged 60 to 64 is around $313,360. That’s a gap of around $83,000 compared to men the same age.

For the age bracket above, the gap is a little lower. The average superannuation balance for women aged 65 to 69 is $392,274. That represents a gap of around $56,000 when compared to men in the same age bracket.

The gap is mostly due to women taking extended periods out of the workforce, during which time they receive little to no compulsory employer superannuation. 

How does your super balance stack up with men and women the same age as you?

And most importantly, how does your balance compare with what you actually need to retire comfortably?

How much super do I actually need to retire comfortably?

ASFA estimates that it’ll cost single Australians around $55,923 per year to retire comfortably. Couples living together will need to have closer to $78,566 per year combined to finance a comfortable retirement.

These figures also assume you’ll start your retirement at age 67. It also assumes that you’ll receive a part Age Pension around this time and that you own your home outright.

In order to fund a comfortable retirement, ASFA calculates that single Australians will need around $630,000 in their superannuation at age 67. Meanwhile, couples will need around $730,000 combined at the same age.

To reach this goal, at 64, all Australians should aim to have around $581,000 stashed away in their superannuation.

As you can see, the amount you need to retire comfortably is significantly higher than the average superannuation balances for either age bracket.

Help! I’ve fallen behind. What can I do to boost my balance before it’s too late?

At age 64, it’s not too late to boost your superannuation balance before you decide to stop working.

My first tip is to ensure that your super fund is performing well and that your investment strategy and risk profit are appropriate for your circumstances. 

Then you’ll need to add extra contributions wherever you can. Take advantage of concessional and non-concessional limits and any potential tax reduction that may come with it.

Also take advantage of any applicable government contributions that might help your personal circumstances. There is a downsizer contributions rule, a bring-forward rule, a government co-contribution rule, and many others.

Anything you do today can help boost your compound growth.

The post The average superannuation balance for 64 year olds in Australia in FY27 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies 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.