It has been a big year for BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shareholders, but Monday has brought a step backwards.

BHP shares are down 2.56% to $65.58 at the time of writing, pulling further away from the record high of $68.77 reached last week.

That still leaves the mining giant up around 11% over the past month and 44% since the start of 2026.

So, after such a huge run, is now the time to sell BHP shares?

Brokers aren’t convinced

One thing that stands out is how far BHP has moved above most broker price targets.

According to the latest TipRanks figures, the average 12-month target across 14 analysts is $58.68. This is roughly 10.5% below the current share price.

The consensus is cautious, with just one buy rating, 12 holds, and one sell.

Morgan Stanley has a buy rating and $67.50 target. Berenberg has a hold rating and $64.22 target, while UBS sits at $59.

JPMorgan has a $56.66 target, Morgans has a sell rating and $55.30 target, and Deutsche Bank is at $51.

BHP is also trading on a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of just over 24 and a dividend yield of about 3%.

Why investors have been buying

It is not hard to see why BHP shares have had such a strong year.

The miner recently reported underlying EBITDA of around US$33 billion in FY26, helped by stronger commodity prices and record iron ore production in Western Australia.

Copper is becoming a much bigger part of the business. It contributed more than half of the underlying EBITDA for the first time, while BHP produced around 2 million tonnes for a second straight year.

The company is also targeting around 40% growth in copper production by FY35 through projects across Australia, Chile, and Argentina.

Net debt fell below US$9 billion, while BHP declared a final dividend of 99 US cents per share.

What about the September effect?

There’s another reason investors may be a little cautious heading into September.

Historically, it has been a tough month for the Australian share market. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has averaged a 0.94% fall in September since 1992 and finished the month higher just 32% of the time.

Of course, that doesn’t mean BHP shares are guaranteed to fall next month.

But after such a stellar year, September’s poor track record may be something investors keep in the back of their minds.

Foolish takeaway

After a 44% rise this year, I can understand why some investors might be tempted to take some money off the table.

The broker targets suggest BHP is no longer cheap, and another pullback wouldn’t be surprising.

But I would be careful about selling a high-quality business simply because the shares have performed well or September has a poor historical record.

BHP still owns world-class iron ore and copper assets, and generates plenty of cash.

The valuation may look a little stretched today, but over the long term, I think the quality of the business matters far more than what happens over the next month.

The post BHP shares are pulling back from their record high. Is it time to sell? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. 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 JPMorgan Chase. 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.

Reporting season is finishing and investors have received a great insight into the performance of ASX shares.

Following the FY26 numbers and comments on the outlook, share prices moved, and now investors have to decide whether these businesses are opportunities.

Let’s look at two ASX shares that are heavily backed by multiple analysts, suggesting they could be opportunities.

Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN)

Qantas is the largest Australian airline business. It also operates Jetstar, a freight business, and Qantas loyalty.

Despite difficult trading conditions amid the negative effects of the Middle East conflict, fuel cost impacts, and so on, Qantas was still able to generate a good level of earnings.

Its FY26 underlying profit before tax declined $330 million to $2.06 billion. The statutory net profit dropped $316 million to $1.29 billion. Qantas said the net impact of the Middle East was reportedly $420 million during FY27.

Despite the challenges, Qantas’ customer net promoter score (NPS) improved by 7 points, and Jetstar’s NPS rose by 1 point.

In terms of the outlook, Qantas said that travel demand remains resilient as customers continue to prioritise travel. Airfares are expected to increase, though jet fuel prices are also expected to remain elevated.

Qantas loyalty is expected to grow underlying operating profit (EBIT) by between 5% to 7% in FY27. By FY30, it’s aiming for between $800 million and $1 billion of underlying EBIT.

Qantas is looking to reduce costs by approximately $475 million to help offset inflation.

According to CMC Invest, there have been 11 ratings on the ASX share in the last three months, all of which were buy ratings. Analysts are very positive on the airline right now.

Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX: GDG)

The financial business is involved in a number of areas. Generation Life is a market leader in investment bonds and lifetime annuities. Lonsec Research and Ratings is one of Australia’s leading qualitative financial research houses. Evidentia is one of Australia’s leading companies in the managed account sector.

Generation Development saw strong growth in FY26. Group funds under management (FUM) rose 37% to $46.5 billion, with net inflows of $9.7 billion (up 19%).

Within FUM, investment bonds FUM rose 35% to $5.95 billion and managed accounts FUM increased 37% to $40.5 billion.

Total revenue grew 23% to $178.7 million, and underlying net profit rose 21% to $40.7 million.

Generation Development said that its FY27 is supported by favourable long-term growth trends and remains “well positioned to benefit from ongoing adviser adoption and structural growth across retirement, managed accounts, independent investment research and investment governance solutions”.

It expects strong growth in FUM, supported by ongoing adviser adoption and market penetration.

According to CommSec, there are currently nine analyst buy ratings on the business.

These two ASX shares could be appealing opportunities, among other potential buys.

The post 2 ASX shares highly recommended to buy: Experts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) shares are having a rough start to the week after the gold miner announced another change to its senior leadership team.

At the time of writing, the Northern Star share price is down 5.45% to $23.43.

The stock opened at $23.71 and has fallen as low as $23.37 during the session, after closing at $24.78 on Friday.

The S&P/ASX 200 Resources Index (ASX: XJR) is also having a weak day, falling around 2%.

So, what has changed at Northern Star?

Another executive is leaving

According to the release, Northern Star chief financial officer Ryan Gurner will leave the company on 30 November after more than 11 years with the gold miner.

Gurner was appointed deputy CEO in July and only stepped into the interim CEO role on 29 August following the departure of long-time boss Stuart Tonkin.

He will stay in the top job until Suresh Vadnagra starts as managing director and CEO on 5 October.

After that, Gurner will return to his CFO role and help with the leadership handover before leaving Northern Star at the end of November.

General manager of finance, Philip Coetzer, has been appointed acting CFO while Gurner is serving as interim CEO.

The company will also begin looking for a permanent replacement in the CFO role.

Chairman Michael Chaney thanked Gurner for his contribution, saying his “financial acumen, integrity and leadership” had played a significant role in Northern Star’s growth.

Plenty of changes at the top

The latest announcement adds to what has already been a busy few months across Northern Star’s leadership team.

Tonkin finished up last week after more than a decade with the company, while Vadnagra is preparing to take over in October.

Chaney is also due to retire at the annual general meeting in November, with Michael Ashforth set to become chairman.

All of this is happening while activist investor Elliott Management continues to push for changes at the gold miner.

Elliott has criticised Northern Star over operational issues, cost overruns, and its strategic direction, while calling for changes to the board and a wider review of the business.

Earlier this month, it also released a list of potential directors it would like to see considered, including former Anglo American chief executive, Mark Cutifani.

Foolish takeaway

Today’s fall comes after a strong run through August.

Northern Star shares are still almost 18% higher over the past month, although they remain down roughly 12% since the start of 2026.

The stock is also well below its 52-week high of $31.96.

The post Northern Star shares slide 5% as investors digest another surprise appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Liontown, Northern Star and Telstra shares are turning heads on Monday
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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 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.