Tag: Stock pick

With so many shares to choose from on the Australian share market, it can be difficult to decide which ones to buy. The good news is that brokers across the country are doing a lot of the hard work for you.

Three top ASX shares that leading brokers have named as buys this week are listed below. Here’s why they are bullish on them:

Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV)

According to a note out of Citi, its analysts have retained their buy rating on this fashion jewellery retailer’s shares with a trimmed price target of $38.45. This follows the release of a trading update at Lovisa’s annual general meeting last week. The broker was pleased with the update and has lifted its profit forecast for the financial year to reflect stronger than expected sales. In addition, Citi has visited a new store design and believes it will be successful in bringing more customers inside. Overall, it sees a lot of value in its shares at current levels following a recent pullback and thinks investors should be snapping them up. The Lovisa share price is trading at $30.62 this afternoon.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

A note out of Morgans reveals that its analysts have upgraded this network-as-a-service provider’s shares to a buy rating with a $17.00 price target. The broker has been busy updating its model to reflect a recent capital raising, the acquisition of compute-as-a-service provider Latitude.sh, and network expansion into India. Morgans highlights that the acquisitions accelerate revenue and EBITDA growth while the core MP1 business keeps improving. It notes that since June, its net revenue retention has lifted 2 percentage points to 109%. In addition, revenue and annual recurring revenue growth has been strong. The Megaport share price is fetching $13.29 at the time of writing.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC)

Analysts at Bell Potter have retained their buy rating on this logistics solutions software provider’s shares with a trimmed price target of $100.00. According to the note, the broker was pleased to see management reiterate its guidance at its annual general meeting last week. It believes this guidance reiteration was the first hurdle cleared by management. It is now looking forward to its investor day event next week, when an update will be given on its new commercial model and the launch of its Container Transport Optimisation (CTO) offering. Bell Potter believes WiseTech will achieve the low end of its guidance in FY 2026. The WiseTech Global share price is trading on Monday.

The post Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ASX 300 shares highly recommended to buy: Experts
• Why WiseTech Global shares could rise 45% in a year
• 3 ASX growth stars I’d back for the next five years
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned to form and is on course to start the week with a solid gain. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is up 1.2% to 8,515.2 points.

Four ASX shares that are rising more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are climbing today:

Gentrack Group Ltd (ASX: GTK)

The Gentrack share price is up 22% to $8.10. This follows the release of the airport and utilities software provider’s FY 2025 results this morning. Gentrack delivered an 8% increase in revenue to NZ$230.2 million and an 18% jump in EBITDA to NZ$27.8 million for the 12 months. And while no firm guidance was given, management reiterated its mid-term target of more than 15% compound annual revenue growth and an EBITDA margin of 15%–20%.

Monash IVF Group Ltd (ASX: MVF)

The Monash IVF share price is up 40% to 85.5 cents. Investors have been buying this fertility treatment company’s shares after it received and rejected “an opportunistic, unsolicited, conditional and non- binding indicative proposal” from a consortium comprising Genesis Capital and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co Ltd (ASX: SOL). The indicative cash price offered to shareholders under the proposal was $0.80 per share. However, “the Board has considered the Proposal including with the assistance of its financial and legal advisers and unanimously determined that the Proposal materially undervalues Monash IVF and is not in the best interest of the Company’s shareholders as a whole.”

Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME)

The Pro Medicus share price is up 3.5% to $260.59. This morning, the health imaging technology company revealed that it has signed three new contracts with a combined minimum contract value of $29 million. These contracts will be fully cloud-deployed and are planned to be completed within the next six months. Pro Medicus’ founder and CEO, Dr Sam Hupert, said: “They comprise a children’s hospital, a cancer center, and a physician-owned and run regional healthcare provider. This diversity reinforces our belief that our product is ideally suited to virtually all segments of the market, from smaller groups all the way through to some of the largest IDN’s and academic medical centers in the US.”

Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB)

The Qube share price is up almost 18% to $4.79. This has been driven by news that the logistics solutions company has received a takeover offer from Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG). The Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) business is offering $5.20 per share for Qube. The company’s chair, John Bevan, said: “The proposal from Macquarie Asset Management is a reflection of the strength of Qube’s business model and our assets, and the quality of our people and culture. We look forward to continuing to engage constructively in the best interests of our shareholders.”

The post Why Gentrack, Monash IVF, Pro Medicus, and Qube shares are racing higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Qube shareholders sitting pretty after Macquarie takeover bid launched
• Pro Medicus shares charge higher on big news
• Why is this ASX 300 tech stock rocketing 21% today?
• This Aussie fertility company has rejected a takeover bid from private equity
• Macquarie tips 54% upside for this beaten down ASX All Ords healthcare stock

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Gentrack Group, Macquarie Group, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Gentrack Group, Macquarie Group, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Shares in Australian lithium producers are being sold down on Monday after media reports that Chinese battery giant CATL could restart production at its flagship mine as soon as next month.

Lithium prices have been trending sharply higher in recent weeks, following a sell-off in late August, which has taken the share prices of Australian producers higher.

Large Chinese mine could restart soon

But the bull run appears to have hit a hiccup in the past couple of days, after Bloomberg reported that CATL was planning to restart production at its mine in Jiangxi Province, where mining was halted in August.

Reports have put the mine’s production at about 3% of global lithium production, and CATL has been making progress in recent weeks to have its mining permit at the project reinstated.

The Bloomberg report said unnamed sources had confirmed that the battery maker had formulated a preliminary plan to restart the mine by early December, and had also asked its suppliers and partners to ready themselves in anticipation of production recommencing.

The report said CATL had not responded to requests to comment on the speculation.

Aussie shares bear the brunt

Shares in Australian lithium producers were leading falls among S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) companies on Monday, with the Gina Rinehart-backed Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) down 3.4% to $1.42.

Shares in Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) were 2.6% lower at $47.55, IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) was off 2.6% at $6.30, and Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares were 2.3% lower at $3.81.

Reuters was reporting late last week that the CATL news pushed lithium prices quoted on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange sharply lower, down 9% on Friday, after hitting the highest levels since June 2024 the previous day.

New lithium cycle to underpin gains

The team at Macquarie remains bullish on lithium, stating in a research note to clients last week that a new lithium cycle has begun.

As they said in their note to clients:

As highlighted in our September note, we identified early signs of a new lithium cycle, driven by a widening imbalance between supply and demand. This constructive view has been validated by the market over the past two months, evidenced by continued inventory drawdowns and a steady increase in spot spodumene prices.

Macquarie’s top picks in the lithium sector were IGO, Elevra Lithium Ltd (ASX: ELV), and Patriot Battery Metals Ltd (ASX: PMT).

Among other shares, it has a neutral rating on Atlantic Lithium Ltd (ASX: A11) and an underperform rating on Liontown.

The post Why are shares in Aussie lithium producers being sold off today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Accent Group, EOS, Mayne Pharma, and Pilbara Minerals shares are falling today
• Mineral Resources shares: After a year of outperformance (up 45%), is it still a buy?
• Macquarie tips 54% upside for this beaten down ASX All Ords healthcare stock
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• These ASX 200 shares could rise 25% to 30%

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.

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

Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) form an elite group of companies known as the “Magnificent Seven” due to their industry leadership and market influence.

As many of these companies continue to deliver market-beating returns, the Magnificent Seven now comprise a remarkable 35% of the value of the S&P 500. 

In a series of articles, I’ll be ranking each of these stocks and discussing why some are still chock-full of untapped potential, while others should be avoided by investors.

Here’s why Tesla is my least favorite of the bunch to buy in 2026. 

Tesla’s core business growth is slowing

If Tesla can effectively monetize some of its larger bets, such as its planned Robotaxi network, its humanoid robots, or its other artificial intelligence (AI) endeavors, it could easily be the single best Magnificent Seven stock to buy and hold for the next five to 10 years.

But that’s a big “if.”

The major difference between Tesla and the other Magnificent Seven companies is that its core business is struggling.

By comparison, revenue growth remains strong for Apple’s iPhone and services categories. Amazon Web Services generates gobs of free cash flow that funds the company’s other ambitions. Alphabet and Microsoft each generate sizable earnings from a variety of digital segments, including cloud computing infrastructure, where they’re both major players. Meta Platforms has its highly profitable “family of apps” segment, which brings in more than enough to support its billions of dollars in losses from Reality Labs, which contains its metaverse-related operations. And Nvidia’s compute and networking segment continues to deliver jaw-dropping results, while its smaller segments are also highly profitable.

By contrast, Tesla’s electric vehicle (EV) deliveries were trending downward in the first half of 2025, though it remains the market leader. Its energy storage business is on firmer footing, but it makes up a small part of the top line. In the third quarter, Tesla grew automotive revenue just 6% year over year as deliveries rebounded, up 7%. However, the company’s operating margin fell to just 5.8% — a steep decline from 10.8% a year earlier.

Tesla is spending a ton of money on artificial intelligence and robotics, but it has yet to see a payoff from those investments.

This past summer, Tesla launched its autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas, and it has since expanded it to a few other markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area. However, it remains to be seen how profitable it will be at scale.

It’s also worth noting that, so far, that service is being provided by standard Model Y EVs that have been outfitted with Tesla’s Robotaxi technology, not the much-discussed Cybercab, which is not yet in production. And in most markets, regulators are still requiring human monitors for those autonomous vehicles.

There are better buys than Tesla for 2026

Tesla’s Robotaxis feature pioneering-edge AI, which presents distinct challenges compared to embedding AI within smartphones or personal computers, so the company deserves credit for making progress in that field.

However, the risks of investing in Tesla simply aren’t worth the potential rewards at this time, especially given the fact the stock is trading at 178 times expected 2026 earnings.

Since Tesla’s valuation appears to be increasingly disconnected from its core EV business and based more on the potential of new ventures that have yet to prove themselves, investors may want to take a “wait and see” approach to the stock at this time. There are many other compelling buys in big tech.

Stay tuned to find out how the remaining Magnificent Seven stocks stack up in my rankings for 2026.

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

The post Ranking the best “Magnificent Seven” stocks to buy for 2026. Here’s my No. 7 pick. appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

More reading

• The best ASX ETFs to buy and hold for 20 years
• How does Tesla make money?
• US stocks will underperform over next decade: Goldman Sachs
• 5 top ASX ETFs to buy and hold for 5 years+
• Why AI won’t create a new batch of tech giants — It will cement the old ones

Daniel Foelber has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. 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, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Shares in Venus Metals Corporation (ASX: VMC) have hit a fresh 12-month high after a takeover bid for the company was lobbed by resources billionaire Chris Wallin on Monday.

Mr Wallin’s private company, QGold, is offering 17 cents per share for Venus in an on-market bid, with the target company’s shares soaring past the bid price to hit 18.5 cents on Monday morning.

Trade in the shares was robust, with 2.8 million shares changing hands by early afternoon compared with the usual daily volume of slightly more than 200,000 shares.

Large stake already owned

Venus said in a statement to the ASX that QGold would keep the offer open until 16 January 2026, and had already acquired a stake of about 26.4% in Venus.

A bidder’s statement lodged with the ASX on Monday said QGold was a private company that currently holds exploration and mining permits in Queensland and Western Australia.

Qgold is also a major shareholder in Rox Resources Ltd (ASX: RXL), owning a 15.8% stake in the company, which Venus itself also owns a 6.9% stake in.

Mr Wallin is also the founder and managing director of QCoal Pty Ltd, which mines coal in Queensland’s Bowen Basin across four deposits and also at the Blackwater coal mine in Queensland, producing about 10 million tonnes of coal per year.

Venus, according to its website, “holds a significant and wide-ranging portfolio of Australian gold, copper, base metals, lithium, titanium, and vanadium exploration projects in Western Australia, in addition to owning a 1% royalty over the Youanmi Gold Mine and being a substantial shareholder of Rox Resources Limited”.

In its most recent quarterly report, Venus stated that it had updated the mineral resource estimate at its 90%-owned Bellchambers gold project in Western Australia, with the resource now standing at 31,400 ounces of contained gold.

The company also explained that it had completed metallurgical test work on samples from the project.

Key findings from the leach test work are Bellchambers ore is highly amenable to conventional processing via gravity recovery followed by cyanide leaching. Rapid and high recoveries confirm the mineralisation is non-refractory and with minimal deleterious elements. Both oxide and sulphide material demonstrate strong gravity response and high leach recoveries, supporting a low-risk, conventional gold processing route.  

Venus was valued at $33.3 million at the close of trade on Friday, when the shares closed at 17 cents. Venus shares have improved from lows of 5.6 cents over the past year.

The post Queensland coal billionaire targets junior miner for takeover appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Gentrack, Monash IVF, Pro Medicus, and Qube shares are racing higher today
• Why are shares in Aussie lithium producers being sold off today?
• Ranking the best “Magnificent Seven” stocks to buy for 2026. Here’s my No. 7 pick.
• This is the price at which I would buy CBA shares
• Why Accent Group, EOS, Mayne Pharma, and Pilbara Minerals shares are falling today

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.

It’s been a rough few months for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price, to put it lightly. Since hitting a new record high of $192 a share back in June (which was the latest in a long line at the time), this ASX 200 bank stock has fallen dramatically.

Right now, CBA shares are going for $153.98 each, after getting as low as $150.48 last week. At the current pricing, Commonwealth Bank shares are down by a dramatic 19.8% from that all-time high we saw just a few months ago.

As we covered earlier this month, this share price dip has somewhat sweetened the deal for ASX dividend investors. After CBA’s dividend yield fell to under 2.6% due to the record share prices seen earlier this year, the bank’s yield has rebounded to over 3.1%.

When CBA shares were pushing those fresh record highs, it was almost common knowledge that they were, to put it lightly, a little too expensive. For one, CBA was trading on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of close to 30, which is almost unheard of for a major bank anywhere in the world. Furthermore, Commonwealth Bank’s dividend yield had not even been close to 2.6% in living memory.

So there were a few warning signs that the $192 price tag might not have been sustainable.

But what about now, with the bank in the low $150s? Does this new share price and higher dividend yield bring this ASX 200 bank closer to the buy zone for me?

At what price would CBA shares be a buy?

Unfortunately, CBA would have to fall by a whole lot more before it finds a place in my portfolio.

I am still at the stage of my investing journey where I prioritise obtaining the highest possible rates of return. CBA just doesn’t fit the bill.

Last week, we went through some analyst predictions on the major ASX banks from Macquarie. The analysts mapped out CBA’s earnings trajectory over the next three financial years, and it made for some sobering reading. Macquarie predicted that CBA’s cash earnings per share (EPS) would rise 2% over FY2026 to $6.25 per share, compared to FY2025’s levels. FY2027 would see growth of 1% to $6.32 in EPS, followed by 3% for FY2027 to $6.52.

That is anaemic by any measure. But particularly so for a bank that is still trading on an earnings multiple of over 25.5 right now.

Macquarie’s analysts might be wrong, of course. But I suspect, given the maturity of CBA’s business, that it won’t be too far from what eventuates.

Commonwealth Bank remains a strong and reliable payer of fully franked dividends, though. To offset this lack of growth, I would consider buying this blue chip if I were offered a suitable level of income. But the dividend yield would need to be attractive.

I might consider adding this bank to my portfolio if it were trading on a dividend yield of at least 5%, preferably higher. But for that to happen, CBA shares would need to drop well below $100 each at the current payout level. I might consider buying at $90, which would yield a dividend of about 5.4% to an investor. But $90 is a long way from $153.98.

The post This is the price at which I would buy CBA shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• How low could CBA shares go in 2026?
• Why the CBA share price valuation is ‘disconnected from fundamentals’
• Commonwealth Bank’s top tier status has begun to unwind, so which bank is looking good according to Wilsons Advisory?
• If I invest $10,000 in CBA shares, how much passive income will I receive in 2026?

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 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.

In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has followed Wall Street’s lead and is charging higher. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 1.1% to 8,509.8 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are falling:

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

The Accent share price is down a further 6% to 96 cents. This footwear retailer’s shares have been under significant pressure since the release of guidance for FY 2026 at the end of last week. Accent revealed that it expects first half earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) in the range of $55 million to $60 million. This is down sharply from $80.7 million in the first half of FY 2025. For the full year, EBIT in the range of $85 million to $95 million is expected. This will be down from $110.2 million in FY 2025. This has been driven by like for like sales weakness and margin pressure due to promotional activity.

Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS)

The EOS share price is down over 2% to $4.48. This may have been driven by optimism that Russia and the Ukraine could soon sign a peace deal. While this would be great news for the world, it could reduce near term demand for drone and counter drone technology. EOS has reported very strong sales growth so far this year.

Mayne Pharma Group Ltd (ASX: MYX)

The Mayne Pharma share price is down a further 18% to $3.65. Investors have been selling this pharmaceutical company’s shares since the Foreign Investment Review Board blocked its takeover by Cosette Pharmaceuticals. It said: “Mayne Pharma was notified by Cosette shortly after market open this morning that it had received written notice from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) stating that the Treasurer has objected to the proposed Scheme. As a result, Mayne Pharma is disappointed to inform shareholders that the FIRB condition precedent to the Scheme will not be satisfied such that the Scheme is unlikely to proceed.” The company is now assessing its options and next steps and will keep the market informed as appropriate.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

The Pilbara Minerals share price is down 2.5% to $3.80. This is despite there being no news out of the lithium miner on Monday. Though, it is worth noting that most ASX lithium stocks are trading lower today. This follows a relatively poor night of trade for their US listed peers on Wall Street on Friday. The Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM) share price fell 2% despite the market rebound.

The post Why Accent Group, EOS, Mayne Pharma, and Pilbara Minerals shares are falling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• What’s Morgans’ view on Accent Group shares after Friday’s sell off?
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• What’s driving a 9% divergence in ASX 200 consumer staples vs. discretionary shares?
• Why Accent, DroneShield, Lovisa, and Pilbara Minerals shares are sinking today
• Why is this ASX 300 stock crashing 18% today?

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

Analysts are always on the lookout for ASX share opportunities that could deliver strong returns. When there’s one buy rating that’s interesting to note, when there are multiple buy ratings, investors may be seeing a clear opportunity.

The two businesses I’m going to cover are not the ASX’s largest companies. Still, they have seen significant earnings growth in the last few years, and analysts are optimistic about what could happen to their share prices going forward.

Let’s look at two of the most well-liked S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) shares right now.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Broker UBS describes Megaport as a network-as-a-service provider, which enables connectivity between customers and the top seven cloud providers across hundreds of data centres on a secure network. Its offering aims to eliminate the fixed-term, bandwidth, and location restraints of the traditional telco model. Customers subscribe monthly to a dedicated port and can scale their usage up and down.

According to the CommSec collation of analyst opinions, there are currently 11 buy ratings and six hold ratings on the business.

The ASX 300 share recently announced a capital raising to fund the acquisition of Latitude.sh and accelerate its expansion in India. Latitude.sh is a global, automated infrastructure platform that’s delivering compute-as-a-service.

The upfront acquisition cost is US$150 million and up to US$150 million of contingent consideration linked to revenue and integration targets.

Megaport says that combining ‘network’ and ‘compute’ is a logical extension of Megaport’s core capability of automating network infrastructure for the hybrid cloud. The ASX tech share is expected to see a 20% revenue increase and an adjusted operating profit (EBITDA) increase of more than 40% following this move.

The company noted that it has delivered a strong performance in the financial year to date, with October 2025 annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $260.1 million (up 22% year-over-year) and FY26 first-quarter revenue of $62.9 million (up 21% year-over-year).

UBS is one of the brokers that has a hold/neutral rating on the business, with a price target of $15.30. At the time of writing, that implies a possible rise of 17% over the next year.

Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN)

Another ASX 300 share with multiple buy ratings is Qantas. There are currently 11 buy ratings on Qantas shares and six hold ratings, according to CommSec.

Qantas has multiple segments that generate business profit, including its domestic flights, international flights, freight division, and Qantas loyalty.

The Qantas share price has drifted lower in recent times, falling more than 20% since September 2025, as the chart below shows.

Broker UBS recently upgraded its rating on Qantas shares to “buy” due to share price weakness and the trading update.

UBS noted that travel demand is proving resilient, for example the domestic revenue growth was around 8% in the first half of FY26. But, the company and wider industry is “showing restraint from growing capacity too strongly”, while the loyalty division continues to provide reliable earnings growth.

The broker has a price rating of $11.50 on the airline, which implies a possible rise of 22% over the next year from where it is at the time of writing.

The post 2 ASX 300 shares highly recommended to buy: Experts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Macquarie tips more than 20% upside for Megaport shares
• Why Aristocrat, Inghams, Life360, and Megaport shares are falling today
• Up 104% this year, guess which ASX 200 tech stock just secured $200 million in new funds
• Megaport announces $220 million capital raise to bankroll a major acquisition
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

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 positions in and has recommended Megaport. 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.

ASX rare earths stocks are back in form today and racing ahead of the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

During the Monday lunch hour, the All Ords is up a welcome 1%.

Now, here’s how these leading ASX rare earths stocks are performing at this same time:

• Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) shares are up 5.3%
• Arafura Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARU) shares are up 3.9%
• Northern Minerals Ltd (ASX: NTU) shares are up 6.5%
• Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) shares are up 4%
• Brazilian Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: BRE) shares are up 2.7%

As you’re likely aware, the rare earths miners have come under heavy selling pressure over the past month – with the above group tumbling anywhere between 15% to 37% – following on the blistering run higher from January.

Despite that past month’s steep decline, here’s how these miners’ year-to-date performance stacks up to the 3.7% gains posted by the All Ords in 2025:

• Lynas Rare Earths shares have gained 136.1%
• Arafura Rare Earths shares have gained 120.8%
• Northern Minerals shares have gained 60%
• Iluka Resources shares have gained 27.8%
• Brazilian Rare Earths shares have gained 90%

Boom!

What’s been stoking investor interest?

ASX rare earths stocks, and their shareholders, have been benefiting from the West’s move to secure supplies outside of China’s control.

Rare earths are critical elements in most modern technologies, including military defence equipment, phones, EVs, and wind turbines, to name a few. And as China has recently demonstrated, it is willing to use its dominance in rare earths to further its own political and trade ambitions.

In late October, this led to United States President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signing a multi-billion-dollar deal that granted the US more access to Australia’s rare earths and other critical minerals.

Australia and the US both agreed to invest more than US$1 billion over six months to spur initial rare earths projects.

Why are ASX rare earths stocks surging today?

Today’s big lift for Lynas shares and its rival ASX rare earths stocks appears to be driven by news out of the European Union.

As Reuters reports, the EU would like to directly invest in Australian critical minerals projects. On Friday, EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said the European trading block would reveal a list of projects it would like to support shortly.

Sefcovic engaged in discussions with Australian Resources Minister Madeleine King last week.

“We see how we are squeezed now on chips and some critical raw materials,” he said, referring to China’s stranglehold on crucial elements.

“We did the first such selection of the projects where we would declare our official interest,” Sefcovic added. “That list should be published very, very soon.”

Stay tuned!

The post How this new development could drive the next big boost for ASX rare earths stocks like Lynas appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is starting the trading week off on an upbeat note after the carnage that we saw last week. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has gained a healthy 0.94%, pushing the index back towards the 8,500-point mark. However, Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) shares are a little more subdued today.

The ASX 200 blue chip and industrial and retail conglomerate is still in positive territory so far this Monday. However, Wesfarmers shares are only up by a relatively tame 0.19% this session. After closing out at $80.03 a share last week, the company is currently sitting at $80.23 a share, up 0.22% for the day thus far.

It’s been a tough few weeks for Wesfarmers. The company reached a new all-time record high of $95.18 per share in August and was trading as high as $94.70 late last month. However, since then, investors seem to have thought better of that kind of pricing. As it stands today, the Wesfarmers share price is a good 15.7% down from that record high, and down 15.3% from where it was at the end of October, a little over three weeks ago.

To be fair, Wesfarmers shares are still up a halthy 12.5% over 2025 to date, and up 11.3% over the past 12 months.

But given the recent share price dip, it might be a good time to check out what kind of dividend yield this ASX 200 blue chip is trading on right now. After all, any experienced dividend investor will tell you that when a stock’s share price falls, the potential dividend yield available to new buyers rises.

And as Wesfarmers shares have long been a favourite of ASX income investors looking for fully-franked dividends, it’s certainly worth a look today.

What is the dividend yield on Wesfarmers shares right now?

So, Wesfarmers shares have paid out two dividends over 2025, as is the company’s habit. The first was the 95-cent-per-share interim dividend that hit shareholders’ bank accounts in April. The second is the October final dividend, worth $1.11 per share. Both of these payments came with full franking credits attached, as is Wesfarmers’ habit. And both payments represented increases over their corresponding 2024 payments (91 cents and $1.07 per share, respectively).

Back in August, when Wesfarmers was at that $95.18 record high, those payouts would have given the company a dividend yield of just 2.16%. But at today’s pricing, the company’s yield now sits at 2.57%. A rather small but still notable improvement, we might say.

Of course, this yield is a trailing one. For investors buying Wesfarmers shares today, the company will need to keep its 2026 dividends at least in line with those paid out this year for it to hold going forward. But it has been many years since Wesfarmers has delivered a dividend cut, so history is arguably on shareholders’ side there.

The post Here’s the dividend yield on Wesfarmers shares right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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