Tag: Stock pick

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

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is a fascinating business. The electric-vehicle and energy company is pushing into autonomous ride-sharing and humanoid robots while still ramping its core electric vehicle and energy storage operations.

I admire what Tesla is building and expect the company to be extremely successful over time. But valuation is a critical part of investing — and at today’s price, the stock already bakes significant growth for years to come, leaving very little margin of safety if the company’s growth plans take longer than expected or if expanding into these new business lines costs more than anticipated.

With this backdrop in mind, I’d buy into the story — but only at the right price.

Growth is recovering

After a sluggish first half of 2025, Tesla returned to double-digit revenue growth in Q3. Total revenue for the period reached $28.1 billion, a 12% increase year over year, driven by record vehicle deliveries and strong demand for large-scale energy storage projects. Automotive revenue rose 6% year over year to about $21.2 billion, while the energy generation and storage segment grew revenue 44% to roughly $3.4 billion as deployments reached 12.5 gigawatt-hours.

The company delivered more than 497,000 vehicles in the quarter.

Profitability, however, told a different story. Third-quarter operating income fell 40% year over year to $1.6 billion, and operating margin dropped to 5.8% from 10.8% a year earlier. Operating expenses increased by 50% to approximately $3.4 billion, as the company invested heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure and new product development.

Valuation and my buy price

As of this writing, the stock has a price-to-earnings ratio of about 270 and trades at about 14 times sales. Those are demanding multiples for a company that still earns most of its revenue from selling vehicles. And even if investors expect Tesla to look more like a high-margin software and services platform over time, today’s valuation already prices this in.

In the meantime, Tesla’s business remains capital-intensive. But management hopes high-margin businesses — self-driving software sales and an autonomous ride-sharing network — can help the company transform into a technology company with tech company-like margins. Then there’s Tesla’s plans for humanoid robots, but it’s unclear what kind of margins it can achieve in such an unprecedented business.

The problem? Each of Tesla’s growth initiatives will require significant sums of capital to scale. In addition, there’s timing risk. These growth initiatives carry technical and regulatory risk that could delay commercialization.

Investors can already see the strain. Operating expenses in the third quarter rose much faster than revenue. That kind of spending is understandable for a company that believes it has an opportunity of unusual size. But does the stock’s valuation leave enough room for the risks associated with building out these new product initiatives?

At a price that values Tesla well over 250 times current earnings and about 170 times forward earnings, even modest setbacks in autonomy timelines or vehicle demand could create sharp swings in the stock.

That is why my own discipline points to a lower entry point. I believe that at around $220 per share, the stock would still carry a valuation that reflects Tesla’s position in electric vehicles and its growth opportunities in higher-margin businesses.

Of course, this doesn’t mean investors should sell shares they already own. Extreme volatility is part of owning a stock with so much future potential baked in. So it’s normal for shares to trade in a wide band. In addition, given Tesla’s long history of incredible growth, the company could very well exceed even my most optimistic expectations.

Still, I’m happy to admire the business from the sidelines and keep my buy price near $220, for now. This, of course, is a moving target that may very well move up over time as I get new information about Tesla’s ever-expanding business.

While there’s no guarantee shares actually fall to this price, I’ll be ready if they do. In the meantime, I’ll take new capital elsewhere. 

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

The post I would buy Tesla stock at this price 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

• Ranking the best “Magnificent Seven” stocks to buy for 2026. Here’s my No. 7 pick.
• 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+

Daniel Sparks and/or his clients have positions in Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Tesla. 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.

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.

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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.

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.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Woodside vs Fortescue shares: One I’d buy and one I’d sell
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• Are Woodside shares still a good buy for passive income?

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.

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.

More reading

• Why Gentrack, IPD, SRG, and Web Travel shares are racing higher today
• This fund manager is bullish on these ASX 300 shares

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.

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.

More reading

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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.

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.

More reading

• Up 107% this year! Another boost for this ASX 300 high-flyer with $650m in new contract wins
• Guess which ASX 200 stock is jumping 14% on record results
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• Why Gentrack, Monash IVF, Pro Medicus, and Qube shares are racing higher today
• Why is this ASX 300 tech stock rocketing 21% today?

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.

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

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.

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

More reading

• Billionaire Warren Buffett sold 74% of Berkshire’s stake in Apple and has piled more than $4 billion into a “Magnificent” stock that’s up over 11,000% since its IPO
• Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway just bought one of my favorite stocks. Is it time to pile in?
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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.

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.

More reading

• What’s going on with Lynas Rare Earths shares today?
• Should you buy Mesoblast, Paladin Energy, and Xero shares?
• How this new development could drive the next big boost for ASX rare earths stocks like Lynas
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Why are ASX uranium stocks like Paladin Energy going gangbusters on Thursday?

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.

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.

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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.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) healthcare share Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC) is off to the races today.

Shares in Australia’s biggest private hospital operator closed yesterday trading for $31.90. In morning trade on Tuesday, shares leapt to $36.38 apiece, up 14%. After some likely profit-taking, in later morning trade, shares are swapping hands for $35.48 each, up 11.2%.

This sees the ASX 200 healthcare stock commanding a market cap of $7.4 billion.

Here’s what’s grabbing investor interest today.

ASX 200 healthcare share lifts off on AGM

Ramsay Health Care shares are surging today on the heels of the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Sydney.

Ramsay Health Care chair, David Thodey, opened the meeting by acknowledging the headwinds that have faced the ASX 200 healthcare share over the past year.

“This year, Ramsay has continued to navigate the industry wide shifts impacting the provision of healthcare services across all our regions,” he said.

Thodey noted:

The operating environment remains challenging, with ongoing cost pressures and the reluctance of some payors to recognise and pay their fair share of these inflationary cost increases. Elysium and Ramsay Santé in particular, face a number of industry headwinds.

But judging by today’s strong share price gains, ASX investors appear to share Thodey and the board’s confidence that the ASX 200 healthcare share’s “refreshed strategy, strengthened group executive team, and a sharpened focus on our core Australian business positions us strongly to navigate the evolving private healthcare landscape and improve earnings in our core Australian business”.

Thodey added:

While there is still much work ahead and cost pressures remain, the Board is encouraged by the progress we are making towards improving the performance of our Australian and UK hospital businesses.

A word from Ramsay Health Care’s CEO

Ramsay Health Care CEO and managing director Natalie Davis, who stepped into the leadership role on 2 December last year, took the podium next.

Davis said:

Over the past year, we’ve maintained our leading patient NPS scores across our regions. We’re growing our clinical trials network in Australia to expand access to new treatments, to strengthen our doctor value proposition and to build partnerships that support clinical innovation.

When the ASX 200 healthcare share released its full-year FY 2025 results on 28 August, the company reported a 1.7% increase in underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) from continuing operations to $305.3 million.

At the AGM today, Davis noted ongoing improvement on the balance sheet.

“Since reporting our full year results, we have successfully refinanced $2.05 billion of Funding Group facilities, extending the duration of our facilities and reducing the margin,” she said.

And she concluded that the ASX 200 healthcare shares is on track with its three key performance priorities, “transforming our market leading Australian hospital business; strengthening our capital discipline and improving capital returns across the portfolio; and evolving our culture of ‘People caring for People’ to innovate and drive performance”.

The post Guess which $7 billion ASX 200 healthcare share is leaping 14% today 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 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.