Tag: Stock pick

Imaging services provider Integral Diagnostics Ltd (ASX: IDX) has delivered a profit result that is making the analysts sit up and take notice.

The company, which operates healthcare imaging centres across Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement to the ASX on Tuesday morning that it had grown its first-half revenue by 55.6% to $393.5 million, while operating EBITDA was up 75.6% to $81.1 million.

Net profit came in at $9 million compared with a $400,000 loss for the same period the previous year.

Managing Director Dr Ian Kadish said of the result:

The group delivered a strong first half result with solid revenue growth at improved margins. This resulted in enhanced returns to shareholders with operating diluted earnings per share up 66% and a fully franked interim dividend of 3.3 cents per share, up 32.0%. Consistent with previous expectations, the merger with Capitol Health is providing IDX with enhanced operational scale and a broader network, a stronger platform for clinical outcomes and growth, and the opportunity to drive further margin improvement over time as evidenced by the strong results for the first half. The integration of Capitol Health has proceeded to plan, with $14.0 million-plus of annual synergies realised, significantly exceeding initial expectations of at least $10. million.

Shares looking cheap

Analysts at Jarden and RBC Capital Markets have had a look at the results, and like what they see.

The Jarden team said it was a “very strong” result with underlying net profit beating consensus estimates by 13%.

They said the recent sell-off of the company’s shares had been on fears of rising labour costs, “which has a been a theme across healthcare service companies”, but at Integral Diagnostics labour costs were actually lower as a proportion of revenue, “reflecting workforce synergies, as well as increased use of tele-radiology”.

They said the company was also off to a good start in the second half with 7.8% revenue growth for January.

Jarden has a price target of $3.35 on Integral Diagnostics shares compared with $2.41 currently, up 0.63% for the day.

RBC Capital Markets has a price target of $3.50 on the shares and also said it was a positive result for the company.

They added:

While reported net profit after tax was a miss due to higher than expected transaction, restructuring and integration costs, we expect the market will like the 1H26 EBITDA margin of 20.6% which came ahead of guidance of 20%, as well as management retaining FY26 guidance for an EBITDA margin of about 21%. The stock has been weak leading into this result, therefore we expect the stock could experience a relief rally today on the earnings achieved in 1H26 and trading in Jan 26.

Integral Diagnostics will pay a 3.3-cent dividend on April 2 to shareholders on the books on March 5. The dividend is 32% than that paid for the same period last year.

The company was valued at $898.8 million at the close of trade on Monday.

The post Analysts agree, this healthcare company’s shares are looking cheap appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 super small-cap ASX shares that could be destined for big things

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

The ASX dividend stock Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF) is a top pick because of the passive income yield and the attractive value on offer.

The farmland real estate investment trust (REIT) just reported its FY26 half-year result. The income and earnings were not a surprise, but the ongoing growth of the net asset value (NAV) was a pleasing positive.

As a reminder, the business owns a portfolio of farmland across Australia that includes cattle, almonds, vineyards, macadamias and cropping.

Strong rental earnings

The business has a diverse portfolio of assets and a strong group blue-chip tenants, giving Rural Funds resilient rental income each year. Around 84% of forecast income for FY26 comes from corporate and institutional tenants.

It has rental growth built into its contracts which are linked to either inflation, or the contract(s) has fixed annual increases. It can also develop farms to unlock more rental income, either by adding infrastructure or changing it to a better form of crop.

For the first six months of FY26, the business reported that net property income increased 6.8% to $48.6 million, primarily due to additional rental income earned on macadamias developments.

Pleasingly, its rental income is locked in for the long-term because it has a long weighted average lease expiry (WALE) of around 13 years, which is one of the longest in the ASX REIT sector.

Great value ASX dividend stock

Rural Funds regularly tells investors what its portfolio is worth with the adjusted NAV figure  â€“ it’s adjusted to include the market value of the water entitlements it owns. The NAV includes all assets and liabilities, including the property portfolio, loans, cash and so on.

In the first half of FY26, it reported that its adjusted NAV grew by 0.6% to $3.10. This means that, at the time of writing, it’s trading at a discount of more than 30%, which is very attractive to me.

There are not many asset-heavy businesses on the ASX trading at a discount of 30% to their underlying value. That makes it a bargain buy, in my opinion.

Strong passive income yield

The ASX dividend stock is expecting to pay a very pleasing distribution during FY26, equating to a very attractive yield.

The Rural Funds unit price has risen 4% during February (at the time of writing), but the business still offers a very good yield.

Its distribution guidance of 11.73 cents per unit translates into a potential passive income yield of 5.5%, which is better than what term deposits are offering. I’m expecting the distribution to increase in the coming years as rental earnings increase.

The post Why I’d buy this top ASX dividend stock for a 5.5% passive income yield appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ASX dividend shares to buy for passive income
• 3 top ASX dividend shares to buy with $5,000
• 3 defensive ASX dividend shares that analysts are tipping as top buys
• 2 ASX REIT stocks I want to buy for a lifetime of passive income!
• Is this the right time to invest in ASX defensive shares?

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Rural Funds Group. 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 positions in and has recommended Rural Funds Group. 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) gold stocks, including Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) shares, are shooting the lights out today.

In morning trade on Tuesday, Northern Star shares are up 4.4% to $30.57 each. Evolution Mining shares are close behind, up 4% today at $16.20 apiece.

For some context, the ASX 200 is up 0.2% at this same time while the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) – which also contains some smaller gold miners outside of the ASX 200 – is up 2.5%.

Here’s how these other top ASX 200 gold stocks are performing on Tuesday:

• Newmont Corp (ASX: NEM) shares are up 0.7%
• Ramelius Resources Ltd(ASX: RMS) shares are up 3.7%
• Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) shares are up 0.8%
• Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) shares are up 1.3%
• Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) shares are up 1.2%
• Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) shares are up 2.6%
• Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) shares are up 2.7%
• Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) shares are up 1.3%

Here’s what’s catching ASX investor interest today.

Why are ASX 200 gold stocks smashing the benchmark today?

Investors are piling into Aussie gold miners like Evolution Mining and Northern Star shares today amid renewed concerns over US President Donald Trump’s global tariff plans.

With the US Supreme Court striking down Trump’s earlier nation-by-nation tariffs as exceeding his authority, Trump now aims to level a potential 15% tariff on every nation for up to 150 days.

That’s played into gold’s haven status, with the yellow metal jumping early this morning to US$5,248 per ounce. At the time of writing, gold is fetching US$5,481 per ounce. This sees the gold price up 12.5% from the recent lows on 2 February and up a blistering 80% since this time last year.

And, as you’d expect, with higher gold prices, ASX 200 gold stocks tend to deliver juicier profits, which is driving investor interest in Aussie miners today.

What the experts are saying about the gold price

Commenting on the resurgent gold price that’s sending Northern Star and Evolution Mining shares soaring today, Bloomberg markets strategist Mark Cranfield said:

Gold’s strength amid a lower positioning from hedge funds shows that there’s further position upside. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission data shows that the net-long position for gold futures have fallen to the lowest level in nearly a year.

Vasu Menon, strategist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp, also has a bullish medium-term outlook for the gold price. But he cautioned about short-term volatility, which could also see some price swings in ASX 200 gold stocks.

According to Menon:

There are enough structural factors in favour of gold in the medium term. In the short term, however, expect gold prices to be volatile after the sharp gains in recent months given still-unfolding developments with US trade policy, and the situation in Iran.

The post Why are ASX 200 gold stocks like Evolution Mining and Northern Star shares going gangbusters on Tuesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Buy, hold, or sell? Guzman Y Gomez, Megaport, and Newmont shares
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Should you buy Digico, Magellan, and Ramelius shares?
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

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.

Shares in Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings (ASX: NEC) are up 4% at the time of writing after the media group announced its second consecutive half of EBITDA growth, driven by strong subscription momentum at its streaming platform Stan and resilient performance from its metro mastheads including the Australian Financial Review.

Despite revenue softness in broadcast television, investors appeared encouraged by profit growth, margin expansion and improving balance sheet strength following the sale of Domain.

What did Nine report?

On a continuing business basis, Nine reported revenue of $1.06 billion for the six months to 31 December 2025, down 5% on the prior corresponding period.

However, Group EBITDA before specific items rose 6% to $192 million, with the EBITDA margin expanding from 16% to 18%. Net profit after tax (before specific items) increased 30% to $95 million, while statutory net profit rose 42% to $81 million.

Earnings per share lifted 30% to 6.0 cents. The board declared an interim dividend of 4.5 cents per share, unfranked.

Nine ended the half in a net cash position of $158 million following the Domain disposal, a significant shift from prior leverage.

What else do investors need to know?

The standout performer was Stan.

Stan revenue increased 15% to $282.7 million, underpinned by strong subscriber growth and a 6% lift in average revenue per user (ARPU). Paying subscribers are now around 2.4 million. Importantly, average Stan Sport subscribers rose 40% year-on-year, driven primarily by the addition of the English Premier League and FA Cup rights.

Stan EBITDA rose 24% to $36.6 million, even as sport-related costs increased due to the new Premier League contract.

In contrast, Total Television revenue fell 14% against a strong Olympic comparison and a soft advertising market. However, disciplined cost management meant Total TV EBITDA was broadly flat at $99 million, with margins improving.

Publishing delivered stable EBITDA of $73.7 million. Digital subscription revenue grew 17%, with total subscribers exceeding 516,000 and ARPU up 14%, more than offsetting print declines.

Across the group, around $43 million of cost efficiencies were delivered during the half, with approximately $32 million ongoing.

What did management say?

CEO Matt Stanton said the result reflected strong audience reach, growing subscription revenue and disciplined cost management despite macro uncertainty.

He highlighted strategic progress including the announced acquisition of outdoor media business QMS and the sale of Nine Radio, positioning Nine toward higher-growth digital assets.

What’s next for Nine?

Nine expects Total TV revenue in the third quarter to be broadly flat against a strong prior-year comparator. Strong EBITDA growth is expected to continue at Stan, with subscription growth anticipated to more than offset higher sport costs.

With digital and subscription businesses now driving a growing share of earnings, investors appear to be backing Nine’s strategic pivot toward streaming, publishing and outdoor growth platforms.

The post Nine shares jump 4% as Stan and Premier League power profit growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Nine Entertainment grows earnings, focuses on digital future
• Near 52-week lows: Which ASX media share is the smarter buy?
• Is this battered ASX media stock turning the page after bold move?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Kevin Gandiya has no positions 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 Nine Entertainment. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Shares in Monadelphous Group Ltd (ASX: MND) have piled on the gains to hit a new record high after the company comfortably beat expectations with its earnings result.

The company, which provides mining and engineering services, posted record revenue of $1.53 billion for the first half of the year, up 45.6% on the previous corresponding period, while EBITDA was up $116.2 million, also 45.6% higher.

Expectations surpassed

RBC Capital Markets, which has an outperform rating on Monadelphous, said the earnings result was a 15% beat to consensus estimates, and the result quality was “strong”.

Monadelphous said in its statement to the ASX on Tuesday that the business performed strongly across the board.

As it said:

The company experienced strong operating conditions across all sectors, with activity levels supported by the record level of work secured during the previous financial year. The Engineering Construction division delivered revenue of $677.8 million1 for the six months, an increase of around 67 per cent on the prior corresponding period, supported by service expansion and growing capability in end-to-end delivery. Zenviron, the Company’s renewable energy business, also experienced increased activity from larger wind and battery energy storage projects. The Maintenance and Industrial Services division reported half year revenue of $852 million, up 32.1 per cent, driven by an increase in energy sector activity, together with sustained strong demand from iron ore customers.

The company said it finished the half-year with a cash balance of $322 million after strong cash flow from operations of $171.1 million for the half.

The company said its order book also remained strong with $1.4 billion in new work secured since the start of the financial year.

Management confident

Monadelphous Managing Director Zoran Bebic said the expectation was that full-year revenue would be about 30% up on the previous year.

He added:

Long-term demand in the resources and energy sectors is expected to continue, supported by an improved global economic growth outlook. Continued investment in new and existing operations in Western Australia’s iron ore sector is driving demand for both maintenance and construction services, with the energy sector to offer substantial prospects. The outlook for energy transition metals is strengthening, and Australia’s Net Zero emissions objective continues to drive long-term investment in energy generation, storage and transmission infrastructure. Leveraging its broad services capability, Monadelphous is well positioned to capitalise on the growing pipeline of opportunities.

RBC said the revenue guidance was up from previous expectations of 20% to 25% growth.

Monadelphous declared an interim dividend of 49 cents per share, fully franked, compared with 33 cents for the same period last year.

Monadelphous shares were trading 15.7% higher in early trade at a record high of $35.43.

The post Monadelphous shares surge to a new record as profits trounce expectations appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Monadelphous Group posts record half-year result as new contracts boom
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• ASX All Ords shares smashing 52-week highs 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.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is trading in the green this morning after finishing 1.84% higher on Friday last week. 

The third week of the earnings season saw some sectors soar. ASX 200 tech shares rebounded while strong results and higher oil prices pushed the index to a record high on Thursday. 

New data from CommSec revealed the Australian shares that were most traded by its clients last week, and some major players have made the list.

CommSec’s 5 most-traded ASX shares last week

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) shares dominated investor attention last week after they crashed following the company’s half-year FY26 results announcement. 

At the close of the ASX on Thursday afternoon, Zip shares had dropped 33.87% to $1.865 a piece. The share price has continued tumbling this week too. At the time of writing the shares have fallen 41.13% since its results announcement less than one week ago.

The price crash ignited investor interest though. Zip shares were the most traded among Commsec clients last week, and by a significant margin too. The data shows 76% of activity was from buyers who were, mostly likely, taking advantage of the low trading price.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) were also among the favorite ASX shares last week. The stock was the second-most traded among Commsec clients, with 66% from buying activity. 

The biotech stock had a subdued week last week after it crashed 15% following its half-year results and shock CEO exit earlier this month. At the time of writing the shares are down 13.88% for the year-to-date.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares were the third most-traded among Commsec investors, although most of the activity (55%) was investors selling up their stake in the mining giant.

The miner’s share price jumped nearly 6% throughout the course of last week. The gains have continued through to this morning too. BHP shares are now up 20.43% for the year-to-date. This implies the selling activity is likely investors taking strong recent gains off the table.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) shares were the third most traded last week. Most activity (68%) was from buyers after the shares dropped another 2% throughout the week, even despite a broader tech sector uplift. WiseTech shares are now down 35.62% at the time of writing.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares were the fifth most-traded, but most of the activity (76%) was investors selling up their stock. This is most likely investors taking profits after the shares jumped 10% following the bank’s surprisingly strong half-year results announcement earlier this month.

What other ASX shares were investors interested in?

There was also a flurry of interest in buying Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS), Droneshield Ltd (ASX:DRO), Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) and Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) shares last week. 

There was also a lot of selling activity around Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares throughout the week. 

The post Zip, CSL and BHP among CommSec’s most-traded ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Woodside share price outperforming today?
• ARB Corporation: Profit drops, but US growth accelerates
• Ingenia Communities affirms top-end guidance after first-half results
• Viva Energy Group FY25 earnings: Higher second-half profit and dividend declared
• Bell Potter says this ASX counter-drone stock could rise 25%

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 positions in and has recommended Appen, CSL, DroneShield, Electro Optic Systems, Telix Pharmaceuticals, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, CSL, and Telix Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) shares are out of form on Tuesday morning.

At the time of writing, the conglomerate’s shares are down over 2% to $80.69.

This compares unfavourably to the performance of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which is currently up 0.2%.

Why are Wesfarmers shares underperforming?

The good news is that today’s decline has nothing to do with a broker downgrade or a disappointing update.

In fact, today’s decline could arguably be described as a positive for shareholders. That’s because it indicates that pay day is on its way.

This morning, Wesfarmers shares have traded ex-dividend. When this happens, it means the rights to an upcoming dividend are now locked in.

As a result, any investors that are buying the Bunnings and Kmart owner’s shares today would not be entitled to receive the payout when it is made. Instead, the dividend will be sent to the seller of the shares, even though they no longer feature in their portfolio.

And with a dividend representing cold hard cash, which forms part of a company’s valuation, a share price will tend to decline on the ex-dividend date to reflect this. After all, new investors don’t want to pay for something that they won’t receive.

The Wesfarmers dividend

Last week, Wesfarmers released its half-year results and revealed a 3.1% increase in revenue to $24.2 billion and a 9.3% lift in net profit after tax to $1.6 billion.

Management advised that this was driven by strong earnings growth from its major divisions, led by Bunnings, Kmart Group, and WesCEF.

The Bunnings business delivered higher sales across all categories and geographies, while Kmart Group benefited from strong demand for its popular Anko ranges.

Wesfarmers’ managing director, Rob Scott, said:

Wesfarmers’ increase in profit was supported by strong earnings contributions from our largest divisions – Bunnings, Kmart Group and WesCEF. During the half, Wesfarmers’ divisions benefited from productivity initiatives to navigate ongoing challenging market conditions.

Despite a modest improvement in consumer demand, higher costs continued to weigh on many households and businesses, and residential construction activity remained subdued. The divisions performed well, driving productivity to mitigate cost pressures and keep prices low for customers.

This ultimately allowed the Wesfarmers board to declare a fully franked interim dividend of $1.02 per share. This is up 7.4% on the prior corresponding period.

Eligible shareholders can now look forward to receiving this payout next month. Wesfarmers is scheduled to pay it in around five weeks on 31 March 2026.

The post Why are Wesfarmers shares tumbling today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How to build a $40,000 ASX share portfolio in 5 years
• Is Wesfarmers stock a post-earnings buy?
• Buy, hold, sell: Wesfarmers, Westpac, and Woolworths shares
• 4 reasons to buy Wesfarmers shares today
• 3 of the best Aussie stocks I would buy

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 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.

ASX dividend shares can provide retirees with a pleasing level of passive income that can’t be found elsewhere, often outperforming both commercial property and term deposits.

Share prices can be volatile during certain periods, but dividends can be much more consistent because it’s the board of directors who decide the level of the payout, assuming the company has the profit reserve to do so.

The great thing about companies is that they can pay a dividend and grow their profit over time, leading to larger dividends and hopefully share price growth.

The ASX dividend share I want to highlight that could appeal to retirees is Future Generation Global Ltd (ASX: FGG). It’s a listed investment company (LIC) with a number of pleasing attributes. LICs generate profit by making returns from an investment portfolio.

Big dividend yield and diversification

The business has been very consistent with its dividend growth for investors. It paid an annual dividend per share of 1 cent in FY18 and has increased its payout every year since.

In the recently-announced FY25 result, it grew its regular annual payout by 8% to 8 cents per share. Its regular dividend translates into a grossed-up dividend yield of 7.1%, including franking credits. Additionally, it declared a special dividend per share of 3 cents with the FY25 result, boosting the passive income for investors.

That means the FY25 payout comes to a total grossed-up dividend yield of 9.8%. I’m expecting the regular dividend to rise again in FY26.

This LIC has generated investment returns through its portfolio, which is invested in a number of funds managed by different fund managers. The fact that it’s invested in 16 different funds gives it enormous diversification with exposure to more than 3,500 underlying shares across different sectors and markets.

Over the past seven years, the Future Generation Global portfolio has returned an average of 10.4% per year, which is enough for the ASX dividend share to pay a good dividend and still deliver growth in the value of the portfolio over time.

Admirable setup

A typical LIC charges management fees to investors, which is understandable, but it does mean investors are losing some of the returns to investment professionals.

Future Generation Global does not charge management fees (or performance fees). Instead, the LIC donates 1% of its net assets to youth mental health charities. That’s a very worthwhile cause and means millions of dollars can be donated each year.

Not only is it delivering good passive income for retirees, but you can feel great about it too.

Appealing discount

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) should trade at the underlying values of their portfolio, while LICs can sometimes trade at a discount or premium to their underlying value (usually measured by the net tangible assets (NTA)). At the end of January 2026, it had NTA of $1.693 per share.

At the time of writing, it’s trading at a 5.5% discount. I think it’s appealing to buy a business when it’s clearly trading at a discount to its underlying value.

The post Why this ASX dividend share is a retiree’s dream! appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Analysts agree, this healthcare company’s shares are looking cheap
• Why I’d buy this top ASX dividend stock for a 5.5% passive income yield
• Why are ASX 200 gold stocks like Evolution Mining and Northern Star shares going gangbusters on Tuesday?
• Nine shares jump 4% as Stan and Premier League power profit growth
• Monadelphous shares surge to a new record as profits trounce expectations

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Future Generation Global. 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 Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price is pushing higher today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy stock closed yesterday trading for $27.10. In early morning trade on Tuesday, shares are changing hands for $27.36 apiece, up 1.0%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is up 0.3% at this same time.

This follows the release of Woodside’s full calendar year 2025 results.

Here are the highlights.

Woodside share price lifts on record production

The Woodside share price is marching higher today with the company achieving all-time high full year production of 198.8 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe), topping 2025 production guidance.

Management credited the record result to strong production at its Sangomar project, located offshore Senegal, which produced at nameplate capacity for most of the year. Woodside’s operated Pluto LNG and NWS Project assets also were highlighted as high-end performers.

Pleasingly costs came down in 2025, declining 4% year on year to US$7.8 per barrel of oil equivalent (boe). Though realised prices declined even more, falling 5% from 2024 to US$60.2/boe.

Over the 12 months, the ASX 200 oil and gas stock raked in $12.98 billion in revenue, down 1% from 2024. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $9.28 billion were in line with 2024 earnings.

On the bottom line, Woodside’s net profit after tax (NPAT) of $2.72 billion was down 24% from 2024, while underlying NPAT of $2.65 billion declined by 8%.

But the Woodside share price looks to be getting some support after management declared a final fully franked dividend of US 59 cents per share. That’s up 11% from last year’s final payout (in US dollar terms).

Adding in the interim Woodside dividend, the company will have paid out a total of US$2.1 billion in passive income to shareholders for the 2025 calendar year.

If you want to bag that final Woodside dividend, you’ll need to own shares at market close on 4 March. Woodside trades ex-dividend on 5 March. You can then expect to see that passive income land in your bank account on 27 March.

On the major growth project front, Scarborough is 94% complete with first LNG cargo forecast late this year. Woodside’s Louisiana LNG project is now 22% complete.

What did management say?

Commenting on the results helping lift the Woodside share price today, acting CEO Liz Westcott said:

Sangomar produced at nameplate capacity of 100,000 barrels per day for most of 2025 at almost 99% reliability. This translated into $2.6 billion of EBITDA (Woodside share) generated since start-up, demonstrating the asset’s value.

Looking ahead, Westcott added:

Woodside’s objectives for 2026 are clear: ramp up Beaumont; deliver first LNG cargo from Scarborough; and continue progressing Louisiana LNG and Trion to schedule and budget.

The post Why is the Woodside share price outperforming today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Woodside Energy Group posts record 2025 production and maintains dividend
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• 3 ASX 200 shares powering higher in 2026
• Why did the Woodside share price just hit an 18-month high?

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.

Morgans has just updated its recommendations for a number of popular ASX shares, three of which are named below.

Is the broker bullish, bearish, or something in-between? Let’s find out.

Guzman Y Gomez Ltd (ASX: GYG)

Morgans notes that this quick service restaurant operator continues to perform strongly in the Australian market. But the same cannot be said for its US operations, which are a big disappointment given its bold global expansion ambitions.

However, Morgans remains positive and believes it can replicate its local success overseas. As a result, it has retained its buy rating with a reduced price target of $24.00. It said:

If it was just about Australia, GYG would be doing just fine right now. In its home market, it continues to outperform the broader QSR industry both in terms of comp sales and network expansion. Australian earnings were up strongly in 1H26, much as we had expected. But it’s not just about Australia. GYG came to market with a strategy for global expansion that was breathtakingly ambitious. The first big opportunity was the US. Unfortunately, the pace of network expansion in the US so far has been pedestrian and the restaurants it has opened have lost more money than expected. It was a further step-up in US losses that disappointed investors most today and caused group EBITDA to fall 7% short of our forecast.

We do believe global growth will click into gear at some point to complement a very healthy Australian business. We maintain a BUY rating, though our revised 12-month target sees the share price recovering to $24.00 rather than the $32.30 we had before. GYG has a bit to prove, but we can be certain it is going to give it all it’s got to ultimately realise its growth ambitions.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Morgans was pleased with Megaport’s performance during the first half, noting that its earnings were stronger than expected.

In response, the broker has retained its buy rating with a $15.50 price target. Commenting on the ASX 200 share, it said:

MP1’s 1H26 result was a beat relative to our and consensus EBITDA expectations. Revenue was inline, with gross profit higher and OPEX lower than expected. FY26 guidance is broadly inline with our expectations. However, the 1H/2H skew and composition are meaningfully different. This necessitates a huge increase in OPEX from 1H26 into 2H26 which leaves us thinking guidance looks conservative.

Cycling 2H26 OPEX into FY27 and beyond causes us to reduce our FY27 and FY28 EBITDA forecasts by ~20%, while concurrently lifting our revenue forecasts by ~6%. Our valuation declines to $15.50 and we retain our Buy recommendation.

Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM)

This gold miner impressed with its fourth-quarter update. However, due to its current valuation, the broker only rates Newmont shares as accumulate (between buy and hold) with a $187.00 price target. It said:

4Q25 earnings result was a material beat. Key positives: earnings well ahead of expectations and 2026 guidance in-line with expectations. Key negatives: no increase in per share dividend, elevated spend over next few years, limited clarity on when NEM intends to reach its 6Mozpa target. Move to an ACCUMULATE rating with a A$187ps Target Price.

The post Buy, hold, or sell? Guzman Y Gomez, Megaport, and Newmont shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Another broker puts a buy recommendation on Guzman y Gomez shares
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Why Coronado, G8 Education, Megaport, and Perenti shares are dropping today
• Why UBS just upgraded Guzman Y Gomez shares to a buy

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Megaport. 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.