0149 GMT - WiseTech Global's bull at Bell Potter wonders whether the logistics-software provider might be the next relatively large-cap Australian stock to rally. With an unchanged buy rating on the stock, analyst Chris Savage tells clients in a note that worries over its former executive chair's personal life and on potential earnings risks should start to dissipate over the coming months. The former is being addressed with the appointment of a new chair and Savage thinks the latter should follow next month, when he expects WiseTech to achieve its fiscal 2026 guidance. He acknowledges some risk on revenue but thinks this will be offset by margin strength. Bell Potter keeps a target price of 71.75 Australian dollars on the stock, which is down 2.7% at A$34.00. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
0129 GMT - Australian wealth platform Hub24 is one of the stocks Morgan Stanley analysts recommend keeping an eye on over the coming reporting season. The MS analysts point out that the recent share-price decline has come amid a broader derating of Australian technology stocks, but that consensus expectations for Hub24 earnings have continued to creep higher. They tell clients in a note that regulatory barriers offer protection against increased competition, and that expectations for June-quarter flows have moderated thanks to commentary at rival Netwealth that Middle East uncertainty and tax changes are having an impact. MS has an unchanged overweight rating on the stock and a target price of 120.00 Australian dollars. Shares are up 2.4% at A$85.21. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
0107 GMT - Zip's bull at Citi sees potential for the Australian payments provider to beat his full-year earnings forecast on operating costs. Maintaining a buy rating on the stock, analyst Siraj Ahmed tells clients in a note that Citi's analysis of company hiring activity points to a slowdown, which could result in lower-than-expected operating costs for the 12 months through June 2026. Pointing to stronger U.S. volume growth and transaction margins, Ahmed raises his fiscal 2026 cash earnings forecast to 265 million Australian dollars. Citi raises its target price by 37% to A$3.55. Shares are down 1.2% at A$2.945. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
0056 GMT - Global financial markets are likely facing a "triple whammy," Mizuho Securities (Singapore)'s Vishnu Varathan says in an email. First, the "U.S.-Iran conflict escalation [is] teetering on a hot Middle East war," the head of Macro Strategy for APAC says. Second, there are "AI shivers amid overheated valuation worries - triggered by China's Moonshot [AI]," which released the Kimi K3 large language model, he notes. Third, there are "hawkish Fed bets amid worries of hot and sticky inflation," Varathan says. "The threat of a sweltering summer meltdown cannot be dismissed, given the triple-whammy," Varathan adds. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
0046 GMT - Drinks-to-hotels group Endeavour gets a new bear in Morgan Stanley, which worries that risks to earnings are being compounded by ongoing capital constraints. MS downgrades Endeavour to underweight, from equal-weight. Its price target falls 6.3% to A$3.00/share. "A sales recovery likely requires ongoing price investment, leaving earnings quality lower and limiting scope for a re-rating until sales (and then margins) stabilize," analyst Melinda K. Baxter says. Endeavour falls 4.4% to A$3.29. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)
0045 GMT - Regis Resources' 2H dividend is likely to surprise the market positively, reckons Macquarie. It forecasts a final payout of A$0.18/share. That's some 15% higher than consensus expectations of A$0.157/share. It equates to a FY 2026 dividend yield of 6.0%, which Macquarie describes as exceptional for a gold stock. "Additionally, in an upside scenario where we increased our dividend payout ratio to 50% this would increase our forecast 2HFY26 dividend of A$0.25 (59% above Visible Alpha of A$0.157) and lifting FY26 dividend yield to 7.1%," Macquarie says. It has an outperform call on Regis. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)
0034 GMT - AMP's 1H profit beat was largely driven by growth that Macquarie analysts think should be recurring. The Australian financial group expects a 1H underlying profit of between A$170 million and A$180 million, which is at least A$27 million ahead of where Macquarie's analysts thought it would be. The profit contribution from AMP's China partnerships accounts for A$25 million of the beat relative to the investment bank's forecasts. The analysts tell clients in a note that this growth appears to be recurring, but say they are waiting for more detail about what led to the outcome. Macquarie raises its target price on the stock 6.6% to 1.94 Australian dollars and maintains a neutral rating. Shares are up 1.2% at A$2.045. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
0020 GMT - Navigator Global Investments' bull at Macquarie sees the alternative-asset manager entering its new fiscal year with good momentum. Resuming coverage of the stock with an outperform rating, one of the investment bank's analysts writes in a note that 4Q assets-under-management growth across both its Lighthouse and NGI Strategic portfolios provides a solid platform for FY 2027, which began July 1. The analyst tells clients that this is before the expected contributions from the acquisition of its Stable Growth Portfolio, which closed this month. For the most recent fiscal year, Macquarie sees Navigator hitting the midpoint of the company's US$100 million-US$104 million adjusted Ebitda guidance range. Macquarie puts a A$3.28 target price on the stock, which is down 0.85% at A$2.34. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
2349 GMT - Jarden's overweight call on Ramsay Health Care is underpinned by expected improvements in its private-hospital business in Australia. That includes an expanded market share and increase in surgical mix. Analyst Steve Wheen also expects Ramsay to lift capacity utilization and expand margins slightly as it achieves private health insurance agreements that cover wage inflation. "In addition, a re-orientation of the Ramsay portfolio should assist with the business's cash generation and returns," Jarden says, noting Ramsay is selling assets in Europe and at home. It retains a A$45.20/share price target on Ramsay, which ended last week at A$43.12. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)
2227 GMT - Resistance to the construction of data centers in Australia to support the artificial intelligence industry continues to heat up. The Housing Industry Association, a peak industry body, says housing must remain a central consideration as Australia expands its digital infrastructure. Governments must not lose sight of the country's most urgent challenge, which is delivering enough homes for a growing population, it says. There is already growing competition for land, electricity, water and infrastructure at a time when governments are struggling to deliver the housing supply needed to improve affordability, HIA adds. (james.glynn@wsj.com; X @JamesGlynnWSJ)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 20, 2026 01:01 ET (05:01 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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