FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Australian Shares End Slightly Lower; Zip Posts Higher Fiscal Q3 EBTDA, Upgrades Fiscal 2026 Outlook

-- Australian shares were slightly lower at Friday's close as investors awaited potential ​US-Iran diplomacy over the weekend.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index slipped 0.1% or 8.1 points to close at 8,946.90.

US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and said talks between the US and Iran may take place over the weekend. Brent crude oil futures fell over 1% to $98.14 per barrel. Spot gold climbed nearly 1% to $4,830.82 per ounce.

On the domestic front, card activity in Australia rose 1.2% over the March quarter, with quarterly momentum subdued and slowing on the 2% average seen over the June, September, and December quarters in 2025, according to a report by Westpac. The Westpac-DataX Card Tracker Index declined 2.2 points over the three weeks to April 11.

In company news, Zip (ASX:ZIP) reported Friday fiscal third quarter cash earnings before taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBTDA) of AU$65.1 million per share, up from AU$46 million a year earlier. The company said it upgraded its fiscal 2026 group cash EBTDA guidance to be no less than AU$260 million.

Alcoa (ASX:AAI) reported Friday first-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.40 per share, down from $2.15 a year earlier. The company expects 2026 total alumina segment production and shipments to remain unchanged from its prior projection, ranging between 9.7 million to 9.9 million metric tons, and between 11.8 million and 12 million metric tons, respectively.

Lastly, Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) said it now expects fiscal 2026 triuranium octoxide production of between 4.5 million and 4.8 million pounds, up from previous guidance of 4 million to 4.4 million pounds, from the Langer Heinrich Mine in Namibia. Its shares reached a near two-year peak during the trading session.

Related Articles

Research

Research Alert: CFRA Keeps Buy Opinion On Shares Of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We trim our 12-month target price by $8 to $155, valuing HIG shares at 11.3x our 2026 operating EPS estimate of $13.75 (cut by $0.45) and at 10.6x our 2027 EPS estimate of $14.65 (cut by $0.30), vs. the shares' one-year average forward multiple of 10.3x and peer average of 13x. Q1 EPS of $3.09 vs. $2.20 a year ago missed our $3.60 estimate and $3.39 consensus view. Operating revenue growth of 6.2% was in line with our 6%-10% forecast, amid 5.3% earned premium growth, 13% higher net investment income, and 7.9% fee revenue growth. Q1 written premium growth of 4% and full-year 2025 growth of 7% bode well for 2026 revenue trends as premiums are earned. Underwriting results improved significantly, with Personal Lines combined ratio improving to 87.7% from 106.1% and underlying combined ratio to 85.0% from 89.7%. Business Insurance combined ratio was stable at 94.8%. Weighing the Q1 EPS miss with HIG's decent top-line growth and discounted valuation to peers, we view the shares as undervalued.

$HIG
Research

Research Alert: CFRA Keeps Strong Buy Opinion On Shares Of Baker Hughes

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We raise our 12-month target price by $14 to $82, reflecting a combination of our sum-of-the-parts (SOTP) and DCF models. For our SOTP model, we presume the oilfield services business (about 50% of BKR's franchise) to be valued at about 10x projected 2027 EBITDA (in line with major peers) and its industrial energy technology business (the other 50%) valued at 14x projected 2027 EBITDA (in line with the peer median). This blended approach, yielding a 12x multiple, implies a value of $73 per share. Meanwhile, our DCF model, using medium-term free cash flow growth of 5% per year, terminal growth of 2.5%, discounted at a WACC of 6.3%, yields intrinsic value of $91 per share. We cut our 2026 EPS estimate by $0.47 to $2.48, but we raise 2027's by $0.07 to $3.24. We acknowledge that the oilfield services business is likely to struggle in 2026 owing to the U.S.-Iran conflict, but the IET business appears quite robust and likely to be a source of both accelerating revenue growth and margins.

$BKR
Research

Research Alert: CFRA Maintains Hold Opinion In Shares Of Wab

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We lift our 12-month target to $285 from $275 following WAB's Q1 earnings print, valuing shares at 24.2x our 2027 EPS outlook of $11.76 (revised from $11.46; 2026 EPS estimate up to $10.57 from $10.50), a slight premium to WAB's long-term historical multiple average given structural improvements in earnings quality. While we are cautious on signs of overcapacity in the freight market, an elevated order backlog (12-month sits at over $9 billion), internal initiatives to shore up margins, and potential synergies from M&A activity positions WAB to continue growing earnings at double-digit rates in 2026-2027, in our view. Despite tariff-related cost pressures, WAB has done a commendable job of defending margins via a mix of pricing, lean manufacturing, and pruning of lower-profit operations. Q1 results were mixed but overall positive, in our view. We maintain our Hold recommendation on shares.

$WAB