Azzet reports on three stocks with price moving updates today.
BHP slips after guiding to higher copper production ~
Shareholders in BHP (ASX: BHP) witnessed a notable pullback of 1.9% by 1:45 pm AEDT (2:45 am GMT) after the big miner guided to higher FY26 copper production of 1.9-2.0 million tonnes, up from 1.8-2.0 million tonnes.
This is being driven by increased production guidance from the Escondida project in Chile and the Antamina project in Peru.
While BHP clearly plans to capitalise on record copper prices – with average realised copper prices in the first-half of FY26 up 32% year on year to US$5.28 per pound - the market is also witnessing a retreat from all-time record highs reached earlier in the month.
After surging past $13,000 per metric ton on the London Metal Exchange (LME) on January 5-6, 2026, prices have retreated as speculative capital takes profits.
What appears to be creating an overhang for some metals - including copper – is regulatory pressure following a recent crackdown by Chinese regulators on high-frequency trading (HFT) in metals markets, plus lingering tariff uncertainty.
However, despite these macro headwinds, management expects copper prices to remain buoyed by healthy demand and supply disruptions at a number of competitors.
Commenting on today’s update, BHP's CEO, Mike Henry, told the market that Escondida’s copper production guidance range has been lifted from between 1,150 and 1,250 kilo tonnes to 1,200 and 1,275 kilo tonnes, while Antamina’s guidance has been increased from between 120 and 140 kilo tonnes to between 140 and 150 kilo tonnes.
‘Our flagship copper operation, Escondida, achieved record concentrator throughput and we have increased the FY26 production guidance range. Antamina has also lifted its production guidance, and Spence and Copper SA are tracking to plan, with Copper SA achieving record refined gold output,” he said.
“We're investing for the decade ahead, with a significant copper growth pipeline and a pathway to ~2 Mt of attributable copper production in the 2030s.”
On the iron ore front, BHP produced 69.7 million tonnes of iron ore in its second quarter, up 5%.
The average realised iron ore price for the first half of FY26 was 4% higher than the previous comparable period, and the annual production guidance was reaffirmed.
Henry also updated on BHP’s potash plans, revealing that the Jansen potash project in Canada should be up and running next year.
He told the market that the Jansen potash project in Canada is on track to begin production in mid-2027.
In its December operational review, BHP also issued a third increase in the investment estimate for its stage 1 Jansen potash project in Canada to US$8.4 billion ($12.5 billion) and reverted to the original first production schedule to mid-2027.
“Jansen will be a long life, low cost and scalable asset that will add a new, future facing commodity to BHP's portfolio, which we expect will generate value for shareholders over many decades. We have separately provided an updated cost estimate for Jansen Stage 1 today.”
Contrary to what macro drivers might be telling us, Henry expects robust demand from China and growing demand from India.
“China's commodity demand remains resilient, supported by targeted policy measures and solid exports,” Henry noted.
“Momentum moderated in H2 CY25, notably in construction, manufacturing and infrastructure investments. India is emerging as a key engine of demand, with strong domestic activity sustaining steel and rising copper needs.”
BHP has a market cap of $245 billion; the share price is up 20% on one year and is up around 9% in the last month.
The stock is in a strong bullish trend, confirmed by multiple indicators.
Consensus is Hold.
Hub24 rallies on strong trading update
Shares in Hub24 (ASX: HUB) were trading around 3% higher after the wealth management platform delivered record December quarter net flows of $5.6 billion, up 41% year-on-year and 8% quarter-on-quarter - excluding large transitions - beating consensus forecasts by 23%.
This contributed to record half-year platform net inflows of $10.7 billion, representing a 13% year-on-year increase.
Total funds under administration (FUA) lifted to a new high of $152.3 billion at 31 December 2025.
Platform FUA rose 29% year-on-year to $127.9 billion, while PARS FUA grew 11% to $24.4 billion, supported by 34 new distribution agreements and an 8% increase in active advisers to 5,277.
Adviser growth was modest, with net adds of 48 in the quarter, and distribution agreements were in line with historical averages.
The group maintained its position as the top-ranked platform for quarterly and annual net inflows for the eighth consecutive quarter and expanded its market share to 9.3%, reinforcing its status as the sixth-largest platform by FUA.
The company is also extending its product suite with initiatives such as the high-net-worth-focused Private Invest, which has quickly built FUA of around $300 million, and the development of an Innovative Lifetime Retirement Solution with TAL alongside a new ‘myhub’ offering.
Commenting on today’s update, management told the market that strong momentum in 1H FY26 reflects continued opportunities for growth driven by ongoing demand for professional advice in addition to industry transformation.
“UB24 remains committed to investing to deliver our strategy to capitalise on these opportunities and further enhance our market leading proposition,” the company noted.
Since April 2025, the company’s share price has goods as doubled from $57.51 to $102.92 after a consistent momentum of strong growth.
Management has reaffirmed a strong pipeline of opportunities for the remainder of FY26 and has set a Platform FUA target of $148–$162 billion for FY27 - reflecting management's confidence in sustained organic growth.
Hub24 has a market cap of $8.4 billion; the share price is up 7.8% year to date and up 6.4% in the last week.
The stock’s shares appear to be in a near-term downtrend confirmed by its 20-day moving average.
Specifically, the 20-day moving average is falling and implies that investors see better opportunities elsewhere.
Consensus is Moderate Buy.
ARB Corporation slides on 1H FY26 update
Shares in ARB Corporation (ASX: ARB) were down 11.7% after the 4WD accessories giant released a mixed half-year result defined by a revenue slip and higher export sales.
At first glance, the market appears to overreacted to the group’s unaudited sales revenue of $358 million for the half-year to December 31, down 1% on the previous period.
But what the market appears to have taken issue with is margin pressure and softer domestic conditions which weighed on the result.
The group’s expected 1H FY26 underlying profit before tax of around $58.0 million is 16.3% down on the underlying profit before tax reported in the previous period last year.
Management told the market that the decline in profit in 1H FY26 was underpinned by:
Lower gross margins driven by the weaker Australian dollar compared with the Thai baht.
Lower factory overhead recoveries as inventory levels materially increased in the prior comparable period.
The Thai baht has now traded broadly within the range of 21.0 - 21.5 baht to the Australian dollar since January 2025 which is relevant for comparative performance purposes in the current 2H FY2026 period.
Key numbers provided within today’s update include:
- Sales to the Australian Aftermarket channel declined 1.7%.
- Sales to the OEM channel in Australia declined 38.2%.
- Sales to the export channel increased 8.8%.
- Sales into the key U.S. market were up 26.1%.
As of 31 December 2025, the group held cash of $59.4 million with no debt after paying the FY25 final dividend of 35 cents per share ($24.2 million) and a special dividend of 50 cents per share ($35.1 million) during the period.
Since trading at its most recent high of $40.90 late August last year, the stock has progressively bounced 30% lower to $28.51, with weakening domestic demand and significant margin compression - caused by rising manufacturing costs and currency fluctuations – clearly playing on the minds of investors.
At FY25, the group reported a 5.3% increase in sales revenue to $729.9 million, but profit after tax slid 5% to $97.5 million.
Results for the half-year are expected to be released on 24 February 2026.
ARB Corporation has a market cap of $2.3 billion; the share price is down 29% in one year and down 11% in the last week.
The stock’s shares appear to be in a long-term bearish trend, confirmed by multiple indicators.
Long-term, the 200-day moving average is falling and shows that demand for this stock is low.
In the Medium-Term, the 5-day moving average is beneath the 50-day moving average.
Finally, the stock has been trending lower in the near-term.
Taken together, this is evidence that investors see little opportunity in owning this stock at this time.
Consensus is Moderate Buy.
This article does not constitute financial or product advice. You should consider independent advice before making financial decisions.
