0350 GMT - Worley's stock has been held back by uncertainty around both capital expenditure plans in key end markets and the timing of discrete major projects, Goldman Sachs analysts say in a client note. "We have assessed earnings levels being capitalized at the current share price and believe the risk/reward remains positively skewed," the analysts say. The stock recently hit a two-year low. The analysts reiterate a buy rating and A$18.00 target on Worley, which is up 0.2% at A$13.45. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0213 GMT - Endeavour's bottle shops appear to be experiencing stock shortages due to ongoing industrial action at Woolworths' distribution centers, Citi analyst Sam Teeger warns. He tells clients that BWS and Dan Murphy's stores in Victoria state are being hit, with anecdotal evidence from site visits that some haven't received deliveries in the past two to three weeks. The shortages are most apparent among beer and cask-wine products, he adds. Woolworths has sold down its stake in Endeavour since spinning off the drinks business in 2021, but Endeavour still uses some of the supermarket giant's distribution centers. Citi has a neutral rating and A$4.89 target price on Endeavour shares, which are down 0.6% at A$4.375. ([email protected])

0159 GMT - Cosol's latest acquisition and the cross-sell opportunities it could generate prompt Bell Potter analyst Chris Savage to raise his recommendation on the stock to buy from hold. Savage tells clients in a note that the Australia-listed software provider's acquisition of data-analytics company Toustone brings both recurring subscription revenues and customers who may be receptive to Cosol's existing solutions. He doesn't think that the acquisition will hit its stretch earnings target, but still raises his EPS forecasts by 4% for fiscal 2025, by 6% for fiscal 2026, and by 8% for fiscal 2027. Target price is raised by 9.1% to A$1.20. Shares are up 1.7% at A$1.0325. ([email protected])

0140 GMT - Rio Tinto should consider some sort of corporate restructure, Jefferies says after activist investor Palliser Capital called for an independent review of Rio Tinto's dual listing. "We believe it is time for Rio to consider alternative structures including a possible breakup of the company to unlock value as the diversified mining model is a negative for Rio's valuation, in our view," Jefferies says. Rio Tinto is down 1.0% in Sydney at A$118.88. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0133 GMT - Humm Group's commercial lending growth secures the Australian credit provider a new bull. Ord Minnett analyst Phillip Chippindale tells clients in a note that he sees Humm's Flexicommercial business growing strongly over the medium term, supported by the sale of products through a broker network that is becoming more of a focus for the market. Humm is now the leading non-bank asset financier for small- and medium-sized enterprises in Australia and New Zealand, he adds. Ord Minnett initiates coverage with a buy rating and A$0.90 target price on the stock. Shares are up 1.1% at A$0.6725. ([email protected])

0124 GMT - Rio Tinto appears to be prioritizing development of its own copper resources over acquiring more copper production via dealmaking, say Morgan Stanley analysts following an investor briefing. The miner's new copper chief, Katie Jackson, is focused on the ramp-up of Oyu Tolgoi and addressing the challenges at Kennecott, they say. "This appears to take precedence over external M&A ambitions for now," say the analysts. Rio Tinto is down 1.2% in Sydney at A$118.69. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0102 GMT - Rio Tinto's US$399 million sale of a 30% stake in the Winu copper-gold project to Sumitomo Metal Mining helps the miner pocket some of the value of the planned project, and may reduce the cost of project financing, Morgan Stanley analysts say. The analysts say they don't explicitly assign value to the Winu project. The deal with Sumitomo appears to imply a valuation of roughly US$1.3 billion, they say. The analysts reckon project funding will be split according to the respective equity shares in the joint venture. "We favorably view this transaction as it helps Rio Tinto monetize Winu," they say. MS has an overweight rating on Rio Tinto and a A$135.00 target on its Australian stock, which is down 1.2% in Sydney at A$118.595. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0048 GMT - WiseTech Global's bulls at Morgan Stanley are enthused by new products in the Australian company's development pipeline. They tell clients in a note that the logistics software developer is already working on products for fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027, which are critical to supporting their expectation of 26% average revenue growth across the next three fiscal years. The breadth and depth of the reinvestment demonstrated at WiseTech's investor day bolster the analysts' conviction in their bullish thesis. MS keeps an overweight rating and A$160.00 target price on the stock. Shares are up 2.5% at A$132.76. ([email protected])

0033 GMT - Takeover target SG Fleet loses its bulls at Morgan Stanley, where analysts say the stock price is related to the chances of deal completion rather than fundamentals. The MS analysts trim their target price 2.8% to A$3.50, in line with the offer it has accepted from Pacific Equity Partners. They tell clients in a note that the earnings multiple implied by the offer is at the higher end of the vehicle fleet manager's historical levels. This should support valuations elsewhere in the leasing space, they add. MS lowers its recommendation to equal-weight from overweight. Shares are down 0.15% at A$3.415. ([email protected])

0001 GMT - Integral Diagnostics gets a new bull at Bell Potter in anticipation of the enhanced scale offered by the imaging provider's merger with Capitol Health. Analyst Martyn Jacobs tells clients in a note that the combined Integral-Capitol business will become Australia's third-largest imaging provider, creating operating leverage and opportunities in telehealth. He says that regulatory changes could allow the group to extend operating hours, generating an additional A$11 million in fiscal 2026 revenue. Bell Potter initiates coverage with a buy rating and A$3.87 target price on the stock, which is up 4.0% at A$3.16. ([email protected])

1149 GMT - Rio Tinto expects the upcoming change in U.S. administration to offer potential upsides as well as downsides, Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm says in an investor seminar. Under the last Trump administration, the changes turned out to be fruitful to the Anglo-Australian miner, he says. "We don't have any fears," he adds. President-elect Trump recently rattled markets with vows of markedly higher tariffs on all goods from Canada and China. Rio Tinto--a major aluminum producer globally--digs out most of its aluminum in Canada, while 14.57% of the company is owned by a Chinese state-owned aluminum company. Shares are down 0.8% at 49.80 pounds. ([email protected])

(END) Dow Jones Newswires