0330 GMT - WiseTech's strong growth outlook is largely unchanged by its recent performance or management upheaval, according to its bull at Bell Potter. Analyst Chris Savage tells clients in a note that the logistics-software provider's first-half Ebitda was about 4% stronger than he had anticipated, while free cash flow also looked good and the dividend beat his expectations. He accepts the company's explanation that its recent guidance downgrade is related to delayed product rollouts. He cuts his target price 10% to A$122.50, trimming his revenue forecasts and adjusting for a higher cost of capital due to governance issues. Bell Potter keeps a buy rating on the stock, which is down 2.7% at A$93.87. ([email protected])

0322 GMT - WiseTech Global's 1H results were better than its bull at Goldman Sachs had feared, following the logistics-software provider's recent guidance downgrade. Earnings and profit were both ahead of where analyst Kane Hannan had forecast. He writes in a note that the consistent on-half growth in the Australian company's CargoWise platform reduces the risk of further guidance downgrades. He is also positive on WiseTech's new contract with Logisteed, which he says continues CargoWise's strong momentum among global freight forwarders. GS cuts its target price by 10% to A$128.00 while maintaining a buy rating on the stock, which is down 2.6% at A$94.02. ([email protected])

0320 GMT - Tyro Payments' exceptional execution amid a welter of pressures from consumer spending and business closures earns the Australian payments provider a bullish recommendation at Wilsons. The broker's analysts reckon growth should re-accelerate over the coming 12 months following what they view as a re-basing of total transaction value. While expected central-bank interest-rate cuts are seen as being of limited value to Tyro, they think mooted changes to Australian surcharging rules should be a net positive to Tyro's margins. Wilsons trims its target price 2.5% to A$1.15 but raises its recommendation to overweight from market weight. Shares are down 0.8% at A$0.9375. ([email protected])

0242 GMT - WiseTech's first-half result is seen by its bull at Jefferies as confirmation that its core business remains firm despite recent profit downgrades. Analyst Roger Samuel writes in a note that the logistics software provider seems to have been right to blame the downgrades on delays to three new products. He is reassured that WiseTech's new Nippon Express contract is not at risk amid market concerns around company governance, and thinks that the product rollout could occur more quickly than at other customers. Jefferies lifts its target price 0.2% to A$115.55 and keeps a buy rating on the stock, which is down 2.1% at A$94.49. ([email protected])

0234 GMT - Metals recycler Sims appears poised for more earnings growth as ferrous-metal market conditions stabilize, according to Macquarie analysts. Still, the "outlook commentary remains couched in much macro uncertainty, while pointing to the potentially positive impacts of U.S. tariffs and improving fundamental positioning of the business," the analysts say. They maintain an outperform rating on the stock and raise their target price to A$15.70 from A$15.40. "Valuation is undemanding," they say, adding that Sims is trading at around 9.2x estimated FY26 Ebit versus a 10-year average of roughly 12.5x. Sims is up 3.8% at A$14.74. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0231 GMT - Appen's 2025 guidance makes it difficult to discern the data-annotation provider's trajectory at the start of the year, says Jefferies analyst Wei Sim. He doesn't sound overly concerned by management's comment that large-language model project volumes are down on those in the last quarter, pointing out that Appen's revenues typically build on-quarter through the year. However, he tells clients in a note that limited earnings visibility means he bases his lowered forecasts on management commentary and the company's sub-segment performance breakdowns. Jefferies maintains a hold rating and a target price of A$2.00 on the stock, which is down 8.5% at A$1.7575. ([email protected])

0230 GMT - Qantas, which plans to begin ultralong-haul flights from Australia to North America and Europe with new A350s in an initiative dubbed Project Sunrise, says the first A350 for Project Sunrise is expected in the second half of calendar year 2026. When asked about Project Sunrise during a press conference, CEO Vanessa Hudson says the exact time of delivery will firm up in the future, but that "we still feel that Airbus is delivering right on time." Pilots will need to do training flights, though, so when asked if that means passenger flights will actually begin in 2027, she says "that is what we've actually been saying." Last year, Qantas said manufacturing delays had pushed back the delivery of A350s by six months to mid-2026. Qantas said in an investor presentation today that it is still incurring minor aircraft delivery delays. ([email protected]; @Mike_Cherney)

0041 GMT - Investors appear to like the strategic pivot by Ramsay Health Care's new CEO Natalie Davis. Ramsay's share price leaps 15% to its highest level in nearly three months after the company said it is reviewing its majority stake in European private hospital business Ramsay Santé. News of the review comes just days after Ramsay said it has paused investment in expanding its Elysium mental health services business in the U.K. as it concentrates on improving performance. "Board clearly positioning for break-up scenarios, admitting Elysium and Santé have not worked," says Wilsons analyst Shane Storey. Assessing Ramsay's 1H result, Wilsons says activity levels appears to have held up well. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

0035 GMT - Eagers Automotive's annual result and outlook send its shares up 22% to erase all of the losses over the past 12 months. According to Jefferies, Eagers delivered a solid result in challenging times for the auto dealer sector. Still, underlying net profit of A$221 million was a 4% miss to Jefferies's forecasts. Eagers expects FY 2025 revenue to grow by another A$1 billion and that pleases analyst John Campbell assuming it's achieved from existing assets. "Eagers is still exposed to weakening new vehicle sales in FY 2025 but nonetheless, FY 2025 revenue guidance speaks to a high level of confidence," Jefferies says. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

0025 GMT - When asked about the potential threat from a Virgin Australia-Qatar Airways alliance, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson responded that "we always said that we welcome competition." She adds that the government struck the "right balance" in approving Qatar taking a 25% stake in Virgin Australia while also putting in place some guidelines around aircraft leasing. Among the guidelines are secondment opportunities for Virgin Australia crew with Qatar so they can get long-haul experience, and a pledge that certain future lease arrangements use Australian-based labor. Virgin Australia initially plans to lease aircraft with crew from Qatar to operate international services to the Middle East. "Having more competition, that actually makes us better, and we're focused on delivering for our customers and investing in our aircraft," Hudson says. ([email protected]; @Mike_Cherney)

0022 GMT - Karoon Energy's shares rise 4.5% after it clinched a US$115 million cash deal to buy the floating production storage and offloading vessel at its Bauna oil field in Brazil. Among those happy with financial terms is Citi. It thinks buying the FPSO means output at Bauna can continue for longer, helping Karoon to convert more of its resources there to proven and probable reserves. That would boost its earnings per share, analyst James Byrne says. Citi has a buy call on Karoon. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

0012 GMT - NZME's strategic review of OneRoof has Forsyth Barr mulling what the property advertising business could be worth. Analyst James Lindsay highlights that OneRoof's closest Australian peer, Domain Holdings, recently received a A$2.7 billion bid from CoStar. The Domain bid represents 17 times 1H annualized Ebitda. "Applying that multiple to our OneRoof FY 2026 Ebitda forecast implies an enterprise value of around half NZME's current market capitalization," Forsyth Barr says. NZME's New Zealand-listed equity is worth some NZ$221 million. Forysth Barr forecasts OneRoof's Ebitda can grow at a more than 30% compound annual rate from FY 2024 to FY 2029. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

2343 GMT - E&P retail analyst Phillip Kimber says Aussie grocer Coles posted a better-than-expected 1H result, with earnings 5% and profit 8% above consensus. He expects consensus estimates to rise 5% for the full FY 2025 and to continue to support the share price, which had already risen some 5% leading into the result. Coles shares are up in early trade following the 1H result, with a roughly 4% gain to A$20.51. ([email protected]; @Mike_Cherney)

2335 GMT - Australian airline Qantas said it would pay dividends for the first time since 2019, but RBC Capital Markets analyst Owen Birrell points out that the dividends are essentially replacing share buybacks. In the half year ended in December, Qantas completed A$431 million of share buybacks, roughly equivalent with the A$400 million in dividends the airline just announced with its 1H result. No new buybacks were offered. Birrell adds that the Qantas result was broadly in line with analyst consensus, but that the picture was more muddied at the segment level: Qantas domestic, Qantas international and Qantas loyalty all missed expectations, though budget unit Jetstar was a beat. Birrell keeps a "perform" rating on Qantas shares, though investors seem pleased, with Qantas shares recently trading 4.5% higher at A$9.29. ([email protected]; @Mike_Cherney)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires