0215 GMT - Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has pushed back on suggestions the Labor government's goal of building 1.2 million homes by 2029 can't be met. Government briefing papers accidentally released by the Treasury Department stated the target won't be achieved. Chalmers told reporters that he agreed the target, which has been put in place to sharply boost supply and take pressure off prices, is ambitious. Still, the target remains in place and the government is focused on making what changes are needed to reach the goal, he says. ([email protected]; @JamesGlynnWSJ)

0147 GMT - Expect a solid 4Q result from rare-earths producer Lynas, Macquarie analysts say in a note. They predict the miner's 4Q rare-earth oxide production and sales will beat Visible Alpha consensus by 11% and 6%, respectively. Lynas is ramping up its Kalgoorlie cracking and leaching facility, the performance of which will be a key focus when the company publishes its 4Q result on July 23, the analysts say. They reckon the market could be too optimistic about realized prices, however. Macquarie's 4Q price estimate is 10% below consensus. The bank has an underperform rating and A$8.00 target on the stock. Lynas is up 1.1% at A$9.78. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0129 GMT - SiteMinder's bull at Citi sees pros and cons in the accommodation-software provider's rising headcount. Analyst Siraj Ahmed writes in a note that the Australia-listed company's pick-up in hiring is a positive signal for its revenue growth outlook, but also indicates increased growth in operating expenses in FY 2026. He points out that June staff numbers were up 5% on six months earlier. Ahmed anticipates 14% growth in FY 2026 operating expenses, up from the 6% he has forecast for FY 2025. Citi trims its target price 2.3% to A$6.45 and keeps a buy rating on the stock. Shares are down 2.3% at A$4.32. ([email protected])

0125 GMT - UBS analyst John Storey reckons that regional and overseas banks are the most likely buyers of HSBC's Australian retail business if the London-based financial giant decides to exit. Storey acknowledges an Australian newspaper report suggesting that major lenders ANZ, Commonwealth, NAB and Westpac may show interest, but sees more likely buyers elsewhere. He tells clients in a note that ING Australia is aiming to double the size of its business, and finds it interesting that ING Bank has slowed the pace of its share buyback. This could be seen as increasing the probability of M&A, he adds. ([email protected])

0112 GMT - Flight Centre's bull at Macquarie sees the Australian travel agent's outlook improving, with U.S. volumes holding up better than feared against tariff-driven uncertainty. The investment bank keeps an outperform rating on the stock, with an analyst note pointing to solid overall travel activity despite some recent headwinds in both leisure and corporate segments. Looking past the coming fiscal 2025 result announcement, the note posits that normalizing travel activity is improving the outlook for fiscal 2026, with operating leverage set to emerge from revenue growth. Macquarie trims its target price by 0.9% to A$16.05. Shares are down 0.45% at A$13.24. ([email protected])

0059 GMT - Risks to Computershare's margin income lure a new bear to the share-registry provider. Analyst Andrei Stadnik lowers his recommendation on the stock to underweight from equal-weight, telling clients in a note that downside risks to balances combined with lower interest rates will put pressure on margin income. He points out that margin income has delivered more than 70% of the Australia-listed company's pre-tax profit since FY 2023. Stadnik forecasts an 8% on-year fall in FY 2026 margin income, prompting him to look elsewhere for better earnings growth. MS lowers its target price 2.6% to A$33.70. Shares are down 2.8% at A$39.68. ([email protected])

0055 GMT - Public Storage and consortium partner Ki Corp have now offered enough to get Abacus Storage King to open its books. But Citi is doubtful it's sufficient to get a deal done. The consortium's offer of A$1.65/security values Abacus Storage King's equity at A$2.17 billion. Analyst Howard Penny says it signals continued interest in self-storage assets from large global investors. The revised offer also appears more acceptable to the board of Abacus Storage King. "However, in our view, a further revised offer above net tangible assets per share may be necessary to convince minority shareholders to agree to the deal," Citi says. That's because of likely cap rate compression and compelling fundamentals for Australian self-storage assets, it says. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

0042 GMT - The price offered by Pacific Equity Partners to acquire Johns Lyng, which carries out insurance-related repair work, looks reasonable to Morgans. PEP's offer of A$4.00/share has the support of Johns Lyng CEO Scott Didier, who holds a 17.64% interest in the company. It values Johns Lyng's equity at A$1.1 billion, which analyst James Filius says is toward the high end of his expectations. The offer is reasonable "considering Johns Lyng's recent share price weakness and the near-term earnings softness," Morgans says. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

0026 GMT - Macquarie Technology's bull at RBC reckons that its proposed Sydney land acquisition should be the precursor to a decade of data-center growth in Australia's largest city. Analyst Garry Sherriff tells clients in a note that the data-center campus that Macquarie Technology hopes to build is three times the size of its current development elsewhere in the city. He thinks that Sydney's suburban north shore is the most likely location for the campus. Investors should welcome the announcement, he adds. RBC has a last-published outperform rating and A$95.00 target price on the stock, which is up 5.5% at A$65.30. ([email protected])

0010 GMT - The impact of continuing demand for Origin Energy's legacy coal operation is being underestimated by investors, Citi analyst Tom Wallington reckons. Maintaining a buy rating on the Australian power generator and retailer, Wallington draws clients' attention to Origin's ageing Eraring power plant. He writes in a note that further delays to closure or regulatory tailwinds such as capacity payments look increasingly plausible amid persistent demand for firming and limited battery storage capacity. Citi raises its target price 13% to A$13.00. Shares are up 0.3% at A$11.79. ([email protected])

2331 GMT - Brickworks' shares look to be pretty much tied to those of its merger partner and are no longer a recommended buy at UBS. Analysts Nathan Reilly and Will Wilson lower their recommendation on the stock to neutral from buy, observing that its price has risen 24% since Brickworks announced it will merge with major shareholder Washington H. Soul Pattinson. They write in a note to clients that conditions in North American building markets still look tough and that, with the merger on the horizon, valuation drivers including Brickworks' property assets are decreasing in relevance. UBS raises its target price 18% to A$34.25. Shares are at A$33.46 ahead of the open. ([email protected])

2326 GMT - Iluka Resources's share price rallied 21% on Friday on a deal it's not party to, says Ord Minnett. Rare-earths miners got a lift from MP Materials securing a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense that guaranteed a minimum price of US$110/kg for neodymium and praseodymium supply. "We expect investors will soon conclude America First does not include Australia, and other Rare Earth Oxides buyers have no need to offer DoD prices," says analyst Matthew Hope. "We expect the share price will ease so investors should accumulate on price weakness." Ord Minnett downgrades Iluka to accumulate, from buy. Its price target falls by 6.8% to A$5.50/Share. Iluka ended Friday at A$4.89. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

2320 GMT - CAR Group's bull at Citi doesn't sound overly worried about how U.S. tariffs might affect the Australian vehicle advertiser's Brazil business. Analyst Siraj Ahmed does acknowledge that weaker economic growth in Brazil could potentially weigh on CAR, but points out that used-car sales tend to be more resilient in soft conditions. Closer to home, he tells clients in a note that Australian used-car sales accelerated in June, underpinned by increased dealer sales. This is positive for CAR's higher-yielding dealer business, he adds. Citi has a buy rating and A$42.60 target price on the stock, which is at A$37.26 ahead of the open. ([email protected])

2318 GMT - Could Ampol bid for EG Group's gas station business in Australia? UBS crunches the numbers on what a deal might look like. EG runs a network of 517 sites in Australia. UBS assumes that EG generates A$100 million of replacement-cost Ebitda from that network in FY 2025 and that a transaction could be worth A$1.0 billion-A$1.5 billion. "Ampol could fund a A$1 billion acquisition with 100% debt and stay within the target leverage range (2.4x)," analyst Tom Allen says. "But a A$1.5 billion acquisition would require a minimum A$400 million equity raise to stay inside the top end of the range." A deal could boost Ampol's EPS by more than 5%, UBS says. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

2306 GMT - AMP's bull at Citi feels pretty positive about the Australian financial group's chances of success with its new digital bank. While not incorporating the venture into his target price just yet, analyst Nigel Pittaway tells clients that the experience of other lenders using the same platform suggests potential for improved bank returns. He points to Starling Bank in the U.K., which is profitable and has not had any outages in six years. Pittaway cautions that benefits will take time to emerge but already sees AMP shares as attractively priced. Citi lifts its target price by 27% to A$1.65 and maintains a buy rating. Shares are at A$1.46 ahead of the open. ([email protected])

(END) Dow Jones Newswires