0216 GMT - Investors are taking a longer-term view on Imdex, says Euroz Hartleys analyst Gavin Allen, following an earnings result broadly in line with expectations. "The investment question continues to be (and has been for some time) one predicated on the operational leverage available in an exploration cycle poised to recover, and arguably recover with some vigor," Allen says in a note. The broker raises its target price on Imdex to A$3.80/share from A$3.29. "We recognize this requires a long-term view, however, the 4Q was strong, digital revenues are growing and while timing remains a little unclear, long-term prospects are robust," says Allen. The broker reiterates a buy rating. Imdex is up 1.0% at A$3.405. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0211 GMT - Imdex's FY revenue at A$431 million is better than the A$426 million the market expected, reflecting higher-than-anticipated income from the Americas, Africa and Europe, Citi analyst William Park says in a note. The margin on its African and European operations also beats expectations by 1 percentage point, he says. Still, margins elsewhere are softer than expected and underlying earnings are below expectations, says Park. "We remain cautious on the near-term outlook," he says. Citi has a neutral rating and A$3.15 target on Imdex. The stock is up 1.8% at A$3.43. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0139 GMT - Pilbara Minerals' better-than-expected FY 2025 underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, seems to be mostly related to its accounting treatment of midstream demonstration plant costs, RBC Capital Markets analyst Kaan Peker says in a note. Underlying Ebitda of A$97 million is ahead of an A$88 million consensus estimate and RBC's forecast of A$58 million. Otherwise, the lithium miner's result is surprise-free, with most other key metrics broadly in line with expectations, says Peker. RBC has an outperform rating and A$2.70 target on Pilbara Minerals. The stock is up 1.7% at A$2.145. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0115 GMT - Zip's stronger-than-expected 4Q U.S. customer growth helps lure a new bull to the Australian buy-now-pay-later provider. Jefferies analyst raises his recommendation on the stock to buy from underperform, encouraged by the first rise in U.S. active customers since 2022. The timing of the new arrivals in a season typically associated with minimal growth activity is an especially positive signal of momentum, Sim tells clients in a note. Fiscal 2026 volume guidance and indications also boost Sim's confidence in the outlook. Jefferies lifts its target price to A$4.40 from A$2.10. Shares are up 6.8% at A$4.005. ([email protected])

0109 GMT - Zip's bull at UBS remains positive on the buy-now-pay-later provider's margin outlook. Analyst Tim Piper keeps a buy rating on the stock, telling clients in a note that strong U.S. growth and low loss rates suggest that its fiscal 2026 margin guidance is relatively conservative. The Australian company's operating leverage is strong in current conditions, he observes. Piper adds that the stock is trading at about 32X earnings on an adjusted basis, which he sees as attractive given his expectation of 27% compound annual earnings growth over the next three years. UBS lifts its target price 32% to A$4.50. Shares are up 6.7% at A$4.00. ([email protected])

0109 GMT - Perenti delivers solid free cash generation and an earnings beat, Citi analyst William Park says in a note following the company's FY result. Shares are up 7.7% at A$2.25. There are no real surprises for FY 2025 given Perenti's recent guidance on free cash for the year, says Park. He says the "earnings beat and optimistic outlook, particularly regarding free cash guidance in FY26, should dominate headlines" on the stock. Citi has a buy rating and A$2.20 stock target. ([email protected]; @RhiannonHoyle)

0101 GMT - Pathology services provider Healius is showing signs of life after a rough patch, but Morgans isn't ready to turn bullish on its stock. Healius reported steady progress on its strategy to lift operating margins into the high-single-digit percentage range by end-FY 2027 through raising revenue and reducing costs. But analyst Derek Jellinek concludes that "sustainable earnings growth is still questionable, execution risk is high, and there are plenty of uncertainties, including fair work commission proposals and recent Medicare changes to vitamin B12 and urine testing." Morgans retains a hold call on Healius's stock, and cuts its price target by 9.4% to A$0.87/share. Healius is unchanged at A$0.83. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

0052 GMT - Subscriber growth is the most important number for investors in Hipages to watch in FY 2026, says Morgan Stanley. It notes that Hipages's subscribers have only grown at a compound annual rate of 2% over the past three years. Revenue, in contrast, has risen at a 10% rate over the same period. Analyst Andrew McLeod says most of this growth results from lifting revenue per average user. That's positive as it highlights the value proposition of the product. Still, it raises questions about the potential market penetration of Hipages's platform. "Hipages's platform is best in class, and we think they are well placed to win if there is incremental demand from customers," MS says. It has an equal-weight call on Hipages. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

0040 GMT - Regis Resources says it's not in advanced talks over any M&A opportunity, but that doesn't stop Barrenjoey from assessing whether buying out its partner in the Tropicana gold mine makes sense. Barrenjoey values Tropicana at A$2.68 billion, implying that the 70% that Regis doesn't already own is worth A$1.88 billion. Analyst Daniel Morgan notes a recent press report that this stake could fetch A$2.5 billion. "Given Regis is trading at a 45% premium to our net present value, it is possible for a potential acquisition on these terms to be value accretive," Barrenjoey says. Also, Regis knows the asset well, so there shouldn't be any surprises. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

0034 GMT - Santos's 1H result and extension of an exclusivity period with the XRG-led bid consortium support the energy company's stock in early trading. Santos's 1H underlying profit of US$508 million was some 3% better than the market expected, Citi says. Santos's dividend of 13.4 U.S. cents/share also topped hopes. Analyst Paul McTaggart highlights Santos's statement that the bid consortium hasn't discovered anything in due diligence to warrant it pulling its indicative takeover proposal. "We expect investors to welcome the clean process update, improved project visibility, and stronger capital returns, supporting the recent sentiment shift in Santos," Citi says. Santos rises 0.8% to A$7.82. ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires