SYDNEY, June 25, 2026, 05:06 AEST
- Woolworths closed at A$39.37, up 1.6%, after touching a 52-week high of A$39.38.
- Shares rose for a fifth straight session and gained 4.2% across the run.
- The average 12-month analyst target is A$34.88, 11.4% below Wednesday’s close.
Woolworths Group Ltd shares climbed 1.6% on Wednesday to A$39.37, one cent below the session high, while rival Coles Group fell 0.4% to A$23.77. Woolworths volume was 3.13 million shares, against an average of 2.36 million.
The ASX cash market was closed at the dateline. Normal trading is due to start just before 10 a.m. Sydney time, and June 25 is a regular trading day.
The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.24% to 8,808.40 on Wednesday, leaving Woolworths well ahead of the broader market.
There was no fresh price-sensitive company filing, meaning a disclosure flagged as likely to move the stock. ASX records show Woolworths’ latest announcement was a set of director-interest forms on June 19. Its April 30 third-quarter results remain the latest filing marked price-sensitive. The absence of a new filing suggests the advance was a continuation of the stock’s rebound rather than a response to a new disclosure.
Woolworths reported in February that underlying net profit, which strips out one-off items, rose 16% to A$859 million and beat the A$813.5 million analyst consensus. Chief Executive Amanda Bardwell said: “Customers want value but they also want reliable value.” RBC Capital Markets analyst Michael Toner called Australian Food’s 3.6% sales rise “the strongest number we have seen in some time from WOW”. Reuters
In April, the company reported a 5.9% rise in third-quarter Australian Food sales to A$13.83 billion, while group sales rose 4.5% to A$18.10 billion. It cut expected Australian Food operating earnings growth — profit from the core business — to the mid-to-high single digits and said it no longer expected the upper end of that range. Woolworths cited direct fuel exposure and spending to support customer budgets.
But the rally has run past broker valuations. MarketScreener’s average target from 15 analysts is A$34.88, while the highest target is A$39.00, below Wednesday’s close. A slowdown in sales before the annual result would leave little room for disappointment.
Woolworths is due to release its fiscal 2026 full-year results on August 26.
