Sydney, June 12, 2026, 03:10 (AEST)
- Wesfarmers Limited (ASX:WES) finished at A$84.31, adding A$0.92 or 1.10%. The stock moved from A$82.45 to A$84.75 on June 11.
- S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.23% to 8,633.2. Consumer discretionary stocks jumped 0.86%. Wesfarmers moved ahead of the broader market.
- Wesfarmers’ 2026 Strategy Briefing Day was in focus for investors, with management talking up plans around AI, digital, Bunnings expansion and productivity.
Wesfarmers Limited (WES) pushed higher on Thursday, with shares up A$0.92, or 1.10%, to A$84.31 at 16:41. The stock had opened at A$82.59, hitting an intraday low of A$82.45 before climbing to a high of A$84.75. Market cap was about A$95.66 billion.
The move was one of the few bright spots as Australian shares lost ground. The S&P/ASX 200 ended down 20.1 points, or 0.23%, at 8,633.2. The All Ordinaries dropped 0.23% to 8,836.7. Losses in financials and IT stocks weighed on the market, but some consumer discretionary names advanced. MarketIndex reported Wesfarmers was among the gainers in that sector.
Wesfarmers shares jumped 4.25% to A$83.39 in the last session, after the company’s 2026 Strategy Briefing Day in Sydney. Thursday’s move followed that rally. The investor centre has the 2026 Strategy Briefing Day presentation dated June 10, and the results and presentations page also listed the June 10 event and presentation.
Wesfarmers laid out targets to boost growth and productivity in its retail and industrial businesses. The investor briefing covered property pipeline updates through fiscal 2030, moves to digitise operations including radio frequency identification and artificial intelligence, and said its chemicals, energy and fertilisers unit aims to expand into lithium.
Bunnings is still the core focus for investors. Wesfarmers said Blackwoods and Workwear Group, part of its Industrial and Safety arm, will shift over to Bunnings Group starting July 1, 2026. According to the company, this shift aims to boost customer offerings, push up sales and cut costs. Wesfarmers plans to start reporting the financials from these businesses under Bunnings for the first half of fiscal 2027.
Kmart and Officeworks were part of the strategy update. Kmart Group runs 16 stores under the Plan C+ format and aims for 40 by the end of fiscal 2027, The Bull said. Its Anko brand has opened five standalone stores in the Philippines, with another five planned by fiscal 2027. For Officeworks, the focus is shifting to business, education, cost discipline and digital growth.
Tech spending kept the stock active. The briefing mentioned RFID, electronic shelf-edge labels, and demand-planning tools at Bunnings, Kmart Group and Officeworks. AI is being used in merchandising, marketing, supply chain and customer service. Quartr’s event summary said digital and AI investment are key for cutting costs, improving experience and running better operations.
Valuation is still a sticking point after the rally. Google Finance lists nine analysts on WES in the last three months. One is at buy, six at hold, and two at sell. The stated 12-month target average is A$76.89, under the latest price of A$84.31. The highest target on the screen is A$85.00.
Wesfarmers’ latest move comes after the company got a mixed reaction to its half-year numbers in February. At the time, Reuters said net profit after tax climbed 9.3% to A$1.6 billion, ahead of Visible Alpha’s consensus. The interim dividend went up to 102 Australian cents. According to the same report, Bunnings earned 5.5% more EBIT at A$1.4 billion, Kmart’s earnings lifted 7% to A$733 million and WesCEF earnings increased 18% to A$210 million.
Wesfarmers investors are watching to see if the group can deliver margin support from its AI, digital, Bunnings integration and productivity efforts. Households are staying selective and the wider ASX is volatile on geopolitics and rates. Wesfarmers said more details on the Industrial and Safety transition are due with full-year results in August 2026.
