SYDNEY, June 30, 2026, 07:01 AEST
- Woolworths Group ASX:WOW finished Monday at A$40.55, up 0.77%. The stock hit A$40.75 during the session, a new 52-week high.
- Shares are up about 21% from the A$33.63 intraday low seen after the company warned on earnings in April. Based on Google’s share count, that means about A$8.4 billion of equity value has come back.
- The new excessive-pricing ban for supermarkets is set to start July 1, covering Woolworths and Coles Group ASX:COL for now.
- Woolworths wrapped up its Q4 retail period on June 28. The company will post full-year results on Aug. 26.
As of 07:01 AEST, ASX cash shares stayed in pre-open. Normal trading goes from 09:59:45 to 16:00 Sydney time, making Monday’s price the last completed trade.
Woolworths Group Ltd ASX:WOW started Tuesday already priced as if it’s clear for a fiscal 2026 exit, with little reaction to fresh company news. The stock finished Monday at A$40.55, above where it sat before April’s guidance cut. It also touched an intraday peak at A$40.75, tying Google Finance’s 52-week high. Google put Woolworths’ market cap at A$49.54 billion, with 1.22 billion shares on issue.
The move stands out because the company’s rebound has been quicker than Woolworths’ official earnings reset. Back in April, Reuters said Woolworths shares dropped as much as 9.8% to A$33.63 after the grocer cut its outlook for Australian Food earnings growth for fiscal 2026, blaming fuel costs and spending to keep customers.
| Monday price check | Latest price/index | Day move | Intraday high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woolworths Group ASX:WOW | A$40.55 | up 0.77% | A$40.75 |
| Coles Group ASX:COL | A$24.36 | down 0.2% | A$24.59 |
| S&P/ASX 200 | 8,823.4 | up 0.68% | — |
Coles shares ended 0.2% lower at A$24.36 on Monday, according to its investor page. The S&P/ASX 200 added 59.2 points, or 0.68%, to close at 8,823.4. Woolworths finished above Coles, its main listed supermarket rival, but only slightly ahead of the index.
No new price-sensitive filing came out to explain the move. The Woolworths announcements page on the ASX only had director-interest and securities updates from June. The last price-related Woolworths release was its third-quarter sales on April 30.
The key issue is timing. Woolworths finished its fiscal 2026 retail year on June 28, which is just before this dateline and two days ahead of when the new excessive-pricing laws begin on July 1. That means the next full-year report will still show results for the old regime, even as investors look ahead and start factoring in the impact of the new rules. Woolworths said it plans to announce its full-year numbers to the ASX on Aug. 26.
| Woolworths Q3 F26 line | Sales / metric | Change | Investor read-through |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group sales | A$18.095 bln | +4.5% | Recovery trade starts here |
| Australian Food sales | A$13.828 bln | +5.9% | Makes up 76% of the group |
| Group eCommerce sales | A$2.7 bln | +20.2% | Still the fastest growth spot this quarter |
| Australian Food eCommerce penetration | 16.6% | 14.2% a year earlier | Online share up; costs could follow |
Woolworths’ Q3 sales report pointed back to the main problem for the stock: Australian Food is carrying the load. CEO Amanda Bardwell said sales momentum improved in Australian Food, but flagged that “higher fuel costs and secondary effects” could keep inflation pressures up this year.
From July, a new rule brings in another test. The ACCC says Coles and Woolworths, as the biggest retailers, are barred from charging excessive prices for groceries and have to keep records of their prices and costs. The test looks at how much they charge compared to their supply costs with a fair margin on top.
Treasury said breaches can mean penalties of the greater of A$10 million, three times any benefit, or 10% of turnover over the past year. For Woolworths, that means more pressure on costs and volumes after shares already bounced back about A$8.4 billion since the April low.
