Sydney, Feb 27, 2026, 17:29 AEDT — Market closed.
Woolworths Group Ltd’s share price ended down 0.95% at A$36.01 on Friday, trimming a rally that had lifted the stock about 14% over the past three sessions. The supermarket owner jumped nearly 13% on Wednesday and added another 2% on Thursday. 1
The move leaves investors weighing whether a return to sharper pricing can keep driving volumes without burning too much margin. Woolworths said net profit after tax before significant items — one-off costs — rose 16.4% to A$859 million for the 27 weeks to Jan. 4, and it declared a fully franked interim dividend of 45 Australian cents. It booked A$485 million in after-tax significant items, largely tied to a provision for salaried team member remediation after a Federal Court ruling, and flagged Australian Food earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) growth at the upper end of its “mid-to-high single digit” range.
Rival Coles Group shifted some of the spotlight on Friday, reporting statutory net profit after tax of A$511 million, down 11.3% from a year earlier, while profit excluding significant items rose 12.5% to A$676 million. It declared an interim dividend of 41 cents per share, fully franked, and CEO Leah Weckert described the result as “another strong set of results” in a “highly competitive” market.
The broader S&P/ASX 200 finished up 0.25% at a record closing high, even as investors rotated around company results and took profits in some names that ran hard earlier in the week. 2
Coles slid as much as 8.7% in intraday trade after its numbers, dragging the consumer-staples sub-index lower, while the company pointed to intensifying competition from Woolworths and a slower start to the second half. 3
For Woolworths holders, the near-term calendar is the dividend. The stock is due to trade ex-dividend on March 4 — the cut-off after which buyers are no longer entitled to the payout — with a March 5 record date and an April 2 payment date, an ASX notice showed. Fully franked dividends carry Australian company-tax credits, which can matter for domestic investors. 4
Some brokers argue the upgraded tone may not be fully priced in yet. Ord Minnett analysts said Woolworths’ revised guidance “still appears conservative,” in a client note. 5
But there is a downside script. A deeper price war can squeeze grocery margins, and any fresh legal headlines could hit sentiment; the consumer watchdog has taken Woolworths and Coles to court over alleged misleading “Prices Dropped” and “Down Down” discount claims. 6
Woolworths has already swallowed a large remediation provision, and investors will watch for signs the bill is contained rather than spreading. The company also has turnaround work under way in New Zealand Food and BIG W, which can muddy the “simple supermarket” story when markets get jumpy.
Next week’s hard markers include the March 4 ex-dividend date and Australia’s quarterly GDP release for the December 2025 quarter at 11:30 a.m. AEDT on the same day. Those two events will likely set the tone for the next session and the week ahead for Woolworths stock. 7
