ASX reporting season: All the latest news from companies releasing financial results to the market today

Holcim will acquire part of the European business of James Hardie Industries for $1.37 billion, expanding its building, sustainable flooring and walling solution offerings.

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027.

The business includes the Fermacell and Aestuver brands and will continue to be led by Christian Claus, who is currently chief executive of Fermacell and president of James Hardie Europe.

James Hardie Europe was created through the acquisition of Fermacell in 2018.

The company is exiting Europe to focus more on its growth markets in the US and Australia. James Hardie also is closing its unit in Europe that makes fibre cement, which looks like wood and is used for exterior siding and wall panels.

“The strategic divestiture of our European operations and the intended closure of the European fiber cement business will enable us to focus on our highest growth and return opportunities,” James Hardie CEO Aaron Erter said.

“We believe this divestiture will strengthen our balance sheet, deliver compelling value for our shareholders and position the Fermacell business for long-term success under Holcim’s ownership.”

In the first half of the year, Holcim closed six acquisitions and is set to continue to invest in bolt-on purchases. Chief executive Miljan Gutovic said previously he aims to announce roughly 15 acquisitions by the end of this year.

Bank details, ID documents, and government concession numbers are among the highly sensitive information exposed in the Origin Energy hack that impacted about 900,000 customers.

Up to 15,000 people had numbers associated with government concessions or schemes taken in the July 2 data breach.

Sixty had their full bank account numbers stolen and another 100 had information from identifying documents taken.

Origin initially said customers’ affected data may include their name, address, dates of birth, phone numbers, and account information, along with the last four digits of a credit card or last three digits of a bank account.

Incomplete credit card or bank account information cannot be used to make purchases or access accounts.

Earlier this week, it was revealed authorities traced the Origin Energy cyber hack to a Manila call centre.

Origin chief executive Frank Calabria said the energy provider was confident in the steps they had taken to respond.

“We have substantially completed our review into the information accessed for each affected customer, and our priority is completing our notifications to them and providing support,” he said.

“We have taken a number of steps to enhance the security of our systems to prevent future incidents of this kind.”

In late July, the energy giant confirmed 900,000 current and former customers’ personal information had been hacked.

This is lower than initial reports that two million of Origin’s 4.8 million customers were involved.

Origin chief executive Frank Calabria confirmed on Tuesday that the hacker first contacted the energy giant on July 2.

Origin Energy is urging customers to remain alert to any phone call, text or email they receive even if it appears to be from the energy provider, a person’s bank or govermnet.

They are also asking customers to use basic online security measures including two-factor authentication and not to provide personal details online with anyone.

Origin has made specialist identity and cyber support services available, including identity monitoring and 12 months of free credit monitoring.

“Customers should remain vigilant to any suspicious activity and to contact us directly with any questions,” Mr Calabria said.

Aquaculture company Seafarms has turfed its CEO with immediate effect ‘for cause’.

The group is behind Project Sea Dragon, an ambitious project near Kununurra where it is developing a prawn farm over 360ha of ponds.

A short statement ot the ASX this morning offered no hint at why Peter Fraser had been terminated.

“Rod Dyer, who has been undertaking a narrow role of managing director on a casual basis will expand his responsibilities to subsume the CEO role,” it said.

“Mr Dyer’s previous experience as CEO and executive director, and subsequently as non-executive director from the time of Mr Fraser’s appointment means he has current and intricate knowledge of the operations and assets of the group and Project Sea Dragon.”

Mr Dyer will collect $440 an hour for taking on the role.

Gold was on track for a third weekly gain after the US Treasury’s unexpected ramp-up in buybacks of long-dated government debt underscored concerns about its burden.

Bullion was trading around $US4530 an ounce, and was poised to end the week more than 3 per cent higher.

The US Treasury’s surprise liquidity injection on Wednesday sent yields and the dollar lower, while boosting bullion. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he’s prepared to expand buybacks of costlier debt and flagged the administration would soon unveil a fiscal initiative to address the highest borrowing costs in years.

While yields retraced much of the decline the buyback prompted later in the week, the move reflects concerns about soaring government debt. That is one of the themes that propelled gold’s earlier multi-year rally as investors sought alternative safe havens.

Bullion’s rally of around 11 per cent so far this month could be tempered by the rebound in energy prices that keeps inflation risks and rate-hike bets on the table. Oil is set for a sharp weekly gain after US President Donald Trump’s threat to crush the Iranian economy further dimmed prospects of a near-term deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The White House says it will release details of the plan on Monday.

The yellow metal has held above the key $US4000/oz support threshold since mid-July, when dip-buyers emerged after a war-driven slump pushed it into bear territory the month before. It’s still down around 15 per cent from before the US-Iran conflict erupted in late February.

The Australian share market is again treading water as investors await any sign of a catalyst for change.

The S&P/ASX200 was down just 0.1 per cent after the first 90 minutes of trade to 9073.9 points.

Real estate stocks led the fall in sentiment, down 2 per cent.

IT, consumer discretionary, health care and mining stocks were also lower. Utilities were the best-performers, up 1.8 per cent and energy rose 1.1 per cent.

NRW was outperforming the market, shooting up almost 10 per cent after yesterday reporting a record set of financial results.

TPG, APA, Helia and Resolute Mining also added solid gains.

Super Retail Group - owner of BCF, Rebel and Supercheap Auto - kept falling, losing another 6 per cent after disappointing investors with its results yesterday.

Regis Resources is spreading the wealth after delivering a record profit last financial year.

The gold miner has declared a record 20c-a-share final fully franked dividend after it set a new net profit high of $715 million - up $461m from the previous year.

The payout comprises a 15c ordinary dividend and a 5c special distribution, taking the total full-year dividend to 35c a share.

It turned out 379,050 ounces of gold at an all-in costs of $2945/oz in FY26 and continued to sell into record gold prices.

Regis owns the Duketon hub in the northern Goldfields - which is forecast to produce between 240,000 and 270,000oz this year - and has a 30 per cent share of the Tropicana gold mine, along with AngloGold Ashanti, which will give it another 120,000 to 130,000oz.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was $1.345 billion - up $565m year-on-year - as the price of the precious metal soared to multiple record highs during the financial year.

CEO Jim Beyer said the performance reflected the consistency of Regis’ operations and the continued strengthening of its balance sheet.

“Regis remains unhedged and enters FY27 with a strong balance sheet that positions the company to invest in its operations and growth options while continuing to deliver meaningful returns to shareholders,” he said.

Speaking at Diggers & Dealers earlier this month, Mr Beyer lamented the “lost opportunity” of Genesis Minerals outbidding Regis for Vault Minerals, but said there were still plenty of value creation opportunites outside of acquisitions.

Australia’s biggest footwear retailer has booked a full-year net loss after a sales slide blamed on ravaged consumer confidence, as it fends off a hostile takeover by its biggest shareholder.

Accent Group, which owns brands including Hype DC, urged shareholders to reject the hostile 65¢-a-share bid lobbed in June by British retail giant Frasers Group, run by billionaire founder Mike Ashley.

Accent reported a statutory net loss of $13.8 million on Friday, compared to a net profit of $57.7m for the 2024-25 financial year, after like-for-like sales eased 0.5 per cent, weighed down by the second half.

The company said the fourth quarter was hit by “the escalation of geopolitical tensions and a significant deterioration in consumer confidence”.

A non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $48.6m was recorded as it restructures the group, closing 59 stores, including 17 Vans stores where it couldn’t negotiate agreeable rents.

More than 100 stores are under review as lease renewals approach.

The closure of OzSale and Glue operations, along with the discontinuation of distribution agreements for Dickies, Herschel and Superga, removed about $17.8m of losses on an annualised basis, the company said.

Accent added 43 stores to its network, including buying back 17 outlets of The Athlete’s Foot, a franchise it is in the process of reacquiring.

Under a deal with Frasers unveiled in April last year, Accent said it would open at least 50 Sports Direct stores in Australia and New Zealand over the next six years.

Just three are now trading, plus online, with an additional four promised by the end of December.

Sports Direct is at the centre of the Frasers empire, running more than 700 of the stores globally.

Chief executive Daniel Agostinelli said it was still a year of significant strategic progress despite a challenging macroeconomic backdrop.

The compensation agreement with miners BHP, Vale and Samarco over the Mariana dam collapse in 2015 has been joined by 19 new cities, as legal action continues in the UK.

As a result, the deal, signed and ratified in October 2024, now has the support of 45 of the 49 municipalities eligible to receive funds.

The 2015 dam collapse in an iron ore mine owned by Samarco, a joint venture between Australia’s BHP and Vale, near the city of Mariana in southeastern Brazil, killed 19 people, left hundreds homeless, flooded forests and polluted the length of the Doce River.

The agreement established the payment of 170 billion reais ($A46 billion) in compensation and reparation for one of the country’s worst environmental disasters.

But as of March 2025, only 26 cities had joined the deal, with many cities arguing the amount was not enough to compensate for the vast damage. The initial resistance to signing it was also influenced by parallel legal action against BHP in London, which also seeks reparations for the collapse that could yield an even higher compensation amount.

In November, London’s High Court ruled BHP was responsible under Brazilian law for the dam collapse. A further trial to decide on any damages to be paid was expected to begin in April 2027.

The cities’ participation in the agreement is viewed as important for Samarco, as it seeks to move beyond uncertainties stemming from the collapse.

“We consider this a historic victory for the city,” Mariana Mayor Juliano Duarte said in a press conference. “We have several individuals and companies that are still involved in the UK lawsuit. We, as the city government, will continue to stand by these people.”

A Brazilian court says it remains available to accept any future adherence by the four cities that have yet to join the agreement: Ouro Preto, Governador Valadares and Resplendor, in Minas Gerais state, and Colatina, in Espirito Santo state.

Inflationary pressures continue to weigh on chicken meat supplier Inghams, which took a big bite out of a marginal rise in revenue for the last financial year.

Revenue rose just 2.4 per cent to $3.23 billion. Underlying earnings before tax and interest tumbled 30 per cent to $153.6 million.

Net profit fell 61.5 per cent to $34.6m.

But that was more than offset by a $170m rise in costs - a 6.2 per cent leap from a year earlier which reflected growth in production volumes, cost inflation and production inefficiencies.

“This reflects inflationary pressures across packaging, ingredients, cooking oil, freight, labour, and repairs and maintenance, while the impact of the current Middle East conflict contributed additional costs of $13.2m, partially offset by the group’s cost reduction program which delivered $82.3m of savings, and $27.6m oflower internal feed costs,” the company said.

Australian costs increased 8.1 per cent, reflecting higher volumes and inflation across key input categories, while costs in New Zealand rose only 1.3 per cent.

Inghams sells products to supermarket giant Woolworths, but now at a lower volume after a new supply contract was settled in 2025, although this has been offset by gains for other retailers.

Looking ahead, the poultry group said input cost inflation continues to be a challenge.

It said FY27 has started against a challenging external backdrop including input cost inflation, continuing geopolitical disruption and softer Australian wholesale market conditions.

“While the operating environment remains challenging, we enter financial year 2027 with a more balanced network, a stronger and more diversified customer portfolio,” Mr Alexander said.

Perenti will bank $100 million after agreeing to offload its equipment rental and parts sales business to Beetle industries.

The mining contractor’s deal for BTP Group comprises an initial cash payment of $80m and a deferred payment of $20m due 12 months after completion, which is expected by the end of October.

The deferred payment is not subject to any performance hurdles or conditions.

Beetle is an investment vehicle established by a private consortium led by Cratus Group, a resources, logistics, structural capital and infrastructure supply company that operates in Australia, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Perenti boss Vanessa Torres said the sale followed a strategic review of its portfolio.

“The transaction reflects our continued focus on actively managing our portfolio and allocating capital to businesses aligned with our competitive strengths in a way that maximises the group’s total shareholder returns,” she said.

“While BTP’s performance has been impacted by market headwinds in recent years, its team has remained committed and worked diligently to support the profitability of the business.

“We believe the new ownership structure will provide a strong platform for BTP to pursue future opportunities and long-term success.”