Australia's Woolworths Group gains after higher annual profit

Woolworths

26/08/2026 03:58

Updates
** Shares of Australia's Woolworths Group WOW.AX rise as much as 6% to A$41.190, their highest level since early September 2021
** Stock headed for its strongest session since February 25, if current gains hold
** Country's top supermarket chain posts FY underlying net profit after tax of A$1.60 billion ($1.15 billion), higher than A$1.39 billion a year ago
** FY underlying net profit beats Visible Alpha consensus of A$1.55 billion
** Co raises its final dividend to 52 AU cents a share from 45 AU cents a year earlier
** "We expected a recovery and a strong start to FY27 and management delivered" - Pitcher Partners CIO Cameron Curko
** Curko says WOW's Australian Food Sales, up 7.6% for the first eight weeks of 1H27, came ahead of market expectations
** Stock up 37.4% YTD, including the session's moves     
($1 = 1.3959 Australian dollars)

 (Reporting by Shravya Marakini & Rajasik Mukherjee in Bengaluru)
 ((shravya.marakini@thomsonreuters.com;))