Loading news...
The conglomerate is considering expanding a refinery and doubling the production capacity at a lithium mine in Western Australia.
Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott joins Squawk Box Asia to discuss the company's latest earnings, saying there is room for growth in the existing portfolio despite a challenging economic environment in Australia.
Wesfarmers Limited (WFAFY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Wesfarmers Limited (OTCPK:WFAFY) Shareholder/Analyst Call October 30, 2025 1:00 AM EDT Company Participants Michael Chaney Robert Scott - MD, CEO & Director Michael Roche Sharon Warburton Julie Coates Conference Call Participants Ruth Callaghan Richard Barry Walley OAM Presentation Ruth Callaghan Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Wesfarmers' Annual General Meeting for 2025. My name is Ruth Callaghan, and I will be the moderator for today's meeting.
Wesfarmers , Australia's biggest non-food retailer, reported a near 4% rise in its annual profit on Thursday, driven by strong performances in its retail divisions, and announced an additional A$1.7 billion ($1.10 billion) capital return.
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them. As the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation reaches the qualifying full retirement age, a considerable number of those entering or already enjoying retirement need to find a balance in their time management. Specifically, they need to find equilibrium between the time they devote to managing their retirement portfolios and the time they spend on travel, hobbies and other opportunities that were hindered by employment responsibilities. For those seeking to devote a minimum amount of work to the former while simultaneously being able to enjoy the latter (without undue daily financial worries), two Charles Schwab’s exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have proven to be a popular solution since the 1990s. For thousands of retirees who want to combine a growth component with mitigated volatility, diversification and income, the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHD) has become a popular choice. Taking the diversification aspect one step further, there are dozens of financial investment opportunities every day taking place around the globe that often go totally unnoticed and unreported in financial media. For those investors seeking international exposure for their portfolios with a comparable degree of growth, income, diversification and risk containment, the Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHY) may appeal to them. Key Points in This Article: These two dividend-focused Schwab ETFs can provide a reliable stream of retirement income. While both provided strong yield, SCHD and SCHY are also focused on dividend growth. Are you ahead, or behind on retirement? SmartAsset’s free tool can match you with a financial advisor in minutes to help you answer that today. Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Don’t waste another minute; get started by clicking here. (Sponsor) Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF Among retirees, the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (NYSE: SCHD) is an ETF that meets the growth, income and stability requirements of many portfolios that are providing living expense funds for those in their golden years. Designed to track the Dow Jones US Dividend 100 Index, stocks under consideration for inclusion in SCHD must meet the following criteria: Minimum of 10 consecutive years of dividend payments Floating market capitalization minimum of $500 minimum Minimum average daily trading volume of $2 million Schwab deploys a four-step calculation that determines ranking, which may differ from that of the Dow Jones US Dividend 100 Index: Cash flow-to-total dDebt ratio Return on equity Dividend yield Five-year dividend growth rate The top 100 scoring companies are included in the index. If two companies have the same score, the one with the larger dividend gets the higher ranking. At the time of this writing, other SCHD details include: Dividend Yield 3.97% Dividend Payment Frequency Quarterly Dividend Growth (trailing) 16.69% Dividend Payout Ratio 56.99% Total Assets $68.16 billion Daily Trade Volume Average 18.26 million shares Inception Date 10-20-2011 Expense Ratio 0.06% 1-year trailing return 3.92% 3-year trailing return 3.77% 5-year trailing return 12.23% 10-year trailing return 10.58% The top five weighted holdings in SCHD exemplify how the ETF provides investors with exposure to numerous sectors: Coca-Cola: 4.35% Verizon Communications: 4.34% Altria Group: 4.30% Lockheed Martin: 4.26% Cisco Systems: 4.17% The top five weighted sectors in SCHD are: Consumer defensive: 19.65% Energy: 18.80% Health care: 14.55% Industrials: 11.13% Technology: 10.76% A minimum of 90% of the stocks in the SCHD portfolio are also in the Dow Jones US Dividend 100 Index, although rankings may differ. Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF For equivalent levels of criteria selection, growth potential, income, and stability in an international ETF, the Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF (NYSE: SCHY) complements SCHD very seamlessly in a portfolio. Similarly to SCHD, SCHY will only consider companies with a minimum unbroken 10-year track record of dividend payouts, as well as market cap and liquidity parameters. The next 4 calculated elements determine rankings: Cash flow-to-total debt ratio Return on equity Dividend yield Five-year dividend growth rate The top 400 stocks that make the cut are then calculated for historical price volatility, and those that exceed the overall average are eliminated from the running. The final 100 that make the cut that are added to the portfolio, under the following weighting caps, which are adjusted and rebalanced each quarter: No individual stock weighting to exceed 4% No sector weighting to exceed 15% Any emerging market sector stocks cannot collectively exceed 15% Dividend Yield 3.89% Dividend Payment Frequency Quarterly Dividend Growth (trailing 3-years)) 20.29% Dividend Payout Ratio 54.80% Total Assets $1.1 billion Daily Trade Volume Average 361,208 shares Inception Date 10-20-2011 Expense Ratio 0.08% 1-year trailing return 15.46% 3-year trailing return 7.67% 5-year trailing return N/A 10-year trailing return N/A Like SCHD, the top five weighted holdings in SCHY also span numerous sectors: Enel SpA: 4.69% Wesfarmers Ltd.: 4.22% Vinci SA: 4.18% British American Tobacco: 4.04% Unilever: 4.02% The top five weighted sectors in SCHY are: Consumer defensive: 15.82% Financial services: 15.33% Communications services: 13.15% Industrials: 12.07% Health care: 11.44% Some Strategies to Keep in Mind Selection for asset liquidations mandated under RMD rules should be submitted to careful deliberation in order to maintain income stream while preserving sufficient growth to keep up with inflation. Retirees that are relying on their portfolio for their living expense income will likely want to keep the following tips in mind if adding SCHD and/or SCHY to an IRA: SCHD dividends are qualified dividends, meaning that they qualify for taxations at lower capital gains rates than as income. As dividends from SCHY are from international companies, portions of those dividends may not qualify, depending on criteria such as if the stock meets the minimum 61-day holding threshold from the ETF, etc. A tax-professional should likely be consulted if there are any questions. Required minimum distribution (RMD) mandates commence when an account holder reaches age 73. Depending on what other assets are in the portfolio, the long term viability of SCHD and SCHY to continue steady growth and continued reliable income should be weighed against any other assets to determine if they should be incrementally liquidated to meet RMD dictates, or if other growth assets might be more suitable. The combination of growth, income and diversity offered from SCHD and SCHY might weather future market turbulence better than other assets which might be more geared for growth or only for income, and thus more vulnerable. The post 2 Schwab ETFs for Steady Retirement Income appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..
Wesfarmers Limited (OTCPK:WFAFF) Q2 2025 Results Conference Call February 19, 2025 9:00 PM ET Company Participants Rob Scott - MD, CEO & Director Anthony Gianotti - Chief Financial Officer Michael Schneider - MD of Bunnings Group and MD of Bunnings Australia & New Zealand Ian Bailey - Managing Director of Kmart Group Aaron Hood - Deputy MD of WesCEF & COO of Chemicals, Energy & Fertilisers Emily Amos - Managing Director of Health Nicole Sheffield - Managing Director, Wesfarmers OneDigital Sarah Hunter - Managing Director of Officeworks Conference Call Participants Michael Simotas - Jefferies Tom Kierath - Barrenjoey Shaun Cousins - UBS David Errington - Bank of America Lisa Deng - Goldman Sachs Bryan Raymond - JPMorgan Adrian Lemme - Citi Caleb Wheatley - Macquarie Craig Woolford - MST Marquee Ben Gilbert - Jarden Richard Barwick - CLSA Phil Kimber - E&P Capital Operator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for holding, and welcome to the Wesfarmers 2025 Half Year Results Briefing. [Operator Instructions] This call is also being webcast live on the Wesfarmers website and can be accessed from the homepage of wesfarmers.com.au.
Australia's biggest non-food retailer Wesfarmers said it may raise prices as a soft local dollar drives up supply costs and warned on Thursday that tariffs ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump may spur inflation.
Australia's discretionary retailers are expected to report improved half-yearly earnings, investors said, as easing inflation and tax cuts encouraged weary consumers to start spending again.
Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers on Friday said it would sell its industrial gas supply arm, Coregas, to Japanese multinational firm Nippon Sanso for A$770 million ($480.33 million).
Lithium prices were flat the past month. Lithium market news - The US government is reportedly examining price support mechanisms for domestic critical mineral projects. BloombergNEF forecasts lithium deficits may begin in 2025. Lithium company news - Arcadium Lithium confirms takeover offer from Rio Tinto. Bikita Minerals has shut down one of its production plants, citing weak global prices.
Lithium carbonate spot prices were generally flat the past month. Lithium market news - Fastmarkets forecast a tentatively balanced lithium market in 2024. US moves to restore stockpiling ‘panic button' in EV metals fight with China. Lithium company news - Albemarle plans to reduce capital expenditures, costs to unlock >US$750M of cash flow. Tianqi Lithium issues large negative profit warning.
Wesfarmers Limited (WFAFF) Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
Australia's Wesfarmers on Thursday posted a better-than-expected half-year profit, boosted by strong performance at its budget department store operator Kmart and hardware business Bunnings.
Lithium chemical spot prices and spodumene prices were lower the past month and are now below the marginal cost of production. Lithium market news - China Futures Co. analyst, Zhang Weixin, forecasts lithium carbonate to bottom out between CNY80-90,000/t. Milei looks to cut costs for Argentina's miners in broader deregulation push. Lithium company news - SQM and Hancock enter into implementation deed with Azure Minerals. Livent and Allkem shareholders approve merger of equals, new company name to be Arcadium Lithium.
Lithium chemical spot prices and spodumene prices were significantly lower the past month. Lithium market news - Australia's largest lithium mine flags output cut on weak China demand. SQM announces acquisition offer for Azure Minerals for ~US$900m. Lithium company news - Allkem and Livent receive all required regulatory approvals globally to close merger of equals. Sayona Mining announces new high-grade zones encountered in NAL drilling.
Lithium chemical spot prices and spodumene prices were slightly lower the past month. Citi short-term forecast is for lithium carbonate price to fall to US$18,000/t. Lithium market news - Argentina mulls charging lithium miners contribution. "Incredible lithium price spike" on way as new chemical capacity drives demand, says Brinsden. Lithium company news - Albemarle withdraws offer to acquire Liontown Resources. Ganfeng starts construction of US$250M lithium processing plant in Nigeria. Lithium Americas split finalizes to form LAC and LAAC.
Lithium chemical spot prices and spodumene prices were significantly lower the past month. Lithium market news - BMI: "Battery capacity to increase 4-fold by 2030 to 4TWh." Argentina to reach top three spot among lithium players by 2027. Lithium company news - Albemarle raises offer to A$3.00 in takeover offer for Liontown Resources, receives $90m critical materials award from the DoD.
Lithium chemical spot prices and spodumene prices were significantly lower the past month. Lithium market news - BloombergNEF: EV battery sizes increasing may lead to battery supply chain shortages. BMI: 401 gigafactories planned to be in operation by 2030. Lithium company news - Albemarle invests C$109m Strategic Investment and MOU into Patriot Battery Metals. Pilbara Minerals announces 109Mt Mineral Resource increase to 414Mt.