Buy Hold Sell: 12 key stocks and the defining insights from a historic reporting season
Buy Hold Sell, by Livewire MarketsShow Notes
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That might be the best way to sum up the February reporting season at the headline level. Of course, there is more nuance to it than that. The top end of town - the banks and miners in particular - enjoyed solid results and, often, spectacular share price moves; Woolworths up 14%, anyone? Throw into the mix a record high for BHP and a resurgent Commonwealth Bank, as the strong got stronger - 'twas the best of times. At the other end of the spectrum, if you disappointed the market - even by a smidge in the case of a company like ZIP - you got hammered. This is not a new theme, given recent season history, but certainly a more pronounced one. 'Twas the worst of times. If that wasn't enough to navigate, casting a pall over the entire season was the chaos agent that is change. More specifically, AI-disruption, which apparently is threatening most small and mid-cap business models, while the top 20 are somehow immune. To help unpack one of the most colourful and important reporting seasons in the last decade, guest host, CommSec's James Gruber, was joined by David Lloyd from Ausbil Investment Management, and Dushko Bajic from First Sentier Investors. They discuss the big themes, key takeouts and, of course, all the big stocks - from the winners to the losers, and everything in between. If you're an investor in ASX stocks, you cannot miss this episode of Buy Hold Sell. This episode was recorded on Thursday, 26 February 2026.
More from Buy Hold Sell, by Livewire Markets
Dividend Aristocrats are US stocks that have increased their dividend for 25 consecutive years. The ASX has just one: Soul Patts, on a 28-year streak. But Australia’s dividend royalty might need to make room in the court as a cluster of aspiring Aristocrats deliver metronomic-like distributions to their investors. But Australia’s dividend royalty may soon need to make room. Take AUB Group, which has delivered 20 consecutive years of dividend growth at over +10% annually. While the starting yield on some of the companies discussed below might not blow your hair back, consistent earnings growth supports those growing dividends. That combination, as we know, can lead to powerful compounding and total returns for patient investors. In this episode of Buy Hold Sell, we’ve recruited the expertise of IML’s actuarial guru Dr Michael O'Neill and Dr Peter Gardner, from the house of dividends, Plato Investment Management. Our guests rate five consistent dividend growers, plus two potential future Aristocrats.This episode was filmed Wednesday 21st October, 2026.
I’ve always been fond of the phrase "wide economic moats." Beyond the jargon, it calls to mind heroic battles, impenetrable fortresses, and all manner of defence tactics and strategies. While modern companies may not be dodging a rain of arrows or pouring hot oil from the parapets, they are defending their turf against an onslaught of AI disruption, geopolitical shockwaves, sticky inflation and market volatility. To survive in today's market, a moat is made from three core pillars. Consistent High Return on Invested Capital (ROIC), strong pricing power, and a rock solid balance sheet. For this episode of Buy Hold Sell, I'm joined once again by Henry Jennings of Marcus Today and Rudi Filapek-Vandyck of FNArena to examine four quality growth companies (plus two picks from our guests) that embody these traits, and test whether their economic moats are holding strong or beginning to crumble. There are even props involved. This episode was filmed Wednesday 7th October, 2026.
Quantitative data vs. qualitative insights — why not both? In this episode, we cut through the market noise using Market Index’s new stock screening tool, Stock Scores, to uncover top ASX stocks scoring highest across Quality and Growth metrics. Rudi Filapek-Vandyck (FNArena) and Henry Jennings (Marcus Today) join us to break down these high-scoring stocks and share whether they’re a buy, hold or sell. More about Stock Scores here!: https://www.marketindex.com.au/stock-scores Please note this episode was filmed Wednesday 7th October, 2026.
The key to any great institution is the management team behind the scenes. Take the example of Justin Holbrook, who has guided the Newcastle Knights from wooden spooners to NRL grand finalists in the space of a year. And the ASX has long been home to stellar management teams who have turned their companies into global winners. In this episode of Livewire's Buy Hold Sell, I'm joined by Sean Roger from Perpetual Asset Management Australia and Joseph Koh from Blackwattle Investment Partners to deliver the calls on five ASX stocks with respected management teams, and share their pick for the ASX management team to beat.
Finding the right balance between attack and defence can be the difference between winning and losing. That will be the case when the Dockers meet the Lions at the MCG tomorrow, and it's also the case for ASX investors looking to build a winning portfolio. In this edition of Buy Hold Sell, I'm joined by Sean Roger from Perpetual Asset Management and Joseph Koh from Blackwattle Investment Partners.