Closing Bell: ASX flatlines as healthcare sector jolts higher

The ASX has fallen 0.31pc with 10 of 11 sectors lower. Healthcare lifted 1.04pc, posting solid gains despite market riptides.

While the rest of the ASX is having a sombre day, healthcare stocks are laughing it up as the only sector to make solid gains. Pic: Getty Images

• ASX falls 0.31pc with 10 of 11 sectors down

• Healthcare moves against the grain, up 1.04pc

• Fortescue jumps 4.34pc on quarterly results

ASX looking poorly by end of trade

The ASX 200 stumbled a little today, down 0.31% with 10 of 11 sectors flatlining.

A 1.04% jolt from the healthcare sector wasn’t enough to revive the market’s pulse, even with a little help from the top banks.

Weak trading in the May and June months sent automotive parts firm Bapcor (ASX:BAP) plummeting 28% by the end of the day, lopping an eye-watering $1.45 off its share price to finish at $3.66.

While no other single stock was hit quite so hard, there was also a general sell down in some recent favourites.

Uranium miner Boss Energy (ASX:BOE) shed 6.4%, UAV defence company Droneshield (ASX:DRO) slipped 5.8%, Brazilian Rare Earths (ASX:BRE) fell 5.4% and Macquarie (ASX:MQG) fell 5%.

Source: Market Index.

As for the healthcare sector standouts - Clarity Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CU6) jumped 10%, Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX:NEU) 8.9%, Immutep (ASX:IMM) 8.3% and Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) 7.9%.

Taking a squizz at our indices, the only bright spot was a lift in the ASX 200 Banks index, but that was weighed down by Macquarie’s struggles.

Still, NAB (ASX:NAB) gained 1.24% and Westpac (ASX:WBC) tipped up 0.54%.

Source: Market Index.

Fortescue hits the mark with Q4 earnings

Shares in one of our biggest iron ore miners climbed today, after Fortescue (ASX:FMG) mostly outperformed market expectations in its fourth quarter earnings report.

That’s despite a 0.22% fall in the ASX200 Resources index and a 0.11% drop in the overall materials sector.

Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest’s company shipped 55.2Mt of iron ore in the June quarter, for a record 198.4Mt over FY2025, a 4% increase over FY24.

FMG also managed to reduce production costs to US$17.50 per tonne, 4% lower than market consensus expected, and lowered net debt to US$2.1 billion, $500,000 lower than predicted.

“This was a clean result with FMG demonstrating its ability to deliver in its core business. The cost beat was pleasing, with strip ratios to be lowered,” A Macquarie broker note read.

“Whilst the net debt beat was helped by a working capital unwind, FY26 energy guidance may lead to lower burn rates.”

Fortescue opted to roll back its green hydrogen initiatives at home and abroad, reassessing its Arizona and Gladstone green energy projects.

Looking forward, FMG predicts it will deliver between 195Mt and 205Mt of iron ore in the next financial year, at a cost of between US$17.50 to US$18.50 per wet metric tonne.

Today, Fortescue’s shares rose 4.34% to $19.00 each by end of trade.

ASX SMALL CAP LEADERS

Today’s best performing small cap stocks:

Code	Name	Last	% Change	Volume	Market Cap
SFG	Seafarms Group Ltd	0.002	100%	7110068	$4,836,599
BP8	Bph Global Ltd	0.003	50%	1274424	$2,101,969
MTL	Mantle Minerals Ltd	0.0015	50%	8100000	$6,197,446
OB1	Orbminco Limited	0.0015	50%	1925375	$3,402,568
VEN	Vintage Energy	0.006	50%	2726332	$8,347,655
PV1	Provaris Energy Ltd	0.026	37%	6552092	$14,782,901
BMO	Bastion Minerals	0.002	33%	437500	$2,372,022
FTC	Fintech Chain Ltd	0.004	33%	125000	$1,952,309
GTR	Gti Energy Ltd	0.004	33%	3168314	$11,167,964
HLX	Helix Resources	0.002	33%	1647204	$5,046,291
M2R	Miramar	0.004	33%	1794001	$2,990,470
RMI	Resource Mining Corp	0.017	31%	4797806	$9,547,894
KGD	Kula Gold Limited	0.009	29%	2882221	$6,448,776
CTQ	Careteq Limited	0.014	27%	999474	$2,608,306
BIT	Biotron Limited	0.0025	25%	286365	$2,654,492
PKO	Peako Limited	0.0025	25%	250100	$2,975,484
ROG	Red Sky Energy.	0.005	25%	1096100	$21,688,909
NSB	Neuroscientific	0.23	24%	5272703	$61,526,506
PGD	Peregrine Gold	0.32	23%	623241	$22,060,413
EPX	EPX Limited	0.027	23%	1239835	$14,512,896
ODY	Odyssey Gold Ltd	0.029	21%	13374452	$26,500,641
DES	Desoto Resources	0.175	21%	1990695	$27,075,046
AUK	Aumake Limited	0.003	20%	38165577	$7,558,397
THB	Thunderbird Resource	0.012	20%	4168988	$3,897,414
TMK	TMK Energy Limited	0.003	20%	10000	$25,555,958

In the news…

GTI Energy (ASX:GTR) is gearing up to begin resource expansion drilling at the Lo Herma uranium project in Wyoming, US, after getting the green light from the Bureau of Land Management.

GTI is developing the 10.23Mlb uranium Lo Herma resource as an in-situ recovery uranium project with an eye to tapping into growing yellowcake demand in North America.

Helix Resources (ASX:HLX) is zeroing in on two distinct copper-gold systems at the White Hills project in Arizona, US, with a combination of geophysical, geological and geochemical results.

Two geological formations meet on the project’s tenure. Management reckons there’s evidence of copper at the northern end of the Arizona Arc formation, while a fault-style gold system sits at the southern end of the Walker Lane gold trend, both within the project area.

Energy efficiency provider EPX (ASX:EPX) notched its fourth consecutive quarter of positive operating cash inflows this financial year, pulling in $400,000 for the June quarter.

The company’s 12-month rolling cash flows hit $1.4m in June, a $1.5m improvement over the previous financial year, as customer cash receipts lifted 26% to $5m for the quarter.

E-commerce brand incubator AuMake (ASX:AUK) has lifted its full-year revenue by 50% compared to the previous financial year, raking in $39m.

The company points to its transition to cross border and China retail B2B and B2C business units, exploring new sales channels via Pilot Zone distribution into China Hospital Pharmacies, and activating sales of its own products as the drivers of its success.

ASX SMALL CAP LAGGARDS

Today’s worst performing small cap stocks:

Code	Name	Last	% Change	Volume	Market Cap
RBR	RBR Group Ltd	0.001	-33%	1050000	$4,680,427
AOA	Ausmon Resorces	0.0015	-25%	500000	$2,622,427
DTM	Dart Mining NL	0.003	-25%	7093132	$4,792,222
EAT	Entertainment	0.003	-25%	200000	$5,235,144
LSA	Lachlan Star Ltd	0.055	-21%	73250	$17,680,124
SMM	Somerset Minerals	0.019	-21%	20253006	$15,481,932
LPM	Lithium Plus	0.07	-20%	686494	$11,689,920
CHM	Chimeric Therapeutic	0.004	-20%	47233853	$10,075,971
CRR	Critical Resources	0.004	-20%	2241806	$13,850,427
CTO	Citigold Corp Ltd	0.004	-20%	3599672	$15,000,000
ENT	Enterprise Metals	0.002	-20%	1	$3,428,293
ERL	Empire Resources	0.004	-20%	1027763	$7,419,566
LOC	Locatetechnologies	0.084	-20%	6472637	$24,693,305
MOH	Moho Resources	0.004	-20%	107177	$3,727,070
PRX	Prodigy Gold NL	0.002	-20%	600000	$15,875,278
WBE	Whitebark Energy	0.004	-20%	2707500	$3,502,788
BNR	Bulletin Res Ltd	0.047	-19%	2510592	$17,029,573
PEC	Perpetual Res Ltd	0.019	-17%	11529663	$20,084,249
PKD	Parkd Ltd	0.03	-17%	250000	$3,744,500
ALY	Alchemy Resource Ltd	0.005	-17%	1580000	$7,068,458
ASP	Aspermont Limited	0.005	-17%	85700	$15,079,061
OLI	Oliver'S Real Food	0.005	-17%	123497	$3,244,392
NTI	Neurotech Intl	0.021	-16%	737038	$26,240,548
AAM	Aumegametals	0.036	-14%	887632	$25,454,129
CCO	The Calmer Co Int	0.003	-14%	226905	$10,539,736

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Green Technology Metals’ (ASX:GT1) maiden rubidium resource adds a new dimension to the strategic value of its Seymour project in Ontario, Canada.

Reventon says savvy young Aussies are choosing investment properties first – and it’s reshaping the housing market.

West Coast Silver (ASX:WCE) will use funds from an oversubscribed $6.125m placement to accelerate exploration at its Elizabeth Hill project in WA’s Pilbara.

Reverse circulation drilling at Perpetual Resources’ (ASX:PEC) Igrejinha asset in Brazil’s Lithium Valley has wrapped up, with preliminary observations due following analysis of logging data.

Promising new research shows Alterity Therapeutics’ (ASX:ATH) novel brain imaging tool could play a key role in diagnosing and tracking Multiple System Atrophy.

Pioneer Lithium (ASX:PLN) has established a conservative exploration target at its Warmbad uranium project in Namibia of between 22.22Mt and 32.11Mt with a grade range of 100-120ppm U3O8.

Trading Halts

Asara Resources (ASX:AS1) – cap raise
Australian Strategic Materials (ASX:ASM) – cap raise
Galan Lithium (ASX:GLN) – pending government project approval
Norfolk Metals (ASX:NFL) – cap raise
Painchek (ASX:PCK) – cap raise

At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While GTI Energy is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

Originally published as Closing Bell: ASX flatlines as healthcare sector jolts higher