PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN STOCKS NEWS: Earnings from Aristocrat Leisure, GrainCorp, Orica and Xero

Aristocrat Leisure (ALL AT) - Co. FY (AUD) net rose 15% Y/Y to 1.36bln from continuing operations (rose 24% at constant FX), rev. fell 3% Y/Y to 6.09bln from continuing operations, final dividend 0.51/shr. CEO Trevor Croker intends to retire in April, with Dafne Guisard, currently responsible for the Product Madness business, appointed as his successor. (Dow Jones Newsplus) AUB Group (AUB AT) - Co. raised the lower end of its FY27 underlying net profit guidance to AUD 250mln, now expecting AUD 250-265mln, with the midpoint representing 14.6% growth on FY26, reflecting a positive start to FY27. (Dow Jones Newsplus) BHP Group (BHP AT) - Co. CFO Vandita Pant will step down in mid-February, with Adrian Wood appointed as her successor, while Pant will provide transition support until March 29. (Dow Jones Newsplus) Commonwealth Bank (CBA AT) - Co. is facing Federal Court proceedings brought by ASIC over allegations that tens of thousands of business customers were overcharged millions of dollars in account fees. (AFR) GrainCorp (GNC AT) - Co. FY (AUD) net loss 10.1mln, underlying net profit fell 65% Y/Y to 30.5mln, underlying EBITDA 223mln, rev. fell 2.4% Y/Y to 7.13bln, final dividend 0.14/shr. Co. expects improved prospects for a larger summer crop in northern regions following recent rainfall across eastern Australia. (Dow Jones Newsplus) Inghams Group (ING AT) - Co. reached an in-principle agreement to extend poultry supply to Woolworths beyond 2030, while core poultry volumes rose 5.3% in the first 18 weeks of FY27 (Australia +4.8%, New Zealand +8.0%), with pricing up 1.9% in Australia and down 0.8% in New Zealand in NZD terms. (Dow Jones Newsplus) NextDC (NXT AT) - Proxy adviser Ownership Matters has reportedly opposed the Co.'s remuneration report and called for greater management accountability over its financial difficulties amid investor concerns surrounding a potential takeover bid. (AFR) Orica (ORI AT) - Co. FY (AUD) net rose 63% Y/Y to 264.2mln, profit before significant items rose 9% Y/Y to 589.7mln, rev. rose 1% Y/Y to 8.26bln, final dividend 0.355/shr, results included 325.5mln in significant items. Co. expects continued positive momentum and profitable growth into FY27. (Dow Jones Newsplus) Rio Tinto (RIO AT) - Co. aluminium chief Jerome Pecresse expects growing demand for low-carbon aluminium to help protect Australian smelters against increased competition from new Indonesian supply. (AFR) Xero (XRO AT) - Co. H1 (NZD) net fell 86% Y/Y to 18.5mln, Adj. EBITDA rose 3% Y/Y to 362mln, rev. rose 46% Y/Y to 1.75bln, no interim dividend, upgraded FY27 operating revenue guidance and announced a share buyback of up to AUD 1bln. (Dow Jones Newsplus) Retail - David Jones plans to close half of its store network by year-end, including its Perth flagship and seven locations in NSW, as receivers seek to restructure the business following its collapse into administration. (AFR) Broker Ratings/Price Target Domino's Pizza Enterprises (DMP AT) price target raised 6% to AUD 19.30/shr by Macquarie. Flight Centre (FLT AT) price target cut 2% to AUD 14.79/shr by Macquarie; price target cut 1.9% to AUD 12.95/shr by Citi. News Corp (NWS AT) price target cut 4% to AUD 47.75/shr by Macquarie. PEXA (PXA AT) price target cut 11% to AUD 12.35/shr by Macquarie.