CBA Goes Ex Dividend and the June Quarter Wage Print Lands at 11:30 as BHP and CSL Reactions Roll. | It s On Sale Daily Brief, 19 August 2026

Neil Fairhead

CEO, It’s On Sale

Wednesday is Wallet Wednesday for Australian households. Commonwealth Bank shares go ex dividend this morning on the 2 dollar 70 fully franked final that lands into 850 thousand retail accounts on 29 September (record date is tomorrow Thursday, DRP election closes Friday), and the ABS releases the June quarter Wage Price Index at 11:30 (the number the Reserve Bank is watching most closely before its September meeting). BHP delivered a record US 13 dollar 2 billion underlying profit yesterday and lifted the full year dividend to a four year high, while CSL surged 16 point 4 per cent on 5 per cent FY27 profit guidance despite a 2 dollar 6 billion reported loss driven by transformation impairments. Amazon remains in Federal Court on two ACCC matters. Today s Top 5 opens with Colette Hayman at 74 per cent off, then Decjuba, Myer, Robert Gordon and Australian Leather.

Wallet Wednesday: CBA Ex Div Day and the 11:30 Wage Print

Two moves land in Australian shopper wallets this morning inside a single hour. Commonwealth Bank of Australia goes ex dividend on its FY26 final dividend of 2 dollar 70 per share (fully franked) at market open (the record date is tomorrow Thursday 20 August and payment lands on Monday 29 September). CBA announced the final and total FY26 dividend of 5 dollar 05 (up 4 point 1 per cent on FY25 s 4 dollar 85) alongside the FY26 result on 12 August, with the ex, record and payment schedule confirmed in the CBA FY26 profit announcement and reiterated in the Appendix 3A.1 distribution notice. For the 850 thousand plus retail holders, that is roughly 810 dollars gross per 300 shares and 1,350 dollars per 500 shares landing in Computershare linked bank accounts in six weeks.

The second Wallet Wednesday move is the ABS Wage Price Index for the June quarter, released at 11:30am AEST. As of the March quarter release the seasonally adjusted WPI was up 0 point 8 per cent quarter on quarter and 3 point 3 per cent year on year (per the ABS March quarter release), while June quarter CPI released 30 July printed annual headline inflation at 3 point 8 per cent (per the ABS CPI June quarter media release). If today s WPI prints below 3 point 3 per cent annual, real wages continue to slip and RBA September rate cut probability sharpens, both of which typically bring retailers forward with promotion depth. A print above 3 point 4 per cent would firm the sticky wages story, and floor set discounting tends to shorten. Diarise 11:30 in your app of choice, this one flows straight into the mortgage decision.

BHP FY26: Copper Takes the Crown, Highest Dividend in Four Years

BHP Group handed down FY26 before market open yesterday Tuesday 18 August, and it was a blockbuster. Underlying attributable profit lifted 30 per cent to 13 dollar 2 billion US, comfortably above the Visible Alpha consensus of 12 dollar 66 billion US, per Reuters coverage. Revenue rose 15 per cent to 58 dollar 8 billion US, underlying EBITDA climbed 27 per cent to 32 dollar 9 billion US, and net debt fell to 8 dollar 7 billion US. The board declared a final dividend of 99 US cents per share (fully franked), taking the full year to US 1 dollar 72 (the highest annual dividend in four years) and returning 8 dollar 7 billion US to shareholders through the year. Full detail is in the BHP FY26 announcement.

The story of the year is copper: the metal accounted for 54 per cent of group underlying EBITDA (18 dollar 0 billion US) for the first time ever, overtaking iron ore. BHP produced ~2 million tonnes of copper for a second consecutive year at margins near 70 per cent, and TradingView flagged the operationally clean result plus better than expected payout drove shares up 3 per cent to 64 dollar 07 on the day. For household finances, BHP s 8 dollar 7 billion US dividend pool feeds directly into Australian superannuation balances (BHP is a top five holding across most balanced funds), and the final 99 US cent payout will settle in September into shareholder accounts on the same 850 thousand strong DRP register as CBA.

CSL FY26: Reset Year, Statutory Loss, Shares Surge 16 Per Cent on FY27 Guidance

CSL Limited reported FY26 full year results on Tuesday 18 August at 10am AEST and the headline print was ugly: statutory net loss of 2 dollar 6 billion US after 7 dollar 1 billion in impairments and restructuring costs, revenue down 1 per cent to 15 dollar 8 billion US (constant currency), and underlying NPATA of 3 dollar 1 billion US (down 2 per cent). The final dividend was maintained at US 1 dollar 62 per share, cash flow from operations held at 3 dollar 5 billion US, and CSL flagged this as a “reset year” in the CSL FY26 announcement PDF.

Investors focused entirely on the forward guidance and the market reaction was decisive. Per Investing.com coverage, CSL shares surged 16 point 4 per cent to 156 dollar 68 on the day after management guided to approximately 5 per cent underlying NPAT growth at constant currency for FY27, with CSL Behring returning to mid single digit revenue growth on strong immunoglobulin demand and new product launches. A one dollar billion buyback was completed in FY26 and CSL committed to a further 1 dollar 1 billion Australian buyback across FY27. For 240 thousand retail CSL shareholders and every Australian with a super balance, yesterday reset expectations from steady growth to transformation payoff, with the near term catalyst now the November AGM update.

Amazon Back In Court: Two Live Federal Matters

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has two live Federal Court proceedings against Amazon that will bear on Australian Prime subscribers and marketplace shoppers through 2026 and 2027. The first, filed in June 2026, alleges Amazon Australia included five unfair contract terms in Prime subscription contracts with more than one million annual subscribers between November 2023 and August 2025, and relied on those terms to introduce advertising to Prime Video in July 2024, requiring subscribers to pay an additional 2 dollars 99 per month to remain ad free. The case is tracked by the Australian Financial Review, with maximum penalty per contravention the highest of 50 million dollars, three times the benefit obtained, or 30 per cent of adjusted turnover during the breach period. Case management and interlocutory hearing was set for 7 August 2026.

The second proceeding, filed 29 May 2026 as NSD905 of 2026 in the Federal Court New South Wales Registry, is the first time the ACCC has taken an online marketplace to Federal Court over a mandatory product safety standard. The ACCC concise statement alleges 41 non compliant Unicorn Toddler Backpacks (containing detachable button battery light up unicorn toys without mandatory warning labels) were sold through amazon.com.au and 267 were held in Amazon s Australian fulfilment centres as of 1 November 2022. The ACCC argues that under section 136 subsection 3 of the Australian Consumer Law, mere possession or control of non compliant goods (the receiving, storing, picking, packing and shipping Amazon does for third party sellers under Fulfilment by Amazon) is enough to put the marketplace itself on the hook. If successful, this reshapes marketplace safety liability for every Fulfilment by Amazon third party seller in Australia.

Week Ahead: July Jobs Thursday, Coles Tuesday 25, Woolies Wednesday 26, Wesfarmers Thursday 28

Thursday 20 August at 11:30am AEST is the ABS July Labour Force Survey. Westpac IQ s July preview is expecting unemployment steady at 4 point 4 per cent, employment plus 15 thousand and participation at 66 point 9 per cent. Combined with today s Wage Price Index, this back to back print gives the RBA a full labour and wages picture heading into the 22 to 23 September meeting. Any soft jobs print (unemployment above 4 point 5 per cent, or employment below plus 5 thousand) would sharpen September cut expectations and typically translates within four weeks into deeper Everyday Rewards, Flybuys and MYER one targeted offers.

Next week is peak reporting for consumer facing groups. Coles Group hands down FY26 on Tuesday 25 August (media call 9:15am) with the IG earnings preview tracking consensus around 45 dollar 63 billion in sales, EBIT around 2 dollar 30 billion and final dividend per share around 43 cents (FY26 total DPS around 77 cents). Woolworths Group follows Wednesday 26 August (see the Woolworths investor page), and Wesfarmers reports Thursday 28 August with Bunnings, Kmart and Officeworks the swing divisions, per Reuters preview coverage. All three groups use FY presentations to signal price investment for the following six months, so watch commentary from Coles, Woolies and Wesfarmers for grocery, Bunnings hardware and Kmart apparel price signals.

ARC Data Backdrop: June Retail Held at 4.7 Per Cent

The Australian Retail Council s June 2026 analysis shows household retail spending at 39 dollar 68 billion in June, up 4 point 7 per cent year on year but easing from May s 5 point 8 per cent. By category, cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services grew fastest at 7 point 1 per cent, household goods retailing lifted 6 point 3 per cent, clothing plus 3 point 9 per cent, and department stores plus large online retailers were essentially flat at minus 0 point 1 per cent. The state numbers confirmed the resource state resilience: Northern Territory plus 8 point 8 per cent, Western Australia plus 7 point 5 per cent, Australian Capital Territory plus 3 point 1 per cent, New South Wales plus 3 point 2 per cent. For shoppers, the department store softness is why Myer sits at 60 per cent off in today s Top 5: mid year floor set changeover discounts this week are notably wider than a typical August.