PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE & SOUTH KOREAN STOCK NEWS: Tech stocks eyed after outperformance of the sector stateside, while focus is on the BoJ and RBA rate decisions

AUSTRALIA

Bellevue Gold (BGL AT) - Co. reaffirmed FY26 production and cost guidance, said the mining contractor transition is proceeding in line with plan, will continue pre-delivering into its hedge book to bolster the balance sheet, targets reducing the hedge book by 65-70k oz by quarter-end, reported growth and exploration capital of about AUD 96mln for the 11 months through May 31, and said it is well placed to beat the midpoint of FY26 production guidance. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Centuria Capital Group (CNI AT) - Co. unveiled strong digital infrastructure growth and a robust AI strategy at its Investor Day. (Motley Fool)

Centuria Industrial REIT (CIP AT) - Co. unveiled a data centre strategy, highlighting future development plans, pipeline opportunities and expansion plans across multiple Australian sites. (Motley Fool)

Contact Energy (CEN AT) - Co. said May 2026 energy sales rose, costs fell and renewables investment remained active, with mass market electricity and gas sales rising to 461GWh from 365GWh in May 2025. (Motley Fool)

HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (HDN AT) - Co. said portfolio value rose AUD 92mln, or 1.8%, in the six months through June driven by net operating income growth, expects gearing at the midpoint of its 30-40% target range at end-June, declared a quarterly distribution of 2.15 Australian cents/unit and reaffirmed FY26 distribution and funds from operations guidance. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Infratil (IFT AT) - Co. appointed CFO Andrew Carroll as chief operating officer, a newly created role, where he will focus on execution and capital-allocation priorities, while deputy CFO Matt Ross was promoted to CFO and will report to Carroll. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Qube Holdings (QUB AT) - Independent expert concluded the total payment of AUD 5.20/shr is fair and reasonable in relation to the Macquarie-led buyout with an enterprise value of approximately AUD 11.7bln. (Newswires)

Broker Ratings/Price Target

• Autosports Group (ASG AT) Price target cut 32% to AUD 3.35/shr by UBS.
• BHP Group (BHP AT) Price target raised 6% to AUD 56.00/shr by Macquarie.
• Champion Iron (CIA AT) Price target raised 8% to AUD 7.10/shr by Macquarie.
• Eagers Automotive (APE AT) Price target cut 20% to AUD 22.95/shr by UBS.
• Insurance Australia Group (IAG AT) Price target raised 2.9% to AUD 8.75/shr by Jefferies.
• Mineral Resources (MIN AT) Price target raised 20% to AUD 90.00/shr by Macquarie.
• Nine Entertainment (NEC AT) Price target raised 7.7% to AUD 1.40/shr by Jefferies, price target raised 3.1% to AUD 1.00/shr by UBS.
• QBE Insurance (QBE AT) Price target raised 2.7% to AUD 26.25/shr by Jefferies.
• Rio Tinto (RIO AT) Cut to Neutral from Outperform, price target raised 1% to AUD 188.00/shr by Macquarie.
• Sonic Healthcare (SHL AT) Price target cut 7.1% to AUD 19.60/shr by UBS.
• South32 (S32 AT) Cut to Neutral from Outperform, price target raised 2% to AUD 4.60/shr by Macquarie.
• Suncorp Group (SUN AT) Price target raised 4.0% to AUD 18.40/shr by Jefferies.
• Whitehaven Coal (WHC AT) Price target raised 3% to AUD 10.00/shr by Macquarie.

JAPAN

Eisai (4523 JT) - Co. will invest USD 64mln in its UK facility to expand packaging capacity for injectable drugs. (Nikkei)

Honda Motor (7267 JT) - Co. is reportedly set to lower its target for EV motorcycle sales of 4mln units. (Newswires)

JX Advanced Metals (5016 JT) - Co. will invest USD 750mln to increase optical chip wafer production capacity to support AI data centre demand and reduce power consumption. (Nikkei)

Kikkoman (2801 JT) - Co. plans to build its first manufacturing plant in India as it expands its presence in the country's growing condiment market. (Nikkei)

Mizuho Financial Group (8411 JT) - Co.'s Mizuho Bank will support energy procurement projects involving Japanese and South Korean companies as geopolitical risks drive a reassessment of energy sourcing strategies. (Nikkei)

Terra Drone (278A JT) - Co. will acquire Ukrainian drone makers WinnyLab and Amazing Drones to expand its global unmanned aerial vehicle business and market combat-proven drones in Japan, Europe and the Middle East. (Nikkei)

Other News

Japan to consider a mandate for EV battery collection as waste volumes increase, with policymakers assessing safety and resource security concerns. (Nikkei)

Japanese LDP official said a food levy of 0% is being discussed rather than a 1% reduction. (Newswires)

Japan, the UK and Italy are set to move to the next phase of their joint fighter jet programme, with a design-phase agreement expected by the end of June. (Nikkei)

SOUTH KOREA

ContentreeJoongAng (036420 KS) - JoongAng Group and affiliates began corporate rehabilitation. (ChosunBiz)

Doosan Enerbility (034020 KS) - Co. won a KRW 530bln contract with a consortium including Korea Western Power to build a combined-cycle power plant in Oman. (Yonhap)

Energy - South Korea and Qatar discussed cooperation in energy and other cutting-edge industries amid lingering supply disruptions caused by geopolitical uncertainties. (Yonhap)

Broker Ratings/Price Target

• Hyundai Mobis (012330 KS) Buy maintained, price target raised 55.3% to KRW 870,000 from KRW 560,000 by Yuanta Securities Korea, which said the Co. could benefit from growth in the global humanoid robot market as it supplies core parts for Boston Dynamics’ robots.
• Hyundai Motor (005380 KS) Cut to Hold by Yuanta Securities Korea, which said the recent share price rise reflected expectations for Boston Dynamics’ growth in the robot market rather than a reappraisal of new automobile-related businesses.