Company Interview / the COB: takeovers & tumbles

Bucking the lead-in from overseas, the S&P/ASX 200 sank firmly into the red, down 0.48% to 9,012.50 points this Tuesday. The mining sector was hard hit, with profit taking being seen among gold and rare earths stocks. Meanwhile, Liontown Resources tumbled by 11.4% as its sales came in 20% lower over the past quarter, despite continued taxpayer support.Healthcare was the worst-performing sector, with heavyweight CSL declining by 15.2%; it cut its revenue guidance as it expects a further decline in US influenza vaccination rates over FY26. CSL has also put the demerger of its Seqirus vaccination division on ice.Banks however were in the green, despite tomorrow’s inflation figure that could come in higher than the RBA expectations. In corporate stories, Domino's stock ballooned higher on media reports of a takeover consideration from Bain. The share price settled on a solid 7.4% gain as the fast-food chain tempered allegations. 

M&A drove AUB Group shares higher as well; AUB hit a record high on a takeover offer valuing it at $43 a share. 

Elsewhere, Wisetech was 14.8% lower, with its Sydney office raided by ASIC and the AFP. Looking ahead, inflation data is due locally tomorrow.