Daily Roundup

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Macquarie Technology Group is making a major real estate play, exercising an option to acquire a 34,200-square-meter parcel of land in Sydney's Macquarie Park for $240 million. The company plans to develop an engineering and technology campus that'll sit alongside a roughly 200-megawatt data centre, incorporating advanced air cooling technology to minimize water usage. What makes this particularly interesting is the collaboration angle—Macquarie is partnering with Macquarie University to create research and learning opportunities, while also throwing in community perks like a new park, community garden, and art gallery. The whole project should wrap up by late 2029, funded through existing cash reserves and the company's corporate debt facility.

Over at BHP Group, the mining giant is riding high on record production numbers. The company delivered record iron ore output and hit approximately 2 million tonnes of copper production for the year ended June 30, 2026. Strong cost management proved particularly impressive—every asset came in within unit cost guidance despite inflation and global supply chain headaches. Looking ahead, BHP expects FY27 copper production between 1,650 and 1,800 kilotonnes, with iron ore production forecast between 260 and 272 million tonnes. The company is also making strategic moves in copper, progressing applications to restart Cerro Colorado in Chile and expanding future options in the US through Resolution and an investment in Faraday. BHP remains confident in long-term demand, supported by industrialization, urbanization, digitalization, the energy transition, and population growth.

AVA Risk Group's Q4 update reveals a miss on revenue guidance, with FY2026 revenue expected to land around $29 million—below the previously guided range of $34 million to $37 million. The culprit? Delayed orders, particularly in the Middle East, where regional conflict disrupted deliveries. However, there's a silver lining: the company secured $29.4 million in sales order intake, actually exceeding full-year revenue and setting up a solid foundation for FY2027. AVA expects to finish the year with a $6.8 million sales order backlog, including $2.6 million in contracted recurring revenue, with roughly $4.2 million expected to convert to revenue in the first half of FY2027. Gross margins should hold steady at 60 to 64 percent, and the company anticipates modest positive underlying EBITDA for FY2026.

Immuron is posting steady growth across most markets, with global FY26 sales climbing 6 percent to AUD$7.7 million. Australia led the charge with a 10 percent increase to AUD$5.8 million, while the USA grew 7 percent in Australian dollars (13 percent in USD) to AUD$1.8 million. The company's flagship product, Travelan®, an over-the-counter immune supplement targeting pathogenic bacteria, benefited from new marketing initiatives and increased brand awareness. Canada was the outlier, dropping 55 percent to AUD$0.2 million. Immuron is banking on continued momentum from its marketing push and is eyeing expansion of its product portfolio.

Microba Life Sciences is firing on all cylinders in its core testing business. The biotech company reported core testing revenue up 92 percent year-on-year in FY26, with volume jumping 78 percent. Q4 specifically showed 54 percent year-on-year volume growth, and enterprise account adoption in Australia is accelerating—43 accounts are now signed with over 5,600 tests sold, up 87 percent quarter-on-quarter. The company is on track to launch GI Navigator, a new category-defining testing product, in September 2026, which should open up fresh revenue streams. Microba's supplement business, Invivo, also chipped in with an 11 percent quarter-on-quarter revenue increase to $0.75 million in Q4. The company completed a $5 million placement to fund its path to cashflow break-even and is actively pursuing therapeutic partnerships. Microba now expects full group break-even on a run-rate basis in calendar year 2027.