Daily Roundup

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Guzman Y Gomez Outlines Growth Strategies at Macquarie Conference

Guzman Y Gomez (GYG) took the stage at the 2025 Macquarie Australia Conference, providing an overview of its impressive growth plans. The company boasts a robust pipeline of over 100 prime real estate locations, enabling it to add 4-5 new restaurants per month.

A core part of GYG's business model is its franchise partnership program, which is expected to generate two-thirds of the company's network sales by fiscal year 2026. GYG is making long-term investments in its G&A infrastructure to support this scalable franchise strategy and drive operating leverage.

Beyond new restaurant openings, the company is laser-focused on expanding margins through operational excellence and a commitment to quality. GYG forecasts its corporate restaurant margins will reach around 17.8% by fiscal 2025, with franchise royalty rates climbing to 8.3%.

In the US market, the company is building brand awareness, improving guest experience metrics, and strategically opening new locations. Overall, GYG remains confident in its ability to exceed its fiscal 2025 net profit after tax forecast, supported by the robust growth drivers outlined in its presentation.

AF Legal Settles Claim, Provides Regulatory Update

AF Legal Group has provided an update on two separate legal matters. First, the company has settled a claim against it from a 2022 event, with the settlement and associated legal costs estimated at $550,000 to $600,000 in the second half of fiscal 2025.

Separately, AF Legal is facing an ongoing regulatory investigation into one of its lawyers, dating back to 2021. While the lawyer has continued to practice without incident, the company expects to incur an additional $100,000 in legal expenses related to this matter.

Despite these legal headwinds, AF Legal remains confident in achieving its guidance that second-half normalized net profit before tax attributable to shareholders will be higher than the $561,000 recorded in the first half of fiscal 2025.

Pro Medicus Secures $20M Contract with University of Iowa Health Care

Pro Medicus Limited has announced a significant contract win, signing a $20 million, 5-year deal with the University of Iowa Health Care (UI Health Care). Under the agreement, Pro Medicus will implement its Visage 7 Enterprise Imaging Platform, including the Viewer, Workflow, and Open Archive modules, across UI Health Care's comprehensive academic health system.

The Visage 7 platform will replace UI Health Care's legacy PACS and provide a unified diagnostic imaging solution integrated with the organization's electronic health record. Planning for the rollout is set to commence immediately, with a targeted go-live in the fourth quarter of the 2025 calendar year.

BlackRock and Generation Life Form Strategic Alliance

In a move to address the evolving needs of Australian retirees, Generation Development Group (GDG) has entered a strategic alliance with investment management giant BlackRock. The two firms will co-design and distribute Holistic Retirement Solutions, aiming to help retirees transition from accumulation to decumulation.

As part of the alliance, BlackRock will acquire a $25 million minority stake in GDG, supporting the development and rollout of the new solutions. The partnership will also explore additional product and service opportunities, leveraging BlackRock's global expertise and GDG's leadership in the Australian retirement market.

Smartgroup Reports Solid Q1 Performance, EV Orders Surge

Smartgroup Corporation has provided an update on its first-quarter 2025 performance, highlighting continued strength in its business. The company saw a 10% increase in average monthly revenue compared to the prior corresponding period, with stable leasing demand.

Notably, electric vehicle (EV) orders accounted for a remarkable 51% of Smartgroup's new vehicle orders in Q1 2025, including 30% battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and 21% plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). The company remains cautiously optimistic for the year ahead as it focuses on delivering its digital assets to improve customer experience and increase efficiency.