The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

2118 ET - Samsung Electronics' 2026 shareholder return program--estimated by the company at 90 trillion won to 110 trillion won--is seen as falling short of market expectations, Kyobo Securities' Choi Bo-young says. Investors had previously expected the South Korean tech giant to return up to 140 trillion won to shareholders this year, the analyst writes in a note. Although Samsung says it will be its biggest-ever shareholder return, Choi says the plan is unlikely to come as a "surprise" to investors. Samsung has approved 30 trillion won in 3Q dividends and 15 trillion won in a new share buyback for employee compensation, with other shareholder-return details to come later. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

2013 ET - The Nikkei Stock Average edged 0.3% higher to 66212.61, tracking Wall Street's gains on Friday. Japanese stocks swung between mild gains and losses as investors digested the U.S.-Canada trade spat. Late Friday, talks between the two countries to reach a deal collapsed at the 11th hour, spurring prospects that the dispute between neighbors with almost $900 billion-a-year trading relationship could become an all-out trade war. Among best performers on Japan's benchmark index, JX Advanced Metals rose 3.3%, Screen Holdings added 3.1%, and BayCurrent advanced 3.0%. The dollar is at 158.85 yen, compared with Y158.50 around Friday's Tokyo market close. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1952 ET - Shares of fuel refiner and marketer Ampol should trade well today, says Jefferies. That's because Ampol's 1H result was even better than its initial announcement at end-July. Ampol reported Ebit of A$1.39 billion, above the A$1.35 billion signaled weeks earlier. Analyst Michael Simotas says an interim dividend of A$1.85/share is better than expected. He also likes double-digit Convenience Retail Ebit growth in 1H and persistent strength in refining. "Recent retail fuel margin weakness called out by Ampol is readily observable from market data and we agree with management that it's temporary," Jefferies says. Key questions for investors include whether there has been a structural lift in wholesale margins and the outlook for shareholder distributions, it says. Ampol ended last week at A$39.85. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

1949 ET - PLS's stronger-than-anticipated dividend is partly offset by slightly softer-than-expected net profit and earnings per share, says Citi. It says PLS's Ngungaju ramp-up and P2000 project are now the focus for investors. "P2000 feasibility study outcomes remain due in the December quarter, with A$175 million of pre-FID [final investment decision] expenditure included in FY27 guidance but potential post-FID capital excluded," Citi says. It reiterates a buy rating and A$5.00 target. Shares ended Friday at A$5.07. (rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com; @RhiannonHoyle)

1943 ET - Japanese stocks may consolidate as investors digest the U.S.-Canada trade spat. Late Friday, talks between the two countries to reach a deal collapsed at the 11th hour, spurring prospects that the dispute between neighbors with almost $900 billion-a-year trading relationship could become an all-out trade war. Nikkei futures opened 5 points lower at 66060 on the SGX. The dollar is at 158.97 yen, compared with Y158.50 around Friday's Tokyo market close. The Nikkei Stock Average closed 0.3% lower at 66016.36 on Friday. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1942 ET - NIB's share price could weaken today, says Citi. That's because NIB's Australian residents health insurance business disappointed in FY26. NIB reported soft margins within its arhi business. NIB guides to a stable annual underlying net margin of 6-7%. It also projects policyholder growth of 1.9%. "We note the moderation in growth and elevated lapse rates of 16.2% could be in part due to its repositioning to higher value silver customers," analyst Nigel Pittaway says. "However, it also likely reflects industry trends and is something nib will need to focus on moving forward." Citi expects the market to place more weight on the arhi disappointment than a recovery in New Zealand, core EPS beat and A$0.05/share special dividend. "We wouldn't be surprised to see the stock trade flat to down today," Citi says. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

1937 ET - Australian stocks look set to rise at the open, recovering some ground lost last week. Local futures are up by 0.5% ahead of Monday's session, suggesting that the S&P/ASX 200 will rally from a 0.3% slip that wrapped up a 0.6% weekly decline. The benchmark index is still up by 0.9% in August and on track for a fifth consecutive monthly rise. Ahead of the open, personal-protective equipment maker Ansell beat annual earnings expectations and flagged more growth. Miner PLS surprised analysts by reinstating its dividend. Alcohol retailer Endeavour reported a 15% drop in annual underlying profit. U.S. stocks rose Friday, providing a positive lead. The DJIA rose 1.0%, the S&P 500 gained 0.4%, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.4%. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

1933 ET - Barrenjoey expects drinks-to-hotel group Endeavour's share price to fall today, despite very strong trading in its retail division recently. Analyst Tom Kierath says guidance on annual costs is higher than consensus expectations. Endeavour signaled FY27 finance costs of A$330 million-A$340 million, above market hopes for A$328 million. Forecasts of A$50 million-A$55 million operating expenses tied to its One Endeavour program is above prior guidance of A$50 million. "An additional A$40 million-A$60 million of opex is expected in FY27 to support transformational initiatives, which looks incremental versus strategy day comments," Barrenjoey says. Still, it's upbeat about recent trading. Endeavour said Retail sales, which includes Dan Murphy's and BWS, rose by 4.6% in the first seven weeks of FY27. Tha's versus consensus expectations for FY27 of 1.6%. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

1931 ET - Ansell's bull at RBC sees scope for the stock to continue its recent outperformance on the personal-protective equipment maker's earnings beat and strong outlook. Analyst Craig Wong-Pan, who has a last-published outperform rating on the stock, tells clients in a note that FY 2026 underlying profit beat consensus by 4%. The midpoint of Ansell's FY 2027 EPS guidance is an even stronger beat, sitting 7% ahead at the range midpoint. Wong-Pan highlights good June-half revenue growth across both industrial and healthcare, but notes a A$15 million benefit from customer restocking of exam/single-use gloves. RBC has a target price of 36.00 Australian dollars on the stock, which is at A$34.90 ahead of the open. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

1919 ET - The reinstatement of dividends by PLS should be taken positively by the market, Barrenjoey says in a client note. The A$0.05/share dividend is a strong beat versus consensus of A$0.03/share, says the bank. It has an overweight rating and A$6.00 share-price target on PLS. In a separate note, RBC Capital Markets also cheers the payout. It is the company's first dividend since FY24, RBC says. "The dividend represents a 22% payout of FY26 adjusted free cash flow, within PLS' target dividend payout ratio of 20-30% of free cash flow," says the broker. It has an outperform rating and A$5.50 target on the stock. Shares ended Friday at A$5.07. (rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com; @RhiannonHoyle)

1908 ET - Skellerup's FY26 result contained a positive surprise for Forsyth Barr. Strong operating cash flow reduced net debt to almost zero. "While capex is expected to remain elevated over the medium term as Skellerup renews its injection-moulding fleet at Wigram, it retains ample balance sheet headroom to support further organic or inorganic growth initiatives," analyst Rohan Koreman-Smit says. Skellerup continues to investigate in-market U.S. manufacturing. That would unlock capacity at Wigram to grow more in Asian markets. Still, new U.S. manufacturing likely would come at a higher cost. Forsyth Barr retains a neutral call on Skellerup, which is down 0.1% at NZ$7.39 today. "Skellerup is currently trading on a 12-month forward price-to-earnings of 19.3x, which we view as fair," Forsyth Barr says, citing its robust earnings growth and low debt, among other factors. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

1903 ET - Ansell's apparent success in offsetting the margin impacts of inflation shows the business is in better shape than two or three years ago, Citi analyst Laura Sutcliffe says. Sutcliffe, who has a last-published neutral rating on the stock, tells clients in a note that the personal-protective equipment maker appears to have mitigated the effects of raw-material price volatility related to the U.S.-Iran conflict. She thinks Ansell has passed through price increases to its customers in a timely fashion, which she points out wasn't the case when inflation hit costs a few years ago. Sutcliffe expects a positive response to Ansell's stronger-than-expected earnings guidance. Citi has a last-published target price of A$33.50 on the stock, which is at A$34.90 ahead of the open.