It's been a decent, if unspectacular, session for ASX shares so far this Thursday. At the time of writing, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has lifted by 0.15% and is back over 8,970 points. However, it has been a far better day for a few ASX 200 blue-chip stocks.
Let's check out two of those blue-chip stocks that have just clocked new all-time record highs today.
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Two blue-chip ASX 200 stocks that just hit new all-time record highs
Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN)
First up is Qantas Airways. The national carrier is having a marvellous session this Thursday. Qantas shares are currently up a massive 8.46% at the time of writing to $12.05 a share. But earlier today, those shares climbed as high as $12.62 – a gain worth 13.6% at the time. That $12.62 share price is Qantas' new all-time record high. Not bad for a company that has been listed for three decades. Not to mention one that was being priced at $4.76 a share less than two years ago.
The catalyst for today's new all-time high was the earnings report that Qantas released this morning.
As we covered at the time, this was a blowout report for the ASX 200 blue chip. Qantas reported an 86% rise in revenues to $23.82 billion and a 28% lift in statutory profits after tax to $1.61 billion. Underlying profits were also up 15% to $2.39 billion. The company also announced $400 million in new dividend payments, including a big final dividend and a special dividend.
Clearly, investors couldn't get enough, and bid up this ASX 200 blue-chip stock to the new heights we have now seen.
Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)
Next up, we have another ASX 200 blue-chip stock in Coles Group. Coles shares are also on fire today. The grocery stock is, at the time of writing, up a healthy 2.42% at $23.94 a share. That's after Coles touched a new all-time record high of $23.98 a share earlier this afternoon.
Again, it seems a full-year earnings report is to thank for these new heights.
Unlike Qantas, though, Coles did not report earnings today. It fronted up to investors back on Tuesday this week.
As we dove into back then, this was a very peasant earnings report to go through (in stark contrast to what its arch-rival Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) came up with yesterday). Coles reported a 3.6% rise in revenues to $44.35 billion, as well as an 11% surge in reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) from continuing operations to $3.94 billion. Underlying EBITDA came out at $4.05 billion, up 10.7%.
That helped this ASX 200 blue-chip stock post a reported net profit after tax (NPAT) of $1.08 billion, up 2.4% from FY2024. The company also told investors they would enjoy a final dividend of 32 cents per share for 2025, the same payment investors received this time last year.
Investors evidently loved what Coles had to say this week, as its share price has been hitting new all-time highs ever since.
