Although the past few weeks have seen some market gyrations on the ASX, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is still fairly close to the 9,054.5 point all-time high that we saw hit last month. As such, many Australian shares are still trading at relatively elevated levels, making life somewhat difficult for investors looking for the best ASX stock picks.
Luckily for those investors, we have, thanks to reporting in the Australian Financial Review (AFR), recently heard from some experts at the 2025 Livewire conference as to which shares they view as most compelling in today's markets.
Let's discuss some of their best ASX stock picks today.
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Experts name best ASX stock picks in 2025
First up, Simon Mawhinney of Allan Gray picked medical supplies stock Ansell Ltd (ASX: ANN).
Mawhinney noted that while Ansell is often regarded as a 'boring' company, its prudent capital management sets it apart. Here's some more of what he said:
It's one of the very, very few companies, bar a recent equity raise … [where] the share count is lower than it was 15 years ago, so it has perpetually been buying back shares…
Neil Salmon is the CEO, and he's a very steady, methodical thinker and seemingly a very good capital allocator. And if you've got someone at the helm who's stewarding your investments … I think nine-10ths of the job is done.
Popular stock picker Jun Bei Lie, of TenCap, had a spicier pick with the embattled Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP). Domino's has had a shocking 2025, down more than 50% year to date. However, Liu argues that it is ripe for a turnaround, with "potential for profits to double":
The company has now identified what they need to do … close unmarketable stores, stop this rampage of store rollout… If franchisees make more money, then they will roll out more stores, and it's good for you.
Qiao Ma from Munro Partners, is looking to the United States for inspiration. Her best stock pick is chip maker NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), which she says is "only three years in of a decades-long AI boom". Ma reckons the chipmaker is still cheap at current pricing, stating that:
The stock is at $US168. That is less than 17 times price to earnings, for one of the best growers… This decade is going to be the Nvidia decade.
Back to the ASX now, our final stock pick is investing house Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co Ltd (ASX: SOL). Ausbil's David Lloyd calls Soul Patts "the market's next Berkshire Hathaway", and is even more bullish on it following the plans to merge with Brickworks Ltd (ASX: BKW). Lloyd reckons the merger will result in a "unique can-invest-through-the-cycle" stock with liquidity and room for a higher valuation.
He went on to note that the merger "is turning Souls into a $14 billion investment house [that's] starting to look a little bit like a Berkshire Hathaway or a Blackstone" and should add liquidity and "room for a higher valuation".
