Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) shares ended in the green at the close of the ASX on Wednesday. The shares ended the day 0.68% higher at $29.52 a piece. The supermarket giant's shares are now down 12.17% from their annual peak in August and 2.57% lower than this time last year.
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What happened to Woolworths shares?
The supermarket giant's share price dived nearly 20% after it posted a disappointing FY25 result in late-August. The stock dropped to an all-time low of $25.91 a piece in mid-October but was saved from any further decline after the company posted a more positive first-quarter sales update.
Since bottoming out, the Woolworths share price has recovered just over 13% to the current trading price.
Are Woolworths shares a buy today?
Woolworths is one of the largest and most established supermarket businesses in Australia, alongside Coles. Its oligopoly, with supermarket rival Coles, mean the two supermarkets have significant power over the Australian grocery sector. The latest Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) estimates that Woolworths holds approximately 38% of Australia's nationwide supermarket grocery sales.
It's this dominance which gives Woolworths a competitive advantage in the retail space.
Not only is the business huge, it is also defensive. As a grocery retailer, Woolworths will always see relatively stable demand for its products, even during a downturn or period of uncertainty. Everyone needs to eat!
Another obvious reason that Woolworths shares are a great buy is its reliable passive income. The business is well-known for its lengthy history of paying consistent, and sometimes generous, dividends.
In FY25, the supermarket giant handed out a total of 85 cents per share, fully franked. Bell Potter expects the ASX retail stock will pay a boosted fully-franked dividend of 91 cents per share in FY26 and then $1 per share in FY27.
What do the experts think?
Analysts are mostly optimistic about the stock's share price trajectory over the next 12 months. Data shows that 6 out of 14 analysts have a buy or strong buy rating on Woolworths shares. The remaining 8 have a hold rating.
The average target price is $30.29; however, some expect it could go as high as $33. This implies a potential 2.62% to 11.79% upside for investors over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.
Morgans is one broker which is more bearish on the shares. Its team has a hold rating on Woolworths with a price target of $28.25. The broker said it thinks the stock is currently fully valued and would "prefer to wait for further evidence of improvement before reassessing our view".
