ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) shares are 0.14% higher at the time of writing on Wednesday morning, at $36.16 a piece. Over the past six months, the shares have increased by 22.74% and are 22.98% higher year over year.
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So if I bought $5,000 of ANZ shares in January, what would it be worth now?
ANZ isn't the highest-performing bank this year (that title goes to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)). But ANZ's share price growth has been relatively steady and consistent.
At the time of writing, ANZ shares are 26.6% higher than they were on the 2nd of January 2025. This means that $5,000 invested on the first day the ASX opened for the year would now be worth a total of $6,330.
What happened to ANZ shares this year?
ANZ shares have rallied over the past 4 months after the bank's leadership unveiled a refreshed strategy aimed at improving performance, risk management, and long-term growth. The strategy overhaul received a positive reaction from the market, and investors jumped at the chance of snapping up the shares.
Later, in November, the banking giant announced an update on significant items. These are expected to impact the bank's second-half profits. ANZ said its H2 FY25 statutory and cash profit will be impacted by several significant items with a net after tax charge of $1.1 billion. Its shares spiked around 6% during this time.
Shortly later, ANZ shares crashed nearly 12% amid overall banking sector weakness at a time when ANZ's shares were trading ex-dividend.
What's ahead for ANZ in 2026?
Analyst sentiment about the outlook for the banking giant is divided. TradingView data shows that 9 out of 16 analysts have a hold rating on the stock. Another 3 have a sell or strong sell rating, and the remaining 4 have a buy or strong buy rating.
The average target price is $34.67, which implies a potential 4.25% downside at the time of writing. Although analysts think the stock could be anywhere between $40.40 and $24.96 in the next 12 months. That's a swing of 11.6% upside to a 31.7% downside at the time of writing.
Macquarie is concerned that ANZ is lagging behind the other big 4 banks, and while its shares are higher for the year to date, its analysts said the bank is showing early signs of revenue underperformance. Macquarie has a neutral rating on ANZ shares with a target price of $35, which implies a 3.2% downside at the time of writing.
The team at Morgans have a trim rating on ANZ shares with a 12-month price target of $33.09. This implies a potential 8.5% decline over the next year. The broker said its 2H FY25 earnings were below expectations.
