Bell Potter has been busy picking out its best shares to buy for 2026.
Two ASX dividend shares that made the list are named below. Here's why the broker thinks they are best buys for the year ahead:
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Regal Partners Ltd (ASX: RPL)
Bell Potter thinks that this specialist alternatives investment manager could be an ASX dividend share to buy now. It has put a buy rating and $4.40 price target on its shares.
The broker has been impressed with its performance and believes this can continue in the future. So, with its shares de-rating recently, it thinks now is a good time to invest. It said:
Regal Partners continues to grow its FUM through inflows, acquisitions, and strong fund performance. The recent quarter was the strongest on record, with FUM reaching $20.0bn, up 13.1% over the quarter, with inflows of 4.1% and investment performance of 9.9%. Revenue is underpinned as 85% of funds ($13.7bn) were at or close to generating performance fees in FY25. The funds continue to see strong performance from: PM Capital funds, Tactical Opportunities and Resources Royalties. Despite record results, the shares have been de-rated since the start of the year. We do not believe the improvement in operational performance is reflected in the current share price.
With respect to dividends, the broker is forecasting payouts of 15.2 cents per share in FY 2026 and then 20 cents per share in FY 2027. Based on its current share price of $3.23, this equates to dividend yields of 4.7% and 6.2%, respectively.
Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)
Another ASX dividend share that has been named as a best buy is Rural Funds. It has a buy rating and $2.45 price target on the agricultural property company's shares.
The broker believes that its shares are being undervalued by the market. It highlights their sharp discount to net asset value (NAV), compared to a small premium traditionally. Bell Potter said:
The ~35% discount to market NAV is well above the historical average 5% premium since listing. Counterparty profitability indicators have been improving and farm asset values have been resilient, which would suggest that the underearning on unleased assets is the largest performance drain. Exiting or leasing these assets (combined value ~$387m) would result in reasonable AFFO accretion (14-18% on FY26e PF AFFO) with the scope to also reduce gearing, with this likely to be the greatest share price catalyst. We would expect execution against asset sales to emerge in CY26e.
Bell Potter is expecting dividends per share of 11.7 cents per share in FY 2026 and FY 2027. Based on its current share price of $2.02, this equates to dividend yields of 5.8%.
