As we embark upon the fifth month of 2026, it's a great time to take stock of how some of the ASX's most popular shares have been faring. Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) is one of those shares, currently the seventh largest stock in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).
Wesfarmers has been around for a very long time and has a loyal following on the ASX. It has a proud history of growing its capital base, looking after its shareholders, and paying strong, reliable dividends.
Wesfarmers is a rather unique company on the ASX. It is a sprawling conglomerate, with businesses that cover almost every corner of the economy. Its core holdings, and crown jewels, are the leading retailers Kmart, Target, OfficeWorks and, last but not least, Bunnings Warehouse.
But the company also owns operations in mining and mineral processing, gas, clothing, and healthcare, just to name a few.
As such, many ASX investors would be interested in this company's performance. So today, let's take a look at how Wesfarmers fared over the month of April.
Wesfarmers shares began April at $72.91 each. Yesterday, those same shares wrapped up the day's trading at $72.92. That's almost a dead rubber, with the company rising just 0.01% over the month. In stark contrast, the broader ASX 200 had a relatively pleasant month, rebounding 2.2% after March's nasty 7.8% plunge.
Of course, Wesfarmers' April bookends don't tell the entire story. Last month saw this ASX 200 stock rise as high as $77.31 on 14 April, and get as low as $71.88 just two days ago on 29 April. That's a difference of about 7.5%.
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How have Wesfarmers shares been faring?
Wesfarmers shares have had a rather awful 2206 to date. The company began the year on a roll, rising more than 9.2% betwween 1 January and mid-February. However, Wesfarmers' poorly-received half-year earnings report threw water on that fire. The company's share price plunged after the company warned of imminent headwinds to its profitability.
Since 18 February, the Wesfarmers share price has taken a 17.4% dive (as of current pricing). Year to date, the company is sitting on a 9.9% loss, which narrows to 6.35% over the past 12 months. Investors are still comfortably in the green over a five-year period, though, with the company up 36% since May 2021.
At the current Wesfarmers share price, this ASX 200 blue chip is trading on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27.3, with a trailing dividend yield of 2.89%.
