Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are dropping:

Brightstar Resources Ltd (ASX: BTR)

The Brightstar Resources share price is down 10% to 48.5 cents. Investors have been selling this gold explorer's shares after it announced plans to acquire Aurumin Ltd (ASX: AUN). The two parties have entered into a scheme implementation deed which will see Brightstar acquire 100% of Aurumin's issued capital at a 21% premium of 9.9 cents per share. Brightstar's managing director, Alex Rovira, said: "This is a compelling transaction for all stakeholders, and we believe that combining Aurumin and Brightstar represents a unique opportunity to build a Western Australian gold business of genuine scale with demonstrable upside that also de-risks future development activities and operations at Sandstone."

Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE)

The Eagers Automotive share price is down 2.5% to $19.09. This appears to have been driven by a broker note out of UBS this morning. According to the note, the broker has downgraded the auto retailer's shares to a sell rating but with an improved price target $16.50. This implies potential downside of 13.5% from current levels. It made the move on valuation ground and in response to concerns over its expansion overseas.

Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL)

The Regis Resources share price is down almost 4% to $4.30. This morning, this lithium miner released its fourth quarter and full year update. It revealed that group FY 2025 production of came in at 373,000 ounces, which is towards the top end of the guidance range. Its all-in sustaining costs (AISC) of $2,531 per ounce was in the bottom half of its guidance range. It is possible that its guidance for FY 2026 has disappointed investors. Production and costs are expected to be largely flat year on year.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

The Westpac Banking share price almost 4% to $33.05. This is despite there being no news out of the banking giant today. However, it is worth highlighting that most ASX bank stocks are falling today and weighing heavily on the local share market. It seems that investors could finally be locking in gains and rotating into other areas of the market.

The post Why Brightstar, Eagers Automotive, Regis Resources, and Westpac shares are sinking appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Motley Fool chats with the best in the industry so that you can get an insight into how the professionals think. In this edition, Alto Capital investment advisor Tony Locantro talks about why he loves three ASX shares in particular and his biggest regret in investing.

Cut or keep?

The Motley Fool: You've mentioned Radiopharm Theranostics Ltd (ASX: RAD) in the past, but it has now dropped about 40% year-to-date. How do you feel about it now? Would you still buy it?

Tony Locantro: Yeah, it was one of the first to lift its head off the canvas during tax loss selling. It was a 60 cent IPO that was poorly supported — fell to a ridiculous low of 13 cents during the last week of tax loss selling. It's since recovered to 23 cents. 

It is in radiopharmaceuticals. They've also added brain tumour technology. It has one of the richest pipelines of any ASX by a technology company, with multiple phase one trials for the remainder of this year and multiple trials next year.

I have bought heavily personally. I am currently underwater and really need to see the stock recover. It has been building a world-class management team, but the stock just fell out of favour as the Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ: .IXIC) and US biotech indices underwent a significant correction. 

So the answer to that is yes, it is still great value, but was even better value a few weeks ago… No change to the fundamental view or my faith in management or the company.

The ASX share for a comfortable night's sleep

MF: If the market closed tomorrow for four years, which stock would you want to hold?

TL: Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd (ASX: PIQ).

I just think from a biotech, it's got everything going for it. It's already had a test that's proven it's now a sales exercise. They do have the upcoming pipeline and yeah, that's the one.

There is another one, but you only want one don't you?

MF: By all means, please tell us.

TL: From a mining perspective, I think Aurumin Ltd (ASX: AUN).

That's a gold company with ex-key personnel from Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST). They have purchased the sandstone project. It's about a 794,000 ounce resource. 

So they purchased a gold resource. They're looking to grow through exploration and/or acquisition. The company share price has been punished due to drilling for lithium which failed to deliver significant results, combined with tax loss selling. 

I back management to undergo a decent growth profile in those four years. They're currently undergoing a 15 cent rights issue on a one-for-seven basis with a one-for-one, 25 cent option for existing shareholders.

So I think the company has undergone some issues recently and I think these can be overcome, and I'd certainly back [the] management team to deliver. 

And one of the key aspects, I think, with any gold company that's looking to grow, sometimes you need to set the weakness to look at picking up assets that the majors don't want, and that's how Northern Star was built.

[Northern Star] was a s***ty one-cent company that went to about $15, but during the time that Northern Star grew, the Australian gold index lost two-thirds of its value.

Looking back

MF: Is there a move that you regret from the past? For example, a missed opportunity or buying a stock at the wrong timing or price.

TL: Oh, I regret not being more aggressive with selling.

I think once you start seeing multiples, we all get delusions of grandeur and the dopamine levels increase and we think that the stock's going to continue running. But history has shown that you need to take profits along the way.

You need to work out if your company would be racing in the Golden Slipper or the Melbourne Cup. Once you can classify your company, then you're going to take profits in better fashion.

But I always have the regret that I should be more assertive, and assertive with my profit taking.

MF: It's difficult for the human mind to figure out, isn't it, knowing when to sell? People find buying a lot easier than selling.

TL: Oh, geez, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've had stuff that's gone 10, 20 times, and a lot of clients won't sell because they think it's going higher. Then I try to get them to sell, and then… Yeah. 

But I guess in my sector of the market, they're exposed to abnormal gains that you wouldn't get in more conservative stocks.

The post 'Richest pipeline' in ASX: Expert names 3 small-cap shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This comes after the Australian gold miner released its first assays results from its wholly-owned Central Sandstone Gold Project.

At the time of writing, Aurumin shares are up 34.78% to 15.5 cents apiece.

What were the results?

In its release, Aurumin announced that assay results were returned for the first hole from its current drilling campaign.

The goal of the reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling program is to extend and better define the existing mineral resource estimate (MRE) at Two Mine Hill.

On the first hole, RC drilling took place as a pre-collar to a depth of 109.5 metres before the diamond drilling took over. This was extended to a depth of 582.5 metres.

The visible gold showed a total intersection of 344 metres at 1.29 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold (Au).

A breakdown of these results includes:

• 40.9 meters at 2 g/t Au from a depth of 243.5 metres
• 21.8 meters at 2 g/t Au from a depth of 363.9 metres
• 16.1 meters at 2.9 g/t Au from a depth of 409.9 metres
• 19.3 meters at 2 g/t Au from a depth of 528.7 metres
• 22.2 meters at 2.5 g/t Au from a depth of 555 metres

Aurumin managing director, Brad Valiukas touched on the outstanding result saying:

We are very happy with how Sandstone is progressing. We have been expanding our tenement footprint, looking for new deposits and advancing the 500koz Au Two Mile Hill underground deposit with deep holes.

This is a great result from our first hole at Two Mile. We look forward to further results, with the 4th diamond drill hole and programme now completed.

We continue to see the Two Mile Hill underground deposit as a key part of the project going forward, with the scale to potentially underpin future production.

Aurumin share price summary

Despite today's euphoric gains, it has been a disappointing 12 months for Aurumin investors.

The company's shares are down 22.5% since this time last year, with year-to-date falling almost 14%.

Aurumin presides a market capitalisation of roughly $12.56 million.

The post Here's why the Aurumin share price is skyrocketing 35% on Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, shares in the company are trading for 23.5 cents each – up 42.42%. That comes despite the ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) being 0.16% lower.

Let's take a closer look.

Aurumin share price rockets on drilling results

In a statement to the ASX, Aurumin released the results from "high-grade" drilling at its 100% owned Mt Dimer Project in WA. Drilling occurred at 7 different sites in the mine. Highlights include:

• a 4.0m wide ore at 48.7g of gold per tonne.
• a 5.0m wide ore at 19.3g of gold per tonne.
• an 8.0m wide ore at 5.70g of gold per tonne.
• a 4.0m wide ore at 2.76g of gold per tonne.

The company says future drilling "will aim to continue extending" the deposits at the mine. Investors are clearly excited by the company's prospects, judging by the rising Aurumin share price.

Management commentary

Aurumin Managing Director Brad Valiukas said:

This is a tremendous intercept at the historically high-grade Mt Dimer production centre. These latest results both extend known mineralisation and progress T12 towards being declared a new deposit, further supporting our view of Mt Dimer having potential for multiple high-grade open pits.

We are continuing to improve our understanding of the Project and these results support our revised interpretation of lithology, fluid pathways and prospective areas. Drilling is planned to recommence at Mt Dimer next month as we look to follow up these high-grade intercepts and increase the value of the Project.

Gold spot price history

Gold is currently trading for US $1,814.05 per troy ounce on the commodities market. It's up 1.3% this week but down 4.35% since the beginning of the year.

According to the website Trading Economics, the gold price is forecast to fall to about US $1,790 per troy ounce by the end of the quarter. The website excepts the price of gold to sink to an even lower $1,720 in 12 months' time.

Aurumin share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the Aurumin share price has fallen 20.7%. Year-to-date, it's depreciated 16.7%.

The company has a market capitalisation of $14.3 million.

The post Why the Aurumin (ASX:AUN) share price is exploding 42% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.