The fast-rising stock in question is diversified services provider Symal Group Ltd (ASX: SYL).

Symal is a relative newcomer to the ASX, having listed in November 2024. And the ASX All Ords share has been on a tear ever since.

Symal shares closed yesterday trading for $3.26. In early morning trade on Friday, shares are changing hands for $3.37 apiece, up 3.4%.

With today's intraday boost factored in, the Symal share price is now up a whopping 98.2% in 2025.

Here's what's grabbing ASX investor interest today.

ASX All Ords share gains on South Australian expansion

Investors are piling into Symal shares today after the company announced it has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire 80% of the shares in Davison Earthmovers.

The ASX All Ords share will pay $23.2 million for its majority stake in the South Australian civil construction business. The acquisition includes more than $11 million in plant and equipment assets.

Symal said that the business also brings a skilled workforce and strong management team. Paul Davison, founder and managing director, will retain a 20% stake and continue to lead the business.

The ASX All Ords shares also highlighted that South Australia is a region with a $27.3 billion infrastructure pipeline over the next four years. With the acquisition of Davison, Symal said it is well-placed to accelerate its participation in major projects. This includes road and rail infrastructure, defence, building and facilities, and renewable energy initiatives.

Turning to the numbers, Symal expects the acquisition to deliver annualised underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of around $7 million and be earnings per share (EPS) accretive from the first year of ownership.

Symal expects the deal to be completed in Q3 FY 2026, subject to satisfaction of closing conditions.

What did management say?

Commenting on the deal that's boosting the ASX All Ords share today, Symal managing director Joe Bartolo said, "This acquisition marks a pivotal step in Symal's journey to build enduring capability and presence in South Australia."

Bartolo added:

Davison Earthmovers brings a legacy of excellence, a skilled team, and trusted relationships that resonate with our own values and culture. By integrating their expertise and resources, we're not just expanding our footprint – we're strengthening our ability to deliver complex infrastructure solutions with agility and reliability.

South Australia is entering a transformative phase, with major investments reshaping its infrastructure landscape. The addition of the Davison team positions Symal to play a leading role in this growth by leveraging local insights and executing on our proven self-performing model.

Symal said it will provide updated FY 2026 guidance upon completion of the acquisition.

The post Up 98% in 2025, guess which ASX All Ords share is lifting off again today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The ASX All Ords is up 6% in the year to date (YTD).

The market peaked at 9,414.6 points in October and has since fallen 4.8%.

Let's take a look at two ASX All Ords shares that the experts tip to rip in the new year.

Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL)

The Nuix share price closed at $1.82, up 2.54% on Friday and down 70% in the YTD.

Nuix is an investigative analytics and intelligence software provider.

This ASX All Ords tech share has a market capitalisation of $594 million.

Moelis Australia has a buy rating on Nuix shares with a 12-month price target of $3.37.

This implies a potential upside of 85% in the new year.

Last week, Nuix revealed its acquisition of Linkurious, a French-based artificial intelligence graph data platform.

In a note, Moelis said Nuix "seems oversold", commenting:

Nuix's share price has retraced significantly as recent operating performance fell below market expectations.

On our estimates the current price undervalues the company.

The acquisition of Linkurious highlights that Nuix has strategic options to support its Neo-led growth strategy. 

We have made revisions based on conservative estimates of success upselling/bundling Linkurious.

Symal Group Ltd (ASX: SYL)

The Symal Group share price closed at $3.11, up 2.3% yesterday and up 83% in the YTD.

Symal Group is a diversified services provider operating in critical Australian industry segments like transport, defence, and ports.

This ASX All Ords share has a market cap of $727 million.

Morgans issued a note after Symal revealed two new acquisitions.

Symal announced a $28 million deal to acquire the assets of Queensland-based civil contracting and haulage businesses Timms Group and L&D Contracting via an upfront cash purchase.

The broker said the acquisitions largely reflect Symal's intention to continue expanding both its geographic and sector diversification through organic growth and acquisitions.

Morgans said:

The further expansion into South East Queensland is seen as a positive, as the business expands its wider East Coast presence and looks to take advantage of South East Queensland infrastructure projects.

SYL's mix of organic and acquisition-led growth, combined with a healthy balance sheet and an undemanding earnings multiple (vs peers), sees us reiterate our Buy recommendation …

The broker raised its target price to $3.75 due to higher anticipated earnings and a progressively lower peer multiple discount.

This implies a potential upside of 20% in 2026.

The post 2 ASX All Ords shares tipped to rip 20% to 85% in 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Both ASX shares have buy ratings from the broker.  

Here's the latest guidance out of Morgans.

Symal Group (ASX: SYL)

Symal Group specialises in public and private infrastructure. It offers a range of services, including contracting, plant and equipment hire, material sales, recycling, and remediation services.

The company has seen its share price rise an impressive 80% in 2025. 

It announced yesterday it has entered into a $28 million conditional agreement to acquire the assets of Queensland-based civil contracting and haulage businesses Timms Group and L&D Contracting via an upfront cash purchase.

This ASX share rose 5% on the back of this announcement. 

Morgans is optimistic on this news, saying the acquisition largely reflects the company's intention to continue expanding both its geographic and sector diversification, via a mix of organic and acquisition-led strategies. 

The further expansion into South East Queensland is seen as a positive, as the business expands its wider East Coast presence and looks to take advantage of South East Queensland infrastructure projects.

The broker said the company has a mix of organic and acquisition-led growth, combined with a healthy balance sheet and an undemanding earnings multiple (vs peers). 

Based on this guidance, Morgans reiterated its Buy recommendation. 

It has increased its target price to $3.75, as a result of higher earnings expectations and a progressively reducing peer multiple discount.

Based on yesterday's closing price of $3.07, this indicates an upside of 22.15%. 

Guzman Y Gomez (ASX: GYG)

Unlike the previous ASX share mentioned, Guzman Y Gomez shares tumbled by more than 50% this year. 

Valuation concerns and disappointing results in the US market have weighed heavily on investor sentiment.

It has consistently been a top 10 most shorted share throughout the start of December.

However the team at Morgans has reiterated a buy rating, believing the fast casual Mexican chain can bounce back. 

Morgans said in a note yesterday that GYG has launched its latest limited-time offer (LTO): the BBQ Chicken Double Crunch (BBQ CDC). 

Early feedback suggests the item is one of GYG's more indulgent menu items and taste tests have been overwhelmingly positive.

The product leverages existing ingredients, meaning no incremental complexity or cost for stores, a margin-friendly innovation that aligns with GYG's operational discipline. 

Management has repeatedly emphasised that menu innovation is a key lever for same-store sales (SSS) growth, and this launch reinforces that commitment. We reiterate our BUY rating.

The post Morgans says to buy these two ASX shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

That's because small cap ASX shares have the potential to deliver market-beating returns if you can find the diamonds in the rough.

Two potential diamonds according to Morgans are named below. Here's why the broker is tipping them to deliver returns of 20% to 45% over the next 12 months:

Acrow Ltd (ASX: ACF)

Morgans thinks that Acrow could be a small cap ASX share to buy. It is a provider of smart integrated construction systems across formwork, industrial services, and commercial scaffolding in Australia.

It thinks its shares are undervalued at less than 10x earnings and with a 5%+ dividend yield. The broker said:

ACF's strategy has focused on supplementing organic growth with complementary acquisitions, enhancing scale and enabling entry into new markets. We estimate that 58% of EBITDA growth between FY18-25A was driven organically, while 42% came from acquisitions. Over the past two years, ACF has strengthened its Industrial Access offering through four acquisitions. If ACF hadn't done these deals, we estimate that FY24A-26F underlying EPS would be between 4-18% lower.

We make no changes to earnings forecasts and maintain our BUY rating and $1.32 target price. Trading on 9.8x FY26F PE with a 5.3% yield, we continue to view ACF as an attractive investment with the company's long-term growth prospects remaining strong despite some near-term uncertainty around the commencement of key projects.

Morgans has a buy rating and $1.32 price target on the company's shares. Based on its current share price of $1.08, this implies potential upside of 22% for investors over the next 12 months.

Symal Group Ltd (ASX: SYL)

Another small cap ASX share that Morgans is positive on is Symal Group.

It describes itself as a self-performing Australian construction group focused on civil infrastructure, contracting, plant and equipment hire, material sales, recycling, and remediation via a vertically integrated project delivery model.

Morgans notes that despite its strong returns on capital, the market is valuing its shares at a significant discount to most of its peers. It feels that this has created a buying opportunity for investors. It said:

Despite SYL continuing to deliver strong returns on capital across diversified and resilient end markets, the stock is trading at a PER half its peers, and we believe investors are over discounting the risks associated with construction contracting.

For example, if we compare SYL's contingent liabilities (bank guarantees) to revenue, its exposure (along with margins) is in line (if not above) with peers. Our conviction in SYL's risk management is further supported by strong cash conversion and substantial insider ownership. On this basis, we rate SYL a BUY with a $2.40/sh target price.

The broker currently has a buy rating and $2.40 price target on its shares. Based on its current share price of $1.65, this suggests that upside of 45% is possible between now and this time next year.

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With history as our guide, we know that some stocks will lose ground (meaning your money), while others could see you book market-smashing profits.

With our eyes firmly on that second scenario, we take a look at two ASX All Ords shares that PAC Partners' James Nicolaou believes are well-placed to outperform (courtesy of The Bull).

An ASX newcomer

First up, we have diversified services provider Symal Group Ltd (ASX: SYL).

Symal is a newcomer to the ASX, having listed last November.

"Symal provides diversified services to the infrastructure, power, defence and renewable sectors, among others," Nicolau explained.

Year to date, the ASX All Ords share is down 1.5%. Though that doesn't include the 5.9 cents per share in fully franked dividends Symal will pay eligible stockholders on 3 October.

As the stock traded ex-dividend on 4 September, we need to add that back into the current share price. In which case, the accumulated value of Symal shares bought on 2 January is up 3.5% in 2025.

Digging into his buy recommendation for Symal stock, Nicolau said:

Normalised net profit after tax of $45.7 million in fiscal year 2025 exceeded prospectus guidance of $41.6 million. It had estimated work in hand of $1.76 billion at June 30, 2025.

With execution beating prospectus guidance, margins expanding and the stock still trading at a discount to peers, we see a clear path to a re-rating.

Which brings us to…

ASX All Ords share on the growth path

The second ASX All Ords share PAC Partners' Nicolau expects to outperform is tourism and public transport company Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX: KLS).

"Kelsian is a global operator of bus, motorcoach and marine services," Nicolau explained. "Apart from Australia, it operates in the US, UK, Singapore and Channel Islands."

Kelsian shares have gained 31.9% so far in 2025, not including the 9.5 cents per share in fully franked dividend the company will pay eligible stockholders on 21 October.

Since Kelsian shares have also traded ex-dividend already, we'll also add this back into the current share price. And this sees the accumulated value of Kelsian shares, bought on 2 January, up 34.5%.

And it could keep charging higher into 2026.

According to Nicolau:

Revenue of $2.208 billion in fiscal year 2025 was up 9.5% on the prior corresponding period. Underlying EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation] of $285 million was up 7.4%.

And FY 2026 is forecast to deliver more growth.

"The board anticipates underlying EBITDA of between $297 million and $310 million in fiscal year 2026, which provides visibility," Nicolau said.

In summing up his buy recommendation for the ASX All Ords share, he concluded, "The company has a plan to potentially divest its tourism portfolio. In our view, efficiency gains and steady patronage provide a clear runway for a re-rating."

The post 2 quality ASX All Ords shares to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.