Commonwealth Bank reported FY26 cash net profit after tax of $11 billion on 12 August, up 7 per cent on the prior year. Statutory net profit rose 8 per cent to $10.9 billion and return on equity lifted to 14.0 per cent.
Pre-provision profit increased 6 per cent to $16.5 billion and operating income grew 6 per cent. The net interest margin edged up to 2.05 per cent, while the loan impairment expense rose 9 per cent to $788 million.
The board declared a final dividend of $2.70 per share, taking the FY26 payout to $5.05 fully franked. That represents a yield of 2.9 per cent at current prices, or 4.2 per cent grossed up for franking credits, with an ex-dividend date of 19 August and payment on 29 September.
Both headline figures came in slightly ahead of forecasts. Cash earnings per share of 657 cents and dividends per share of 505 cents compared with FNArena consensus of 650.7 cents and 500.0 cents.
The shares fell close to 3 per cent in the session following the release, trading in the high $160s. The stock reached $185.59 at its high over the past year and closed the financial year at $164.62, having delivered a four-year total shareholder return of 101 per cent.
Home lending volumes are slowing. On a four-week rolling average to 31 July 2026, home loan applications were running 17 per cent below the same period a year earlier and 15 per cent below where they sat in May.
The composition of that decline matters for future margin. Investor applications fell 28 per cent year on year while owner-occupier applications fell 9 per cent.
CBA grew at or above system in all five core domestic product categories during FY26, covering home lending, business lending, consumer finance, household deposits and business deposits. The bank noted this was the first time it had achieved that, and the first time any major Australian bank had done so in fifteen years.
