Sydney, Feb 23, 2026, 16:56 AEDT — The market has shut its doors for the day.
- Telstra ended the session at A$5.14, gaining roughly 0.6% for the day.
- Feb. 25 is circled on traders’ calendars—the stock hits its ex-dividend date then.
- Local media coverage kept circling back to job cuts and outsourcing plans.
Telstra Group Ltd finished Monday at A$5.14, a slight gain, with the stock nudged by new headlines on job cuts and a looming dividend deadline that alone tends to shift the price. https://www.google.com/finance/quote/TLS%3AASX?hl=en
Timing’s key here. Telstra turns ex-dividend on Wednesday; anyone picking up shares after that misses out on the interim payout. The stock usually drops by something close to the dividend value when this happens. https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/investors/key-dates
It’s a heavy week for headlines—workforce cuts, belt-tightening, plus the question of how aggressively regulators might push carriers on future spectrum prices. All of it ties right back to long-term returns.
Local outlets put Telstra’s planned job cuts at around 650 positions, including staff connected to its data-and-AI partnership with Accenture. The shakeup will see some roles move offshore to Infosys in India. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/telstras-ai-push-begins-with-axing-jobs-from-its-own-tech-venture/news-story/29149940e556ec4eb9a46bde8575422c
Telstra is pitching the move as an efficiency effort. “We reduced underlying operating expenses by $179 million,” the company wrote in a Feb. 19 market statement. The same release set the interim dividend at 10.5 Australian cents per share, 90.5% franked—meaning most of the payment comes with a tax credit. https://www.telstra.com.au/content/dam/tcom/about-us/investors/pdf-i/telstra-delivers-strong-first-half-performance-and-progress-against-connected-future-30-strategy.pdf
The same statement also bumped up the ongoing on-market buyback to as much as A$1.25 billion, while narrowing the full-year underlying EBITDA after leases (EBITDAaL) range to A$8.2 billion–A$8.4 billion. https://www.telstra.com.au/content/dam/tcom/about-us/investors/pdf-i/telstra-delivers-strong-first-half-performance-and-progress-against-connected-future-30-strategy.pdf
Morningstar’s Brian Han said last week he’s keeping a close eye on fixed-cost cuts tied to the result, and left his A$5.40 fair value call on the shares unchanged following the post-earnings rally. https://www.morningstar.com.au/stocks/earnings-winners-bhp-nab-tls-lead-pack
But the bigger issue for Telstra isn’t in this quarter’s figures. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has kicked off a second consultation on pricing for spectrum licences coming up for renewal. Operators claim the draft prices are steep and could dampen investment, according to the regulator. https://www.acma.gov.au/acmas-mandate-promoting-public-interest
Traders pointed out that the debate cuts through the sector, touching competitors like Optus and TPG Telecom, and in Canberra it can erupt with little notice.
Traders are watching Wednesday’s ex-dividend date, followed by the record date Thursday and the dividend reinvestment election wrapping up Friday. The other key variable before month-end: any fresh word on spectrum consultation timing, or specifics on job cuts and outsourcing. https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/investors/key-dates
