Updated: Sunday, 14 December 2025 (markets closed; prices referenced are the latest available closes from Friday, 12 December 2025).
Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX:WDS; NYSE:WDS) heads into the new week with investors balancing a familiar tug‑of‑war: near-term commodity-price pressure and labour/project headlines versus a longer-term LNG growth pipeline that could reshape cash flows later this decade.
This past week, Woodside’s shares drifted lower, tracking a softer oil tape and digesting a cluster of project- and strategy-linked headlines—from industrial action risk at Pluto LNG Train 2 to Woodside’s notable presence in a US Gulf of Mexico lease sale. [1]
Woodside share price today: where WDS finished the week
- ASX:WDS (AUD) closed A$24.73 on Friday, 12 Dec 2025, down from A$25.20 on Monday, 8 Dec 2025 (about -1.9% across the week). [2]
- NYSE:WDS (USD) closed US$16.22 on Friday, 12 Dec 2025. [3]
Daily trading in Australia showed a steady “leak” rather than a cliff-drop: Woodside fell on Dec 9 (-1.19%) and Dec 10 (-0.84%), stabilised on Dec 11 (+0.24%), then ended slightly lower on Dec 12 (-0.08%). [4]
Two price levels matter because markets have memories:
- Near-term support: ~A$24.30 (this week’s low). [5]
- Near-term resistance: ~A$25.37 (this week’s high). [6]
MarketScreener’s snapshot also shows Woodside was down around -1.67% over five sessions and up about +0.53% year-to-date (as of the same Friday close). [7]
The big driver in the background: oil fell hard this week
Even for an LNG-heavy portfolio, Woodside’s stock still tends to “feel” the oil complex—especially in short time windows.
On Friday, Reuters reported Brent settled near $61.12/bbl and WTI near $57.44/bbl, with both benchmarks down more than 4% on the week, as oversupply concerns dominated sentiment. [8]
That matters for Woodside because weaker crude expectations can pressure:
- near-term realised pricing assumptions,
- risk appetite toward energy equities broadly, and
- the market’s willingness to pay up for long-cycle project execution stories.
Latest Woodside news (last days): what investors are reacting to
Here are the key Woodside-linked headlines from the last several days that are most likely to be on traders’ screens going into the week ahead.
1) Pluto LNG Train 2: strike risk becomes more “real”
A Reuters report dated 4 Dec 2025 said union members overwhelmingly backed potential strike action tied to Pluto LNG 2, a 5 million metric ton per year expansion at the existing Pluto facility. Reuters noted Woodside is targeting first LNG cargo in the second half of 2026 for Pluto 2. [9]
Why the market cares: even when a dispute is formally between unions and a contractor, investors tend to price the risk where it hurts—schedule, costs, and confidence. A drawn-out dispute can also create headline volatility well beyond the direct operational impact.
2) Gulf of Mexico lease sale: Woodside shows up as a major bidder
On 10 Dec 2025, Reuters reported the US government held its first Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale since 2023, and Woodside ranked among the largest high-bid totals—about $38 million—behind BP and ahead of some other majors on that metric. [10]
Why the market cares: it reinforces Woodside’s continuing appetite for international upstream optionality, at the same time the company is building a major US LNG export position. Investors often read this as either:
- disciplined portfolio balancing (LNG + upstream diversity), or
- another “capital allocation juggling act” depending on their prior bias.
3) Pluto Train 2 work continues: contractor activity signals progress
On 9 Dec 2025, World Oil reported that EnerMech secured a pre-commissioning contract from Bechtel to deliver chemical cleaning services for Woodside’s Pluto Train 2 development. [11]
Why the market cares: while a single contract doesn’t “solve” execution risk, it’s a tangible datapoint that the project machine is moving—helpful context when strike headlines are competing for oxygen.
4) Greater Sunrise (Timor-Leste): momentum on a long-stalled gas story
On 3 Dec 2025, Reuters reported Timor-Leste’s president signalled improved trust with Australia and Woodside, and referenced a study toward a 5 mtpa concept at Greater Sunrise, a resource containing an estimated 5.1 trillion cubic feet of gas, with a first timeline publicly framed as 2032–2035. [12]
Why the market cares: it’s long-dated, but it’s still a narrative lever—Woodside investors have been trained by history to treat Greater Sunrise as “potentially huge, chronically complicated.”
5) LNG trading push: reported hire points to commercial “muscle-building”
Bloomberg reported on 11 Dec 2025 that Woodside hired Delia Lenander (formerly an LNG senior trading manager at Equinor) to lead global LNG trading, citing people familiar with the matter. [13]
Why the market cares: with more LNG supply expected from Woodside’s pipeline over time, trading capability can influence realised margins—particularly in volatile markets where optimisation, shipping, and contract structuring can move the needle.
Woodside forecasts and company strategy: the growth engine investors keep circling
This week’s price action was choppy and macro-driven—but the medium-term Woodside debate is still mostly about whether the next wave of projects lands on time and on budget, and what that means for dividends and free cash flow.
Woodside’s longer-run ambition: higher sales by 2032
At Woodside’s Capital Markets Day, Reuters reported Woodside expects sales of oil and gas to climb 50% by 2032, to around 300 million boe per year, and pointed to an aim of $9 billion of free cash flow by 2032. Reuters also highlighted Woodside’s view that customer contracting behaviour supports demand, even amid talk of LNG overcapacity. [14]
Scarborough and Pluto Train 2: the near-term LNG “step change”
Woodside’s own project materials describe Scarborough as over 91% complete, targeting first LNG cargo in the second half of 2026. [15]
That timeline matters because Scarborough plus Pluto Train 2 is often treated as Woodside’s next “volume and cash flow era”—but it also concentrates execution risk into a relatively tight window (which is why labour headlines bite).
Louisiana LNG: US scale, partnered capital
Woodside’s ASX announcement on its Louisiana LNG partnership with Williams outlines a de-risking step: Woodside sold a 10% interest in Louisiana LNG HoldCo and 80% interest and operatorship of Driftwood Pipeline to Williams for a US$250 million purchase price (effective date 1 Jan 2025), with total proceeds received described as $378 million including capital reimbursement. The announcement also states Williams will contribute an estimated ~$1.9 billion share of capex and assume offtake obligations for 10% of produced volumes. [16]
Reuters has also framed Louisiana LNG as a key growth plank, including commentary that it could add 16.5 mtpa by 2029 (as cited in its Capital Markets Day coverage). [17]
Strategically, this combination—US LNG scale + partner funding + trading build-out—is a coherent story. The market’s question is whether it stays coherent under real-world stress: construction cycles, labour constraints, permitting noise, and commodity price swings.
Analyst forecasts and valuation: where the Street sits right now
Analyst views are mixed in detail but relatively consistent in shape: Woodside is widely modelled as a cash-generative incumbent with a big project ramp, and investors are paid (in theory) to wait—provided capex doesn’t blow out and prices don’t collapse.
Two widely-cited consensus snapshots:
- MarketScreener shows a mean consensus of “Outperform” with 15 analysts, and an average target price of $18.13 (USD) alongside a “last close” reference of $16.42 (USD) in its consensus table. [18]
- A Yahoo Finance/Simply Wall St-style valuation note published this week cited a consensus price target around A$26.999 for Woodside. [19]
Using the latest ASX close (A$24.73), that A$26.999 target implies roughly ~9% upside in simple price terms—before dividends and before considering that target assumptions can change quickly with oil/LNG curves. [20]
One important nuance for readers: targets can differ depending on whether they reference ASX:WDS (AUD), NYSE:WDS (USD), and the timing/data vendor used. The directional message is still useful; the precision is not sacred.
Week ahead: what to watch for Woodside stock (15–19 Dec 2025)
With no major earnings event scheduled in the coming days, Woodside’s week-ahead setup looks like a classic “headline + macro” trade.
1) Any escalation (or de-escalation) on Pluto LNG 2 industrial action
The most immediate company-specific volatility trigger is fresh detail on timing, scope, or resolution of industrial action risks around Pluto LNG 2. Reuters’ reporting has already flagged the strike vote support and the potential for slowdown. [21]
What would the market likely reward?
- credible signs of progress in negotiations, or
- evidence that critical path work is insulated.
What would the market likely punish?
- an extended stoppage narrative, or
- signs of knock-on impacts to schedule/cost.
2) Oil and gas pricing direction (and risk sentiment)
Reuters’ Friday oil report framed the dominant macro narrative as oversupply and weak weekly performance. [22]
If oil continues sliding, Woodside may struggle to rally even on good company news. If oil rebounds sharply, Woodside often participates—though LNG-specific pricing and contract mix still matter in the background.
3) Project “proof points” that compete with the headlines
Contractor activity like the EnerMech work award is the kind of incremental evidence investors watch for confirmation that Pluto Train 2 is advancing despite noise. [23]
Similarly, Scarborough’s progress and schedule remain central to the bull case, with company materials continuing to emphasise late‑2026 first LNG. [24]
4) Trading and commercial execution signals
Bloomberg’s report about strengthening LNG trading leadership won’t move the stock every day—but it fits a broader theme: Woodside is positioning itself to monetise a larger LNG book more actively. [25]
5) A simple technical map traders may use
Based on last week’s ASX trading range:
- Support zone: around A$24.30
- Resistance zone: around A$25.37 [26]
If price breaks below support with weak oil, momentum traders may press. If price recaptures resistance with stabilising crude, the stock could attempt a short-term trend reversal.
Key risks (and why they matter for WDS valuation)
Woodside’s valuation is a living organism fed by three big inputs:
- Commodity prices: oil and LNG price curves can change faster than projects can. [27]
- Execution: Scarborough/Pluto Train 2 delivery timing and capex discipline drive confidence. [28]
- Portfolio/capital allocation: Louisiana LNG scale plus upstream optionality can create upside—but also raises the bar on capital discipline. [29]
Bottom line: the setup into Monday
Woodside stock ends this week in a familiar posture: pulled down by macro oil weakness, yet still anchored by a longer-term growth story that includes Scarborough, Pluto Train 2, and US LNG scale. [30]
For the week ahead, the playbook is straightforward:
- Watch labour/project headlines first,
- watch oil direction second,
- and treat any “quiet progress” updates on major projects as the potential swing factor that can change sentiment quickly.
References
1. www.investing.com, 2. www.investing.com, 3. stockanalysis.com, 4. www.investing.com, 5. www.investing.com, 6. www.investing.com, 7. www.marketscreener.com, 8. www.reuters.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.reuters.com, 11. worldoil.com, 12. www.reuters.com, 13. www.bloomberg.com, 14. www.reuters.com, 15. www.woodside.com, 16. www.woodside.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. www.marketscreener.com, 19. finance.yahoo.com, 20. www.investing.com, 21. www.reuters.com, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. worldoil.com, 24. www.woodside.com, 25. www.bloomberg.com, 26. www.investing.com, 27. www.reuters.com, 28. www.woodside.com, 29. www.woodside.com, 30. www.reuters.com
