On August 6, Aflac (NYSE:AFL) reported second-quarter numbers that point in opposite directions. Net earnings climbed to $825 million, helped along by investment losses that shrank to $153 million from $421 million a year ago. Adjusted earnings, though, fell 7.7% to $883 million. Both numbers are real, but they answer different questions. Which measure you trust changes the story, so here is what sits underneath.
Start with the yen, because it is muddying the picture. The average rate was 159.45 to the dollar, 9.3% weaker than a year earlier, and that cost adjusted earnings $0.05 a share. Take the currency out of the first half and adjusted earnings per share rose 4.1% to $3.57. ******* an is also running more profitably. Its pretax adjusted margin widened to 34.3% from 32.0% as claims took a smaller bite out of premiums, and yen-based pretax adjusted earnings rose 3.4%. So part of the decline in ******* an's dollar-reported profit is currency, not operations.
The US business is still growing at the top line. Net earned premiums rose 2.3% to $1.5 billion, and sales climbed 2.6% to $349 million, led by group voluntary benefits along with dental and vision plans. In ******* an, the refreshed Tsumitasu life policy and the new Anshin Palette medical product grew strongly in the quarter, and first-half sales rose 7.0% to ¥37.3 billion. Then there is the cash. Aflac returned $1.3 billion to shareholders in the quarter, $983 million of it through buybacks, and declared a $0.61 third-quarter dividend, payable September 1 to holders of record on August 19, 2026. Management notes 43 straight years of dividend increases through 2025 and says the board is on a path to extend that in 2026.
The catch is that ******* an's profit gains came from lower claims, not a bigger business. Net earned premiums in yen fell 3.7%, mainly because of a new external reinsurance deal and older limited-pay policies reaching paid-up status. Premium persistency, the share of policies customers keep, slipped to 92.7% from 93.7%. ******* an's pretax adjusted earnings still fell 2.1% once currency is stripped out, and new sales dipped 5.6% in the quarter against a tough comparison for the Miraito cancer product, which launched in March 2025.
The US segment has its own soft spot. Pretax adjusted earnings fell 4.6% to $370 million, and the margin narrowed to 20.9% from 22.5% as claims and benefits took a bigger share of premiums. Corporate and Other swung to a $10 million pretax adjusted loss from a $20 million gain a year earlier, with interest expense up 21.6% to $62 million. And adjusted book value per share, excluding foreign currency remeasurement, slid to $41.22 at June 30 from $42.97 a year earlier.

#earnings #fell

On September 9, 2026, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone and the biggest change to the iPhone's design in nearly 20 years, at the first product launch event led by new CEO John Ternus since he succeeded Tim Cook on September 1. The book-style, passport-shaped device opens into a 7.6-inch display, Apple's largest ever, starts at $1,999 for the 256-gigabyte model and rises to $3,199 for 2 terabytes of storage. This makes it the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold, with availability set for October 23.
The iPhone Duo gives Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) a new premium growth opportunity in a mature smartphone market. Apple entered the foldable market with the $1,999 Duo. It creates a new high-end product category within its largest hardware franchise. ******* ysts expect Apple to take a real share of the foldable market. The firm's brand strength and large installed base could help speed up use of foldable smartphones.
The Duo creates a materially different iPhone experience that could encourage upgrades and attract Android users. The device opens to a 7.6-inch display, supports side-by-side multitasking, and offers a tablet-like experience in a pocketable design. Apple also shows the Duo's ******* anium frame, custom hinge, A20 Pro chip, and Apple Intelligence features. It gives customers several reasons to pay a substantial premium for the new form factor.
The launch solidifies Apple's hardware innovation strategy under new CEO John Ternus. The Duo represents Apple's most significant iPhone redesign since the iPhone X. It gives Ternus an opportunity to reignite enthusiasm around the company's hardware portfolio. The product also expands Apple's ability to monetize its ecosystem through higher-value hardware, services, and accessories as customers spend more time using a larger, more versatile iPhone.
The $1,999 starting price could keep the Duo a niche product. Reuters reported that the global foldable market could account for less than 3% of smartphone sales in 2026. ******* ysts expect only about 6 million Duo units as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) enters the category. Even strong market share would turn into a relatively small contribution compared with Apple's broader iPhone business.

#iphone #aapl

On September 9, 2026, ****** og Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) agreed to acquire privately held Alif Semiconductor for $1.35 billion in cash, with up to $200 million in additional contingent payments. It adds Alif's low-power, AI-native microcontrollers and fusion processors to ADI's portfolio of sensing, signal-processing and power-management technology. ADI CEO Vincent Roche described the deal as advancing "Physical Intelligence," letting systems sense, reason and act locally in real time. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2026 pending U.S. antitrust review.
Alif gives ****** og Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) a direct foothold in the fast-growing edge-AI market. Alif's AI-native microcontrollers and fusion processors support low-latency inference, sensor fusion, and on-device AI. It allows systems to process information locally rather than relying entirely on the cloud. The acquisition also expands ADI's addressable market across industrial, data-center infrastructure, defense, energy, robotics, digital health and wearable applications.
ADI is acquiring technology that already has commercial traction. Alif's silicon already ships in production and has design wins with leading consumer and industrial customers. It gives ADI an established platform rather than an early-stage technology project. ADI can combine Alif's digital processing capabilities with its own sensing, signal-processing, power, connectivity and software technologies to offer more complete system solutions.
The acquisition fits ADI's push into AI while the core business makes strong cash flow. ADI completed its $1.5 billion Empower Semiconductor acquisition in July to strengthen power delivery for AI computing, while third-quarter revenue reached a record $4.02 billion, up 40% year over year, and trailing 12-month free cash flow reached $4.94 billion. The Alif deal therefore adds edge intelligence to an AI strategy while ADI retains substantial financial capacity to fund acquisitions and shareholder returns.
Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) must make enough returns to justify the $1.35 billion upfront price. The firm will pay $1.35 billion in cash at closing and could pay another $200 million in contingent consideration. It takes the potential consideration to $1.55 billion. ADI therefore needs Alif's technology, customer wins, and expanded addressable market to turn into real revenue and earnings growth rather than simply adding another promising technology platform to its portfolio.

#analog #NASDAQ #power #acquisition

On September 9, 2026, Chewy, Inc. (NYSE:CHWY) reported fiscal second-quarter net sales of $3.33 billion, up 7.3% year over year, and adjusted earnings per share of $0.36, nearly double the roughly $0.18 ******* ysts had expected, prompting the company to raise its full-year revenue and profitability outlook. CEO Sumit Singh said the broader pet market did not meaningfully recover during the quarter but also did not deteriorate further, with Chewy continuing to outperform the category by two to three times through share gains across its established and newer businesses.
Chewy, Inc. (NYSE:CHWY)'s recurring revenue base is solid. It gives the company greater visibility into future sales. Autoship sales jumped by 9.3% year over year to $2.82 billion and represented 84.6% of total net sales. The growing contribution from subscription-based purchases gives Chewy a more predictable revenue stream and reduces its exposure to fluctuations in discretionary pet spending.
Chewy is also building growth engines beyond its core retail business. Chewy Health, which includes veterinary care and pharmacy services, delivered triple-digit revenue growth. Specialty categories such as equine and exotics recorded a seventh consecutive quarter of mid-double-digit growth. These businesses give Chewy additional opportunities to increase customer spending and diversify its sources of revenue as the overall pet market matures.
Chewy is combining customer growth with stronger profitability and shareholder returns. The firm added 208,000 net active customers during the quarter. It takes its customer base to 21.7 million while returning $200 million to shareholders through share repurchases. Management also noted structural SG&A leverage, automation, and AI-driven cost reductions as contributors to margin expansion. It shows that Chewy can improve earnings while investing in customer acquisition and growth.
Part of Chewy, Inc. (NYSE:CHWY)'s profitability improvement came from benefits that may not recur. CFO Chris Deppe said the quarter's profitability upside included about $10 million from timing benefits and more than $5 million from discrete benefits. Those items boosted the latest results but do not provide a recurring earnings contribution. It means investors may need to lower their expectations for the pace of margin expansion in future quarters.

#customer

On September 9, 2026, Jersey Mike's Subs Inc. (NYSE:JMKE) reported its first quarterly results as a public company, with total revenue up 10% year over year to $208 million and same-store sales accelerating to 2.3% growth from 1.7% in the prior quarter. It was primarily driven by transaction growth even as the restaurant industry faced weak traffic trends. Net income fell to $37 million from $59 million a year earlier. It showed non-routine expenses, advertising fund timing, and higher interest costs following the company's July initial public offering, partially offset by a $14 million gain on the sale of corporate-owned stores.
Jersey Mike's Subs Inc. (NYSE:JMKE) is gaining customers while its brand remains a major competitive advantage. The firm added 83 stores in the second quarter. It grew its customer base and increased systemwide sales 10% to $1.21 billion. Jersey Mike's also earned the No. 1 ranking among U.S. quick-service restaurant brands in the 2026 American Customer Satisfaction Index, surpassing Chick-fil-A after 11 consecutive years at the top. It gives the newly public company a strong foundation for continued customer and franchisee growth.
The business has substantial whitespace for long-term unit growth. Jersey Mike's ended the quarter with 3,378 locations and maintains a domestic development pipeline of more than 1,600 stores, with more than 90% of that pipeline coming from existing franchisees. Management estimates that the U.S. market could eventually support roughly 7,500 locations and sees potential to reach approximately 15,000 stores globally. It gives the business a long runway for franchise-led revenue and royalty growth.
Digital engagement and transaction growth give Jersey Mike's more avenues to increase sales. Digital sales represented 43% of systemwide sales in the second quarter, up from 41% a year earlier. Same-store sales increased 2.3% mainly because customers placed more transactions. Jersey Mike's also had more than 12.5 million active MyMike's loyalty members in 2025. It provides the company with a large customer database that it can use to increase frequency and personalize marketing as it expands.
Jersey Mike's Subs Inc. (NYSE:JMKE) still faces a significant profitability challenge despite its revenue growth. Second-quarter revenue jumped 10% to $208 million. However, net income fell 37% to $37 million from $59 million a year earlier. Management attributed part of the decline to advertising-fund timing and higher interest expense. It shows that revenue growth has not yet translated into comparable bottom-line growth for shareholders.

#million #customer

Forgent Power Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:FPS) reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of approximately $462 million on September 15, up 94% year over year. Bookings reached $1.503 billion, increasing 375%, while backlog stood at $3.0 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The reported 3.3 times book-to-bill ratio compares quarterly bookings with quarterly revenue. Bookings and backlog are operating measures of order activity and outstanding contractual work, respectively. Neither represents cash collected, and backlog does not guarantee the timing of future revenue.
Forgent Power Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:FPS) expects fiscal 2027 revenue of $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion, implying 76% growth at the midpoint. The question is whether factories, employees, and working capital can support that expansion while preserving cash generation.
Forgent Power Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:FPS) already has evidence of stronger production economics. Fourth-quarter operating income reached $91.9 million, compared with $8.3 million a year earlier. Operating cash flow was $74 million, exceeding the quarter's $31 million of capital expenditures.
Those results suggest that rising output is beginning to cover the costs of expansion. Management attributed stronger profitability partly to revenue growing faster than operating costs as new campuses approached target production levels.

#operating #power #solutions #NYSE

Transocean Ltd. (NYSE:RIG) received a boost on September 15 when the company announced that it had secured an approximately $80 million contract for its Deepwater Conqueror ultra-deepwater drillship in Equatorial Guinea. The estimated 170-day campaign with an undisclosed operator is expected to begin next year, directly following the rig's current contract in the US Gulf.
Built in 2016, the DSME 12000-design Deepwater Conqueror can operate in water depths of up to 12,000 feet and drill to a maximum depth of 40,000 feet.
The $80 million award provides Transocean with additional contract revenue and improves visibility into the company's future revenue base. If the award includes attractive day rates and limited mobilization costs, it could contribute positively to operating margins and cash flows. The company's backlog stood at approximately $6.7 billion as of August 5, 2026.
The contract could also improve the utilization of its high-value drilling rig. Since ultra-deepwater rigs require substantial investment, securing work for an idle or underutilized rig could help spread fixed operating costs over a larger revenue base. Deepwater Conqueror will move directly from its US Gulf contract to Equatorial Guinea, avoiding a gap between the two programs.
The latest award also provides Transocean with an alternative destination for its rigs. The company had already signaled in its Q2 earnings call that the growing demand for new deepwater contracts in Africa would also help offset a decline in awards in the US Gulf.

#deepwater #contract #gulf #equatorial

Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE:TRGP) has significantly outperformed the wider market this year, posting gains of over 56% since the beginning of 2026. A major catalyst behind this growth was the 20-year fee-based agreement that the company signed with ExxonMobil last month.
While there are concerns that the stock's rally may have topped out, the **** ysts over at TD Cowen see further growth ahead. On September 18, the firm upgraded TRGP from 'Hold' to Buy', while also boosting its price target from $275 to $350. The revised target implies an upside of almost 20% from the current levels and even exceeds the stock's record high of just under $308 achieved last month.
TD Cowen cited Targa's expected Permian Basin wet gas growth and peer-leading EBITDA growth for the upgrade. The **** yst expects the company's free cash flow yield to rise from 6% in 2026 to more than 10% in 2028, compared with an estimated 8.5% FCF yield for peers in 2030. The improvement is expected to be driven by EBITDA growth from new processing plants and the completion of a major capital project in the Speedway NGL pipeline.
According to TD Cowen, a key driver for Targa's growth is the rising wet gas production in the Permian, which means that the **** yst's thesis is tied to physical volume growth rather than simply a higher-commodity price **** umption.
Targa's recently announced deal with ExxonMobil provides greater visibility into future volumes and infrastructure demand. The company has also planned three new natural gas processing plants in the Permian Delaware as part of the deal, with an aggregate capacity of roughly 825 MMcf/day. Targa expects this agreement to add significantly to its "strong growth rate well into the next decade and bolster its outlook for durable and growing adjusted free cash flow over the long term".

#exxonmobil #ebitda

Musk predicts Starlink (SPCX) could carry a majority of global internet within 10 years, powered by a 100x bandwidth increase from V3 satellites.
Enterprise revenue surged 108%, fueled by airline deals with American Airlines (AAL) and Southwest (LUV) and over $6 billion in Starshield contracts.
Just released. Our ****** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and ****** eX made the cut. Enter your email to see the other nine names and why SPCX earned its spot. The report is free. Enter your email and see the full list.
On the August 4, 2026 earnings call, ****** eX (NASDAQ:SPCX) chief executive Elon Musk predicted Starlink could carry the bulk of global internet traffic within 10 years, driven by a next-generation satellite that multiplies delivered bandwidth dramatically.
This morning, in a post on X, he expanded on just how big that could be:

#starlink #enter #internet

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) announced on September 8 that it had secured a loan of up to $1.9 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy to support the restart of a shuttered nuclear power plant in Iowa. The Duane Arnold Energy Center ceased operations in 2020 after 45 years of service. The plant is now expected to resume operations in early 2029, pending regulatory approvals.
The federal funding is intended to help restore the facility and add reliable generation capacity as the US electricity demand soars to record levels amid the AI boom. To help meet the growing demand, President Trump is making efforts to accelerate the expansion of nuclear energy. He has signed an executive order to get 10 large conventional reactors under construction by 2030 and has also called for federal funding to support the restart of shuttered nuclear plants.
John Ketchum, Chairman, President, and CEO of NextEra Energy, commented:
"Restarting Duane Arnold is about delivering new power to meet new demand while generating billions of dollars in economic value for Iowans. Just as importantly, it shows how America can support rapid economic growth and rising electricity demand while helping keep power affordable for existing customers. By bringing new generation online to serve new demand, we can strengthen the grid, create hundreds of good-paying jobs and help ensure Iowa families and businesses are not asked to bear the costs of growth. We appreciate the Administration's leadership in advancing America's nuclear renaissance and share its commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that expands supply, strengthens energy security and keeps America competitive."
Photo by Frédéric Paulussen on Unsplash

#duane #arnold

Dow Jones futures will open Sunday evening, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures.
The stock market was mixed, with the 10-year Treasury yield at 5%. The Nasdaq rose modestly, amid continued sector rotations among growth stocks. The S&P 500 largely held its ground but the Dow Jones and small-cap Russell 2000 fell solidly to three-month lows.
Robinhood Markets (HOOD) surged back into a buy zone Friday as part of bullish upside reversal for bitcoin and other crypto plays. Coinbase Global (COIN) flashed an aggressive entry. The iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) also is actionable.
Sandisk (SNDK) and Moderna (MRNA), the top S&P 500 performers so far this year, are in buy areas as well. So is Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), another top-10 S&P 500 stock.
Robinhood stock is on SwingTrader. AMD stock is on the IBD 50.

#futures #jones #Bitcoin #year

Ahead of the release of Zach Cregger's reboot today, there were already seven Resident Evil movies — six of them in a more action-oriented series starring Milla Jovovich, four of which were directed by her husband, Paul W.S. Anderson, plus an unrelated "reboot" in 2021 called Welcome to Raccoon City that went for more of a John Carpenter vibe and was an attempt to truly "adapt" the games. There's also a Netflix TV show version that ran for a single season in 2022. Countless other works in the horror genre have unofficially cribbed from the Resident Evil games over the years. It's an incredibly influential series.
And yet, Zach Cregger, hot off his Oscar-winning original horror film Weapons, is the first filmmaker to truly feel like he's adapting the experience of playing the games, arguably the scariest survival-horror ones ever made, rather than simply incorporating story and plot elements to explain the outbreak of infected people. In Cregger's hands, Resident Evil is pure crowd-pleasing popcorn cinema, best experienced in a packed movie theater with dozens of other people reacting loudly to the madness.
The premise couldn't be simpler — and the runtime a brisk 90ish minutes — as we follow a medical courier named Bryan (Austin Abrams, proving himself to be the Bruce Campbell for a new generation) who unwittingly finds himself fighting for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in a swirl of chaos. Fans of the video games will recognize various easter eggs and nods to game mechanics, including the importance of conserving ammo and checking every last drawer for more of it.
But you don't need to be familiar with the games at all to enjoy the movie, which is an efficient horror set-piece machine that just keeps putting Abrams in increasingly concerning situations. I can't stress enough how much this is a one-man show anchored by Abrams, and he crushes it. He's in every scene, earning tons of laughs simply by reacting as a normal person would in this situation; he's a true audience-surrogate character, ushering us through the chaos. His comedic timing, paired with Cregger's ****** ured camerawork and editing, is a match made in genre-movie heaven.
I didn't expect it to be so heavily inspired by genre classics like The Thing and Evil Dead. In fact, it's a better Evil Dead movie than the last several movies with "Evil Dead" in the ****** le, nailing the horror-comedy tone that only Sam Raimi and a few others can pull off with aplomb. Cregger has a ton of fun with the various monstrous forms that the infected take here, from fusing multiple humans together to crafting his own horror take on a big, scary guy like Dune's Baron Harkonnen. Resident Evil movies have thus far treated the zombies as pretty traditional movie zombies; Cregger's version gets at the attempt to create the next stage of human evolution.

#resident #dead

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Losing your job at age 60 is difficult enough. Losing it when you've saved practically nothing for retirement can turn the next few years into a financial scramble.
Consider George, a single man from Little Rock, Ark., who found himself in that position after losing his job in a company restructuring. At 60, he was still two years away from being eligible to claim Social Security and five years away from Medicare eligibility — with little retirement savings to fall back on.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
A single line on your car insurance policy could be inflating your premium by up to 30% — here's what to change

#single

On August 10, Simon Property Group (NYSE:SPG) reported results for the three months through June 30 and raised its full-year profit outlook once again. Real estate funds from operations (FFO), a cash-flow measure suited to landlords, hit $3.29 per share. Tenants are earning more from their stores, and management is confident enough to lift its guidance again. Yet the professionals who own the stock are heading the other way.
Start with the tenants, because they pay the rent. Reported retailer sales reached $838 per square foot over the year through June 30, up from $736 a year earlier, on June 30, 2025. Stronger sales tend to make higher rent easier to swallow, and base minimum rent per square foot did climb to $62.42 from $58.70.
That demand flowed through to profit. Real estate FFO rose to $3.29 per diluted share from $3.05, and net operating income at Simon's domestic properties grew 8.5%. Management responded by lifting its full-year real estate FFO range to $13.20 to $13.30 per share, moving the midpoint up by $0.08.
Shareholders get paid while they wait. The board declared a third-quarter dividend of $2.25 per share, $0.10 more than a year ago, to be paid on September 30 to anyone on the books by September 9. Simon also put $211.4 million into buying back stock at an average of $205.10 per share, and it finished June with about $9.3 billion of liquidity.
Now the less flattering side. Net income for common stockholders was $483.1 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, versus $1.70 a year earlier. The 2025 quarter included a non-cash gain of $0.21 per share from investment activity, which flatters that comparison. Still, plain FFO followed the same path, slipping to $3.12 from $3.15.

#Share #year #june #estate

On Monday, Sept. 21, Sandisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) takes a spot in the S&P 100, a subset of the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) made up of 100 of its largest blue-chip companies. Dell Technologies, Palo Alto Networks, and Arista Networks enter with it. The announcement came from S&P Dow Jones Indices on Sept. 4, and the changes take effect before Monday's open.
Four companies are leaving to make room: Nike (NYSE:NKE), Colgate-Palmolive, Simon Property Group, and Honeywell Aerospace.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The swap says a lot about how 2026 has gone. Sandisk shares have gained more than 600% this year, more than any other stock in the S&P 500.
Nike's stock, meanwhile, reached a 52-week low this week. And Sandisk, worth about $260 billion, is currently more than four times the size of the roughly $54 billion sportswear giant.

#sandisk #networks #four #Companies

Eli Lilly presents mid-stage eloraTZP data September 30, and LLY stock near $1,152 with a $1 trillion market cap leaves no room for a weak result.
Novo Nordisk's GLP-1 franchise faces headwinds while Viking Therapeutics' VK2735 looms; a convincing eloraTZP win raises the bar for both rivals.
Bearish options positioning shows put/call ratios hitting 4.67 for October 9 expiry, signaling Wall Street is hedging hard against disappointment.
Just released. Our **** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and Eli Lilly didn't make the cut. Enter your email to see the names that beat LLY. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) presents mid-stage data on eloraTZP, a combination of eloralintide and tirzepatide, at a European **** ociation for the Study of Diabetes symposium on September 30.

#eloratzp #september #Stock

If you're trying to build a consumer-focused corner of your portfolio that can grow through a lot of different economic backdrops, three names stand out right now: Church & Dwight Co. (NYSE: CHD), YETI Holdings (NYSE: YETI), and Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL). Each of these is making deliberate moves in 2026 and into 2027 that communicate to me more about their future than any single rocky quarter's earnings line.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Church & Dwight has built its identity on everyday products like baking soda, laundry detergents, and cleaners that quietly show up in millions of homes. In May 2026, it moved to deepen that footprint by buying the Miss Mouth's Messy Eater brand, a fast-growing, non-toxic stain remover built for parents. It's a small thing on paper, but it fits this successful company's patterns: Keep layering niche, repeat-use products into an existing distribution machine instead of chasing flashy new categories.
The company's first-quarter 2026 update backs that strategy up. Organic sales rose 5% even though reported net sales were basically flat due to past portfolio pruning, per company management. Management described 2026 as a year of "volume-driven" organic growth, meaning they're focused on selling more units to real customers, not just leaning on price increases. On top of that, Church & Dwight extended its long dividend record yet again. Although it is not quite a Dividend King, it has consistently raised its dividend for 29 years.
For investors, my advice here is straightforward: Treat Church & Dwight as a core holding in a consumer bucket. It's unlikely to deliver fireworks in a single year, but it keeps making acquisitions to deepen its understanding of existing categories.

#flashing #organic

The days of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) being a laggard in cutting-edge technology may be over.
The social media giant's new personal AI agent, Muse, reached nearly 600,000 downloads in just its first five days after launching, according to data from SensorTower.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
That puts Muse on a similar trajectory to ChatGPT, the breakthrough app that ignited the AI boom, and Muse could be a major disruptor as well.
Image source: The Motley Fool.

#signal #meta #flashing #NASDAQ

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) stock has returned about 57% over the past year, against about 17% for the S&P 500. On the earnings it has already banked, that price looks expensive. But those earnings carry STELARA, which is losing share to biosimilar competition. What looks dear on earnings already reported comes down sharply on the earnings ***** ysts expect.
At about $270 a share, Johnson & Johnson trades at about 28.3 times its trailing earnings. That figure sits on adjusted earnings: normalized net income with stock-based compensation added back, meant to sit closer to the basis ***** ysts use in their forecasts than a GAAP figure would, though the two measures are not defined identically. Measured as market value against consensus net income, the multiple on fiscal 2026 earnings is about 24.1 times, and on the earnings expected for 2027 it is about 20.9 times.
Those trailing twelve months were not a clean run. STELARA cost Johnson & Johnson about 460 basis points of operational sales growth in the second quarter of 2026. Strip it out and the company grew double digits in that quarter on the same basis, on management's own account.
The trailing multiple measures today's price against a period burdened by slowing STELARA revenue. The rest of the portfolio kept growing. Revenue over the trailing twelve months is close to $98 billion, and the company has 28 products and platforms that each sell more than $1 billion a year.
Immunology shows both sides at once. TREMFYA grew 71% in the second quarter of 2026, and it remains the fastest-growing advanced therapy in both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. STELARA is shrinking under biosimilars in that same segment.

#johnson #earnings

A home Medicaid excludes from **** et tests during life becomes fully exposed to estate recovery after death, potentially consuming most of an inheritance.
Transfers of a home within 60 months of a Medicaid application trigger a penalty period, and a stroke can eliminate the legal capacity needed to act.
Penalty-free exceptions exist, including spousal transfer, caregiver-child, and protected-relative rules, but qualifying circumstances must be in place well before a crisis.
Two retirees, same $1 million, same 4% rule, buy one finished with $1.4 million, the other hit $0 in 12 years. Our free reader guide explains the flaw that separated them, and the income-first method built to avoid it.
An 82-year-old widower has a stroke. From the hospital he moves to rehabilitation, then to permanent nursing-home care. His paid-off house is worth $340,000. His daughter asks the elder-law attorney whether they can deed her the house or drop it into an irrevocable trust before Medicaid pays a dime. The answer is the one no family wants to hear: probably not, because Dad no longer has the capacity to sign, and his durable power of attorney authorizes bill payment but not gifts or trust transfers.

#home #stroke #free

Interested in O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better.
Record store expansion: O'Reilly plans to open 232 stores in 2026, its highest annual total, supported by new distribution capacity and growth opportunities across underserved U.S. markets.
International growth: The company expects to open 20–25 stores in Mexico, where it sees potential for more than 1,000 locations over time, and plans to add three to five Canadian stores while developing its platform.
Demand and competitive advantages: Comparable-store sales rose 7% through the second quarter, while O'Reilly highlighted its inventory network, promote-from-within culture, proprietary brands exceeding 55% of sales, and opportunities from an aging and increasingly complex vehicle fleet.
Hitting the Brakes: Is O'Reilly's Stock a Breakdown or a Buy?

#stores #open #Growth #interested

Merck (MRK) stock returned about 87% over the past twelve months, climbing from roughly $79 to about $147. Nothing in the year's results looks like that. The medicines Merck sells today grew at their usual pace. Investors spent the year repricing what comes next.
Revenue over the trailing twelve months was $66.6 billion, up 4.6% and in line with its own three-year pace. Profitability did not follow. Its operating margin over the same twelve months was 10.5%, versus a three-year average of 22.4%.
Most of that gap is one purchase. Merck took a $5.7 billion charge in the second quarter of 2026, about 9% of a year's sales. It bought Terns Pharmaceuticals, and with it MK-4208, a candidate for chronic myeloid leukemia. The bill hits earnings now and the medicine arrives later.
The proof matters because of the risk hanging over this stock. The KEYTRUDA family was just over half of Merck's revenue in the second quarter of 2026. The company is openly planning for the end of that exclusivity when Keytruda loses primary U.S. patent protection in 2028. Management describes the stretch as more of a hill than a cliff, with a shallow dip and a fast return to growth.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) returned 56% over the same twelve months and Pfizer (PFE) 23%, so a good year for pharmaceuticals explains some of this but not Merck's lead. What separated Merck was evidence. The FDA approved LIPFENDRA, the first and only oral PCSK9 inhibitor. In the CORALreef Lipids trial it lowered LDL cholesterol by up to 60% when added to a statin.

#year #johnson

(Bloomberg) -- The first junk-bond offering for a data center tied to Meta Platforms Inc. attracted demand more than four times the deal's size, with juicy yields helping to lure investors.
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#bloomberg #meta #month

On September 16, IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX) announced it had bought CoVetAI, a fast-growing veterinary software company whose tool listens during appointments and organizes what gets said and done. It sounds like a productivity gadget. But IDEXX is pitching it as a way to put the right patient details in front of a vet at the moment they decide what to test. The price was not disclosed, so the strategy is the story.
Start with the customer base IDEXX already has. More than 10,000 clinics worldwide run on its cloud practice software, and CoVet will plug into that system, including a link to IDEXX VetConnect PLUS. That hands a new product a ready audience. CoVet also works with practice systems IDEXX does not make, and IDEXX plans to keep supporting rival scribes, so the tool can reach clinics and regions the company does not serve today.
Then there is the engine this could feed. On August 4, IDEXX reported second-quarter revenue growth of 10%, and its recurring diagnostics business grew 11%, powered by higher volumes. That says vets are already running more tests, which is the behavior a smarter workflow tool is meant to encourage. The company also placed more than 1,600 inVue Dx ****** yzers in the quarter, lifting the installed base past 9,000, and it counts that instrument among its AI-driven products. Software and hardware are pointing in the same direction.
The biggest problem is what we can't see. Without deal terms, there is no way to judge what IDEXX paid or how much CoVet matters to earnings. And the company describes the payoff in future tense, saying these capabilities can raise diagnostic use over time. That is a hope, not a result yet. CoVet's openness to other systems cuts both ways too. It widens reach, but it also means a clinic can use CoVet without going deeper into IDEXX's ecosystem.
The second quarter also needs a careful read. Earnings per share rose 18%, but that included tax benefits from stock-based pay and a currency boost, and growth on a comparable basis was 15%. Some of the gain, in other words, did not come from selling more to vets. IDEXX also says it is spending more on commercial and innovation priorities, so its higher full-year earnings outlook comes with added costs attached.

#company #software #earnings #already

Without a signed, prospective contract, Medicaid treats family caregiver payments as gifts, exposing $60,000 in payments to a six-month nursing home ineligibility penalty.
A defensible care agreement must be signed before services begin, specify duties and market-rate pay, and be backed by time sheets and traceable payments.
At 20 documented hours per week, $2,500 monthly works out to roughly $29 per hour, defensible against the 2025 national median caregiver rate of $35.
Two retirees, same $1 million, same 4% rule, buy one finished with $1.4 million, the other hit $0 in 12 years. Our free reader guide explains the flaw that separated them, and the income-first method built to avoid it.
Picture a widow in her 80s who pays her adult daughter $2,500 a month for two years to handle bathing, meals, medications, driving to appointments, and overnight supervision. The care is real. The daughter cuts back her own job to provide it. One year later, mom breaks a hip, lands in a nursing home, and applies for institutional Medicaid. The caseworker pulls five years of bank statements, spots $60,000 in recurring payments to the daughter, and finds no signed agreement, no time sheets, no invoices. In that state, the agency treats every dollar as an uncompensated transfer, effectively a gift.

#signed #daughter

Experienced investors know the advantages of buying and holding S&P 500 index funds like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) or the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY). Not only are they super simple, but statistically speaking, you're likely to get better performance from them than you are by picking individual stocks or by owning an actively managed fund.
Nevertheless, given its long-term (and often market-beating) track record, even the most disciplined of investors might have the itch to step into a stake in Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB). But is it actually the better buy?
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate consisting of several dozen reliable cash-producing businesses as well as a portfolio of hand-picked stocks. Brought to prominence by Warren Buffett, the company's flexible structure has enabled its shares to consistently outperform the S&P 500 since Buffett first took the helm in 1965.
It hasn't beaten the market every year since then, to be clear. Some years it did. Other years it didn't. It typically achieved the feat in five-year time frames.

#signal #years #buffett #flashing

On September 14, Evercore ISI raised its price target for Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) from $100 to $110 while maintaining its Outperform rating. The research firm rolled its valuation framework forward to 2028 and applied a multiple of 25 times its 2028 EPS estimate.
The new price target represents more than 40% upside from the share price of $76.41 as of September 16. However, the stock has declined about 16% year-to-date and remains well below its 52-week high of $124.86.
Evercore ISI conducted its 58th quarterly US survey and 12th semi-annual **** an survey on Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), which showed multi-year high penetration of 63% in the US and a record-high 22% penetration in **** an.
Japan also showed strong subscriber engagement as 58% of subscribers said they were slightly or not at all likely to cancel. Subscriber satisfaction in **** an also reached 67%.
The company's new ads plan also showed encouraging signs in **** an. About 66% of new ads plan subscribers were either former Netflix users or people who were new to Netflix.

#netflix #price #september #evercore

First Phosphate Corp. (CSE:PHOS, NASDAQ:PHOS, FRA:KD0, OTCQX:FRSPF) earlier this week highlighted Swiss government support for financing linked to its Bégin-Lamarche mine, as CEO John Passalacqua outlined the company's efforts to ***** emble a capital stack designed to limit shareholder dilution.
Proactive: Really big news out from the company today. It really jumps off the page: a guarantee of $212.5 million for CapEx for First Phosphate, coming from the Swiss government. Tell me a little bit about this, John.
John Passalacqua: Yeah, so this is the Swiss government that's guaranteeing up to 85% of exports from Switzerland that are aimed towards the mine at Bégin-Lamarche. So you've got a very nice debt-to-equity ratio there. 85% is almost unheard of in the industry. And it's obviously based on the credibility of the mine, based on the fact that we've been endorsed by the G7, based on the fact that we have other export credit agencies at the table.
EIFO from Denmark was there already, if you remember, for €170 million. So little by little, we're putting together the whole capital stack here for the project, which can be done quite non-dilutively.
And that's a key to this because they're looking at about 85% of the cost, and potentially more if that happens. But it does get to the point where your shareholders are very well protected here.

#john #government #little #first

The ******* e Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ: SPCX) IPO was one of the most highly anticipated public offerings in years. Within a few days of going public, ******* eX had a valuation of $2.7 trillion after raising nearly $86 billion in funding.
Then things started going sideways. The stock began falling amid fears that ******* eX is spending too much on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, and shares still trade below their opening price of $150 as of this writing. At one point, the share price fell enough to wipe out more than $1 trillion from ******* eX's valuation over a one-month span.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Another AI company, Anthropic, could go public as soon as next month. Like ******* eX, it's a highly anticipated IPO. But investors would be wise to take the recent ******* eX sell-off as a warning that buying IPO stocks when they first go public is rarely a good move. History shows it's far better to wait before buying -- here's why.
While there was an initial surge in interest for ******* eX, investors quickly turned their attention to the company's massive AI spending spree. The company's capital expenditures (capex) jumped 308% in the first six months of this year, compared to 2025, reaching $28.5 billion. That's a hefty sum, especially when you consider that ******* eX sales were just $12.5 billion over that same period.

#billion #first

Billionaire John C. Malone, Director Emeritus, reported the purchase of 37,082 Series A Preference Shares of Liberty Latin America Ltd. (NASDAQ:LILA) on Sept. 16 and Sept. 17, 2026. SEC Form 4 filing.
Metric
Value
Transaction value
~$758,000

#john #malone