25 days ago
$100,000 split across MO and ET alone generates roughly $2,548 annually, backed by 60 and 19 consecutive dividend raises respectively.
Verizon's CFO called its 6.1% dividend "ironclad" after free cash flow surged 27% to $6.43 billion in Q2.
Exxon anchors the basket with 43 straight years of dividend growth and a fortress balance sheet carrying just 0.55x net debt-to-EBITDA.
Just released. Our ***** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and Exxon Mobil didn't make the cut. Enter your email to see the names that beat XOM. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
Split $100,000 equally across five blue-chip dividend payers in tobacco, pipelines, telecom, net-lease real estate and integrated oil, and today's yields produce roughly $5,436 in annual income. That works out to about $20,000 per name. Dividend safety depends on more than yield. These companies back their payouts with long records of raises, real cash generation and a balance sheet that can handle a rough patch. That combination is what turns a one-time investment into a durable income stream.
#across #free #cash #balance
Verizon's CFO called its 6.1% dividend "ironclad" after free cash flow surged 27% to $6.43 billion in Q2.
Exxon anchors the basket with 43 straight years of dividend growth and a fortress balance sheet carrying just 0.55x net debt-to-EBITDA.
Just released. Our ***** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and Exxon Mobil didn't make the cut. Enter your email to see the names that beat XOM. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
Split $100,000 equally across five blue-chip dividend payers in tobacco, pipelines, telecom, net-lease real estate and integrated oil, and today's yields produce roughly $5,436 in annual income. That works out to about $20,000 per name. Dividend safety depends on more than yield. These companies back their payouts with long records of raises, real cash generation and a balance sheet that can handle a rough patch. That combination is what turns a one-time investment into a durable income stream.
#across #free #cash #balance
26 days ago
The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) was trading at around $193 on October 5, down 11.91% over twelve months. Boeing reported net income of $2.09 billion over the past twelve months. Its EBITDA over the same period was negative $2.9 billion.
Those two figures describe the same year and point in opposite directions. Only one of them tells you what the business did.
READ ALSO: GE Aerospace (GE) vs. RTX (RTX): Which Is the Better Stock to Buy?
Start with the figure that describes the aircraft business itself. Boeing's operating margin is 0.00%. On $93.99 billion of revenue, building and selling airplanes earned nothing.
That is not a rounding problem. Gross profit was $4.43 billion on that revenue, under five percent for a manufacturer, which means the cost of building the aircraft very nearly equals what customers pay for them.
#same
Those two figures describe the same year and point in opposite directions. Only one of them tells you what the business did.
READ ALSO: GE Aerospace (GE) vs. RTX (RTX): Which Is the Better Stock to Buy?
Start with the figure that describes the aircraft business itself. Boeing's operating margin is 0.00%. On $93.99 billion of revenue, building and selling airplanes earned nothing.
That is not a rounding problem. Gross profit was $4.43 billion on that revenue, under five percent for a manufacturer, which means the cost of building the aircraft very nearly equals what customers pay for them.
#same
1 month ago
On September 9, 2026, Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) reported fiscal first-quarter revenue of $5.68 billion, up 24.3% year over year, and earnings per share of $7.37, beating the $6.78 ******* yst consensus. Yet shares fell roughly 10-15% after same-store sales grew just 3.2%, below the 3.8% Wall Street had expected.
CEO Darren Rebelez described a "volatile" fuel environment during the quarter. Same-store fuel gallons sold declined 0.3% as elevated prices pushed customers toward fewer gallons per visit, more frequent trips, and cheaper fuel grades.
Fuel profitability more than offset softer gallon volumes. Fuel gross profit jumped 19.6% to $446.9 million as the fuel margin expanded to 47.8 cents per gallon from 41.0 cents a year earlier. It shows Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)'s pricing discipline can protect profitability even when customers buy fewer gallons. Prepared food added another source of margin strength, with same-store sales rising 4.8% and margins expanding to 59.3% from 58.0%.
Strong earnings growth gives Casey's a solid start to fiscal 2027. EBITDA grew 17.1% to $485.1 million, while net income rose 27.1% to $273.7 million. It shows that Casey's can grow earnings despite softer same-store sales. The firm also delivered $5.68 billion of revenue, up 24% year over year and above the $5.56 billion ******* yst estimate. It gives investors evidence that the overall business remains capable of producing strong growth.
Casey's is expanding its store base and integrating Fikes. The business said the Fikes integration remains ahead of schedule and maintained its plan to open at least 120 stores in fiscal 2027 through construction and acquisitions. Ongoing unit growth can expand Casey's geographic reach, increase purchasing scale, and support long-term revenue growth even if mature-store sales remain uneven.
#fuel #revenue
CEO Darren Rebelez described a "volatile" fuel environment during the quarter. Same-store fuel gallons sold declined 0.3% as elevated prices pushed customers toward fewer gallons per visit, more frequent trips, and cheaper fuel grades.
Fuel profitability more than offset softer gallon volumes. Fuel gross profit jumped 19.6% to $446.9 million as the fuel margin expanded to 47.8 cents per gallon from 41.0 cents a year earlier. It shows Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)'s pricing discipline can protect profitability even when customers buy fewer gallons. Prepared food added another source of margin strength, with same-store sales rising 4.8% and margins expanding to 59.3% from 58.0%.
Strong earnings growth gives Casey's a solid start to fiscal 2027. EBITDA grew 17.1% to $485.1 million, while net income rose 27.1% to $273.7 million. It shows that Casey's can grow earnings despite softer same-store sales. The firm also delivered $5.68 billion of revenue, up 24% year over year and above the $5.56 billion ******* yst estimate. It gives investors evidence that the overall business remains capable of producing strong growth.
Casey's is expanding its store base and integrating Fikes. The business said the Fikes integration remains ahead of schedule and maintained its plan to open at least 120 stores in fiscal 2027 through construction and acquisitions. Ongoing unit growth can expand Casey's geographic reach, increase purchasing scale, and support long-term revenue growth even if mature-store sales remain uneven.
#fuel #revenue
1 month ago
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
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
1 month ago
On August 6, Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE:TRGP) reported a record second quarter. Adjusted EBITDA reached $1.60 billion, a 38% jump from the same period a year earlier, and management now expects full-year results near the top of its guidance range. Targa moves and processes natural gas and natural gas liquids out of the Permian Basin, and these numbers suggest that system is running fuller than ever.
The strength came from volume, not just price. Adjusted EBITDA also climbed 14% from the first quarter, helped by Permian gas volumes that added over 450 million cubic feet of daily throughput. Some producers held back output because Waha gas prices went negative, and Targa still set a volume record. Volumes for NGL pipelines, fractionation, and LPG exports also hit records, helped by Train 11, a new fractionator in Mont Belvieu, Texas, that started up early in the quarter.
Construction is also landing on time. East Driver, a new processing plant serving the Midland side of the Permian, started up late in the quarter and ahead of schedule, and the other gathering and logistics projects are tracking their plans. Shareholders get a cut too. On July 16, Targa declared a $1.25 per share quarterly dividend, 25% above the payout for the second quarter of 2025, payable August 14 to holders of record on July 31. It also spent $80 million buying back shares during the quarter.
Growth at this pace costs real money. Targa plans about $4.5 billion in net growth spending this year, and its consolidated debt stood at $19,578 million on June 30. About $3.2 billion of liquidity gives it a cushion. In July, it also extended its receivables securitization facility to July 30, 2027 and raised the size to as much as $800 million. More borrowing capacity helps, but it is still borrowing.
Not every dollar of the profit surge is as steady as a pipeline volume. Management tied the higher outlook partly to strong marketing margin and optimization work in the first two quarters, and the quarter's jump in marketing margin came from greater optimization opportunities. That kind of income can be lumpy. Meanwhile, lower natural gas prices trimmed margins in the gathering business, and the Waha curtailments showed that producers can pull back when local prices turn ugly.
#record
The strength came from volume, not just price. Adjusted EBITDA also climbed 14% from the first quarter, helped by Permian gas volumes that added over 450 million cubic feet of daily throughput. Some producers held back output because Waha gas prices went negative, and Targa still set a volume record. Volumes for NGL pipelines, fractionation, and LPG exports also hit records, helped by Train 11, a new fractionator in Mont Belvieu, Texas, that started up early in the quarter.
Construction is also landing on time. East Driver, a new processing plant serving the Midland side of the Permian, started up late in the quarter and ahead of schedule, and the other gathering and logistics projects are tracking their plans. Shareholders get a cut too. On July 16, Targa declared a $1.25 per share quarterly dividend, 25% above the payout for the second quarter of 2025, payable August 14 to holders of record on July 31. It also spent $80 million buying back shares during the quarter.
Growth at this pace costs real money. Targa plans about $4.5 billion in net growth spending this year, and its consolidated debt stood at $19,578 million on June 30. About $3.2 billion of liquidity gives it a cushion. In July, it also extended its receivables securitization facility to July 30, 2027 and raised the size to as much as $800 million. More borrowing capacity helps, but it is still borrowing.
Not every dollar of the profit surge is as steady as a pipeline volume. Management tied the higher outlook partly to strong marketing margin and optimization work in the first two quarters, and the quarter's jump in marketing margin came from greater optimization opportunities. That kind of income can be lumpy. Meanwhile, lower natural gas prices trimmed margins in the gathering business, and the Waha curtailments showed that producers can pull back when local prices turn ugly.
#record
1 month ago
On September 17, Ferrari N.V. (NYSE:RACE) announced a partnership with the technology company Rakuten Group, Inc., effective January 1, 2027. The announcement gives no scope and no price tag, so it works better as a signal than as a number. The real substance sits in the results Ferrari posted on July 30, when it raised its 2026 guidance because buyers are ordering more personalization than the company expected.
In the second quarter, revenue rose 8%, but operating profit rose 10%, which means each euro of sales is leaving more behind. Ferrari credits a richer mix of cars, with the F80 helping, along with more buyers paying up for personalization. Strip out currency swings, and the gap widens, with revenue up 11% and operating profit up 16%. Deliveries of the Purosangue and the 296 Speciale family grew even in the middle of a planned model changeover.
Cash and demand back that up. Industrial free cash flow jumped 39% to €276 million, and Ferrari also returned more than €800 million to shareholders through a dividend and buybacks. Racing helped too, as higher sponsorships and engine rentals to other Formula 1 teams lifted revenue. Meanwhile, the order book covers 2027 in full, and the new 12Cilindri Manuale is already fully allocated, which is about as strong a demand signal as a carmaker can send. Those trends are why revenue guidance moved up to about €7.60 billion from about €7.50 billion.
Part of the strength is timing. Operating profit got a boost from temporarily lower depreciation and amortization while Ferrari swaps out models, and the company says those charges will climb once the new cars enter production. Net profit also leaned on a 23.0% tax rate, which reflects an estimated benefit from the new Patent Box. Neither says much about how profitable the cars themselves are.
Costs are climbing too. Higher industrial and marketing expenses weighed on operating profit, EBITDA margin slipped to 39.0% from 39.7% a year earlier, and management expects heavier brand, racing and digital spending for the year. Currency is a drag as well, mostly from the dollar and the yen, which is why 11% growth at constant currency shrank to 8% as reported. Deliveries totaled 3,366 cars while the 296 GTS, Roma Spider and SF90 XX family wound down, and sponsorship, commercial and brand revenue grew just 2%. And the whole outlook leans on current visibility into the Middle East crisis, which Ferrari cannot control.
#Ferrari
In the second quarter, revenue rose 8%, but operating profit rose 10%, which means each euro of sales is leaving more behind. Ferrari credits a richer mix of cars, with the F80 helping, along with more buyers paying up for personalization. Strip out currency swings, and the gap widens, with revenue up 11% and operating profit up 16%. Deliveries of the Purosangue and the 296 Speciale family grew even in the middle of a planned model changeover.
Cash and demand back that up. Industrial free cash flow jumped 39% to €276 million, and Ferrari also returned more than €800 million to shareholders through a dividend and buybacks. Racing helped too, as higher sponsorships and engine rentals to other Formula 1 teams lifted revenue. Meanwhile, the order book covers 2027 in full, and the new 12Cilindri Manuale is already fully allocated, which is about as strong a demand signal as a carmaker can send. Those trends are why revenue guidance moved up to about €7.60 billion from about €7.50 billion.
Part of the strength is timing. Operating profit got a boost from temporarily lower depreciation and amortization while Ferrari swaps out models, and the company says those charges will climb once the new cars enter production. Net profit also leaned on a 23.0% tax rate, which reflects an estimated benefit from the new Patent Box. Neither says much about how profitable the cars themselves are.
Costs are climbing too. Higher industrial and marketing expenses weighed on operating profit, EBITDA margin slipped to 39.0% from 39.7% a year earlier, and management expects heavier brand, racing and digital spending for the year. Currency is a drag as well, mostly from the dollar and the yen, which is why 11% growth at constant currency shrank to 8% as reported. Deliveries totaled 3,366 cars while the 296 GTS, Roma Spider and SF90 XX family wound down, and sponsorship, commercial and brand revenue grew just 2%. And the whole outlook leans on current visibility into the Middle East crisis, which Ferrari cannot control.
#Ferrari
1 month ago
On August 6, Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) reported earnings of $1.84 per diluted share for the quarter that closed on June 30, up from $1.75 a year earlier, and lifted most of its full-year targets. Here is the odd part. The company moved less volume than it did a year ago and still grew profit. Understanding how that works, and how long it can last, is the whole story.
Start with pricing, because that is the engine. Core price on total revenue added 5.3% to growth, which helped lift total revenue by 4.6%. Inside the related business, price contributed 4.1% in the restricted portion and 7.8% in the open market. Management says price beat cost inflation, and the margin backs that up. Adjusted EBITDA reached $1.42 billion at a 32.1% margin, matching the prior year even after Republic absorbed a 50 basis point drag from event-driven landfill volumes it received in 2025.
Cash generation is just as sturdy. Through the first half of 2026, operations produced $2.38 billion, and adjusted free cash flow came to $1.58 billion. That paid for $860 million of acquisitions and $1.04 billion returned to shareholders, so Republic is buying growth and rewarding owners from the same pool. The board added 4.5 cents to the quarterly dividend, setting it at $0.670 per share with an October 2 record date and payment on October 15. Management also raised full-year revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow guidance, and set adjusted earnings at $7.23 to $7.28 per share.
The catch is that volume is moving the wrong way. Average yield added 3.4% to total revenue, while volume took away 1.6%, and the related business gave up 1.9% to volume. That makes this a price-led story, and price can only carry so much weight if volumes keep shrinking. Acquisitions also supplied 1.1% of the 4.6% total growth, so organic growth is smaller than the headline suggests.
Other lines were softer too. The environmental solutions business slipped 0.2%, so it added no lift. Recycled commodities sold for an average of $136 per ton at Republic's recycling centers, which is $13 lower than a year earlier. Margin only matched last year's level, and adjusted earnings per share rose 4.5%, just under revenue growth, so profit grew in step with sales rather than faster.
#year
Start with pricing, because that is the engine. Core price on total revenue added 5.3% to growth, which helped lift total revenue by 4.6%. Inside the related business, price contributed 4.1% in the restricted portion and 7.8% in the open market. Management says price beat cost inflation, and the margin backs that up. Adjusted EBITDA reached $1.42 billion at a 32.1% margin, matching the prior year even after Republic absorbed a 50 basis point drag from event-driven landfill volumes it received in 2025.
Cash generation is just as sturdy. Through the first half of 2026, operations produced $2.38 billion, and adjusted free cash flow came to $1.58 billion. That paid for $860 million of acquisitions and $1.04 billion returned to shareholders, so Republic is buying growth and rewarding owners from the same pool. The board added 4.5 cents to the quarterly dividend, setting it at $0.670 per share with an October 2 record date and payment on October 15. Management also raised full-year revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow guidance, and set adjusted earnings at $7.23 to $7.28 per share.
The catch is that volume is moving the wrong way. Average yield added 3.4% to total revenue, while volume took away 1.6%, and the related business gave up 1.9% to volume. That makes this a price-led story, and price can only carry so much weight if volumes keep shrinking. Acquisitions also supplied 1.1% of the 4.6% total growth, so organic growth is smaller than the headline suggests.
Other lines were softer too. The environmental solutions business slipped 0.2%, so it added no lift. Recycled commodities sold for an average of $136 per ton at Republic's recycling centers, which is $13 lower than a year earlier. Margin only matched last year's level, and adjusted earnings per share rose 4.5%, just under revenue growth, so profit grew in step with sales rather than faster.
#year
1 month ago
On August 19, Ferrovial (NASDAQ:FER) announced it had been selected to deliver the I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes, a 26-mile project running between Nashville and Murfreesboro. It is the largest single capital investment in Tennessee's history and the state's first public-private partnership. The price tag is $9.2 billion, though Ferrovial isn't carrying it alone, since its DriveTN consortium also counts Transurban and Tikehau Star Infra as partners.
Choice lanes are familiar ground for Ferrovial, which has replicated the model in Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth. On Virginia's 66 Express corridor, similar lanes shaved up to 50% off peak-hour travel times. That is the pitch for I-24, a stretch of highway that already ranks among the region's most jammed: drivers who opt in get steadier speeds, and those in the free lanes should see less traffic too.
The business behind the bid looks healthy, too. Ferrovial's July 28 results showed adjusted EBITDA up 21.6% on a like-for-like basis to €746 million over the first six months of the year, with U.S. highways doing most of the lifting. Those roads are sending cash home as well, since Ferrovial received €357 million in dividends from North America. And the construction order book reached an all-time high of €18 billion, so plenty of work is already in hand. The pipeline keeps filling: Ferrovial bid on I-285 East in Georgia in July, and its D35 Highway bid in the Czech Republic was the most cost-effective submitted, with technical evaluation still underway.
Beyond the roads, the balance sheet looks sturdy. Ferrovial ended the first half with €1.3 billion in net cash, excluding infrastructure projects, meaning cash outweighs debt outside those projects. The airport arm is progressing too: Ferrovial has finished funding the $1.1 billion in equity it pledged for New Terminal One at JFK, and construction there is 92% complete.
Start with the line that looks worst on the page. Net profit for the first half of 2026 came in at €258 million, versus €540 million for the same period of 2025. That earlier figure included capital gains from ******* et rotation, which makes the comparison harsh, but the mismatch is still there: EBITDA climbed while reported profit fell.
#first #million #choice
Choice lanes are familiar ground for Ferrovial, which has replicated the model in Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth. On Virginia's 66 Express corridor, similar lanes shaved up to 50% off peak-hour travel times. That is the pitch for I-24, a stretch of highway that already ranks among the region's most jammed: drivers who opt in get steadier speeds, and those in the free lanes should see less traffic too.
The business behind the bid looks healthy, too. Ferrovial's July 28 results showed adjusted EBITDA up 21.6% on a like-for-like basis to €746 million over the first six months of the year, with U.S. highways doing most of the lifting. Those roads are sending cash home as well, since Ferrovial received €357 million in dividends from North America. And the construction order book reached an all-time high of €18 billion, so plenty of work is already in hand. The pipeline keeps filling: Ferrovial bid on I-285 East in Georgia in July, and its D35 Highway bid in the Czech Republic was the most cost-effective submitted, with technical evaluation still underway.
Beyond the roads, the balance sheet looks sturdy. Ferrovial ended the first half with €1.3 billion in net cash, excluding infrastructure projects, meaning cash outweighs debt outside those projects. The airport arm is progressing too: Ferrovial has finished funding the $1.1 billion in equity it pledged for New Terminal One at JFK, and construction there is 92% complete.
Start with the line that looks worst on the page. Net profit for the first half of 2026 came in at €258 million, versus €540 million for the same period of 2025. That earlier figure included capital gains from ******* et rotation, which makes the comparison harsh, but the mismatch is still there: EBITDA climbed while reported profit fell.
#first #million #choice
1 month ago
On August 10, Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (NYSE:FERG) reported results for the quarter ended June 30, and the numbers show a company growing straight through a soft housing market. Sales rose 4.6% to $8.8 billion, and management lifted its outlook for the full year. But profit grew more slowly than sales, and that gap is what makes this report worth a closer look.
The strongest engine was non-residential work, where US revenue jumped 8% on share gains in what management called a mixed market. Large capital projects are part of the story, with open order volumes growing and bidding activity strong, so there is a pipeline behind the current numbers. Housing, roughly half of revenue, is the weak spot. Yet residential sales still rose 2% in the US even though new construction is weak and repair work is soft, which means Ferguson is beating its markets rather than riding them.
Capital deployment is the second pillar. Ferguson closed five acquisitions in the quarter, and on July 13, it announced a deal for FWI Holdings, known as FloWorks, an industrial distributor of valves and flow-control products that is expected to close in the third quarter. The eight deals announced this year carry about $1.4 billion in annualized revenue, a second growth path alongside organic sales. Net debt sits at 1.3 times adjusted EBITDA, a level management calls strong. The company also returned cash, buying back $202 million of stock in the quarter and declaring a $0.89 dividend payable October 7 to holders of record on August 21. Management raised its full-year sales outlook to mid-single-digit growth, before counting FloWorks.
Start with the gap between sales and profit. Adjusted operating profit rose 2.9%, behind the 4.6% sales gain, and gross margin slipped 20 basis points to 31.0%. Ferguson notes that last year's gross margin was temporarily lifted by the timing of supplier price increases, which is fair context, but the direction is still down. Reported earnings per share of $3.43 rose 6.9%, while the adjusted figure of $3.39 grew a slower 5.3%.
Then there are the soft spots. About half of revenue comes from residential markets that management describes as subdued, so a 2% gain there is modest. Canada's sales slipped 1.9%, with a business divestment outweighing organic growth, and management calls the market there challenging, especially in residential. Management also describes the economic environment as uncertain, and the margin part of the guidance raise is small. The low end of the adjusted operating margin range moved from 9.4% to 9.5%, while the top stayed at 9.8%. The guidance also leaves out FloWorks, and net debt to adjusted EBITDA is 1.3 times, against 1.2 times a year ago.
#management
The strongest engine was non-residential work, where US revenue jumped 8% on share gains in what management called a mixed market. Large capital projects are part of the story, with open order volumes growing and bidding activity strong, so there is a pipeline behind the current numbers. Housing, roughly half of revenue, is the weak spot. Yet residential sales still rose 2% in the US even though new construction is weak and repair work is soft, which means Ferguson is beating its markets rather than riding them.
Capital deployment is the second pillar. Ferguson closed five acquisitions in the quarter, and on July 13, it announced a deal for FWI Holdings, known as FloWorks, an industrial distributor of valves and flow-control products that is expected to close in the third quarter. The eight deals announced this year carry about $1.4 billion in annualized revenue, a second growth path alongside organic sales. Net debt sits at 1.3 times adjusted EBITDA, a level management calls strong. The company also returned cash, buying back $202 million of stock in the quarter and declaring a $0.89 dividend payable October 7 to holders of record on August 21. Management raised its full-year sales outlook to mid-single-digit growth, before counting FloWorks.
Start with the gap between sales and profit. Adjusted operating profit rose 2.9%, behind the 4.6% sales gain, and gross margin slipped 20 basis points to 31.0%. Ferguson notes that last year's gross margin was temporarily lifted by the timing of supplier price increases, which is fair context, but the direction is still down. Reported earnings per share of $3.43 rose 6.9%, while the adjusted figure of $3.39 grew a slower 5.3%.
Then there are the soft spots. About half of revenue comes from residential markets that management describes as subdued, so a 2% gain there is modest. Canada's sales slipped 1.9%, with a business divestment outweighing organic growth, and management calls the market there challenging, especially in residential. Management also describes the economic environment as uncertain, and the margin part of the guidance raise is small. The low end of the adjusted operating margin range moved from 9.4% to 9.5%, while the top stayed at 9.8%. The guidance also leaves out FloWorks, and net debt to adjusted EBITDA is 1.3 times, against 1.2 times a year ago.
#management
1 month ago
On September 15, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) announced that it had bought McMillan Insurance & Bonding Inc., an Englewood, Colorado, firm that operates as Innovise Business Consultants. Gallagher did not say what it paid. On its own, the deal is a footnote. But it is one of many, and the way those deals show up in earnings is where the debate over this stock really lives.
On July 30, Gallagher reported results for the quarter ended June 30, and the top line was hard to argue with. Revenue from its combined Brokerage and Risk Management businesses grew 24%, and organic growth, which leaves out acquisitions, was 6%. That second number shows clients are staying and spending. It was not confined to one corner, either, since organic fees in the risk management arm rose 12%. Management adds that retention is strong and customers want broader help from the platform. Adjusted earnings per share climbed to $2.84 from $2.30, which means growth is reaching profit once one-time acquisition costs are set aside.
Innovise fits the pattern. It sells surety bonds and commercial insurance brokerage with a focus on manufacturing, energy, construction and real estate, and Chairman and CEO J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. said that niche expertise adds depth in Colorado. Jason McMillan's team will move into Gallagher's Denver office and work under Bret VanderVoort, who oversees retail property/casualty brokerage for the Western Zone. Buying specialists and folding them into existing offices is a repeatable playbook, and Gallagher closed 14 brokerage acquisitions in the first six months of 2026.
Now look at reported earnings, because that is where you see the cost. Diluted earnings per share fell to $1.25, from $1.40 in the second quarter of 2025, even though revenue jumped. Much of the gap between reported and adjusted results is the price of buying growth. Amortization of acquired intangibles alone weighs on brokerage net earnings by $218 million, up from $130 million a year ago, and integration costs rose as well. Adjusted figures set those aside, but they are real expenses, and they keep landing as long as Gallagher keeps buying.
Margins tell a similar story. The brokerage segment's adjusted EBITDAC margin, a stand-in for operating profit, slipped to 33.3% from 36.1%. Gallagher points to last year's interest income on cash raised for the ***** uredPartners deal, which closed in the third quarter of 2025, plus seasonality and newly added tuck-ins. That is a fair explanation. But the debt behind the deal is still here, including $9.55 billion of public debt, plus more in private placements and on a credit line. And the deal flow is thinner: brokerage acquisitions closed in the first six months of 2026 carried $107 million of annualized revenue, versus $354 million a year earlier, which puts more weight on organic growth.
#Growth
On July 30, Gallagher reported results for the quarter ended June 30, and the top line was hard to argue with. Revenue from its combined Brokerage and Risk Management businesses grew 24%, and organic growth, which leaves out acquisitions, was 6%. That second number shows clients are staying and spending. It was not confined to one corner, either, since organic fees in the risk management arm rose 12%. Management adds that retention is strong and customers want broader help from the platform. Adjusted earnings per share climbed to $2.84 from $2.30, which means growth is reaching profit once one-time acquisition costs are set aside.
Innovise fits the pattern. It sells surety bonds and commercial insurance brokerage with a focus on manufacturing, energy, construction and real estate, and Chairman and CEO J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. said that niche expertise adds depth in Colorado. Jason McMillan's team will move into Gallagher's Denver office and work under Bret VanderVoort, who oversees retail property/casualty brokerage for the Western Zone. Buying specialists and folding them into existing offices is a repeatable playbook, and Gallagher closed 14 brokerage acquisitions in the first six months of 2026.
Now look at reported earnings, because that is where you see the cost. Diluted earnings per share fell to $1.25, from $1.40 in the second quarter of 2025, even though revenue jumped. Much of the gap between reported and adjusted results is the price of buying growth. Amortization of acquired intangibles alone weighs on brokerage net earnings by $218 million, up from $130 million a year ago, and integration costs rose as well. Adjusted figures set those aside, but they are real expenses, and they keep landing as long as Gallagher keeps buying.
Margins tell a similar story. The brokerage segment's adjusted EBITDAC margin, a stand-in for operating profit, slipped to 33.3% from 36.1%. Gallagher points to last year's interest income on cash raised for the ***** uredPartners deal, which closed in the third quarter of 2025, plus seasonality and newly added tuck-ins. That is a fair explanation. But the debt behind the deal is still here, including $9.55 billion of public debt, plus more in private placements and on a credit line. And the deal flow is thinner: brokerage acquisitions closed in the first six months of 2026 carried $107 million of annualized revenue, versus $354 million a year earlier, which puts more weight on organic growth.
#Growth
1 month ago
GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) is trying to recover after an 8.5% decline, with Bernstein defending the stock as "wired to win" and highlighting that data centers account for only 38% of its electrification order book. This supports the argument that the company's utility exposure extends beyond AI power demand alone. That diversification is a real consideration, but it does not directly address the concern raised by GLJ Research. The firm's Sell rating is not based on doubts about AI-driven power demand. Instead, GLJ Research argues that GE Vernova is still a fundamentally cyclical gas-turbine manufacturer, while its current valuation reflects an **** umption that the ongoing boom can remain permanent.
GE Vernova shares stabilized after an 8.5% decline triggered by GLJ Research's new Sell rating and broader concerns that a slowdown in AI spending could weigh on the company's order book. Bernstein **** yst Sunaina Ocalan directly challenged the view that GE Vernova's outlook depends mainly on AI infrastructure spending:
While data center orders were $5 billion in H1 2026, or about 38% of electrification orders, the remaining 62% was utility-driven. Utility spend should continue to grow, supported by grid reliability and resilience investments. A slowdown in data center demand may alleviate generation bottlenecks but would do little to address existing grid constraints.
Bernstein continues to rate the stock a Buy with a $1,298 price target, while nearly 80% of **** ysts covering GE Vernova also have a Buy rating. In a separate development, the company announced a wind turbine supply agreement with Eurus Energy Holdings in **** an.
GLJ Research's Gordon Johnson argued that GE Vernova's turbines being sold out does not justify the stock trading at roughly 38.9x forward EV/EBITDA at the time the report was released. Johnson described the company as "a cyclical gas turbine manufacturer priced as a secular compounder," highlighting the premium valuation placed on a fundamentally cyclical business. His model estimates 2027 EBITDA at $7.42 billion, which is 22% below Wall Street consensus. The lower forecast is partly based on the timing of turbine orders, as equipment scheduled for 2027 delivery was ordered in 2024, before the company introduced its more recent price increase.
#bernstein #turbine #Stock #data
GE Vernova shares stabilized after an 8.5% decline triggered by GLJ Research's new Sell rating and broader concerns that a slowdown in AI spending could weigh on the company's order book. Bernstein **** yst Sunaina Ocalan directly challenged the view that GE Vernova's outlook depends mainly on AI infrastructure spending:
While data center orders were $5 billion in H1 2026, or about 38% of electrification orders, the remaining 62% was utility-driven. Utility spend should continue to grow, supported by grid reliability and resilience investments. A slowdown in data center demand may alleviate generation bottlenecks but would do little to address existing grid constraints.
Bernstein continues to rate the stock a Buy with a $1,298 price target, while nearly 80% of **** ysts covering GE Vernova also have a Buy rating. In a separate development, the company announced a wind turbine supply agreement with Eurus Energy Holdings in **** an.
GLJ Research's Gordon Johnson argued that GE Vernova's turbines being sold out does not justify the stock trading at roughly 38.9x forward EV/EBITDA at the time the report was released. Johnson described the company as "a cyclical gas turbine manufacturer priced as a secular compounder," highlighting the premium valuation placed on a fundamentally cyclical business. His model estimates 2027 EBITDA at $7.42 billion, which is 22% below Wall Street consensus. The lower forecast is partly based on the timing of turbine orders, as equipment scheduled for 2027 delivery was ordered in 2024, before the company introduced its more recent price increase.
#bernstein #turbine #Stock #data
1 month ago
On August 6, James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) reported results for the quarter ended June 30 and beat its own numbers by enough to raise guidance just three months into the fiscal year. Net sales jumped 64% year over year to $1.475 billion, adjusted EBITDA climbed 79% to $422.1 million, and both figures came in ahead of what management had originally guided investors to expect. For a company that closed a transformative acquisition less than a year earlier, that kind of overshoot forces a reassessment of the growth story ahead.
The headline growth number is inflated by the AZEK Exteriors deal folded into the base, so the more telling figure is the 12% pro forma net sales growth, which also beat original guidance. Siding & Trim, the core fiber cement business, posted organic net sales growth of 20% as North American fiber cement volumes returned to growth for the first time in several quarters. CEO Aaron Erter tied that to share gains against vinyl and other competing materials, along with programs like ColorPlus and Expanded Statement drawing more of the higher-end repair and remodel market. Adjusted EBITDA margin in that segment expanded 140 basis points to 33.5%, powered by favorable pricing, cheaper raw materials, and continued savings from the company's Hardie Manufacturing Operating System even as freight costs rose.
Management also said cost synergies from the AZEK integration are running ahead of schedule and revenue synergies are on track, evidenced by newly expanded nationwide distribution partnerships with Boise Cascade and other regional distributors. In Deck, Rail & Accessories, sell-through accelerated every month of the quarter and outpaced shipments, pulling channel inventory back to normal levels and setting up a cleaner back half of the year. Free cash flow more than doubled to $254.2 million, and the company used the cash to pay down $400 million of senior unsecured notes.
Erter was careful to frame the beat as execution rather than a healthier market, telling investors the company is "not ***** uming a housing market improvement" for the rest of fiscal 2027. Part of the quarter's strength came from an easy comparison, since channel inventory was deliberately reduced a year earlier, and management said that benefit is expected to moderate as the year goes on. Deck, Rail & Accessories net sales actually fell 5% on a pro forma basis because the company intentionally cut production to work down channel inventory, leaving the segment with an operating loss of $3.3 million for the quarter.
#Growth #sales #management
The headline growth number is inflated by the AZEK Exteriors deal folded into the base, so the more telling figure is the 12% pro forma net sales growth, which also beat original guidance. Siding & Trim, the core fiber cement business, posted organic net sales growth of 20% as North American fiber cement volumes returned to growth for the first time in several quarters. CEO Aaron Erter tied that to share gains against vinyl and other competing materials, along with programs like ColorPlus and Expanded Statement drawing more of the higher-end repair and remodel market. Adjusted EBITDA margin in that segment expanded 140 basis points to 33.5%, powered by favorable pricing, cheaper raw materials, and continued savings from the company's Hardie Manufacturing Operating System even as freight costs rose.
Management also said cost synergies from the AZEK integration are running ahead of schedule and revenue synergies are on track, evidenced by newly expanded nationwide distribution partnerships with Boise Cascade and other regional distributors. In Deck, Rail & Accessories, sell-through accelerated every month of the quarter and outpaced shipments, pulling channel inventory back to normal levels and setting up a cleaner back half of the year. Free cash flow more than doubled to $254.2 million, and the company used the cash to pay down $400 million of senior unsecured notes.
Erter was careful to frame the beat as execution rather than a healthier market, telling investors the company is "not ***** uming a housing market improvement" for the rest of fiscal 2027. Part of the quarter's strength came from an easy comparison, since channel inventory was deliberately reduced a year earlier, and management said that benefit is expected to moderate as the year goes on. Deck, Rail & Accessories net sales actually fell 5% on a pro forma basis because the company intentionally cut production to work down channel inventory, leaving the segment with an operating loss of $3.3 million for the quarter.
#Growth #sales #management
1 month ago
On September 16, Evolution Petroleum Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:EPM) held its fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2026 earnings call, and the numbers told a story of a company climbing out of a rough patch. Revenue jumped 20% sequentially to $24.2 million as oil prices realized before hedge settlements shot up 49% year over year to $90.74 a barrel. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to $6.5 million. After a bruising third quarter, the fourth quarter finally looked like the recovery management had promised investors back in May.
The fourth-quarter turnaround wasn't just about crude. NGL prices realized $32.49 a barrel, up 27% year over year, and because Evolution leaves its NGL production entirely unhedged, every dollar of that gain flowed straight through. That combination of higher liquids pricing, growing production, and the roll-off of a prior-period transportation adjustment at the Delhi Field pushed operating cash flow to $6.8 million in the quarter, nearly double the $3.5 million generated in the third quarter.
Behind the quarterly numbers sits a longer-term shift in how Evolution makes money. The company closed a roughly $16 million acquisition of mineral and royalty acreage in the Permian's Midland Basin after the fiscal year ended, adding about 3,420 net royalty acres and more than 200 barrels of oil equivalent per day of current production, all without Evolution spending a dime on development. That mirrors what's already happening in the SCOOP/STACK play, where fourth-quarter production climbed 14% year over year to 1,275 BOE per day while unit operating costs fell to $10.33 a barrel. Evolution also replaced more than 100% of the 2.6 million barrels of oil equivalent it produced during the year, ending fiscal 2026 with 27.2 million barrels of proved reserves, an outcome that matters directly to a dividend now in its 52nd consecutive quarter.
Not every part of the business bounced back. Average daily production fell 4% year over year to 6,901 barrels of oil equivalent per day, largely because the flush production from new Chaveroo wells that boosted last year's fourth quarter has since tapered off. Natural gas pricing remained the softest spot in the portfolio, especially at the Jonah Field, where CEO Kelly Loyd said "regional differentials have weighed on realizations" even as broader demand for gas keeps growing. CFO Ryan Stash noted that stronger oil and NGL results helped offset "continued weakness in natural gas realizations, particularly at Jonah."
#barrel
The fourth-quarter turnaround wasn't just about crude. NGL prices realized $32.49 a barrel, up 27% year over year, and because Evolution leaves its NGL production entirely unhedged, every dollar of that gain flowed straight through. That combination of higher liquids pricing, growing production, and the roll-off of a prior-period transportation adjustment at the Delhi Field pushed operating cash flow to $6.8 million in the quarter, nearly double the $3.5 million generated in the third quarter.
Behind the quarterly numbers sits a longer-term shift in how Evolution makes money. The company closed a roughly $16 million acquisition of mineral and royalty acreage in the Permian's Midland Basin after the fiscal year ended, adding about 3,420 net royalty acres and more than 200 barrels of oil equivalent per day of current production, all without Evolution spending a dime on development. That mirrors what's already happening in the SCOOP/STACK play, where fourth-quarter production climbed 14% year over year to 1,275 BOE per day while unit operating costs fell to $10.33 a barrel. Evolution also replaced more than 100% of the 2.6 million barrels of oil equivalent it produced during the year, ending fiscal 2026 with 27.2 million barrels of proved reserves, an outcome that matters directly to a dividend now in its 52nd consecutive quarter.
Not every part of the business bounced back. Average daily production fell 4% year over year to 6,901 barrels of oil equivalent per day, largely because the flush production from new Chaveroo wells that boosted last year's fourth quarter has since tapered off. Natural gas pricing remained the softest spot in the portfolio, especially at the Jonah Field, where CEO Kelly Loyd said "regional differentials have weighed on realizations" even as broader demand for gas keeps growing. CFO Ryan Stash noted that stronger oil and NGL results helped offset "continued weakness in natural gas realizations, particularly at Jonah."
#barrel
1 month ago
Picture a snowy mountain slope in France or an elite tennis court during a grand slam. Whether it is an Arc'teryx jacket designed for the harshest alpine conditions or a Wilson racket in the hands of a professional, Amer Sports (NYSE:AS) equips the world's most demanding athletes. The company functions as a global powerhouse in athletic gear and apparel, operating a premium multi-brand platform that spans from high-end technical clothing to specialized sports equipment. With its current stock price at $27.26 as of Sept. 16, 2026, the company has seen the stock decline 26% over the past year, reflecting the market's digestion of its rapid post-IPO scaling.
Our proprietary Hidden Gems scoring system **** igns Amer Sports an overall Superscore of 75 out of 100, placing it in the Above Average category. This score ranks the company in the Top ~21% of every company we evaluate, ahead of roughly 79 out of every 100 firms we score. The Superscore serves as a data-driven starting point, and this article examines both the operational momentum fueling its recent success and the structural hurdles that keep the company below top-tier rankings, helping you weigh these signals against your own research.
Strong revenue momentum: The company achieved 27% year-over-year revenue growth in 2025, reaching $6.6 billion as it successfully scaled its brand-led platform across global markets.
Effective channel pivot: Direct-to-consumer revenue surged 43% in 2025, allowing the company to capture higher margins and deepen its direct relationship with premium consumers.
Expanding operational efficiency: Adjusted EBITDA margins widened to 18% in 2025, demonstrating that the company's shared infrastructure strategy is successfully converting scale into bottom-line profitability.
#company #sports #global #premium
Our proprietary Hidden Gems scoring system **** igns Amer Sports an overall Superscore of 75 out of 100, placing it in the Above Average category. This score ranks the company in the Top ~21% of every company we evaluate, ahead of roughly 79 out of every 100 firms we score. The Superscore serves as a data-driven starting point, and this article examines both the operational momentum fueling its recent success and the structural hurdles that keep the company below top-tier rankings, helping you weigh these signals against your own research.
Strong revenue momentum: The company achieved 27% year-over-year revenue growth in 2025, reaching $6.6 billion as it successfully scaled its brand-led platform across global markets.
Effective channel pivot: Direct-to-consumer revenue surged 43% in 2025, allowing the company to capture higher margins and deepen its direct relationship with premium consumers.
Expanding operational efficiency: Adjusted EBITDA margins widened to 18% in 2025, demonstrating that the company's shared infrastructure strategy is successfully converting scale into bottom-line profitability.
#company #sports #global #premium
1 month ago
On August 6, Millicom International Cellular (NASDAQ:TIGO) released its second-quarter 2026 results, and the numbers pulled in two directions at once. Revenue jumped 59.4% year over year to $2.18 billion, while Adjusted EBITDA crossed $1 billion for the first time in the company's history at $1.01 billion, up 58% from a year earlier. Yet net profit attributable to company owners fell 83.9% to just $109 million. Investors weighing this quarter have to decide which of those two stories actually describes the business.
The headline figures are hard to ignore. Service revenue reached $2.04 billion in the quarter, up 60.1% year over year, while H1 2026 revenue climbed to $4.16 billion from $2.74 billion a year earlier, a 52.3% increase. Equity free cash flow hit a quarterly record of $327 million, up 50.1% from a year ago, and leverage actually fell to 2.73x even after Millicom absorbed acquisitions in Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay. That combination, rising cash generation alongside falling leverage during an acquisition spree, is the kind of signal that tends to matter more than a single quarter's headline growth rate.
Management is backing that signal with cash. Millicom already declared a $3.00 per share dividend in May, to be paid out quarterly over the next 12 months, and on August 5, the board approved an additional interim dividend of $1.50 per share, split into two $0.75 installments due January 15, 2027, and April 15, 2027. The company also raised its full-year 2026 equity free cash flow guidance from at least $900 million to around $1.1 billion, while lowering its year-end leverage target from about 2.5x to below 2.5x. CEO Marcelo Benitez pointed to Ecuador and Uruguay as evidence the integration playbook works, saying both markets have reached margins and cash generation broadly in line with the Millicom average, with Colombia and Chile now showing early improvement on the same path.
Strip out the acquisitions, and the picture looks far less dramatic. Organic revenue growth was just 4.3% in the quarter and 4.2% for the first half, a fraction of the 59.4% and 52.3% reported figures. Most of what shows up in the headline number is Millicom buying its way to a bigger top line, not the existing business accelerating on its own.
The profit line raises a separate question. Net profit attributable to company owners dropped to $109 million from $676 million a year earlier, and the first-half figure fell 74.9% to $218 million from $869 million, even as EBITDA and cash flow set records over the same stretch. That gap between a surging EBITDA number and a collapsing bottom line is the kind of divergence that deserves scrutiny rather than a shrug. Capital spending is climbing too, up 51.2% to $234 million in the quarter and 48.8% to $426 million for the half, running well ahead of the organic growth rate it is meant to fund. And the balance sheet is still in motion: in July 2026, Bolivia took on five new local bank loans totaling roughly $44 millio
The headline figures are hard to ignore. Service revenue reached $2.04 billion in the quarter, up 60.1% year over year, while H1 2026 revenue climbed to $4.16 billion from $2.74 billion a year earlier, a 52.3% increase. Equity free cash flow hit a quarterly record of $327 million, up 50.1% from a year ago, and leverage actually fell to 2.73x even after Millicom absorbed acquisitions in Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay. That combination, rising cash generation alongside falling leverage during an acquisition spree, is the kind of signal that tends to matter more than a single quarter's headline growth rate.
Management is backing that signal with cash. Millicom already declared a $3.00 per share dividend in May, to be paid out quarterly over the next 12 months, and on August 5, the board approved an additional interim dividend of $1.50 per share, split into two $0.75 installments due January 15, 2027, and April 15, 2027. The company also raised its full-year 2026 equity free cash flow guidance from at least $900 million to around $1.1 billion, while lowering its year-end leverage target from about 2.5x to below 2.5x. CEO Marcelo Benitez pointed to Ecuador and Uruguay as evidence the integration playbook works, saying both markets have reached margins and cash generation broadly in line with the Millicom average, with Colombia and Chile now showing early improvement on the same path.
Strip out the acquisitions, and the picture looks far less dramatic. Organic revenue growth was just 4.3% in the quarter and 4.2% for the first half, a fraction of the 59.4% and 52.3% reported figures. Most of what shows up in the headline number is Millicom buying its way to a bigger top line, not the existing business accelerating on its own.
The profit line raises a separate question. Net profit attributable to company owners dropped to $109 million from $676 million a year earlier, and the first-half figure fell 74.9% to $218 million from $869 million, even as EBITDA and cash flow set records over the same stretch. That gap between a surging EBITDA number and a collapsing bottom line is the kind of divergence that deserves scrutiny rather than a shrug. Capital spending is climbing too, up 51.2% to $234 million in the quarter and 48.8% to $426 million for the half, running well ahead of the organic growth rate it is meant to fund. And the balance sheet is still in motion: in July 2026, Bolivia took on five new local bank loans totaling roughly $44 millio
1 month ago
On September 8, 2026, the Wall Street Journal reported United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)'s fiscal fourth-quarter results, in which adjusted earnings per share of $0.69 beat ***** yst expectations even as revenue of $7.64 billion came in below consensus.
The grocery wholesaler guided for fiscal 2027 net sales of $31.2 billion to $31.8 billion, a return to growth after full-year fiscal 2026 sales declined 2% to $31.2 billion. The business said full-year adjusted EBITDA rose 27% to $701 million and free cash flow hit a record $323 million as it continued executing what CEO Sandy Douglas called its second year of a value-creation strategy.
United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)'s turnaround is improving the financial metrics that matter most for a food distributor. Full-year adjusted EBITDA increased 27%. Net debt fell by $295 million and net leverage improved to 2.2 times. The stronger balance sheet gives UNFI more financial flexibility as it works to return to sales growth.
UNFI's natural-products business is providing an important growth engine. Fourth-quarter natural-products sales increased 6.6%, even as conventional-products sales declined 8.6%. The stronger performance in natural products backs up UNFI's strategy of expanding business with customers that can drive growth as the business restructures its operations.
Management also expects fiscal 2027 sales to reach $31.2 billion to $31.8 billion, up from $31.15 billion in fiscal 2026. Adjusted EPS should reach $3.00 to $3.50 versus $2.65 previously. Management anticipates about 10 basis points of margin expansion at the midpoint, which could help UNFI reach its fiscal 2028 margin target a year earlier than planned.
#billion
The grocery wholesaler guided for fiscal 2027 net sales of $31.2 billion to $31.8 billion, a return to growth after full-year fiscal 2026 sales declined 2% to $31.2 billion. The business said full-year adjusted EBITDA rose 27% to $701 million and free cash flow hit a record $323 million as it continued executing what CEO Sandy Douglas called its second year of a value-creation strategy.
United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)'s turnaround is improving the financial metrics that matter most for a food distributor. Full-year adjusted EBITDA increased 27%. Net debt fell by $295 million and net leverage improved to 2.2 times. The stronger balance sheet gives UNFI more financial flexibility as it works to return to sales growth.
UNFI's natural-products business is providing an important growth engine. Fourth-quarter natural-products sales increased 6.6%, even as conventional-products sales declined 8.6%. The stronger performance in natural products backs up UNFI's strategy of expanding business with customers that can drive growth as the business restructures its operations.
Management also expects fiscal 2027 sales to reach $31.2 billion to $31.8 billion, up from $31.15 billion in fiscal 2026. Adjusted EPS should reach $3.00 to $3.50 versus $2.65 previously. Management anticipates about 10 basis points of margin expansion at the midpoint, which could help UNFI reach its fiscal 2028 margin target a year earlier than planned.
#billion
1 month ago
Crane Company (NYSE:CR) announced a definitive agreement on September 14 to acquire Trillium Flow Technologies' U.S. pump business for approximately $240 million. The operations primarily serve municipal water and wastewater customers and are expected to generate approximately $115 million in full-year revenue. Closing is expected in the fourth quarter, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
The acquisition would add Floway, Wemco, Roto-Jet and WSP to Process Flow Technologies. Their installed equipment base supports service, repair, retrofit and replacement demand, giving the transaction a recurring-revenue rationale.
Crane Company (NYSE:CR) disclosed a price of approximately 14.6 times estimated 2026 adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a company-defined non-GAAP measure based on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, with further adjustments. The announcement did not specify the target's adjustments or provide a GAAP reconciliation.
Water and wastewater systems require reliable pumping equipment throughout their operating lives. An established installed base creates opportunities to sell replacement parts, restore equipment, and upgrade performance long after the original sale.
For Crane Company (NYSE:CR), those customer relationships could make revenue less dependent on winning entirely new projects. Service capability and product familiarity may also help retain customers when equipment eventually needs replacement.
#NYSE
The acquisition would add Floway, Wemco, Roto-Jet and WSP to Process Flow Technologies. Their installed equipment base supports service, repair, retrofit and replacement demand, giving the transaction a recurring-revenue rationale.
Crane Company (NYSE:CR) disclosed a price of approximately 14.6 times estimated 2026 adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a company-defined non-GAAP measure based on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, with further adjustments. The announcement did not specify the target's adjustments or provide a GAAP reconciliation.
Water and wastewater systems require reliable pumping equipment throughout their operating lives. An established installed base creates opportunities to sell replacement parts, restore equipment, and upgrade performance long after the original sale.
For Crane Company (NYSE:CR), those customer relationships could make revenue less dependent on winning entirely new projects. Service capability and product familiarity may also help retain customers when equipment eventually needs replacement.
#NYSE
1 month ago
On September 10, 2026, The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ:LOVE) reported second-quarter fiscal 2027 results for the period ended August 2, 2026. Net sales rose 0.4% to $161.2 million, a record for the quarter, and the company swung to net income of $7.4 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, from a loss of $6.7 million a year earlier. Inside that $0.51 sits $0.86 of net benefit from IEEPA tariff refunds. Omni-channel comparable sales fell 1.9%.
Canaccord's Maria Ripps read the quarter as in line, with revenue and adjusted EBITDA both landing within guidance and near consensus while tariff refunds pushed gross margin and earnings above expectations; she cut the firm's target on The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ:LOVE) to $20 from $22 but held the Buy rating.
Roth Capital's Matt Koranda also called the quarter in line with consensus, though he flagged omni-channel comps trending modestly negative on soft lower-end consumer demand. He lowered the firm's target on The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ:LOVE) to $20 from $22 as well, keeping a Buy rating, and noted that management reset full-year guidance lower on a tough demand environment and modest product launch delays.
DA Davidson offered a similar interpretation of the lower guidance, arguing that the reset reflects the new CFO's approach more than a deterioration in the underlying business. The firm said the CFO, who joined during the quarter, appears to be establishing more conservative expectations that could restore a beat-and-raise pattern the stock had lacked. DA Davidson lowered its target on The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ:LOVE) to $18 from $20 while maintaining its Buy rating.
The operating case rests on the high end: configurations above $6,000 grew double digits against a tough comparison, showroom net sales rose 4.6% to $114.1 million on 14 net new locations, and Snugg helped push other products revenue up 198.2%. Lovesac ended the quarter with $68.8 million in cash and no debt.
#quarter
Canaccord's Maria Ripps read the quarter as in line, with revenue and adjusted EBITDA both landing within guidance and near consensus while tariff refunds pushed gross margin and earnings above expectations; she cut the firm's target on The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ:LOVE) to $20 from $22 but held the Buy rating.
Roth Capital's Matt Koranda also called the quarter in line with consensus, though he flagged omni-channel comps trending modestly negative on soft lower-end consumer demand. He lowered the firm's target on The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ:LOVE) to $20 from $22 as well, keeping a Buy rating, and noted that management reset full-year guidance lower on a tough demand environment and modest product launch delays.
DA Davidson offered a similar interpretation of the lower guidance, arguing that the reset reflects the new CFO's approach more than a deterioration in the underlying business. The firm said the CFO, who joined during the quarter, appears to be establishing more conservative expectations that could restore a beat-and-raise pattern the stock had lacked. DA Davidson lowered its target on The Lovesac Company (NASDAQ:LOVE) to $18 from $20 while maintaining its Buy rating.
The operating case rests on the high end: configurations above $6,000 grew double digits against a tough comparison, showroom net sales rose 4.6% to $114.1 million on 14 net new locations, and Snugg helped push other products revenue up 198.2%. Lovesac ended the quarter with $68.8 million in cash and no debt.
#quarter
1 month ago
On September 2, 2026, Phreesia, Inc. (NYSE:PHR) reported second-quarter fiscal 2027 results for the period ended July 31, 2026. Revenue rose 10% to $129.5 million and adjusted EBITDA climbed to $32.9 million from $22.1 million a year earlier, a 25% margin. Net income reached $1.9 million, marking the company's fifth consecutive quarter of profitability. Management reaffirmed full-year revenue guidance of $510 million to $520 million and adjusted EBITDA of $125 million to $135 million.
The disagreement on Wall Street is about what that reaffirmation actually signals.
Wells Fargo found the highlight in Network Solutions, which grew 9% year-over-year, and pointed to the ProviderConnect pilot delivering a 4% prescription lift in a GLP-1 campaign that management says is generating follow-on business; the firm raised its target on Phreesia, Inc. (NYSE:PHR) to $10 from $9 while holding an Equal Weight rating.
DA Davidson stayed at Buy despite trimming its target on Phreesia, Inc. (NYSE:PHR) to $13 from $14, arguing the stock sold off on a reiterated guide even though network solutions activity is tracking more encouragingly than the prior outlook and AccessOne is opening a growing opportunity in alternative consumer payment options.
Baird ******* yst Joe Vruwink lifted his target to $11 from $10 at Neutral after updating his model.
#million #solutions
The disagreement on Wall Street is about what that reaffirmation actually signals.
Wells Fargo found the highlight in Network Solutions, which grew 9% year-over-year, and pointed to the ProviderConnect pilot delivering a 4% prescription lift in a GLP-1 campaign that management says is generating follow-on business; the firm raised its target on Phreesia, Inc. (NYSE:PHR) to $10 from $9 while holding an Equal Weight rating.
DA Davidson stayed at Buy despite trimming its target on Phreesia, Inc. (NYSE:PHR) to $13 from $14, arguing the stock sold off on a reiterated guide even though network solutions activity is tracking more encouragingly than the prior outlook and AccessOne is opening a growing opportunity in alternative consumer payment options.
Baird ******* yst Joe Vruwink lifted his target to $11 from $10 at Neutral after updating his model.
#million #solutions
1 month ago
Cognyte Software Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGNT) reported on September 9 that revenue for the fiscal second quarter ended July 31, 2026, increased 12.0% to $109.2 million. Total software revenue, comprising software and software services, rose 20.9% to $100.8 million.
Company-defined non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA increased 35.7% to $14.9 million. The measure adds depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, and other specified adjustments to GAAP operating income. Yet quarterly billings fell to $76.3 million from $93.0 million. The central question is whether a more profitable revenue mix can produce stronger cash generation while sustaining future growth.
The portfolio transition is visible in the revenue base. Total software revenue represented more than 92% of sales. Recurring revenue, primarily support contracts and subscription offerings, reached $56.2 million, or 51.4% of total revenue.
For Cognyte Software Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGNT), a larger recurring base could make revenue more predictable and support continued product investment. Renewals also create opportunities to expand customer relationships without rebuilding the sales pipeline from scratch. The benefit depends on retention and expansion within those accounts.
Profitability improved under both accounting measures. GAAP operating margin increased to 4.3% from 2.8%, while adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 13.6% from 11.3%. That combination strengthens the case that the transition is improving operating economics, even after recognizing expenses excluded from adjusted results.
#gaap #NASDAQ
Company-defined non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA increased 35.7% to $14.9 million. The measure adds depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, and other specified adjustments to GAAP operating income. Yet quarterly billings fell to $76.3 million from $93.0 million. The central question is whether a more profitable revenue mix can produce stronger cash generation while sustaining future growth.
The portfolio transition is visible in the revenue base. Total software revenue represented more than 92% of sales. Recurring revenue, primarily support contracts and subscription offerings, reached $56.2 million, or 51.4% of total revenue.
For Cognyte Software Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGNT), a larger recurring base could make revenue more predictable and support continued product investment. Renewals also create opportunities to expand customer relationships without rebuilding the sales pipeline from scratch. The benefit depends on retention and expansion within those accounts.
Profitability improved under both accounting measures. GAAP operating margin increased to 4.3% from 2.8%, while adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 13.6% from 11.3%. That combination strengthens the case that the transition is improving operating economics, even after recognizing expenses excluded from adjusted results.
#gaap #NASDAQ
1 month ago
Oddity Tech Ltd. (NASDAQ:ODD) reported second-quarter revenue of approximately $181 million on September 9, down 25% from $241 million a year earlier. Company-defined non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA fell to $13 million from $70 million. This measure excludes net financial income, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, and certain unusual or nonrecurring items from net income.
Management attributed the disruption primarily to an advertising-algorithm problem affecting IL MAKIAGE. Oddity Tech Ltd. (NASDAQ:ODD) expects third-quarter revenue to decline approximately 5% year over year, with adjusted EBITDA of $18 million to $20 million. The sequential improvement describes a narrowing year-over-year revenue decline.
Management's diagnosis centers on distorted advertising signals that impair IL MAKIAGE's ability to reach suitable customers at acceptable acquisition costs. Oddity Tech Ltd. (NASDAQ:ODD) is testing changes with its largest advertising partner to retrain the algorithm. If those changes restore profitable customer acquisition, the existing brand could recover without a fundamental overhaul of its products.
Other brands provide operating evidence beyond that hypothesis. SpoiledChild delivered double-digit quarterly revenue growth, and management expects at least 35% growth for 2026, approaching $350 million in revenue. Management expects METHODIQ's first-year revenue to exceed SpoiledChild's first-year result.
These results support the argument that Oddity Tech Ltd. (NASDAQ:ODD) can build additional brands using its technology platform. A broader sales base could gradually reduce dependence on IL MAKIAGE, while successful customer retention would help recover upfront advertising spending over multiple purchases.
#revenue #NASDAQ #advertising #expects
Management attributed the disruption primarily to an advertising-algorithm problem affecting IL MAKIAGE. Oddity Tech Ltd. (NASDAQ:ODD) expects third-quarter revenue to decline approximately 5% year over year, with adjusted EBITDA of $18 million to $20 million. The sequential improvement describes a narrowing year-over-year revenue decline.
Management's diagnosis centers on distorted advertising signals that impair IL MAKIAGE's ability to reach suitable customers at acceptable acquisition costs. Oddity Tech Ltd. (NASDAQ:ODD) is testing changes with its largest advertising partner to retrain the algorithm. If those changes restore profitable customer acquisition, the existing brand could recover without a fundamental overhaul of its products.
Other brands provide operating evidence beyond that hypothesis. SpoiledChild delivered double-digit quarterly revenue growth, and management expects at least 35% growth for 2026, approaching $350 million in revenue. Management expects METHODIQ's first-year revenue to exceed SpoiledChild's first-year result.
These results support the argument that Oddity Tech Ltd. (NASDAQ:ODD) can build additional brands using its technology platform. A broader sales base could gradually reduce dependence on IL MAKIAGE, while successful customer retention would help recover upfront advertising spending over multiple purchases.
#revenue #NASDAQ #advertising #expects
1 month ago
Core & Main, Inc. (NYSE:CNM) reported quarterly sales of $2.145 billion on September 9, up 2.5%. Company-defined non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA reached $274 million. The measure adjusts consolidated net income for interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, equity compensation, debt modification and extinguishment losses, offering expenses, and specified other income or expenses.
Consolidated net income rose 6.4% to $150 million, while GAAP diluted earnings per share increased 10% to $0.77. Diluted weighted-average shares declined approximately 2.5% to 193.4 million. Buybacks amplified an improvement that also had an operating foundation.
The company repurchased $169 million of equity during the quarter, against $62 million of operating cash flow. The investment question is whether cash generation can sustain capital returns alongside the spending needed to grow.
Core & Main, Inc. (NYSE:CNM) benefits from demand for essential infrastructure products. Management highlighted municipal demand, fire protection, treatment plants, and data centers as areas of strength. These end markets provide several sources of business even when construction demand is uneven.
Expense discipline also helped. Quarterly selling, general and administrative expenses declined to $301 million from $302 million. Controlling overhead allows modest sales growth to contribute more to earnings. Stronger volumes would make further earnings gains easier to sustain.
#income #main #quarterly
Consolidated net income rose 6.4% to $150 million, while GAAP diluted earnings per share increased 10% to $0.77. Diluted weighted-average shares declined approximately 2.5% to 193.4 million. Buybacks amplified an improvement that also had an operating foundation.
The company repurchased $169 million of equity during the quarter, against $62 million of operating cash flow. The investment question is whether cash generation can sustain capital returns alongside the spending needed to grow.
Core & Main, Inc. (NYSE:CNM) benefits from demand for essential infrastructure products. Management highlighted municipal demand, fire protection, treatment plants, and data centers as areas of strength. These end markets provide several sources of business even when construction demand is uneven.
Expense discipline also helped. Quarterly selling, general and administrative expenses declined to $301 million from $302 million. Controlling overhead allows modest sales growth to contribute more to earnings. Stronger volumes would make further earnings gains easier to sustain.
#income #main #quarterly
1 month ago
AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) reported on September 9, 2026, that revenue for fiscal Q1 2027, ended August 1, 2026, increased 6% to $480.5 million. Funded backlog reached approximately $1.5 billion at quarter-end, up from $1.2 billion at April 30, 2026. This represents remaining work under firm customer orders with funding already appropriated, providing a concrete base for future revenue.
Non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings were $0.59 per share, excluding acquired-intangible amortization, purchase-accounting adjustments, acquisition expenses, and net gains and losses on equity-method and equity-security investments. Adjusted EPS retains net interest income. The GAAP result was a $5.1 million net loss, or $0.10 per diluted share. The question is whether the expanding order base can produce stronger operating earnings and cash generation.
Bookings reached $683 million, producing a book-to-bill ratio of 1.4, calculated as bookings divided by revenue. Bookings measure authorized contract awards and modifications and can include work whose funding has not yet been obligated. The ratio indicates that new business exceeded revenue recognized during the quarter.
AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) is also translating demand into sales in Autonomous Systems, where revenue rose 21% to $346 million. That provides operating evidence behind the opportunity in unmanned aircraft and precision-strike systems.
Management maintained fiscal 2027 revenue guidance of $2.125 billion to $2.225 billion, and non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA of $305 million to $325 million. Adjusted EBITDA excludes net interest income or expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization from net income and further adjusts for stock compensation, acquisition expenses, cloud-computing amortization, net gains and losses on equity-method and equity-security investments, and other specified items.
#Equity
Non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings were $0.59 per share, excluding acquired-intangible amortization, purchase-accounting adjustments, acquisition expenses, and net gains and losses on equity-method and equity-security investments. Adjusted EPS retains net interest income. The GAAP result was a $5.1 million net loss, or $0.10 per diluted share. The question is whether the expanding order base can produce stronger operating earnings and cash generation.
Bookings reached $683 million, producing a book-to-bill ratio of 1.4, calculated as bookings divided by revenue. Bookings measure authorized contract awards and modifications and can include work whose funding has not yet been obligated. The ratio indicates that new business exceeded revenue recognized during the quarter.
AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) is also translating demand into sales in Autonomous Systems, where revenue rose 21% to $346 million. That provides operating evidence behind the opportunity in unmanned aircraft and precision-strike systems.
Management maintained fiscal 2027 revenue guidance of $2.125 billion to $2.225 billion, and non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA of $305 million to $325 million. Adjusted EBITDA excludes net interest income or expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization from net income and further adjusts for stock compensation, acquisition expenses, cloud-computing amortization, net gains and losses on equity-method and equity-security investments, and other specified items.
#Equity
2 months ago
Wealthfront Corporation (NASDAQ:WLTH) reported on September 9 that fiscal second-quarter revenue increased 1% to $91.9 million, despite platform ***** ets rising 12% to $99 billion. The quarter ended July 31, 2026. Funded clients increased 14% to 1.51 million, and platform ***** ets surpassed $100 billion by the end of August.
Platform ***** ets measure financial ***** ets held in client accounts. Their growth reflects both net deposits and market movements, so the headline increase does not represent new client money alone.
Adjusted EBITDA declined 15% to $38.1 million, with its margin falling to 41% from 49%. Wealthfront Corporation (NASDAQ:WLTH) defines this non-GAAP measure as net income excluding interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, fair-value changes in convertible notes, warrant liabilities and simple agreements for future equity, and nonrecurring expenses. Adjusted EBITDA margin divides that figure by revenue.
The advisory business is translating ***** et growth into revenue. Investment advisory ***** ets increased 30% to $54.1 billion, while advisory revenue rose 31% to $28.8 million. Those results show that the expanding investment business is generating a larger recurring fee stream.
For Wealthfront Corporation (NASDAQ:WLTH), this creates an opportunity to deepen client relationships as savings move toward longer-term investment goals. A growing advisory base could support more durable relationships, provided clients remain invested and continue contributing.
#wealthfront #revenue #platform #investment
Platform ***** ets measure financial ***** ets held in client accounts. Their growth reflects both net deposits and market movements, so the headline increase does not represent new client money alone.
Adjusted EBITDA declined 15% to $38.1 million, with its margin falling to 41% from 49%. Wealthfront Corporation (NASDAQ:WLTH) defines this non-GAAP measure as net income excluding interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, fair-value changes in convertible notes, warrant liabilities and simple agreements for future equity, and nonrecurring expenses. Adjusted EBITDA margin divides that figure by revenue.
The advisory business is translating ***** et growth into revenue. Investment advisory ***** ets increased 30% to $54.1 billion, while advisory revenue rose 31% to $28.8 million. Those results show that the expanding investment business is generating a larger recurring fee stream.
For Wealthfront Corporation (NASDAQ:WLTH), this creates an opportunity to deepen client relationships as savings move toward longer-term investment goals. A growing advisory base could support more durable relationships, provided clients remain invested and continue contributing.
#wealthfront #revenue #platform #investment
2 months ago
Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SUNB) reported on September 9 that fiscal first-quarter revenue increased 11.2% to $3.115 billion, including $2.927 billion of rental revenue, up 12.5%. The quarter ended July 31, 2026.
Management raised fiscal 2027 rental-revenue growth guidance to 7% through 10%, while increasing planned net rental-equipment capital expenditures to $2.4 billion through $2.8 billion. Demand supports expansion, but investors need to ****** s how much cash remains after funding the fleet.
North America Specialty rental revenue grew 25.3%, giving Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SUNB) a strong source of growth beyond general equipment rentals. Specialized services can deepen customer relationships and create opportunities to supply several needs on the same project.
The company estimated that the FIFA World Cup contributed 2.5 percentage points to quarterly rental-revenue growth. Serving complex events demonstrates the commercial value of a broad equipment network. The investment opportunity is to turn that capability into recurring work across industrial, energy and construction customers.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 8.7% to $1.315 billion. This company-defined non-GAAP measure adds taxes, net interest, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation and specified restructuring costs to net income. Its margin is adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue.
#rentals
Management raised fiscal 2027 rental-revenue growth guidance to 7% through 10%, while increasing planned net rental-equipment capital expenditures to $2.4 billion through $2.8 billion. Demand supports expansion, but investors need to ****** s how much cash remains after funding the fleet.
North America Specialty rental revenue grew 25.3%, giving Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SUNB) a strong source of growth beyond general equipment rentals. Specialized services can deepen customer relationships and create opportunities to supply several needs on the same project.
The company estimated that the FIFA World Cup contributed 2.5 percentage points to quarterly rental-revenue growth. Serving complex events demonstrates the commercial value of a broad equipment network. The investment opportunity is to turn that capability into recurring work across industrial, energy and construction customers.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 8.7% to $1.315 billion. This company-defined non-GAAP measure adds taxes, net interest, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation and specified restructuring costs to net income. Its margin is adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue.
#rentals
2 months ago
Grab Holdings (NASDAQ:GRAB), a super-app for ride-hailing, deliveries, and digital financial services, closed at $2.87, down 1.37%. The stock moved after Grab announced a $1.49 billion cash deal for a 60% stake in Atome Financial. Investors are watching the financial services expansion and consumer lending reach looking ahead. Trading volume reached 82.1M shares, coming in about 72% above its three-month average of 47.6M shares. Grab Holdings IPO'd in 2020 and has fallen 76% since going public.
The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.43% to 7,553, and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) slipped 0.01% to 25,978. Among ride-hailing, delivery, and consumer fintech platforms, Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) closed at $71.01, down 0.59%, while Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) finished at $15.69, unchanged, as mobility peers remained in focus.
Grab, the Southeast Asian delivery, mobility, and financial services upstart, continues to show it intends to become the leading "superapp" in its niche after acquiring 60% of Atome Financial for $1.49 billion today. Prior to the deal, Grab held over $6 billion in cash versus minimal debt, so the deal shouldn't be a funding problem by any means.
Atome Financial operates in five of Grab's six markets and brings over 25 million unique transacting users, helping to beef up the latter's fintech offerings. Atome has seen its gross merchandise volume grow ninefold over the last six years and is profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis.
As of 2024, merely 5% of Southeast Asian adults owned a credit card and only 14% had borrowed from a financial institution, so the potential here for Grab could be massive if they execute successfully upon this opportunity.
#billion #deal #lyft
The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.43% to 7,553, and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) slipped 0.01% to 25,978. Among ride-hailing, delivery, and consumer fintech platforms, Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) closed at $71.01, down 0.59%, while Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) finished at $15.69, unchanged, as mobility peers remained in focus.
Grab, the Southeast Asian delivery, mobility, and financial services upstart, continues to show it intends to become the leading "superapp" in its niche after acquiring 60% of Atome Financial for $1.49 billion today. Prior to the deal, Grab held over $6 billion in cash versus minimal debt, so the deal shouldn't be a funding problem by any means.
Atome Financial operates in five of Grab's six markets and brings over 25 million unique transacting users, helping to beef up the latter's fintech offerings. Atome has seen its gross merchandise volume grow ninefold over the last six years and is profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis.
As of 2024, merely 5% of Southeast Asian adults owned a credit card and only 14% had borrowed from a financial institution, so the potential here for Grab could be massive if they execute successfully upon this opportunity.
#billion #deal #lyft
2 months ago
Our **** ysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here.
Achieved group-adjusted EBITDA break-even just 15 months post-acquisition by applying Mytheresa's 'secret sauce'—focusing on top-tier customers, full-price selling, and rigorous cost discipline—to the distressed YNAP business.
Mytheresa reached a EUR 1 billion milestone in FY 2026, outperforming the industry through superior customer economics where top customers (4.8% of base) generated 48.4% of total GMV.
NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER reached a strategic inflection point, returning to top-line growth and positive adjusted EBITDA in Q4 by pivoting from promotional discounting to editorial-led luxury discovery.
YOOX's turnaround is being driven by a deliberate retreat from high-cost overseas markets to focus on a 'healthy core' in Europe, resulting in losses being cut nearly in half compared to the prior year.
#porter #customers #cost #reached
Achieved group-adjusted EBITDA break-even just 15 months post-acquisition by applying Mytheresa's 'secret sauce'—focusing on top-tier customers, full-price selling, and rigorous cost discipline—to the distressed YNAP business.
Mytheresa reached a EUR 1 billion milestone in FY 2026, outperforming the industry through superior customer economics where top customers (4.8% of base) generated 48.4% of total GMV.
NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER reached a strategic inflection point, returning to top-line growth and positive adjusted EBITDA in Q4 by pivoting from promotional discounting to editorial-led luxury discovery.
YOOX's turnaround is being driven by a deliberate retreat from high-cost overseas markets to focus on a 'healthy core' in Europe, resulting in losses being cut nearly in half compared to the prior year.
#porter #customers #cost #reached
2 months ago
On September 15, CareTrust REIT (NYSE:CTRE) announced it had closed on a $400 million skilled nursing portfolio in the Southwest, effective September 1, and unveiled a reloaded $600 million investment pipeline behind it. The deal covers 2,622 licensed beds triple net leased back to the existing operator, sourced off-market and structured through a joint venture that put roughly $380 million of CareTrust's own capital to work. It is the latest entry in a buying spree that has now pushed the company's 2026 investment total past $1.9 billion.
The new portfolio is expected to generate a stabilized yield of about 8.6%, in line with the 8.7% blended yield CareTrust has posted across two dozen deals closed so far in 2026. That consistency matters more than any single transaction. The company has now closed roughly $710 million in investments in the third quarter alone, including a small UK care home purchase in mid-August, on top of the $899.6 million it closed in the second quarter at an 8.9% yield.
Management says the $600 million pipeline of near-term, actionable deals, about half of it aimed at the senior housing operating portfolio, does not even include a set of larger transactions still being pursued, so the deal flow may not be finished. The balance sheet backs up that ambition. CareTrust ended the second quarter, on June 30, 2026, with net debt to annualized normalized EBITDA of just 1.01x, and as of the September announcement it still had $725 million available under its revolver plus $612 million of remaining ATM capacity. That combination let the company raise its full year 2026 guidance on August 6 to normalized FFO of $2.03 to $2.06 per share, an increase of 16.2% at the midpoint over 2025, even before this latest acquisition was on the books.
This growth has come with a real cost to existing shareholders. Diluted weighted average shares outstanding rose from about 192.9 million in the second quarter of 2025 to 234.2 million a year later, as CareTrust leaned on forward equity offerings and its ATM program to fund the buying spree. The company still had $439 million of expected net proceeds sitting in unsettled forward equity contracts as of September 15, meaning more shares are still coming.
The second quarter also carried a $4.7 million provision for loan losses, a line that did not appear in the prior year period and is worth watching as the loan and financing receivable book grows alongside the property portfolio. Interest expense rose to $15.3 million in the quarter from $13.0 million a year earlier, and 2026 guidance leans on rent escalators of just 2.5% a year, a modest built-in growth rate once the acquisition pace eventually slows. The company's own risk disclosures flag reliance on tenants to keep meeting their lease obligations, along with exposure to healthcare reform, staffing requirements, and currency swings tied to its UK operations.
#still
The new portfolio is expected to generate a stabilized yield of about 8.6%, in line with the 8.7% blended yield CareTrust has posted across two dozen deals closed so far in 2026. That consistency matters more than any single transaction. The company has now closed roughly $710 million in investments in the third quarter alone, including a small UK care home purchase in mid-August, on top of the $899.6 million it closed in the second quarter at an 8.9% yield.
Management says the $600 million pipeline of near-term, actionable deals, about half of it aimed at the senior housing operating portfolio, does not even include a set of larger transactions still being pursued, so the deal flow may not be finished. The balance sheet backs up that ambition. CareTrust ended the second quarter, on June 30, 2026, with net debt to annualized normalized EBITDA of just 1.01x, and as of the September announcement it still had $725 million available under its revolver plus $612 million of remaining ATM capacity. That combination let the company raise its full year 2026 guidance on August 6 to normalized FFO of $2.03 to $2.06 per share, an increase of 16.2% at the midpoint over 2025, even before this latest acquisition was on the books.
This growth has come with a real cost to existing shareholders. Diluted weighted average shares outstanding rose from about 192.9 million in the second quarter of 2025 to 234.2 million a year later, as CareTrust leaned on forward equity offerings and its ATM program to fund the buying spree. The company still had $439 million of expected net proceeds sitting in unsettled forward equity contracts as of September 15, meaning more shares are still coming.
The second quarter also carried a $4.7 million provision for loan losses, a line that did not appear in the prior year period and is worth watching as the loan and financing receivable book grows alongside the property portfolio. Interest expense rose to $15.3 million in the quarter from $13.0 million a year earlier, and 2026 guidance leans on rent escalators of just 2.5% a year, a modest built-in growth rate once the acquisition pace eventually slows. The company's own risk disclosures flag reliance on tenants to keep meeting their lease obligations, along with exposure to healthcare reform, staffing requirements, and currency swings tied to its UK operations.
#still
2 months ago
On August 25, Aptiv (NYSE:APTV) said it will support NVIDIA's newly announced Jetson Orin Nano 2 processor, extending a partnership that already covers the more powerful Jetson Thor platform. The move puts Aptiv squarely inside the buildout of "physical AI," the term for machines like drones, robots, and industrial systems that need to sense and react to the real world in real time. For a company still just months removed from spinning off its electrical distribution business, betting on edge robotics is a statement about where it thinks the next decade of growth actually lives.
NVIDIA's Jetson Orin Nano 2 packs 78 TOPS of processing power into an 8GB, 8-core Arm chip that doubles the inference speed of its predecessor while cutting power draw by 40% at equivalent performance. That kind of efficiency gain matters for battery-powered devices like delivery drones and mobile robots, where every watt saved extends run time. Aptiv isn't just supplying compute support; it is layering in its PULSE surround-view camera and radar system for 360-degree sensing, its Gen 8 radar for object detection in tough conditions, and Wind River software to handle the unglamorous but essential work of long-term maintenance and security updates. That full-stack approach is the pitch: instead of stitching together sensors, chips, and software from separate vendors, customers get one partner who can carry a device from prototype to a fleet running in the field.
The timing lines up with what Aptiv reported in its second-quarter results on August 4, 2026. Revenue reached $3.3 billion, up 2%, while adjusted EBITDA climbed to $613 million from $547 million a year earlier, pushing margins to 18.7% from 17.1%. CEO Kevin Clark pointed to double-digit growth in non-automotive revenue, progress moving robotics from partnership talks to actual commercial deployments, and a major drone industry win secured in early July. North America sales rose 10% and Asia Pacific grew 6%, including 5% growth in China, giving the company some geographic momentum to lean on as it chases this new business line.
The quarter wasn't clean underneath the headline numbers. Free cash flow came in at just $12 million in the second quarter, down from $219 million a year earlier, and the first half of 2026 actually posted negative free cash flow of $196 million versus a positive $264 million a year ago. Operating cash flow from continuing operations fell to $82 million for the first half, down sharply from $531 million. Management also flagged automotive demand and customer mix as an incremental headwind, a reminder that Aptiv's legacy business still carries real weight even as it chases robotics and drones. EMEA revenue dropped 8%, and South America fell 4% in the quarter, both drags even as North America and Asia Pacific grew.
#jetson #robotics
NVIDIA's Jetson Orin Nano 2 packs 78 TOPS of processing power into an 8GB, 8-core Arm chip that doubles the inference speed of its predecessor while cutting power draw by 40% at equivalent performance. That kind of efficiency gain matters for battery-powered devices like delivery drones and mobile robots, where every watt saved extends run time. Aptiv isn't just supplying compute support; it is layering in its PULSE surround-view camera and radar system for 360-degree sensing, its Gen 8 radar for object detection in tough conditions, and Wind River software to handle the unglamorous but essential work of long-term maintenance and security updates. That full-stack approach is the pitch: instead of stitching together sensors, chips, and software from separate vendors, customers get one partner who can carry a device from prototype to a fleet running in the field.
The timing lines up with what Aptiv reported in its second-quarter results on August 4, 2026. Revenue reached $3.3 billion, up 2%, while adjusted EBITDA climbed to $613 million from $547 million a year earlier, pushing margins to 18.7% from 17.1%. CEO Kevin Clark pointed to double-digit growth in non-automotive revenue, progress moving robotics from partnership talks to actual commercial deployments, and a major drone industry win secured in early July. North America sales rose 10% and Asia Pacific grew 6%, including 5% growth in China, giving the company some geographic momentum to lean on as it chases this new business line.
The quarter wasn't clean underneath the headline numbers. Free cash flow came in at just $12 million in the second quarter, down from $219 million a year earlier, and the first half of 2026 actually posted negative free cash flow of $196 million versus a positive $264 million a year ago. Operating cash flow from continuing operations fell to $82 million for the first half, down sharply from $531 million. Management also flagged automotive demand and customer mix as an incremental headwind, a reminder that Aptiv's legacy business still carries real weight even as it chases robotics and drones. EMEA revenue dropped 8%, and South America fell 4% in the quarter, both drags even as North America and Asia Pacific grew.
#jetson #robotics
2 months ago
On August 5, Kinetik Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNTK) reported the strongest quarterly results in company history and raised its full-year 2026 guidance. The Permian-focused midstream operator posted net income, including noncontrolling interest, of $123.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, while Adjusted EBITDA climbed to $280.8 million. Management didn't stop at celebrating the number. It used the quarter as the launchpad for a string of expansion decisions that stretch out to 2028.
The Midstream Logistics segment, Kinetik's largest, grew Adjusted EBITDA 35% year over year to $204.8 million in the second quarter, even though processed natural gas volumes held flat at 1.74 Bcf/d. That flat number actually undersells the quarter. It came despite roughly 250 million cubic feet per day of gas that had been shut in because of weak Waha-area pricing, with stronger natural gas liquid recoveries, condensate yields, and favorable commodity spreads carrying the segment instead.
Management is betting the growth continues well past 2026. In May, Kinetik reached a final investment decision on Kings Landing II, a roughly $260 million project that will lift sour gas processing capacity across the company's Delaware North complex above 700 MMcf/d and push total system capacity to 2.7 Bcf/d when it comes online in mid-2028, earlier than previously communicated. The ECCC Pipeline, which links the system's northern and southern halves between Eddy and Culberson Counties, is now in service, and right-of-way work has already begun on a follow-on expansion for 2027.
Kinetik also locked in new firm Gulf Coast access for residue gas starting in 2027 and signed fresh natural gas liquids transport agreements, both aimed at getting better prices for the gas it moves. On the back of that momentum, Kinetik raised its full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance to a range of $1.04 billion to $1.1 billion, a 7% ***** p from the guidance it issued in February.
Not every part of the business is moving in the same direction. The Pipeline Transportation segment posted Adjusted EBITDA of $83.0 million in the quarter, down 14% year over year, a decline the company attributes to last year's divestiture of its equity stake in EPIC Crude Holdings. That sale removed a source of cash flow the rest of the business now has to make up for. Kinetik also expects gas curtailments to keep running at an average of 25 million cubic feet per day through the second half of 2026, on top of the Waha-driven shut-ins that already weighed on the quarter. Its own pricing ***** umptions underline the regional problem: the company is now modeling Waha Hub natural gas at negative $0.26 per MMBtu for the full year, meaning gas in parts of the Permian is priced so low that moving it out of the basin is the whole game.
#quarter
The Midstream Logistics segment, Kinetik's largest, grew Adjusted EBITDA 35% year over year to $204.8 million in the second quarter, even though processed natural gas volumes held flat at 1.74 Bcf/d. That flat number actually undersells the quarter. It came despite roughly 250 million cubic feet per day of gas that had been shut in because of weak Waha-area pricing, with stronger natural gas liquid recoveries, condensate yields, and favorable commodity spreads carrying the segment instead.
Management is betting the growth continues well past 2026. In May, Kinetik reached a final investment decision on Kings Landing II, a roughly $260 million project that will lift sour gas processing capacity across the company's Delaware North complex above 700 MMcf/d and push total system capacity to 2.7 Bcf/d when it comes online in mid-2028, earlier than previously communicated. The ECCC Pipeline, which links the system's northern and southern halves between Eddy and Culberson Counties, is now in service, and right-of-way work has already begun on a follow-on expansion for 2027.
Kinetik also locked in new firm Gulf Coast access for residue gas starting in 2027 and signed fresh natural gas liquids transport agreements, both aimed at getting better prices for the gas it moves. On the back of that momentum, Kinetik raised its full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance to a range of $1.04 billion to $1.1 billion, a 7% ***** p from the guidance it issued in February.
Not every part of the business is moving in the same direction. The Pipeline Transportation segment posted Adjusted EBITDA of $83.0 million in the quarter, down 14% year over year, a decline the company attributes to last year's divestiture of its equity stake in EPIC Crude Holdings. That sale removed a source of cash flow the rest of the business now has to make up for. Kinetik also expects gas curtailments to keep running at an average of 25 million cubic feet per day through the second half of 2026, on top of the Waha-driven shut-ins that already weighed on the quarter. Its own pricing ***** umptions underline the regional problem: the company is now modeling Waha Hub natural gas at negative $0.26 per MMBtu for the full year, meaning gas in parts of the Permian is priced so low that moving it out of the basin is the whole game.
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