Earnings Call Insights: DraftKings (DKNG) Q1 2026 Management View "We are off to a fantastic start this year. Our first quarter results exceeded our expectations, and we continue to expect fiscal year 2026 revenue of $6.5 billion to $6.9 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $700 million to $900 million." (Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Jason Robins) "Predictions, especially in Sports, is a strategic priorit...
Earnings Call Insights: DraftKings (DKNG) Q1 2026 Management View "We are off to a fantastic start this year. Our first quarter results exceeded our expectations, and we continue to expect fiscal year 2026 revenue of $6.5 billion to $6.9 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $700 million to $900 million." (Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Jason Robins) "Predictions, especially in Sports, is a strategic priority for DraftKings." (CEO Robins) "We intend to execute with urgency and establish a leadership position in Sports Predictions before year-end." (CEO Robins) "Predictions is now live in our flagship app. And as a result, our Predictions customer acquisition costs declined by more than 80% in April." (CEO Robins) "In April, our annualized Predictions consumer volume exceeded $1 billion, and our annualized total volume traded exceeded $2.3 billion." (CEO Robins) "Beginning next quarter, we will report Sports revenue, which will combine Sportsbook and Sports predictions." (CEO Robins) "I'm also proud that we have achieved positive net income for the second consecutive quarter, continuing the progress that we've made on our profitability while repurchasing almost $100 million of our shares." (Chief Financial Officer Alan Ellingson) Outlook "We continue to expect fiscal year 2026 revenue of $6.5 billion to $6.9 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $700 million to $900 million." (CEO Robins) "Today, we are reaffirming these guidance ranges." (CFO Ellingson) "Importantly, the adjusted EBITDA guidance range includes significant investment in Predictions." (CFO Ellingson) "At this point, we are thinking we're going to probably invest about $200 million to $300 million all in on Predictions this year." (CEO Robins) "We still have World Cup coming, which should be a boon." (CEO Robins) Financial Results "In the first quarter, revenue increased 17% year-over-year and surpassed $1.6 billion." (CFO Ellingson) "Adjusted EBITDA increased 64% year-over-year to $168 million." (CFO Ellingson) "If not...
Earnings Call Insights: Bimini Capital Management (BMNM) Q1 2026 Management View “We closed on our purchase of an 80% ownership stake on April 1, 2026,” said Chairman, CEO & Secretary Robert Cauley, adding that the company brought “Richard Parry, the President and CIO of Tom Johnson Investment Management, or TJIM” onto the call to introduce the business. Cauley tied Q1 results to the Agency RMBS b...
Earnings Call Insights: Bimini Capital Management (BMNM) Q1 2026 Management View “We closed on our purchase of an 80% ownership stake on April 1, 2026,” said Chairman, CEO & Secretary Robert Cauley, adding that the company brought “Richard Parry, the President and CIO of Tom Johnson Investment Management, or TJIM” onto the call to introduce the business. Cauley tied Q1 results to the Agency RMBS backdrop: “Uneven market conditions for the Agency RMBS market caused Orchid Island Capital or Orchid and Bimini's investment portfolio segment to report modest losses for the quarter,” and “the war in Iran, which broke out on February 28, caused severe market disruptions.” On segment performance, Cauley reported: “Orchid reported a net loss of $20.2 million or $0.11 per share for the first quarter of 2026,” while “Bimini's investment portfolio segment generated a net loss of $0.7 million for the quarter.” He also highlighted Orchid equity growth: “its stockholders' equity increased from $1.372 billion at December 31, 2025, to $1.392 billion at March 31, 2026.” Cauley said the advisory stream rose with Orchid’s equity base: “Bimini's advisory service revenue also increased to $5.1 million in Q1 compared to $4.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2025,” and “the Advisory Service segment generated net income for the first quarter of $2.25 million and Bimini's consolidated income for the first quarter was $0.8 million or $0.08 per share.” TJIM’s President & CIO Richard Parry described the acquired platform’s scale and mix: “Our current assets are approximately a little over $1.6 billion,” and “about 65% of our assets under management are through consultant platforms and brokerage consultants,” with “35%” through direct client relationships. No CFO prepared remarks were included in this transcript. Outlook Cauley framed early Q2 conditions as improved versus Q1: “So far in the second quarter of 2026, market conditions for levered Agency RMBS investing have improved, reversing som...
Earnings Call Insights: Groupon (GRPN) Q1 2026 Management View CEO Dusan Senkypl said, "Q1 fell short of our expectations," and reported global billings of $383M (down 1% year-over-year), revenue of $117M (flat year-over-year), and adjusted EBITDA of $12.8M, adding, "adjusted EBITDA of $12.8 million includes approximately $2 million of severance reflected in SG&A in the quarter related to the roug...
Earnings Call Insights: Groupon (GRPN) Q1 2026 Management View CEO Dusan Senkypl said, "Q1 fell short of our expectations," and reported global billings of $383M (down 1% year-over-year), revenue of $117M (flat year-over-year), and adjusted EBITDA of $12.8M, adding, "adjusted EBITDA of $12.8 million includes approximately $2 million of severance reflected in SG&A in the quarter related to the roughly 5% head count reduction we executed in Q1." Senkypl attributed the quarter’s pressure to "continued softness in our managed and organic channels," "a deceleration in North America local, where SMB merchant acquisition slowed and enterprise turned negative for the first time in 5 quarters," and "our first soft quarter in health, beauty and wellness after 4 consecutive quarters of growth," while noting, "Things to Do continue to grow across both North America and international." Senkypl pointed to early Q2 indicators, saying, "April performance has improved, driven by North America local reaccelerated," and added, "Managed channels are recovering with email returning to positive year-over-year growth" and "SEO trajectory turned positive in mid-April," while emphasizing, "none of the Q1 results yet reflect the operating impact of Project Foundry." On strategy, Senkypl called Foundry "the most consequential operating decision this management team has made since arriving at Groupon 3 years ago," saying, "We are rebuilding Groupon as an AI-native company," and describing it as "a redesign of how the company works" with "AI agents into the core of every function." Senkypl disclosed additional potential cost actions tied to the operating model shift: "We are evaluating additional restructuring actions in Q2 that we expect will further reduce global head count by approximately an additional 15%, along with other significant cost reduction and automation actions," while cautioning, "These plans have not been finalized or approved by the Board." CFO Rana Kashyap addressed adjusted...
Earnings Call Insights: Karat Packaging (KRT) Q1 2026 Management View “We began 2026 with a robust first quarter. Year-over-year sales increased almost 13% with momentum building throughout the quarter,” said Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Alan Yu, adding that growth “exceed[ed] 20% in March, which included some pull forward of orders,” and that the company saw “continued gain in the market share.” Yu...
Earnings Call Insights: Karat Packaging (KRT) Q1 2026 Management View “We began 2026 with a robust first quarter. Year-over-year sales increased almost 13% with momentum building throughout the quarter,” said Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Alan Yu, adding that growth “exceed[ed] 20% in March, which included some pull forward of orders,” and that the company saw “continued gain in the market share.” Yu highlighted a change in online execution and mix, saying, “our online sales, which are typically at a higher contribution margin, returned to robust growth this quarter after we pivoted to grow and fulfill our own online sales on our company storefront and third-party platforms.” On margin drivers and pricing actions, Yu said, “Gross margin remained resilient at 35.5% despite the continued impact of higher tariffs,” and added, “we are implementing price increases on select plastic items beginning in the middle of this month,” while expecting “tariff saving under the current trade policy to begin reducing cost of goods sold this month.” Yu detailed sourcing shifts aimed at cost and availability, including: “we increased domestic purchase to 18% compared to 14%,” “increased sourcing from Malaysia and Vietnam to an aggregate of 17% from 12%,” “reduced purchase from Taiwan…to 46% compared to 54%,” and “reduced sourcing from China to 11% compared to 18%.” He also said, “we expanded our sourcing footprint by adding a new supplier in South America.” CFO & Director Jian Guo said, “Net sales for the 2026 first quarter increased to $116.9 million,” and added, “we executed strong working capital management during the first quarter, generating operating cash flow of $7.2 million and free cash flow of $6.3 million despite continued heavy duty and tariff payments.” Outlook Guo guided, “Looking ahead to the 2026 second quarter, we expect net sales to increase by approximately 8% to 10% from the prior year quarter,” while noting, “some timing shift of orders in March contributed to a soft...
Earnings Call Insights: Barings BDC (BBDC) Q1 2026 Management View “Despite an onslaught of negative headlines in the private credit sector during the first quarter, BBDC delivered solid net investment income and maintained good credit performance, particularly within the Barings originated portion of our portfolio,” said CEO Thomas McDonnell. CEO Thomas McDonnell said “net deployment in Q1 was sl...
Earnings Call Insights: Barings BDC (BBDC) Q1 2026 Management View “Despite an onslaught of negative headlines in the private credit sector during the first quarter, BBDC delivered solid net investment income and maintained good credit performance, particularly within the Barings originated portion of our portfolio,” said CEO Thomas McDonnell. CEO Thomas McDonnell said “net deployment in Q1 was slightly negative,” adding, “We originated $109 million of investments against $126 million of repayments for net repayments of roughly $17 million,” and that “our total portfolio size and leverage remained essentially unchanged quarter-over-quarter.” CEO Thomas McDonnell tied the quarter’s NAV move to a specific driver: “Net asset value per share was $11.02 as of March 31, 2026, slightly lower than $11.09 at the end of 2025. This modest decline was primarily driven by the write-down in a legacy MVC asset.” CEO Thomas McDonnell highlighted portfolio income and dividend posture: “The weighted average yield on debt and other income-producing securities at fair value was 10.1%,” and “Our Board declared a second quarter dividend of $0.26 per share, consistent with the prior quarter.” President Matthew Freund said, “We are now seeing a shift,” citing that “Retail flows into non-traded vehicles have become more volatile due to heightened investor caution and institutional allocators are pacing commitments more deliberately,” while adding, “From our perspective, this is a healthy development.” President Matthew Freund reiterated positioning on software and ARR structures: “BBDC does not have any loans to issuers structured on recurring revenue,” and “by our analysis, roughly 13% of our holdings are primarily software related.” CFO Elizabeth Murray said earnings and coverage softened modestly: “Net investment income for the first quarter was $0.25 per share,” and “Net investment income per share of $0.25 fell just short of our $0.26 quarterly dividend under earning by $0.01.” Outlook...
Party makes gains in Portsmouth and Richmond upon Thames in local elections but loses a Scottish stronghold Elections 2026 – live updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Ed Davey has sought to cast Liberal Democrat wins in England’s local elections as proof his party is best positioned to confront what he described as the “extreme populist change” offered by Reform UK and the Greens....
Party makes gains in Portsmouth and Richmond upon Thames in local elections but loses a Scottish stronghold Elections 2026 – live updates Full results from England, Scotland and Wales Ed Davey has sought to cast Liberal Democrat wins in England’s local elections as proof his party is best positioned to confront what he described as the “extreme populist change” offered by Reform UK and the Greens. As Labour assessed a disastrous set of results, the Lib Dems could claim they had been able to fend off Reform challenges in areas including Portsmouth, where they made gains to seize the city council, which had been under no overall control. Continue reading...
Tumbler Ridge secondary school was site of February mass shooting in which nine were killed and dozens were injured The school which was the site of one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings will be torn down, officials have announced. The decision to demolish the Tumbler Ridge secondary school came after meetings between the school board and survivors, family and community members, said British Co...
Tumbler Ridge secondary school was site of February mass shooting in which nine were killed and dozens were injured The school which was the site of one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings will be torn down, officials have announced. The decision to demolish the Tumbler Ridge secondary school came after meetings between the school board and survivors, family and community members, said British Columbia premier David Eby. Continue reading...
CIA Leak: Iran Can Survive Blockade Another 3 to 4 Months, Maybe Longer Belying the Trump administration's claims that a US blockade on Iran's use of the Strait of Hormuz has the country on the ropes and its oil infrastructure in near-term peril, a confidential CIA analysis says Iran can persevere another three or four months , if not longer. In a second stark contradiction of White House narrativ...
CIA Leak: Iran Can Survive Blockade Another 3 to 4 Months, Maybe Longer Belying the Trump administration's claims that a US blockade on Iran's use of the Strait of Hormuz has the country on the ropes and its oil infrastructure in near-term peril, a confidential CIA analysis says Iran can persevere another three or four months , if not longer. In a second stark contradiction of White House narratives, US intelligence assesses that the bulk of Iran's pre-war missile inventory is still intact. The substance of the CIA analysis was first reported by the Washington Post , which attributed the insights to three current officials and one former one who've seen it. Over recent weeks, a particular narrative about the blockade has been gaining traction -- namely, that Iran's inability to freely export oil is putting its energy infrastructure in imminent danger of "shut-in" damage that would commence after Iran's capacity to store oil ran out. We were among the earliest to start focusing on that critical dimension of the conflict, and the shut-in-crisis scenario gained credibility on Wednesday when an oil-sector expert who serves on Iran's Chamber of Commerce candidly told the New York Times that "the sea blockade is a much more serious threat than even war, and the current stalemate must be broken because the export of our oil and energy and the fate of our refineries is now at risk .” The “Team B” counterpoint here is whatever the FDD/Israel lobby says (“just a few more blockade days + a few more bombing sorties and the defeated regime is over”), and though they’re always wrong, presidents have a funny habit of going for the best-massaged Team B intelligence https://t.co/3OqU81ydK0 — Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) May 7, 2026 However, the officials who are familiar with the new CIA analysis told the Post that Iran is using various avenues to maximize storage and forestall shut-in damage, from storing oil on empty tankers to reducing the flow from wells. Summing up the oil infra...
The fog-colored Fitbit Air looks sharp, and it’s not available at Amazon. | Image: Google Google’s new Fitbit Air , the $99.99 screenless fitness tracker, comes out on May 26th. It’s the company’s first Fitbit release in four years, and you can use it on iOS or Android phones without a paid subscription if all you want to do is track activities, sleep, and basic health metrics (heart rate, breathi...
The fog-colored Fitbit Air looks sharp, and it’s not available at Amazon. | Image: Google Google’s new Fitbit Air , the $99.99 screenless fitness tracker, comes out on May 26th. It’s the company’s first Fitbit release in four years, and you can use it on iOS or Android phones without a paid subscription if all you want to do is track activities, sleep, and basic health metrics (heart rate, breathing rate, etc.). However, for a monthly $9.99 fee, it can tap into Gemini AI-powered features that aim to help you make improvements to your workouts and recovery. All purchases include a textile/polyurethane band that the sensor-filled puck fits into. A perk of preordering ahead of launch is that you’ll get a free second band, or enough store credit to buy one on your own, depending on where you buy from. Amazon is offering the berry, blue, or black color options (but not the greenish fog) that include a silicone band, in white or black, in small or large, for $99.99 (normally $134.99). You can make your choice of band color and size on the Fitbit Air product page . Fitbit Air Where to Buy: $134.99 $99.99 at Amazon (includes free band) $134.99 $99.99 at Google (includes $35 credit) $134.99 $99.99 at Best Buy (includes free band) Best Buy is also including a free silicone band with preorders of the Fitbit Air. All you have to do is add one to cart, then a small, black silicone band will be added automatically. Unfortunately, you can’t choose which color or size you get with your preorder at Best Buy, but it’s obviously no big deal if you wanted a small, black band anyway. Lastly, the Google Store is offering an incentive to preorder. The company will simply reward you with $35 in store credit once the preorder ships so you can buy the one you want. We have a piece up on the Fitbit Air , with info on its capabilities, and how it stacks up against older Fitbit models (as well as the competition). The team behind the Air is also readying the new Google Health app for launch on ...
Daiwa upgraded Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) to Outperform from Neutral on May 8, 2026, raising its price target to $225 from $140. Analyst Louis Miscioscia argues that Qualcomm’s identity is shifting from smartphone chip supplier to broader AI infrastructure participant, and that the market is undervaluing the transition. The $85 price target raised by a single firm ... Daiwa Just Upgraded Qualcomm to O...
Daiwa upgraded Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) to Outperform from Neutral on May 8, 2026, raising its price target to $225 from $140. Analyst Louis Miscioscia argues that Qualcomm’s identity is shifting from smartphone chip supplier to broader AI infrastructure participant, and that the market is undervaluing the transition. The $85 price target raised by a single firm ... Daiwa Just Upgraded Qualcomm to Outperform: $225 Price Target Bets on Data Center AI Pivot
Republic Services CEO Jon Vander Ark joined Bloomberg Open Interest to break down why the waste industry thrives even in downturns. He calls it “recession-resilient” with strong margins. He reveals a major $500M bet on advanced recycling that turns plastic back into new bottles. Plus, why AI will be the true game-changer for the future of waste management. (Source: Bloomberg)
Republic Services CEO Jon Vander Ark joined Bloomberg Open Interest to break down why the waste industry thrives even in downturns. He calls it “recession-resilient” with strong margins. He reveals a major $500M bet on advanced recycling that turns plastic back into new bottles. Plus, why AI will be the true game-changer for the future of waste management. (Source: Bloomberg)
Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski have reason to celebrate – but what next for Labour and the Tories now that the two-party system has been demolished? Continue reading...
Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski have reason to celebrate – but what next for Labour and the Tories now that the two-party system has been demolished? Continue reading...