Laser company IPG Photonics (NASDAQ: IPGP) stock got blasted for a 24.8% loss through 11:45 a.m. ET Tuesday morning despite beating on in its Q1 earnings report. Heading into the report, analysts forecast IPG to earn $0.27 per share ( pro forma ) on $256.5 million in sales. In fact, IPG earned $0.29 per share on $265.5 million in sales. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Laser company IPG Photonics (NASDAQ: IPGP) stock got blasted for a 24.8% loss through 11:45 a.m. ET Tuesday morning despite beating on in its Q1 earnings report. Heading into the report, analysts forecast IPG to earn $0.27 per share ( pro forma ) on $256.5 million in sales. In fact, IPG earned $0.29 per share on $265.5 million in sales. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Earnings Call Insights: Ball Corporation (BALL) Q1 2026 Management View “We had a good start to 2026” and “global volumes were up nearly 1% year-over-year,” with “comparable operating earnings grew 10% year-over-year” and “comparable diluted EPS up 22% year-over-year,” driven by “strong operational execution, cost discipline and capital allocation” (CEO Ron Lewis). “We also remain focused on share...
Earnings Call Insights: Ball Corporation (BALL) Q1 2026 Management View “We had a good start to 2026” and “global volumes were up nearly 1% year-over-year,” with “comparable operating earnings grew 10% year-over-year” and “comparable diluted EPS up 22% year-over-year,” driven by “strong operational execution, cost discipline and capital allocation” (CEO Ron Lewis). “We also remain focused on shareholder returns” and “are on track to deliver in the range of $800 million to shareholders in 2026,” while the company highlighted execution initiatives including “completing the Benepack acquisition to expand EMEA capacity” and Millersburg, Oregon “on track towards full ramp up in 2027” (CEO Lewis). “We updated how we report our segment financials,” including amending comparable operating earnings “to exclude such items as factoring fees, interest income and other impacts driven by corporate financing activity,” while stating “there is not a material change to how we measure or report overall company earnings” (Senior VP & CFO Daniel Rabbitt). Outlook “We continue to expect to be on track with our algorithm of 10% plus comparable diluted EPS growth” and “anticipate free cash flow of greater than $900 million in 2026” (CFO Rabbitt). “We will repurchase at least $600 million of shares, which will bring our total capital return to shareholders to $800 million in 2026,” with “year-end 2026 net debt to comparable EBITDA to be around 2.7x” (CFO Rabbitt). Modeling items reiterated for 2026 included: “effective tax rate on comparable earnings is expected to be slightly above 23%,” “interest expense is expected to be in the range of $320 million,” “CapEx is expected to be in line with GAAP D&A,” and “reported adjusted corporate undistributed costs… expected to be in the range of $175 million” (CFO Rabbitt). Financial Results Ball reported “comparable diluted earnings per share of $0.94” for Q1 2026, alongside “global shipped beverage volumes increased approximately 1% year-over-year...
Getty Images In October, when I covered Dorian LPG ( LPG ), I said it was a classic cyclical income play with a strong balance sheet, and disciplined if variable dividend policy. My investment thesis was simple – LPG was a well-run VLGC operator. It had operating leverage to rates, and paid a nice irregular dividend as we expected the cycle to improve. Since then, the stock is up around 40% on a t...
Getty Images In October, when I covered Dorian LPG ( LPG ), I said it was a classic cyclical income play with a strong balance sheet, and disciplined if variable dividend policy. My investment thesis was simple – LPG was a well-run VLGC operator. It had operating leverage to rates, and paid a nice irregular dividend as we expected the cycle to improve. Since then, the stock is up around 40% on a total return basis –but, and here’s the important thing – the underlying economics have moved even faster. My earlier bull case scenario was $50k/day, and my price target on that basis was ~$54. Today, Dorian is fixing vessels above ~$58k/day, pushing realized earnings beyond what was my bull case. However, the stock is still trading only at ~$39 – implying that market valuation is still playing catch up to potential earnings upside. This creates an opportunity once again. Current quarter earnings are already locked in at these high levels, and earnings visibility is unusually high for a spot-exposed shipper. That tells me current valuation is not capturing either this earnings power, or even the dividend potential that typically compounds with earnings, since the company gives out most of its excess cash to shareholders in irregular dividends. What Changed Since October The most important change is rate – this has moved well beyond even my bull case. Dorian was already doing $50,333/day TCE by the prior quarter , with Helios pool spot at $50,500/day. They have now fixed the current quarter in excess of $58,000 – a nearly ~16% rise. This is not marginal, this is a step-up. And it did not come abruptly. As late 2025 data suggests, a majority of days were already being fixed around the high-$50k range. The current quarter takes up from there, and goes further up. The visibility we see in this quarter is also important. Dorian has already fixed ~99% of its calender days for the quarter. This is unusually high for a spot-exposed company (Helios pool). In the prior quarter earnin...
urbancow/E+ via Getty Images Shares of heavy-duty truck and auto aftermarket parts company, Motorcar Parts of America, Inc. ( MPAA ) have rallied 23.93% (YoY). MPAA released its fiscal Q3 2026 earnings report in February 2026 and is expected to announce its fiscal Q4 2026 financial report in June 2026. Despite the 11.4% (YoY) revenue decline in fiscal Q3 2026, I will explain why I am rating this s...
urbancow/E+ via Getty Images Shares of heavy-duty truck and auto aftermarket parts company, Motorcar Parts of America, Inc. ( MPAA ) have rallied 23.93% (YoY). MPAA released its fiscal Q3 2026 earnings report in February 2026 and is expected to announce its fiscal Q4 2026 financial report in June 2026. Despite the 11.4% (YoY) revenue decline in fiscal Q3 2026, I will explain why I am rating this stock as a hold. I expect business to accelerate into fiscal Q4 2026 and 2027, supported by heightened ordering activity and a steady annual revenue guidance for FY 2026. MPAA forecasts FY 2026 sales of $750-$760 million, with the midpoint at $755 million—slightly below the record $757.4 million in FY 2025. This marginal decline suggests management expects stable revenue for the year, despite a sales impact of about $50 million. However, MPAA was adversely affected by customer consolidation dynamics in the quarter, with a single customer being responsible for the decline in sales. This overreliance on a major client responsible for almost 30% of quarterly sales may cause a significant impact on forward sales into FY 2027. Key Revenue drivers to watch out for In its Fiscal Q3 2026 earnings report, MPAA stated that it expects a rebound in ordering activity into fiscal Q4 2026. The brake caliper market, which MPAA is involved in, was valued at $10.01 billion in 2025 and $10.41 billion in 2026. It is expected to reach $14.2 billion by 2034 (growing at a CAGR of 3.96%- within the forecast period of 2026 to 2034). The company was clear that a robust use of brake-related capacity was a key pillar towards driving its gross margins into FY 2027. Then again, the gross margin in fiscal Q3 2026 grew 19.6% (YoY), compared to 24.1% (YoY) recorded in fiscal Q3 2025 (a difference of 4.5 percentage points). While this difference is attributed to lower sales in the quarter, it is expected to grow with the sales recovery into fiscal Q4 2026. At the midpoint of $755 million for the FY 2026 (ann...
WANAN YOSSINGKUM AI giant Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) introduced 10 ready-to-run agent templates designed to take on the most time-consuming tasks in financial services, including building pitchbooks, screening know-your-customer files, and closing books at month-end, the company said Tuesday. Each of the agents ships as a plug-in in Claude Cowork and Claude Code and as a cookbook for Claude Managed Agen...
WANAN YOSSINGKUM AI giant Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) introduced 10 ready-to-run agent templates designed to take on the most time-consuming tasks in financial services, including building pitchbooks, screening know-your-customer files, and closing books at month-end, the company said Tuesday. Each of the agents ships as a plug-in in Claude Cowork and Claude Code and as a cookbook for Claude Managed Agents, it said. As a result, Anthropic says Claude can be applied to financial work in a matter of days rather than months. Claude can work across Microsoft ( MSFT ) Excel, PowerPoint, and Word through add-ins for Microsoft 365. Outlook will be added soon. Claude connects to dozens of market data, research platforms, and financial companies' internal systems, including S&P Capital IQ ( SPGI ), MSCI ( MSCI ), PitchBook, Morningstar ( MORN ), Chronograph, LSEG ( LSEGY ) ( LDNXF ), and Daloopa, along with the customer's firm's data warehouses, research repositories, and customer relationship management systems. New connectors include Dun & Bradstreet, Fiscal AI, Financial Modeling Prep, Guidepoint, IBISWorld, SS&C IntraLinks, Third Bridge, and Verisk ( VRSK ), Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) said. The 10 agent templates are pitch builder, meeting preparer, model builder, market researcher, valuation review, general ledger reconciler, month-end closer, statement auditor, and KYC screener. More on Anthropic Anthropic Is Taking Over Enterprise Wall Street Lunch: Anthropic Tries To Contain Claude Code Instruction Leak Anthropic's IPO: What You Need To Know White House discusses vetting AI models before public release: report Baldwin stock jumps on expanded Anthropic relationship for Claude deployment
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction I'll never forget covering Fiserv, Inc.'s ( FISV ) massive 40% wipeout last October. The company reported a weak quarter and destroyed its forward guidance. My article on that disaster ended up getting a lot of attention, mostly because I was one of the few Seeking Alpha analysts who hadn't given a Buy rating on the stock before it dropped. P...
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction I'll never forget covering Fiserv, Inc.'s ( FISV ) massive 40% wipeout last October. The company reported a weak quarter and destroyed its forward guidance. My article on that disaster ended up getting a lot of attention, mostly because I was one of the few Seeking Alpha analysts who hadn't given a Buy rating on the stock before it dropped. Previous Coverage Looking at that guidance and the underlying business model back then, I decided to stay away from the stock, not chasing this drop, even though it was trading at the lowest price since 2018. It looked like it could be a value play, but staying on the sidelines proved to be the right call. Even if you ignore today’s drop, the shares are down by another 11% since my last update, while the S&P 500 ( SP500 ) is up by about 4.5%. Watching the stock today gave me a kind of déjà vu. Thankfully for anyone still holding it, the drop isn't quite as brutal this time. The stock is down by roughly 8% in the pre-market after yet another frustrating quarter. Today's Price In this article, I want to take another close look at the business and not only talk about this quarter but also, using the recent numbers, try to understand where the company is headed and whether there is any kind of opportunity here, and if so, for what kind of investor. Q1 2026 I am really glad I took the time to break down October’s earnings back then, because without that context, there is absolutely no point in analyzing any of these subsequent quarters. Looking at Q1 in a vacuum means missing the entire narrative driving the stock price and investor sentiment, which is arguably the most critical metric for companies in this space right now. Just to refresh your memory of what happened two quarters ago: Fiserv reported a catastrophic quarter. They missed EPS estimates by over 60 cents, making around $2 on the metric. Revenue missed expectations by half a billion dollars on a $5.4 billion target. T...
Earnings Call Insights: MPLX (MPLX) Q1 2026 Management View “MPLX delivered over $1.7 billion of adjusted EBITDA, which enabled a return of over $1.1 billion to our unitholders,” said Maryann Mannen (President, CEO & Chairman of the Board Maryann Mannen), adding that “2026 is a year of execution with multiple investments expected to transition from construction to operations and EBITDA generation....
Earnings Call Insights: MPLX (MPLX) Q1 2026 Management View “MPLX delivered over $1.7 billion of adjusted EBITDA, which enabled a return of over $1.1 billion to our unitholders,” said Maryann Mannen (President, CEO & Chairman of the Board Maryann Mannen), adding that “2026 is a year of execution with multiple investments expected to transition from construction to operations and EBITDA generation.” Mannen tied the 2026 setup to project in-service timing: “With Secretariat I coming online in April, Harmon Creek III in the third quarter and the Titan gas treating complex reaching over 400 million cubic feet per day of treating capacity in the fourth quarter… year-over-year growth in 2026 will exceed that of 2025.” On the Permian/Delaware strategy, Mannen said, “in the Delaware Basin of the Permian we treated over 150 million cubic feet per day of our committed producer sour gas at our recently acquired Titan facility,” and added, “Last quarter, we announced our intention to further expand our gas processing footprint with Secretariat II… expected online in the second half of 2028.” Mannen highlighted midstream egress and downstream buildout: “The Blackcomb natural gas pipeline continues to progress as planned, and is expected to enter service in the fourth quarter,” and “the expansion of the BANGL pipeline to 300,000 barrels per day is expected online in the fourth quarter.” Carl Hagedorn (Executive VP, CFO & Director Carl Hagedorn) described Crude Oil and Products Logistics as higher on rates but softer on volumes: “Segment adjusted EBITDA increased $14 million when compared to the first quarter of 2025,” while “Pipeline volumes decreased 4% year-over-year… due to Marathon's refining turnaround and maintenance activities.” Hagedorn detailed Natural Gas and NGL Services drivers: “Segment adjusted EBITDA decreased $42 million compared to the first quarter of 2025,” citing that “2025 included a onetime $37 million benefit,” plus “a $45 million impact from divestiture… l...
Earnings Call Insights: Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) Q1 2026 Management View “Today, ADM reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.71 and total segment operating profit of $764 million for the first quarter of 2026,” said Juan Luciano (Chairman, CEO & President), adding, “Our trailing 4-quarter adjusted ROIC was 6.4% and cash flow from operations before working capital changes was $442 mi...
Earnings Call Insights: Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) Q1 2026 Management View “Today, ADM reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.71 and total segment operating profit of $764 million for the first quarter of 2026,” said Juan Luciano (Chairman, CEO & President), adding, “Our trailing 4-quarter adjusted ROIC was 6.4% and cash flow from operations before working capital changes was $442 million for the quarter.” Luciano said Q1 conditions improved for biofuels-linked businesses: “Our crushing and ethanol businesses benefited from an increasingly constructive commodity and margin environment,” and “soybean crush and ethanol margins strengthened meaningfully as the market anticipated the finalization of renewable volume obligations for 2026 and 2027.” Luciano announced a guidance increase: “We are raising our earnings guidance range for 2026,” and “Our full year adjusted EPS guidance range is now $4.15 to $4.70, up from our previous range of $3.60 to $4.25.” Monish Patolawala (CFO & Executive VP) highlighted AS&O volatility tied to timing: “AS&O segment operating profit for the first quarter of 2026 was $273 million, down 34% compared to the prior year quarter,” and “Included in the first quarter of 2026 is approximately $275 million of net negative mark-to-market and timing impacts.” Patolawala pointed to ethanol-driven strength: “For the first quarter, Carbohydrate Solutions segment operating profit was $356 million, representing an increase of 48% compared to the prior year quarter,” and “Overall, base ethanol EBITDA margins for the quarter were higher both sequentially and compared to the prior year quarter.” Outlook Patolawala said the higher 2026 range is driven by execution and margins: “There are 2 main drivers to our guidance range. First, the expectation that our team will continue to solidly execute against our plan for the remainder of the year; and second, the expectation that the improved margin environment for our crushing and ethanol businesses...
In terms of pricing, the original AirPods Max remained stubbornly high even years after their debut, which made them hard to recommend over the Bose QC Ultra or Sony’s XM series headphones unless you were an Apple die-hard. The AirPods Max 2 , however, have been out for just over a month, and we’re already seeing a $40 discount at Amazon and Best Buy , bringing the price down to $509 across all fi...
In terms of pricing, the original AirPods Max remained stubbornly high even years after their debut, which made them hard to recommend over the Bose QC Ultra or Sony’s XM series headphones unless you were an Apple die-hard. The AirPods Max 2 , however, have been out for just over a month, and we’re already seeing a $40 discount at Amazon and Best Buy , bringing the price down to $509 across all five colors. AirPods Max 2 Where to Buy: $549 $509 at Amazon $549 $509 at Best Buy $549 $509.99 at Target Unlike the refreshed AirPods Max Apple put out in 2024, the Max 2 are a true sequel. The company’s latest pair of over-ear headphones still feature the same 40-millimeter drivers as the original, but they’re now paired with a new high dynamic range amplifier, allowing for better bass response and terrific sound across the board. They also support lossless audio at 24-bit / 48kHz via USB-C and, construction-wise, continue to sport the same combo of aluminum, stainless steel, and knit mesh fabric. They’re still heavy at 385 grams, but they feel premium, which isn’t always the case, even with high-end headphones. I’d argue the real upgrade to the AirPods Max 2, though, comes in the form of Apple’s H2 chip. It’s older, having made its debut in the second-gen AirPods Pro in 2022, but it adds a lot of functionality that wasn’t available on the first-gen Max. The latest Max 2 support adaptive audio, conversation awareness, personalized volume, voice isolation, and live translation, along with automatic device switching, spatial audio, and all the ecosystem tricks you’ve come to expect with owning a pair of Apple headphones. Plus, their active noise cancellation is a step up from that of the last-gen model, ensuring you can always drown out the outside world while listening to your favorite tracks. Read our full AirPods Max review . More deals and discounts of note Logitech’s latest magic mousepad, the Powerplay 2 , is currently on sale at Amazon , Best Buy , and B&H Photo for $8...
The European Central Bank doesn’t yet see enough impact on inflation from rising oil prices to prompt an increase in interest rates, outgoing Governing Council member Francois Villeroy de Galhau said. “If we see such second-round effects, we’ll act and raise rates to prevent inflation becoming broad and sustainable,” he told France 5 television on Tuesday. “For the moment, we don’t have sufficient...
The European Central Bank doesn’t yet see enough impact on inflation from rising oil prices to prompt an increase in interest rates, outgoing Governing Council member Francois Villeroy de Galhau said. “If we see such second-round effects, we’ll act and raise rates to prevent inflation becoming broad and sustainable,” he told France 5 television on Tuesday. “For the moment, we don’t have sufficient signs of this propagation.” The ECB last Thursday kept borrowing costs unchanged while signaling that a hike will be considered at the June 10-11 gathering. Since then, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel has said such a move will be needed if there’s no significant improvement in the outlook for inflation and economic growth, while Slovakia’s Peter Kazimir has said “it’s all but inevitable .” Villeroy won’t participate in the next policy meeting after announcing he’d retire at the end of May, before his term was due to end next year. In a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron this week, Villeroy said the ECB should combine being cautious with a readiness to act “without hesitation.” “This increase in energy prices must not spread to everything else — services that are 50% of our consumption, manufactured goods and food,” Villeroy said Tuesday. ECB’s Villeroy Urges Caution and Readiness on Rate Hikes Macron Moves to Name Top Ally Moulin to Lead Bank of France ECB Rate Hike in June Is ‘All But Inevitable,’ Kazimir Says
Ilie Bolojan’s PNL loses confidence vote after less than a year amid austerity drive and far-right surge Romania’s pro-European government has collapsed after losing a confidence vote, unleashing renewed political turmoil less than a year after the ruling coalition was sworn in and with the far right surging in the polls. “This censure motion is false, cynical and artificial,” the liberal prime mi...
Ilie Bolojan’s PNL loses confidence vote after less than a year amid austerity drive and far-right surge Romania’s pro-European government has collapsed after losing a confidence vote, unleashing renewed political turmoil less than a year after the ruling coalition was sworn in and with the far right surging in the polls. “This censure motion is false, cynical and artificial,” the liberal prime minister, Ilie Bolojan, told parliamentarians before the vote on Tuesday. “Any country in a multitude of crises would try to consolidate governments, not to change them.” Continue reading...
Spaniard will pay fines for previous event clashes Deal includes playing in agreed tournaments this year Jon Rahm has reached a deal with the DP World Tour that will see him retain his membership and remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup. In an agreement similar to that signed by eight other LIV golfers in February, the Spaniard will pay all outstanding fines for playing in events that conflic...
Spaniard will pay fines for previous event clashes Deal includes playing in agreed tournaments this year Jon Rahm has reached a deal with the DP World Tour that will see him retain his membership and remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup. In an agreement similar to that signed by eight other LIV golfers in February, the Spaniard will pay all outstanding fines for playing in events that conflicted with DP World Tour events. Continue reading...
Funtay/iStock via Getty Images UBS initiated coverage on Constellium ( CSTM ) with a Buy rating, arguing that the market is underestimating how long elevated scrap spreads will support earnings, while starting Kaiser Aluminum ( KALU ) at Neutral due to valuation and balance sheet constraints. The firm set a $38 price target on Constellium ( CSTM ) and $176 on Kaiser Aluminum ( KALU ), highlighting...
Funtay/iStock via Getty Images UBS initiated coverage on Constellium ( CSTM ) with a Buy rating, arguing that the market is underestimating how long elevated scrap spreads will support earnings, while starting Kaiser Aluminum ( KALU ) at Neutral due to valuation and balance sheet constraints. The firm set a $38 price target on Constellium ( CSTM ) and $176 on Kaiser Aluminum ( KALU ), highlighting a growing divergence in how each company benefits from current aluminum market dynamics. Tariffs, scrap spreads drive bullish call on Constellium UBS said Constellium ( CSTM ) is well positioned to capitalize on unusually high used beverage can, or UBC, scrap spreads, which are running at more than 60% and sit at a 13 year high. Analyst Alex Stansbury expects those spreads to remain structurally elevated over the next two to three years, supported by 50% Section 232 tariffs that are encouraging scrap imports into the US market. Constellium ( CSTM ) has significant exposure to these dynamics through its packaging and automotive rolled products segment, which accounts for about half of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and relies heavily on scrap inputs. UBS forecasts ebitda for 2026 and 2027 roughly 30% above consensus, driven by a combination of strong scrap economics, volume growth in can sheet and a recovery in higher margin aerospace and automotive markets. The report also pointed to improving free cash flow, expected to yield about 9% by 2027 and 2028, alongside declining leverage and the potential for increased shareholder returns starting in 2027. Despite a share price gain of more than 60% this year, UBS said Constellium ( CSTM ) still trades at about 5.6 times forward enterprise value to ebitda, below its historical average near 6 times and at a steep discount to peers. Kaiser’s premium positioning limits upside UBS took a more cautious stance on Kaiser Aluminum ( KALU ), initiating coverage with a Neutral rating and describing the stoc...
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News The Trump administration is sitting on over $40B in unrealized gains from its investment in Intel ( INTC ), representing a return of over 420% as shares surged to fresh all-time highs Tuesday. Intel stock jumped to as high as $110.47 a share earlier in the session following reports that Apple has held exploratory talks with Intel and Samsung Electronics to potenti...
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News The Trump administration is sitting on over $40B in unrealized gains from its investment in Intel ( INTC ), representing a return of over 420% as shares surged to fresh all-time highs Tuesday. Intel stock jumped to as high as $110.47 a share earlier in the session following reports that Apple has held exploratory talks with Intel and Samsung Electronics to potentially manufacture processors in the United States, offering an alternative to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Shares were up around 14% intraday at press time. “Intel Stock continues to rise. I’m very proud of that Company in that I am responsible for making the United States of America over 30 Billion Dollars in the last 90 days on that stock alone,” Trump wrote in a recent post on Truth Social. The windfall stems from the U.S. government’s purchase of roughly $8.9B in Intel ( INTC ) stock last August, securing approximately a 10% stake in the chipmaker. The investment was funded through a combination of CHIPS Act grants and Defense Department programs, alongside earlier subsidies the company had already received. The AI-fueled rally has been bolstered by strong fundamentals. Intel recently reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.29 on revenue of $13.58B, beating Wall Street expectations. The company also issued second-quarter revenue guidance well above analyst estimates, further fueling investor enthusiasm. Dear readers : We recognize that politics often intersects with the financial news of the day, so we invite you to click here to join the separate political discussion. Seeking Alpha More on Intel Intel: The AI Trade Everyone Hated Is Suddenly Working Intel: The Rally Has Gone Too Far Why Intel's Rally Might Not Be Over Yet Global semi sales surge 79% in March and remain on track to reach $1T in 2026: SIA Apple weighs using Intel and Samsung to build main device chips, Bloomberg reports
Welcome to The Brink . I’m Irene Garcia Perez , a reporter in New York, where I followed the turnaround of radio station owner iHeart. We also have news on Brazilian troubled companies, Springs Windows and Hong Kong developer New World. Follow this link to subscribe . Send us feedback and tips at debtnews@bloomberg.net . Turning the Corner iHeartMedia was beginning to turn a corner when news of Si...
Welcome to The Brink . I’m Irene Garcia Perez , a reporter in New York, where I followed the turnaround of radio station owner iHeart. We also have news on Brazilian troubled companies, Springs Windows and Hong Kong developer New World. Follow this link to subscribe . Send us feedback and tips at debtnews@bloomberg.net . Turning the Corner iHeartMedia was beginning to turn a corner when news of Sirius XM ’s buyout approach surfaced. A takeover could prove an unexpected boon for creditors-turned-shareholders of the US’s largest radio station owner after many troubled years. The deal would combine iHeart with the US’s largest satellite radio operator, creating a group with more than $12 billion in combined revenue. The talks are preliminary, and there is no guarantee a transaction will materialize. iHeart filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018 and emerged largely owned by its creditors. At the end of 2024, it completed a debt exchange negotiated with a group of investors including Pimco , Oak Hill , Deutsche Bank ’s Distressed Products Group and Bracebridge . The transaction did little to reduce the overall debt burden but extended maturities, giving the company some leeway to improve its performance and pursue a more permanent solution to its high debt levels, such as a refinancing or some kind of M&A. Shares have gained more than 50% since Bloomberg reported on the potential deal last month. A transaction could also offer a way out for creditors. The 2024 LME deal tightened iHeart’s debt documents, meaning all or most of its liabilities may need to be refinanced with a sale, Deutsche Bank High Yield research analyst Aaron Watts wrote in a note on April 29. iHeart’s 2030 bonds, which were trading at a discount of more than 20% to face value earlier this year, changed hands at about 95 cents on the dollar last week, according to Trace data. IHeart’s post-liability management indentures “carry more restrictive covenants than what Sirius XM is accustomed to, and call p...
Pakawadee Wongjinda/iStock via Getty Images Viking: Oral Obesity Pill Battle Is Remaking The Competition It was always going to be an uphill battle for Viking Therapeutics, Inc. ( VKTX ) to upstage the incumbents. The conundrum for the clinical-stage firm is that this battle royale appears to have entered the more grueling phase. Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) was the market leader in weight loss drugs. Tha...
Pakawadee Wongjinda/iStock via Getty Images Viking: Oral Obesity Pill Battle Is Remaking The Competition It was always going to be an uphill battle for Viking Therapeutics, Inc. ( VKTX ) to upstage the incumbents. The conundrum for the clinical-stage firm is that this battle royale appears to have entered the more grueling phase. Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) was the market leader in weight loss drugs. That multi-billion-dollar franchise that started its meteoric rise hasn't been eviscerated into ashes. It’s still expected to print $44.8B in revenue for 2026 (although it could represent a drop of >8% from 2025). Yet, that hasn’t stopped the market from devouring NVO stock, as it plunged 75% from its 2024 highs before the recent lows in April. For those of us who have followed closely on the duel between Eli Lilly ( LLY ) and Novo in the past few years, I guess the market has kind of determined that the current winner is Lilly. No question about it. Of course, we know that leadership in the weight loss space is also somewhat like musical chairs. Those who diversified their exposure between these two weight loss leaders will likely argue that they were fortunate that they did so. Those who concentrated their exposure in NVO and held on to their positions on the way down are likely lamenting their losses and nursing their wounds. Which also helps me segue nicely into today’s update on VKTX. Before that, just a quick reminder that I’ve been maintaining my bullish thesis on the stock for some time now. It doesn't indicate that I’m 100% convinced that Viking can make the giant leap from being an early-stage biotech company into a commercially successful one. Viking's Pipeline Progress Gains More Clarity Pipeline overview (VKTX) But I’ve also come to understand that the dual agonist approach seems promising. They have also moved constructively into late-stage studies. Plus, we should also take note that even Wall Street appears confident that these should result in $1.3B in sales b...
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