Brian Logan/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction The last time I covered Colgate-Palmolive ( CL ), I reiterated their Buy rating despite the stock jumping since initiating coverage, highlighted the beginning of their new 5-year plan, strong earnings with record cash flow and solid guidance, with the valuation still offering a solid margin of safety. After an overall solid start to 2026 a...
Brian Logan/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction The last time I covered Colgate-Palmolive ( CL ), I reiterated their Buy rating despite the stock jumping since initiating coverage, highlighted the beginning of their new 5-year plan, strong earnings with record cash flow and solid guidance, with the valuation still offering a solid margin of safety. After an overall solid start to 2026 and the valuation adjusting to the new risks rising from the Iran conflict, CL remains a Buy, backed by a strong business that’s also a Dividend King whose yield got more attractive following the stock’s decline and their recent hike. Solid Start to 2026 Colgate-Palmolive IR CL reported an overall good Q1, beating the market’s top- and bottom-line estimates by a bit, with an 8.4% increase in net sales, or 2.9% organic, including a 0.6% headwind from lower private label pet food sales as they exited that business, as well as a 28% increase in FCF ($0.6 billion in Q1 after a record ~$3.63 billion in 2025), advancing on their long-term targets under the 2030 plan and navigating the currently tough environment well. The quarter was marked by double-digit growth rates in net sales in LATAM and EMEA (14.8% and 11.9%, respectively), as well as 8.9% growth in Asia Pacific and 6.7% for Hill's Pet Nutrition, with North America being down only 1.8%, although 5.1% of the 8.4% total increase came from positive FX effects, 2.2% from pricing, and only 1.1% from volumes, which is not that bad in this environment. For 2026, CL maintained its sales growth expectations of 2% to 6% (1% to 4% organic) alongside low- to mid-single-digit growth in EPS, while expecting their gross profit margin would fall compared to the previously expected growth due to higher material costs, while expecting CAPEX to reach about 3% of net sales. Colgate-Palmolive IR Financially, based on CL’s latest report , we can see an overall solid position, with current assets covering the current liabilities and a good amoun...
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Tencent today jointly launched "Beyond the Screen: Healthy Digital Play", a new digital wellbeing campaign that encourages healthy digital habits by bringing families into the conversation and strengthening real-world connection through healthy gameplay.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Tencent today jointly launched "Beyond the Screen: Healthy Digital Play", a new digital wellbeing campaign that encourages healthy digital habits by bringing families into the conversation and strengthening real-world connection through healthy gameplay.
Miladin Pusicic/iStock via Getty Images Overview 2026 was off to a rough start, with market indices experiencing volatility. While income funds can be an efficient hedge against periods of uncertainty, growing concerns across the debt markets also caused high-quality funds to suffer. Unfortunately, the High Income Securities Fund ( PCF ) was no exception to this. I issued a hold rating at the time...
Miladin Pusicic/iStock via Getty Images Overview 2026 was off to a rough start, with market indices experiencing volatility. While income funds can be an efficient hedge against periods of uncertainty, growing concerns across the debt markets also caused high-quality funds to suffer. Unfortunately, the High Income Securities Fund ( PCF ) was no exception to this. I issued a hold rating at the time of my last coverage, and since then, PCF's share price has declined, and the fund continues to underperform against the S&P 500. However, PCF has released updated reporting that provides us with some transparency into its earnings. Therefore, I wanted to revisit the fund's performance, outlook, and dividend coverage for the remainder of the year. When I previously covered PCF, the fund traded at a discount to NAV of 11.2%. Following the fund's pullback in share price, PCF now trades at a slightly larger discount to NAV of 12.63%. Referring to the red line on the graph below, we can see that PCF now trades at the more attractive end of its historical price-to-NAV range. For instance, the fund has traded at an average discount to NAV of 6.54% over the last three-year period. However, I believe that this growing discount to NAV valuation is a direct reflection of the challenges that the fund is currently facing at this time. CEF Data PCF now offers investors a starting dividend yield of 12.1% while issuing those payouts on a monthly basis. However, I am cautious about the overall sustainability of its distributions going forward. The fund has struggled to generate sufficient net investment income, and its reliance on net realized gains is a vulnerability during this period of elevated interest rates. If defaults become an issue across the debt markets, PCF's earnings and NAV can continue to decline. Therefore, I believe that investors should consider the tradeoff between the high yield and the risk of capital erosion over the next twelve months. Fund Strategy PCF now has tota...
You'll probably agree that Warren Buffett is one of the world's very best stock pickers; Berkshire Hathaway 's long-term track record says as much. You may even borrow the occasional Buffett pick for your own portfolio, in fact. Did you know, however, that the Oracle of Omaha wishes most of you wouldn't do that? He would much rather you do something far simpler. He recommends a buy-and-hold strate...
You'll probably agree that Warren Buffett is one of the world's very best stock pickers; Berkshire Hathaway 's long-term track record says as much. You may even borrow the occasional Buffett pick for your own portfolio, in fact. Did you know, however, that the Oracle of Omaha wishes most of you wouldn't do that? He would much rather you do something far simpler. He recommends a buy-and-hold strategy, starting with a single exchange-traded fund (ETF) that mirrors the performance of the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) . The legendary selector of stocks reiterated it most recently at 2020's annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders, where he said that for most people, the best thing to do is to own an S&P 500 index fund, like the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY) or the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) . He has regularly preached the benefits of this simple, passive approach to investing ever since 1993's letter to shareholders in which he said that by periodically investing in an index fund, the know-nothing investor can actually outperform most investment professionals. Continue reading
The Procure Space ETF (NYSEARCA:UFO) was built to give investors a single ticket to a fragmented industry: rocket builders, satellite operators, ground-segment vendors, and direct-to-device communications upstarts that rarely fit cleanly into a sector ETF. The prospectus is direct about the design, requiring at least 80% of index weight in companies that derive a majority ... UFO ETF Faces a Criti...
The Procure Space ETF (NYSEARCA:UFO) was built to give investors a single ticket to a fragmented industry: rocket builders, satellite operators, ground-segment vendors, and direct-to-device communications upstarts that rarely fit cleanly into a sector ETF. The prospectus is direct about the design, requiring at least 80% of index weight in companies that derive a majority ... UFO ETF Faces a Critical Test: Can Pre-Profit Space Stocks Deliver on $1.85B Backlog
Soldiers from the US Army in a simulated village during the Combined Resolve "Greywolves" exercise at the US military Hohenfels Training Area in Hohenfels, Germany, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images A planned drawdown of U.S. troops from Germany should spur Europeans to strengthen their own defences further, German...
Soldiers from the US Army in a simulated village during the Combined Resolve "Greywolves" exercise at the US military Hohenfels Training Area in Hohenfels, Germany, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images A planned drawdown of U.S. troops from Germany should spur Europeans to strengthen their own defences further, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, following the latest salvo from Washington against transatlantic ties. The Pentagon announced on Friday that the United States would withdraw 5,000 soldiers from Germany, its largest European base, as a rift over the Iran war and tariff tensions place further strain on relations between the U.S. and Europe. Pistorius said the move was expected. Trump had threatened a drawdown in forces earlier this week after sparring with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has questioned Washington's strategy in the Middle East. Germany boosting troops, military infrastructure Pistorius said the partial withdrawal would affect a current U.S. presence of almost 40,000 soldiers stationed in Germany. Other estimates put the active-duty troop presence at 35,000. "We Europeans must take on more responsibility for our own security," Pistorius said, adding, "Germany is on the right track" by expanding its armed forces, speeding up military procurement and building infrastructure. Germany wants to boost the number of active-duty Bundeswehr soldiers from a current 185,000 to 260,000, though critics of the defence minister have called for more in response to a widely perceived growing threat from Russia. NATO members have pledged to take on more responsibility for their own defence but with tight budgets and vast gaps in military capability it will take years for the region to meet its own security needs. Long-range fire battalion cancelled The U.S. military presence in Germany, which began as an occupation force after World War Two, peaked duri...
PM worried about ‘cumulative’ effect of marches, as Met chief says Jewish communities facing biggest threat Some pro-Palestinian demonstrations could be stopped, the prime minister has warned, as the UK’s most senior police officer said the threat to the Jewish community was greater than it has ever been. Keir Starmer indicated he wanted the language expressed on some protest marches to be subjec...
PM worried about ‘cumulative’ effect of marches, as Met chief says Jewish communities facing biggest threat Some pro-Palestinian demonstrations could be stopped, the prime minister has warned, as the UK’s most senior police officer said the threat to the Jewish community was greater than it has ever been. Keir Starmer indicated he wanted the language expressed on some protest marches to be subjected to “tougher action” as he sought to allay the fears of British Jews after a series of attacks on their communities in recent weeks. Continue reading...
Updates from day two of the latest Championship games Sign up for the Spin | Mail Tanya or comment BTL Surrey stepped up security at the Oval following the knife attack at Golders Green as off-field decisions took the headlines on day one of round five of the County Championship . In a statement, the club said: “Surrey are in communication with the Met police and will adjust our own security measu...
Updates from day two of the latest Championship games Sign up for the Spin | Mail Tanya or comment BTL Surrey stepped up security at the Oval following the knife attack at Golders Green as off-field decisions took the headlines on day one of round five of the County Championship . In a statement, the club said: “Surrey are in communication with the Met police and will adjust our own security measures in line with the increased threat level. We want to ensure that all staff, spectators and players feel safe and secure.” Continue reading...