Earnings Call Insights: Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) Q4 2025 Management View Harry Sideris, President and CEO, opened by highlighting the response to recent winter storms, attributing the company’s resilience to grid-hardening investments, and announced 2025 earnings per share of $6.31, representing 7% growth over 2024. Sideris stated, "I'm proud to say we executed on all fronts. Our performance ...
Earnings Call Insights: Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) Q4 2025 Management View Harry Sideris, President and CEO, opened by highlighting the response to recent winter storms, attributing the company’s resilience to grid-hardening investments, and announced 2025 earnings per share of $6.31, representing 7% growth over 2024. Sideris stated, "I'm proud to say we executed on all fronts. Our performance reflects the strength of our regulated utilities, our teammates' unwavering focus on operational excellence and our commitment to generating sustainable shareholder and customer value." Sideris introduced 2026 earnings guidance of $6.55 to $6.80 and extended the 5% to 7% long-term EPS growth rate through 2030, maintaining a target to deliver in the top half of the range beginning in 2028 as load growth accelerates. He emphasized a $16 billion increase in the 5-year capital plan to $103 billion, calling it “the largest fully regulated capital plan in the industry, focused on critical energy infrastructure investments that strengthen the system and serve increasing load.” Sideris described the year’s accomplishments, including reported and adjusted earnings above guidance midpoint, two strategic transactions at premium valuations, and a strengthened credit profile. He noted, "Over the last 12 months, we worked with regulators and other stakeholders to recover and securitize nearly $3 billion of storm cost, which was key to achieving 14.8% FFO to debt in 2025." Sideris highlighted grid and generation expansion, such as the installation of a 100-megawatt battery storage system in North Carolina and groundbreaking on 5 gigawatts of new natural gas generation. He discussed future focus areas, including delivering value for customers, advancing construction on new generation, converting the economic development pipeline into firm projects, and building on constructive regulatory outcomes. He added, "In 2026, we'll also move forward through the process to combine our Carolinas util...
Earnings Call Insights: Masco Corporation (MAS) Q4 2025 Management View Jonathon Nudi, President and CEO, highlighted Masco's continued market leadership in the Plumbing Products segment, citing Delta Faucet’s recognition as The Home Depot Kitchen and Bath Partner of the Year and notable e-commerce market share gains. He also called out Hansgrohe's market share growth in Europe and Watkins Wellnes...
Earnings Call Insights: Masco Corporation (MAS) Q4 2025 Management View Jonathon Nudi, President and CEO, highlighted Masco's continued market leadership in the Plumbing Products segment, citing Delta Faucet’s recognition as The Home Depot Kitchen and Bath Partner of the Year and notable e-commerce market share gains. He also called out Hansgrohe's market share growth in Europe and Watkins Wellness' double-digit sales growth following the Sauna360 integration. Behr was rated #1 in interior and exterior paints and stains, and the company received multiple awards from The Home Depot. Nudi reported annual Pro sales of approximately $950 million and over 200 basis points of Pro paint market share growth since 2019, adding, "Our continued strategic alignment and partnership with The Home Depot led to our recognition as Supplier of the Year for the paint department in the United States and Canada and Interconnected Partner of the Year in Mexico." Nudi announced the integration of Liberty Hardware and Delta Faucet Company, stating this realignment will enhance Masco's consumer-driven strategy. He noted, "We began implementing various restructuring actions to a greater extent than in the past to further streamline our business, reduce headcount and optimize operations." Nudi introduced a new executive committee to "fully leverage our enterprise strengths, which will enable us to continue to deliver strong execution and accelerate growth moving forward." Richard Westenberg, CFO, stated, "Operating profit was $259 million in the quarter, and our margin was 14.4%. Operating profit was impacted by lower volume and higher tariff and commodity costs, partially offset by pricing actions and cost savings initiatives. Our EPS was $0.82 per share in the quarter." Outlook Masco expects 2026 sales to be flat to up low single digits, with operating margin targeted at approximately 17%. Plumbing segment sales are expected to be up low single digits with a margin of approximately 18%. Dec...
The next phase of the new Women’s Champions League format gets under way on Wednesday and Thursday, when the four playoff first legs take place. Arsenal and Manchester United are among eight teams vying to join Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, who automatically qualified for the quarter-finals as the top four in the league phase. As in the men’s competition, a switch from a group stage ...
The next phase of the new Women’s Champions League format gets under way on Wednesday and Thursday, when the four playoff first legs take place. Arsenal and Manchester United are among eight teams vying to join Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, who automatically qualified for the quarter-finals as the top four in the league phase. As in the men’s competition, a switch from a group stage to the league format has been made. However, with the UWCL group stage having been introduced only for the 2021-22 season, there was scepticism about a change coming so soon, with the group stage viewed as a big step forward and in its relative infancy. There are few surprises in the playoffs, given three of the four ties taking place this week and next bring together teams who met during the league phase, with four teams seeded and four teams unseeded for the draw, but the new format has yielded plenty of positives. Statistically, its success is clear, with Uefa data showing a 27% rise in the number of matches decided by a single goal and a 16% increase in the number featuring goals from both teams compared with the same stage last season. The win rate for the team who scored first is down from 88% to 61% and the lowest-ranked teams in the league phase took an average of 1.1 points a game compared with 0.6 last season. OH Leuven’s midfielder Julie Biesmans spoke of the significance of the format for lower-ranked sides. “For teams like us the new format is really interesting, because you play against different opponents, and mostly, when there is a group stage, you already kind of know who is going to finish first or second,” she said. “This [format] gave us a bigger chance to actually go through, and that’s what happened, even if we didn’t think about it, we didn’t dream about it.” The league phase went to the wire, with seven of the nine games in the final round having some form of jeopardy. The audience has grown, with cumulative live viewership reaching 13.5 million, a ...
The actor Noel Clarke has been arrested over an attempted rape, which allegedly took place in 2007. The former Doctor Who star is also facing allegations of exposure and sexual assault by touching. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said: “A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, exposure and sexual assault by touching on Tuesday 10 February. He was interviewed by dete...
The actor Noel Clarke has been arrested over an attempted rape, which allegedly took place in 2007. The former Doctor Who star is also facing allegations of exposure and sexual assault by touching. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said: “A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, exposure and sexual assault by touching on Tuesday 10 February. He was interviewed by detectives. “This arrest relates to a sexual offence, which is alleged to have taken place in 2007 in London against a woman in her 20s. “The man was also interviewed in relation to a voyeurism allegation, for which he was previously arrested in September 2025. This relates to an offence allegedly committed in 2013 at an address in London against a woman in her 20s. The man was bailed pending further inquiries and the Met’s investigation continues.” The inquiry is being led by the Met’s central specialist crime command. Detectives searched Clarke’s property in Kensington last September. Last year the Guardian successfully defended a defamation claim brought by Clarke after an investigation published in 2021. London-born Clarke rose to fame playing Mickey Smith in Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010. He made the series Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood and starred in the police drama Bulletproof.
Walmart Inc. signage during the company's listing at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Estee Lauder sued Walmart in California federal court over allegations the big-box retailer sold counterfeit beauty products on its website and didn't do enough to ensure only authorized and authentic merchandise was offered to consumers. Es...
Walmart Inc. signage during the company's listing at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Estee Lauder sued Walmart in California federal court over allegations the big-box retailer sold counterfeit beauty products on its website and didn't do enough to ensure only authorized and authentic merchandise was offered to consumers. Estee Lauder said it purchased, inspected or tested a number of products sold on Walmart.com that used the Le Labo, La Mer, Clinique, Aveda, Tom Ford and Estee Lauder trademarks but were determined to be fakes , according to the suit, filed Monday. The products include counterfeit versions of Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair serum, a Le Labo fragrance, a Clinique eye cream, a La Mer lotion, an Aveda hair brush and a Tom Ford fragrance. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards xemplars of the Estée Lauder Accused Products U.S. District Court Complaint It's unclear when Estee Lauder bought and tested the products but the suit comes several months after CNBC published an investigation into counterfeit beauty products and fraud on Walmart.com . Two of the counterfeit products cited in CNBC's investigation — Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum and Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream — were also mentioned in Estee Lauder's lawsuit. It's unclear if the products cited in the suit are the same counterfeits CNBC provided to Estee Lauder. Estee Lauder and Walmart didn't immediately return requests for comment. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Exemplars of the Clinique Accused Products U.S. District Court Complaint While the products were sold by third-party sellers on Walmart's online marketplace, Estee Lauder said the company played an active role in facilitating those sales to shoppers in its suit. The legacy beauty company called Walmart's conduct "extreme, outrageous, fraudulent … despicable and harmful." The counterfeit products were promoted and ...
Nearly half of The Washington Post's journalists were laid off as part of restructuring efforts announced by the news outlet last week, much higher than the one-third estimate expected by the industry. A Monday report by Washingtonian, citing WaPo's journalist union data, said the Jeff Bezos-owned news publication let go between 350 and 375 workers, adding that the move may have been "the biggest ...
Nearly half of The Washington Post's journalists were laid off as part of restructuring efforts announced by the news outlet last week, much higher than the one-third estimate expected by the industry. A Monday report by Washingtonian, citing WaPo's journalist union data, said the Jeff Bezos-owned news publication let go between 350 and 375 workers, adding that the move may have been "the biggest one-day wipeout of journalists in a generation." The Post had 790 journalists in its employ before the layoff was executed. At the high end of the new estimate, about 47.5% of the newsroom workforce was slashed. The cuts have completely wiped out WaPo's Sports, Books, and Staff Photography divisions and have heavily hurt the Metro unit and foreign bureaus, the report said, notably in South Korea, where a round-the-clock team of more than a dozen people has been impacted. More on Amazon Newsroom workforce to be hit in Washington Post's latest layoffs Amazon: I'm Buying Hand Over Fist At These Price Levels Amazon's Share Price Dip Overlooks The Long-Term Growth Opportunity (Rating Upgrade) Amazon: It's Time To Spin Off AWS Rising capex for the Mag 7 may be a catalyst for them to underperform the market – analyst Amazon said to pitch AI content marketplace to publishers
David Marcus, the former PayPal president, says the company has been mismanaged for too long and needs to be saved. “The company still has formidable assets, but I think there’s not a lot of time to actually fix whatever’s left there," he said on Bloomberg Crypto. (Source: Bloomberg)
David Marcus, the former PayPal president, says the company has been mismanaged for too long and needs to be saved. “The company still has formidable assets, but I think there’s not a lot of time to actually fix whatever’s left there," he said on Bloomberg Crypto. (Source: Bloomberg)
After years of U.S. dominance, international and emerging markets equities are outperforming the domestic market despite the strong narrative of a U.S.-led artificial intelligence revolution. Are these early innings of a broader regime shift? Or is it just a trade as investors get cold feet with the massive AI capital expenditures and corresponding return on investment on that spend, before U.S. e...
After years of U.S. dominance, international and emerging markets equities are outperforming the domestic market despite the strong narrative of a U.S.-led artificial intelligence revolution. Are these early innings of a broader regime shift? Or is it just a trade as investors get cold feet with the massive AI capital expenditures and corresponding return on investment on that spend, before U.S. equities power ahead once again as AI becomes our reality? Investors cite the onshoring, reshoring, protectionist policies of the Trump administration combined with better valuations in overseas equity that are driving this rotation. At Inside Edge Capital we do like to know the data — earnings and economic — behind our investment decisions, but we also consider ourselves "visual investors." Looking at the charts gives us insight into key macro rotations happening in real time as markets discount the unknown, unreported future data. That's a key distinction that you must keep in mind: Price changes you see today are not in reaction to data that is printed today. Today's price changes are the markets discounting expected data six, nine, 12 and even 18 months from now. Let's get into the maps and try to answer the question of whether this is a regime shift or an overreaction to AI cold feet. This is the monthly closing chart of the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) . You'll see EEM has rallied sharply since 2023 by about 78%, but there is precedent with a prior 83% and 85% rally is about as far as it'll go, suggesting there is resistance at around $65 in the chart — last price of $60.66. For your reference I've included the sector and country weights in the graphic. Notice that Asia-Pacific is about 75% of the weighting. Now we're going to look at "ratio charts." Instead of looking at one security by itself, we're going to divide one security into another one to see a ratio chart. It's a quick way to see relative performance of one security versus another. If the chart o...
CalypsoArt/iStock via Getty Images Hedge funds aggressively ramped up record-breaking short positions on U.S. stocks last week, the highest since 2016 per Goldman Sachs data, amid AI disruption fears and four straight weeks of heavy net equity selling, echoing April's Liberation Day pace. In light of this, below is a list of the top 10 bullish small-cap stocks with high short interest, ranked acco...
CalypsoArt/iStock via Getty Images Hedge funds aggressively ramped up record-breaking short positions on U.S. stocks last week, the highest since 2016 per Goldman Sachs data, amid AI disruption fears and four straight weeks of heavy net equity selling, echoing April's Liberation Day pace. In light of this, below is a list of the top 10 bullish small-cap stocks with high short interest, ranked according to Seeking Alpha’s Quant Ratings. The list includes companies with short interest levels ranging from approximately 16% to over 39%, spanning sectors such as apparel retail, oil and gas refining, consumer finance, and biotechnology. Designer Brands ( DBI ) and Green Plains ( GPRE ) top the list with near-perfect Quant Ratings of 4.94 and 4.92, respectively. EZCORP ( EZPW ) and Sally Beauty Holdings ( SBH ) follow closely behind, while Nektar Therapeutics ( NKTR ) rounds out the top five with a rating of 4.63. The biotechnology sector is well represented, with AnaptysBio ( ANAB ), Esperion Therapeutics ( ESPR ), KalVista Pharmaceuticals ( KALV ), Rigel Pharmaceuticals ( RIGL ), and Iovance Biotherapeutics ( IOVA ) all appearing on the list. Seeking Alpha’s Quant Ratings grade stocks based on their relative performance on critical quantitative measures, including valuation, growth, stock momentum, and profitability. Ratings are given on a scale from 1 to 5, with any rating of 3.5 or above considered a bullish rating and any rating of 2.5 or below considered bearish. Here is the list: Designer Brands ( DBI ), Quant Rating: 4.94 Green Plains ( GPRE ), Quant Rating: 4.92 EZCORP ( EZPW ), Quant Rating: 4.87 Sally Beauty Holdings ( SBH ), Quant Rating: 4.80 Nektar Therapeutics ( NKTR ), Quant Rating: 4.63 AnaptysBio ( ANAB ), Quant Rating: 4.57 Esperion Therapeutics ( ESPR ), Quant Rating: 4.50 KalVista Pharmaceuticals ( KALV ), Quant Rating: 4.12 Rigel Pharmaceuticals ( RIGL ), Quant Rating: 4.06 Iovance Biotherapeutics ( IOVA ), Quant Rating: 3.84 More on small caps Sally ...
MarioGuti/iStock via Getty Images Victoria's Secret ( VSCO ) longtime owner Les Wexner is back in the spotlight after internal FBI and DOJ records from 2019 that were released as part of the Epstein files list him as a "co‑conspirator" or "secondary co‑conspirator" in the sex‑trafficking investigation. Some documents released also state there was “limited evidence” of Wexner's involvement, and it ...
MarioGuti/iStock via Getty Images Victoria's Secret ( VSCO ) longtime owner Les Wexner is back in the spotlight after internal FBI and DOJ records from 2019 that were released as part of the Epstein files list him as a "co‑conspirator" or "secondary co‑conspirator" in the sex‑trafficking investigation. Some documents released also state there was “limited evidence” of Wexner's involvement, and it does not appear he was treated as a formal target. Looking back, Les Wexner bought Victoria's Secret ( VSCO ) in 1982 from founder Roy Raymond for about $1M when it had five stores, a catalog, and modest but troubled finances. Having already built The Limited into a successful women’s apparel chain, Wexner saw lingerie as a natural adjacency aimed at the same young female customer. After the acquisition, he quickly transformed Victoria's Secret ( VSCO ) into a mass, mall‑based lingerie brand designed primarily around how women themselves shopped and wanted to feel. Stores were redesigned with polished decor and a more coherent product assortment, while the catalog and later TV campaigns promoted a glamorous image. The chain eventually expanded to around 1,000 stores as it captured an estimated one‑third of the U.S. intimate‑apparel market. Wexner leaned into supermodels and spectacle, launching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 1995, which helped turn the brand into a pop-culture fixture. Wexner employed Jeffrey Epstein as a close adviser, and Epstein’s use of his perceived access to Victoria's Secret ( VSCO ) models became part of the reputational damage surrounding the scandal. Wexner’s era effectively ended with his resignation as L Brands CEO and chairman in 2020. More on Victoria’s Secret Victoria's Secret: Earnings Quality Has Significantly Improved Victoria's Secret: A Glamorous Comeback In The Making - Hold Victoria's Secret: The Brand Is Regaining Momentum Trump bought bonds worth $51M since November Gap, Victoria's Secret, and Urban Outfitters set up for succe...
AI is delivering impressive business results for these two giants. Artificial intelligence remains a hot investment area in 2026, but it's also a volatile sector. For example, Wall Street was disappointed in the latest earnings reports from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 0.79%) and Alphabet (GOOGL 1.47%)(GOOG 1.51%), contributing to a share price drop for both. This volatility creates opportunities f...
AI is delivering impressive business results for these two giants. Artificial intelligence remains a hot investment area in 2026, but it's also a volatile sector. For example, Wall Street was disappointed in the latest earnings reports from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 0.79%) and Alphabet (GOOGL 1.47%)(GOOG 1.51%), contributing to a share price drop for both. This volatility creates opportunities for the astute long-term investor. Now is the time to scoop up shares in AMD and Alphabet. After all, one earnings report does not define how these companies will perform over the long run. But is one a better long-term investment in AI? To answer that question, let's dive into where they stand currently. A look into AMD AMD wrapped up 2025 on a strong note. Revenue in its fiscal fourth quarter, ended Dec. 27, was a record $10.3 billion. Each of its divisions, from data centers to gaming, experienced year-over-year Q4 sales growth. AMD's excellent results were thanks to the fast-growing artificial intelligence market. Customers are rushing to buy the company's products to build the computing power needed for AI. This demand is expected to continue. AMD forecasted fiscal Q1 revenue of about $9.8 billion, representing 32% growth from the prior year's $7.4 billion, which was record first quarter revenue at the time. That prediction was not enough for Wall Street's sky-high expectations, leading to AMD's share price drop. Expand NASDAQ : AMD Advanced Micro Devices Today's Change ( -0.79 %) $ -1.70 Current Price $ 214.30 Key Data Points Market Cap $352B Day's Range $ 213.80 - $ 219.37 52wk Range $ 76.48 - $ 267.08 Volume 721K Avg Vol 40M Gross Margin 45.99 % How Alphabet is faring Alphabet also delivered a strong performance. Its Q4 sales soared 18% year over year to $113.8 billion. This enabled Alphabet's 2025 revenue to exceed $400 billion for the first time. Its ubiquitous Google search engine was a key contributor here as the division's Q4 sales reached $63.1 billion, up from...