Alexey_Fedoren/iStock via Getty Images Introduction I’m not breaking any news when I say we spend a lot of time discussing ‘Big Picture’ investment ideas on a very frequent basis. In recent weeks, we’ve been doing it almost daily. That’s because my entire strategy is built on a top-down approach, where I first assess in what areas I want to invest before I start to look for the best opportunities ...
Alexey_Fedoren/iStock via Getty Images Introduction I’m not breaking any news when I say we spend a lot of time discussing ‘Big Picture’ investment ideas on a very frequent basis. In recent weeks, we’ve been doing it almost daily. That’s because my entire strategy is built on a top-down approach, where I first assess in what areas I want to invest before I start to look for the best opportunities in those areas. For example, in recent years, I have avoided the consumer (more or less) and piled into energy, as I’m somewhat bearish on one group and very bullish on the other. As a result, I avoided stocks like NIKE ( NKE ) that may be among the best consumer stocks (because I dislike the consumer space) and bought stocks like Canadian Natural Resources ( CNQ ), which I consider one of the best oil producers on the planet. By the way, it yields more than 5.0% and has hiked its dividend for 25 consecutive years with a CAGR of more than 20.0%. If you’re in the market for energy income (and growth!), CNQ may be right for you. Anyway, my point is that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of all the ideas, especially when it comes to actionable ideas. That’s where this article comes in. I have to say that this wasn’t an article I planned far in advance, as I came across a note from Apollo Global Management. Its Chief Economist, Torsten Slok, made a terrific list of economic growth tailwinds that do not rely on cyclical factors. He even made the case that overheating is a risk, which I agree with in light of the rebound in cyclical indicators like the ISM Index. Here’s what he wrote : The problems in software will not become a macro problem because the underlying US economy is about to take off. There are three strong tailwinds to growth over the coming quarters: 1. Many financings for data centers have already been committed for 2026. 2. There is strong political support for bringing back production facilities for semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and defense. 3. Fiscal policy is...
Robert Way/iStock Editorial via Getty Images In the world of dividend growth investing, it can be easy to get tunnel vision. Many focus on the established dividend stars of the present - the companies with decades of dividend growth to their credit. However, this narrow focus can cause one to miss out on the great dividend growth stories of tomorrow. This brings me to my topic of today, which is M...
Robert Way/iStock Editorial via Getty Images In the world of dividend growth investing, it can be easy to get tunnel vision. Many focus on the established dividend stars of the present - the companies with decades of dividend growth to their credit. However, this narrow focus can cause one to miss out on the great dividend growth stories of tomorrow. This brings me to my topic of today, which is Meta Platforms ( META ). When I last covered it with a "Buy" rating in March , its phenomenal growth prospects were a major positive. The company's AA-rated balance sheet was another selling point. Closing the deal on my buy case was the fact that shares looked to be a solid value. Eleven months later, my original investment thesis that Meta will be a standout in the dividend growth universe hasn't changed. Accordingly, I'm reaffirming my "Buy" rating. Meta is undoubtedly leaning heavily into capex investments in 2026, ramping up spending to a forecast of between $115 billion and $135 billion. There are perfectly valid reasons for the company to do so, though. These include ad efficiency gains, improved engagement, and an uptick in engineer output in 2025. Even with this spending plan, Meta has plenty of breathing room to maintain its AA- S&P credit rating with a stable outlook. Shares are also incrementally more undervalued now than they were last March. Meta Proved Itself Again to Close Out 2025 Meta Q4 2025 Earnings Presentation On Jan. 28, Meta released its earnings report for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025. The company's total revenue climbed 23.8% higher year-over-year to $59.9 billion during the quarter. That exceeded the Seeking Alpha analyst consensus in the quarter by $1.4 billion . What factors played into Meta's spectacular topline growth to conclude 2025? Just like past articles, the answer is a combination of investments producing results and the network effect. Meta's Family of Apps now reaches nearly 3.6 billion daily active people, which is up about ...
Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities in overnight attacks, officials reported on Thursday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was “hesitating” about another round of US-brokered talks on stopping the fighting. Washington has proposed further negotiations next week between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Miami or Abu Dhabi, in the Uni...
Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities in overnight attacks, officials reported on Thursday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was “hesitating” about another round of US-brokered talks on stopping the fighting. Washington has proposed further negotiations next week between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Miami or Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, which was the location of the last meeting, Zelensky said late on...
Vladislav Stepanov/iStock via Getty Images I have covered Lattice Semiconductor ( LSCC ) only once before and it was a 'Hold' rating more than two years ago . Despite being a semiconductor company, LSCC did not capitalize on the AI frenzy so far compared to various other semiconductor players. Its share price grew by approximately 10% since my September 2023 coverage while the broader market ralli...
Vladislav Stepanov/iStock via Getty Images I have covered Lattice Semiconductor ( LSCC ) only once before and it was a 'Hold' rating more than two years ago . Despite being a semiconductor company, LSCC did not capitalize on the AI frenzy so far compared to various other semiconductor players. Its share price grew by approximately 10% since my September 2023 coverage while the broader market rallied by more than 50% over the same period. The main reason is that LSCC's revenue actually stagnated between FY2022 and FY2025 due to the limited data center exposure in the past as the company mostly focused on automotive solutions, and this end market has been struggling due to high interest rates since 2022. However, the company is making an impressive comeback as it is expanding its data center exposure because new products demonstrate impressive growth and a quite promising outlook. The stock is up by 80% over the last 12 months and is rallying further in 2026 with 44% added to the share price YTD. I think it is a good opportunity to capitalize on LSCC impressive growth momentum after the fresh Q4 earnings release, and I upgrade it to "Buy". Recent developments The company released its Q4 FY2025 earnings just a few days ago, on February 10. The stock surged by 16% after earnings despite the fact that it is very difficult to call Q4 earnings stellar if we look just at the company's actual headline numbers against consensus estimates. Actual Q4 revenue was just above consensus while there was no EPS surprise at all. Seeking Alpha However, the post-earnings optimism becomes very fair and reasonable if we zoom in and look beyond just comparing actual results against consensus. First and foremost is the YoY revenue and EPS dynamic. LSCC delivered a 24% YoY revenue increase after several quarters of topline stagnation. Last time LSCC delivered a 20%+ YoY revenue growth was in Q1 FY2023 . Furthermore, the company's YoY EPS growth was also impressive, as the bottom line more th...
Brunswick ( BC ) declared $0.44/share quarterly dividend , 2.3% increase from prior dividend of $0.43. Forward yield 2.03% Payable March 13; for shareholders of record Feb. 23; ex-div Feb. 23. See BC Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Brunswick Brunswick: Economic Woes Justify Caution (Downgrade) Brunswick: Fundamentals Are Getting Better, But Expectations Have Gone Up Bru...
Brunswick ( BC ) declared $0.44/share quarterly dividend , 2.3% increase from prior dividend of $0.43. Forward yield 2.03% Payable March 13; for shareholders of record Feb. 23; ex-div Feb. 23. See BC Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Brunswick Brunswick: Economic Woes Justify Caution (Downgrade) Brunswick: Fundamentals Are Getting Better, But Expectations Have Gone Up Brunswick: There's Upside From A Volatile Recovery (Rating Upgrade) Bottom 10 mid-cap stocks with lowest dividend safety grade Brunswick anticipates $5.6B–$5.8B revenue and $3.80–$4.40 EPS in 2026 as market conditions stabilize
WinnieVinzence While the S&P 500 ( SPY ) ( IVV ) ( VOO ) has failed to gain much traction this year, a rotation away from the names that led 2025 has helped less trendy stocks. Societe Generale strategist Manish Kabra points to machinery stocks as a prime example, "hitting new highs and nearing all‑time relative peaks." The S&P 500 Machinery Index ( SP500-201060 ) is up more than 20% year to date....
WinnieVinzence While the S&P 500 ( SPY ) ( IVV ) ( VOO ) has failed to gain much traction this year, a rotation away from the names that led 2025 has helped less trendy stocks. Societe Generale strategist Manish Kabra points to machinery stocks as a prime example, "hitting new highs and nearing all‑time relative peaks." The S&P 500 Machinery Index ( SP500-201060 ) is up more than 20% year to date. Here are the index components, with overall Quant Rating: Cummins ( CMI ), 4.31 Nordson ( NDSN ), 4.22 PACCAR ( PCAR ), 4.00 Caterpillar ( CAT ), 3.44 Parker-Hannifin ( PH ), 3.42 Fortive ( FTV ), 3.21 Dover ( DOV ), 3.15 Wabtec Corporation ( WAB ), 3.13 Illinois Tool Works ( ITW ), 3.02 Stanley Black & Decker ( SWK ), 2.97 Deere & Company ( DE ), 2.96 Ingersoll Rand ( IR ), 2.84 IDEX ( IEX ), 2.76 Xylem ( XYL ), 2.69 Snap-on ( SNA ), 2.68 Pentair ( PNR ), 1.96 Seeking Alpha More on State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF, S&P 500 Machinery Index The Industrial Economy Is Giving A False Sense Of Security Where To Find Outperformance In 2026 My S&P 500 Prediction On Sector Outperformers And Laggards In 2026 Top small-cap industrial stocks surging above 200-Day moving average AI investments are showing up in economic data, benefiting utilities and industrials – strategist
With after-tax profits surging by close to 50% year-over-year, AstraZeneca emerges as a potential winner among healthcare names reporting earnings this month.
With after-tax profits surging by close to 50% year-over-year, AstraZeneca emerges as a potential winner among healthcare names reporting earnings this month.
Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha , iTunes , Spotify . Getty Images Good morning! Here's the latest in trending: Jobs report: There's a lot of discussion going on after non-farm payrolls shock to the upside . See expectations about rate cuts and the SA analyst reaction roundup . All about energy: The Trump administration is s...
Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha , iTunes , Spotify . Getty Images Good morning! Here's the latest in trending: Jobs report: There's a lot of discussion going on after non-farm payrolls shock to the upside . See expectations about rate cuts and the SA analyst reaction roundup . All about energy: The Trump administration is seeking to boost coal with new contracts , while appealing court losses on offshore wind rulings . Drone sightings: The U.S. Army deployed AeroVironment's ( AVAV ) LOCUST laser weapon system near the El Paso International Airport, leading to a seven-hour airspace shutdown. Navigating the shift Believers in the SaaSpocalypse claimed their latest casualty on Wednesday, sending shares of real estate services deep into the red. Names like CBRE Group ( CBRE ), Jones Lang LaSalle ( JLL ), and Cushman & Wakefield ( CWK ) all tanked by more than 12% , marking their biggest daily drop since the COVID pandemic. Whether the sudden selloff will last remains to be seen, but the pace of the AI rollout and sharp shift in sentiment continue to surprise many on Wall Street. We’re entering a ‘very violent technology cycle’ driven by AI Snapshot: The Software-as-a-Service industry, or SaaS stocks, have been under pressure since the beginning of the year, but there's a growing list of sub-sectors that are getting punished. Last week, Anthropic released Claude Cowork , which automates professional workflows in the legal and financial sectors, leading to plunges in shares like LegalZoom ( LZ ) and QuickBooks provider Intuit ( INTU ). Earlier this week, wealth manager stocks got slammed following the release of Altruist's tax planning tool called Hazel, leading to declines for LPL Financial ( LPLA ), Charles Schwab ( SCHW ), Ameriprise ( AMP ), and Raymond James ( RJF ). The theme here is disruption, with these high-fee businesses considered vulnerable to new AI tools and automation. It could ulti...
shaunl/E+ via Getty Images The Thesis Entering into FY26, the American bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corporation ( BLBD ) experienced volume weakness with lower EV unit sales during Q1 versus the prior year. However, it reported upbeat results for the quarter, reporting decent margins and bottom-line expansion. While pricing might continue to provide support to the revenue, I think modest volume grow...
shaunl/E+ via Getty Images The Thesis Entering into FY26, the American bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corporation ( BLBD ) experienced volume weakness with lower EV unit sales during Q1 versus the prior year. However, it reported upbeat results for the quarter, reporting decent margins and bottom-line expansion. While pricing might continue to provide support to the revenue, I think modest volume growth expectations should keep overall topline growth under pressure in the short term. For margins, however, I believe strong pricing and efficiency improvement should be key growth drivers through FY26. The stock has been nearly flat since my last buy rating a few months back. While BLBD continues to execute well, its demand remains largely dependent on funding cycles, which remain a key factor for volume growth in the short term. I believe margin strength alone is unlikely to support sustained upside in the short term due to modest volume growth expectations. Therefore, I think it is better to stay on the sidelines for now despite an inexpensive valuation multiple. BLBD’s Q1 FY26 Highlights Earlier this month, BLBD reported its first quarter results for FY26. Moving into FY26, BLBD saw nearly flat volume growth, as it sold just 2,135 buses during the quarter versus 2,130 in the same quarter a year ago, with a decline in EV units share to 121 from 132 a year ago. Volume Units (BLBD Q1 FY26 Presentation) However, with the recent increase in bus prices, average bus revenue per unit jumped nearly $9,000 or 6.5% , to $144,000 as compared to last year. As a result, the company saw a growth of approximately 6.1% year on year across its topline to $333.1 million in Q1 FY26. BLBD Quarterly revenue (Research Wise) Although volumes were weak, higher pricing supported the company’s overall profitability as its gross margin remained strong. This, along with gains from better manufacturing efficiency, resulted in a 40 bps increase in the company’s adjusted EBITDA margin to 15% during the...