Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal! AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous. Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink. Wall Street is p...
Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal! AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous. Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink. Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking: Where will all of that energy come from? AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse. Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning: “The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.” Elon Musk was even more blunt: “AI will run out of electricity by next year.” As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity. And that’s where the real opportunity lies… One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike. As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity. The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets , positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy. , positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy. It’s one of the only global companies capable ...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction For whatever reason, I’ve never covered British American Tobacco ( BTI ) despite being long the stock since 2021. In fact, I used to hold both Altria ( MO ) and BTI but decided to rid myself of the first because I found the prospects for BTI more interesting from a total return’s perspective. Having said that, however, this stock has appreciate...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction For whatever reason, I’ve never covered British American Tobacco ( BTI ) despite being long the stock since 2021. In fact, I used to hold both Altria ( MO ) and BTI but decided to rid myself of the first because I found the prospects for BTI more interesting from a total return’s perspective. Having said that, however, this stock has appreciated a lot since it bottomed during the late spring of 2024, having reached a share price not seen since 2018. Most investors are probably asking themselves whether this is a stock worth holding onto, so let’s have a closer look. What better time to have a closer look than just before the company announced its FY2025 results, which take place Thursday 12 th . Where This Company Came From And Where It's Heading It’s very easy to simply observe the share having appreciated and conclude it’s time to get out, as we’re at levels uncharted for almost a decade. As with many other companies, there is a before and after. In this instance, this is connected to the market staring into a negative growth vs. positive growth scenario. Up until recently, BTI, same as its peers, was reporting headline numbers barely or slightly below inflation levels as volumes ate a couple of percentage off the top, while increased prices saved the day in order to produce slightly negative to slightly positive growth plateau when averaged over a handful of years. In the instance of BTI, this should also be observed from an FX-neutral standpoint, as the company reports in British pound, meaning there is significant exposure associated with the USD. However, something changed that facilitated the upward share price explosion, which is the profitable growth within what these companies refer to as their modern portfolio of products, which includes modern oral, heated products and vapour. This trend reversal provides a number of positives beyond just a renewed headline expansion, as it drives a reversal in margin...
OLEKSII KRIACHKO/iStock via Getty Images Universal Corporation ( UVV ) is a provider of leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients to businesses globally. I started covering the company back in July 2022 with an initial buy rating, and I maintained this rating ever since. In my latest article , I highlighted the firm's fundamentals, particularly its sales figures and its attractive dividends as key ...
OLEKSII KRIACHKO/iStock via Getty Images Universal Corporation ( UVV ) is a provider of leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients to businesses globally. I started covering the company back in July 2022 with an initial buy rating, and I maintained this rating ever since. In my latest article , I highlighted the firm's fundamentals, particularly its sales figures and its attractive dividends as key pillars to my investment thesis. Analysis history (Author) While the company's stock performed relatively well since my last article, after the latest earnings announcement the stock price sharply fell, as the company missed analyst estimates both top- and bottomline. The aim of my article today is to see, if the results are really as bad as they first seem and whether the sharp price decline is warranted or not. On top of the most recent results, I will be also focusing on valuation, as well as on the macroeconomic landscape. Earnings For the most recent quarter, revenue came in at $861.3 million, representing an 8% decline compared to the same period in the prior year. The primary driver of the decline was the tobacco operations segment, which represents roughly 90% of the total revenue. Tobacco operations revenue fell from $853.9 million to $779.9 million. The much smaller ingredients operations segment also shrank as revenues fell to $81.3 million, representing a decline of 2.5% year-over-year. Income statement (Universal) While these figures are worrying, the question is, is the decline really as bad as it seems first? On one hand, it is definitely worrying that the sales volume was down, while price and mix were also unfavourable. These were mainly the result of a transition from and undersupply to an oversupply environment. On the other hand, Q4 in the prior year was an exceptionally strong quarter. If we look at a longer period trend, we can see that the results of the most recent quarter actually fit well into a multi year seasonality trend and does not represent o...
Canadian School Shooter Reportedly Identified As Transgender Ten people including the shooter are dead after an assailant opened fire at a high school in western Canada in the town of Tumbler Ridge on Tuesday in one of the country's deadliest mass casualty events in recent history. Initial reports by local police and the Canadian media described the shooter as female. However, the authorities r...
Canadian School Shooter Reportedly Identified As Transgender Ten people including the shooter are dead after an assailant opened fire at a high school in western Canada in the town of Tumbler Ridge on Tuesday in one of the country's deadliest mass casualty events in recent history. Initial reports by local police and the Canadian media described the shooter as female. However, the authorities reluctance to release the identity of the suspect was an immediate red flag. Their reports only indicated that the shooter was a female in a dress . Independent journalists now say they have the identity of the alleged shooter, corroborated by family members: Jesse Strang, a 17-year-old biological male who started identifying as a "woman" in 2023, is reportedly the culprit behind the school massacre which left 10 dead and 25 wounded. In an exclusive interview with "Juno News" Jesse Strang's uncle, Russel G. Strang, confirms that Jesse was the shooter and that he identified as transgender. Strang's social media and YouTube accounts contain transgender symbolism as well as the online name "JessJessUwU" (a meme phrase that people may recognize from the bullet casings tied to the gay suspect charged in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson). 🇨🇦 A transgender teenager has killed 10 and injured 25 in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. Jesse Strang, 17, began to identify as a woman in 2023. Six victims were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and another died on the way to the hospital. Two more… pic.twitter.com/w4fM4fVRDk — Europa.com (@europa) February 11, 2026 Locals in Tumbler Ridge also confirmed the shooter's identity as Jesse Strang, as reported by the Western Standard , though his transgender status is not mentioned. Before heading to the school, Strang allegedly murdered his mother and younger brother, both of whom were well known in the community. The fact that Canadian authorities incorrectly asserted that the shooter was "female" led to in...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images VONV - A Value Trap? The Vanguard Russell 1000 Value Index Fund ETF ( VONV ) is a passively managed exchange-traded fund (also known as an ETF) that invests in U.S. large-cap stocks to construct an equity portfolio that looks at multiple value factors. When analyzing this ETF, it's clear that the fund has underperformed and holds too many stocks that look good...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images VONV - A Value Trap? The Vanguard Russell 1000 Value Index Fund ETF ( VONV ) is a passively managed exchange-traded fund (also known as an ETF) that invests in U.S. large-cap stocks to construct an equity portfolio that looks at multiple value factors. When analyzing this ETF, it's clear that the fund has underperformed and holds too many stocks that look good from a fundamental theme but have negative qualitative factors. It's why I like to approach owning stocks that I understand and funds that track sectors that have distinct themes about them, and not just pick funds that have value-oriented tilts. The point of this ETF is to have a passively managed option to track the returns of value stocks within the U.S. market, with the fund manager rebalancing and reviewing the fund often for investment opportunities. This fund is specifically a replication fund, which means it tracks the Russell rebalancing moves and then makes the exact same buys and sells to give investors an easy, low-fee way to access this group of stocks. The Benchmark VONV's benchmark target is the Russell 1000 Value Index . The Russell 1000 Value Index measures the performance of the large-cap value segment of the US equity universe. This benchmark includes Russell 1000 companies with select criteria, including: relatively lower price-to-book ratios, lower forecast medium-term (2-year) growth, and lower sales per share historical growth (5 years). After further review, my analysis shows that VONV, and more broadly, this index in general, is not worth an investment versus other passively managed peers. I've written in the past about value ETFs, highlighting that you have to be careful in how the portfolio is constructed because so many value traps (e.g., PayPal) hide in plain sight with attractive numbers but terrible qualitative business fundamentals. This fund has underperformed other Russell benchmarks since the last bear market (Liberation Day), and I recom...
First Quantum Minerals ( FQVLF ) announced on Wednesday the launch of an offering of $1.35B aggregate principal amount of senior notes. The company intends to use the gross proceeds from the notes offering, together with cash on hand, to fully redeem its outstanding 9.375% senior secured second lien notes due 2029. Shares -0.07%. More on First Quantum Minerals First Quantum Minerals Ltd. 2025 Q4 -...
First Quantum Minerals ( FQVLF ) announced on Wednesday the launch of an offering of $1.35B aggregate principal amount of senior notes. The company intends to use the gross proceeds from the notes offering, together with cash on hand, to fully redeem its outstanding 9.375% senior secured second lien notes due 2029. Shares -0.07%. More on First Quantum Minerals First Quantum Minerals Ltd. 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation First Quantum: Market Euphoria Could Moderate Despite Robust Copper Price First Quantum to sell Las Cruces mine in Spain for up to $190 mln Copper roars toward $12,000 in 2025 record rally—meet the stocks riding the boom Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on First Quantum Minerals
John M. Chase/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Reasons To Continue Buying RKLB Rocket Lab Corporation ( RKLB ) enjoys powerful share price momentum as the stock has rallied by 35% since my bullish November 2025 call . And these are not just prior November-December gains but RKLB's robust performance in 2026 as well despite the quite weak sentiment around growth stocks. I believe that RKLB's shar...
John M. Chase/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Reasons To Continue Buying RKLB Rocket Lab Corporation ( RKLB ) enjoys powerful share price momentum as the stock has rallied by 35% since my bullish November 2025 call . And these are not just prior November-December gains but RKLB's robust performance in 2026 as well despite the quite weak sentiment around growth stocks. I believe that RKLB's share price strength despite investors' relatively weak sentiment around growth stocks is not a coincidence or luck but is the result of fortifying fundamentals. I have covered RKLB's Q3 earnings in deep detail in my previous article , so this time I prefer to focus on the Q4 earnings preview and other parts of the forward-looking analysis. The company reports its Q4 financials on February 26 , and let's start with the expectations around headline numbers. Analysts forecast a ~35% YoY revenue growth to $178.2 million. This target looks achievable for a few solid reasons. The company's revenue growth momentum is strong with a 30%+ YoY revenue growth over the last seven quarters. Moreover, RKLB demonstrated notable YoY revenue growth acceleration over the last three quarters. Strong revenue surprise record and acceleration growth momentum are solid reasons to believe that RKLB will deliver another revenue beat on February 26. Seeking Alpha However, besides the momentum and history, I also prefer to rely on something more fundamental and rock-solid. Electron launches in the company's core business at the moment, and the company has had a few solid victories recently. The company completed a total of 21 launches in 2025 with a 100% success rate, meaning that they achieved their target of 20+ launches in 2025. Since the company's revenue directly depends on the number of launches, it is a very positive sign for the Q4 earnings. Moreover, RKLB's start of 2026 was also quite busy in terms of Electron launches , as they successfully completed two launches in just eight days of January ...
480w, https://static.seekingalpha.com/cdn/s3/uploads/getty_images/1333635989/image_1333635989.jpg?io=getty-c-w320 320w, https://static.seekingalpha.com/cdn/s3/uploads/getty_images/1333635989/image_1333635989.jpg?io=getty-c-w240 240w" alt="Airport departure for El Paso information board sign" width="612" height="408" data-caption="MarkRubens/iStock via Getty Images" data-id="1333635989" data-image-...
480w, https://static.seekingalpha.com/cdn/s3/uploads/getty_images/1333635989/image_1333635989.jpg?io=getty-c-w320 320w, https://static.seekingalpha.com/cdn/s3/uploads/getty_images/1333635989/image_1333635989.jpg?io=getty-c-w240 240w" alt="Airport departure for El Paso information board sign" width="612" height="408" data-caption="MarkRubens/iStock via Getty Images" data-id="1333635989" data-image-type="Getty" data-original-src="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1333635989/photo/airport-departure-for-el-paso-information-board-sign.jpg?b=1&s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=z_k8ztqDbVfiB9pdh8gB-leiSj1f871KYp8f9VOrs20=" data-source="" data-type="getty-image"> MarkRubens/iStock via Getty Images Federal aviation officials on Wednesday lifted a temporary restriction that had halted flights in and out of El Paso, Texas, just hours after imposing the measure for what they described as “special security reasons.” “The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a social media post Wednesday morning. “All flights will resume as normal.” The FAA had introduced the restrictions overnight, placing limits on aircraft within roughly an 11 mile radius of El Paso International Airport. The order did not apply to Mexican airspace. The notice would have barred flights below 18,000 feet in the area for up to 10 days. Officials did not provide further details about why the closure was enacted or why it was reversed so quickly. An earlier FAA notice referenced drone activity over El Paso. Neither the FAA nor El Paso International Airport immediately responded to requests for additional comment. A separate FAA notice also limited flights for the same time frame near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 20 miles west of El Paso, citing similar security concerns along the Mexican border. Local leaders said they were caught off guard by the move. “No one from the local government or the local military base re...
Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal! AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous. Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink. Wall Street is p...
Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal! AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous. Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink. Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking: Where will all of that energy come from? AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse. Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning: “The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.” Elon Musk was even more blunt: “AI will run out of electricity by next year.” As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity. And that’s where the real opportunity lies… One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike. As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity. The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets , positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy. , positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy. It’s one of the only global companies capable ...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — David Sewell Chief Financial Officer — Tina Pierce Head of Investor Relations — Michael Leithead TAKEAWAYS Spin-Off Transition -- Solstice Advanced Materials SOLS +13.34% ) Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) on October 30, 2025, and provided 2026 guidance as a standalone public entity. -- (NASD...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — David Sewell Chief Financial Officer — Tina Pierce Head of Investor Relations — Michael Leithead TAKEAWAYS Spin-Off Transition -- Solstice Advanced Materials SOLS +13.34% ) Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) on October 30, 2025, and provided 2026 guidance as a standalone public entity. -- (NASDAQ: HON) on October 30, 2025, and provided 2026 guidance as a standalone public entity. Full Year Net Sales -- $3.9 billion, representing 3% year-over-year growth; when excluding opportunistic 2024 nuclear sales, net sales growth was 6%. -- $3.9 billion, representing 3% year-over-year growth; when excluding opportunistic 2024 nuclear sales, net sales growth was 6%. Full Year Adjusted Standalone EBITDA -- $957 million, down 4% year over year, with an adjusted standalone EBITDA margin of 24.6% consistent with previous guidance. -- $957 million, down 4% year over year, with an adjusted standalone EBITDA margin of 24.6% consistent with previous guidance. Fourth Quarter Net Sales -- $987 million, up 8% year over year; organic net sales growth was 6% (2.5% volume, 4% pricing), and a 2% foreign currency benefit. -- $987 million, up 8% year over year; organic net sales growth was 6% (2.5% volume, 4% pricing), and a 2% foreign currency benefit. Fourth Quarter Adjusted Standalone EBITDA -- $189 million, down 20% year over year, with a margin of 19.1%, reflecting transitory separation costs and HFO product mix shift. -- $189 million, down 20% year over year, with a margin of 19.1%, reflecting transitory separation costs and HFO product mix shift. Return on Invested Capital -- Approximately 19% for the year, highlighting disciplined capital deployment. -- Approximately 19% for the year, highlighting disciplined capital deployment. Dividend Initiation -- Announced a quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share as the first shareholder capital return following separation. -- Announced a quarter...
Saksit Sangtong/iStock via Getty Images Cyber threats have grown both in number and sophistication, resulting in data breaches that must be addressed rapidly. Hence, the products and services of cybersecurity firms are likely to be in high demand, and one way to benefit is to opt for the ETF route. Two of these, the iShares Cybersecurity and Tech ETF ( IHAK ) and the First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecuri...
Saksit Sangtong/iStock via Getty Images Cyber threats have grown both in number and sophistication, resulting in data breaches that must be addressed rapidly. Hence, the products and services of cybersecurity firms are likely to be in high demand, and one way to benefit is to opt for the ETF route. Two of these, the iShares Cybersecurity and Tech ETF ( IHAK ) and the First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF (NASDAQ: CIBR ), have their main features listed below . seekingalpha.com However, their one-year price performances, at the time of writing, pale compared to the S&P 500's above 14% gain, meaning that the market may be pricing risks, which I will show is mainly associated with AI disruption. In such a context, and by focusing on the hardware capabilities of each ETF's holdings, this thesis aims to show that CIBR is best positioned to continue delivering positive returns this year. This is especially so given that the market size for cybersecurity is expected to expand at a CAGR of nearly 12% from 2026 to 2033, reaching $663 billion, but there are risks. AI Presents Big Opportunities, but also comes with Risks According to consulting firm Deloitte, the problem with AI is that it is not only creating new security issues facing corporations and individuals, but also accelerating the existing ones. In this respect, as the threat landscape evolves rapidly, hackers can use agentic AI capabilities (a new development enabled by Generative AI) to deploy harmful software code on corporate networks. These can be envisioned like virtual agents acting on behalf of the bad actor, but with a higher degree of autonomy than before. As a result, there is a higher probability that perpetrators gain access to restricted IT systems. Worst, AI agents can also exploit the vulnerabilities of existing tools like RPA (robotic process automation), which are typically used to automate processes like checking corporate emails to stealthily extract sensitive information and compromise databases....
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $350.00 to $450.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the semiconductor manufacturer's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective suggests a potential upside of 20.63% from the company's current price. Several o...
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $350.00 to $450.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the semiconductor manufacturer's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective suggests a potential upside of 20.63% from the company's current price. Several other research firms have also recently commented on MU. Wall Street Zen raised Micron Technology from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, November 23rd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Micron Technology from $325.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays upped their price objective on Micron Technology from $275.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Micron Technology in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 price objective on shares of Micron Technology in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $353.21. Get Micron Technology alerts: Sign Up Get Our Latest Report on MU Micron Technology Price Performance Shares of MU opened at $373.05 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $419.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.46 and a beta of 1.51. Micron Technology has a fifty-two week low of $61.54 and a fifty-two week high of $455.50. The business's 50-day moving average is $324.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a...
yuki-ramen1025/iStock via Getty Images A few days ago, Evolution AB ( EVVTY ) published its next quarterly report, which is also the full report for 2025. The CEO summarized it as follows: I am proud, but not happy with 2025. Neither am I. That was my first thought when I looked at the results for the first time and then read the CEO's comments in the year-end report . Despite my disappointment, a...
yuki-ramen1025/iStock via Getty Images A few days ago, Evolution AB ( EVVTY ) published its next quarterly report, which is also the full report for 2025. The CEO summarized it as follows: I am proud, but not happy with 2025. Neither am I. That was my first thought when I looked at the results for the first time and then read the CEO's comments in the year-end report . Despite my disappointment, after reading through the report and listening to the earnings call , I still maintain my 'Strong Buy' rating for this company and I'll explain why below. Without going into the company's business model, which I have done several times before, including in my latest article , I was hoping that there might be a surprise in the results after a very weak Q3 2025. I'll cut to the chase: it didn't. How weak was the Q4 report? When I first opened it and saw the key figures, I almost felt sick. What? Net revenues decreased. Adjusted EBITDA decreased. EBITDA decreased. And obviously, profits also decreased compared to Q4 2024 . Then, as I looked at the annual data, at least there was a 0.2% increase in revenue in 2025, but everything decreased on a year-on-year basis. What suddenly occurred to me then was to look at the Q3 2025 report , because that's the most relevant comparison, especially since the company is currently struggling with two serious problems (the Asian cyberattack and European ring-fencing), and that's what's most relevant to compare it to right now. So, my answer to the question of how weak the Q4 report was is that it is worth reading it together with the Q3 2025 report. Revenue for the current quarter was €514.2 million, representing a modest increase of 1.4%. Adjusted EBITDA was €341.5 million, also representing an increase of approximately 1.4%, which assumes that there was no significant change in the adjusted margin, which was the same as in the previous quarter at 66.4%. In addition, as expected, profit was higher due to other operating revenue of €51 millio...
Ralph Lauren is the US’s poet laureate of style. His brand came of age in a gilded era of American charm, when Bill Clinton was president, the economy was booming and the twin towers glittered on the Manhattan skyline. His clothes speak to an America of sportsmanship and vigour, where everyone has a firm handshake and perfect teeth. The US could use some poetry right now, and at 86, Lauren is stil...
Ralph Lauren is the US’s poet laureate of style. His brand came of age in a gilded era of American charm, when Bill Clinton was president, the economy was booming and the twin towers glittered on the Manhattan skyline. His clothes speak to an America of sportsmanship and vigour, where everyone has a firm handshake and perfect teeth. The US could use some poetry right now, and at 86, Lauren is still the man. To open New York fashion week, he transformed a grand marble palazzo in the city’s financial district – a showpiece of the young city’s financial muscle when it opened in 1894 – in the style of his own country estate upstate. View image in fullscreen The set for the show, inspired by Lauren’s country estate. Photograph: Pixelformula/SIPA/Shutterstock The frigid streets outside, banked with greying icebergs of snow, were banished in a cosy scene of overlapping antique rugs and generous urns of winter greenery. In keeping with the film-set vibe, a significant proportion of the audience were red-carpet famous. Lana Del Rey showed off her new Ralph Lauren cowboy boots to her fellows on the front row. There was a Devil Wears Prada moment when Anne Hathaway, soon to reprise her role as underling to a legendary magazine editrix, posed with Vogue’s Anna Wintour. View image in fullscreen Lana Del Rey, her husband, Jeremy Dufrene (left), Morgan Spector and Rebecca Hall at Ralph Lauren’s New York fashion week show. Photograph: Lexie Moreland/WWD/Getty Images The great fashion designers are world-builders who use shows, billboards and stores to sell a dream that is much bigger than clothes. Walking into a Ralph Lauren store feels like walking into a country club even if you have never in fact been inside a country club. A shrewd business model has built a sturdy pipeline selling this dream to the people, one £175 quarter-zip cotton knit at a time. A yearning for the era when Have A Nice Day, not Maga, was America’s favourite baseball cap slogan, is at the core of the brand’s...