Just a year before the New York Knicks rode a double-digit winning streak to the NBA Finals, the company that broadcasts its games was thrown a lifeline to avoid a potential bankruptcy filing. Now, the lenders who backed that restructuring are likely cheering on the team’s success. The Knicks’ playoff run is a potential boon for MSG Networks Inc. , part of Sphere Entertainment Co. , the company co...
Just a year before the New York Knicks rode a double-digit winning streak to the NBA Finals, the company that broadcasts its games was thrown a lifeline to avoid a potential bankruptcy filing. Now, the lenders who backed that restructuring are likely cheering on the team’s success. The Knicks’ playoff run is a potential boon for MSG Networks Inc. , part of Sphere Entertainment Co. , the company controlled by team owner James Dolan . The nationally televised Finals won’t give it any direct revenue, but the team’s winning ways could drive cable and streaming subscriptions from a large, die-hard fanbase that hasn’t experienced a championship win in more than 50 years. “While MSG Networks won’t directly benefit from the Knicks lengthy 2026 playoff run, the local network could see ratings benefit next season from the solid playing momentum and team star power,” said Kevin Near , a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. The company is working to pay off a $210 million loan it agreed to with creditors including Deutsche Bank AG and GoldenTree Asset Management in April last year to restructure a more than $800 million loan it couldn’t repay. The rework also included a $80 million cash payment when the deal closed and up to $100 million of the company’s free cash flow once the loan was repaid. Deutsche Bank declined to comment. Representatives for GoldenTree and MSG Networks didn’t respond to a request for comment. The Knicks are one of the NBA’s most popular teams, and in the heart of the biggest US media market. The first game of the series against the San Antonio Spurs drew almost 17 million viewers last week, the highest tally for Game 1 of the Finals since 2018. MSG Networks also broadcasts games for three NHL teams in the New York City metropolitan area, including the New York Rangers. It reported $35.7 million of adjusted operating income in the three months ended March 31, compared to $22.8 million in the prior year. Revenue was down 2% at $120.4 million as advertising reve...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images In this age of instant gratification, Wall Street hates a waiting game. When a dividend growth heavyweight spends years prioritizing R&D and scaling the pipeline, short-term traders usually lose patience, leading to beaten-down multiples and a meaningful valuation discount. On the other hand, smart capital waits for the operational inflection point. Rece...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images In this age of instant gratification, Wall Street hates a waiting game. When a dividend growth heavyweight spends years prioritizing R&D and scaling the pipeline, short-term traders usually lose patience, leading to beaten-down multiples and a meaningful valuation discount. On the other hand, smart capital waits for the operational inflection point. Recently, we received compelling evidence that the tide has turned for one medical technology juggernaut. It just delivered its highest annual revenue growth in a decade and topped Q4 analyst expectations. For investors willing to excuse a temporarily lagging dividend growth rate, the market is offering a steep discount on a business set up for potentially strong total returns. I’m talking about Medtronic plc ( MDT ). When I last covered Medtronic with a Buy rating in March , I was encouraged by its ample growth drivers in the years ahead. The company’s financial strength was another plus. Finally, shares were trading at a double-digit percentage discount to my fair value estimate. Three months later, I’m maintaining my Buy rating. Medtronic’s Q4 2026 earnings report reinforced the argument that the company’s long-term outlook is improving. The company bolsters an A S&P credit rating. The icing on the cake is that shares have sold off further in recent months (despite the recent post-earnings pop), which makes the disconnect between Medtronic’s fundamentals and valuation even wider. Growth Is Returning At Medtronic Medtronic Q4 2026 Earnings Presentation On June 3, Medtronic shared its financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter ended April 24, 2026. The company’s total revenue rose by 9.9% over the year-ago period (or 6.6% organically when backing out favorable currency translation) to $9.81 billion in the quarter. For more perspective, this came in $200 million ahead of Seeking Alpha’s analyst consensus during the quarter. How did Medtronic top expectations for the fiscal...
anouchka/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images You probably know I'm one of the first analysts to defend reasonably priced restaurant stocks—but what happens when even the 'good' ones cross the valuation line? Well, I have to call them out too. I did this with CAVA ( CAVA ), Wingstop ( WING ), and Bloomin’ ( BLMN ) recently. Seeking Alpha But what about Cheesecake Factory ( CAKE )? It doesn't seem so...
anouchka/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images You probably know I'm one of the first analysts to defend reasonably priced restaurant stocks—but what happens when even the 'good' ones cross the valuation line? Well, I have to call them out too. I did this with CAVA ( CAVA ), Wingstop ( WING ), and Bloomin’ ( BLMN ) recently. Seeking Alpha But what about Cheesecake Factory ( CAKE )? It doesn't seem so overvalued at first glance, but they've already gone double digits since I slapped my last 'Hold' without any catalyst. Seriously. There haven't been any insiders buying the stock or any sign that the restaurant environment in Q2 has eased. In fact, things are the opposite. If you look at the data the NRA released recently, April has been the worst month of the year so far. RPI data (Author) And since chains that haven't adopted the much-talked-about fixed-price value menus are having some traffic problems, perhaps it's time to set some expectations for Cheesecake Factory at ~15x EBITDA. Yellow Flags Along the Way I think the first thing you might consider in a situation like this is whether the Cheesecake Factory will be able to sustain strong same-store sales from now on. And the biggest risk appears when you break down what was presented in the last quarter. For example, the Cheesecake Factory reported same-store sales of 1.6%. Doesn't seem absurd when Applebee's ( DIN ) is reporting them at 1.9%, does it? But pay attention to traffic. It's down ~1.4% and being supported by an average check growing 3% (3.3% of that is still pricing with a negative mix). Pricing was at 3.3%. As we have noted previously, that's coming down. It will be 3% in the subsequent quarters, just given the timing of what was rolling off in the quarter, it was at 3.3%. And then the mix was a negative 0.3%. So we saw a pretty material stabilization there, really benefiting particularly from the bites being add-ons and not substitutions. And so we feel really positive about that. And the traffic was a...
When Apple put child safety front and center at WWDC on Monday, its stated goal was helping parents fine-tune their kids' online experiences and avoid excessive screen time. But amid a global debate over internet regulation, its latest updates also looked like a defensive move in a brewing fight against Meta and other app developers. Apple announced an expanded toolkit for parents through its chil...
When Apple put child safety front and center at WWDC on Monday, its stated goal was helping parents fine-tune their kids' online experiences and avoid excessive screen time. But amid a global debate over internet regulation, its latest updates also looked like a defensive move in a brewing fight against Meta and other app developers. Apple announced an expanded toolkit for parents through its child accounts at WWDC, including a greater ability to customize kids' allotted screen time and the ability to block gory or violent images in messages before kids see them. Raja Bose, Apple's director of trust, safety, and values product marketing, to … Read the full story at The Verge.
SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ:SOFI) , a digital financial services platform, closed Monday at $16.50, up 2.93%. The stock moved higher alongside fintech peers as its stablecoin rollout continues to attract attention. Trading volume reached 77.1 million shares, coming in nearly 15% above its three-month average of 67.1 million shares. SoFi Technologies IPO'd in 2021 and has grown 31% since going public...
SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ:SOFI) , a digital financial services platform, closed Monday at $16.50, up 2.93%. The stock moved higher alongside fintech peers as its stablecoin rollout continues to attract attention. Trading volume reached 77.1 million shares, coming in nearly 15% above its three-month average of 67.1 million shares. SoFi Technologies IPO'd in 2021 and has grown 31% since going public. S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) added 0.30% to finish Monday at 7,406, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) climbed 0.86% to close at 25,930. Within fintech stocks , industry peers Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ:HOOD) closed up 3.12% at $85.04, and Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ:IBKR) gained 3.50% to finish $87.35 reflecting broad brokerage strength. Continue reading
ChatGPT maker expected to be valued at more than $850bn OpenAI has filed confidentially to go public on the US stock market, according to a company blog post published Monday. The ChatGPT maker is expected to be valued at more than $850bn. “We recently submitted a confidential S-1. We expect it to leak so we’re just announcing it. We have not decided on timing yet; it may be a while because there ...
ChatGPT maker expected to be valued at more than $850bn OpenAI has filed confidentially to go public on the US stock market, according to a company blog post published Monday. The ChatGPT maker is expected to be valued at more than $850bn. “We recently submitted a confidential S-1. We expect it to leak so we’re just announcing it. We have not decided on timing yet; it may be a while because there are things we want to do that are likely easier as a private company. But it’s a complicated set of tradeoffs and this gives us the option to go public sooner if that ends up being best,” the company’s post reads. An S-1 is an investor prospectus submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in advance of an initial public offering (IPO). Continue reading...
On June 2, 2026, Tripadvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) subsidiary TheFork’s CEO, Almir Ambeskovic, reported the direct sale of 8,000 shares of common stock in an open-market transaction valued at approximately $98,000 according to the SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction and post-transaction values based on SEC Form 4 reported price ($12.30). * 1-year price change calculated as of June 2, 2026. Continue reading
On June 2, 2026, Tripadvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) subsidiary TheFork’s CEO, Almir Ambeskovic, reported the direct sale of 8,000 shares of common stock in an open-market transaction valued at approximately $98,000 according to the SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction and post-transaction values based on SEC Form 4 reported price ($12.30). * 1-year price change calculated as of June 2, 2026. Continue reading
Quantum computing isn't as far away as it seems. Every month, there seems to be a new breakthrough with the technology, and it makes the possibility of commercially viable quantum computing inch closer and closer. Most of the money in the quantum computing space will be made years before it becomes widely available, so it's imperative that investors devote a small amount of their portfolio to this...
Quantum computing isn't as far away as it seems. Every month, there seems to be a new breakthrough with the technology, and it makes the possibility of commercially viable quantum computing inch closer and closer. Most of the money in the quantum computing space will be made years before it becomes widely available, so it's imperative that investors devote a small amount of their portfolio to this rising industry. Three stocks I'm bullish on in the quantum sector are Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) , IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) , and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) . Each of them represents a unique way to invest in quantum computing, and all have major upside. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
matdesign24/iStock via Getty Images Merck ( MRK ) and Gilead Sciences ( GILD ) said that topline results from a pair of phase 3 trials of a combination pill containing the former's islatravir and the latter's lenacapavir met their primary endpoint. The two studies, ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 trial, are testing the once-weekly treatment in HIV virologically suppressed individuals who switched from Bikta...
matdesign24/iStock via Getty Images Merck ( MRK ) and Gilead Sciences ( GILD ) said that topline results from a pair of phase 3 trials of a combination pill containing the former's islatravir and the latter's lenacapavir met their primary endpoint. The two studies, ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 trial, are testing the once-weekly treatment in HIV virologically suppressed individuals who switched from Biktarvy (bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir) (ISLEND-1) or standard of care antiretroviral regimens (ISLEND-2). The primary endpoint for both trials is the number of patients with HIV-1 RNA ≥ 50 copies/mL at Week 48. Also, islatravir/lenacapavir was found to be non-inferior ro Biktarvy and standard oral antiretroviral therapies. Islatravir, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor, is sold by Merck as a fixed-dose combination with doravirine as Idvynso, while lenacapavir is marketed by Gilead as Sunlenca. Separately, the two companies announced that they are ending the phase 3 KEYNOTE-D46/EVOKE-03 study of Gilead's Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan) with Merck's Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in first-line metastatic non-small cell lung cancer based on the recommendation of a Data Monitoring Committee. More on Gilead Sciences, Merck Merck & Co.: Why The Market Is Right To Start Buying Into Post-Keytruda Promise Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Discusses Oncology Strategy and Program Update With Focus on Clinical Progress and Pipeline Diversification - Slideshow Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Presents at Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference 2026 Transcript HHS indicates skepticism on international cancer risk assessments Gilead, Lakefront complete Ouro Medicines acquisition