Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images It seems like just yesterday that I last wrote about First Foundation ( FFWM ). But looking back at my rating history of the stock, my last article about it was published way back in May of 2024. In that article, I discussed how I made the decision to downgrade the stock from a ‘buy’ to a ‘hold’. This was based on my view that caution was warranted. The ...
Morsa Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images It seems like just yesterday that I last wrote about First Foundation ( FFWM ). But looking back at my rating history of the stock, my last article about it was published way back in May of 2024. In that article, I discussed how I made the decision to downgrade the stock from a ‘buy’ to a ‘hold’. This was based on my view that caution was warranted. The company was experiencing a decline in profitability, an increase in debt, and declining deposits. Net interest income and net profits dropped materially. And although the stock was cheap, it was not cheap enough to justify the risks involved. Since then, the company has continued to shrink. And honestly, the stock has performed better than I would have expected in light of these circumstances. Perhaps driven by the fact that there have been some small improvements as of late, the stock is actually up 7.3% since that article was published. By comparison, the S&P 500 is up a solid 32.1%. But even though we have seen some improvements, I think that severe caution is appropriate right now. In fact, I would go so far as to say that downgrading the stock to a ‘sell’ is the right choice in this environment. Naturally, my opinion could change as new data comes in. We are fortunate enough that, right around the corner, management will be announcing financial results covering the final quarter of the company's 2025 fiscal year. That will occur before the market opens on January 29th. But even leading up to that point, I don't see any reasons to be optimistic. That's why I am sticking to my decision to downgrade the stock. This picture has been painful Over the last few years now, First Foundation has undergone some major changes. Management has been actively working to restructure the business. But that doesn't change the fact that this has involved significant shrinkage. From 2022 through 2024 , deposits on the company's books dropped sharply from $10.36 billion to $9.87 billion. An...
bigtunaonline/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Meta Platforms ( META ) plans to pilot new subscription models across its apps, including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, over the coming months. The subscriptions are expected to “unlock more productivity and creativity” by giving paid users access to more features and expanded AI capabilities, as per reports. Meta’s recently acquired suite of ge...
bigtunaonline/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Meta Platforms ( META ) plans to pilot new subscription models across its apps, including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, over the coming months. The subscriptions are expected to “unlock more productivity and creativity” by giving paid users access to more features and expanded AI capabilities, as per reports. Meta’s recently acquired suite of general AI agents under Manus will also be scaled as part of the subscription plans. The subscriptions will be separate from Meta Verified, a paid product rolled out by the company in 2023 that gave content creators and businesses a verified badge, 24/7 direct support, protection against impersonation, search optimization, and more. Meta told TechCrunch that it plans to listen to its user community and gather feedback as it rolls out subscriptions in the coming months. More on Meta Meta: The Moneymaker Without Strong AI Capitalization Meta Pre-Earnings: Capex Fears Equal Buying Opportunity Meta's Q4 Setup: Strong Signals Across The Board Big Tech earnings will test faith in AI spending Smart eyewear firm Solos sues Meta, EssilorLuxottica for patent infringement: Bloomberg
bigtunaonline/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Meta Platforms ( META ) plans to pilot new subscription models across its apps, including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, over the coming months. The subscriptions are expected to “unlock more productivity and creativity” by giving paid users access to more features and expanded AI capabilities, as per reports. Meta’s recently acquired suite of ge...
bigtunaonline/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Meta Platforms ( META ) plans to pilot new subscription models across its apps, including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, over the coming months. The subscriptions are expected to “unlock more productivity and creativity” by giving paid users access to more features and expanded AI capabilities, as per reports. Meta’s recently acquired suite of general AI agents under Manus will also be scaled as part of the subscription plans. The subscriptions will be separate from Meta Verified, a paid product rolled out by the company in 2023 that gave content creators and businesses a verified badge, 24/7 direct support, protection against impersonation, search optimization, and more. Meta told TechCrunch that it plans to listen to its user community and gather feedback as it rolls out subscriptions in the coming months. More on Meta Meta: The Moneymaker Without Strong AI Capitalization Meta Pre-Earnings: Capex Fears Equal Buying Opportunity Meta's Q4 Setup: Strong Signals Across The Board Big Tech earnings will test faith in AI spending Smart eyewear firm Solos sues Meta, EssilorLuxottica for patent infringement: Bloomberg
Regal Rexnord ( RRX ) declares $0.35/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 0.92% Payable April 14; for shareholders of record March 31; ex-div March 31. See RRX Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Regal Rexnord Regal Rexnord: Near-Term Challenges Mask A More Meaningful Shift Regal Rexnord Corporation (RRX) Presents at Baird 55th Annual Global Indus...
Regal Rexnord ( RRX ) declares $0.35/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 0.92% Payable April 14; for shareholders of record March 31; ex-div March 31. See RRX Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Regal Rexnord Regal Rexnord: Near-Term Challenges Mask A More Meaningful Shift Regal Rexnord Corporation (RRX) Presents at Baird 55th Annual Global Industrial Conference - Slideshow Regal Rexnord Corporation (RRX) Presents at Baird 55th Annual Global Industrial Conference Transcript Regal Rexnord outlines $900M free cash flow target for 2026 while ramping data center pipeline Regal Rexnord shares fall after Q3 earnings miss
Western Alliance press release ( WAL ): Q4 GAAP EPS of $2.59. Revenue of $980.9M (+17.0% Y/Y). HFI loans of $58.7 billion, up $2.0 billion, or 3.6%. Total deposits of $77.2 billion, down $88 million due to seasonality. HFI loan-to-deposit ratio of 76.0%, up from 73.3%. Total equity of $7.9 billion, up $256 million, or 3.3% More on Western Alliance Western Alliance: The Preferred Stock Is Mispriced...
Western Alliance press release ( WAL ): Q4 GAAP EPS of $2.59. Revenue of $980.9M (+17.0% Y/Y). HFI loans of $58.7 billion, up $2.0 billion, or 3.6%. Total deposits of $77.2 billion, down $88 million due to seasonality. HFI loan-to-deposit ratio of 76.0%, up from 73.3%. Total equity of $7.9 billion, up $256 million, or 3.3% More on Western Alliance Western Alliance: The Preferred Stock Is Mispriced Western Alliance Q4 2025 Earnings Preview SA Asks: Is a new wave of bank failures looming on the horizon? Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Western Alliance Historical earnings data for Western Alliance
The stocks featured in this article have all approached their 52-week highs. When these price levels hit, it typically signals strong business execution, positive market sentiment, or significant industry tailwinds. But not every company with momentum is a long-term winner, and plenty of investors have lost money betting on short-term fads. All that said, here are two stocks with lasting competiti...
The stocks featured in this article have all approached their 52-week highs. When these price levels hit, it typically signals strong business execution, positive market sentiment, or significant industry tailwinds. But not every company with momentum is a long-term winner, and plenty of investors have lost money betting on short-term fads. All that said, here are two stocks with lasting competitive advantages and one that may correct. One Stock to Sell: Steven Madden (SHOO) One-Month Return: +6.7% As seen in the infamous Wolf of Wall Street movie, Steven Madden (NASDAQ:SHOO) is a fashion brand famous for its trendy and innovative footwear, appealing to a young and style-conscious audience. Why Do We Steer Clear of SHOO? Muted 13.2% annual revenue growth over the last five years shows its demand lagged behind its consumer discretionary peers Lacking free cash flow generation means it has few chances to reinvest for growth, repurchase shares, or distribute capital Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results Steven Madden’s stock price of $45.44 implies a valuation ratio of 21.6x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with SHOO, check out our full research report (it’s free). Two Stocks to Buy: Micron (MU) One-Month Return: +32.2% Founded in the basement of a Boise, Idaho dental office in 1978, Micron (NYSE:MU) is a leading provider of memory chips used in thousands of devices across mobile, data centers, industrial, consumer, and automotive markets. Why Is MU a Top Pick? Annual revenue growth of 61.7% over the last two years was superb and indicates its market share increased during this cycle Projected revenue growth of 102% for the next 12 months is above its two-year trend, pointing to accelerating demand Earnings per share have massively outperformed its peers over the last five years, increasing by 29.2% annually At $389.10 per share, Micron t...