This article first appeared on GuruFocus. KeyBanc Capital Markets gave Advanced Micro Devices (AMD, Financials) a new vote of confidence by raising its price target from $270 to $300 and keeping its Overweight rating. The company said that strong data center results and ongoing growth until 2026 were the reasons.Wall Street was thrilled with AMD's most recent quarter. Data center sales rose 24% fr...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. KeyBanc Capital Markets gave Advanced Micro Devices (AMD, Financials) a new vote of confidence by raising its price target from $270 to $300 and keeping its Overweight rating. The company said that strong data center results and ongoing growth until 2026 were the reasons.Wall Street was thrilled with AMD's most recent quarter. Data center sales rose 24% from the previous quarter and 39% from the same quarter last year, which led to a 31.8% increase in overall revenue. The firm also made $1.53 per share in the fourth quarter, which was better than the $1.32 that analysts had predicted. The company's sales was $10.3 billion.KeyBanc analysts said that AMD's estimate for the first quarter suggests that data center sales will continue to expand, which is uncommon for a quarter that is usually slow. Other sectors may experience small dips.The paper also spoke about how AMD's MI450/Helios AI accelerators are coming along. Production is slated to pick up in late 2026. Even though AMD's current P/E ratio of 126x seems high, experts are still hopeful that the company's data center prowess might make the price reasonable.
Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images Jacobs Solutions Inc. ( J ) reported strong fiscal Q1 results from the October-December period. The global consulting, engineering, and construction services company is gaining from AI data center investments and other end market tailwinds, showing up in the company’s financial performance and backlog gains. The quarter leaves Jacobs with a very positi...
Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images Jacobs Solutions Inc. ( J ) reported strong fiscal Q1 results from the October-December period. The global consulting, engineering, and construction services company is gaining from AI data center investments and other end market tailwinds, showing up in the company’s financial performance and backlog gains. The quarter leaves Jacobs with a very positive outlook for FY2026. The data center tailwind has gone unnoticed by the market. I initiated the stock at a Hold rating in my previous October 2023 article on the stock, titled “ Jacobs Solutions: CMS Spin-Off Could Create Shareholder Value. ” The stock has since returned 18%, clearly underperforming the S&P 500’s ( SP500 ) 58% gain, despite spinning off the CMS unit in a business combination with Amentum Holdings ( AMTM ). Seeking Alpha Jacobs' Q1 Sets Up Good Growth Expectations Jacobs reported great growth in the Q1 report . Gross revenues came in at $3.29 billion, up by 12.3% year-on-year. Excluding “pass-through” revenue of which Jacobs doesn’t generate meaningful earnings, net revenue grew by 8.2% to $2.25 billion, signaling Jacobs’ underlying growth rate better. The growth rate accelerated noticeably; Jacobs reported 5.3% net revenue growth in FY2025 and 5.8% net revenue growth in the fiscal year’s latest quarter. The gross revenue figure beat Wall Street’s consensus by $204 million, being the clearly largest beat during the past five years as Jacobs’ growth accelerated. Author's Illustration Strength was shown across Jacobs’ business lines. PA Consulting, of which Jacobs is acquiring the remaining stake for $1.6 billion, showed the fastest segment growth. The business’s revenue grew by 15.5% to $354 million. Life sciences & advanced manufacturing showed 9.8% net revenue growth to $376 million. Critical infrastructure showed 7.8% net revenue growth to a total of $948 million, and water & environmental showed more modest but still good 3.6% growth to $574 million. Ev...
Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s crown princess, has told a court he does not remember taking pictures and videos found on his phone that police say show him sexually assaulting a woman at a royal residence. Høiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is on trial accused of 38 crimes, including four rapes and assaults. He has pleaded not guilty to...
Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s crown princess, has told a court he does not remember taking pictures and videos found on his phone that police say show him sexually assaulting a woman at a royal residence. Høiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is on trial accused of 38 crimes, including four rapes and assaults. He has pleaded not guilty to the most serious offences, including the alleged rapes, and faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted. The trial comes at a moment of unprecedented pressure on the Norwegian royal family, with Mette-Marit also facing criticism over her links with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Taking the stand at Oslo district court on Wednesday, Høiby gave his account of an afterparty in 2018 during which he is accused of groping a woman while she was unconscious. Høiby, 29, said he could see that the woman, whose identity is being concealed under court orders, appeared to be sleeping in the videos, but he denied any charges of rape. In Norway, rape can be defined as occurring with or without intercourse. The party had taken place in the basement of Skaugum, the official residence of the crown prince and princess, while they were upstairs, he said. On Tuesday, the court was shown four films and 10 pictures apparently taken between 7:12am and 7:17am one morning in December 2018. The prosecution believes the rape without intercourse took place during this time. When on Wednesday the judge asked Høiby about the videos and photos found on his phone, Høiby said: “I don’t even remember taking them.” He told the three judges that he and the woman did have consensual sex, but not while she was asleep. She must have been awake, he said, because “I don’t sleep with women who are not awake.” Within minutes of taking the witness stand, Høiby broke down in tears after saying he found it “incredibly difficult to speak in front of so many people”. The press, he said, had “harassed and tormente...
"I'm always so nervous before something goes out but the most nervous I've ever been in my life was before the last episode of Derry Girls, the one about the Good Friday Agreement. I feel that nothing could compare to that.
"I'm always so nervous before something goes out but the most nervous I've ever been in my life was before the last episode of Derry Girls, the one about the Good Friday Agreement. I feel that nothing could compare to that.
The industrials sector has been a big beneficiary of the rotation out of tech, with a number of defense and transportation stocks hitting new highs on Wednesday.
The industrials sector has been a big beneficiary of the rotation out of tech, with a number of defense and transportation stocks hitting new highs on Wednesday.
“The more Epstein documents get released, the more we see how he had so many powerful friends, and that’s ultimately what helped him,” commented the US lawyer Lisa Bloom in an interview with the Guardian this week. As Ms Bloom, who represents 11 of Jeffrey Epstein’s dogged and brave victims, drily notes: “That’s not the way the justice system is supposed to work.” From the outset, the Epstein affa...
“The more Epstein documents get released, the more we see how he had so many powerful friends, and that’s ultimately what helped him,” commented the US lawyer Lisa Bloom in an interview with the Guardian this week. As Ms Bloom, who represents 11 of Jeffrey Epstein’s dogged and brave victims, drily notes: “That’s not the way the justice system is supposed to work.” From the outset, the Epstein affair has offered a textbook example of the ability of the influential and well-connected to avoid scrutiny and intimidate those who would exert it. A ruthless pursuit of transparency, both institutional and personal, is the only way to combat such tactics and hold power to account. In the extraordinary days following the release of further Epstein files last week, the wheels of justice in Britain are belatedly beginning to turn on that basis. Allegations that Peter Mandelson leaked Downing Street emails and market-sensitive information to Epstein, a convicted sex offender, following the financial crash, have now led to a criminal investigation. Wednesday’s events in the House of Commons showed that they have also unleashed a Westminster scandal which threatens to engulf Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. The prime minister’s political future may rest on his ability to convince MPs that he is being transparent over the fateful decision to make Peter Mandelson the UK’s ambassador in Washington. In the US too, an overdue “reckoning” may be taking place, to quote Melinda French Gates, the former wife of Bill Gates. Mr Gates has vehemently dismissed lurid claims about him in the latest tranche of files as false. But the broader significance of the drop has been to confirm the extent to which a wealthy, powerful elite chose self-interestedly to associate with Epstein long after his conviction. The billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel, for example, was in contact with Epstein, and reportedly an investment firm he co-founded accepted $40m from him. Howard Lutnick, the US secretary...
As the Six Nations Championship kicks off, a nation that bestrode the game in the 1960s and 70s is struggling to compete Welsh rugby fans usually look forward to the start of the men’s Six Nations Championship, which kicks off on Thursday, with excitement, but this time the feeling will be one of trepidation. The Welsh men’s recent record has been abysmal. They have won twice in their past 22 matc...
As the Six Nations Championship kicks off, a nation that bestrode the game in the 1960s and 70s is struggling to compete Welsh rugby fans usually look forward to the start of the men’s Six Nations Championship, which kicks off on Thursday, with excitement, but this time the feeling will be one of trepidation. The Welsh men’s recent record has been abysmal. They have won twice in their past 22 matches – both narrow victories against Japan. Wales’s most recent defeat was a 73-0 hammering at home to South Africa in November. For a proud rugby nation, one that has in many ways articulated its identity through rugby, this was embarrassing, intolerable even. On Saturday, Wales face England. If Wales manage to lose in London by fewer than 25 points, they will have exceeded expectations. The gap between the teams saps the fixture’s appeal. Wales’s vertiginous decline over the past five years – they were Six Nations champions as recently as 2021 – is undermining international rugby in the UK. Formerly bitter rivals now feel sorry for Wales, and pity is the most painful reaction of all. Why has this sudden decline occurred? Some attribute it to infighting in Welsh rugby. The game is in a parlous financial state in Wales and the Welsh rugby union wants to cut one of the four regional teams – Cardiff, Scarlets, Ospreys or Dragons. The Ospreys, based in Swansea, look the most likely fall guys, a move that, not surprisingly, is being fiercely resisted in west Wales. Continue reading...
Tech stocks were lower Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF Upgrade to read this MT Newswires article and get so much more. A Silver or Gold subscription plan is required to access premium news articles.
Tech stocks were lower Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF Upgrade to read this MT Newswires article and get so much more. A Silver or Gold subscription plan is required to access premium news articles.
Investing.com -- U.S. markets slid sharply lower on Wednesday, led by another violent selloff across technology shares as pressure intensified in both software and semiconductors. Software stocks were hit hard in the opening hour of trading, extending a rout that has defined recent sessions. While some names bounced modestly from their lows, traders said the early recovery looked more like short c...
Investing.com -- U.S. markets slid sharply lower on Wednesday, led by another violent selloff across technology shares as pressure intensified in both software and semiconductors. Software stocks were hit hard in the opening hour of trading, extending a rout that has defined recent sessions. While some names bounced modestly from their lows, traders said the early recovery looked more like short covering than a sign of durable confidence. "We don’t think the falls suffered by software stocks in recent days are indicative of waning enthusiasm for AI. We think investors will continue to judge that the benefits accruing from AI will outweigh the costs, driving the stock market higher this year," James Reilly, Senior Markets Economist at Capital Economics, wrote on Wednesday. At the same time, weakness appeared to be rotating deeper into chips and memory — parts of the market that had held up relatively well over recent weeks. The NASDAQ Composite was down 2.2% on the day as losses in the tech-heavy index accelerated. Shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD) plunged as much as 17%. Even an AI winner Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) saw its shares fall nearly 13%. Market anxiety has increasingly centered on whether the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence is undermining large parts of the tech ecosystem rather than lifting it. Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge said AI has turned into a growing drag on sentiment. “AI is increasingly becoming a net negative for the market,” he said, pointing to competitive disruptions that have shaken software companies over recent months. He added that recent bargain hunting has been overwhelmed by what he described as a “tsunami of negativity” sweeping the sector. JPMorgan analyst Toby Ogg struck a similarly bleak tone, saying the industry has shifted into an environment where companies are effectively “guilty until proven innocent,” with investors punishing stocks before earnings can offer any reassurance. Attention is now ...
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirm or deny the existence of a "domestic terrorists” database that lists US citizens who protest ICE's immigration crackdown. ICE "officers and senior Trump administration officials have repeatedly suggested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is building a 'domestic terrorists' database compr...
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirm or deny the existence of a "domestic terrorists” database that lists US citizens who protest ICE's immigration crackdown. ICE "officers and senior Trump administration officials have repeatedly suggested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is building a 'domestic terrorists' database comprising information on US citizens protesting ICE’s actions in recent weeks," Markey wrote in a letter yesterday to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. "If such a database exists, it would constitute a grave and unacceptable constitutional violation. I urge you to immediately confirm or deny the existence of such a database, and if it exists, immediately shut it down and delete it." Creating a database of peaceful protesters "would constitute a shocking violation of the First Amendment and abuse of power," and amount to "the kinds of tactics the United States rightly condemns in authoritarian governments such as China and Russia," Markey said. Read full article Comments
ClearBridge International Growth ADR Strategy underperformed its primary MSCI EAFE benchmark for the fourth quarter of 2025, and slightly underperformed its secondary MSCI EAFE Growth benchmark. The strategy fund exited Zai Lab ( ZLAB ), UniCredit ( UNCFF ) ( UNCRY ), and Linde ( LIN ) during the quarter. EssilorLuxottica ( ESLOF ) and Galderma Group ( GALDY ) were repurchased, while Roche ( RHHBY...
ClearBridge International Growth ADR Strategy underperformed its primary MSCI EAFE benchmark for the fourth quarter of 2025, and slightly underperformed its secondary MSCI EAFE Growth benchmark. The strategy fund exited Zai Lab ( ZLAB ), UniCredit ( UNCFF ) ( UNCRY ), and Linde ( LIN ) during the quarter. EssilorLuxottica ( ESLOF ) and Galderma Group ( GALDY ) were repurchased, while Roche ( RHHBY ) ( RHHBF ) ( RHHVF ) was added. Ryanair ( RYAOF ) was another repurchase. Heidelberg Materials ( HDLMY ) ( HLBZF ) was also added. Trane Technologies ( TT ) was among the portfolio's larger sales. Furthermore, the strategy fund initiated a position in Sandvik ( SDVKF ) and Mettler-Toledo ( MTD ), and closed positions in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ( MHVYF ), Givaudan ( GVDBF ), Lenovo ( LNVGF ) ( LNVGY ), BYD ( BYDDF ), Tokio Marine ( TKOMF ) ( TKOMY ), and Sony Financial Group ( SFGYY ). Source: Fund Letter More on related tickers Trane Technologies: Upgrade To Buy On Cheaper Valuation And Better Fundamentals Roche Holding AG (RHHBY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Linde Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Genentech in up to $1.7B RNAi licensing deal with SanegeneBio
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 ...
Earnings Call Insights: IAC Inc. (IAC) Q4 2025 Management View Barry Diller, Chairman & Senior Executive, highlighted a “solid fourth quarter at the company” and described 2025 as a year of “focus and execution.” He emphasized People’s 14% digital revenue growth and stated, “People's financial performance amid increasing AI disruption speaks really loudly. AI overviews are now appearing on most of...
Earnings Call Insights: IAC Inc. (IAC) Q4 2025 Management View Barry Diller, Chairman & Senior Executive, highlighted a “solid fourth quarter at the company” and described 2025 as a year of “focus and execution.” He emphasized People’s 14% digital revenue growth and stated, “People's financial performance amid increasing AI disruption speaks really loudly. AI overviews are now appearing on most of our queries, and we're delivering record results.” Diller outlined the company’s strategy to “invert these iconic traditional content businesses into entirely new consumer businesses,” referencing new product initiatives at Southern Tea, Food & Wine, and Travel & Leisure. He stated, “We can sell through in unique ways almost anything that no one else can do.” Diller also noted increased ownership in MGM, with IAC reaching 25%, and a $337 million buyback of IAC shares in 2026. “We're going to continue to evaluate buybacks as we always do, opportunistically. And we are ever mindful of this huge discount in the value of IAC.” Christopher Halpin, CFO & COO, reported “14% Digital revenue growth, driven by solid execution across all 3 revenue categories: Advertising; Performance Marketing and Licensing.” He noted that “Advertising grew 9% in the quarter, returning to growth and doing so despite a 13% decline in core sessions.” Halpin cited “incremental Digital margins at 26%” and a print segment decline of 23% due to prior period political ad revenue and ongoing secular headwinds. Neil Vogel, CEO of People Inc., described Q4 as a “really strong quarter” and stressed the importance of diversifying revenue models and investing heavily in new products and services, highlighting successes in events, social video, and the PEOPLE app. Outlook Halpin announced IAC will stop providing quarterly guidance, shifting to annual guidance to focus on long-term value creation. For People Inc., he stated, “we expect both digital revenue and digital adjusted EBITDA to grow mid- to high single dig...
From artificial intelligence and global security to markets, trade and resilience, Bloomberg House convened an influential cross-section of global leaders on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos. The gathering included heads of state, cabinet ministers and technology leaders such as Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, Yuval Noah Harari, Meredith Whittaker and Nigel Farage. (Source: Bl...
From artificial intelligence and global security to markets, trade and resilience, Bloomberg House convened an influential cross-section of global leaders on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos. The gathering included heads of state, cabinet ministers and technology leaders such as Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, Yuval Noah Harari, Meredith Whittaker and Nigel Farage. (Source: Bloomberg)
Earnings Call Insights: Bio-Techne Corporation (TECH) Q2 2026 Management View CEO Kim Kelderman reported that "our second quarter performance was largely in line with our expectations. Continued strength from our large pharma customers was offset by a soft yet improving biotech end market and a soft but stable U.S. academic end market." He highlighted that order timing from two large cell therapy ...
Earnings Call Insights: Bio-Techne Corporation (TECH) Q2 2026 Management View CEO Kim Kelderman reported that "our second quarter performance was largely in line with our expectations. Continued strength from our large pharma customers was offset by a soft yet improving biotech end market and a soft but stable U.S. academic end market." He highlighted that order timing from two large cell therapy customers with FDA Fast Track designations created a temporary headwind, resulting in flat organic revenue growth for the quarter. Kelderman stated that "our core reagents and assays, proteomic analysis instruments and diagnostic kits all grew modestly more in Q2 than during Q1," with cell therapy business (excluding the two largest customers) delivering strong sequential improvement. The spatial biology franchise also saw "meaningful acceleration in bookings for our automated common platform." Kelderman noted, "adjusted operating margins expanded like in our first quarter by approximately 100 basis points year-over-year to 31.1%." On strategic growth, Kelderman indicated that the four key verticals—cell therapy, proteomic analytical instrumentation, spatial biology, and precision diagnostic tools—now represent 47% of total revenue, up from 32% in fiscal 2020. CFO James Hippel stated, "Adjusted EPS for the quarter was $0.46, up 10% year-over-year with foreign exchange having a favorable impact of $0.04. GAAP EPS came in at $0.24, up from $0.22 in the prior year period. Total revenue for Q2 was $295.9 million, flat year-over-year on both an organic and reported basis." Outlook Hippel commented, "Taking these customer-specific headwinds into account, we anticipate overall Q3 organic growth to be consistent with Q2. However, excluding the customer-specific cell therapy and OEM headwinds, we expect underlying growth for the remainder of our business to be mid-single digits." Kelderman added, "If you take these 2 large customers from the GMP headwinds out, would that be the unde...
Shares of the chip maker Advanced Micro Devices dropped double-digits in Wednesday afternoon trading after the company’s earnings report fell short of Wall Street’s sky-high expectations. AMD shares were down 17% on Wednesday, on pace for their largest percent decrease since 2017.
Shares of the chip maker Advanced Micro Devices dropped double-digits in Wednesday afternoon trading after the company’s earnings report fell short of Wall Street’s sky-high expectations. AMD shares were down 17% on Wednesday, on pace for their largest percent decrease since 2017.
Earnings Call Insights: Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (BAM:CA) Q4 2025 Management View Chairman & CEO James Flatt reported "2025 was another strong year marked by continued growth across the business and consistent execution against our long-term strategy." Flatt highlighted $112 billion of capital raised and $66 billion invested in high-quality assets, with $50 billion of equity monetized from...
Earnings Call Insights: Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (BAM:CA) Q4 2025 Management View Chairman & CEO James Flatt reported "2025 was another strong year marked by continued growth across the business and consistent execution against our long-term strategy." Flatt highlighted $112 billion of capital raised and $66 billion invested in high-quality assets, with $50 billion of equity monetized from investments. He emphasized a 12% increase in fee-bearing capital to more than $600 billion and record fee-related earnings of $3 billion, up 22% year-over-year. Distributable earnings reached $2.7 billion, an increase of 14% from the prior year. Flatt noted "fee-bearing capital increased 12% over the year to more than $600 billion." Flatt announced a leadership change: "As part of our long-term succession process, we announced that Connor Teskey has been appointed CEO of Brookfield Asset Management. I will continue as Chair of the Board as well as CEO of Brookfield Corporation." CEO Connor David Teskey explained, "2025 was not simply about raising capital. It was about putting that capital to work at scale and doing so with discipline." Teskey highlighted investments in Neoen, National Grid's U.S. renewables, Chemelex, Hotwire Communications, Colonial Pipeline, Duke Energy Florida, Generator Hospitals, and National Storage REIT. He stated, "2025 was a record year for investment activity, and it gives us a strong foundation as we look ahead." Teskey announced the AI infrastructure program: "last year, we launched a $100 billion global AI infrastructure program, anchored by our inaugural AI infrastructure fund with a $10 billion target. The fund already has strong momentum with $5 billion of commitments at launch." He also discussed a $20 billion strategic AI joint venture in Qatar. CFO Hadley Peer Marshall stated, "In the fourth quarter, we delivered strong performance. Fee-related earnings, or FRE, were up 28% from the prior year period to $867 million or $0.53 per share i...
Earnings Call Insights: Valvoline Inc. (VVV) Q1 2026 Management View Lori Flees, CEO, President & Director, opened by highlighting that "we delivered a strong quarter to start the fiscal year, driven by strong productivity gains in our stores, network expansion and margin improvement, which translated to meaningful earnings growth." She noted a double-digit increase in both system-wide store sales...
Earnings Call Insights: Valvoline Inc. (VVV) Q1 2026 Management View Lori Flees, CEO, President & Director, opened by highlighting that "we delivered a strong quarter to start the fiscal year, driven by strong productivity gains in our stores, network expansion and margin improvement, which translated to meaningful earnings growth." She noted a double-digit increase in both system-wide store sales and net sales, with system-wide same-store sales up 5.8% and a two-year stack of 13.8%. Flees stated, "ticket contributed the majority of the comp with all 3 levers contributing. Net price and premiumization were the largest drivers." The Breeze acquisition added 162 stores, which Flees described as "a noteworthy step forward in our path to a 3,500-plus store network." She noted Breeze's performance was in line with expectations and integration is underway. Flees emphasized continued customer demand for nondiscretionary services and no signs of trade-down or service deferral. She shared that customers are "giving us a 4.7 star rating across our network and NPS scores over 80%." John Willis, Senior VP & CFO, stated, "We saw strong top line growth with net sales of $462 million, an increase of 11% on a reported basis and 15% when adjusted for the impacts of refranchising in Q1 of last year." Willis noted gross margin rate rose to 37.4%, up 50 basis points year-over-year, and adjusted EBITDA margin increased 60 basis points to 25.4%. He added, "On a GAAP basis, we reported a loss from continuing operations of $32.2 million, largely driven by the loss on divestiture of certain Breeze stores that was required by the FTC. On an adjusted basis, income from continuing operations was $47.6 million." Willis further reported, "Operating cash flows improved to $64.8 million and free cash flow was $7.4 million, improving approximately $20 million compared to the prior year quarter." Outlook Flees stated, "as we look to the remainder of the year, we feel it's too early to make changes t...