Getty Images In tough macroeconomic environments, weak companies often sink. Amid oil-driven inflation and a still-weak consumer spending environment, we 're cautious about struggling companies like Funko ( FNKO ), the maker of Pop! collectible figurines. Since the start of the year, shares of Funko have lost ~15% of their value, the culmination of a very tough year for the stock in which it has l...
Getty Images In tough macroeconomic environments, weak companies often sink. Amid oil-driven inflation and a still-weak consumer spending environment, we 're cautious about struggling companies like Funko ( FNKO ), the maker of Pop! collectible figurines. Since the start of the year, shares of Funko have lost ~15% of their value, the culmination of a very tough year for the stock in which it has lost about 60% of its value over the past twelve months. The question for investors now is, is this a chance to buy the dip in Funko, or is the company permanently damaged? Data by YCharts I last wrote a sell article on Funko in December, when the stock was trading in the low $3s. Since then, the stock has proceeded to lose value. At the same time, it 's hard to point to anything in its fundamentals that can justify a recovery. I remain at a sell rating here. To me, there are quite a few red flags that this company faces that investors should be fully aware of. The core risk factors are: Funko is facing a very weak sales environment. Revenue has declined at a persistent double-digit pace. The company is facing weak consumer spending and a cautious retail partner environment as well. Also, since Funko focuses on current trends and fads, incorrectly planning supply could cause issues with obsolete inventory. Inventory write-offs have recently crimped the company 's gross margin profile. Tariffs are eating into gross margins. Funko already suffers from relatively weak <50% gross margins that will ultimately cap its ability to scale. Tariffs are pushing down margins further, with ~4 points of negative impact in the most recent quarter. Moderately indebted. The company is carrying about $224 million in gross debt ($182 million in net debt) that sits at a ~2.4x leverage ratio. Amid falling sales and waning profitability, the company doesn 't have much flexibility if sales slip further. It 's true that Funko 's valuation is modest in nominal terms, but considering the operational r...
At least one of the world’s largest LNG plants remained closed on Sunday after a cyclone knocked out power to thousands of people in Western Australia. The outages were restricting already stretched fuel supplies caused by the war in the Middle East. Woodside Energy, which processes fuel from one of the world’s biggest offshore gas operations, said on Sunday that its Karratha plant remained offlin...
At least one of the world’s largest LNG plants remained closed on Sunday after a cyclone knocked out power to thousands of people in Western Australia. The outages were restricting already stretched fuel supplies caused by the war in the Middle East. Woodside Energy, which processes fuel from one of the world’s biggest offshore gas operations, said on Sunday that its Karratha plant remained offline. “We have commenced remobilising our workforce to some of our offshore facilities and inspections...
In January, a top Chinese AI researcher told an industry summit in Beijing there was less than a 20 per cent chance of any Chinese company surpassing a leading US artificial intelligence firm in the next three to five years. The remark by Lin Junyang, until recently a technical leader working on Qwen, one of China’s most capable open-source AI models under Alibaba (which owns the South China Morni...
In January, a top Chinese AI researcher told an industry summit in Beijing there was less than a 20 per cent chance of any Chinese company surpassing a leading US artificial intelligence firm in the next three to five years. The remark by Lin Junyang, until recently a technical leader working on Qwen, one of China’s most capable open-source AI models under Alibaba (which owns the South China Morning Post), made headlines. But much of the commentary missed a more important question Lin posed:...
The end of Jerome Powell's term as Fed chair on May 15 is unlikely to end a widening rift between President Trump and America's foremost financial institution concerning interest rates.
The end of Jerome Powell's term as Fed chair on May 15 is unlikely to end a widening rift between President Trump and America's foremost financial institution concerning interest rates.
Key PointsAlthough Donald Trump nominated Jerome Powell to succeed Janet Yellen as Fed chair during his first term, he's been a vocal critic of Powell and the Fed since the start of his second, non-consecutive term.
Key PointsAlthough Donald Trump nominated Jerome Powell to succeed Janet Yellen as Fed chair during his first term, he's been a vocal critic of Powell and the Fed since the start of his second, non-consecutive term.