Emerson Bergamaschi/iStock via Getty Images Shares of Emerson Electric ( EMR ) have seen quite a setback in recent weeks, with shares down over 20% from the peak, which was somewhat momentum-induced on its own. Emerson is a great business, being well-positioned, a stock with a solid track record. While topline sales growth feels a bit soft lately, it is margin gains and sound capital allocation de...
Emerson Bergamaschi/iStock via Getty Images Shares of Emerson Electric ( EMR ) have seen quite a setback in recent weeks, with shares down over 20% from the peak, which was somewhat momentum-induced on its own. Emerson is a great business, being well-positioned, a stock with a solid track record. While topline sales growth feels a bit soft lately, it is margin gains and sound capital allocation decisions that make me upbeat on the long-term prospects and make me a willing buyer on dips here. Other, higher conviction ideas, including secular growth plays in industrial segments, can be found at Value In Corporate Events . All About Automation In a world that suffers from labor market shortages and mismatches, Emerson Electric claims to be the automation leader. Benefiting from diverse market verticals and customers, the company has an unparalleled software-defined technology stack to deliver on great outcomes for customers. The company is an $18 billion giant that relies on its $10 billion intelligence devices segment. This is complemented by the software & systems business, responsible for a third of sales, complemented by a smaller safety & productivity segment. About half of sales are generated in North America, with meaningful exposure seen in other key geographic areas. The company serves over 100,000 customers, with two-thirds of sales tied to MRO, complemented by greenfield and modernization & expansion projects. The business should benefit greatly from long-term tailwinds related to electrification, energy security, nearshoring, and energy self-sufficiency, including a broad range of verticals and drivers. This is seen in the achievements of the business. While 20% cumulative revenue growth over the past decade is rather modest, the company has seen major achievements in operating margins, having risen a full seven points to a quarter of sales over the past decade! Moreover, the share count has been reduced by some 13%, boosting the achievements on a per-share...
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview As market indices retreat from their all-time highs due to technology, there has been one sector that has outperformed. Although markets are cautious about the uncertainty related to AI, the reality is that there has still been a rising demand in power because of AI. This is where the BlackRock Utilities Infrastructure & Power Oppty fund ( BUI ) ha...
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview As market indices retreat from their all-time highs due to technology, there has been one sector that has outperformed. Although markets are cautious about the uncertainty related to AI, the reality is that there has still been a rising demand in power because of AI. This is where the BlackRock Utilities Infrastructure & Power Oppty fund ( BUI ) has been able to capitalize. When I previously covered BUI, I issued a hold rating due to the premium valuation at the time. Despite the premium, the fund has outperformed the S&P 500 since then, and I believe that the outperformance may continue through 2026. Furthermore, the fund has released an updated annual report for 2025, which prompted me to revisit the overall value proposition. What caught my attention was that the fund's valuation has significantly improved. For instance, BUI now trades at a discount to NAV of 2.5%, which is cheaper than the five-year average premium to NAV of 0.05%. Referring to the red line on the graph below, we can see that the fund trades at a very reasonable valuation compared to its historical range, which now justifies the accumulation of shares. I believe that the fund will be able to capture positive earnings growth, which should help improve the dividend coverage and underlying NAV growth. CEFData.com The fund now offers a starting dividend yield of 6.3%, which is high enough for income investors to be satisfied but also low enough to allow the fund to provide meaningful price growth over time. An issue we can see with many other high-yield funds is that the dividend yield is so generous that it makes it hard for the fund to grow its NAV since all earnings are being paid out to shareholders. Looking forward, I believe that BUI is well positioned to capture the growth from AI data centers over the next few years. Fund Strategy According to the fund's overview , BUI now has net assets of $636.8M that are spread across 50 different position...
A selloff in stocks, gold and bonds deepened as the US and Iran hardened their rhetoric and signaled a potential escalation to their conflict in the Middle East. Bloomberg's Mark Cudmore breaks down the situation. (Source: Bloomberg)
A selloff in stocks, gold and bonds deepened as the US and Iran hardened their rhetoric and signaled a potential escalation to their conflict in the Middle East. Bloomberg's Mark Cudmore breaks down the situation. (Source: Bloomberg)
Key Points Salesforce's AI business is scaling rapidly, with Agentforce reaching annual recurring revenue of $800 million. The number of large deals is also increasing, highlighting rising enterprise demand for Salesforce’s solutions. Despite multiple tailwinds, the stock is trading at a relatively modest valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Salesforce › Enterprise software stocks have come un...
Key Points Salesforce's AI business is scaling rapidly, with Agentforce reaching annual recurring revenue of $800 million. The number of large deals is also increasing, highlighting rising enterprise demand for Salesforce’s solutions. Despite multiple tailwinds, the stock is trading at a relatively modest valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Salesforce › Enterprise software stocks have come under pressure in 2026 as investors question whether artificial intelligence (AI) could disrupt traditional software-as-a-service (SaaS) models. One of the stocks most adversely affected is Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), with its share price down over 26.6% so far this year (as of March 18). Salesforce's fiscal 2026 (ending Jan. 31, 2026) revenue was up 10% year over year to $41.5 billion. The company also exited the year with $72.4 billion in remaining performance obligations (RPO, contracted revenue yet to be recognized). Of that, the current RPO (expected to be recognized in the next 12 months) was $35.1 billion, up 16% year over year. Hence, it is obvious that the company continues to secure long-term customers and projects, even as the market debates whether AI could weaken traditional software vendors. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Growth tailwinds While Wall Street remains concerned about Salesforce's maturing growth, recent data suggests that the company may be entering a new phase of AI-powered expansion. For the fourth quarter, the company reported a 26% increase in deals worth over $1 million and 33% increase in deals exceeding $10 million on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce's Agentforce platform, which enables businesses to build, manage, and deploy AI agents to perform various tasks, is also scaling rapidly. Combined with its Data 360 offering, a cloud-native data platform that uni...