SweetBabeeJay/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Fossil Group, Inc. ( FOSL ) is at an interesting point in time. A secular decline in the fashion watch market and Fossil’s operational missteps have made the company’s earnings performance weak, leading to the stock's sharp long-term decline. The stock has more recently caught the market’s attention, though – Fossil’s shares have doubled during the p...
SweetBabeeJay/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Fossil Group, Inc. ( FOSL ) is at an interesting point in time. A secular decline in the fashion watch market and Fossil’s operational missteps have made the company’s earnings performance weak, leading to the stock's sharp long-term decline. The stock has more recently caught the market’s attention, though – Fossil’s shares have doubled during the past year as the company's turnaround plan has shown progress. Insider purchases have reaffirmed the market's faith in a turnaround. Regardless, I remain skeptical of Fossil’s ability to successfully and sustainably turn around earnings. Seeking Alpha A Very Brief Introduction of Fossil Fossil designs, sources, markets, and distributes a range of fashion accessories, primarily watches , through a number of brands. The company owns the Fossil watch brand among other names, but also sells a number of licensed fashion brands, including Michael Kors, Empirio Armani, and others. The brands are primarily priced in an affordable price range. Setting the Scene: Fossil’s Sales Are on a Steep Decline The long-term financial performance of Fossil hasn’t been pretty. Sales have been on a near-constant decline from 2015 forward. Fossil’s sales currently stand at $1066 million, down at a sharp -10.7% CAGR from $3229 million in 2015. Fossil guides a mid-teens revenue decline for 2025, and that adjusted operating income will be “ breakeven to slightly positive ”. Weakening sales continue to cause significant margin pressure, as Fossil is struggling to maintain the cost base at a corresponding level to generate healthy earnings. Author's Illustration Using TIKR Data Fossil’s concerning trend coincides with the launch of the Apple Watch in 2015 – the market for mechanical fashion watches has been dwindling since. Consumers are shifting from fashion watches to smartwatches for their better functionality. Fossil previously tried to enter the smartwatch category in 2016, but wasn’t ultimately ab...
(RTTNews) - The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in six straight sessions, gaining more than 1,330 points or 5 percent along the way. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 27,825-point plateau although it's due for consolidation on Thursday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is soft amid geopolitical concerns, although support from gold and oil figure to limit the downside. Th...
(RTTNews) - The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in six straight sessions, gaining more than 1,330 points or 5 percent along the way. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 27,825-point plateau although it's due for consolidation on Thursday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is soft amid geopolitical concerns, although support from gold and oil figure to limit the downside. The European markets were down and the U.S. bourses were mixed and flat and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The Hang Seng finished sharply higher on Wednesday with gains across the board, especially among the technology companies. For the day, the index surged 699.96 points or 2.58 percent to finish at the daily high of 27,826.91 after trading as low as 27,258.10. Among the actives, Alibaba Group gained 2.12 percent, while Alibaba Health Info expanded 2.70 percent, ANTA Sports stumbled 1.16 percent, China Life Insurance strengthened 3.17 percent, China Mengniu Dairy accelerated 3.76 percent, China Resources Land spiked 4.63 percent, CITIC improved 2.27 percent, CNOOC soared 4.85 percent, CSPC Pharmaceutical skyrocketed 6.14 percent, Galaxy Entertainment perked 0.24 percent, Haier Smart Home slumped 0.93 percent, Hang Lung Properties vaulted 3.07 percent, Henderson Land jumped 3.57 percent, Hong Kong & China Gas gathered 1.79 percent, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China rallied 3.62 percent, JD.com climbed 2.47 percent, Lenovo and Xiaomi Corporation both added 2.14 percent, Li Auto surged 4.90 percent, Li Ning sank 0.30 percent, Meituan rose 1.86 percent, New World Development dropped 0.67 percent, Nongfu Spring increased 2.24 percent, Techtronic Industries advanced 2.29 percent and WuXi Biologics was up 0.47 percent. The lead from Wall Street is of little help as the major averages opened higher on Wednesday but tailed off and hugged the line, finishing mixed and little changed. The Dow rose 12.19 points or 0.02 percent to finish at 49,015.60, while the ...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Call participants President and Chief Executive Officer — Barry C. McCarthy Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Chip Zint Vice President, Investor Relations — Brian Anderson Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Organic revenue growth -- Comparable organic revenue increased ...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Call participants President and Chief Executive Officer — Barry C. McCarthy Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Chip Zint Vice President, Investor Relations — Brian Anderson Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Organic revenue growth -- Comparable organic revenue increased 1% for the full year, marking growth in both the fourth quarter and annual periods. -- Comparable organic revenue increased 1% for the full year, marking growth in both the fourth quarter and annual periods. Adjusted EBITDA -- Comparable adjusted EBITDA expanded by more than 6%, with a full-year figure of $431.5 million and a margin of 20.2%, up 90 basis points from the prior year. -- Comparable adjusted EBITDA expanded by more than 6%, with a full-year figure of $431.5 million and a margin of 20.2%, up 90 basis points from the prior year. Adjusted EPS -- Comparable adjusted EPS reached $3.67, up 12.6% from $3.26 in 2024, driven by expanded operating profits and lower interest expense. -- Comparable adjusted EPS reached $3.67, up 12.6% from $3.26 in 2024, driven by expanded operating profits and lower interest expense. GAAP net income -- GAAP net income was $85.3 million, or $1.87 per share, up from $52.9 million, or $1.18 per share in 2024, reflecting improved revenue, margins, and lower restructuring expenses. -- GAAP net income was $85.3 million, or $1.87 per share, up from $52.9 million, or $1.18 per share in 2024, reflecting improved revenue, margins, and lower restructuring expenses. Free cash flow -- Free cash flow was $175.3 million, exceeding the company’s 2026 target one year early, supported by improved EBITDA, lower restructuring spend, and enhanced working capital efficiency. -- Free cash flow was $175.3 million, exceeding the company’s 2026 target one year early, supported by improved EBITDA, lower restructuring spend, and enhanced working capital efficiency. ...
Meta Platforms Inc (Nasdaq: META) closed at $672.36, up 2.1% intraday. Market capitalization: USD 1.69 trillion at close. Latest Quarterly Results (Q4FY25) Consolidated revenue: $59,893 million, up 24% year-over-year. Net income: $22,768 million, up 9% year-over-year. Segment highlights: – Family of Apps revenue: $58,938 million (Q4 2025). – Reality Labs revenue: $955 million (Q4 2025). – Family o...
Meta Platforms Inc (Nasdaq: META) closed at $672.36, up 2.1% intraday. Market capitalization: USD 1.69 trillion at close. Latest Quarterly Results (Q4FY25) Consolidated revenue: $59,893 million, up 24% year-over-year. Net income: $22,768 million, up 9% year-over-year. Segment highlights: – Family of Apps revenue: $58,938 million (Q4 2025). – Reality Labs revenue: $955 million (Q4 2025). – Family of Apps operating income: $30,766 million (Q4 2025). – Reality Labs operating loss: $6,021 million (Q4 2025). Business & Operations Update Family daily active people averaged 3.58 billion in December 2025, up 7% year-over-year. Ad impressions rose 18% in the fourth quarter. Capital expenditures were $22.14 billion in Q4 and $72.22 billion for the full year 2025. The company cited increased infrastructure and technical hiring tied to AI initiatives. During the quarter, Meta continued to invest in infrastructure to support its advertising and artificial intelligence workloads. The company reported higher spending on servers, data centers, and network equipment, alongside continued hiring in technical roles. Advertising pricing increased year over year, while the average price per ad reflected changes in demand and advertiser mix across platforms. M&A or Strategic Moves No material M&A was announced in the company’s Q4 2025 press release. Equity Analyst Commentary Institutional analysts noted the quarter’s revenue beat and highlighted higher planned capital expenditure for 2026 as a key focus for investors. Institutional research notes following the results highlighted the divergence between the core advertising business and the Reality Labs segment. Analysts pointed to sustained user engagement across the Family of Apps and reiterated attention on expense discipline and capital allocation trends, particularly in relation to infrastructure investment and long-term product development. Guidance & Outlook — what to watch for Company guidance: Q1 2026 revenue range $53.5–56.5 bill...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer — Bill McDermott President and Chief Financial Officer — Gina Mastantuono President, Chief Product Officer, and Chief Operating Officer — Amit Zavery Vice President, Investor Relations — Darren Yip Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWA...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer — Bill McDermott President and Chief Financial Officer — Gina Mastantuono President, Chief Product Officer, and Chief Operating Officer — Amit Zavery Vice President, Investor Relations — Darren Yip Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Q4 2025 subscription revenue -- $3.47 billion, up 21% quarter over quarter and year over year on a reported (non-GAAP) basis, and exceeding the high end of guidance by 1.5 percentage points. -- $3.47 billion, up 21% quarter over quarter and year over year on a reported (non-GAAP) basis, and exceeding the high end of guidance by 1.5 percentage points. CRPO (Current Remaining Performance Obligations) -- Grew 25%, or 21% on a constant currency basis, two points above guidance, with a 1% contribution from Moveworks. -- Grew 25%, or 21% on a constant currency basis, two points above guidance, with a 1% contribution from Moveworks. Non-GAAP operating margin -- 31%, one point above guidance; full-year non-GAAP operating margin reached 31%, up 1.5 percentage points year over year. -- 31%, one point above guidance; full-year non-GAAP operating margin reached 31%, up 1.5 percentage points year over year. Free Cash Flow Margin -- 57% in Q4 (up 950 basis points year over year); full-year free cash flow margin was 35%, exceeding guidance by 1 percentage point. -- 57% in Q4 (up 950 basis points year over year); full-year free cash flow margin was 35%, exceeding guidance by 1 percentage point. Deal Volume -- 244 deals over $1 million in NNACV; 603 customers generated over $5 million in ACV; customers over $20 million in ACV rose more than 30%. -- 244 deals over $1 million in NNACV; 603 customers generated over $5 million in ACV; customers over $20 million in ACV rose more than 30%. Net New ACV Growth -- Accelerated both quarter over quarter and year over year; technology workflows net ...
Microsoft topped revenue and earnings estimates in its fiscal 2026 second quarter. But shares slid Wednesday evening as Azure failed to deliver meaningful growth upside. In-line guidance did little to change that narrative, which has been hurting the stock. Revenue increased about 16% year over year to $81.28 billion, beating the Street consensus estimate of $80.26 billion, according to data from ...
Microsoft topped revenue and earnings estimates in its fiscal 2026 second quarter. But shares slid Wednesday evening as Azure failed to deliver meaningful growth upside. In-line guidance did little to change that narrative, which has been hurting the stock. Revenue increased about 16% year over year to $81.28 billion, beating the Street consensus estimate of $80.26 billion, according to data from LSEG. Earnings per share increased 28% from last year to $4.14, ahead of the $3.97 estimate, LSEG data showed. Quarter EPS excluded $9.97 billion in other income related to OpenAI's restructuring. MSFT 1Y mountain Microsoft 1 year Shares of Microsoft sank 6% in after-hours trading, extending a decline that began three months ago when the company reported a quarter that failed to meet a high bar, lacking material revenue growth upside despite a significant increase in capital expenditures. Bottom line Microsoft's quarter on Wednesday evening did little to shake off that view. Azure revenue growth in fiscal Q2 did technically beat analyst estimates. Investors, however, wanted more growth to justify a 66% year-over-year increase in capital expenditures. Even with the company investing heavily in capacity, management said Azure customer demand exceeded available supply in its on-premises server business. What the company must figure out is how to better allocate its resources to maximize Azure monetization. That, at least, is what the market wants. What gives management the confidence to continue investing is a massive backlog that keeps getting bigger and bigger. Microsoft's Commercial Bookings and Commercial Remaining Performance Obligation (RPO) is getting a lot of attention after hours. Bookings were up 230% year over year, driven by previously announced large Azure commitments from OpenAI and Anthropic. Commercial RPO increased 110% year over year to $625 billion, and roughly 25% of that is expected to be recognized in the next 12 months. While there's some headline risk a...
Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META executives pointed to strong user growth, record holiday advertising demand, and a growing focus on artificial intelligence as the company closed out 2025 and outlined plans for 2026. On the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg described what he called a “major AI acceleration,” while CFO Susan Li detailed a sizable step-up in infrastructure spend...
Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META executives pointed to strong user growth, record holiday advertising demand, and a growing focus on artificial intelligence as the company closed out 2025 and outlined plans for 2026. On the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg described what he called a “major AI acceleration,” while CFO Susan Li detailed a sizable step-up in infrastructure spending and continued investment in technical talent. Get Meta Platforms alerts: Sign Up User growth and product engagement trends Zuckerberg said Meta ended 2025 with more than 3.5 billion people using at least one of its apps every day. He added that Facebook and WhatsApp each have more than 2 billion daily active users, with Instagram “just shy of that.” Li said engagement gains in the quarter were supported by ranking and product improvements across Meta’s apps. She highlighted that Instagram Reels watch time rose more than 30% year-over-year in the U.S., which she attributed in part to optimizations that improved recommendation quality, including simplification of ranking architecture that allowed models to consider longer interaction histories. On Facebook, Li said video time grew double digits year-over-year in the U.S. and that fourth-quarter optimizations produced a 7% lift in views of organic feed and video posts. She called it the largest quarterly revenue impact from Facebook product launches in the past two years. Li also said Meta increased the “freshness and originality” of content recommendations, including surfacing more same-day Reels on Facebook, and noted that 75% of recommendations on Instagram in the U.S. now come from original posts after a 10 percentage point increase in the prevalence of original content during the quarter. Threads also saw engagement growth, with Li saying recommendation optimizations in Q4 drove a 20% lift in time spent. Fourth-quarter financial results Li reported fourth-quarter total revenue of $59.9 billion, up 24% year-over-year, ...
Earnings Call Insights: LendingClub Corporation (LC) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Scott Sanborn stated LendingClub had a strong close to "one of the best years in LendingClub's history," highlighting a 40% year-on-year growth in originations to $2.6 billion for the quarter and a more than tripling of return on tangible common equity to almost 12%. Sanborn noted, "Our substantial originations growth...
Earnings Call Insights: LendingClub Corporation (LC) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Scott Sanborn stated LendingClub had a strong close to "one of the best years in LendingClub's history," highlighting a 40% year-on-year growth in originations to $2.6 billion for the quarter and a more than tripling of return on tangible common equity to almost 12%. Sanborn noted, "Our substantial originations growth was driven by continued product innovation and marketing expansion, while also supported by improved marketplace pricing and sustained credit outperformance." Sanborn reported that the company introduced a "rated structured certificate product in 2025 designed to meet the needs of insurance capital" and initiated a "direct forward flow agreement with a top U.S. insurance company" in Q4, complementing prior agreements with BlackRock and Blue Owl. The CEO emphasized the expansion of LendingClub's bank balance sheet, with net interest income up 14% year-over-year, and noted strong engagement with new deposit products. He stated that LevelUp Savings is "growing by double digits and driving 20% to 30% more log-ins per month than our legacy savings product." Sanborn detailed progress on entering the home improvement financing market, stating LendingClub is "well positioned for growth over the medium term," with integration of acquired technology and a first distribution partnership signed. The company remains on track to launch the partnership midyear. Sanborn announced a leadership change, thanking Hans Morris for his service as Board Chair and noting Tim Mayopoulos will assume the role. CFO Andrew LaBenne stated, "Loan originations grew by 40% to $2.6 billion. Borrower demand remains strong as the value we are providing continues to be compelling. Loan investor demand also remained strong as marketplace loan sales prices continued to increase in the quarter." Outlook LendingClub expects Q1 2026 loan originations of $2.55 billion to $2.65 billion, representing 28% to 33% year-o...
DeepSeek is looking to broaden its AI offerings with new artificial intelligence search features and more emphasis on agents, ramping up competition with US firms like OpenAI and Alphabet Inc. ’s Google. The Chinese AI startup is hiring specialists to build an AI search engine capable of supporting different languages, according to multiple job postings from the company this month. The planned sea...
DeepSeek is looking to broaden its AI offerings with new artificial intelligence search features and more emphasis on agents, ramping up competition with US firms like OpenAI and Alphabet Inc. ’s Google. The Chinese AI startup is hiring specialists to build an AI search engine capable of supporting different languages, according to multiple job postings from the company this month. The planned search options are meant to be multimodal, meaning they can process a range of inputs from text to images and audio for those looking up information. In other open roles shared by the company, DeepSeek detailed the need for training data, evaluation systems and dedicated platforms to support agents, or AI tools that run with limited need for human intervention. DeepSeek also signaled in the postings that it expects to have numerous agents running persistently. DeepSeek rattled the AI sector last January with the release of its R1 model, which rivaled cutting-edge options from leading US firms and was purportedly built at a fraction of the cost. A year later, many industry watchers are eagerly awaiting a successor to that model. In late December, the company published a paper outlining a more efficient approach to developing AI. Such publications from DeepSeek have foreshadowed major model releases in the past. But the secretive startup has offered few clues about its next product, beyond a recent, vague reference to “model1” on its public account on GitHub, a developer platform. The new job postings, more than a dozen in total, offer the latest hint at DeepSeek’s direction. Other AI developers, including OpenAI, are also investing in AI search and agents, with the goal of expanding beyond traditional chatbots to offer services that tackle more day-to-day tasks on a person’s behalf. Representatives for DeepSeek did not respond to a request for comment. In the postings, DeepSeek repeatedly emphasized its ambition to build artificial general intelligence, or AGI, echoing the miss...