Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — David Fortunato Chief Financial Officer — Alan Imberman Chief Operating Officer — Matthew Moon Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Total platform assets -- $94.1 billion at fiscal year-end (January 31, 2026), a 17% increase, with investment adviso...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — David Fortunato Chief Financial Officer — Alan Imberman Chief Operating Officer — Matthew Moon Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Total platform assets -- $94.1 billion at fiscal year-end (January 31, 2026), a 17% increase, with investment advisory assets rising 29% to $48.7 billion and cash management assets increasing 7% to $45.4 billion. -- $94.1 billion at fiscal year-end (January 31, 2026), a 17% increase, with investment advisory assets rising 29% to $48.7 billion and cash management assets increasing 7% to $45.4 billion. Funded clients and accounts -- Funded clients reached approximately 1,420,000, up 17%, and funded accounts totaled roughly 1,840,000, up 16%, indicating 1.3 funded accounts per client. -- Funded clients reached approximately 1,420,000, up 17%, and funded accounts totaled roughly 1,840,000, up 16%, indicating 1.3 funded accounts per client. Annual net deposits -- $6.7 billion in net deposits for the year; the fourth quarter experienced $400 million in net outflows driven by clients shifting cash into investments. -- $6.7 billion in net deposits for the year; the fourth quarter experienced $400 million in net outflows driven by clients shifting cash into investments. Investment advisory cross-product flows -- The company recorded its second-best quarter for cross-product flows into investment advisory, and a second consecutive record for net cross-account transfers from cash to investment. -- The company recorded its second-best quarter for cross-product flows into investment advisory, and a second consecutive record for net cross-account transfers from cash to investment. Organic investment advisory growth -- Annualized organic investment advisory growth reached 11% for the quarter, with January’s growth running at an annualized 15%. -- Annualized organic investment advisory growth reached 11...
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images AT&T Inc. ( T ) ripped higher the last month, but the business isn't any better. The telecom giant is reportedly planning to double down on investing in the fiber and wireless network infrastructure due to AI demand over the next 5 years, a potential sign of the company borrowing more debt. My investment thesis remains bearish on the stock closer to $...
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images AT&T Inc. ( T ) ripped higher the last month, but the business isn't any better. The telecom giant is reportedly planning to double down on investing in the fiber and wireless network infrastructure due to AI demand over the next 5 years, a potential sign of the company borrowing more debt. My investment thesis remains bearish on the stock closer to $30, with AT&T constantly struggling to turn network spending into actual revenue growth. Source: Finviz $250 Billion Commitment Ahead of an investor conference at Deutsche Bank, AT&T announced a strange commitment to invest and spend $250 billion to advance U.S. connectivity. The 5-year pledge amounts to $50 billion in annual spending when the telecom company is only spending $20 billion annually on capital expenditures. Data by YCharts As usual, the devil is in the details. AT&T clearly pointed out the plans to spend $250 billion, suggesting a large portion of the $250 billion commitment is from operating costs. In the press release, Chairman and CEO John Stankey made the following statement: Today, we’re committing more than $250 billion to increase U.S. connectivity competitiveness and expand access to AT&T’s leading fiber and wireless networks – the best way to get on the internet. Current Federal telecommunications policy is as strong as I’ve seen in my career, making our commitment to invest possible. We look forward to serving American communities and businesses for the next 150 years. The company appears to just highlight the spending levels at the 150-year celebration of Alexander Graham Bell's first phone call. With the Q4'25 earnings report only a month ago, AT&T laid out plans to spend $23 to 24 billion annually on capex between 2026 and 2028 with free cash flow of only $18 billion in 2026. Source: AT&T Q4'25 presentation As mentioned in the announcement, the company clearly talks about investing in people with plans to hire thousands of skilled technicians in 20...
The geopolitical conflict in the Middle East is driving up oil and natural gas prices. That's a fairly predictable outcome. That said, developments in the conflict are changing rapidly, leading to rather wide swings in the energy market. As you watch oil prices rise and fall, here are three things you need to keep in mind. 1. The impact will ripple through the economy Motley Fool research shows th...
The geopolitical conflict in the Middle East is driving up oil and natural gas prices. That's a fairly predictable outcome. That said, developments in the conflict are changing rapidly, leading to rather wide swings in the energy market. As you watch oil prices rise and fall, here are three things you need to keep in mind. 1. The impact will ripple through the economy Motley Fool research shows that inflation has averaged around 3.8% per year. However, rising oil and natural gas prices could lead to a spike in inflation. You will see higher prices at the gas pump almost immediately, but oil and gas are used in the transportation of goods, as key inputs in the manufacturing process, and to produce electricity, among other things. Higher energy costs impact far more than you may realize. As companies feel the impact of higher costs, they will pass them on to consumers. In some cases, such as in the utility sector, mechanisms exist that can directly pass those costs on to consumers. In other cases, the process will happen over time. However, rising energy costs will eventually lead to higher prices across the economy. 2. The risk of a recession is increased Consumers are already worried about the economy. That's highlighted by the divergent performance of retailers Target (TGT 1.71%) and Walmart (WMT 1.32%). Target offers a more premium experience and products, and its sales are falling, with same-store sales off by 2.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Walmart is focused on everyday low prices, and its sales are rising, with organic sales up 4.6% in the U.S. division in the comparable quarter. Expand NASDAQ : WMT Walmart Today's Change ( -1.32 %) $ -1.65 Current Price $ 123.47 Key Data Points Market Cap $997B Day's Range $ 123.05 - $ 125.46 52wk Range $ 79.81 - $ 134.69 Volume 791K Avg Vol 31M Gross Margin 25.40 % Dividend Yield 0.75 % As higher oil and natural gas prices flow through the economy, the risk of a recession rises. In fact, increased uncertainty alone could...
My latest book had been out for less than a month when the emails started to arrive. One came from “Elena”, with the tantalising subject line, “When history flutters its wings and reveals a crime too beautiful to ignore.” Then followed a long, florid message about how it was “one of those rare true stories that makes you question everything you thought you knew about history, museums, and human ob...
My latest book had been out for less than a month when the emails started to arrive. One came from “Elena”, with the tantalising subject line, “When history flutters its wings and reveals a crime too beautiful to ignore.” Then followed a long, florid message about how it was “one of those rare true stories that makes you question everything you thought you knew about history, museums, and human obsession”. What’s more, she said I had written with “prose that feels like chasing a butterfly through time graceful, deliberate, and a little dangerous”. I don’t know what it says about me that my gut reaction to such gushing praise is suspicion. There were other red flags. A reverse image search of Elena’s profile picture revealed that this smiling woman dressed in white, raising a coffee cup to the camera, was in fact a widely circulated stock image. Elena wasn’t my only new fan. “Mary” soon appeared in my inbox, saying that “few projects encapsulate intellectual intrigue, archival richness, and cinematic pacing the way yours does”. “Lauren”, on the other hand, wanted to discuss my first book, which she said “turned what could’ve been a dry biography into a living, breathing narrative of media warfare”. But Lauren also brought a veiled warning: “The irony is wild, a journalist whose own book, brimming with truth, power and insight, isn’t echoing loudly enough across readers’ shelves.” Brutal. I thought Young Rupert had done OK since its publication in 2023. Heck, it had even been pirated by the LibGen online database – the same dataset infamously used by Meta to train its AI program on millions of authors’ work without permission or compensation. But sure, point taken. As a journalist I’m used to an inbox filled with spam and cold-call pitches. But these emails seemed tailored to me and my work, despite their language and tone bearing the je-ne-sais-quoi-fakeness of a learning language model. Authors like me are being targeted by AI-powered accounts promising exposure and...
Key Points Disney's fiscal first-quarter streaming operating income surged 72% year over year to $450 million. The company's recent deal to acquire NFL Network also more closely aligns the NFL's interests with ESPN's. Disney still carries roughly $41 billion in net debt, limiting its financial flexibility against deep-pocketed tech rivals and streaming leader Netflix. 10 stocks we like better than...
Key Points Disney's fiscal first-quarter streaming operating income surged 72% year over year to $450 million. The company's recent deal to acquire NFL Network also more closely aligns the NFL's interests with ESPN's. Disney still carries roughly $41 billion in net debt, limiting its financial flexibility against deep-pocketed tech rivals and streaming leader Netflix. 10 stocks we like better than Walt Disney › Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) have been hovering near a historically modest valuation. As of this writing, the stock trades at about 15 times earnings. For a sprawling entertainment empire with unmatched intellectual property, this price might seem like a bargain. But the hard part about investing is that a cheap stock is often cheap for a reason. 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 » Still, shares are trading at a significant discount to the S&P 500. So, is Disney stock a buy? A strong bull case To be fair, there is a lot to like about Disney's underlying business right now. The company's streaming segment, which was burning billions just a few years ago, is finally scaling into a profitable operation. In Disney's fiscal first quarter of 2026 (ended Dec. 27, 2025), its direct-to-consumer streaming business posted operating income of $450 million -- up an impressive 72% year over year. And further bolstering the bull case is Disney's Experiences segment, which includes its theme parks. The segment generated record quarterly revenue of $10.0 billion in fiscal Q1, alongside $3.3 billion in operating income -- a 6% year-over-year increase. And then there is Disney's ESPN. The sports giant remains a uniquely powerful asset, and management recently took a major step to secure its durability. Disney recently closed a landmark deal with the National Football League (NFL) ...
In recent days, Tesla has reported a sharp rebound in China-made Model 3 and Model Y sales, with February deliveries from its Shanghai plant rising strongly year over year for a fourth consecutive month, even as global vehicle deliveries and profits have declined over the past two years. At the same time, the long-serving Vice President of Finance and other senior leaders have exited, underscoring...
In recent days, Tesla has reported a sharp rebound in China-made Model 3 and Model Y sales, with February deliveries from its Shanghai plant rising strongly year over year for a fourth consecutive month, even as global vehicle deliveries and profits have declined over the past two years. At the same time, the long-serving Vice President of Finance and other senior leaders have exited, underscoring ongoing turnover as Tesla reallocates billions of dollars of capital toward AI, robotics, robotaxis, and energy infrastructure. This combination of a China sales recovery and leadership churn during a costly shift toward autonomous services, AI, and energy storage is reshaping how investors think about Tesla’s balance between its weakening auto business and its higher-margin software and energy ambitions. We’ll now examine how Tesla’s renewed China momentum, against a backdrop of executive departures and an AI-heavy pivot, could influence this investment narrative. Invest in the nuclear renaissance through our list of 86 elite nuclear energy infrastructure plays powering the global AI revolution. Tesla Investment Narrative Recap Tesla’s story today is about whether its shrinking auto profits can fund a costly pivot into AI, robotaxis, and energy. The sharp rebound in China-made Model 3 and Model Y sales supports the near term robotaxi and FSD rollout catalyst, but does not remove the biggest current risk: heavy AI and capex spending while core vehicle deliveries and earnings have weakened. Among recent developments, Tesla joining the Utilize coalition with Alphabet to push grid reforms looks especially relevant. If policies eventually favor large scale battery storage and virtual power plants, that could support Tesla’s Energy and “physical AI” ambitions, complementing its China sales recovery as investors reassess how much of the story still rests on cars versus software and energy. Yet beneath the excitement around AI and China momentum, investors should also be aware of...
At least there was no public humiliation for Filip Jörgensen from his manager. But while Liam Rosenior did not do an Igor Tudor and hook his goalkeeper, this hurt. It is why a goalkeeper passing out from the back only looks clever until the moment it goes wrong. Above all, it was tough for Chelsea to take. They impressed at the Parc des Princes, twice pegging Paris Saint-Germain back, but there wa...
At least there was no public humiliation for Filip Jörgensen from his manager. But while Liam Rosenior did not do an Igor Tudor and hook his goalkeeper, this hurt. It is why a goalkeeper passing out from the back only looks clever until the moment it goes wrong. Above all, it was tough for Chelsea to take. They impressed at the Parc des Princes, twice pegging Paris Saint-Germain back, but there was no escaping the reality that the focus was on the moment Jörgensen’s stray ball out gifted the European champions the advantage in this last-16 Champions League tie. In the end a sometimes flimsy but often thrilling PSG had a 5-2 lead to take to Stamford Bridge for next week’s second leg after two late goals from Kvicha Kvaratshkelia. But the frustration for Chelsea was immense. It seemed they would silence claims their win over PSG in the Club World Cup final was a one-off. But by full-time Enzo Fernández was arguing with Jörgensen, who was brought in by Rosenior, over his shoddy distribution. After the farce of Tottenham’s experiment with Antonin Kinsky against Atlético Madrid, the early focus in Paris was on another big goalkeeping call. From Rosenior, there was the boldness to start Jörgensen over Robert Sánchez. A gamble? Sánchez excelled against PSG last summer and has been Chelsea’s undisputed No 1 – until now, with the Spaniard’s recent wobbles convincing Rosenior that this was the moment to bring Jörgensen in for the biggest game of his career. With Ousmane Dembélé fit to start with Bradley Barcola and Desire Doué, it was a stacked PSG attack facing Jörgensen. There was also, though, talk of an oddly vulnerable PSG team. Chelsea did their macho halfway line huddle and quickly dispensed with any notion of trying to keep it tight. Both sides employed high-wire pressing systems. Jörgensen’s first offering was a shaky pass to Doué. Chelsea were open but passive defending received swift punishment. Dembélé crossed, João Neves nodded down and Barcola had time to take a...
Jose Calsina/iStock via Getty Images Shares of Fair Isaac Corporation ( FICO ) have been decimated in recent times, although in all honesty this follows a period of unexplainable momentum to the upside. Trading at $1,150, shares are down some 50% from the all-time highs set in the fall of 2024, but at the same time, they trade at similar levels first seen as recently as the end of 2023. Such a pul...
Jose Calsina/iStock via Getty Images Shares of Fair Isaac Corporation ( FICO ) have been decimated in recent times, although in all honesty this follows a period of unexplainable momentum to the upside. Trading at $1,150, shares are down some 50% from the all-time highs set in the fall of 2024, but at the same time, they trade at similar levels first seen as recently as the end of 2023. Such a pullback does not surprise me given the non-sustainable and surprising share price momentum to the upside in 2024, raising the question if opportunities are found, even after a 50% pullback. I'm usually attracted to large pullbacks, some of which are covered in greater detail at Value In Corporate Events , but I'm holding back on this one. Shares have been hurt by concerns about AI disrupting the software story, which hurt the business. Moreover, there's the issue of quite some debt employed and political pressures arriving to curb interest rates on credit cards. Make Every Decision Count FICO aims to transform businesses by making every decision count. Its trusted advice, analytics, and innovative applications help organizations to automate, improve, and connect decisions. Such solutions are used by many (financial) institutions to increase loyalty, cut fraud, manage credit losses, and meet other regulatory requests and standards. In fact, the FICO score has become a standard in the US industry in measuring consumer credit over the past 35 years. This is used for mortgages, auto loans, and card lending with open access and licensing, driving rapid adoption and brand awareness across users and consumers. The business has a strong track record, with revenues more than doubling to $2 billion over the past decade. The real achievement is that the GAAP operating margin increased from about 20% of sales to about 50% of sales over this period of time, with strong cash flow generation in part used to retire one in every four shares outstanding. All this drove an unparalleled move hig...
Getty Images PepsiCo ( PEP ) is one of those businesses that just makes so much sense in my head. The company sells food and beverage products across the globe, sourcing, manufacturing, and distributing multiple loved consumer brands to grocery stores and other retailers, both here in the United States and internationally. The company boasts significant scale and solid margins, and while growth re...
Getty Images PepsiCo ( PEP ) is one of those businesses that just makes so much sense in my head. The company sells food and beverage products across the globe, sourcing, manufacturing, and distributing multiple loved consumer brands to grocery stores and other retailers, both here in the United States and internationally. The company boasts significant scale and solid margins, and while growth remains modest, people need to eat, right? In that way, I believe that PepsiCo, along with its peers in the food industry, is a 'forever' company. That is, you can mostly trust many of these firms will still be selling food 100 years from now. Recently, Pepsi has been through some upheaval, as rampant inflation in the company's value chain, a stressed consumer, and GLP-1s have produced a number of years of financial wonkiness for the company. In recent articles , I’ve made a bullish case for shares, but returns have lagged the broader S&P 500: Seeking Alpha In some ways, even if the business gets fully back to normal (which I believe it will), shares are on track to produce mid- to high single-digit growth over the long run. Combined with the company’s 3%+ dividend, it’s not a bad total package, with total returns in the 10% per year range. However, selling put options on the stock might make even more sense right now. Not only do put options offer a considerable yield - well above the stock’s ordinary dividend - but being short options also comes with an opportunity to buy the stock at a discount in the event that shares dip in price. At said price, your margin of safety improves, and the stock should produce even better annualized returns in the future. As a result, I believe selling put options is the best way to play the stock at present. Today, I’ll walk through the company financials, highlight the valuation, and explain why I believe selling put options in Pepsi is an excellent way to deploy capital in the current market environment. Sound good? Let’s dive in. Financia...