Westamerica press release ( WABC ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $1.13. Revenue of $62.2M. The income tax provision (FTE) for the first quarter 2026 was $9.3 million compared to $10.3 million for the fourth quarter 2025. The fourth quarter 2025 income tax provision includes a $628 thousand increase to the book tax provision to reconcile the 2024 income tax provision to the filed 2024 tax returns. More on Westam...
Westamerica press release ( WABC ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $1.13. Revenue of $62.2M. The income tax provision (FTE) for the first quarter 2026 was $9.3 million compared to $10.3 million for the fourth quarter 2025. The fourth quarter 2025 income tax provision includes a $628 thousand increase to the book tax provision to reconcile the 2024 income tax provision to the filed 2024 tax returns. More on Westamerica Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Westamerica Dividend scorecard for Westamerica Financial information for Westamerica
The Sigenergy booth in Shanghai. Photo: VCG Shares of Sigenergy Technology Co. Ltd., a Chinese residential energy storage manufacturer, surged more than 100% during its Hong Kong trading debut on Thursday, pushing the startup’s valuation to HK$162.8 billion ($20.8 billion). The Shanghai-based company raised HK$4.4 billion by offering 13.6 million shares in its initial public offering (IPO), with t...
The Sigenergy booth in Shanghai. Photo: VCG Shares of Sigenergy Technology Co. Ltd., a Chinese residential energy storage manufacturer, surged more than 100% during its Hong Kong trading debut on Thursday, pushing the startup’s valuation to HK$162.8 billion ($20.8 billion). The Shanghai-based company raised HK$4.4 billion by offering 13.6 million shares in its initial public offering (IPO), with the stock closing at HK$659.5 — up 103% from its issue price. The total fundraising could increase to HK$5.1 billion if the overallotment option is exercised.
Art Wager/iStock via Getty Images As water levels in the Colorado River system continue to decline, Arizona and Nevada are exploring an unusual solution: tapping desalinated ocean water produced in California, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Officials in both states are in talks with the San Diego County Water Authority to access freshwater generated by the Carlsbad desalination plant, ...
Art Wager/iStock via Getty Images As water levels in the Colorado River system continue to decline, Arizona and Nevada are exploring an unusual solution: tapping desalinated ocean water produced in California, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Officials in both states are in talks with the San Diego County Water Authority to access freshwater generated by the Carlsbad desalination plant, the largest of its kind in North America. The arrangement would not involve physically transporting water. Instead, states would exchange water rights, funding desalinated supply in return for a portion of California’s Colorado River allocation. The push comes as the Colorado River, a critical resource for roughly 40 million people, faces mounting strain from population growth and climate pressures. Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, has dropped dramatically from historic highs and is expected to fall further after a weak winter snowpack. Arizona has already reduced its water usage significantly, with further cuts likely. In response, states across the West are increasingly turning to water-sharing agreements and alternative supply sources, including wastewater recycling and desalination. San Diego, once heavily dependent on imported water, has spent decades investing in local infrastructure, including desalination, storage and conservation. Those efforts have sharply reduced its reliance on outside sources, and left it with excess capacity that could now be sold. Additional projects are underway. A joint initiative involving California, Arizona and Nevada aims to recycle large volumes of wastewater in Southern California, potentially supplying enough water for millions. Meanwhile, new offshore desalination technologies are being tested that could lower costs and environmental impact. Despite these efforts, challenges remain. Desalination has historically faced high costs and environmental concerns, limiting its adoption. Still, water officials increasingly view a p...
Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) is one of the most expensive stocks in the S&P 500 by almost any standard measure. It trades at roughly 60 to 80 times forward expected revenue, depending on the day, and a number of credible Wall Street analysts think the stock could lose more than half its value from here. When an investment bank like Jefferies says a stock has 51% downside -- its 12-month pr...
Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) is one of the most expensive stocks in the S&P 500 by almost any standard measure. It trades at roughly 60 to 80 times forward expected revenue, depending on the day, and a number of credible Wall Street analysts think the stock could lose more than half its value from here. When an investment bank like Jefferies says a stock has 51% downside -- its 12-month price target is $70, and Palantir opened Thursday trading at $ 144.29 -- you shouldn't wave it off. But here's what I think those bear cases miss, and why Palantir may be the rare case where a dependency on government contracts is actually a feature rather than a vulnerability. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is up +0.21%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is up +0.05%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is up +0.43%. June E-mini S&P futures (ESM26 ) are up +0.26%, and June E-mini Nasdaq futures...
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is up +0.21%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is up +0.05%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is up +0.43%. June E-mini S&P futures (ESM26 ) are up +0.26%, and June E-mini Nasdaq futures...
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) stock is up 6% today, rising from $258.12 to $274 and change as a pair of fresh catalysts reignite the AI chip debate. Can AMD finally close the gap on NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)? Today’s move suggests investors think the answer is getting closer to yes. The rally builds on a stock that ... AMD Gains 6% Ahead of May Earnings: Is the AI Chip Challenger Finally Ready to...
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) stock is up 6% today, rising from $258.12 to $274 and change as a pair of fresh catalysts reignite the AI chip debate. Can AMD finally close the gap on NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)? Today’s move suggests investors think the answer is getting closer to yes. The rally builds on a stock that ... AMD Gains 6% Ahead of May Earnings: Is the AI Chip Challenger Finally Ready to Rival NVIDIA?
Phiwath Jittamas/iStock via Getty Images The abrdn Total Dynamic Dividend Fund ( AOD ) is a closed-end fund designed to provide investors diversified equity exposure in dividend-paying companies, focusing on long-term growth. The fund actively targets a rolling distribution rate of 12%, an appealing objective for income-focused investors. With a dynamic sector- & regional-rotation strategy, AOD ex...
Phiwath Jittamas/iStock via Getty Images The abrdn Total Dynamic Dividend Fund ( AOD ) is a closed-end fund designed to provide investors diversified equity exposure in dividend-paying companies, focusing on long-term growth. The fund actively targets a rolling distribution rate of 12%, an appealing objective for income-focused investors. With a dynamic sector- & regional-rotation strategy, AOD exhibits flexibility to rotate into growth markets rather than being tied to a thematic approach, enabling the ability to drive value in most market conditions. Given the appeal of the strategy, its historical performance, relatively low management fees, and strong dividend distribution rate, I am recommending AOD with a Buy rating. Investment Assessment As of October 31, 2025, in its annual report, AOD was heavily allocated to the information technology sector, making up 25.7% of the total portfolio weight. Within the sector, semiconductor & semiconductor equipment carried the largest subsector exposure in the strategy, which largely consisted of Analog Devices, Inc. ( ADI ) and Broadcom, Inc. ( AVGO ). Thematically, ADI is positioned to realize a major market turnaround as investments in data centers and associated infrastructure are expected to increase drastically in 2026. A major component is the power requirements of data center infrastructure, requiring onsite base stations and distribution infrastructure to support the substantial electrical needs. This is expected to drive ADI’s power and microcontroller business for the coming years, particularly as data centers transition to 800 VDC beginning in 2027. Broadcom is also in an appealing position as hyperscalers transition more capital investments towards custom silicon solutions, delivering higher performance to the firm. Long-term, Broadcom is positioned to deliver multiple gigawatts of capacity over the coming years, resulting in sharper growth for its semiconductor solutions business. In addition to custom ASICs, B...
fotofrog/E+ via Getty Images PepsiCo ( PEP ) delivered a strong start to 2026, reporting Q1 revenue of $19.4 billion, up 8.5% year-over-year, with organic sales rising 2.6% to beat consensus and non-GAAP EPS of $1.61 topping estimates by $0.06. The results were headlined by a 2% improvement in convenient foods volume, signaling that the company's affordability initiatives and brand restaging effor...
fotofrog/E+ via Getty Images PepsiCo ( PEP ) delivered a strong start to 2026, reporting Q1 revenue of $19.4 billion, up 8.5% year-over-year, with organic sales rising 2.6% to beat consensus and non-GAAP EPS of $1.61 topping estimates by $0.06. The results were headlined by a 2% improvement in convenient foods volume, signaling that the company's affordability initiatives and brand restaging effort, pledged back in December 2025, are beginning to bear fruit. In light of this, below is a list of the top 10 soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages stocks arranged according to their profitability grade. The stocks were screened based on Seeking Alpha’s profitability ratings, with additional data including market capitalization and Quant ratings. The list is topped by The Coca-Cola Company ( KO ) and PepsiCo, Inc. ( PEP ), both earning A+ profitability grades. National Beverage Corp. ( FIZZ ) and Monster Beverage Corporation ( MNST ) follow with A grades, while Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC ( CCEP ) rounds out the top five with an A- grade. The remainder of the top 10 includes a mix of international bottlers and specialty beverage companies. Coca-Cola HBC AG ( CCHGY ) and Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. ( FMX ) both hold B+ grades, while The Vita Coco Company, Inc. ( COCO ), Arca Continental, S.A.B. de C.V. ( EMBVF ), and Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. ( KDP ) each carry B grades. The list spans a wide range of market capitalizations, from industry giants like The Coca-Cola Company ( KO ) at $324.15B to smaller players like The Vita Coco Company, Inc. ( COCO ) at $2.84B. The profitability grade is a component of Seeking Alpha’s quantitative rating system that evaluates a company’s ability to generate earnings and returns relative to its peers. This grade assesses key financial metrics including margin analysis (gross, operating, and net margins), return ratios (such as return on equity and return on assets), and overall efficiency indicators. Here is the list: The...
"It's Really Illiquid": Goldman COO Warns Retail About Private Credit And The "Perception Of Liquidity" Speaking at Semafor’s World Economy event in Washington, D.C., President and COO of Goldman Sachs John Waldron warned that some managers have oversold how easy it is to get money out—especially to retail investors, who’ve helped balloon the market into a $1.7 trillion behemoth just as the space ...
"It's Really Illiquid": Goldman COO Warns Retail About Private Credit And The "Perception Of Liquidity" Speaking at Semafor’s World Economy event in Washington, D.C., President and COO of Goldman Sachs John Waldron warned that some managers have oversold how easy it is to get money out—especially to retail investors, who’ve helped balloon the market into a $1.7 trillion behemoth just as the space faces growing scrutiny and tighter conditions, according to Semafor . “Not everybody has marketed their product as clearly as, certainly we would like to see with the clarity that this is really not a liquid product. It’s not semi-liquid. It’s really illiquid,” Waldron said. “ Those retail investors, I think, have the perception of more liquidity than is the reality.” That mismatch matters more now. Private credit has been under pressure lately—from higher rates to jittery investors suddenly remembering they might want their cash back. Semafor writes that Waldron isn’t predicting imminent trouble unless the broader economy cracks. “This is an economy that has been predicted to be in trouble for a long time and shows extraordinary resilience,” he said. “I still see that resilience.” He added, “This economy is much stronger than the narrative suggests.” He said recent earnings don’t show “any real evidence” of serious weakness, and for now, “confidence is still pretty good,” though prolonged geopolitical tensions—like the ongoing conflict involving Iran—could start to erode that. If oil spikes and key routes like the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, “you’re going to start to see demand destruction,” he warned. The bigger watchpoint: liquidity. Retail investors now make up roughly a fifth of the U.S. private credit market, drawn in by lower minimums—but not necessarily easy exits. Many of these funds cap withdrawals at around 5% per period. “In situations where there’s a sense that there’s undercurrents of trouble in private credit, you could have more redemption pressure where...