Commonwealth Bank of Australia will eliminate around 120 roles amid a broader push to harness artificial intelligence at the nation’s largest lender. As part of the reductions, some 43 of the roles will be from Bankwest, CBA’s subsidiary based in Western Australia, and include mobile lending managers, the Finance Sector Union said in a statement Thursday. Six of the roles cut were “impacted by aut...
Commonwealth Bank of Australia will eliminate around 120 roles amid a broader push to harness artificial intelligence at the nation’s largest lender. As part of the reductions, some 43 of the roles will be from Bankwest, CBA’s subsidiary based in Western Australia, and include mobile lending managers, the Finance Sector Union said in a statement Thursday. Six of the roles cut were “impacted by automation,” the statement said. The reductions come two months after a separate round of cuts that will claim around 300 roles, the union said at the time, as part of efforts to further embrace AI. In February, CBA unveiled its A$90 million ($64 million) Future Workforce Program aimed at building AI skills among its existing employees. A spokesperson for CBA said the bank grew its workforce in the prior financial year and that it regularly reviews the roles and skills required to serve customers. CBA has around 49,000 staff. “Some roles are shifting, new roles are being created, and some roles are reducing as programs finish, work is simplified and the mix of roles and skills across the bank evolves,” the spokesperson said. Last year, the bank backtracked on an effort to cut 45 customer service roles it sought to replace with AI.
Sanofi press release ( SNY ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of €1.88 beats by €0.09. Revenue of €10.51B (+6.3% Y/Y) beats by €280M. Pharma launches sales increased by 49.6%, reaching €1.2 billion, driven primarily by Ayvakit, ALTUVIIIO, and Sarclisa. Dupixent sales increased by 30.8% to €4.2 billion, a strong start to 2026. Vaccines sales increased by 2.1% to €1.3 billion, benefiting from Heplisav-B. Guidance a...
Sanofi press release ( SNY ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of €1.88 beats by €0.09. Revenue of €10.51B (+6.3% Y/Y) beats by €280M. Pharma launches sales increased by 49.6%, reaching €1.2 billion, driven primarily by Ayvakit, ALTUVIIIO, and Sarclisa. Dupixent sales increased by 30.8% to €4.2 billion, a strong start to 2026. Vaccines sales increased by 2.1% to €1.3 billion, benefiting from Heplisav-B. Guidance affirmed In 2026, sales are expected to grow by a high single-digit percentage at CER. Business EPS at CER is expected to grow slightly faster than sales (before share buyback), delivering profitable growth. More on Sanofi What To Expect From Sanofi In Q1 2026 Dupixent's Impact On Sanofi: A Quantitative Projection Of Its Revenue Need Growing EPS And Dividends? Prescribe Sanofi Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent becomes first biologic for kids under 12 with CSU Sanofi replaces CEO Paul Hudson, names Belén Garijo as successor
sommart/iStock via Getty Images The Thesis: Reaffirm Buy Rating Again Spring often can bring sunnier skies in my part of the world, and so today I'm following up on a Canadian insurer that has had a bright streak, it seems: Sun Life Financial ( SLF ), whose other segments also include asset management and wealth solutions. Although I've covered this stock many times on this platform, I want to poi...
sommart/iStock via Getty Images The Thesis: Reaffirm Buy Rating Again Spring often can bring sunnier skies in my part of the world, and so today I'm following up on a Canadian insurer that has had a bright streak, it seems: Sun Life Financial ( SLF ), whose other segments also include asset management and wealth solutions. Although I've covered this stock many times on this platform, I want to point out my last 3 buy ratings since the stock is up since all of them. For instance, it is up around +18% since my bullish coverage in Nov. 2024 and also up since my bullish views in May 2025 and Nov. 2025 , proving my thesis, which was driven by factors like strong credit ratings, demand for annuity products, and organic client inflows. Today's follow-up considers new data and additional angles since my last coverage, summarized in my rating worksheet below: SLF - rating worksheet (author) My updated thesis, even after considering new data and evidence, does not change my prior few buy ratings on this stock, and I remain bullish. There is still compelling strength in terms of macro drivers, organic growth and global brand positioning, strong margins, strong A-level credit ratings, and bullish technical chart patterns, which collectively overwhelm some more neutral signals coming from valuation and price forecasts. Macroeconomic Factors SLF - macro environment (author) To keep this discussion concise, I zeroed in on what kind of macro demand drivers could benefit this sector in the near term, and the niche segments to mention are life insurance, asset management and wealth, and specialized dental/health coverage. Industry association LIMRA had some positive views on the life insurance space in Sun Life's home market of Canada, for instance, writing on March 17th: Despite a softening economy, recent carrier investments in technology have improved many aspects of the sales and marketing processes, which LIMRA expects will help propel 2026 toward continued growth. Further, sinc...
NicoElNino/iStock via Getty Images Small Cap Composite – 1Q26 Performance & Attribution The Conestoga Small Cap Composite returned -5.01% net-of-fees in the first quarter, compared to the Russell 2000 Growth Index's return of -2.81%. While periods of market weakness have historically been supportive for our strategy given our focus on high-quality, durable growth businesses and strong downside cap...
NicoElNino/iStock via Getty Images Small Cap Composite – 1Q26 Performance & Attribution The Conestoga Small Cap Composite returned -5.01% net-of-fees in the first quarter, compared to the Russell 2000 Growth Index's return of -2.81%. While periods of market weakness have historically been supportive for our strategy given our focus on high-quality, durable growth businesses and strong downside capture, the first quarter diverged from that pattern. Market conditions were characterized by a growing disconnect between underlying company fundamentals and stock price behavior, which created a challenging backdrop for relative performance. Small Cap Composite Net Performance (as of 3/31/26) Time Period Conestoga Small Cap Composite ( NET ) Russell 2000 Growth Index 1Q26 -5.01% -2.81% 1 Year -3.69% 23.58% 3 Years 0.54% 12.27% 5 Years -1.35% 1.62% 10 Years 9.52% 9.79% Since Inception 12/31/1998 10.12% 7.10% Click to enlarge All periods longer than one year are annualized. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Returns are shown net of actual investment management fees and reflect the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Gross returns are available upon request. Performance is presented as supplemental information, please see Important Information at the end of this commentary. The Russell 2000 Growth Index measures the performance of those Russell 2000 companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. (Sources: Conestoga, Russell Investments.) Click to enlarge Underperformance for the quarter was primarily driven by negative stock selection and industry-specific headwinds, particularly within Technology and Health Care. Positive sector allocation effects provided a modest benefit but were not enough to offset the losses. Notably, profitability and quality factors held up relatively well during the quarter, with profitable companies generally outperformi...
Dassault Systemes press release ( DASTY ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of €0.30. Revenue of €1.51B (-3.8% Y/Y). In the first quarter, ARR grew 6% year-over-year to reach €4.37 billion on a constant currency basis. Dassault Systèmes’ net financial position totaled €2.40 billion as of March 31, 2026 compared to €1.79 billion last year. Cash and cash equivalents totaled €4.87 billion as of March 31, 2026. Cash f...
Dassault Systemes press release ( DASTY ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of €0.30. Revenue of €1.51B (-3.8% Y/Y). In the first quarter, ARR grew 6% year-over-year to reach €4.37 billion on a constant currency basis. Dassault Systèmes’ net financial position totaled €2.40 billion as of March 31, 2026 compared to €1.79 billion last year. Cash and cash equivalents totaled €4.87 billion as of March 31, 2026. Cash flow from operations totaled €949 million, an increase of 17% compared to the first quarter of 2025. More on Dassault Systemes Dassault Systèmes: Beyond The AI Hype, 'Diworsification' Is The Core Issue Dassault Systèmes SE (DASTY) Discusses Governance Transition and Strategic Focus on Industrial AI and Generative Solutions Transcript Dassault Systèmes SE (DASTY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript SanDisk tops Seeking Alpha's quant rankings among large-cap tech stocks ahead of Q1 earnings Dassault Systemes Non-GAAP EPS of Є0.40, revenue of Є1.68B; initiates Q1 and FY26 outlook
The number of Chinese tourists deciding to travel during the five-day Labour Day holiday at the start of next month could rival or exceed last year’s headcount despite higher global fuel prices, analysts said, adding travellers were likely to prefer shorter trips to save on transport costs. Domestic flight bookings were up about 8 per cent year on year and domestic package-tour reservations were a...
The number of Chinese tourists deciding to travel during the five-day Labour Day holiday at the start of next month could rival or exceed last year’s headcount despite higher global fuel prices, analysts said, adding travellers were likely to prefer shorter trips to save on transport costs. Domestic flight bookings were up about 8 per cent year on year and domestic package-tour reservations were about 10 per cent higher ahead of the break, even after fuel prices shot up because of the war in...
Matthis Arrivet/iStock via Getty Images Northrop Grumman ( NOC ) reported its first-quarter earnings, beating analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines, but failed to lift the guidance for the year despite a bullish tone during the call. The stock has now lost 16% since my last report , bringing it close to the trading range where Northrop Grumman was stuck during the second half of 2025. I be...
Matthis Arrivet/iStock via Getty Images Northrop Grumman ( NOC ) reported its first-quarter earnings, beating analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines, but failed to lift the guidance for the year despite a bullish tone during the call. The stock has now lost 16% since my last report , bringing it close to the trading range where Northrop Grumman was stuck during the second half of 2025. I believe this leaves Northrop Grumman materially undervalued as a provider of important parts of the nuclear triad. In this report, I discuss Northrop Grumman’s Q1 2026 earnings and update my price target in support of my buy rating. Northrop Grumman Sees Double-Digit Sales Growth Northrop Grumman sales grew 4% to $9.88 billion, or 5% organically after excluding the sale of its training services business. Segment operating income grew 89% to $1.1 billion as prior-year headwinds of $477 million from the B-21 program did not recur and in-year growth drivers. At the same time, we note that when we add back this charge to last year’s figure, the segment operating income for Northrop Grumman only grew 2.5%. So, the huge jump in profitability is driven by the absence of the B-21 charge. Aeronautics sales grew 17% to $3.3 billion, driven by the B-21 program, ramp-up of the E-130J TACAMO (Take Charge and Move Out) program, and classified programs. On the B-21, Northrop Grumman benefited from a sale of an airplane that it previously assigned as a company-owned test aircraft. Furthermore, Northrop Grumman has agreed with the US Air Force to increase production capacity, which provides more favorable program economics. This was partially offset by a decrease in the F/A-18 as the company completed its deliveries for the production program. Operating income grew from a $183 million loss to a $305 million profit. Adjusted for the B-21 charge last year, the increase was 3.7%. Against a 17% increase in revenues and lower unfavourable program cost adjustments, it is not impressive. Sales and m...
Stock Exchange of Thailand President Asadej Kongsiri discussed the IPO pipeline, saying it is in a difficult situation. He also noted that the Thai exchange plans to introduce “mini-gold” futures. He spoke with Haslinda Amin on Bloomberg Insight. (Source: Bloomberg)
Stock Exchange of Thailand President Asadej Kongsiri discussed the IPO pipeline, saying it is in a difficult situation. He also noted that the Thai exchange plans to introduce “mini-gold” futures. He spoke with Haslinda Amin on Bloomberg Insight. (Source: Bloomberg)
White House says Tehran in ‘very weak position’; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post ‘effective immediately’, says Pentagon ‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran says Iran has executed a man convicted of links to the exiled opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq and to Israel’s intelligence service , the judici...
White House says Tehran in ‘very weak position’; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post ‘effective immediately’, says Pentagon ‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran says Iran has executed a man convicted of links to the exiled opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq and to Israel’s intelligence service , the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan said on Thursday. Mizan identified the man as Soltanali Shirzadi Fakhr , saying he had been a long-time member of the opposition group and was found guilty of cooperating with Israeli intelligence. Continue reading...
(RTTNews) - Sartorius Stedim Biotech SA (SDMHF) reported Thursday higher profit and revenues in its first quarter. Further, the firm maintained its fiscal 2026 outlook.
(RTTNews) - Sartorius Stedim Biotech SA (SDMHF) reported Thursday higher profit and revenues in its first quarter. Further, the firm maintained its fiscal 2026 outlook.