JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of Hancock Whitney ( HWC ) have been a solid performer over the past year, gaining about 22%. The company has been relatively aggressive on the M&A front, including a recent acquisition, as it seeks to build scale in its Florida and Texas territories while also deepening wealth management capabilities. I last covered Hancock Whitney in July , when...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of Hancock Whitney ( HWC ) have been a solid performer over the past year, gaining about 22%. The company has been relatively aggressive on the M&A front, including a recent acquisition, as it seeks to build scale in its Florida and Texas territories while also deepening wealth management capabilities. I last covered Hancock Whitney in July , when I downgraded shares to “ H old” given my concerns about organic growth. While shares are up 14% since then, that lags the market’s 20% gain. I view this positive but market-lagging return as being consistent with the rating. With recent M&A and updated financials, now is a good time to revisit HWC. Seeking Alpha Turning to recent developments, on May 15, Hancock Whitney announced plans to acquire OFB Bancshares, the parent company of One Florida Bank. This will add 5 Orlando branches, deepening HWC’s exposure to Florida, making it the fifth largest regional bank in the state. OFB will bring $2.1 billion of assets and $1.9 billion of new deposits. Thanks to its excess capital position, this will be an all-cash deal, which is fairly unusual in the banking sector. HWC expects to close the deal during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Hancock Whitney is paying $378 million, or ~14x earnings. This is a 2x premium to tangible book value, which is relatively high. It expects $16 million in cost savings, and pro forma for synergies, the multiple would be 9x. Even assuming some synergy underperformance, I expect HWC is paying no more than 11x, which is a reasonable multiple and should ensure the deal is accretive over time. As you can see below, Hancock Whitney already had a meaningful Florida presence, but this was focused on the Tampa Bay area and the panhandle. The Orlando market will be new, but it is in close adjacency to Tampa, connected by the I-4 corridor, and it is the nation’s third-fastest-growing metro. This presence is a nice complement to HWC’s existing operation and...
A year after South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun broke down in tears at a high-profile press conference over allegations involving late actress Kim Sae-ron, the controversy has entered yet another dramatic phase. Kim Se-ui, head of controversial YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as Garo Sero Institute, was taken into custody this week, as police reportedly concluded that audio files previously pres...
A year after South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun broke down in tears at a high-profile press conference over allegations involving late actress Kim Sae-ron, the controversy has entered yet another dramatic phase. Kim Se-ui, head of controversial YouTube channel HoverLab, also known as Garo Sero Institute, was taken into custody this week, as police reportedly concluded that audio files previously presented as evidence against Kim Soo-hyun were generated using AI technology. According to the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday, Judge Boo Dong-sik approved an arrest warrant for Kim Se-ui over allegations including defamation, attempted coercion, intimidation and violations of laws related to distributing illegally produced content. The court said there were concerns about destruction of evidence and flight risk. Advertisement Kim Se-ui is accused of spreading false claims through YouTube broadcasts suggesting that Kim Sae-ron’s death was linked to Kim Soo-hyun. He also publicly alleged that Kim Soo-hyun dated Kim Sae-ron while she was still a minor, a claim the actor has repeatedly denied. The case gained nationwide attention last year after Kim Se-ui held a press conference and released what he claimed was an audio recording of Kim Sae-ron discussing shocking details involving Kim Soo-hyun. The recording quickly went viral online and fuelled intense public backlash against the actor. Advertisement However, local media reports now say police believe the audio was generated using artificial intelligence voice technology.
Getty Images Dear Baron International Growth Fund ® Shareholder, Performance Baron International Growth Fund ® ((the Fund)) declined 1.03% (Institutional Shares) during the first quarter of 2026, while its primary benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index ((the Benchmark)), retreated 0.71%. The MSCI ACWI ex USA IMI Growth Index ((the Proxy Benchmark)) declined by a more significant 3.24% for the quart...
Getty Images Dear Baron International Growth Fund ® Shareholder, Performance Baron International Growth Fund ® ((the Fund)) declined 1.03% (Institutional Shares) during the first quarter of 2026, while its primary benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index ((the Benchmark)), retreated 0.71%. The MSCI ACWI ex USA IMI Growth Index ((the Proxy Benchmark)) declined by a more significant 3.24% for the quarter. The Fund modestly trailed the Benchmark while handily outperforming the Proxy Benchmark during a quarter marked by substantial volatility. We were comfortable with our final result, particularly in light of the ongoing challenging period for particular growth sub-sectors such as software, e-commerce, and other digital/online and data-driven businesses, though the unwelcome and abrupt March correction in equities in general reversed what had been a very promising quarter through February. As noted, for the first two months of the quarter international and emerging market (EM) equities extended prior year outperformance while logging solid, double-digit returns, in our view largely on the strength of AI-related technology names as well as broad-based strength in industrials/defense and commodities. While the war in Iran triggered a steep rise in oil prices and an inflection point in global equities, international equities still comfortably outperformed the S&P 500 Index (down 4.33%) for the quarter, and we maintain our optimism regarding the outlook for both relative forward earnings and performance for the asset class. For international equity investors, the principal near-term risk is an extended disruption to oil flows and a further spike in energy prices, as much of Asia is reliant on Middle East imports, and many European nations are reliant on imports. As of now, we are not materially adding to nor reducing investments in such jurisdictions as we calibrate the likely path forward, though we maintain confidence that the longer-term fundamentals for the companies in w...
Taiwan has just vaulted past India to become the world’s No. 5 stock market, powered by an AI boom that’s fused investor frenzy with the dominance of the planet’s most critical chipmaker. The catalyst is unmistakable: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., up 46% this year, pulling the entire market — and the economy — upward with it. TSMC alone accounts for about 42% of Taiwan’s benchmark, which...
Taiwan has just vaulted past India to become the world’s No. 5 stock market, powered by an AI boom that’s fused investor frenzy with the dominance of the planet’s most critical chipmaker. The catalyst is unmistakable: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., up 46% this year, pulling the entire market — and the economy — upward with it. TSMC alone accounts for about 42% of Taiwan’s benchmark, which has now swelled to US$4.95 trillion in market value. Only the US, China, Japan and Hong Kong sit higher. With AI demand accelerating and semiconductors at the center of the surge, Taiwan’s position looks anything but accidental — and hard to bet against. Taiwan’s boom looks unstoppable — as long as the AI tide lifting all of North Asia keeps rolling. Right now, the self-governing island’s economy reads like a leveraged wager on AI demand, and the numbers make that hard to deny. Taiwan’s exports jumped 39% year‑on‑year in April, and investors still shrugged because March delivered an eye‑popping 62% surge. Semiconductor shipments climbed 40.5%, while the broader machinery and electrical equipment category — roughly 84% of all exports — expanded 48.7%. Over the first four months of the year, Taiwan exported $263.35 billion in goods, up 47.8% from a year earlier. Strong chip demand is overpowering weak domestic spending, and the negative effect the Iran-war-driven inflation is having on household confidence. The result: Taiwan’s economy blasted ahead at 13.7% in the first quarter, its fastest pace since 1987. Taiwan, more than almost any economy besides South Korea, is all‑in on the AI boom. TSMC sits at the center of it — its fortunes now virtually indistinguishable from global demand for AI hardware — making it the economy’s beating heart. That centrality has turned Taiwan into a kind of toll booth on the road to AI, collecting value every time the world upgrades its computing power. Korea shares a similar dynamic. The Kospi is on a tear, up 91% this year, powered by chip t...
Hafnia press release ( HAFN ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $0.36. Revenue of $412.9M (+21.3% Y/Y). Fee-based businesses generated earnings of USD 7.8 million compared to USD 7.9 million in Q1 2025. Time Charter Equivalent earnings were USD 282.5 million compared to USD 218.8 million in Q1 2025, resulting in an average TCE 3 of USD 30,327 per day 4 . Adjusted EBITDA 3 of USD 198.6 million compared to USD 125.1 ...
Hafnia press release ( HAFN ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $0.36. Revenue of $412.9M (+21.3% Y/Y). Fee-based businesses generated earnings of USD 7.8 million compared to USD 7.9 million in Q1 2025. Time Charter Equivalent earnings were USD 282.5 million compared to USD 218.8 million in Q1 2025, resulting in an average TCE 3 of USD 30,327 per day 4 . Adjusted EBITDA 3 of USD 198.6 million compared to USD 125.1 million in Q1 2025. 73% of total earning days of the fleet were covered for Q2 2026 at USD 46,600 per day as of 13 May 2026. Net asset value was approximately USD 4.0 billion, or approximately USD 8.09 per share (NOK 78.81), at quarter end. Hafnia will distribute a total of USD 143.8 million, or USD 0.2877 per share, in dividends, corresponding to a payout ratio of 80%. "We expect drydocking activity to continue through the remainder of 2026, with approximately 300 off-hire days anticipated in Q2." As of 13 May 2026, 73% of our Q2 earning days are covered at an average of USD 46,600 per day, supporting our expectation that Q2 will be stronger than Q1. In addition, 39% of our earning days for Q2 to Q4 2026 have been covered at an average rate of USD 38,281 per day. More on Hafnia Hafnia Limited: A Show Of Strength In A Volatile Market Hafnia: The Stock Price Upside Voyage Is Still Logical Hafnia Limited (HAFN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Hafnia Q4 2026 Earnings Preview Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Hafnia
(RTTNews) - AstraZeneca (AZN, AZN.L, ZEG.DE, AZN.ST) said the FDA has informed that it will extend the PDUFA date to review additional data requested to support the New Drug Application for camizestrant in combination with a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor for the 1st-line treatment of patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer whose tumours have an emergen...
(RTTNews) - AstraZeneca (AZN, AZN.L, ZEG.DE, AZN.ST) said the FDA has informed that it will extend the PDUFA date to review additional data requested to support the New Drug Application for camizestrant in combination with a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor for the 1st-line treatment of patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer whose tumours have an emergent ESR1 mutation. In April, the FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee did not reach a majority vote in favour of the benefit of switching to camizestrant in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor after detection of an ESR1 mutation in circulating tumour DNA prior to radiographic progression, based on the SERENA-6 Phase III trial. Subsequently, the company has provided additional analyses requested by the FDA in support of the application. At last close, shares of AstraZeneca were trading at 13,960.0 pence, up 0.32%. For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
A senior BHP executive has admitted the Australian multinational’s push to reduce emissions has been delayed as the Western Australian premier, Roger Cook, said big miners had an “important moral obligation” to decarbonise. An exclusive investigation based on documents leaked to the Guardian and ABC revealed this week that the world’s biggest miner has hit the brakes on decarbonisation, something ...
A senior BHP executive has admitted the Australian multinational’s push to reduce emissions has been delayed as the Western Australian premier, Roger Cook, said big miners had an “important moral obligation” to decarbonise. An exclusive investigation based on documents leaked to the Guardian and ABC revealed this week that the world’s biggest miner has hit the brakes on decarbonisation, something experts fear could put Australia’s national emissions reductions targets at risk. The leaked documents show it has scrapped an iron ore processing plant that would have prevented 1.7m tonnes of emissions each year, the equivalent of removing 350,000 cars, while pushing back vast renewables projects, buying new polluting diesel fleets and war-gaming options to push critical climate investments into the next two decades. It did so despite internal memos acknowledging that slow decarbonisation would have “reputational impacts” and that: “Urgent decarbonisation in line with BHP’s public commitments effectively underpins [WA iron ore’s] licence to operate, sustain and grow.” On Wednesday, Tim Day, the head of BHP’s WA iron ore operations, acknowledged that its decarbonisation program had been delayed. He blamed significant obstacles to replacing the use of diesel – the biggest source of its emissions – due to what he said were slow advancements in electric trucking and rail technology. He was unable to give any firm timeline for replacing diesel trucks. “The timeframe will take what it takes to get the diesel replacement, but we see it, we’re testing now, we’ll keep going through it,” Day said, speaking at the Australian Financial Review’s mining summit. “But it is delayed … we actually, we thought we’d be off diesel a little quicker, but that is delayed.” Internal documents show BHP has considered options to start the transition as late as 2035 or 2040, despite acknowledging the delays could cause reputational damage and put its net zero by 2050 goal at risk. Also speaking at t...
Shares of HDFC Bank fell in Mumbai trading on Wednesday after a media report alleged India’s largest private sector lender paid higher interest to a state-owned company, adding to Chief Executive Officer Sashidhar Jagdishan ’s recent list of troubles. HDFC Bank’s shares dropped 2.3% in early trading on Wednesday and are down 23% so far in 2026, underperforming the broader Nifty Bank index. The Ind...
Shares of HDFC Bank fell in Mumbai trading on Wednesday after a media report alleged India’s largest private sector lender paid higher interest to a state-owned company, adding to Chief Executive Officer Sashidhar Jagdishan ’s recent list of troubles. HDFC Bank’s shares dropped 2.3% in early trading on Wednesday and are down 23% so far in 2026, underperforming the broader Nifty Bank index. The Indian Express newspaper reported that an internal probe conducted by the bank found about 450 million rupees ($4.7 million) was paid to the state-run Maharashtra State Road Development Corp. through marketing expenses classified as “differential interest”. The internal audit also flagged contributions worth 397 million rupees by the bank’s marketing department toward the government agency’s “Road Safety Awareness Campaign” during fiscal years 2024 and 2025, the newspaper reported. The lender did not immediately respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment. Amit Khurana , head of equities at Dolat Capital, a local brokerage firm, said investors are keen to see how the bank responds to the latest allegations and whether the management can convince the market that this does not snowball. “More importantly, investors are looking out for clarity on whether the CEO will indeed get a re-appointment and till then we expect a tight price range to persist,” he said. Jagdishan’s current three-year term ends in October and local media has reported that he is keen to continue. Jagdishan, a three-decade veteran with the bank and who took charge as CEO in 2020, has overseen the lender’s balance-sheet expansion and its merger with the country’s largest mortgage financier three years ago. Wednesday’s newspaper report adds to scrutiny at the lender, which plunged into a leadership crisis in March after its part-time chairman resigned, citing “certain happenings and practices” at the bank that were not aligned with his “personal values and ethics.” READ: HDFC Ex-Chairman Says He Disagreed With Bo...