"The Pulse With Francine Lacqua" is all about conversations with high profile guests in the beating heart of global business, economics, finance and politics. Based in London, we go wherever the story is, bringing you exclusive interviews and market-moving scoops. Today's guests: Paul Skinner, Investment Director at Wellington Management, Matteo Del Fante, Chief Executive of Poste Italiane & Emile...
"The Pulse With Francine Lacqua" is all about conversations with high profile guests in the beating heart of global business, economics, finance and politics. Based in London, we go wherever the story is, bringing you exclusive interviews and market-moving scoops. Today's guests: Paul Skinner, Investment Director at Wellington Management, Matteo Del Fante, Chief Executive of Poste Italiane & Emile Hoyakem, Director of Regional Security and Senior Fellow for Middle East Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Correct: On-screen graphic edited at 15:42 to reflect correct figure for Poste Italiane's bid (Source: Bloomberg)
Deagreez/iStock via Getty Images InMode Overview My last look at the Israeli beauty product company, InMode Ltd. ( INMD ) was in February. The company was juggling offers, including a rumored $1.1B take-private and an $18/share controlling stake proposal from Steel Partners. As I outlined in my last analysis, both proposals looked more like a “balance sheet transaction” than anything else because ...
Deagreez/iStock via Getty Images InMode Overview My last look at the Israeli beauty product company, InMode Ltd. ( INMD ) was in February. The company was juggling offers, including a rumored $1.1B take-private and an $18/share controlling stake proposal from Steel Partners. As I outlined in my last analysis, both proposals looked more like a “balance sheet transaction” than anything else because they valued InMode’s operating business well below 2x 2025 revenue. Since InMode’s stock was already approaching $18/share, I didn’t see it as an arbitrage opportunity. I recommended a “Hold” rating, citing its fair valuation. InMode has since rejected the proposals, seen its stock decline 7.5%, and reported preliminary Q1 results . Data by YCharts Below, I explain why INMD is a classic “value trap” that merits ongoing caution. Yes, InMode’s Cheap You will hardly find a “cheaper” stock than INMD. InMode's P/E trades at half the sector median in healthcare, and its EV/Sales is sub-1.0. If you run a DCF model on INMD, the results are odd. Year 1 revenue of $365M is management’s estimate for FY26 ($365M-$375M). Revenue Growth and FCF margin of 2% and 20% (was 22.7% in FY25, but gross margins are compressing, and lean CapEx/R&D investments keep FCF robust), respectively, are my assumptions. InMode’s stock beta is 2.1. This creates a WACC of 14.88%, which is high but fully reflects InMode’s geopolitical “risk premium.” A -2% share count annual change reflects management’s share buybacks. Not a guarantee and for illustrative purposes only (Author's Compilation) Author's Compilation So, assuming InMode merely grows at a terminal value and sustains >20% FCF margins, its stock appears undervalued by over 50%. Of course, there are several caveats. InMode is sitting on roughly $555M in cash, which is over half of its entire market capitalization. My model adds that cash to the equity value. But in the real world, the market often discounts a “cash hoard” if they don’t trust management...
The number of non-local students admitted to Hong Kong’s public universities with Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) qualifications has risen fivefold in four years, according to the Education Bureau. By comparison, the number of local DSE candidates who qualified for those universities fell by 5 per cent over the same period, the bureau said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, universities admitted more stu...
The number of non-local students admitted to Hong Kong’s public universities with Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) qualifications has risen fivefold in four years, according to the Education Bureau. By comparison, the number of local DSE candidates who qualified for those universities fell by 5 per cent over the same period, the bureau said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, universities admitted more students with non-DSE certificates who paid higher tuition fees, sparking concerns regarding social...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Listen below or on the go via Apple Podcasts and Spotify PC stocks fall after Nvidia ( NVDA ) denies report in talks to buy a PC-focused company. (00:14) Airline blockbuster: United ( UAL ) CEO teases interest in merger with American( AAL ). (01:10) Amazon ( AMZN ) in advanced talks on Globalstar deal to rival Starlink: report. (01:54) This is an abridged transcript...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Listen below or on the go via Apple Podcasts and Spotify PC stocks fall after Nvidia ( NVDA ) denies report in talks to buy a PC-focused company. (00:14) Airline blockbuster: United ( UAL ) CEO teases interest in merger with American( AAL ). (01:10) Amazon ( AMZN ) in advanced talks on Globalstar deal to rival Starlink: report. (01:54) This is an abridged transcript. Nvidia ( NVDA ) has denied a report that it's in talks to buy a PC company. The report boosted shares of PC makers Dell ( DELL ) and HP Inc. ( HPQ ). Dell closed Monday 6.7% higher. HP rose 5.3%. In premarket action, each is down more than 2%. An Nvidia spokesperson told Seeking Alpha in an email, “The media report is false; Nvidia is not engaged in discussions to acquire any PC maker .” SemiAccurate earlier on Monday reported that Nvidia ( NVDA ) was in negotiations for over a year to acquire a large company, and it will reshape the personal computer landscape. The news outlet noted that it has been following the story since late 2024, adding that the time is approaching to make a deal or walk. Dell and HP did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha. United Airlines ( UAL ) CEO Scott Kirby has discussed with senior government officials a possible merger with American Airlines Group ( AAL ), sources tipped Bloomberg. A combination of two of the largest U.S. airlines would face opposition from consumer groups and be scrutinized by regulators since United ( UAL ) and American ( AAL ) control more than a third of the U.S. airline market. Airline industry consolidation is something that Kirby has discussed openly this year, although analysts took his comments to indicate that United ( UAL ) might try to acquire a smaller regional airline, not combine forces with a legacy player. Shares of American Airlines ( AAL ) rallied 5% in premarket trading, while United ( UAL ) gained 1.6%. Amazon.com ( AMZN ) is in advanced talks to acquire satellite operato...
Wells Fargo press release ( WFC ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $1.60 beats by $0.02 . Revenue of $21.45B (+6.5% Y/Y) misses by $340M . More on Wells Fargo Wells Fargo: The Setup Is Favorable (Earnings Preview) Wells Fargo: 5% Capital Appreciation Potential From WFC.PR.L Preferred Shares WFC-D Vs. WFC-Y: Comparing Coupon Extremes Bessent, Powell call urgent meeting with bank CEOs about Anthropic model risks Not...
Wells Fargo press release ( WFC ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $1.60 beats by $0.02 . Revenue of $21.45B (+6.5% Y/Y) misses by $340M . More on Wells Fargo Wells Fargo: The Setup Is Favorable (Earnings Preview) Wells Fargo: 5% Capital Appreciation Potential From WFC.PR.L Preferred Shares WFC-D Vs. WFC-Y: Comparing Coupon Extremes Bessent, Powell call urgent meeting with bank CEOs about Anthropic model risks Not all financials are equal in a credit cycle - BofA
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Today, it's finally a green day in the software industry, and stocks like ServiceNow, Inc. ( NOW ) are up mid-single digits. Despite the investor excitement in the software space, I am not joining this rally. Believe it or not, I am not a bear on ServiceNow. Despite the UBS downgrade last week and the fears of AI disruption, I strongly believe the bull c...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Today, it's finally a green day in the software industry, and stocks like ServiceNow, Inc. ( NOW ) are up mid-single digits. Despite the investor excitement in the software space, I am not joining this rally. Believe it or not, I am not a bear on ServiceNow. Despite the UBS downgrade last week and the fears of AI disruption, I strongly believe the bull case is not broken. What I think is broken is the lens that the market is using to value this stock. Based on the nearly 10% drop after a beat and raise in Q4 2025, I believe I was right with my earlier view to remain on the sidelines until the storm comes to an end. As I discuss in this piece, I don't see any signs of a turnaround. In my view, fundamentals alone are unlikely to lift this stock, and I remain disappointed with the timing of the M&A spree, given what's going on in software after the announcement of Anthropic's Mythos. Therefore, I believe today's pop is merely due to the beta with the software industry. Just look at the 1-day return heatmap of this industry, with pretty much every constituent in the green: Guidance Terminal | Software Applications Industry 1-Day Return I don't see enough alpha in ServiceNow to warrant an upgrade. Yes, at 20x forward earnings, this is a cheap stock. However, I am not sure that the multiple compression is a compliment to begin with. Needless to say, I remain on the sidelines. The M&A Spree In my view, the timing for this acquisition spree couldn't have been worse, given the pessimism in the software sector due to AI disruption fears. Inorganic growth is the last thing you want to hear when the market is worried about the organic growth in this sector. Let's start with Moveworks. The company announced this acquisition back in March 2025 for $2.85 billion. In plain English, this acquisition was intended to help employees get support and get routine work done inside the company. Think IT tickets for access, finding company informat...
June S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESM26) are up +0.19%, and June Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQM26) are up +0.39% this morning as risk appetite improved and oil prices fell following reports that the U.S. and Iran were weighing another round of peace talks.
June S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESM26) are up +0.19%, and June Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQM26) are up +0.39% this morning as risk appetite improved and oil prices fell following reports that the U.S. and Iran were weighing another round of peace talks.