D. Lentz/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images One of the companies that I have been quite right about in the time that I have been neutral about it is Acushnet Holdings ( GOLF ). Yes, the stock has underperformed the market since I last wrote about it in December of last year, with shares up only 7.5% while the S&P 500 is up 8.6%. However, since I first called it a ‘hold’ back in April of 2024, the ...
D. Lentz/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images One of the companies that I have been quite right about in the time that I have been neutral about it is Acushnet Holdings ( GOLF ). Yes, the stock has underperformed the market since I last wrote about it in December of last year, with shares up only 7.5% while the S&P 500 is up 8.6%. However, since I first called it a ‘hold’ back in April of 2024, the stock has risen 46.4%. That's basically in line with the 45.3% increase that the broader market experienced. Considering that I view a ‘hold’ candidate as one that should perform along the lines of the broader market for the foreseeable future, I would call this a success. From a purely fundamental standpoint, the company is doing well on the top line but has shown some mixed results on the bottom line. This is disappointing, but not to the point of turning bearish on it. I will say, however, that the firm is definitely solidly fairly valued and might even be getting a bit pricey. For now, I will maintain my ‘hold’ rating. But I do think investors would be wise to continue monitoring the picture moving forward. A mixed bag Author - SEC EDGAR Data Probably the best place to start with analyzing Acushnet Holdings would be the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year . Data for this quarter was unfortunately mixed. On the positive side of things, revenue for the company increased nicely, growing 7.1% from $703.4 million to $753 million over the course of a year. Unfortunately, profitability for the company declined at the same time. Earnings dropped from $99.4 million to $81.4 million. Operating cash flow deteriorated from negative $120.3 million to negative $143.7 million. The good news is that if we strip out changes in working capital, we would get an increase from $103.2 million to $114.7 million. Meanwhile, EBITDA for the business grew from $138.9 million to $144.6 million. Author - SEC EDGAR Data The chart above shows financial performance for the company for the 2024 and 2...
Hanover Insurance ( THG ) declares $0.95/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 2.04% Payable June 26; for shareholders of record June 12; ex-div June 12. The company has now announced a dividend of $0.95 for three consecutive quarters. See THG Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Hanover Insurance Hanover Insurance: A Top Pick To Beat Inflation The ...
Hanover Insurance ( THG ) declares $0.95/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 2.04% Payable June 26; for shareholders of record June 12; ex-div June 12. The company has now announced a dividend of $0.95 for three consecutive quarters. See THG Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Hanover Insurance Hanover Insurance: A Top Pick To Beat Inflation The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (THG) Shareholder/Analyst Call Prepared Remarks Transcript The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (THG) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Mid-cap financial stocks ranked by quant ratings after earnings season Hanover Insurance approves new $700M share buyback program
People from Delaware to Montreal reported either hearing loud booms or seeing the fireball in the sky over weekend A meteor over Massachusetts during the weekend ultimately prompted reports of booms and sightings across New England into Canada. The American Meteor Society said that the meteor in question was about 3ft (1 meter) wide as it entered the atmosphere around the New Hampshire border with...
People from Delaware to Montreal reported either hearing loud booms or seeing the fireball in the sky over weekend A meteor over Massachusetts during the weekend ultimately prompted reports of booms and sightings across New England into Canada. The American Meteor Society said that the meteor in question was about 3ft (1 meter) wide as it entered the atmosphere around the New Hampshire border with Massachusetts, north of Boston. Continue reading...
Dua Lipa got married this weekend in an outfit that paid homage to Bianca Jagger’s wedding to Mick Jagger. We’d like to hear whether you made a similar style choice at your wedding? Dua Lipa got married this weekend in a beautiful outfit that paid homage to Bianca Jagger’s wedding to Mick Jagger. The singer wore a Schiaparelli couture white skirt suit paired with a Stephen Jones hat as she tied th...
Dua Lipa got married this weekend in an outfit that paid homage to Bianca Jagger’s wedding to Mick Jagger. We’d like to hear whether you made a similar style choice at your wedding? Dua Lipa got married this weekend in a beautiful outfit that paid homage to Bianca Jagger’s wedding to Mick Jagger. The singer wore a Schiaparelli couture white skirt suit paired with a Stephen Jones hat as she tied the knot with actor Callum Turner at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London on Sunday. In 1971, Jagger married the Rolling Stones frontman in a Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking jacket and bias-cut skirt, finishing off the look with a floppy hat and veil. Continue reading...
The acronym ‘FOH’ for ‘Fuck off home’ was used beside the names of expectant mothers. Senior midwives advised others not to be ‘too kind’. But as this and other shocking evidence is brought to light, sexism is only one part of the story It’s said to be mother nature’s stunning con trick, the single most helpful move in the propagation of the species – that childbirth might be the worst thing ever ...
The acronym ‘FOH’ for ‘Fuck off home’ was used beside the names of expectant mothers. Senior midwives advised others not to be ‘too kind’. But as this and other shocking evidence is brought to light, sexism is only one part of the story It’s said to be mother nature’s stunning con trick, the single most helpful move in the propagation of the species – that childbirth might be the worst thing ever to happen to anyone, but once you are through it, you instantly forget how painful it was. And that is true, up to a point, although you can often remember enough of the surrounding detail – swearing at strangers, wishing you were dead – that you can infer the rest. What you don’t forget, however, is what the midwives were like, and nor, even in moments of extremis, do you fail to notice if they’re treating you scornfully. Panorama tonight is about the maternity unit run by Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust, the subject of the largest maternity inquiry in NHS history, spanning 13 years from 2012, and covering 2,500 families. The details are hair-raising : “FOH” written next to women’s names on a whiteboard, which stood for “fuck off home”; accounts of senior midwives advising others not to be “too kind”; gut-wrenching individual cases of women being warned off coming in to hospital for so long that, when one finally arrived, her baby was dead and her perineum and vaginal wall had collapsed. And every one of those women will have known, on some level, even if she was in no state to ask for her notes or read them, that someone wanted her to “fuck off”. You get a superpower in a life-and-death situation, though it’s unclear how helpful it is: you can tell pretty fast who’s on your side and who isn’t. Continue reading...
The facility is the highest publicly rated investment-grade GPU financing and the first in the U.S. private placement market, according to IREN. It supports a multibillion-dollar AI cloud buildout in…
The facility is the highest publicly rated investment-grade GPU financing and the first in the U.S. private placement market, according to IREN. It supports a multibillion-dollar AI cloud buildout in…
The White House has put a date on the most important crypto bill in American history, July 4, 2026. That deadline alone has made XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) the most closely watched digital asset this June. The CLARITY Act has already cleared the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, and now everything hinges on what happens next. So ... We Asked ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Gemini About XRP’s Price by July 4
The White House has put a date on the most important crypto bill in American history, July 4, 2026. That deadline alone has made XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) the most closely watched digital asset this June. The CLARITY Act has already cleared the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, and now everything hinges on what happens next. So ... We Asked ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Gemini About XRP’s Price by July 4
Mrkit99/iStock Editorial via Getty Images IBM ( IBM ) shares surged 10% during pre-market trading on Monday as Barclays initiated coverage on Big Blue with an Overweight rating due in part to its software momentum. The company benefits from its infrastructure software, which is set up for large, regulated enterprises, and has a loyal customer base, according to Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow. Sof...
Mrkit99/iStock Editorial via Getty Images IBM ( IBM ) shares surged 10% during pre-market trading on Monday as Barclays initiated coverage on Big Blue with an Overweight rating due in part to its software momentum. The company benefits from its infrastructure software, which is set up for large, regulated enterprises, and has a loyal customer base, according to Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow. Software now accounts for about 50% of revenue and is not likely to be disrupted by AI. Barclays set a $350 price target on the stock. IBM has also been trending upward since May 21, when the company signed a letter of intent for $1B in proposed CHIPS incentives from the federal government to launch Anderon, a standalone quantum chip manufacturing company that would operate what IBM described as America's first pure-play quantum foundry. The quantum momentum was supported further on Thursday, May 28, after the company disclosed it will invest $10B into quantum computing over the next five years. The company also said it would put $5B towards an artificial intelligence-linked open-source software project. Some outlets were crediting the Monday jump to a video clip trending on social media sites over the weekend where U.S. President Donald Trump was seen praising IBM CEO Arvind Krishna. The clip was from a White House business roundtable recorded on Dec. 10, 2025. More on IBM IBM: Why AI Is An Opportunity Not A Threat, Raising My Price Target Wall Street Lunch: Washington Advances Quantum Race With $2B CHIPS Funding IBM: The Business Improved Faster Than Many Investors Realize IBM rises as it unveils $10B quantum investment, $5B to AI-linked open-source software Quantum computing stocks to extend rally as federal backing tests bearish sentiment
Joe Hendrickson/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Churchill Downs Incorporated ( CHDN ) could have an opportunity ahead in the gaming segment. The racetrack, casino, and online wagering operator could be indirect beneficiaries of Fertitta’s acquisition of Caesars, as the transaction is expected to bolster sector M&A. Churchill Downs has historically had an opportunistic M&A playbook, and given the...
Joe Hendrickson/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Churchill Downs Incorporated ( CHDN ) could have an opportunity ahead in the gaming segment. The racetrack, casino, and online wagering operator could be indirect beneficiaries of Fertitta’s acquisition of Caesars, as the transaction is expected to bolster sector M&A. Churchill Downs has historically had an opportunistic M&A playbook, and given the low amount currently being spent on growth projects, the company could be in a position to reaccelerate earnings growth by spending free cash flow on an acquisition. I upgraded my rating to Hold in my previous March 2025 article on the stock, titled “ Churchill Downs: The Legendary Racing Operator Continues Thriving.” The stock has since lost a further -19% of its value; meanwhile, the S&P 500 has gained 35%. My Rating History on CHDN (Seeking Alpha) Churchill Downs Could Have a Gaming M&A Opportunity Ahead Fertitta’s buyout of legendary casino operator Caesars Entertainment, Inc. ( CZR ) could present an opportunity to Churchill Downs. The massive merger comes with a significant debt load, a partially overlapping property footprint, and could cause antitrust concerns, which could push Fertitta to divest some of the acquired locations . JPMorgan and Jefferies analysts have both speculated that the merger will result in increased gaming sector M&A activity. Churchill Downs could be in a lucrative position to buy one or more properties if sector M&A does pick up. I wrote a separate article on the buyout itself. The companies’ geographic footprints make M&A feasible. Churchill Downs and Caesars both have significant gaming assets across the Midwest & South. Caesars’ regional casinos include a number of both owned & leased properties in the region, which could be a positive addition to Churchill Downs’ current gaming business. Churchill Downs' Assets (CHDN May 2026 Investor Presentation) An opportunistic M&A playbook makes it more likely that Churchill Downs will pursue an acq...
Welcome back to Bloomberg’s Auto Monitor , a weekly roundup of stories on the automotive industry from reporters around the world. Sign up now if you’re not already on the list. College professors and NPR listeners can breathe a sigh of relief: Volvo can continue selling its cars in the US . More on the brand’s plans for the American market in our big story below. We also have pieces on rising veh...
Welcome back to Bloomberg’s Auto Monitor , a weekly roundup of stories on the automotive industry from reporters around the world. Sign up now if you’re not already on the list. College professors and NPR listeners can breathe a sigh of relief: Volvo can continue selling its cars in the US . More on the brand’s plans for the American market in our big story below. We also have pieces on rising vehicle sales in Europe and a changing of the guards at Vietnamese EV maker VinFast. All this and more, below. Market Snapshot Volvo Car AB €23.78 -4.0% Tesla Inc $435.79 -1.4% General Motors Co $83.24 -1.3% Stellantis NV €7.00 -0.3% Market data as of 01:59 PM GMT. Data is subject to provider delays. The big story Chances are most US consumers still perceive Volvo as the quintessential Swedish carmaker, even though the brand has been majority-owned by China’s Geely since 2010. Volvo’s ownership structure forced it to apply for a specific authorization from US authorities to avoid a ban on connected vehicles tied to China. Last week, the company that pioneered the three-point seatbelt finally got the green light from the US Commerce Department to continue selling its sedans and SUVs in the lucrative American market. The agreement spares Volvo from one of the barriers that have effectively walled off Chinese cars from the US over national and economic security concerns. Autos made in China, including from Volvo’s parent Geely, face punitive import tariffs. It’s a boon for Chief Executive Officer Håkan Samuelsson, who was brought back last year to reverse the fortunes of a company struggling with high costs and waning sales. The CEO is under pressure to improve performance in the US, where Volvo long benefited from its reputation as a premium import known for safety and durability. Its sedans and station wagons, like the boxy 240 , were a staple in affluent American suburbs of the 1990s. A lot has changed at Volvo, not just in terms of ownership. The company in 2018 opened its fi...
My top 10 things to watch Monday, June 1 1. Nvidia unveiled its first-ever PC processor at Computex, working closely with fellow Club name Microsoft . The chip uses the power-efficient Arm instruction set, taking aim at the x86 kingdom dominated by Intel and AMD . Those don't cut it anymore for the agentic AI PCs that Nvidia is building. Too slow and too hot. Intel and AMD shares are lower this mo...
My top 10 things to watch Monday, June 1 1. Nvidia unveiled its first-ever PC processor at Computex, working closely with fellow Club name Microsoft . The chip uses the power-efficient Arm instruction set, taking aim at the x86 kingdom dominated by Intel and AMD . Those don't cut it anymore for the agentic AI PCs that Nvidia is building. Too slow and too hot. Intel and AMD shares are lower this morning. Nvidia is up 2%. 2. One of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's big themes at his Computex keynote: compute is revenue in the AI era. He took a shot at custom data center chips from the likes of Google and Amazon , saying, "choosing the wrong architecture just because the chips are cheaper doesn't translate." It's all about how many profitable tokens your data center can generate per watt of power. 3. Club name Arm is a big winner from Nvidia's PC pursuit and its success in the data center because Nvidia licenses Arm's intellectual property for its CPUs. Arm collects royalties per chip. No wonder Arm's stock is flying in the premarket, up 11%. It's already tripled this year. Mizuho and Wells Fargo raised their price targets this morning to $425 and $410, respectively. 4. Goldman Sachs upped its PT on Dell to $500 from $230. Kept its buy rating on the stock after Dell's monster quarter Thursday night. Morgan Stanley upgraded Dell to hold from sell, acknowledging that its concerns about the memory shortage were wrong, as Dell is navigating the supply chain better than its peers. Dell and Nvidia are close partners on AI servers and now new PCs. 5. Berkshire Hathaway agreed to buy homebuilder Taylor Morrison Home for $6.8 billion. Small deal, but it shows that there may be value in the hated homebuilders. It would be something if Berkshire put up prefab homes from Clayton, which it also owns, on all the land Taylor Morrison has. Berkshire shares are slightly lower, while Taylor Morrison shares are up more than 22%. 6. There are three expected deals that will define 2026 and maybe e...
First clinical trial of its kind, involving 410 cancer survivors in US, also finds reductions in distress and fatigue Yoga can reduce emotional distress, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia in people living with cancer, according to the results of the first clinical trial of its kind. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are living with cancer, with advances in treatments meaning more patients are s...
First clinical trial of its kind, involving 410 cancer survivors in US, also finds reductions in distress and fatigue Yoga can reduce emotional distress, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia in people living with cancer, according to the results of the first clinical trial of its kind. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are living with cancer, with advances in treatments meaning more patients are surviving the disease than ever before. But for many, the physical and mental side-effects of their diagnosis and treatment regime can last long after treatment ends. Continue reading...
It’s real and physical, it scars and heals: sport is a visceral high – and the Gunners have reminded fans just what it means It’s going to take some time to shake this feeling. Frankly, I don’t want to shake it. I don’t want the flare smell, akin to a thousand party poppers going off at once, to leave my skin, I don’t want the stream of content to subside and I don’t want this joy to leave. When t...
It’s real and physical, it scars and heals: sport is a visceral high – and the Gunners have reminded fans just what it means It’s going to take some time to shake this feeling. Frankly, I don’t want to shake it. I don’t want the flare smell, akin to a thousand party poppers going off at once, to leave my skin, I don’t want the stream of content to subside and I don’t want this joy to leave. When the final whistle blew in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth the tears flowed, I pulled on jeans and trainers, told the lad to change out of his pyjamas and headed to the Emirates Stadium. Then, on Sunday, I was back, champagne in hand, for an emotional lap of the stadium and a pilgrimage to the old East Stand at Higbury to sit on the steps in front of the marble halls. Continue reading...
Casting shifts to EU talent as paperwork delays and visa limits make hiring British crews less viable From blacklists for UK passport holders to being asked to work illegally while on holiday, the plethora of extra costs and red tape thrown up post-Brexit are restricting opportunities for British actors seeking work in the EU. Mainland Europe has always been a springboard for those in the creative...
Casting shifts to EU talent as paperwork delays and visa limits make hiring British crews less viable From blacklists for UK passport holders to being asked to work illegally while on holiday, the plethora of extra costs and red tape thrown up post-Brexit are restricting opportunities for British actors seeking work in the EU. Mainland Europe has always been a springboard for those in the creative industries, from gaining crucial first credits on a TV, film or theatre production to building a marketable resume and paying the bills while attempting to make it big in the UK or US. Continue reading...
Welcome to Next Africa, a daily newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. In today’s edition, we look at Ethiopia’s elections and the challenges confronting the next administration. And: The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is widening Glencore scraps plans to cut jobs in South Africa The Iran war impacts Indian Ocean isla...
Welcome to Next Africa, a daily newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. In today’s edition, we look at Ethiopia’s elections and the challenges confronting the next administration. And: The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is widening Glencore scraps plans to cut jobs in South Africa The Iran war impacts Indian Ocean island tourism An Election Fait Accompli Ethiopia’s elections look like a done deal. The ruling Prosperity Party is facing a highly fragmented opposition in today’s vote and should easily retain its parliamentary majority, handing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed another five-year term. But the likelihood that the political status quo will remain unchanged doesn’t mean all is well in Africa’s second-most-populous nation. Ethiopians are still contending with the aftermath of a two-year civil war that pitted federal government troops against forces from the northern Tigray region and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives before a peace accord was agreed in 2022. Lingering tensions were underscored by the electoral board’s decision to defer voting in 38 constituencies in Tigray and eight others in neighboring Amhara due to security concerns, unrest and logistical challenges. Elsewhere in the country, the military continues to battle armed groups, including the Oromo Liberation Army, and Fano militias in Amhara. Ethiopia is also facing growing regional animosity: Relations with Somalia and Eritrea soured over Abiy’s push for direct access to the sea ; Egypt is angry about the construction of a huge dam on a tributary of the Nile River in Ethiopia that could disrupt water flows downstream; and Sudan’s military accuses Addis Ababa of backing a militia in the nation’s civil war. The economic landscape is additionally challenging: inflation is elevated , foreign currency is in short supply and the government’s talks with bondholders on restructuring the nation’s debt have stalled — which cou...