Arctic-Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images As a shareholder of Baxter International ( BAX ), I'm admittedly biased, but I am surprised BAX stock has performed so poorly of late. To be sure, the company (and the stock) face no shortage of challenges. The late 2021 acquisition of Hill-Rom has proven to be a disaster and (along with performance during and after the pandemic) may have shown that Bax...
Arctic-Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images As a shareholder of Baxter International ( BAX ), I'm admittedly biased, but I am surprised BAX stock has performed so poorly of late. To be sure, the company (and the stock) face no shortage of challenges. The late 2021 acquisition of Hill-Rom has proven to be a disaster and (along with performance during and after the pandemic) may have shown that Baxter's legacy business wasn't quite as strong as investors believed last decade. Spiking oil prices should increase costs and pressure margins. And, as I wrote earlier this year, the market does not have a lot of faith either in chief executive officer Andrew Hider or the company's ability to respond to two core challenges. In other words, the low stock price and the conservative valuation (BAX now trades at less than 9x the midpoint of this year's adjusted earnings per share guidance) perhaps aren't stunning. But at the same time, the news flow of late doesn't seem to support a 9% increase in Baxter stock since it crashed following the fourth quarter release in February. There are some green shoots here and some reasons for hope that Hider can get Baxter at least somewhat on track. At this valuation, that seems like enough to stay patient—even if, for now, the market sees it differently. Is Baxter Different? I've written multiple times in several contexts that low-growth, leveraged 'fallen angels' have been exceptionally dangerous to own. Since 2010 or so (and particularly in recent years), this has been a market in which investors have been rewarded for paying up for quality and growth and (generally) avoiding value/valuations/'too cheap' type of plays. BAX profiles as exactly the kind of stock that has underperformed for most of the past fifteen years. It looks cheap. A steep decline (the stock incredibly is down 80% just since the end of 2021) suggests room for a rebound if only Baxter can rebuild its business and its margins to where they were a short time ago. But, of ...
Ex-defence ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe both sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, among the most severe sentences in a years-long purge Two former Chinese defence ministers were given suspended death sentences for bribery on Thursday, after being convicted by China’s military court, in some of the most severe punishments to be handed down in a years-long purge of the military. Chin...
Ex-defence ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe both sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, among the most severe sentences in a years-long purge Two former Chinese defence ministers were given suspended death sentences for bribery on Thursday, after being convicted by China’s military court, in some of the most severe punishments to be handed down in a years-long purge of the military. Chinese state media Xinhua announced on Thursday that Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were both sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, meaning that their sentences will probably be commuted to life imprisonment if Li and Wei demonstrate good behaviour. Continue reading...
来源：环球市场播报 基石科技控股公布，公司的联营公司Spark EV Company Limited （Spark）已签署其首份收购条款清单，据此将向泰国当地电动汽车（EV）充电网络运营商E-cocharge Solutions Co．， Ltd（Eco-Flash）收购6个充电地点，合共24个充电点（每个充电点功率为60kW）。 Eco-Flash专门从事快速直流（DC）充电解决方案，其投资组合...
来源：环球市场播报 基石科技控股公布，公司的联营公司Spark EV Company Limited （Spark）已签署其首份收购条款清单，据此将向泰国当地电动汽车（EV）充电网络运营商E-cocharge Solutions Co．， Ltd（Eco-Flash）收购6个充电地点，合共24个充电点（每个充电点功率为60kW）。 Eco-Flash专门从事快速直流（DC）充电解决方案，其投资组合主要位于曼谷大都会区社区商场的城市停车场。 此交易标志着Spark在泰国的首宗收购。集团仍致力于实现在泰国建立拥有1,000个电动汽车充电站的全面网络的长期愿景。Spark将继续积极寻求额外的收购目标及战略合作伙伴，以加速此项部署，并加强集团作为东协（ASEAN）地区领先电动汽车充电服务供应商的地位。
zhengzaishuru/iStock via Getty Images I previously rated Occidental Petroleum Corporation ( OXY ) as a Hold in March 2026, attributed to the limited margin of safety from the volatile oil prices. In this article, I shall discuss why I am reiterating the OXY stock as a Hold here, attributed to the underwhelming dividend yields and the potentially painful downside risks once the Brent oil spot price...
zhengzaishuru/iStock via Getty Images I previously rated Occidental Petroleum Corporation ( OXY ) as a Hold in March 2026, attributed to the limited margin of safety from the volatile oil prices. In this article, I shall discuss why I am reiterating the OXY stock as a Hold here, attributed to the underwhelming dividend yields and the potentially painful downside risks once the Brent oil spot prices normalize. OXY's Spot Price Tailwinds Are Already Baked In OXY 1Y Stock Price (Trading View) 1. Developing Iran Conflict Since my last Hold rating, OXY has remained rather volatile indeed, as observed in the stock trading along the fluctuating oil spot prices from the developing Iran conflict. While it remains to be seen when the conflict may be fully resolved and when the oil prices may normalize afterwards, a ceasefire deal seems rather likely in the near-term, with it naturally explaining the moderating Brent oil spot prices from the prior highs of $118s per barrel on March 31, 2026 to $97s per barrel at the time of writing. These rapidly developing geopolitical events are also why certain US-based oil/gas producers have resisted changing their production strategies, despite the potential accretion of the higher spot prices on their future top/bottom-lines: Exxon Mobil ( XOM ) and Chevron ( CVX ) said Friday they have no plans to adjust their production strategies, resisting pressure from President Trump to boost output as the energy shock induced by the Middle East threatens to spark inflation across the world... Bonner said the company's strategy is to "grow free cash flow, not grow production," adding that "you wouldn't expect us to be changing our plans significantly on the back of eight weeks of disruption." ( Seeking Alpha ) These developments naturally lend credence to the Hold rating in my prior OXY article, attributed to the limited margin of safety and the potential volatility post-conflict, since the elevated spot prices are merely attributed to temporary ev...