The Good Brigade/DigitalVision via Getty Images March 5th was really interesting day for shareholders of both UniFirst Corporation ( UNF ) and Cintas Corporation ( CTAS ). Shares of the former closed up 13.6% after news broke that Cintas is nearing a purchase of the company. If this is giving you a sense of déjà vu, that is understandable. After all, this is not the first time that rumors have cir...
The Good Brigade/DigitalVision via Getty Images March 5th was really interesting day for shareholders of both UniFirst Corporation ( UNF ) and Cintas Corporation ( CTAS ). Shares of the former closed up 13.6% after news broke that Cintas is nearing a purchase of the company. If this is giving you a sense of déjà vu, that is understandable. After all, this is not the first time that rumors have circulated about a potential transaction. As recently as December of last year, Cintas was attempting to purchase UniFirst. In fact, I have covered this topic ad nauseam over the last couple of years now. Unfortunately, any price that has been offered up by Cintas has been soundly rejected by UniFirst. But at some point in time, I suspect that a transaction will eventually be agreed upon. In my last article covering this topic, published in late December of last year, I said that while a transaction under the terms proposed then was unlikely, investors should not give up on UniFirst as an investment prospect. In addition to the potential catalyst of a buyout, which could be done at a rather substantial premium to where the company's share price has traded at, the fact of the matter is that while Cintas looks overpriced to the point that I have called it a Sell candidate in the recent past, UniFirst looks deeply undervalued. And honestly, even though I am not sure about any potential transaction occurring here, I do believe that the picture is strong enough from a fundamental standpoint to justify a Buy rating for UniFirst. Cintas is serious On March 5th, rumors began circulating that Cintas is getting close to a deal to acquire UniFirst. According to those rumors, a transaction could be announced as early as next week. And it would be in excess of $275 per share. To understand where that puts us, however, we should dig a bit deeper into the past regarding these two companies. From what I can tell, the first time that Cintas became serious about acquiring UniFirst was back in 2...
monsitj/iStock via Getty Images Gold futures rose Friday but not enough to avoid their first weekly decline in five weeks despite geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East, with traders reassessing the trajectory of U.S interest rates and inflation as the conflict lifted oil prices to levels not seen in two-and-a-half years. Upside in gold futures as a financial safe haven during wartime was lim...
monsitj/iStock via Getty Images Gold futures rose Friday but not enough to avoid their first weekly decline in five weeks despite geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East, with traders reassessing the trajectory of U.S interest rates and inflation as the conflict lifted oil prices to levels not seen in two-and-a-half years. Upside in gold futures as a financial safe haven during wartime was limited by investors flocking to the U.S. dollar instead of the metal this week, with t he U.S. dollar index posting its strongest weekly increase in more than a year, which has made dollar-priced gold costlier for overseas buyers; b ullion also served as a source of liquidity in a deepening rout in global equities. Surging oil prices could stoke inflation, and with the U.S. reporting solid economic data, traders are now pricing in just one rate cut this year, down from two earlier in the week, Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Matt Britzman said in a note. G old's selloff and ongoing volatility this week are an indication that the market still has to work out some of the froth from January's speculative run, Pepperstone senior research strategist Michael Brown said in a note. "We've not really seen bullion trading akin to a haven at all, instead acting more like a momentum driven risk asset, having an almost perfect inverse correlation with crude benchmarks over the last week or so," Brown wrote. "That suggests to me that we still have an awful lot of speculation in the market, which is really preventing gold from acting as the haven that we think it should be in a time like this." For the week, front-month Comex gold ( XAUUSD:CUR ) for March delivery fell 1.6% to $5,146.10/oz and front-month Comex March silver ( XAGUSD:CUR ) lost 9.6% to $83.816/oz. On Friday, gold gained 1.6% and silver jumped 2.6%, influenced by a weaker-than-expected February jobs report, which showed non-farm payrolls shedding 92K jobs, compared with expectations for a modest gain . ETFs: ( GLD ), ( GDX ), ( G...
The new war in the Middle East has given fresh relevance to the legal term “force majeure.” It’s a clause that can be found buried in many contracts that lets a party off the hook in the event of some unforeseen “act of God.” A number of oil and commodities companies have invoked the principle since the US and Israel began striking Iran, which responded with its own attacks on multiple countries. ...
The new war in the Middle East has given fresh relevance to the legal term “force majeure.” It’s a clause that can be found buried in many contracts that lets a party off the hook in the event of some unforeseen “act of God.” A number of oil and commodities companies have invoked the principle since the US and Israel began striking Iran, which responded with its own attacks on multiple countries. QatarEnergy , which operates the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export facility, declared force majeure so that it wouldn’t face penalties for missing contracted deliveries due to events beyond its control. Similarly, Aluminium Bahrain BSC in early March suspended deliveries of metal to some customers under force majeure clauses, citing the risks of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway south of Iran that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. What is force majeure? French for “superior force,” the phrase typically describes an unexpected, external event that makes it impossible for a party to fulfill its obligations under a contract. Force majeure clauses are a common feature of supply agreements and other business deals, and consumers will also find them in the fine print they agree to when they buy such things as plane tickets. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods are frequently specified as force majeure events, as was the Covid pandemic. So are human activities such as war, political unrest, terrorist attacks and labor strikes. How is force majeure invoked? Often it’s as simple as one party declaring force majeure in a letter to the other. What if a counterparty disagrees? One party can challenge another’s invocation of force majeure in court. The decision may hinge on the specific language in the contract and the jurisdiction. Many international commercial contracts operate under English or US law and specify courts in London or New York to decide any disputes. What if a contract doesn’t include a force majeure ...
Vertiv Holdings Co. , Lumentum Holdings Inc. , Coherent Corp. and EchoStar Corp. will join the S&P 500 in the latest quarterly rebalance, S&P Dow Jones Indices said Friday. The companies will replace Match Group Inc., Molina Healthcare Inc., Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. and Paycom Software Inc. before the start of trading on March 23, according to the index provider. Shares of Molina — down about 55%...
Vertiv Holdings Co. , Lumentum Holdings Inc. , Coherent Corp. and EchoStar Corp. will join the S&P 500 in the latest quarterly rebalance, S&P Dow Jones Indices said Friday. The companies will replace Match Group Inc., Molina Healthcare Inc., Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. and Paycom Software Inc. before the start of trading on March 23, according to the index provider. Shares of Molina — down about 55% over the past year — are among the worst performers in the S&P 500 on a percentage basis, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The other stocks set to be removed are also in the red over the same period. Meanwhile, all four additions have posted at least triple-digit gains in the past year, with Lumentum surging more than 800%. Vertiv makes power, cooling and other infrastructure used in data centers, while Lumentum supplies optical and photonic technologies used in artificial intelligence, cloud and communications networks. Coherent makes photonics and optical components used in AI networks and hyperscale data centers and EchoStar provides satellite, networking and wireless connectivity services. The growth of passive investing has elevated the importance of inclusion in the US equity benchmark, as funds that track the index must buy newly added shares. Roughly $24 trillion is tied to the S&P 500, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts James Seyffart and Wendy Soong , meaning index inclusion can potentially unleash billions of dollars of forced buying. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $22.7 billion and meet profitability, liquidity and share-float requirements to qualify for the S&P 500 under February guidelines . Removal from the benchmark can weigh on a stock, as index funds sell shares to realign with the gauge’s new composition. In December, CRH Plc , Carvana Co. and Comfort Systems USA Inc. were added to the index, replacing LKQ Corp. , Solstice Advanced Materials Inc. and Mohawk Industries Inc. Read more: Carvana, CRH, Comfort Systems to Joi...
JNemchinova/iStock via Getty Images I have now reviewed quite a few covered call income strategies by now on Seeking Alpha and several YieldMax ETFs in this league. Some are great for capturing upside, and they are generally a more reliable long-term income play, but they do not mitigate drawdowns very well or generate significant alpha in consolidating markets. Then there are some other covered c...
JNemchinova/iStock via Getty Images I have now reviewed quite a few covered call income strategies by now on Seeking Alpha and several YieldMax ETFs in this league. Some are great for capturing upside, and they are generally a more reliable long-term income play, but they do not mitigate drawdowns very well or generate significant alpha in consolidating markets. Then there are some other covered call strategies that are more aggressive in option writing. These are not great tools to capture upside and often lag significantly. However, these can be used tactically when entry at the top is psychologically deterring or when investors expect a slower regime ahead, which could be either a consolidation or a slower move up or down. The reason such strategies are psychologically easier to sign up for, compared to holding the underlying alone, is that they deliver more cushion if the stock falls (in terms of total return) and generate visible income on slower underlying moves. That cushion is limited to the amount of premiums received, as there is no structural buffer. The YieldMax TSM Option Income Strategy ETF ( TSMY ) belongs to neither of these categories fully. In structure it looks like the former, a long-term bet that can capture upside very well, but in performance it does not show the same characteristics. As Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited ( TSM ) approaches a more balanced outlook ahead, TSMY is not tactically poised to harvest the benefits of an aggressive option strategy that could deliver visible outperformance either. It is therefore a Hold for both long-term and tactical investors. It is likely to deliver some alpha and drawdown cushion as TSM slows down at the expense of NAV decay, but the current portfolio structure does not yet justify a stronger stance. Until there is clearer evidence of positioning that can better translate the prevailing market regime into consistent option income, the strategy remains one to watch rather than active...
Planet Labs, one of the world's leading commercial satellite imaging companies, said Friday it is placing a hold on releasing imagery of some parts of the Middle East as a regional war enters its second week. The company, which brands itself as Planet, operates a fleet of several hundred Earth-imaging satellites designed to record views of every landmass on Earth at least once per day. Its custome...
Planet Labs, one of the world's leading commercial satellite imaging companies, said Friday it is placing a hold on releasing imagery of some parts of the Middle East as a regional war enters its second week. The company, which brands itself as Planet, operates a fleet of several hundred Earth-imaging satellites designed to record views of every landmass on Earth at least once per day. Its customers include think tanks, NGOs, academic institutions, news media, and commercial users in the agriculture, forestry, and energy industries, among others. Planet also holds lucrative contracts selling overhead imagery to the US military and US government intelligence agencies. Read full article Comments
The S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.33%) fell 1.33% to 6,740.02, the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 1.59%) slid 1.59% to 22,387.68, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 0.95%) dropped 0.95% to 47,501.55 as a weak jobs report and surging oil reinforced risk-off sentiment. Market movers Energy stocks were rare gainers, with Diamondback Energy (FANG +0.95%) up about 0.84% as crude reached $91, while growth names lag...
The S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.33%) fell 1.33% to 6,740.02, the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 1.59%) slid 1.59% to 22,387.68, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 0.95%) dropped 0.95% to 47,501.55 as a weak jobs report and surging oil reinforced risk-off sentiment. Market movers Energy stocks were rare gainers, with Diamondback Energy (FANG +0.95%) up about 0.84% as crude reached $91, while growth names lagged; smaller-cap biotech Day One Biopharmaceuticals (DAWN +65.88%) bucked the sell-off on a buyout deal with independent international pharmaceutical group Servier. What this means for investors The day started on a down note after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that U.S. payrolls shrank by 92,000 and unemployment rose 10 basis points to 4.4% in February. At the same time, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East pushed oil over $90. That combination has investors concerned that an environment of stagflation may be upon us. That helped drive energy stocks higher, but most other equities were in negative territory. Oil experienced its largest weekly increase since 2020 due to concerns over potential disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz. While this development boosts producers, it is negatively impacting nearly every other sector in the S&P 500 as investors reevaluate the duration of sustained inflation. On the positive side, acquisition news today pushed Day One Biopharmaceuticals stock 66% higher. The biotech company focused on creating and marketing targeted therapies for individuals with life-threatening illnesses will be taken over for $21.50 per share in cash, amounting to a total equity value of around $2.5 billion.
Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) dropped 2.4% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $636.11 and last traded at $644.86. Approximately 13,007,778 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 15,348,577 shares. The stock had previously closed at $660.57. Get Meta Platforms alerts: Sign Up Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms...
Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) dropped 2.4% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $636.11 and last traded at $644.86. Approximately 13,007,778 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 15,348,577 shares. The stock had previously closed at $660.57. Get Meta Platforms alerts: Sign Up Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $872.00 price objective (up from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Arete Research restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $900.00 price objective (up from $870.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $844.44. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Meta Platforms Meta Platforms Trading Down 2.4% The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $655.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $682.50. The stock has a market cap of $1.63 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, ...
It says something about the motivation of travellers, for business or pleasure, that they are undeterred by geopolitical turbulence, even if it results in outbreaks of localised conflict that force a re-routing to safe flight corridors. But that reckons without conflict arising from a surprise attack that suddenly engulfs an entire region. The latest escalation of hostilities between Iran and its ...
It says something about the motivation of travellers, for business or pleasure, that they are undeterred by geopolitical turbulence, even if it results in outbreaks of localised conflict that force a re-routing to safe flight corridors. But that reckons without conflict arising from a surprise attack that suddenly engulfs an entire region. The latest escalation of hostilities between Iran and its American and Israeli adversaries, involving warplanes and warships, missiles, torpedoes and drones, has plunged Middle Eastern airspace into chaos. Thousands of flights have been grounded and passengers stranded across major aviation hubs. Airfares have been pushed higher as fuel prices surge and flights are diverted. Hong Kong, an international aviation hub, has been hit hard, as have its usually resilient travellers. The Immigration Department said that it had received inquiries from 730 Hongkongers stuck in the Middle East as of 5pm on Thursday, even as some 200 had left the region. Thankfully, the number of those stranded may be coming down, but hundreds are still grappling with cancelled bookings despite multiple attempts and a willingness to pay expensive fares. Advertisement Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled all flights between the city and Dubai until March 14. The Hong Kong authorities are trying to reserve seats on weekend flights leaving Dubai, hopeful that carrier Emirates will operate direct flights to Hong Kong this weekend. A spokesman said the government is trying to reserve some seats on flights on Saturday and Sunday for residents with special needs. Anyone who has experienced flight cancellations for whatever reason, and the consequent delays and expensive re-routing, would empathise with the frustration of the stranded passengers. An IT worker from Hong Kong stuck in Dubai told of being prepared to pay HK$20,000-40,000 (US$2,558-5,115) for a first-class flight after five cancellations. A social media user said that after her Emirates flight was cancel...
Tesla (TSLA) closed at $396.73 in the latest trading session, marking a -2.17% move from the prior day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 1.33%. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.95%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.59%. Shares of the electric car maker have appreciated by 2.1% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector's loss of 0.6...
Tesla (TSLA) closed at $396.73 in the latest trading session, marking a -2.17% move from the prior day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 1.33%. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.95%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.59%. Shares of the electric car maker have appreciated by 2.1% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector's loss of 0.66%, and the S&P 500's gain of 0.58%. Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Tesla in its upcoming earnings disclosure. In that report, analysts expect Tesla to post earnings of $0.39 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 44.44%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $22.51 billion, showing a 16.43% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter. In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $2.08 per share and a revenue of $102.71 billion, indicating changes of +25.3% and +8.32%, respectively, from the former year. Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Tesla. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability. Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system. The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 5.93% lower. Tesla is currently a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). In the context of valuation, Te...
Bezel CEO & Co-Founder Quaid Walker discusses their new partnership with Kalshi designed to build contracts tied to watch prices. Walker hopes the partnership will lead to more accessibility for customers and lead to a more "vibrant and interesting' watch world. He talks with Romaine Bostick and Bailey Lipschultz on "The Close." (Source: Bloomberg)
Bezel CEO & Co-Founder Quaid Walker discusses their new partnership with Kalshi designed to build contracts tied to watch prices. Walker hopes the partnership will lead to more accessibility for customers and lead to a more "vibrant and interesting' watch world. He talks with Romaine Bostick and Bailey Lipschultz on "The Close." (Source: Bloomberg)
We’ve all become adjusted to a few of the mega-popular stocks involved in the broader AI trade, namely NVIDIA, Palantir, and Vertiv, to just name a small trio. But there are still several other companies that stand to benefit nicely from all the spending, including Photronics PLAB, and Teradyne TER. PLAB’s Critical AI Role Photronics, a current Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), is a global market leader in pho...
We’ve all become adjusted to a few of the mega-popular stocks involved in the broader AI trade, namely NVIDIA, Palantir, and Vertiv, to just name a small trio. But there are still several other companies that stand to benefit nicely from all the spending, including Photronics PLAB, and Teradyne TER. PLAB’s Critical AI Role Photronics, a current Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), is a global market leader in photomasks (stencils used to print tiny circuits onto semiconductor wafers) for lithographic imaging in semiconductor and flat panel display production. PLAB shares broke out near the end of February after some consolidation, but the strength didn’t last very long. While the failed breakout is certainly not what you want to see from a sentiment standpoint, the company still plays a critical role in the AI frenzy, particularly in the chip-making supply chain. Nonetheless, EPS revisions for its current fiscal year still remain highly positive, with a big positive revision hitting the tape near the end of Feb, as shown below. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research PLAB’s latest release showed record-high-end (advanced chips) revenue, with noted strength in the United States. Importantly, as AI chips become more complex, PLAB’s top line is poised to benefit significantly given its critical role in the broader industry. The company’s CapEx has also grown significantly as it looks to expand its operations in the United States and South Korea, which will provide a solid growth runway as we wade deeper into the booming chip industry, fueled by the AI era. CapEx during its latest fiscal year totaled $188.1 million, compared with $131 million in FY24. Teradyne Shares Soar Teradyne manufactures equipment used by other companies to test chips. Unsurprisingly, the fastest-growing segment here is chips for AI data centers and accelerators, and more complex chips mean greater test demand, with AI chips among the most complex right now. Up 40%, the stock has enjoyed...