Vivek Vishwakarma/iStock via Getty Images Now is a great time to be a high-yield investor, especially as the market heaps plenty of attention on AI stocks at high valuations. This leads to many overlooked stocks that provide steady streams of cash flow, which is all the more important in a market that still has plenty of volatility. This brings me to Ladder Capital Corp. ( LADR ), which I last cov...
Vivek Vishwakarma/iStock via Getty Images Now is a great time to be a high-yield investor, especially as the market heaps plenty of attention on AI stocks at high valuations. This leads to many overlooked stocks that provide steady streams of cash flow, which is all the more important in a market that still has plenty of volatility. This brings me to Ladder Capital Corp. ( LADR ), which I last covered back in January, highlighting its conservative underwriting and accelerating loan originations. At the current price of $10.26, LADR remains solidly in the bottom half of its 52-week range with a 9% dividend yield, as shown below. LADR Stock 1-Yr Trend (Seeking Alpha) In this article, I revisit LADR, including recent business results , and discuss why this stock is a 'Buy' at present levels for value and high income, so let’s dig in! Why LADR? Ladder Capital is an internally managed commercial mortgage REIT with a diversified platform. It has a high alignment of interest between management and shareholders, with the executive team and directors owning over 12% of the company. LADR currently has a $5.8 billion investment portfolio , of which 84% are senior secured and/or investment-grade rated. As shown below, CRE loans make up just under half of the portfolio (46%), while CRE equity (physical properties) and CRE Securities (mostly AAA-rated loans) make up the rest. Investor Presentation LADR delivered a solid Q1 2026 with distributable EPS of $0.22, rising by $0.01 over the prior year period. Over the past 12 reported months, LADR has materially grown the loan portfolio by 60%. Management has framed the company as going on the 'offense,' as each dollar deployed from securities into loans materially increases earnings capacity. Loan growth has been partially offset by early payoffs. However, repayments are constructive to the portfolio. That’s because they have enabled LADR to recycle capital out of older vintages and into newly originated loans. These loans are underwr...
Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) hasn't been a great stock to own this year. The company's shares have declined 19% to date. However, a lot is going on behind the scenes with the medical device leader that investors should pay attention to. Let's first review the basics of Intuitive Surgical's business. The company develops and markets robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) devices. Intuitive Surgical's ...
Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) hasn't been a great stock to own this year. The company's shares have declined 19% to date. However, a lot is going on behind the scenes with the medical device leader that investors should pay attention to. Let's first review the basics of Intuitive Surgical's business. The company develops and markets robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) devices. Intuitive Surgical's best-known product is the da Vinci system, a robotic surgical device that is currently in its fifth iteration and approved for minimally invasive soft-tissue procedures across general surgery, gynecology, urology, and more. Intuitive Surgical dominates its niche of the medical device industry . The da Vinci system was one of the first of its kind and has been on the market since 2000. Over the past 26 years, Intuitive Surgical has grown its installed base of da Vinci systems significantly. As of the first quarter, it was 11,395 and increased 12% year over year. Image source: The Motley Fool. Continue reading
solarseven/iStock via Getty Images BlackRock Investment Institute sees no inconsistency between rallying equities ( SPY ) ( QQQ ) ( DIA ) and elevated oil ( USO ), commodities ( DBC ) and yields ( TLT ). According to its Monday analysis, the artificial intelligence ( AIQ ) buildout is offsetting the typical drag on growth from geopolitical shocks, while energy markets appear to be pricing in an ev...
solarseven/iStock via Getty Images BlackRock Investment Institute sees no inconsistency between rallying equities ( SPY ) ( QQQ ) ( DIA ) and elevated oil ( USO ), commodities ( DBC ) and yields ( TLT ). According to its Monday analysis, the artificial intelligence ( AIQ ) buildout is offsetting the typical drag on growth from geopolitical shocks, while energy markets appear to be pricing in an eventual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. “Markets are pricing both AI-driven growth and the impact of the Middle East supply shock,” the report said. The data support this view. Expected S&P 500 ( SP500 ) ( SPY ) earnings growth for the first quarter has climbed to about 28%, roughly double early-April estimates. The “magnificent seven” tech giants ( MAGS ) are tracking a 57% jump in quarterly earnings, three times higher than analyst estimates from just a month ago. Capital spending projections have risen to as much as $725B this year. Regional performance further illustrates the divergence. Emerging market ( EEM ) and U.S. equities ( SPY ) are leading global markets since the conflict began, while countries heavily exposed to the shock have lagged. South Korea ( EWY ) and Taiwan ( EWT ), both tied to the AI boom, have outperformed, while Europe ( IEUR ) has underperformed due to its high exposure to energy costs. BlackRock remains “pro-risk,” overweighting U.S. and emerging market equities as AI buildout beneficiaries. However, they caution that interest rates ( US10Y ) ( US30Y ) remain the key mechanism through which the shock could challenge risk assets. The firm’s stance depends on eventual normalization in the strait. A prolonged closure would likely shift the balance by lifting inflation and rates enough to weigh on valuations. BlackRock Investment Institute More on the Markets SPY: In Chips, We Trust Dow Jones, Nasdaq And S&P 500 Intraday Levels - Tech Does Not Wait On CPI And Geopolitics Documenting The Rally Market bubble could have more room to run - Dan Niles N...
Chief Justice Roberts Has No Spine Authored by J.B. Shurk via American Thinker , He’s a judicial pimp who pragmatically defends the Establishment’s bottom line. I do not like Chief Justice John Roberts. I think his loyalties lie more with defending the entrenched powers of the political Establishment than with defending the Constitution of the United States. I find his jurisprudence squishy. Altho...
Chief Justice Roberts Has No Spine Authored by J.B. Shurk via American Thinker , He’s a judicial pimp who pragmatically defends the Establishment’s bottom line. I do not like Chief Justice John Roberts. I think his loyalties lie more with defending the entrenched powers of the political Establishment than with defending the Constitution of the United States. I find his jurisprudence squishy. Although his decisions could be described as advancing, more often than not, conservative viewpoints, Roberts does not seem to have a consistent philosophy guiding his opinions. Roberts is a pragmatist. He surveys the mood of the country and considers how the rest of the members of the Court will vote on any case, and he chooses a position that he feels will best preserve the institutional longevity of the Judicial Branch. Roberts is, in other words, more interested in maintaining the power of the branch that he embodies than in making tough, but correct, decisions. None of Roberts’ rulings better exemplifies this pragmatic, amoral approach to jurisprudence than his 2012 decision to save Obamacare by redefining the individual insurance mandate as a tax, rather than as a penalty. During oral arguments, the Obama administration barely addressed the possibility that the mandate could be seen as a tax. Democrats did not want to admit that nationalizing health insurance would increase costs for Americans, and the word “tax” certainly implies that prices will rise (which they did). President Obama had been haranguing the Court for over a year that should it strike down his signature welfare legislation putting the federal government in control of American medicine, the decision would be disastrous for the American people and render the Court illegitimate. Roberts lives in the D.C. bubble. All his friends live in the D.C. bubble. The Democrat-controlled corporate news media reflect the prevailing opinions of those who live within the D.C. bubble. So Chief Justice Roberts chose to avoid...
mesh cube/iStock via Getty Images As shown in the chart below, Micron ( MU ) has surged by more than 750% over the past year and was trading at around $747 at the time of writing. Data by YCharts For investors considering whether to invest at current levels, it is important to be aware that the compute memory industry is highly cyclical. Also, as seen by some of the volatility engulfing tech despi...
mesh cube/iStock via Getty Images As shown in the chart below, Micron ( MU ) has surged by more than 750% over the past year and was trading at around $747 at the time of writing. Data by YCharts For investors considering whether to invest at current levels, it is important to be aware that the compute memory industry is highly cyclical. Also, as seen by some of the volatility engulfing tech despite beating earnings, expectations on guidance (future performance) are now running sky-high. This means that buying a single memory stock after this large rally can expose investors to downside risks if the cycle turns. In this context, given that Micron has been hit by cyclicality in the recent past as detailed below, this thesis aims to show that a different approach makes more sense, one consisting of investing in a memory-focused fund like the Roundhill Memory ETF ( DRAM ), which provides diversification across other big names. Better to Hold DRAM than Micron Based on a Past Memory Cycle This is an actively managed fund that provides targeted exposure to the global semiconductor memory industry and manages about $6.5 billion in assets, and its key holdings are detailed below. www.roundhillinvestments.com The top three, Micron, SK hynix, and Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ), together account for about 69% of the total portfolio. These three are the leaders of the memory industry, notably DRAMs (Dynamic Random Access Memories). More importantly, these three also make highly-profitable HBMs (high-bandwidth memories), which help in the training of language models. Other holdings include Sandisk ( SNDK ), Western Digital ( WDC ), and Seagate Technology ( STX ), which specialize in data storage, which is essential to enabling AI models to ingest and generate huge volumes of information. Now, for those prioritizing risk aversion, this ETF route is particularly important as it allows investors not to rely on a single company’s execution, especially given the need to sustain produc...
Compass Group PLC press release ( CMPGY ): Q1 GAAP net income of $22M. Revenue in Q1 2026 increased by 99% year-over-year to $2.70B. More on Compass Group PLC Compass Group PLC (CMPGY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Compass Group PLC 2026 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Compass Group PLC Historical earnings data for Compass Group PLC Dividend scorecard f...
Compass Group PLC press release ( CMPGY ): Q1 GAAP net income of $22M. Revenue in Q1 2026 increased by 99% year-over-year to $2.70B. More on Compass Group PLC Compass Group PLC (CMPGY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Compass Group PLC 2026 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Compass Group PLC Historical earnings data for Compass Group PLC Dividend scorecard for Compass Group PLC
Key PointsThe so-called "fear gauge" is painting a surprisingly tranquil picture despite geopolitical conflicts, high stock prices, and economic uncertainty.
Key PointsThe so-called "fear gauge" is painting a surprisingly tranquil picture despite geopolitical conflicts, high stock prices, and economic uncertainty.
The White House is inviting Tesla Inc. ’s Elon Musk , Apple Inc. ’s Tim Cook , Boeing Co. ’s Kelly Ortberg and executives from other large companies to accompany President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week, according to an official. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ’s David Solomon , Blackstone Inc. ’s Stephen Schwarzman , BlackRock Inc. ’s Larry Fink , Citigroup Inc. ’s Jane Fraser and Meta Pla...
The White House is inviting Tesla Inc. ’s Elon Musk , Apple Inc. ’s Tim Cook , Boeing Co. ’s Kelly Ortberg and executives from other large companies to accompany President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week, according to an official. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ’s David Solomon , Blackstone Inc. ’s Stephen Schwarzman , BlackRock Inc. ’s Larry Fink , Citigroup Inc. ’s Jane Fraser and Meta Platforms Inc. ’s Dina Powell McCormick are also on the list of those expected to join Trump’s delegation for his summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping , a White House official said Monday. Musk’s inclusion is the latest sign the relationship between the US president and world’s richest man has been repaired. Musk oversaw the administration’s effort last year to downsize the federal government, but they had an ugly falling out that culminated in Musk’s departure. The two men have since patched up their differences. The group of more than a dozen top executives is joining Trump for a visit later this week that the US president hopes will unlock a series of business deals and purchase agreements with Beijing. It is comprised mostly of representatives of major financial, technology, aerospace and agricultural firms. US officials have said that Trump wants to finalize the details of a board of trade with China during the trip. Larry Culp of General Electric Co. , Brian Sikes of Cargill Inc. , Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron Technology Inc. and Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm Inc. are also expected to attend, the official said. Rounding out the list is Visa Inc. ’s Ryan McInerney , Mastercard Inc. ’s Michael Miebach , Illumina Inc. ’s Jacob Thaysen and Coherent Corp. ’s Jim Anderson . Chuck Robbins of Cisco Systems Inc. appeared on the White House official’s list but a company spokesperson said later he would be unable to accept the invitation, citing upcoming earnings. Tesla shares jumped as much as 1.3%, reversing losses of about 2.7% earlier in the session, and Coherent stock shar...