UK-based activist fund Palliser Capital has expanded its hunt for overlooked AI beneficiaries in Japan with a stake in seasoning maker Ajinomoto Co. , according to people familiar with the matter. Palliser has built a position in Ajinomoto within the past six months and is lobbying for the firm to raise prices for its chip insulation products, the people said, asking not to be named as the informa...
UK-based activist fund Palliser Capital has expanded its hunt for overlooked AI beneficiaries in Japan with a stake in seasoning maker Ajinomoto Co. , according to people familiar with the matter. Palliser has built a position in Ajinomoto within the past six months and is lobbying for the firm to raise prices for its chip insulation products, the people said, asking not to be named as the information is private. Palliser is now among Ajinomoto’s top 25 shareholders, they said. The fund is calling for a more than 30% increase in prices for Ajinomoto Build-Up Film (ABF), according to a document seen by Bloomberg. ABF is used to package high-performance semiconductors, and Palliser believes Ajinomoto is missing out on substantial share price upside from the AI infrastructure buildout , the document shows. Ajinomoto did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The investment is part of Palliser’s move to identify lesser-known winners from the ongoing artificial intelligence boom. It follows the fund’s recent stake in toilet maker Toto Ltd. , where it is calling for more disclosure around the company’s chip parts business. Read more: Activist Palliser Takes Stake in Toilet Firm Toto in AI Play Ajinomoto holds more than 90% of global market share for insulating materials used in PCs and data center servers, according to its website. Palliser is urging the company to establish the ABF business as a standalone segment to raise awareness of its strength, according to the people. Ajinomoto shares have gained around 2% in the past six months, underperforming Japan’s benchmark Topix, which has risen almost 12%. In contrast, other chip material makers like Ibiden Co. and Resonac Holdings have rallied more than 70%. Ajinomoto, which is known for discovering MSG seasoning more than 100 years ago, brought its resin-based chip insulating films to market in 1999. Their origins lie in Ajinomoto’s command of MSG. Chlorinated paraffin, a byproduct of the MSG-making process, ca...
Earnings Call Insights: Fathom Holdings Inc. (FTHM) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Marco Fregenal reported that despite challenging housing market conditions, the company executed on its long-term strategy, stating, “For the full year 2025, we generated $420 million in revenue, representing a 25% year-over-year growth, and our total transactions increased nearly 15%, driven in part by the addition of...
Earnings Call Insights: Fathom Holdings Inc. (FTHM) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Marco Fregenal reported that despite challenging housing market conditions, the company executed on its long-term strategy, stating, “For the full year 2025, we generated $420 million in revenue, representing a 25% year-over-year growth, and our total transactions increased nearly 15%, driven in part by the addition of My Home Group and the continued addition of strong agents to our network.” Fregenal emphasized strategic progress in expanding ancillary businesses, launching new programs, and partnerships, and strengthening the leadership team, including the addition of Lori Muller as President of Fathom Realty, replacing Samantha Giuggio. Fregenal detailed new commission structures, with the launch of Edge, moving from an annual to a monthly agent fee and introducing a 7% split, alongside a new $250 transaction fee, aiming to “add a significant incremental gross profit before any benefit from a market recovery.” The CEO highlighted that “both Elevate and START carry significantly higher gross profit margins, typically ranging from 20% to 50%” and projected these programs could represent at least 10% of total transaction volume by year-end and over 15% by the end of 2027. Vice President of Finance Daniel Weinmann reported, “Fourth quarter revenue totaled $90.6 million, a 1.2% decrease year-over-year compared to $91.7 million in the prior year period… For the full year 2025, total revenue increased 25.4% to $420.5 million compared to $335.2 million in 2024.” Outlook Fregenal stated that the company’s pricing and fee changes are already in effect and “fundamentally improve our unit economics at any level of transaction volume.” “Looking ahead, our goal is for these two programs to represent at least 10% of our total transaction volume by year-end and increase to over 15% by the end of 2027,” Fregenal explained regarding Elevate and START. The CEO indicated plans to expand the START program...
In this article .HSI .N225 .AXJO Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A view of missile traces launched from Yemen at Israel sighted in the sky over Hebron, West Bank, on March 28, 2026. Wisam Hashlamoun | Anadolu | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Tuesday as the conflict in the Middle East keeps investors jittery, with crude oil prices continuing to rise. U.S. President D...
In this article .HSI .N225 .AXJO Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A view of missile traces launched from Yemen at Israel sighted in the sky over Hebron, West Bank, on March 28, 2026. Wisam Hashlamoun | Anadolu | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Tuesday as the conflict in the Middle East keeps investors jittery, with crude oil prices continuing to rise. U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his threat on Monday, saying that the U.S. would destroy Iran's electricity-generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island, if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz remains closed and no peace deal is reached to end the war. His remarks came as the Iran war entered its fifth week and as the Trump administration weighs sending in ground forces to seize Kharg Island, a major fuel hub which facilitates 90% of Iran's crude exports. Shipping traffic through the Hormuz waterway, through which a fifth of the global seaborne oil used to transit before the conflict, has virtually ground to a halt since U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The West Texas Intermediate rose more than 3% to settle just below $103 a barrel on Monday, pushing above the $100 level for the first time since 2022. May futures for the International benchmark Brent crude rose 0.19%, or 21 cents, to close at $112.78 per barrel. WTI was last up 2.8% at 105.8. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 tumbled 0.12% in early Asia trade. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.84% while broad-based Topix dropped 0.57%. South Korea's blue-chip Kospi declined 2.4% and the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.77%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 24,683, compared with the index's last close of 24,750.8. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 fell 0.39% to finish at 6,343.72, marking its third losing session in a row while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.73% to end at 20,794.64. The Dow Jones Industrial Average bucked the trend to rise 0.11% to 45,216. U.S. stock futures were little chan...
Even Erik Prince Warns Iran Will "Burn It Down" - Boots On The Ground Could Mean "Burning American Warships" Even Erik Prince is warning the Trump administration to exercise extreme caution in Iran - particularly when it comes to boots on the ground. The founder of Blackwater, whose private military contractors became synonymous with the U.S. quagmire in Iraq, is pushing back hard on current U.S. ...
Even Erik Prince Warns Iran Will "Burn It Down" - Boots On The Ground Could Mean "Burning American Warships" Even Erik Prince is warning the Trump administration to exercise extreme caution in Iran - particularly when it comes to boots on the ground. The founder of Blackwater, whose private military contractors became synonymous with the U.S. quagmire in Iraq, is pushing back hard on current U.S. strategy toward Iran. Prince issued a sobering warning at CPAC last week . Speaking on the “Breaking Stuff and Killing Bad Guys” panel, Prince expressed deep skepticism about the current trajectory of U.S. involvement in Iran: “I don’t share the optimism of the administration that there’s going to be a peaceful stop to this. They will burn it down .” He then highlighted the particular dangers of committing ground forces: “And my real concern is that if they try to put boots on the ground and force the Strait of Hormuz , you will see imagery of burning American warships in the next couple of weeks. And I don’t think people are really prepared for that.” Prince is “extremely concerned” about the escalation and noted that Iran’s leadership has been preparing for conflict with the U.S. for decades. Echoes of Earlier Warnings Prince cautioned strongly against any US ground commitment nearly a month ago in a March 1 appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room . “Don’t ever contemplate ground troops in Iran," he said. “I don’t think a regime has ever been changed by air power alone. It’s wishful thinking.” Erik Prince's Advice To President Trump: "Don't Ever Contemplate Ground Troops In Iran" @realErikDPrince pic.twitter.com/uSGgQJOBNp — Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) March 1, 2026 He was equally skeptical of relying on airpower for regime change: “Airpower alone is not going to get that done.” ERIK PRINCE: If there are negotiations with the mullahs for some kind of transition, give them the city of Mashhad almost like a Vatican where they can go and be super Islamic and strict whi...
Julie Rubinstein, President and Chief Operating Officer of Adaptive Biotechnologies (NASDAQ:ADPT) , reported the sale of 81,342 shares of common stock for a total consideration of approximately $1.21 million, as disclosed in a March 10, 2026 SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($14.90); post-transaction value based on March 10, 2026 market clos...
Julie Rubinstein, President and Chief Operating Officer of Adaptive Biotechnologies (NASDAQ:ADPT) , reported the sale of 81,342 shares of common stock for a total consideration of approximately $1.21 million, as disclosed in a March 10, 2026 SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($14.90); post-transaction value based on March 10, 2026 market close ($14.52). * 1-year performance calculated using March 27th, 2026 as the reference date. Continue reading