Earnings Call Insights: La-Z-Boy Incorporated (LZB) Q3 2026 Management View Melinda Whittington, President, CEO & Board Chair, reported that "total delivered sales of $542 million, up 4% versus prior year." She highlighted that the Retail segment saw both written and delivered sales rise 11%, and four new company-owned stores were opened during the quarter. Whittington noted, "We opened 4 new comp...
Earnings Call Insights: La-Z-Boy Incorporated (LZB) Q3 2026 Management View Melinda Whittington, President, CEO & Board Chair, reported that "total delivered sales of $542 million, up 4% versus prior year." She highlighted that the Retail segment saw both written and delivered sales rise 11%, and four new company-owned stores were opened during the quarter. Whittington noted, "We opened 4 new company-owned stores during the quarter, bringing us to 16 new company-owned stores in the last 12 months and 4 closed." She also mentioned the completion of the Western U.S. phase of the distribution and home delivery transformation project and continued integration of the 15-store Southeast acquisition. Whittington discussed portfolio optimization, stating, "We formally announced the planned closure of our U.K. manufacturing facility, where production will cease by the end of the fiscal year. We completed the sale of our Kincaid upholstery business just after the close of our third quarter. And we signed a letter of intent for the sale of our noncore wholesale casegoods businesses, American Drew and Kincaid, targeted to be complete by the fiscal year-end." Taylor Luebke, Senior VP & CFO, stated, "Consolidated GAAP operating income was $30 million and adjusted operating income was $33 million. Consolidated GAAP operating margin was 5.5% and adjusted operating margin was 6.1%. The change was largely driven by investments in our distribution and home delivery transformation project." Luebke added, "Diluted earnings per share totaled $0.52 on a GAAP basis, and adjusted diluted EPS was $0.61." Outlook Luebke provided guidance: "We expect fiscal fourth quarter sales to be in the range of $560 million to $580 million and adjusted operating margin to be in the range of 7.5% to 9%, reflecting a continued cautious view on the macroeconomic backdrop, as well as the short-term impact of recent adverse weather events." The company anticipates five new company-owned store openings in Q4, b...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email pr@fool.com Continue reading
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email pr@fool.com Continue reading
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images News National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Wednesday bashed recent research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that suggested more than 90% of tariffs are being shouldered by U.S. importers and consumers. "The paper is an embarrassment. It's, I think, the worst paper I've ever seen in the history of the Federal Reserve System," Hassett said in an i...
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images News National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Wednesday bashed recent research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that suggested more than 90% of tariffs are being shouldered by U.S. importers and consumers. "The paper is an embarrassment. It's, I think, the worst paper I've ever seen in the history of the Federal Reserve System," Hassett said in an interview on CNBC. "People associated with this paper should, presumably, be disciplined." He contends that the paper's conclusion is "highly partisan, based on analysis that wouldn't be accepted in a first-year econ class." A rigorous analysis considers factors such as supply, demand, consumer surplus, and producer surplus, and "you look to see how it all works out in the end," he said. He criticized the paper for only looking at changes in prices and not considering any changes in quantities. "The basic theory of President Trump's tariffs is that — sure, we're importing stuff from China, but we've got producers in the U.S. that make the same stuff, maybe at a slightly higher price," Hassett said. "If we bring the stuff home, create the demand at home, then that will hurt China and drive up wages in the U.S., and American consumers will be better off." However, the paper didn't indicate how much of the tariffs U.S. importers have absorbed, reducing their profit margins to avoid passing the higher costs to consumers. Hassett staunchly defended the tariffs as a net positive for U.S. consumers. "Prices have gone down; inflation is down over time," he said . "Import prices dropped a lot in the first half of the year and then leveled off, and real wages were up $1,400, on average, last year, which means that consumers were made better off by the tariffs." In January, the headline Consumer Price Index number showed 2.4% inflation in the past year, down from 2.9% in August 2025, and core inflation of 2.5%, still hovering above the Fed's 2% target, down from 3.1% in August 2025. Im...
Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) operates the world's largest music streaming platform, and it's coming off its best year ever in 2025 with a record number of users, revenue, and profit. As a result, its stock soared to a fresh all-time high, but its valuation reached an unsustainable level, which set the stage for its recent decline of over 40%. Spotify is investing heavily in advanced technologies like arti...
Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) operates the world's largest music streaming platform, and it's coming off its best year ever in 2025 with a record number of users, revenue, and profit. As a result, its stock soared to a fresh all-time high, but its valuation reached an unsustainable level, which set the stage for its recent decline of over 40%. Spotify is investing heavily in advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), in addition to other content types like podcasts and audiobooks, which could fuel significant long-term growth for its platform. Therefore, should investors use the sharp sell-off in its stock as a buying opportunity? Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Shares of Israeli e-commerce platform provider Global-e Online (NASDAQ: GLBE) were sharply higher at midday on Wednesday, after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. As of noon ET, Global-E Online's shares were up about 11.9% from Tuesday's closing price. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Shares of Israeli e-commerce platform provider Global-e Online (NASDAQ: GLBE) were sharply higher at midday on Wednesday, after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. As of noon ET, Global-E Online's shares were up about 11.9% from Tuesday's closing price. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Chinese President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from friends in the U.S. state of Iowa, saying the foundation of China-U.S. relations rests with their peoples. In a letter dated Feb. 16, Xi extended Lunar New Year greetings and recalled the warm welcome he received in Iowa 41 years ago, saying the memories remain vivid, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Chinese President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from friends in the U.S. state of Iowa, saying the foundation of China-U.S. relations rests with their peoples. In a letter dated Feb. 16, Xi extended Lunar New Year greetings and recalled the warm welcome he received in Iowa 41 years ago, saying the memories remain vivid, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is up +0.36%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is up +0.47%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is up +0.40%. March E-mini S&P futures (ESH26 ) are up +0.30%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures...
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is up +0.36%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is up +0.47%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is up +0.40%. March E-mini S&P futures (ESH26 ) are up +0.30%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures...
Alexander Shapovalov/iStock Editorial via Getty Images As you can see in the rating history chart below, I have flip-flopped on my expectations for Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) stock a few times in 2025. This isn't really that much of a surprise in my view, since the company is one that is quite hard to evaluate as they transition away from being primarily a car manufacturer into robotics and autonomy. In...
Alexander Shapovalov/iStock Editorial via Getty Images As you can see in the rating history chart below, I have flip-flopped on my expectations for Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) stock a few times in 2025. This isn't really that much of a surprise in my view, since the company is one that is quite hard to evaluate as they transition away from being primarily a car manufacturer into robotics and autonomy. In my latest update back in November, I criticized the stock's excessive valuation and Musk's huge compensation package and downgraded the stock to a sell. As of this writing, Tesla is down around 12% since the publication of that article. With the company having reported earnings recently and having announced a major strategic shift, I believe an update is now much needed. Seeking Alpha In the below discussion, it is shown that Tesla's current business is in a world of pain. Revenues are declining and deliveries are deteriorating. However, the focus is no longer on their legacy business. The company's robotaxi efforts are progressing, and Optimus is set to lead the company in the robotics era. While this new direction will require quite a bit of time and CAPEX to play out, I believe that Tesla's renaissance has finally come. With that being the case, the valuation is likely not anywhere near as expensive as implied by current multiples. While I have flip-flopped on the stock quite a few times in the past year, Tesla does deserve a Buy rating at this point. Q4 Financial Review Data by YCharts We'll start off today with a review of Tesla's Q4 earnings results , even if they aren't the most important driver for the stock's performance moving forward. In the fourth quarter, the company generated total revenues of $24.9 billion, and you can see above that this represents a 3% decline YoY. This is a deterioration from the previous quarter, but there have certainly been worse revenue declines seen in the past few years. As a whole, I would say that Tesla's existing car-focused busi...
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here's a recap of Wednesday's key moments. 1. Stocks moved higher on Wednesday, driven by Big Tech. Shares of Nvidia climbed 2% after the company announced a multiyear partnership with Meta under which the Facebook parent will use millions of Nvidia chips in its data center buildout. Meanw...
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here's a recap of Wednesday's key moments. 1. Stocks moved higher on Wednesday, driven by Big Tech. Shares of Nvidia climbed 2% after the company announced a multiyear partnership with Meta under which the Facebook parent will use millions of Nvidia chips in its data center buildout. Meanwhile, WTI crude is up 3.4% amid concerns about potential hostilities between the United States and Iran. Higher oil prices increase the cost of gasoline, transportation, and goods, affecting many Club stocks. There has been a nice move up in financial stocks after the sector's fall last week on AI-disruption fears. The thinking has shifted from banks using AI to replace headcount to banks benefiting from AI tools to increase productivity. 2. Shares of cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks fell 7.3% Wednesday despite delivering a better-than-expected quarter on Tuesday after the bell. The stock can't shake off worries that AI will eat into its market share. However, CEO Nikesh Arora argued that AI will have a positive impact on Palo Alto, noting that as companies increase their use of AI, they will need more security to manage their infrastructure. While that's a compelling case that should play out, the tailwind hasn't shown up in earnings yet. We reiterated our buy-equivalent 1 rating but lowered our price target to $200. 3. Bristol Myers has a new FDA-approved drug called Camzyos, a "blockbuster" heart medication, that is one of the reasons why the stock is up 27% over the past three months. Key to our investment thesis, however, has been the expansion of the company's schizophrenia drug, Cobenfy, to treat Alzheimer's. There have been setbacks in the trials, and there have been no new updates, making it difficult to stick with the stock. Jim Cramer said recent gains mean "when we exit it, it won't be so bad." Jim has been looking to replace Bristol Myers with Johnson &...
New EP Days of Ash features songs about Renee Good, Iranian protesters and other political topics, and precedes new ‘defiantly joyful’ album later in 2026 • Alexis Petridis on Days of Ash: six new tracks that reaffirm the band as a vital political voice U2 have released their first collection of new music since 2017 – a politically charged EP entitled Days of Ash, which focuses on a series of high...
New EP Days of Ash features songs about Renee Good, Iranian protesters and other political topics, and precedes new ‘defiantly joyful’ album later in 2026 • Alexis Petridis on Days of Ash: six new tracks that reaffirm the band as a vital political voice U2 have released their first collection of new music since 2017 – a politically charged EP entitled Days of Ash, which focuses on a series of high-profile global deaths including the killing of Renee Good by ICE agents. Good, a mother of three children who was killed on 7 January while protesting against ICE activity in Minneapolis, is the subject of the opening song, American Obituary. Continue reading...
(Island) On their first collection of new songs since 2017, the quartet have a crispness that has been lacking in their 21st-century material, as they nimbly react to shocking news stories • News: Bono lambasts ICE, Putin, Netanyahu and more as U2 release first collection of new songs since 2017 It’s nearly nine years since U2 released a collection of original material, 2017’s Songs of Experience....
(Island) On their first collection of new songs since 2017, the quartet have a crispness that has been lacking in their 21st-century material, as they nimbly react to shocking news stories • News: Bono lambasts ICE, Putin, Netanyahu and more as U2 release first collection of new songs since 2017 It’s nearly nine years since U2 released a collection of original material, 2017’s Songs of Experience. They’ve hardly been idle since: two tours, two films, a 40-date residency at the Las Vegas Sphere , nearly three hours of stripped-down re-recordings of old material on Songs of Surrender, plus Bono’s autobiography, which spawned a solo tour, a stint on Broadway and another film. An impressive workload by any standards. Still, you could take the gap between original albums – the longest in U2’s history – as evidence of a problem that’s bedevilled the band for nearly 20 years: where do U2 fit into the current musical landscape? Continue reading...
Russia is back in love with the Games and a return to athletes competing under their own flag at LA in two years’ time seems highly likely First came the reverberating cheers. Then a deluge of soft toys lobbed from the stands. But across the face of the brilliant Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian there was only the faintest of smiles. For now. So far at these Winter Olympics, a Russian is yet to wi...
Russia is back in love with the Games and a return to athletes competing under their own flag at LA in two years’ time seems highly likely First came the reverberating cheers. Then a deluge of soft toys lobbed from the stands. But across the face of the brilliant Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian there was only the faintest of smiles. For now. So far at these Winter Olympics, a Russian is yet to win a medal. But there is a live possibility that could change on Thursday when the 18-year-old Petrosian, who sits in fifth after the short programme, takes to the ice again shortly after 9pm. Continue reading...
Medics in Liverpool say intervention is needed to save children from ‘a miserable life’ of bladder problems Children are using incontinence pads and urinating in buckets next to their bed at night due to bladder problems caused by ketamine addiction, according to the first specialist NHS clinic dealing with the issue. Medics at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool have opened the first ketam...
Medics in Liverpool say intervention is needed to save children from ‘a miserable life’ of bladder problems Children are using incontinence pads and urinating in buckets next to their bed at night due to bladder problems caused by ketamine addiction, according to the first specialist NHS clinic dealing with the issue. Medics at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool have opened the first ketamine clinic for young people in the UK in response to a surge in urology problems linked to addiction of the drug. Continue reading...