Member Articles

Demand Headwinds Refocus Materials Companies

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Due to weak macroeconomic conditions, as well as tempered demand from China, we’ve seen several materials firms announce structural changes. BHP (click ticker for report: ) announced plans to focus on cost cutting rather than production increases in the wake of weaker iron ore prices and end markets. Rio Tinto (click ticker for report: ), one of our favorite miners due to its attractive cost position, also announced cost cuts in its Australian mining business due to a long-term decline in demand growth from China. The firm thinks economic growth in the country could slow to 5%-6% by 2020, and we think a policy shift in favor of consumption rather than production could occur in the nation. Another diversified miner, … Read more

Qurate Retail Faces Difficult Turnaround Process

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Image Source: Qurate Retail Inc – First Quarter of 2022 IR Earnings Presentation Executive Summary: Qurate Retail Inc is home to several well-known retail brands including QVC and HSN that operate television networks and online marketplaces that sell curated products. The company is contending with several exogenous shocks such as inflationary pressures and supply chain hurdles, while customer engagement levels are on the decline after growing during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qurate Retail has a massive net debt load and sizable annual financing obligations, and its margins have deteriorated substantially of late. Due to its complex share structure and management organization, weak financial position, and lackluster outlook, we are not interested in Qurate Retail’s common or preferred … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of July 22

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending July 22. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                1st Source (SRCE): now $0.32 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.31. Bank of America (BAC): now $0.22 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.21. Bluegreen Vacations Holdings Corporation (BVHBB): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0125. CenterPoint (CNP): now $0.18 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.17. Chesapeake Financial Shares (CPKF): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.14. Citizens Financial (CFG): now $0.42 per share … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of September 8

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 8. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          AIA Group (AAGIY): now HK 0.42 per share interim dividend. Air New Zealand (ANZLY): now NZD 0.013 per share final dividend. The Bank of East Asia, Limited (BKEAY): now $0.0459 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.0191. bebe stores (BEBE): now $0.04 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.02. Brady (BRC): now $0.235 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.230. BW Offshore (BWOFY): now $0.07 per share … Read more

China Trouble: Plenty of Pain to Go Around

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Global stock markets have struggled mightily over the past few weeks, mostly in conjunction with the Federal Reserve hinting at a possible change in monetary policy. There have also been signs that global economic expansion is starting to weaken (read the World Bank’s lowered global outlook for GDP growth here), particularly in China–something we had identified a number of weeks ago as cause for concern prompting us to add protection to our Best Ideas portfolio at that time. It’s clear from recent data that economic growth in China will no longer be in the 9-11% range that the market has grown accustomed to, and it is our view that expansion will never return to such a pace due simply to the size of the country (absent, of course, during a recovery in the event that a deep recession does occur). … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of February 23

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending February 23. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. (ACAVF): now $0.16 per share dividend. Aker BP ASA (AKRBY): now $0.1738 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.1577. Allstate (ALL): now $0.92 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.89. AMERISAFE (ASMF): now $0.37 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.34. Analog Devices (ADI): now $0.92 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.86. Armada Hoffler Properties (AHH): now $0.205 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more

Chemical Firms Continue to Worry About Economy; PPG Industries, Ecolab, and Eastman Chemical Stand Out in Second Quarter

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The most common theme expressed by constituents in the chemicals (broad) industry during the calendar second quarter had to do with concerns about the economy. The negative tone was so prevalent that either management teams in the industry have started to engage in an executive form of “group think” or the economic environment continues to be difficult for many cyclical and largely commoditized chemical entities. Many industries, including housing, aerospace, and automotive, continue to perform well, but we think the latter interpretation of such commentary is likely correct: Albemarle (ALB): “an economic environment that saw continued sluggishness across Europe…and a much weaker China” Air Products (APD): “continued economic weakness…our outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year continues to be … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of August 9

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending August 9. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          American States Water (AWR): now $0.4655 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.4300. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): now $0.22 per share interim dividend, was $0.19. Annaly Capital Management, Inc. PFD STK I 6.75% (NLY.PR.I): now $0.6761 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.4219. Ashtead Group plc (ASHTY): now $3.52 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.58. Atlas Energy Solution (AESI): now $0.23 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.22. … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of September 27

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 27. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          Acadia Realty Trust (AKR): now $0.19 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.18. Accenture (ACN): now $1.48 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.29. B3 S.A. – Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (BOLSY): now $0.0214 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0170. BancFirst (BANF): now $0.46 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.43. Bank of South Carolina (BKSC): now $0.19 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.17. Banco de Sabadell, S.A. … Read more