Analyst Note: Hedge Positions of the Major Network Airlines

We wanted to provide our subscribers with a brief snapshot of the 2012 hedge positions of the major airlines, should there be an oil price shock in spring 2012 along the lines of what Barron’s outlined in its cover story over the weekend.  United Continental (UAL) United Continental has only hedged 5% of its expected fuel needs for 2012 (Source: UAL’s 1Q 2011 10-Q). AMR Corp. (AMR) We don’t believe AMR has any material hedges for expected fuel consumption in 2012 (Source: AMR’s 1Q Earnings Release). US Airways (LCC) We believe US Airways to be completely unhedged for an oil price shock in 2012 (Source: LCC’s 1Q 10-Q). Delta (DAL) We do not believe Delta has a material hedge position in 2012 … Read more

AMR’s Big Order to Pressure Cash Flow, Boeing in Precarious Position

This article originally appeared on Seeking Alpha. Please view disclosures: https://seekingalpha.com/article/277628-amrs-big-order-to-pressure-cash-flow-boeing-in-precarious-position Shortly after we released our analysis of the fleets of the largest domestic carriers, The Wall Street Journal reported that AMR Corp. (AMR) is interested in ordering as many as 250 planes from either Boeing (BA) or Airbus (EADSY.PK). Our analysis, the summary graph of which we provide below, indicated that AMR is roughly on par with Delta (DAL) for having the oldest fleet (read fuel-inefficient) among the Big 4 domestic majors, so we view this move as inevitable. (Click chart to expand) The Wall Street Journal also indicated that the order value could be as high as $15 billion (comprising about 250 planes), and we suspect the new aircraft being evaluated will … Read more

Ageing Fleets: Which Airline Has the Highest Costs?

This article originally appeared on Seeking Alpha. Please view disclosures: https://seekingalpha.com/article/273990-aging-fleets-which-airline-has-the-highest-costs  With jet fuel once again on the rise and the economic environment becoming even more uncertain, it’s informative for airline stock speculators to know which carriers have the oldest fleets. The age (and model) of an aircraft could have large implications on fuel efficiency and ultimately the airline’s cost structure, which becomes absolutely paramount under poor economic conditions. Let’s evaluate the fleets of the Big Four legacy carriers in the U.S. US Airways (LCC) As of the end of last year, US Airways was flying nearly 60 Boeing 737 Classics and 10 legacy 767s that were on average about 21 years old. These Classics and legacy 767s are roughly 15%-20% … Read more

Troubles Loom for Aviation Stocks

This article originally appeared on Seeking Alpha. Please view disclosures: https://seekingalpha.com/article/273564-troubles-loom-for-aviation-stocks As many followers of airline equities know, rising jet fuel prices and concerns about the global economy can translate into some fairly poor performance for airline shares. Today, perhaps unsurprisingly, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) cut its profit forecast for the airline industry by more than half to just $4 billion in 2011, (down from the $8.6 billion it had estimated in March). For perspective, the industry earned $18 billion last year. This equates to roughly a 0.7% net margin and raises the probability of yet another year of airline losses. The major causes of this revision are well-known and have been in the headlines for weeks — natural … Read more

Is AMR’s Equity Practically Worthless?

This article originally appeared on Seeking Alpha. Please view disclosures: https://seekingalpha.com/article/270933-is-amrs-equity-practically-worthless As outlined in “Why Airline Stocks Are Not Long-Term Investments,” pegging a fair value on an airline’s equity is a nearly impossible task due to the tremendous operating leverage inherent to their business models and the fact that key valuation drivers such as unit revenue and unit cost are largely out of their control. That said, let’s take a look at what AMR’s equity investors have to overcome to recognize any value in their holdings. AMR’s pension obligations are staggering: ~$24 per share. Unlike peers that passed along their pension obligations to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation via Chapter 11 reorganization (United Continental (UAL), Delta (DAL), etc.), AMR still retains … Read more

Top ESG Idea South32 Getting Closer to Launching Major Mining Project in Arizona

Image Shown: South32 is targeting ample zinc, lead, and silver resources at the Hermosa project in Arizona that could be quite economical to extract should the Australian-based miner move forward with the endeavor. Image Source: South32 – January 2022 IR Presentation By Callum Turcan Shares of South32 (SOUHY), one of our favorite miners, are up over 50% during the past year as of this writing and that is before taking dividend considerations into account. The Australian miner has a bright outlook after shedding virtually all its thermal coal assets last calendar year (completed in June 2021) and announcing in October 2021 that it would acquire a sizable economic interest in a Chilean copper mine. As a quick housekeeping item, South32’s … Read more

Shares of Our Favorite Miner South32 Skyrocketed During Past Year

Image Shown: South32, an idea in our ESG Newsletter portfolio and one of our favorite miners, put up tremendous financial performance during the first half of fiscal 2022 as it capitalized on surging realized prices for its commodities sales. Image Source: South32 – First Half of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation By Callum Turcan Shares of the American depository receipts (‘ADRs’) of one of our favorite miners, South32 (SOUHY), have put up tremendous performance during the past year. According to data provided by Yahoo! Finance, shares of SOUHY are up over 50% during the past year on a price only basis while the S&P 500 (SPY) is up ~9% on a price only basis during this period as of late … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of June 17

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending June 17. 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      Acme United (ACU): now $0.14 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.13. AFC Gamma (AFCG): now $0.56 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.55. Alpha Metallurgical (AMR): now $0.375 per share quarterly dividend. America First Multifamily Investors (ATAX): now $0.37 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.33. BitNile Holdings 13% CUM RED PFD (NILE.PD): now $0.2708 per share monthly dividend. BrightSpire Capital (BRSP): now $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of August 12

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending August 12. 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                AirSculpt Technologies (AIRS): now $0.41 per share special dividend. Alpha Metallurgical (AMR): now $0.392 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.375. Badger Meter (BMI): now $0.225 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.20. Barclays (BCS): now $0.105 per share semi-annual dividend, was 4.0p. Barnwell (BRN): now $0.015 per share dividend. Berry (BRY): now $0.62 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.06. Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR): now $0.725 per … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 16

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending December 16. 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                Absecon Bancorp (ASCN): now $2.20 per share annual dividend, was $2.10. Algoma Central Corporation (ALC:CA): now CAD 1.35 per share special dividend, was CAD 0.17. Alpha Metallurgical (AMR): now $0.418 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.392. Ambev (ABEV): now $0.1457 per share annual dividend, was $0.08. AMEN Properties (AMEN): now $12.50 per share quarterly dividend, was $10.00. American Vanguard (AVD): now $0.03 per share quarterly … Read more