PLTK

There Will Be Volatility

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By Brian Nelson, CFA Last year, 2022, was a big test for equity investors, and the downside volatility that we witnessed during the year wasn’t comfortable, to say the least. Following the COVID-19 crash and rebound during 2020, and then the market surge in 2021, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say many investors’ heads are probably still spinning from all the volatility witnessed to start this decade. That said, part of what we’ve been warning about the past few years with respect to the equity market, especially in Value Trap, is that the proliferation of price-agnostic trading (e.g. quant, machine/algorithmic trading, etc.) will only lead to more and more market volatility, so while we were somewhat surprised by last … Read more

Microsoft Is Buying Activision On Way to Becoming Video Game Giant

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Image Shown: Microsoft Corporation is buying Activision Blizzard Inc, the largest buyout for a US tech firm ever. Image Source: Microsoft Corporation – January 2022 IR Presentation covering its acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc By Callum Turcan On January 18, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) made history by making an all-cash offer to purchase Activision Blizzard Inc (ATVI) for $95 per share. The boards of both companies have already approved the deal. Inclusive of Activision’s net cash position, the deal is worth $68.7 billion which makes it the largest buyout ever for a US tech firm according to CNBC. This deal is expected to close in fiscal 2023 (Microsoft’s fiscal year ends in June). Once it closes, assuming the deal pasts antitrust … Read more

Roblox Goes Public; Strong Balance Sheet and Expected Free Cash Flow

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Image Source: Roblox Corporation – S-1/A SEC Filing Executive Summary: Roblox Corporation recently went public through a direct listing on March 10, 2021. The video game platform company has an extensive growth runway with multiple avenues to further expand its business. We are impressed with its free cash flow generating abilities, pristine balance sheet, and strong growth rates of late. Roblox’s outlook for 2021 indicates its growth story is expected to continue this year in earnest. Capital appreciation seeking investors should take a deeper look at Roblox, though we caution that its co-founder, CEO, and chairman controls most of the company’s voting power. By Callum Turcan 2021 is already shaping up to be a huge year for initial public offerings … Read more

Microsoft Soars, Strong Revenue Growth Continues Unabated

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Image Shown: Microsoft Corporation put up a solid fiscal third quarter earnings report and we continue to be big fans of the name. Image Source: Microsoft Corporation – Power Point Earnings Presentation Covering the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2022 By Callum Turcan On April 26, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) reported third quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended March 31, 2022) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Shares of MSFT jumped higher by ~4%-5% in afterhours trading on April 26 as investors cheered on the good news and its promising near term outlook. Microsoft’s cloud-oriented products and services were a bright spot in the fiscal third quarter and underpinned its impressive pricing power. The firm was able to stay … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of March 1

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending March 1. 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                          ADT (ADT): now $0.055 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.035. Allison Transmission Holdings (ALSN): now $0.25 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.23. Ampol Limited (CTXAY): now $1.574 per share semi-annual dividend, was $1.169. Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD): now EUR 0.82 per share annual dividend, was EUR 0.50. ASMPT (ASMVF): now HK$ 0.26 per share final dividend. ASX Limited (ASXFY): now $0.607 per share semi-annual dividend, … Read more