SIEGY

Commodity Price Pressures Dinging Industrial Bellwether Expectations

by

By Kris Rosemann Commodity resource prices, while suppressed, are said to be stabilizing, but stabilization at low levels does little good for many operators tied to commodity-based end markets. Such is the case for several industrial giants General Electric (GE), 3M (MMM), and Caterpillar (CAT), all of which have seen their worldwide operations impacted by the effect that a prolonged trough in commodity prices has had on global economic growth, “Industrial Bellwethers Hit by Global Economic Growth Concerns.” We recently highlighted the organic growth pressures industrial bellwether Honeywell (HON) has been experiencing, “Honeywell’s Stock Up 170% Since End of 2009; GE a Better Bet?” and its peers have been echoing its concerns. GE reported third-quarter earnings October 21, and while … Read more

Part I: Nelson’s Notes on Berkshire Hathaway’s 2014 Newsletter

by

Hi all, It has taken me a few weeks to get a chance to read the annual newsletter of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B), and this year’s installment was not a disappointment. For me personally, there’s not a lot of incremental insights that are gleaned, but I like reviewing the newsletter because the annual installment is invaluable for new investors, especially those looking to learn about the markets and how to think about them. What I’ll do below and in future parts is pull out a sentence or paragraph from the annual report and add to it or comment on it in order to provide further perspective. It should make for some great conversation. I’m not sure how many … Read more

Merger Activity Has Stepped Up Again as Stock Market Strengthens

by

Let’s bring to your attention the many deals that hit the wires the past couple days. Siemens Announces Agreement to Acquire Dresser-Rand Takeover bid for Dresser-Rand has a total transaction value of $7.6 billion Acquisition strengthens Siemens’ portfolio for oil & gas industry Complementary regional footprint and product portfolio Siemens executes on its Vision 2020 with a decisive move to strengthen its core. The company has entered into an agreement with Dresser-Rand (DRC), which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Dresser-Rand by way of a friendly takeover bid. Siemens’ bid is unanimously supported by Dresser-Rand’s Board of Directors. The offer price is $83 per common share in … Read more

Structural Changes in the Airline and Aerospace Business

by

Image Source: Valuentum A version of this article appeared on our website April 28, 2021. By Brian Nelson, CFA The coronavirus pandemic (“COVID-19”) has fundamentally changed how companies do business. Zoom Video (ZM) has made in-person meetings largely redundant while innovative digital-agreement firms such as DocuSign (DOCU) have only contributed to the “anywhere economy.” Though there may be pent-up demand for in-person meetings and handshake agreements as the number of vaccinations for COVID-19 increase across the globe, many businesses may grow to permanently embrace the “anywhere economy” for its efficiencies and cost savings. This will impact the long-term trajectory of business air travel demand, in our opinion, with implications on the normalized intrinsic values of airlines (JETS), jet makers, and … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of February 9

by

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending February 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                          3M (MMM): now $1.51 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.50. Allegion (ALLE): now $0.48 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.45. AllianceBernstein (AB): now $0.77 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.65. Amdocs (DOX): now $0.479 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.435. Ameren (AEE): now $0.67 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.63. American Assets Trust (AAT): now $0.335 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.330. American Financial … Read more