US Dividends Aristocrats thread

[Mr. Wood]

Novartis delivered strong H1 performance. FY 2020 guidance confirmed
at higher end for core operating income and lower end for sales
July 21, 2020

In July, Novartis launched a first-of-its-kind not-for-profit portfolio of medicines for symptomatic treatment of COVID-19. The new portfolio of 15 medicines from the Sandoz division addresses urgent unmet needs of low and lower middle income countries to treat patients with COVID-19 symptoms. The portfolio will be sold at no profit to governments in up to 79 eligible low and lower middle income countries during the pandemic and until a vaccine or curative treatment is available.

 

[Mr. Wood]

A Message From Our CEO Ryan Roslansky
Jul 20, 2020

Linkedin layoff 6% of its employees

What we are changing

First, there are a set of roles in GSO that are no longer needed as we evolve the way we work with our talent media customers and small businesses.

We’re seeing the product investments we've made over the past two years in LMS deliver incredible results, but we are still managing a separate talent media business in LTS. By moving from two separate media businesses to a unified approach across all customers that leverages our LMS investments, we will be able to serve our customers holistically and not have to continue duplicating costly platforms, systems, and tools internally.

Similarly, in order to service more small businesses better, we must move from servicing them through a field sales team to servicing them online. To drive customer value for small businesses, we've kicked off a very substantial product investment, including our products-and-services marketplace and a unified online storefront channel strategy. This online channel approach will allow us to better serve the millions of small businesses that will need LinkedIn through this pandemic and beyond—and aligns with how we plan to focus our field sales efforts on our higher value relationships.

Is yr work or business oso susceptible to redundancy and outsourcing?

 

[Mr. Wood]

LSV Asset Management’s Stock Holdings & 13F Performance
July 18th, 2020

LSV’s Top 5 Holdings
LSV’s top 5 holdings, consolidated from all its funds, are consisting of Intel (INTC), Verizon Communications (VZ), Pfizer (PFE), Amgen (AMGN), and JPMorgan Chase (JPM). The firm’s extensive diversification is displayed here. Despite these being the heaviest holdings in its total portfolio, they only account for 10.62%, as of last quarter. That figure was slightly lower than a year ago, at 9.62%, implying a consistently well-mixed portfolio.

According to its last filing, the firm has allocated ~$44B out of its ~$80B under management in global stocks. While its portfolios are well-diversified, LSV’s efforts to exploit mispriced equities in the public markets have not been very successful over the last three years based on its 13F performance.

not all assets managers and unit trusts are made the same.

 

[Mr. Wood]

Baker Hughes Company Announces Second Quarter 2020 Results
July 22, 2020

Orders of $4.9 billion for the quarter, down 12% sequentially and down 25% year-over-year

Revenue of $4.7 billion for the quarter, down 13% sequentially and down 21% year-over-year

GAAP operating loss of $52 million for the quarter was favorable sequentially and unfavorable year-over-year.

Adjusted operating income (a non-GAAP measure) of $104 million for the quarter, down 56% sequentially and down 71% year-over-year

GAAP loss per share of $(0.31) for the quarter which included $0.26 per share of adjusting items. Adjusted loss per share (a non-GAAP measure) was $(0.05).

Cash flows generated from operating activities were $230 million for the quarter. Free cash flow (a non-GAAP measure) for the quarter was $63 million.

 

[Mr. Wood]

New Residential Investment Corp. Announces Second Quarter 2020 Results
July 22, 2020

GAAP Net Loss of ($8.9) million, or ($0.02) per diluted common share
Core Earnings of $140.2 million, or $0.34 per diluted common share
Common Dividend of $41.6 million, or $0.10 per common share
Book Value per common share of $10.77
$1,013.2 million of cash as of June 30, 2020

 

[Mr. Wood]

United Airlines Took Industry-Leading Steps to Manage Historic Impact of COVID-19 in Q2
July 21, 2020

Cash burn during the second quarter averaged $40 million a day, including $3 million of principal payments and severance expenses. The company currently is forecasting average daily cash burn to be approximately $25 million during the third quarter of 2020 including $6 million of principal repayments and severance expenses.

 

[Mr. Wood]

The J. M. Smucker Company Announces Dividend Increase
Jul 21, 2020

its Board of Directors approved an increase in the quarterly dividend from $0.88 to $0.90 per common share

 

[Mr. Wood]

TI reports second quarter 2020 financial results and shareholder returns
July 21, 2020

TI's chairman, president and CEO, made the following comments:

"Revenue decreased 12% from the same quarter a year ago, driven primarily by weakness in the automotive market.

"In our core businesses, Analog revenue declined 4% and Embedded Processing declined 31% from the same quarter a year ago. Analog and Embedded Processing both had positive sequential growth in the second quarter excluding the automotive market.

"Our cash flow from operations of $6.3 billion for the trailing 12 months again underscored the strength of our business model. Free cash flow for the same period was $5.7 billion and 42% of revenue. This reflects the quality of our product portfolio, as well as the efficiency of our manufacturing strategy, including the benefit of 300-millimeter Analog production.

"We have returned $6.7 billion to owners in the past 12 months through stock repurchases and dividends. Over the same period, our dividends represented 56% of free cash flow, underscoring their sustainability. Together, our stock repurchases and dividends reflect our continued commitment to return all free cash flow to our owners.
"TI's third quarter outlook is for revenue in the range of $3.26 billion to $3.54 billion, and earnings per share between $1.14 and $1.34."

 

[Mr. Wood]

Dow's stock falls after better-than-expected results reported, but also job cuts
July 23, 2020

reported revenue that fell less than expected, but also said it will cut its workforce by 6% as part of a restructuring aimed at increasing its expense reduction target to $500 million from $350 million.

"We captured solid demand growth in packaging, health and hygiene, home care and pharma end-markets, which partially offset weakness in consumer durable goods," said Chief Executive Jim Fitterling. "Extended economic lockdowns shifted the inflection point for demand recovery in key markets and geographies into June, where we began to see gradual improvements across most industries."

 

[Mr. Wood]

Hershey Reports Second-quarter 2020 Financial Results; Provides 2020 Business Update
July 23, 2020

The company does expect accelerated sales growth in the second half of the year based on momentum exiting the second quarter, assuming no significant disruption to current consumer trends. The company also expects pricing and cost management to drive margin expansion in the second half of the year. We remain confident that our healthy balance sheet and strong cash flow will enable us to meet current business needs, invest for the future and return cash to stockholders.

Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
July 23, 2020

quarterly dividends of $0.804 on the Common Stock and $0.731 on the Class B Common Stock, an increase of about 4%, or $0.031 and $0.029 per share, respectively.

 

[Mr. Wood]

Earnings Release FY20 Q4
Microsoft Cloud Strength Drives Fourth Quarter Results
July 22, 2020

“The last five months have made it clear that tech intensity is the key to business resilience. Organizations that build their own digital capability will recover faster and emerge from this crisis stronger,” said Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “We are the only company with an integrated, modern technology stack – powered by cloud and AI and underpinned by security and compliance – to help every organization transform and reimagine how they meet customer needs.”

 

[Mr. Wood]

AT&T Reports Second-Quarter Results

July 23, 2020

•Diluted EPS of $0.17 as reported compared to $0.51 in the year-ago quarter
• Adjusted EPS of $0.83 compared to $0.89 in the year-ago quarter (did not adjust for COVID19 impacts: ($0.03) of incremental costs and ($0.06) of estimated revenues)
• Cash from operations of $12.1 billion
• Capital expenditures of $4.5 billion; purchased additional $1 billion in new spectrum for 5G
• Free cash flow of $7.6 billion; total dividend payout ratio of 49%
• Consolidated revenues of $41.0 billion

Guidance
Due to the continued lack of visibility related to COVID-19 and its economic impact, the Company is providing limited financial guidance. The Company continues to expect the total dividend payout ratio at year end 2020 to be in the 60s% range and is targeting the low end of that range. The Company also expects gross capital investment in the $20 billion range in 2020.

 

[Mr. Wood]

Bank OZK Announces Second Quarter 2020 Earnings
July 23, 2020

net income for the second quarter of 2020 was $50.3 million, a 54.5% decrease from $110.5 million for the second quarter of 2019. Diluted earnings per common share for the second quarter of 2020 were $0.39, a 54.7% decrease from $0.86 for the second quarter of 2019.

For the six months ended June 30, 2020, net income was $62.1 million, a 71.9% decrease from $221.2 million for the first six months of 2019. Diluted earnings per common share for the first six months of 2020 were $0.48, a 71.9% decrease from $1.71 for the first six months of 2019.

The Bank’s annualized returns on average assets, average common stockholders’ equity and average tangible common stockholders’ equity for the second quarter of 2020 were 0.78%, 4.92% and 5.89%, respectively, compared to 1.95%, 11.29% and 13.70%, respectively, for the second quarter of 2019. The Bank’s annualized returns on average assets, average common stockholder’s equity and average tangible stockholders’ equity for the first six months of 2020 were 0.50%, 3.04% and 3.64%, respectively, compared to 1.97%, 11.52%, and 14.04%, respectively, for the first six months of 2019. The calculation of the Bank’s return on average tangible common stockholders’ equity and the reconciliation to generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) are included in the schedules accompanying this release.

 

[Mr. Wood]

Intel Reports Second-Quarter 2020 Financial Results
July 23, 2020

Second-quarter revenue of $19.7 billion was up 20 percent year-over-year (YoY). Data-centric revenue grew 34 percent, accounting for 52 percent of total revenue; PC-centric revenue grew 7 percent YoY.
• Second-quarter GAAP earnings-per-share (EPS) was $1.19, up 29 percent YoY; non-GAAP EPS of $1.23 was
up 16 percent.
• Year-to-date, generated $17.3 billion cash from operations and $10.6 billion of free cash flow and paid dividends of $2.8 billion.
• Accelerating 10nm product transition; 7nm product transition delayed versus prior expectations.
• Expecting full-year revenue of $75 billion; GAAP EPS of $4.53 and non-GAAP EPS of $4.85.

Intel stock savaged as next-gen chip delay expected to be ‘increasingly painful’ to chip maker
July 24, 2020

Intel said it was delaying its 7-nanometer line of chips by at least six months because of a “defect mode” and that it may have to resort to a contingency plan of using “somebody else’s foundry” to make them. In chip parlance, nanometers, or nm, refers to the size of the transistors that go on a computer chip, with the general rule being that smaller transistors are faster and more efficient in using power.

 

[Mr. Wood]

Apple to push back iPhone 12 event to late October: report
July 23, 2020

The company was forced to push back the event for the 5G-compatible iPhone 12 line because of production delays caused by the pandemic, the Japanese Apple blog Mac Otakara reported. Apple is expected to announce four new iPhones, with the 5G models available in November

 

[Mr. Wood]

Coca-Cola plans to cut ‘zombie brands’ from its portfolio
July 24, 2020

“We are shifting to prioritizing fewer but bigger and stronger brands across various consumer needs,” he said, according to a FactSet transcript. “At the same time, we need to do a better job nurturing and growing smaller, more enduring propositions and exiting some zombie brands not just zombie SKUs [stock-keeping units].”

 

[Mr. Wood]

Don't expect Disney to return to pre-Covid levels until 2025: Analyst
Jul 17, 2020

 

[Mr. Wood]

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman: 'We are long-term bullish on America'

say like nvr say
market long term bullish and concern with highly leverage companies. lidat who dunno sia?
billionaire pang sai oso got ppl say smell like flower

 

[Mr. Wood]

WSJ tracked hundreds of store closures, coronavirus statistics and lockdown measures to piece together Apple’s shutdown strategy

Jul 24, 2020

cash is king. 80b cash can last for 1yr. aapl jsm.

 

[Mr. Wood]

McDonald’s first sustainable restaurant marks 1000th venture in Australia
JULY 27, 2020

In addition to using recycled material in the building, infrastructure and furnishings, the restaurant will use 100% renewable energy, including solar energy sourced from rooftop panels.

It will also offer fibre-based cutlery, stirrers and straws and segregated waste streams to reduce waste and keep recyclable materials out of landfill.

This could see coffee grinds being recycled as compost for the lettuces used in Big Macs and plastic trays recycled as car park bumpers and playground equipment, according to an email circulated to the media.

This focus on sustainability aligns with the brand’s ongoing efforts to attract younger consumers back to the brand, which can be seen in the global rollout of a more modern design and store concept, referred to as ‘Project Ray’ after the brand’s founder.

McDonald's and African Americans: it's complicated, professor says
26 July 2020

The company's roots are in the post-World War II lifestyle changes that took place in the US, but Chatelain said its involvement in black communities can be traced to the aftermath of rioting that hit many American cities in 1968.

"Opening up franchising to African American communities allowed for the cultivation of incredibly wealthy people who were then able to contribute to a number of philanthropies, whether it's historically black colleges and universities or local community efforts," Chatelain said.

That approach, Chatelain said, can't address the long history of racist lawmaking in the US.

"It doesn't necessarily eradicate the racism that has exacerbated the racial wealth gap, that creates discriminatory practices in lending, and also, it doesn't solve the problems of people who will never be millionaires."

Consider the role of McDonald's in job creation. Black-owned franchises offered African Americans jobs that Chatelain said were "important in the sense that they're readily available, and they can be accessible to people without high levels of what we call formal training."