Latest news with #BillMiller
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Traffic ticket text scam impacts Tennesseans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Highway Patrol is warning Tennesseans about a new traffic ticket text scam being sent throughout the Volunteer State. The text claims the recipient has an outstanding traffic ticket, and if they don't pay, they will be reported, have their driving privileges revoked, and be sued. The message also includes a link to send the payment. 'It looks very similar to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security website, but it is a false website; it is not a correct website. It is strictly designed to try to trick you away from your money,' Lt. Bill Miller with the THP said. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → The text has been distributed to multiple Tennesseans, including the CEO and president of the BBB of Middle Tennessee. 'I personally received four in 24 hours,' Robyn Householder, CEO and president of the BBB of Middle Tennessee, said. There are a few tell-tale signs the text is a trap, including the fact that it claims it's from the Department of Motor Vehicles, which isn't an agency in the state of Tennessee. Householder also told News 2 to pay attention to how the text is worded. 'Scammers are notorious for spelling things incorrectly or using really poor grammar or only capturing a portion of a company name, so we like to refer to that as scammer grammar,' Householder said. In addition, a governmental agency will never send a warning through a text, nor will the agency use an aggressive tone to pressure the recipient to quickly act. 'Government agencies are not going to lead with threatening you. They're not going to lead with harassing language that creates a space where you think you have to act now,' Householder said. 'That's never going to be the case with a legitimate agency.' ⏩ The BBB said those who receive the text should tap the delete and report as junk option on their phone. In addition, Tennesseans can report texts and other scams to the BBB's scam tracker by clicking here. If you're a victim of this scam, click here for next steps. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legendary Investor Bill Miller's Fund Is Loading Up on This 6.3%-Yielding Dividend Stock. Here's Why I Plan to Buy More of It, Too.
The hedge fund founded by investing legend Bill Miller and now run by his son initiated a new position in Verizon in Q1. Verizon's appeal includes a low valuation, growing free cash flow, and a juicy dividend. The main knock against this telecom stock is its high debt level. 10 stocks we like better than Verizon Communications › Many investment managers have a hard time beating the S&P 500. Not Bill Miller. When he ran Legg Mason Capital Management's Value Trust, Miller delivered higher returns than the S&P 500 for 15 consecutive years, from 1990 to 2005. Miller founded Miller Value Partners and served as its chairman and chief investment officer through May 2023. He passed the baton to his son, Bill Miller IV, who is carrying on the family legacy. Miller Value Partners' investment portfolio includes 34 stocks. The hedge fund added only three new positions in the first quarter of 2025. What was its biggest new holding? Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ). Verizon isn't the only telecommunications giant in Miller Value Partners' portfolio. The fund also owns a position in AT&T. However, it reduced the stake in AT&T by roughly 78% in the first quarter. AT&T is now Miller Value Partners' seventh-smallest holding. The younger Miller seems to be trading telecom leaders, though. He initiated a new position in Verizon in the first quarter, buying 198,000 shares. This stake in Verizon was worth $8.98 million as of March 31, 2025. That might not seem like a huge amount, especially considering Verizon's market cap of nearly $183 billion. However, it's a big deal for Miller Value Partners. In one fell swoop, Verizon became the hedge fund's eighth-largest position, making up 4.09% of its total portfolio. Why did Miller Value Partners find Verizon so appealing? Just look at the hedge fund's middle name: value. Verizon's shares trade at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of only 9.2. By comparison, AT&T's forward earnings multiple is 13.4 -- nearly 46% higher. But Verizon isn't a value trap. The company's business is rocking along steadily. Verizon reported year-over-year growth on both the top and bottom lines in the first quarter. Its wireless service revenue of $20.8 billion led the industry. The company had its best wireless retail core prepaid net additions since it acquired TracFone in 2021. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) was the highest ever, with the strongest growth rate in nearly four years. Even better, Verizon's growth could accelerate in the not-too-distant future. The company expects to close its acquisition of Frontier Communications in early 2026. I suspect Bill Miller III and his team also liked Verizon's dividend. In addition to the juicy yield, Verizon has increased its dividend payout for 18 consecutive years. The company appears to be in a good position to keep that streak going, with its free cash flow soaring to $3.6 billion in the first quarter of 2025 from $2.7 billion in the prior-year period. While Miller Value Partners only recently initiated a position in Verizon, I've owned the telecom stock since last year. Why do I like Verizon? For the same reasons that Bill Miller III probably likes the stock. Its valuation is attractive. Its business is solid. Its free cash flow is growing. Its growth should accelerate. And its dividend is high. Is there anything not to like about Verizon? Sure. I'm not enthused about the company's debt load. Verizon had net unsecured debt of $115.1 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2025. On a positive note, this is $11 billion lower than the net unsecured debt in the first quarter of 2024. Verizon's net unsecured debt to consolidated adjusted EBITDA also improved year over year. Additionally, CFO Anthony Skiadis said in the Q1 earnings call that the company has "a clear pathway for meaningful debt reduction ahead of the closing of the Frontier transaction." Overall, I think the pluses for Verizon outweigh the minuses. I plan to buy even more shares of this telecom giant soon. Before you buy stock in Verizon Communications, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Verizon Communications wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Keith Speights has positions in Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool recommends Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Legendary Investor Bill Miller's Fund Is Loading Up on This 6.3%-Yielding Dividend Stock. Here's Why I Plan to Buy More of It, Too. was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Billionaire Investor Bill Miller, Who Beat the S&P 500 Index for 15 Consecutive Years, Says Buy Amazon and Sell Tesla
Bill Miller is considered a legend for his value investing approach. He recently made some comments regarding market conditions and the "Magnificent Seven." Miller has some unique insights into Amazon, given that he was an early investor. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › The legendary value investor Bill Miller has built up quite the resume over decades of investing. While overseeing the Legg Mason Capital Management Value Trust fund, Miller beat the broader benchmark S&P 500 index for 15 consecutive years from 1991 to 2005. Today, Miller is a billionaire. He also founded Miller Value Funds and continues to invest through the firms' various funds. Given his achievements, many market watchers pay attention to what he is buying and selling. Recently, in Patient Capital Management's quarterly update, where Miller is a minority owner and advisor to the firm, he said that he views the e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) as a buy, while Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) as a sell. Here's why. The electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla is the only stock in the "Magnificent Seven" that Miller seems to think is overvalued. He doesn't believe Tesla is a bad company. In fact, he specifically called it an "incredibly company" and praised CEO Elon Musk, calling him a genius. But at the end of the day, Miller, a value investor who closely scrutinizes valuations, said Tesla simply is too expensive. "They're going to have to knock the cover off the ball in terms of self-driving cars and AI," he said. So far this year, Tesla has done the opposite. Whether Musk's foray into politics has damaged the brand is hard to know for sure, but the results have not been good. In the first quarter of the year, Tesla reported deliveries of 337,000, the lowest quarterly level seen in over two years. The company is also starting to face intense competition. The Chinese EV maker BYD has seemingly unseated it in China, where it controls over 30% of market share. BYD has developed cheaper models and better charging technology. Miller said: "Tesla's charging $8,000 for their self-driving system, and BYD has a self-driving system in a $9,000 car. BYD's cars, I think they're just better." Much of Tesla's valuation seems to depend on future initiatives. In June, the company is expected to conduct a much-anticipated Robotaxi demonstration, featuring the company's unsupervised full self-driving (FSD) technology. Many doubts linger about that technology and the timeline Musk wants to roll it out. But even if the Robotaxi demonstration goes well, Tesla still faces competition from smaller challengers like Pony AI and the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto. I would agree with Miller's assessment that the valuation is baking in too much benefit from future initiatives, and does not sufficiently reflect the concern about issues in the core EV business. Miller has quite the history with Amazon, considering he was an early investor in the e-commerce and tech behemoth. He has previously claimed to be "the largest personal owner of Amazon whose last name isn't Bezos." Among his reasons to be bullish on Amazon are faith in CEO Andy Jassy, strong performance in divisions like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and logistics, the company's play into satellite internet, and the fact that Miller views concerns about the company's exposure to China to be overblown. Given the trade spat between the U.S. and China, and the ensuing tariffs that each country has imposed on one another, investors have been concerned by stocks that have too much exposure to the world's second-biggest economy. Wedbush Securities has previously estimated that as much as 70% of goods sold through Amazon come from China. Still, given the resources at its disposal and market share in e-commerce, Amazon has some of the most advanced supply chain capabilities in the world. Jassy has previously said he thinks sellers will be able to pass higher costs on to borrowers. He has also said more recently that the diversity of sellers Amazon has on its platform is an advantage because not all will raise prices; some may choose to keep prices as is to gain market share. I think concerns about Amazon's exposure to China are warranted, but I also believe the company has the supply chain capabilities to weather the storm. Amazon has revenue diversity from the likes of AWS and advertising streams that have been performing well. Assuming U.S. tariffs on China and China's tariffs on the U.S. eventually come down, Amazon does trade attractively at 30 times forward earnings, which is near the stock's five-year low (chart above). Even if the trade war between the U.S. and China lasts longer than expected, I expect Amazon can weather the storm, although earnings could take a temporary hit. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $302,503!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $37,640!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $614,911!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join , and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of May 5, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Bram Berkowitz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends BYD Company. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaire Investor Bill Miller, Who Beat the S&P 500 Index for 15 Consecutive Years, Says Buy Amazon and Sell Tesla was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Globe and Mail
11-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Billionaire Investor Bill Miller, Who Beat the S&P 500 Index for 15 Consecutive Years, Says Buy Amazon and Sell Tesla
The legendary value investor Bill Miller has built up quite the resume over decades of investing. While overseeing the Legg Mason Capital Management Value Trust fund, Miller beat the broader benchmark S&P 500 index for 15 consecutive years from 1991 to 2005. Today, Miller is a billionaire. He also founded Miller Value Funds and continues to invest through the firms' various funds. Given his achievements, many market watchers pay attention to what he is buying and selling. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Recently, in Patient Capital Management's quarterly update, where Miller is a minority owner and advisor to the firm, he said that he views the e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) as a buy, while Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) as a sell. Here's why. Miller thinks Tesla is overvalued The electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla is the only stock in the " Magnificent Seven" that Miller seems to think is overvalued. He doesn't believe Tesla is a bad company. In fact, he specifically called it an "incredibly company" and praised CEO Elon Musk, calling him a genius. But at the end of the day, Miller, a value investor who closely scrutinizes valuations, said Tesla simply is too expensive. "They're going to have to knock the cover off the ball in terms of self-driving cars and AI," he said. Data by YCharts; PE = price to earnings. So far this year, Tesla has done the opposite. Whether Musk's foray into politics has damaged the brand is hard to know for sure, but the results have not been good. In the first quarter of the year, Tesla reported deliveries of 337,000, the lowest quarterly level seen in over two years. The company is also starting to face intense competition. The Chinese EV maker BYD has seemingly unseated it in China, where it controls over 30% of market share. BYD has developed cheaper models and better charging technology. Miller said: "Tesla's charging $8,000 for their self-driving system, and BYD has a self-driving system in a $9,000 car. BYD's cars, I think they're just better." Much of Tesla's valuation seems to depend on future initiatives. In June, the company is expected to conduct a much-anticipated Robotaxi demonstration, featuring the company's unsupervised full self-driving (FSD) technology. Many doubts linger about that technology and the timeline Musk wants to roll it out. But even if the Robotaxi demonstration goes well, Tesla still faces competition from smaller challengers like Pony AI and the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto. I would agree with Miller's assessment that the valuation is baking in too much benefit from future initiatives, and does not sufficiently reflect the concern about issues in the core EV business. Concerns about Amazon's exposure to China are overblown Miller has quite the history with Amazon, considering he was an early investor in the e-commerce and tech behemoth. He has previously claimed to be "the largest personal owner of Amazon whose last name isn't Bezos." Among his reasons to be bullish on Amazon are faith in CEO Andy Jassy, strong performance in divisions like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and logistics, the company's play into satellite internet, and the fact that Miller views concerns about the company's exposure to China to be overblown. Given the trade spat between the U.S. and China, and the ensuing tariffs that each country has imposed on one another, investors have been concerned by stocks that have too much exposure to the world's second-biggest economy. Wedbush Securities has previously estimated that as much as 70% of goods sold through Amazon come from China. Data by YCharts. Still, given the resources at its disposal and market share in e-commerce, Amazon has some of the most advanced supply chain capabilities in the world. Jassy has previously said he thinks sellers will be able to pass higher costs on to borrowers. He has also said more recently that the diversity of sellers Amazon has on its platform is an advantage because not all will raise prices; some may choose to keep prices as is to gain market share. I think concerns about Amazon's exposure to China are warranted, but I also believe the company has the supply chain capabilities to weather the storm. Amazon has revenue diversity from the likes of AWS and advertising streams that have been performing well. Assuming U.S. tariffs on China and China's tariffs on the U.S. eventually come down, Amazon does trade attractively at 30 times forward earnings, which is near the stock's five-year low (chart above). Even if the trade war between the U.S. and China lasts longer than expected, I expect Amazon can weather the storm, although earnings could take a temporary hit. Don't miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $302,503!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $37,640!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $614,911!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join Stock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. *Stock Advisor returns as of May 5, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Bram Berkowitz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends BYD Company. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Markets are resilient — but this bank says it could fall apart quickly. ‘Fundamentals remain dire.'
At the near midway mark of a year marked by tariff turmoil, the battle between the bears and the bulls is still shaping up. 'The AI mega force keeps us overweight U.S. stocks and positive on developed market stocks, even with more volatility,' a team at BlackRock Investment Institute led by head Jean Boivin told clients. They see a 'supply-driven contraction in U.S. activity this year,' if tariffs remain the same, but a persistent 'AI mega force' keeping developed, especially U.S. stocks, in a better spot. Stocks are at a risk of a drop of nearly 20%, says Goldman Sachs. Here's the trigger. My second wife says her 2 kids should inherit our estate, but I also have 2 kids. Is that fair? 'I'm flabbergasted': My friend wants to borrow $5,800 to save his home from foreclosure. What should I do? 'I am scared to death that I'll run out of money': My wife and I are in our 50s and have $4.4 million. Can we retire early? I'm 65 and a widow with 5 children. Should I split my $1.1 million nest egg between them while I'm still alive? And widely respected investor Bill Miller recently declared 'the worst is over' for markets, largely because much of the bad news has been priced in. Now from the bearish corner. 'We are struck at how resilient risky assets remain against a tumultuous policy backdrop and high uncertainty,' a team at HSBC led by U.S. economist Ryan Wang and other strategists say in a new research note. Narrowly escaping a bear market last month, the S&P 500 SPX is up 13% from its 52-week low of 4,982 reached April 8. 'We think it's tough to see a scenario where such resilience remains intact. Fundamentals remain dire. Negative activity surprises could see risky assets fall quickly.' They also doubt that 'a policy move from the Fed alone (a 'Fed put') would turn market sentiment around.' HSBC said the Wednesday decision by the Fed to keep interest rates on hold again only drives home the policy dilemma it faces from mixed incoming data and economic uncertainty surrounding tariffs. The strategists are most worried evidence of a hiring slump will finally show up in May hiring data, due June 6. 'If inflation concerns become more dominant in the coming months, then the market may recalibrate toward expecting fewer cuts this year. Thiscould bring the 'danger zone' back into play – that is, the high level of rate expectations that prompts a broad-based selloff,' said chief multi-asset strategist Max Kettner, offering this chart of one-month forward interest rate expectations. The red box represents an area of possible higher interest-rate expectations that could be a problem for stocks. HSBC's strategists said they are using sentiment and positioning indicators as their signals on when to get more positive on stocks again. They've 'backed away from buying territory in the last two weeks,' given the most fast-moving of their indicators on those fronts have returned to neutral. 'With sentiment not providing a clear steer, the fundamentals do not justify chasing the risk asset recovery further, in our view,' they said. So their underweight on stocks, particularly in the U.S., stands. U.S. stocks SPX DJIA COMP are surging on U.S.-U.K. trade-deal hopes after major indexes snapped a two-day losing streak. Treasury yields BX:TMUBMUSD10Y BX:TMUBMUSD02Y are slightly higher, the dollar DXY is up and gold GC00 is slumping. Bitcoin BTCUSD is nearing $100,000. Key asset performance Last 5d 1m YTD 1y S&P 500 5631.28 1.12% 3.20% -4.26% 8.55% Nasdaq Composite 17,738.16 1.67% 3.58% -8.14% 8.80% 10-year Treasury 4.296 7.50 -14.00 -28.00 -16.40 Gold 3382.8 2.53% 9.13% 28.17% 46.06% Oil 58.59 0.64% -6.58% -18.48% -26.04% Data: MarketWatch. Treasury yields change expressed in basis points Need to Know starts early and is updated until the opening bell, but to get it delivered once to your email box. The emailed version will be sent out at about 7:30 a.m. Eastern. President Trump teased a 'big and exciting day' for the U.S. and U.K. on Thursday on social media, and media reports are pointing to a trade deal between the countries that would involve reductions in auto tariffs for both countries but the U.K. still paying the 10% global tariff. The Oval Office announcement is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern. He also called Fed Chair Jerome Powell a 'fool' for keeping interest rates steady. Meanwhile, the Bank of England lowered its interest rates for the second time this year, by 25 basis points. The EU said it may retaliate with tariffs on $107 billion in U.S. goods if trade talks fail with the U.S. Molson Coors stock TAP is slumping after the biggest quarterly earnings miss in four years. D-Wave Quantum QBTS posted record first-quarter revenue and narrower loss, and the stock is surging. AppLovin shares APP are climbing after the mobile-ad tech group reported surging ad revenue and offered an upbeat outlook. Zillow stock Z is dropping after the real estate platform swung to a profit, but sales disappointed. ARM Holdings stock ARM was dropping after a disappointing forecast. Weekly jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 228,000 in the latest week, slightly more than forecast and not hinting of wider layoffs. First-quarter preliminary productivity contracted 0.8%, the first decline since early 2022. Wholesale inventories are due at 10 a.m. A currency-market 'avalanche' is heading for the U.S. dollar. India and Pakistan face off, but seek to contain fallout. Everyone is cheating their way through college (subscription required) The chart from Vanda Research shows how retail investors have focused contrarian buying, that is going against the market grain, on Ford F. The automaker earlier this week pulled guidance for 2025, citing big near-term risks and warned of a $1.5 billion tariff hit this year. Shares are up 2.4% this week, but down 8% this year. 'The blue bars indicate the total net flow from retail traders since 14 Feb '25, when Trump first floated the potential for auto tariffs. The dots, capture the extent of retail inflows into some of the U.S.-listed automakers,' say Vanda. These were the most-active tickers on MarketWatch as of 6 a.m.: Ticker Security name NVDA Nvidia TSLA Tesla PLTR Palantir Technologies AMD Advanced Micro Devices AAPL Apple MSTR MicroStrategy TSM Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing AMZN Amazon GOOGL Alphabet MLGO MicroAlgo How millennials became the most uncool generation. Getting mail to the most remote part of America. Just a random bull, taking a moped for a spin. For more market updates plus actionable trade ideas for stocks, options and crypto, . Pope Leo XIV's election: Pope Francis, like Warren Buffett, mastered the art of succession One of the last obstacles to 24-hour stock trading is about to fall My father is giving me $250K to buy a home, but told me not to tell my two siblings. Am I morally obligated to tell them? My eldest son refused to share his father's $500K inheritance with his siblings. Should I cut him off? Trump's U.K., China trade talks come after billions in tariff damage already done — but investors still have options Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
