Latest news with #DavidLam
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Ex-Social Security Employee Stole Dead Men's Information to Help Women Receive Millions in Fraudulent Benefits: US Attorney
A former Social Security Administration supervisor has pleaded guilty to stealing the identities of dead men to help women fraudulently collect over $3.3 million in government benefits, federal prosecutors announced this week. David Lam, 45, of Pearland, Texas, previously worked as an operations supervisor and claims specialist at the SSA's Houston office. While in that role, he exploited his access to sensitive records to steal the personal information of recently deceased men, KXXV reported. The fraud, which spanned several years, involved creating fake survivor benefit claims with no real basis. According to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei and court documents obtained by the outlet, Lam worked with multiple women, often mothers, who falsely claimed that the deceased men were fathers or stepfathers of their children. Lam filed applications using the stolen names, birth dates and Social Security numbers to make it appear the families were entitled to survivor benefits. In return, the women sent Lam a portion of the benefits through apps like Zelle and CashApp. None of the children listed were actually related to the deceased men. Lam pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and aggravated identity theft. He admitted responsibility for $3,346,280 in fraudulent payouts and has agreed to pay full restitution. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy charge, plus a mandatory two years for the identity theft count. His sentencing is scheduled for September 12. Originally published on Lawyer Herald
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Market-Beating Stocks on Our Watchlist
Stocks that outperform the market usually share key traits such as rising sales, expanding margins, and increasing returns on capital. The select few that can do all three for many years are often the ones that make you life-changing money. Long story short, there is a near-perfect correlation between consistent earnings growth and huge winners. Keeping that in mind, here are three market-beating stocks with room for further growth. Five-Year Return: +219% After successfully selling all four of his previous cybersecurity companies, Jay Chaudhry's fifth venture, Zscaler (NASDAQ:ZS) offers software-as-a-service that helps companies securely connect to applications and networks in the cloud. Why Are We Backing ZS? Customers view its software as mission-critical to their operations as its ARR has averaged 26.7% growth over the last year Forecasted revenue growth of 19.7% for the next 12 months indicates its momentum over the last three years is sustainable Robust free cash flow margin of 28.7% gives it many options for capital deployment Zscaler's stock price of $243.71 implies a valuation ratio of 13x forward price-to-sales. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it's free. Five-Year Return: +236% Founded in 1980 by David Lam, the man who pioneered semiconductor etching technology, Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) is one of the leading providers of wafer fabrication equipment used to make semiconductors. Why Are We Positive On LRCX? Highly efficient business model is illustrated by its impressive 29.6% operating margin, and its rise over the last five years was fueled by some leverage on its fixed costs Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends, and its rising cash conversion increases its margin of safety ROIC punches in at 63.1%, illustrating management's expertise in identifying profitable investments Lam Research is trading at $84.70 per share, or 22.5x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full research report, it's free. Five-Year Return: +852% Formerly part of Emerson Electric, Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) manufactures and services infrastructure technology products for data centers and communication networks. Why Is VRT a Top Pick? Existing business lines can expand without risky acquisitions as its organic revenue growth averaged 18.5% over the past two years Free cash flow margin expanded by 6.5 percentage points over the last five years, providing additional flexibility for investments and share buybacks/dividends Improving returns on capital reflect management's ability to monetize investments At $109.04 per share, Vertiv trades at 29.4x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it's free. Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs. While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. 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
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
1 Profitable Stock with Competitive Advantages and 2 to Think Twice About
A company with profits isn't always a great investment. Some struggle to maintain growth, face looming threats, or fail to reinvest wisely, limiting their future potential. A business making money today isn't necessarily a winner, which is why we analyze companies across multiple dimensions at StockStory. Keeping that in mind, here is one profitable company that generates reliable profits without sacrificing growth and two best left off your watchlist. Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 13.8% Contributing components and materials to the famous Manhattan Project in the 1940s, BWX (NYSE:BWXT) is a manufacturer and service provider of nuclear components and fuel for government and commercial industries. Why Are We Wary of BWXT? 6.6% annual revenue growth over the last five years was slower than its industrials peers Efficiency has decreased over the last five years as its operating margin fell by 2.4 percentage points Earnings growth underperformed the sector average over the last five years as its EPS grew by just 3.8% annually BWX is trading at $107.41 per share, or 29.9x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than BWXT. Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 11% The first homebuilder to be listed on the NYSE, KB Home (NYSE:KB) is a homebuilding company targeting the first-time home buyer and move-up buyer markets. Why Are We Out on KBH? Sales pipeline suggests its future revenue growth won't meet our standards as its backlog averaged 22.9% declines over the past two years Earnings per share have contracted by 5.5% annually over the last two years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance Free cash flow margin shrank by 5.5 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive At $53.20 per share, KB Home trades at 6.6x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including KBH in your portfolio, it's free. Trailing 12-Month GAAP Operating Margin: 30.9% Founded in 1980 by David Lam, the man who pioneered semiconductor etching technology, Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) is one of the leading providers of wafer fabrication equipment used to make semiconductors. Why Are We Fans of LRCX? Disciplined cost controls and effective management resulted in a strong two-year operating margin of 29.6%, and it turbocharged its profits by achieving some fixed cost leverage Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends, and its growing cash flow gives it even more resources to deploy Market-beating returns on capital illustrate that management has a knack for investing in profitable ventures Lam Research's stock price of $75.17 implies a valuation ratio of 19.9x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it's free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like Sterling Infrastructure (+1,096% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.
RTHK
08-05-2025
- Health
- RTHK
Fee transparency key for patients seeking private care
Fee transparency key for patients seeking private care Lawmaker David Lam says a standardised representation of medical charges is necessary as services included in fees may be different among private medical providers. Photo: RTHK A medical-sector lawmaker said on Thursday patients can select services much more easily when government proposals requiring private healthcare facilities to lay out fees for medical items and services come into force. David Lam's response came after he received more than 500 responses from private-sector doctors on fees charged for specific medical items or services. These include outpatient services, surgical treatments and medical certificates. Two thirds of the respondents indicated price have increased from three years ago. The study also found that one doctor can charge up to double what another bills for the same item or procedure. 'The variations in fees charged can be quite big for different doctors and different procedures as well,' Lam said. 'From a patient's standpoint, it is best to have a good grasp of how much one has to pay before one actually steps into a clinic," he said. "They would also probably prefer to have access to the range of fees charged by a few of the doctors they will be choosing from.' In terms of general outpatient services, patients now pay around HK$400 for general practitioners, and HK$540 for specialists. Those seeking specialist outpatient services will have to pay HK$1,000 and may be subject to additional charges due to extended consultation hours. For surgical procedures, patients pay from HK$11,500 for minor operations such as removing cysts to an average of HK$141,580 for ultra major surgeries such as removal of brain lesions. But some doctors may charge HK$20,000 for minor operations and HK$240,000 minor and ultra major procedures. As for medical certificates, one fifth of the doctors provide them for free. Around 30 percent of doctors also issue insurance claim forms free of charge. Lam said a standardised representation of medical charges is necessary as services included in fees may be different among private medical providers. 'It can be quite difficult for patients when they are looking for the name of a surgery and different fee structures, [trying to find out] which one may involve surgical fees and ward visits and which one may be an all-inclusive package fee,' he said.
RTHK
05-05-2025
- Health
- RTHK
'Private healthcare facilities law isn't clear enough'
'Private healthcare facilities law isn't clear enough' The Tsim Sha Tsui and Sha Tin branches of private clinic network Alliance Medical Group are suspected to have shut down. Photo: RTHK A medical sector lawmaker on Monday said the current legislation on private healthcare facilities is not clear enough. David Lam made the comment after the Tsim Sha Tsui and Sha Tin branches of private clinic network Alliance Medical Group – which specialises in body checks and inoculations – were suspected to have abruptly shut down last Friday. As of 5pm on Sunday, Police and Customs received 1,356 complaints about the group. The Consumer Council said it received 600 such complaints, and that the highest amount involved in a single case exceeded HK$23,000. Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, Lam pointed out that there is a loophole in the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance. "If a person opens a centre and a few doctors are there a few days each week, then it's regulated under the law. But if the centre offers only vaccination services, with nurses or trained personnel to offer the jabs, then it's not regulated by the law," he said. "Of course, you can argue whether or not vaccination is a medical act and whether it should be done by doctors or registered nurses, but in Hong Kong, there's no clear definition on this." Lam, who also chairs Legco's Panel on Health Services, called on parents who are affected by the suspected closures to bring their children to government Maternal and Child Health Centres or private doctors instead. Another lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan revealed on the same show that a private hospital has yet to receive any payments since the start of the year for running tests – worth hundreds of thousands of dollars – at Alliance Medical Group clinics. The medical firm had submitted patient samples to the hospital as of the end of last month, she said, adding those who conducted body checks there should contact their doctors as soon as possible. The government has set up an interdepartmental team to look into the matter.
