Latest news with #Shemesh
Global News
a day ago
- Politics
- Global News
Michael Thompson sex assault decision won't come until September
After beginning in Bracebridge, Ont., last fall, the sex assault trial of Coun. Michaael Thompson shifted to another courthouse on Monday, and while it's nearing its end, the conclusion is still months away and will happen in yet another municipality. The Scarborough Centre city councillor was charged with two counts of sexual assault in 2022, following accusations from two woman after a Muskoka cottage weekend. Thompson has maintained his innocence and denied several of the allegations testifying in his own defence. The trial has been drawn out over several months over scheduling issues faced by the judge, the Crown, and the defence. After shifting to Barrie in the spring, it continued on Monday in Bradford where closing submissions were heard. Thompson's lawyer, Leora Shemesh, accused all three witnesses who testified on behalf of the Crown as lacking in credibility. They were accused of crafting a fraudulent tale and their attempts to besmirch her client's reputation were nothing more than a witch hunt, Shemesh said. Story continues below advertisement All three of the women were guests of Thompson's and are protected by a publication ban preventing their identity. Two of the women are complainants in the trial, one alleging Thompson fondled her breasts and buttocks under her bathing suit while applying sunscreen. Another woman told the court Thompson forced oral sex on her and ejaculated on her. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Thompson has denied both of these accounts and said he only applied sunscreen to one of the complainants when he was asked to, while denying the allegation of improper touching. The councillor also said he engaged in a consensual sex act with the other woman, offering a counter-narrative that she had woken him up and performed oral sex on him. On Monday, Shemesh said the witness alleging her client had forced himself on her was not credible, urging Judge Philop Brissette to disregard her evidence. Shemesh said while there were different narratives offered, she said Crown Attorney Marieke Newhouse failed to meet the bar of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Newhouse countered during her own closing arguments that it was Thompson who was presenting a false narrative about the events of the long weekend. The Crown argued that the councillor had been plying the women with alcohol and marijuana throughout the weekend, accusing Thompson of lying when he testified that none of the guests were intoxicated throughout the weekend. The Crown also accused Thompson of repeatedly offering unsolicited stories of being charitable, not in an attempt to clear his name, but as a performative attempt to appear as a benevolent civic leader for an audience outside the courtroom. Newhouse also said Thompson's assertion that the sex acts were consensual were fictitious and that he forced himself on one of the complainants when she had repeatedly said 'no.' Story continues below advertisement At the end of the day Justice Brissette told both lawyers that he is considering several verdicts to ongoing trials and would not be able to render a decision until September. At that news, Thompson could audibly be heard sighing heavily, before both lawyers agreed to hear a decision on Sept. 16 in Midland. Outside the courthouse, the councillor ignored reporters' questions, but his lawyer Shemesh said she is content with how the trial had progressed. 'I think it went how it should,' Shemesh said 'I'm very happy with how things have gone and now it's in the judge's hands.'
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Insider
RBC Capital Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on O'Reilly Auto (ORLY)
In a report released on June 18, Steven Shemesh from RBC Capital maintained a Buy rating on O'Reilly Auto (ORLY – Research Report), with a price target of $98.00. The company's shares closed last Wednesday at $88.32. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Shemesh covers the Consumer Cyclical sector, focusing on stocks such as O'Reilly Auto, Petco Health and Wellness Company, and CarMax. According to TipRanks, Shemesh has an average return of 0.9% and a 53.82% success rate on recommended stocks. Currently, the analyst consensus on O'Reilly Auto is a Strong Buy with an average price target of $100.65, a 13.96% upside from current levels. In a report released on June 18, D.A. Davidson also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a $107.00 price target. The company has a one-year high of $97.22 and a one-year low of $67.24. Currently, O'Reilly Auto has an average volume of 6.53M. Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 73 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders selling their shares of ORLY in relation to earlier this year. Earlier this month, JOSE A MONTELLANO NAJERA, the SVP OF WESTERN STORE OPS of ORLY sold 19.00 shares for a total of $25,686.10.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Williams-Sonoma Poised For Over 50% Upside On Housing Rebound Hopes: Analyst
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) saw several analysts reiterate their coverage, with one analyst making a modest reduction to the price forecast following Thursday's first-quarter results. The retailer reported revenue of $1.73 billion, a 4.2% increase from the same quarter last year and ahead of Wall Street's estimate of $1.67 billion. GAAP earnings per share of $1.85 beat the analyst consensus estimate of $1.77. Williams-Sonoma maintains its fiscal 2025 and long-term outlook despite absorbing higher costs from the current tariff landscape. It emphasized that its guidance does not account for additional future tariffs and may be revised if material changes expects fiscal 2025 net revenue to range between -1.5% and +1.5%, with comparable sales flat to up 3.0%. RBC Capital Markets analyst Steven Shemesh lowered the price forecast to $182 from $189 while keeping an Outperform rating. While first-quarter comps and headline operating margin outperformed expectations, investor concerns centered around the roughly 220 basis point headwind in merchandising gross margin, Shemesh noted. Shemesh views much of this impact as temporary and expects improvement beginning in the second quarter. Consequently, the analyst revised the second quarter comp estimate to +1.2% (from -1.5%) and raised the adjusted EPS forecast to $1.81 from $1.74. For 2025 and 2026, the analyst now projects comp sales growth of +1.1% and +2.6%, respectively (vs. +0.1% and +4.6% previously), and adjusted EPS of $8.33 and $9.10 (vs. $8.36 and $9.46 prior). KeyBanc analyst Bradley B. Thomas reiterated an Overweight rating with a price forecast of $181. The analyst says despite a challenging industry environment, the company delivered solid first-quarter results, with comparable sales and earnings per share surpassing expectations. The analyst remains positive on Williams-Sonoma's long-term outlook, driven by ongoing market share gains, a robust balance sheet, and sustainably elevated margins. The analyst asserts that the company is well-positioned for an eventual housing recovery, with a potential over 50% upside in its shares within the next two to three years. Thomas now estimates EPS of $1.71 (vs. $1.73 prior) for the second quarter, $1.87 (vs. $1.83 earlier) for the third quarter, and $3.02 (vs. $2.96 prior) for the fourth quarter of 2025. Also, the analyst raised full-year 2025 EPS estimates to $8.44 (from $8.20) and 2026 EPS estimate to $8.75 (from $8.40). Telsey Advisory analyst Cristina Fernández maintained an Outperform rating with a price forecast of $215. The analyst views Williams-Sonoma's quarterly performance as solid. However, year-over-year comparisons for gross and operating margins appear weaker due to a one-time adjustment in the first quarter of 2024. Guggenheim Securities analyst Steven Forbes kept a Neutral rating and writes that while the company's ~75 bps gross margin miss in the first quarter drew investor focus, the return to positive furniture comps (first since fourth-quarter 2022) is notable. The analyst notes that all brands posted positive one-year comps for the first time since the second quarter of 2022, and multi-year comp trends improved across key banners. Forbes says this supports management's outlook to return to top-line growth in 2025. Having now accounted for the pressure from tariff-related margin headwinds, the analyst, by and large, is sticking to previous estimates. Price Action: WSM shares are trading lower by 1.16% to $158.53 at last check Friday. Read Next:Photo via Shutterstock Date Firm Action From To Mar 2022 Wells Fargo Maintains Equal-Weight Feb 2022 Gordon Haskett Upgrades Hold Accumulate Jan 2022 RBC Capital Upgrades Sector Perform Outperform View More Analyst Ratings for WSM View the Latest Analyst Ratings UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? WILLIAMS-SONOMA (WSM): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Williams-Sonoma Poised For Over 50% Upside On Housing Rebound Hopes: Analyst originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Business Insider
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
RBC Capital Remains a Buy on Williams-Sonoma (WSM)
In a report released on May 20, Steven Shemesh from RBC Capital maintained a Buy rating on Williams-Sonoma (WSM – Research Report), with a price target of $189.00. The company's shares closed yesterday at $167.92. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks straight to you inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter According to TipRanks, Shemesh is a 3-star analyst with an average return of 1.4% and a 55.23% success rate. Shemesh covers the Consumer Cyclical sector, focusing on stocks such as Williams-Sonoma, Home Depot, and Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holding. Williams-Sonoma has an analyst consensus of Moderate Buy, with a price target consensus of $180.38, which is a 7.42% upside from current levels. In a report released on May 19, Telsey Advisory also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a $215.00 price target. WSM market cap is currently $21.43B and has a P/E ratio of 19.83. Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 45 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders selling their shares of WSM in relation to earlier this year. Last month, Jeffrey Howie, the EVP CFO of WSM sold 915.00 shares for a total of $129,647.20.
Global News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Toronto councillor's sex assault trial moves to Barrie
Warning: This story contains details of alleged sexual assaults. After beginning in Bracebridge, Ont., nearly seven months ago, the trial of sitting Toronto city councillor Michael Thompson resumed in a Barrie courtroom where after a lengthy delay the Crown's final witness finished her testimony. Thompson is accused on two counts of sexual assault from two separate women who were guests of his during a Muskoka cottage weekend over the Canada Day long weekend in 2022. Thompson has pleaded not guilty and has maintained his innocence. On Thursday, the trial resumed in the middle of the Crown's third witness, a woman who alleges Thompson lead her to a basement bedroom when she was severely intoxicated and forced oral sex upon her. The witness, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, has previously told the court that she was woken up by Thompson early in the morning and had repeatedly told him to stop. The woman, who didn't know Thompson prior to arriving at the cottage, said the Scarborough Centre councillor ignored her protests and rubbed his erect penis on her face before ejaculating on her. Story continues below advertisement Pressed by Thompson's lawyer Leora Shemesh for details surrounding the account, the witness said her memory had gaps in it because she was so intoxicated. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I just remember not wanting to do it,' she told the court. Questioned further about the circumstances, she told Shemesh, 'I said 'no,' I remember that.' During a previous court date, Shemesh has presented an alternate narrative surrounding the events to the witness, suggesting it was in fact a consensual sex act. The witness previously denied Shemesh's account and continued to disagree on Thursday when Thompson's lawyer suggested the pair were flirting and had arranged to meet up after the other guests were asleep. The witness pushed back and said there was nothing consensual agreed upon and that she had made it very clear to Thompson she didn't want to have sex. The witness also said it was untrue when Shemesh suggested she was planning to pursue a civil lawsuit against Thompson and that she conspired with the other witnesses to say Thompson had digitally penetrated another guest. Two other women, also protected by publication bans, have already told the court they knew Thompson in a professional capacity and were invited to the cottage weekend for what they thought would be a networking event. One of the witnesses has previously testified that Thompson reached under her bathing suit and massaged her breasts and buttocks while applying sunscreen. Story continues below advertisement The trial is scheduled to resume in Barrie next week, when the defense is expected to call its first witness.
