Latest news with #WSC
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
1 Industrials Stock with Promising Prospects and 2 to Brush Off
Industrials businesses quietly power the physical things we depend on, from cars and homes to e-commerce infrastructure. Unfortunately, this role also comes with a demand profile tethered to the ebbs and flows of the broader economy, and investors seem to be forecasting a downturn - over the past six months, the industry has pulled back by 10.4%. This drawdown was worse than the S&P 500's 1.9% decline. Despite the lackluster result, a few diamonds in the rough can produce earnings growth no matter what, and we started StockStory to help you find them. Keeping that in mind, here is one industrials stock poised to generate sustainable market-beating returns and two we're steering clear of. Market Cap: $5.07 billion Originally focusing on mobile offices for construction sites, WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) provides ready-to-use temporary spaces, largely for longer-term lease. Why Does WSC Fall Short? 2.4% annual revenue growth over the last two years was slower than its industrials peers Incremental sales over the last two years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 3.4% annually while its revenue grew Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 5 percentage points WillScot Mobile Mini is trading at $27.90 per share, or 16.8x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including WSC in your portfolio, it's free. Market Cap: $14.61 billion Founded in 1990 when a group of engineers from five companies decided to merge, AECOM (NYSE:ACM) provides various infrastructure consulting services. Why Does ACM Worry Us? Product roadmap and go-to-market strategy need to be reconsidered as its backlog has averaged 1.6% declines over the past two years Gross margin of 6.4% reflects its high production costs Operating margin of 4.3% falls short of the industry average, and the smaller profit dollars make it harder to react to unexpected market developments AECOM's stock price of $110.69 implies a valuation ratio of 21.6x forward P/E. If you're considering ACM for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more. Market Cap: $6.49 billion Credited with an invention in the 1950s that improved crop yields, Valmont (NYSE:VMI) provides engineered products and infrastructure services for the agricultural industry. Why Could VMI Be a Winner? Operating margin expanded by 4.9 percentage points over the last five years as it scaled and became more efficient Earnings per share grew by 18.7% annually over the last two years and trumped its peers Free cash flow margin increased by 7.9 percentage points over the last five years, giving the company more capital to invest or return to shareholders At $323.42 per share, Valmont trades at 17.5x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it's free. Market indices reached historic highs following Donald Trump's presidential victory in November 2024, but the outlook for 2025 is clouded by new trade policies that could impact business confidence and growth. While this has caused many investors to adopt a "fearful" wait-and-see approach, we're leaning into our best ideas that can grow regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Take advantage of Mr. Market by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). 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 Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.
Agriland
3 days ago
- Science
- Agriland
What's the purpose of the ‘World Seed Vault' in Svalbard?
Located between the top of Norway and the North Pole on the Norwegian archipelago called Svalbard is a facilty known as the World Seed Vault. Built deep into a mountain, over 1.3 million varieties of seed are stored here at -18°C. Since construction began on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2006 and its launch in 2008, there has been an air of mystique surrounding its purpose. It has often been portrayed as a 'doomsday' vault, serving as a store for the world's key food crops in the event of an extinction of the key plant species necessary for human survival. At the World Seed Congress (WSC), which recently took place in Istanbul, Turkey, Agriland asked the key architect of the World Seed Vault, Dr. Cary Fowler how what he describes as a 'the safety, back-up store for global agriculture' came into being. A look inside the World Seed Vault. Source: ISF/Marc Grimwade Dr. Fowler said: 'I am pleased by the development at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. We now have samples of 1,345,000 different crop varieties. That's more than most people think exist in the world. 'These are housed as a safety backup for global agriculture – we've miraculously not lost any seeds in the transit process going up to Svalbard and we've been able to restore at least one major collection along the way that was in the process of being lost. 'So this is the biological foundation of agriculture and something I think that needs to be conserved if we plan on having agriculture around much longer.' While Dr Cary acknowledged the advantages of being able to conserve global agriculture, he noted another positive development of the vault. 'I think the point would be that we can come together as countries to do essential long-term things if we try and if we do that, it inspires other people, I think,' he said. Sowing the seeds for the vault In delivering the keynote address at the WSC, Dr. Fowler – who was the winner of the 2024 World Food Prize – said: 'When I was head of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, at a certain point it just struck me: 'This is not good enough because the safety of our most-valuable natural resource on earth was only as safe as a building was safe and they're subject to all kinds of issues'. 'So I thought 'OK, let's have a safety back-up, a failsafe place, an insurance policy, to keep this' and we went far north to try to do that.' Svalbard is about as far north as commercial flights go, and 'has the advantage of being remote but also very cold so it can save seed for a long time'. 'We envisaged it would be a seed vault that would be built in the middle of the mountain where it's very cold,' Fowler explained. The entrance to the World Seed Vault. Source: ISF/Marc Grimwade While the region is naturally cold, the seed samples are stored in freezers at -18°C. 'If the refrigeration fails, the temperature might slowly rise to -4 or -5°C but would still remain frozen and that would give us many months to get the repair man out to fix the refrigeration,' Dr Fowler said. 'Each sample contains 400-500 seeds and there are more than 1.3 million different seed populations or what normal people would call 'varieties'. 'This includes more than 150,000 samples of rice, more than 150,000 samples of wheat. This is the largest collection of biodiversity anywhere in the world.' The American agriculturalist believes that the answers to many challenges facing global crop production 'are in the seed banks'. A doomsday vault? Dr. Fowler was asked if the seed vault is a 'doomsday vault', as it has been portrayed in the media. He said: 'We did not think anyone in the world would be interested in what we were doing. Frankly, crop diversity, gene banks – it was never in the media – they would say it's a boring subject. 'I have to acknowledge if something gigantic potentially happened, it would be in that case 'a doomsday vault', but we never thought of it that way. What we wanted to do was protect the more mundane extinction that takes place. 'We wanted to end that kind of drip, drip, drip extinction,' he clarified. He explained that the seed vault 'operates like a safety deposit box at the bank'. 'Depositors send a copy of their seeds and the seed vault protects those seeds free of charge, and if anything happens to the original copy, the sample in the seed bank can be returned to the depositor. Nobody else has access to them.' In his presentation at the WSC, he noted that some of his ''favourite boxes' in the seed vault came from a seed bank located outside Aleppo in Syria. He said: 'The reason they're my favourite is because we got those boxes out in an emergency situation just before all hell broke loose in Aleppo during the civil war there. 'So those boxes came out overland on a truck for two weeks before they could fly to the centre here.' The location of the World Seed Vault. Source: ISF/Marc Grimwade He explained that the seed samples contained in these boxes came from the Consortium of International Agricultural Research centre (CGIAR) in Aleppo which was 'a major holder of materials – particularly wheat, barley and several other important crops' of which were drought tolerant and that the samples are 'of global importance'. 'It would have been a true global humanitarian disaster had that collection been lost,' the agriculturalist said. Why not just keep the best seed? Dr. Fowler said he is often asked why not only keep 'the best seed varieties' in the vault. He explained: 'The problem is, we don't know which ones are the best and the best changes all the time so a variety or trait that might be useful or considered 'the best' today might be an insects' lunch tomorrow. Things change in the world. 'There's a great American conservationist named Aldo Leopold and he said: 'The first rule of successful tinkering is to save all the pieces', and I think we're still tinkering, we're still playing with agriculture in a way.' He emphasised the importance of saving 'all the pieces' in the form of seed varieties 'particularly when it's so easy and cheap to do so and so expensive to lose them'. Dr. Fowler pointed to examples in history where seed samples of poor-yielding varieties of crops such as wheat were preserved in countres that later became important in breeding programmes in other regions in the world. Dr. Cary Fowler (fourth from left) responding to a question from Agriland in a press briefing at the World Seed Congress 'One of my heroes, Jack Harlan, had collected what he described as 'a hopelessly useless variety of wheat' in this county [Turkey] back in 1948.' Dr. Fowler explained that, in 1963, plant breeders were examining how to make US wheat resistant to stripe rust and discovered that this supposedly 'useless' Turkish wheat variety was immune to four kinds of stripe rust and forty-seven other wheat diseases. The Turkish wheat was then crossbred with US varieties of wheat. Dr. Fowler asked: 'What did it cost to conserve that wheat? Virtually nothing. But had we not done that, if we had forfeited that benefit – and that's the story of crop diversity.'
Agriland
4 days ago
- General
- Agriland
World could ‘fall far short' of meeting food needs by 2050
Former US special envoy for global food security and leading advocate for global seed conservation and crop diversity, Dr. Cary Fowler has expressed concerns about how global food systems are positioned to feed the world population going forward. At the World Seed Congress (WSC) organised by the International Federation (ISF), which recently took place in Istanbul, Turkey, Agriland asked Dr. Fowler how he believes the world is currently positioned to feed its growing population. Dr. Fowler won the 2024 World Food Prize and was also a key architect in the development of the World Seed Vault in Svalbard. In his keynote address to the WSC, he said: 'Back in October [2024], my office at the US Department of State brought together a small group of Nobel laureates and World Food Prize laureates. 'We drafted a statement saying that we were going to fall far short of meeting food need and food demand by 2050 and we really need to now make a long-term commitment to make transformative, bold moonshot research and development in order to have the kind of transformative developments in food production that will be necessary to feed people by 2050. 'So yes, I'm worried about how we're positioned to feed the world at this point,' he told Agriland. Dr. Cary Fowler delivering the keynote address at the World Seed Congress Dr. Fowler said: 'Today, there at least 750 million people on earth who are food insecure. We define that as not having access to sufficient food for basic human needs. 'There are three billion people on earth than can not afford an adequate diet and, I think most tragically, there are 60 million children under the age of five who are physically and cognitively stunted – and are so because of inadequate food intake and more importantly, inadequate nutrition. 'I urge you to think about what our world is going to look like and what governments in countries are going to look like if we have a third of the children in many countries – in Africa for instance – who are growing up physically and cognitively stunted. That's not a world we want to live in in the future. 'We don't just have a problem with food insecurity, we have a problem with nutrition insecurity and we aren't really thinking about those in the same way,' Dr. Fowler added. The American agriculturalist listed six headwinds he believes are facing food security in the future: Climate; Soil; Water; Conflict; Trade; Research and development. Dr. Fowler also noted that said that April was the second-hottest April ever recorded on earth. However, he added: 'More interestingly, it was the 555th consecutive month in which the global average temperature for the month exceeded the 20th century average. '555 consecutive months of what some people would call 'above average' temperatures.' He highlighted that there will also be a negative hit to food productivity in the future because of climate. Soil and water On soil, Dr. Fowler noted that the African Union has said as much as 50% of its current cropland may be unusable by the year 2050, while more than 75% of their land is already degraded'. He referred to a recent study showing that 14-17% of existing global cropland is affected by toxic metal pollution. 'That means 900 million to 1.4 billion people are living in regions of what they call heightened public health and ecological risk,' Dr. Fowler explained. On water, the agriculturalist said that 'agriculture globally takes about 70% of freshwater supplies', but also noted that this percentage is higher in his home country of the US. '21 of 37 major aquafers in the world are in a position of being depleted faster than they are replenishing,' Commenting on the ties between conflict and food security, he said: 'Food insecurity is a cause of conflict. It has been a cause of conflict for thousands of years. 'But on the other hand, conflict is a driver of food insecurity and if you look at where the hungry people are in the world today, 60% of them are living in countries that are experiencing conflict. 'So without solving the problem of food insecurity, we're not going to solve the problem of conflict in our world.' Future of agriculture On research and development, he highlighted that budgets for agricultural research and development – as well as basic scientific research – have been in decline for decades. Dr. Fowler said: 'It's really interesting to me because, if you look at the return on investment, it's 10-1, sometimes 30-1, and yet we've starved those budgets.' The agriculturalist also quoted Norman Borlaug – who won the Nobel prize in 1970 – who famously said during his laureate lecture: 'The Green Revolution has bought us 30 years of time'. The Green Revolution refers to the development of high-yielding plant varieties in the 1940s to the 1960s. It is widely acknowledged that these developments – especially in wheat and rice crops – increased food supplies and staved off widespread starvation in developing countries. Dr. Fowler said: 'That was in 1970. We've passed the 30-year mark. What we haven't done is to commit to any type of long-term initiative similar to Norman Borlaug's. 'So, if we want to meet food need by 2050, we can't wait until 2049, we need to be making these investments now.' In summarising the main points of his keynote presentation, Dr. Fowler said: 'Agriculture faces a historic culmination of challenges. 'I've never seen anything like the culmination of challenges that agriculture faces now. Any one of those challenges would be really serious but the culmination of them is something that we collectively are not taking seriously enough.' The World Seed Congress took place from Monday, May 19, to Wednesday, May 21 in Istanbul, Turkey. The event was organised by the International Seed Federation (ISF) and saw over 1,500 delegates from 70 countries attend. Agriland attended the event in association with a group of 11 journalists from nine countries, facilitated by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WSC Q1 Earnings Call: Order Book Growth and Margin Initiatives Offset Volume Pressures
Temporary space provider WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) missed Wall Street's revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, with sales falling 4.7% year on year to $559.6 million. On the other hand, the company's outlook for the full year was close to analysts' estimates with revenue guided to $2.38 billion at the midpoint. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.24 per share was 12.5% below analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy WSC? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $559.6 million vs analyst estimates of $562.4 million (4.7% year-on-year decline, 0.5% miss) Adjusted EPS: $0.24 vs analyst expectations of $0.27 (12.5% miss) Adjusted EBITDA: $228.8 million vs analyst estimates of $229.2 million (40.9% margin, in line) The company reconfirmed its revenue guidance for the full year of $2.38 billion at the midpoint EBITDA guidance for the full year is $1.05 billion at the midpoint, in line with analyst expectations Operating Margin: 21.3%, in line with the same quarter last year Free Cash Flow Margin: 25.9%, up from 24.7% in the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $5.47 billion WillScot Mobile Mini's first quarter results reflected lower volumes in both modular and storage units, with management attributing the year-on-year revenue decline primarily to continued weakness among local accounts and macroeconomic uncertainty in non-residential construction. CEO Brad Soultz highlighted a 7% year-over-year increase in the company's pending order book, noting that this strength was driven by larger enterprise accounts and helped offset persistent softness at the local level. Management also pointed to stable pricing and the growing contribution of value-added products and services (VAPs) as important factors in supporting margins despite volume headwinds. Looking ahead, the company reconfirmed its full-year guidance, citing a robust order book and ongoing investments in sales resources, technology, and new product categories. CFO Matt Jacobsen explained that sequential improvement in volumes and continued expansion in VAPs are expected to drive modest top-line growth in the second half of the year. Management remains cautious about the impact of trade policy changes and tariffs but believes the company's diversified growth levers and flexible cost structure position it well to adapt to evolving market conditions. Management's commentary focused on the interplay between macroeconomic headwinds and internal operational initiatives, emphasizing both the challenges and levers available to drive future performance. The quarter was shaped by volume declines, stable pricing, and progress in higher-margin offerings. Enterprise demand offsetting local weakness: Growth in the pending order book was attributed entirely to larger enterprise accounts, counterbalancing ongoing softness in local and smaller customer segments. Management described these enterprise wins as linked to large, long-duration projects, particularly in non-residential construction and infrastructure. Value-added products and services (VAPs): VAPs surpassed 17% of total revenue, continuing to grow despite a decline in units on rent. Management cited deeper penetration across core product lines, especially in climate-controlled storage and the Flex modular platform, as a key lever for margin resilience and future growth. Logistics and operating margin focus: Delivery and installation margins contracted year-over-year, primarily due to lower-margin seasonal activity and the ramp-up of in-sourced logistics. Management outlined ongoing efforts to optimize scheduling, cross-train field teams, and implement route optimization software, which are expected to improve profitability in the second half of the year. Sales force and technology investment: The company increased sales headcount by 4% sequentially and plans a 10–20% increase for the year. Rollout of an enhanced CRM system and a new pricing engine in May aims to increase productivity and enable more targeted pricing across customer segments. Capital allocation and financial flexibility: WillScot refinanced its senior secured notes to extend maturities and maintain liquidity, while continuing to invest in fleet upgrades and new product categories. The company returned $45 million to shareholders through buybacks and issued its first quarterly dividend, signaling a balanced approach to growth and capital returns. Management's outlook for the remainder of the year is shaped by ongoing investments in product innovation, sales resources, and technology, as well as external factors such as trade policy and end market demand. The company's ability to grow VAPs and maintain pricing are central to its strategy. VAPs and product mix expansion: Continued growth in value-added products and services, along with increased penetration of climate-controlled and Flex modular units, is expected to drive both revenue and margin improvement as the year progresses. Salesforce productivity and technology: Higher sales headcount and the deployment of new CRM and pricing tools are designed to support order conversion and enable more effective cross-selling, particularly in local markets where performance has lagged. Macro and policy uncertainty: Management highlighted potential risks related to tariffs, labor shortages, and non-residential construction trends, noting that these factors could impact both volumes and costs. The company's flexible cost structure is intended to mitigate downside risk if conditions deteriorate. Andrew Wittman (Baird): Asked about conversion times and order book reliability given economic uncertainty. Management reported no change in conversion or cancellation rates, citing healthy quoting activity and stable order flow as of Q2. Sherif El-Sabbahy (Bank of America): Inquired about expected seasonal trends in volumes and delivery/installation revenue. Management expects normal seasonal increases, particularly in modular, and anticipates delivery and installation revenue will grow alongside increased activity. Scott Schneeberger (Oppenheimer): Pressed on the outlook for retail customer demand and capital allocation between buybacks and M&A. Management confirmed stable retail demand and described a consistent approach to opportunistic buybacks and ongoing M&A pipeline development. Faiza Alwy (Deutsche Bank): Sought details on logistics margin contraction and pricing strategy in an inflationary environment. Management explained that seasonal activity and in-sourcing weighed on margins but expects improvement through operational initiatives; also reaffirmed the ability to pass through inflationary costs. Angel Castillo (Morgan Stanley): Asked about divergence between strong company order trends and weaker construction industry indicators. Management attributed positive order trends to large project activity and enterprise accounts, while acknowledging continued weakness in local markets. Looking ahead, the StockStory team will be monitoring (1) whether the recent growth in the order book translates into higher lease activations and revenue, (2) the effectiveness of logistics and field operations initiatives in restoring delivery and installation margins, and (3) progress on expanding VAPs penetration and salesforce productivity. Developments in trade policy, tariffs, and non-residential construction activity will also be key signposts for assessing demand and pricing power. WillScot Mobile Mini currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 17.8×. Is the company at an inflection point that warrants a buy or sell? Find out in our free research report. 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 6 Stocks for this week. 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-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today. 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
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Stocks Under $50 with Exciting Potential and 1 to Turn Down
Stocks in the $10-50 range offer a sweet spot between affordability and stability as they're typically more established than penny stocks. But their headline prices don't guarantee quality, and investors should exercise caution as some have shaky business models. These dynamics can cause headaches for even the most seasoned professionals, which is why we started StockStory - to help you separate the good companies from the bad. That said, here are two stocks under $50 that could 10x and one that may have trouble. Share Price: $29.50 Originally focusing on mobile offices for construction sites, WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) provides ready-to-use temporary spaces, largely for longer-term lease. Why Are We Wary of WSC? 2.4% annual revenue growth over the last two years was slower than its industrials peers Incremental sales over the last two years were much less profitable as its earnings per share fell by 10.1% annually while its revenue grew Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 5 percentage points WillScot Mobile Mini is trading at $29.50 per share, or 17.8x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with WSC, check out our full research report (it's free). Share Price: $13.52 Originally spun off from networking equipment maker Netgear in 2018, Arlo Technologies (NYSE:ARLO) provides cloud-based smart security devices and subscription services that help consumers and businesses monitor and protect their homes, properties, and loved ones. Why Does ARLO Stand Out? Operating profits and efficiency rose over the last five years as it benefited from some fixed cost leverage Performance over the past two years shows its incremental sales were extremely profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 193% outpaced its revenue gains Free cash flow margin grew by 19.7 percentage points over the last five years, giving the company more chips to play with At $13.52 per share, Arlo Technologies trades at 21.5x forward P/E. Is now the right time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it's free. Share Price: $19.75 Working in stealth mode for eight years, Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE) designs, manufactures, and markets solid oxide fuel cell systems for on-site power generation. Why Is BE a Good Business? Impressive 14.5% annual revenue growth over the last five years indicates it's winning market share this cycle Performance over the past two years shows its incremental sales were extremely profitable, as its annual earnings per share growth of 74.2% outpaced its revenue gains Free cash flow flipped to positive over the last five years, showing the company is at an important crossroads Bloom Energy's stock price of $19.75 implies a valuation ratio of 44.3x forward P/E. Is now the time to initiate a position? Find out in our full 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 6 Stocks for this week. 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. Sign in to access your portfolio
