Latest news with #mergers
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) Has Benefited From Merger Chatter, Says Jim Cramer
We recently published . Norfolk Southern Corporation (NASDAQ:NSC) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed. Norfolk Southern Corporation (NASDAQ:NSC)'s shares have gained 21.7% year-to-date and have gained 11.5% in July. The shares have benefited recently from talks about mergers in the railroad industry, which could significantly increase the firm's operating presence and allow it to control a larger market. Cramer made the following remarks. about Norfolk Southern Corporation (NASDAQ:NSC) in the context of a merger between CSX and Union Pacific, which could drive competition to keep prices low and remove one major drawback of a railroad consolidation: '[On competition between UNP and Norfolk and Burlington with CSX to keep prices low] Well, look. Norfolk would be great. I know Norfolk's up very, very big on this. Norfolk is the one with I think the caretaker CEO because the previous CEO, uh, had things that I don't wanna talk about.' jk-gJhev0YgUcE-unsplash Recently, Cramer commented on Norfolk Southern Corporation (NASDAQ:NSC)'s share price performance: 'You know look at Norfolk Southern. The run in Norfolk Southern is just breathtaking. I just think that we are so the opposite of where we were. Everything changed. Everything changed. Liberation Day may turn out to be the bottom. We may look at Liberation Day and say you know that was when they realized, wow, are we ever on the wrong track. The market has spoken and we're wrong.' While we acknowledge the potential of NSC as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
Globe and Mail
13 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Market Factors: My two biggest investing mistakes ever
In this edition of Market Factors I use merger and acquisition activity in cybersecurity to sheepishly recount the two biggest mistakes of my investing career. In a later section, we'll describe how a widespread short squeeze is affecting markets and the diversion judges high school movies. There is a news story today that brings up painful memories. I am generally good at looking ahead, not backwards, when investing and not regretting previous transactions. There are two decisions, however - one stock I didn't buy and one I did - that I can't get over. Not buying cybersecurity specialist Palo Alto Networks is one of the lamentable calls. The company agreed to acquire CyberArk Software Ltd. for US$25-billion, a 26 per cent premium to Tuesday's close. CyberArk specializes in identity security tools. Palo Alto's total market cap was well below US$25-billion when I was considering buying the stock in mid-2014 - it was US$4-billion. Palo Alto's market cap is now US$129-billion and its stock is up 1,729 per cent since April 30, 2014. I was correct in my assumption that cybersecurity would become a major issue as corporate networks grew in scale. It seems ludicrous now, but I didn't like the way the stock price was acting in 2014. Volatility was low and it seemed like a 'two steps forward, one step back' situation with no momentum. I stopped following it closely and by the time I turned around it had doubled. Again ludicrously, I thought I'd missed the move. My other regrettable error, buying telecom equipment provider Juniper Networks, was caused by straight naivete. Wireless data traffic was doubling every two years and I was sure the advent of 3G and 4G would require vast capital expenditure on switches, routers and other telecom equipment. Had I known what I was doing, or even asked the telecom analyst where I was working, I would have known that the over-investment during the 1990s and early 2000s had created massive excess capacity. It would take years and years for data traffic to fill the previously built networks. Not much equipment buying would be necessary. In hindsight, American Tower Corp. was the right way to play the rise of wireless. The provider of the eyesores that relay wireless signals (I might be a bit bitter) saw its stock increase by 1333.7 per cent for the 20 years beginning June 30, 2005 (a relatively random start date but from memory it's close to when I bought the stock). Juniper was up 107.4 per cent. Researching those numbers caused me physical pain. In true rookie fashion, I compounded my mistake by holding Juniper too long. I thought if I just held it long enough my genius growth thesis would play out. It was here that I learned not to let ego get anywhere near buying and selling decisions. I reiterate that I'm usually good at avoiding 'could have, would have, should have' with old investment decisions but these two still bug me. Thankfully both situations taught me valuable lessons that I still apply today. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management chief investment officer Lisa Shalett expressed her bearishness in a way that explained some underlying trends in global markets. Ms. Shalett is bearish because of her perception of investor complacency. She notes that investors are now blindly buying the dip despite rich valuations. In addition, the readily available cash that could take the market higher, in money market funds for example, has fallen to year 2000 lows. Everybody's already in. The strategist also highlights the extremes of market concentration. Ms. Shalett notes that speculative sectors of the market are beginning to lead. Specifically, systematic and algorithmic-driven funds have added risk automatically as volatility indexes have declined. This re-risking has caused a wide-reaching short squeeze that has driven Bespoke Investment Group's index of most shorted stocks higher by 80 per cent from the April 9 low. Ms. Shalett recommends stock-specific investment strategies including long/short funds and individual U.S. stocks in the tech hardware, industrials, financials and energy sectors with upside surprise potential. An office discussion made clear that a lot of people's selection of a favourite high school movie taps into the intense emotions of high school itself, even decades later. My favourites are, of course, the best picks. Say Anything is one of the two best high school movies ever made and this is a hill I will happily perish on. Peak John Cusack, before he went a bit loopy on social media, masterful nostalgia mining by writer and director Cameron Crowe and a terrifically nuanced performance from Ione Skye made this one tremendous. And Frasier's dad, he was great too. Spectacular Now is more recent and less known but it is my second (correct) pick as best high school movie. Star-making performances from Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are the primary attractions here along with an oily turn by Kyle Chandler as Teller's deadbeat dad. I intend to name my next dog after this movie's main character. Any number of John Hughes movies are acceptable choices as best high school movie, including the more obscure Some Kind of Wonderful which had an amazing soundtrack. I liked Perks of Being a Wallflower a lot too. Two movies that were suggested to me in the category were I Know What You Did Last Summer and 10 Things I Hate About You but I have grievances with both. Let me know your favourites by email here and I promise to not be too critical. Looking for our updates on market movers, analyst actions, stock technicals, insider trades and other daily, weekly and monthly insight? Click here to visit our Inside the Market page. Jamie McGeever details how retail investors have been the key drivers of the latest equity market rally Larry MacDonald reports on the latest short positions on the TSX Bond investors are warming up to risk again. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar is shedding its tariff risk premium The Bank of Canada has already announced no change to interest rates and two-year bond yields fell four basis points in the aftermath. Month-over-month GDP for May on Thursday is the other important release. It is expected to show a mild contraction of 0.1 per cent. Important earnings announcements are far more plentiful. On Thursday we'll get Gildan Activewear Inc. (US$0.955 per share expected), TC Energy Corp (C$0.783), Cenovus Energy Inc. (C$0.137), Cameco Corp (C0.469) and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (US$0.217). Friday will see profit reports from Enbridge Inc. (C$0.579), Fortis Inc. (C$0.701), Imperial Oil Ltd. (C$1.647) and Telus Corp. (C0.2323). Suncor Energy Inc. (C$0.710) posts results next Tuesday and the next day Shopify Inc. (US$0.29), Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (US$0.391) and Manulife Financial Corp (C$0.966) will announce earnings. Friday is the big day for U.S. economic news as non-farm payroll growth for July (107,000 new jobs expected) and ISM manufacturing (49.5) are released. Month over month personal spending for June (0.4 per cent) comes out a day earlier and final durable goods orders for June will be released on August 4th. For U.S. earnings there's Bristol Myers Squibb Co. ($1.073), Baxter International Inc. ($0.611), Paramount Global ($0.347, analyst questions might be entertaining here) and Stryker Corp ($3.071) on Thursday. Exxon Mobil Corp ($1.556) and Colgate Palmolive Co. ($0.897) report Friday and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. ($7514.743) are out on Monday. See our full earnings and economic calendar here
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Generational Group Advises Tile and Carpet World, Inc. in its Sale to Individual Buyers
DALLAS, July 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Generational Group, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of Tile and Carpet World, Inc. to Individual Buyers. The acquisition closed July 10, 2025. Based in Port Charlotte, Florida, Tile and Carpet World, Inc. is a family-owned flooring store with over 30 years of experience serving Southwest Florida. Founded in 1994, the company has grown to offer a wide range of flooring options including ceramic tile, carpet, hardwood, laminate, luxury vinyl, stone, marble, and glass tile. After rebuilding from Hurricane Charley in 2004, the store relocated in 2023 to a more central location to better serve the community. With in-house installers, free project estimates, and a strong commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, it remains a trusted name in local flooring solutions. Generational Group Executive Managing Director, M&A, Easter Region – David Fergusson, and his team led by Generational Affiliate, Alan Steinberg, with the support of Vice President, M&A, Emil Nirkis successfully closed the deal. Executive Managing Director, Ed Weber and Senior M&A Advisor, Dr. Michael Lorence, established the initial relationship with Tile and Carpet World, Inc. Ryan Binkley, CEO of Generational Group, stated, "This success is a testament to our team's hard work, our shared purpose, and the loyalty of those we serve. We're focused on delivering impact that lasts." About Generational Group Generational Group, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is a leading, award winning full-service M&A advisory firm. Generational has over 300 professionals across 16 offices in North America. The firm empowers business owners to unlock the full value of their companies through a comprehensive suite of services—including strategic growth consulting, exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, M&A advisory, digital solutions, and wealth management. Celebrating its 20th year, Generational has successfully closed over 1,700 transactions and has ranked #1 or #2 in all LSEG league tables for deals valued between $25 million and $1 billion in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The firm was named 2024 USA Investment Banking Firm of the Year by the Global M&A Network and recognized as Investment Banking Firm of the Year by The M&A Advisor in both 2024 and 2022. View source version on Contacts Media Contact:Catherine Binkley469-828-2798cbinkley@
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Kenya, Zambia most affected by corporate mergers in Comesa
Kenya and Zambia were the most affected countries by a rise in approved corporate mergers within the Comesa trade bloc last year, reflecting the increasing presence of regional companies in Nairobi and Lusaka, new disclosures reveal. Usually, for each merger received, the Comesa Competition Commission (CCC) establishes which member states are affected based on where the merging parties derive turnover in the Comesa bloc. Last year, Nairobi and Lusaka were impacted by all the 48 transactions that occurred within the 21-member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) bloc.'In 2024, the CCC approved 43 mergers unconditionally and granted five comfort letters, so, all in all, this brings the merger-related assessments to 48,' the watchdog told The EastAfrican. 'This means that all the 48 merger-related cases had effect in Zambia and Kenya.'Comfort letters are issued for those transactions that the commission assesses but they do not need to be billed as full mergers. This is presumed based on whether the transaction meets the regional dimension test and the prescribed turnover. According to the CCC annual report, in 2023, the approved 26 transactions, and following year's 48 mergers signal the growing desire by companies to expand regionally in search of new revenue streams to boost profitability and ensure decent returns to their shareholders. According to the report, Kenya and Zambia were each affected by 48 merger cases, followed by Uganda (45), the Democratic Republic of Congo (39) and Mauritius (36), with the least number of cases affecting Comoros (11) and Eritrea (five). In 2023, the most number of merger cases affected Kenya (30), followed by Uganda (26) and Mauritius (25), with the least number of cases affecting Comoros (eight) and Eritrea (five). According to the report, most of the merger cases occurred in the banking and financial services sector, which had seven cases, followed by energy and petroleum sectors (six cases), with agriculture and ICT having four cases each and mining and aviation with three cases apiece. The distribution of cases across the sectors in 2024 showed a shift from 2023, where the energy and petroleum sectors received the most cases (12), followed by banking and financial services as well as agriculture sectors with five cases each. In 2024, sectors such as construction, retail and transport and logistics received two cases each, compared to 2023, where no transactions from these sectors were assessed. The least number of mergers assessed in 2024 were in the pharmaceutical, insurance, food and hospitality sectors, compared to 2023, when the least number of cases were in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. The commission handled 56 merger cases last year, of which five were granted comfort letters, one was abandoned and seven were carried forward to 2025, as they were still under assessment. Therefore, the CID (Committee Responsible for Initial Determinations) made decisions on 43 cases within the stipulated time provided in the regulations. On the other hand, 36 transactions were registered in 2023, of which 26 were approved unconditionally, two approved with conditions and one rejected and the rest carried forward to 2024. The 26 transactions approved without conditions in 2023 marked a reduction from the 40 recorded in 2022. Parties to any notifiable merger are required to inform the CCC within 30 days of the decision to merge failing which sanctions may be imposed. A notifiable merger is one with a regional dimension and whose combined annual turnover or value of assets, whichever is higher, is at or above the thresholds prescribed by the Comesa competition rules. The merger notification fees across Comesa vary from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $200,000 depending on the companies' annual turnovers. An estimated 50 percent of the fees paid to the commission as merger filing revenues are distributed to member states and utilised for the development and strengthening of their national competition laws and capacity building in their national competition authorities. For instance, in February 2024, the CCC received a notification regarding the proposed acquisition of 51 percent of the shareholding in Cimerwa Plc by National Cement Holding Ltd (NCHL) from PPC International Holdings Proprietary Ltd (PPC International). Cimerwa was controlled by PPC International, a company incorporated in South Africa, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of PPC Ltd, while NCHL is a private company incorporated in Rwanda and a special purpose vehicle established for the purposes of the proposed transaction. NCHL is directly controlled by ERC Holdings Ltd, a company controlled by a trust where its beneficiary also controls National Cement Company Ltd and National Cement Company Uganda Ltd, which are both involved in the production and supply of cement and clinker in Kenya and Uganda, respectively. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
CNA
2 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Foxconn to suspend share trading on July 30 pending major announcement
TAIPEI :Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, said it will suspend share trading on July 30 pending a major announcement. In Taiwan, companies typically halt trading ahead of announcements, including investments, asset sales and mergers or strategic partnerships, that could affect share prices.
