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Recent Articles
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Delta Delivers Most Profitable December Quarter in Its History
Jan 11, 2025
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Image Source: Colin Brown.
We liked Delta’s fourth quarter results and outlook for 2025, but we’re not interested in adding any airline to the newsletter portfolios. Airline economics are notoriously difficult to forecast, and their operating results are heavily levered to volatile jet fuel prices. Swings in the economic environment can also have a large impact on performance given the operating leverage inherent to their business models. Delta is currently riding an upswing in demand, but we remain cautious on shares given the volatility innate to an airline’s business model. We remain on the sidelines.
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Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of January 10
Jan 10, 2025
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Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.
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Dividend Aristocrat Caterpillar’s Dividend on Solid Ground
Jan 8, 2025
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Image Source: Caterpillar.
Though Caterpillar’s top line is under pressure “due to the impact of lower-than-expected sales to users in its Construction Industries segment and the timing of deliveries in its Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation segment,” Caterpillar’s lucrative services business and backlog remain healthy, and it covers its dividend nicely with ME&T free cash flow. Shares yield 1.6% at the time of this writing.
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Lowe’s Experiences Softness in Bigger Ticket Discretionary Demand
Jan 8, 2025
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Image: Lowe’s shares have rallied nicely since the beginning of 2023.
Buoyed in part by anticipated modest storm-related demand in the fourth quarter, management expects total sales for the full year 2024 of $83.0-$83.5 billion (was $82.7-$83.2 billion)—consensus was $82.99 billion--and comparable sales to be between -3.0% to -3.5% (was -3.5% to -4.0%). Its adjusted operating margin for the year is now targeted in the range of 12.3%-12.4% (was 12.4%-12.5%), while adjusted diluted earnings per share is expected in the range of $11.80-$11.90 (was $11.70-$11.90), the midpoint above consensus of $11.81. Our fair value estimate of $242 for Lowe’s shares is roughly in-line with where the firm’s equity is trading, and while its recently raised guidance was well-received, we remain on the sidelines with respect to the company in the newsletter portfolios. Shares yield 1.9%.
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