George Soros May Face a Monster Tax Bill

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues.

Description: George Soros likes to say the rich should pay more taxes. A substantial part of his wealth, though, comes from delaying them. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: April 30, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-30/george-soros-s-tax-bill Questions for Discussions: How has George Soros benefited financially from the tax code? Do you think it is unethical to allow this sort of… Read more »

Hulu doesn’t need ‘Friends’ after ‘Seinfeld’ deal

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: The streaming service is paying $180 million for all nine seasons of the classic NBC comedy ‘Seinfeld.’ Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: April 29, 2015 Link: http://for.tn/1EpC4Kb Questions for Discussions: How would you go about evaluating a dollar value offer for these series? Do you think the deal for Seinfeld is fair for… Read more »

$125 or $185? What Apple stock is worth

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Description: Apple just delivered nothing short of a profit party last night – topping just about every financial metric possible. But the stock isn’t doing anything. How can that be? Source: USAToday.com Date: April 28, 2015 Link: http://americasmarkets.usatoday.com/2015/04/28/what-is-apple-really-worth/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the different valuations of Apple. Which do you subscribe to?

You scratch his back, he’ll scratch mine and I’ll scratch yours: Why CEOs give each other raises

Posted by & filed under Management Issues.

Description: Who tends to determine what a CEO should be paid? The compensation committee. Who tends to sit on the compensation committee? CEOs from other companies, of course. Source: FinancialPost.com Date: April 28, 2015 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/executive/leadership/you-scratch-his-back-hell-scratch-mine-and-ill-scratch-yours-why-ceos-give-each-other-raises Questions for Discussions: What is “anticipated reciprocity? Explain the experiments and the results derived. How can the system be… Read more »

How Will Marissa Mayer Turn Around Yahoo?

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Description: Bloomberg’s Brian Womack and Paul Sweeney discuss the mounting challenges that Marissa Mayer will face in Yahoo’s turnaround plan with Emily Chang on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg) Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: April 21, 2015 Link: http://bloom.bg/1yPAWjZ Questions for Discussions: What are the financial problems at Yahoo!? What do investors want to see?… Read more »

Will Groupon’s financial engineering tactics pay off?

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Management Issues.

Description: The company divested in their Korean subsidiary Ticket Monster. Fortune’s Andrew Nusca and Erin Griffith examine whether this decision will please stockholders. Source: Fortune.com Date: April 20, 2015 Link: http://for.tn/1cRYv1x Questions for Discussions: Do you think the strategy is a good one for the company or for existing stockholders? How should investors consider the… Read more »

Comcast’s Track Record in Past Deals May Be Hitch for Merger With Time Warner Cable

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: In July 2013, executives from the three companies that co-owned Hulu — Comcast, 21st Century Fox and Walt Disney — had a conversation about their joint venture. Hulu, the video streaming service, had been on the auction block, and lucrative bids had come in from two Comcast rivals, AT&T and the satellite operator DirecTV,… Read more »

McDonald’s Corp CEO promises turnaround plan after six straight quarters of slumping sales

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues.

Description: McDonald’s Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook promised to give details of his turnaround plan for the struggling chain next month, following another quarter of declining sales and profit. Source: FinancialPost.com/Bloomberg.com Date: April 22, 2015 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/investing/mcdonalds-ceo-promises-turnaround-plan-after-six-straight-quarters-of-slumping-sales Questions for Discussions: Why did the stock jump on the news of a plan? Do you think… Read more »

François Rochon: The experience of investing in CarMax

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues.

Description: This week, I thought I would provide an update on a company I’ve written about a few times over the years: CarMax. The company is the United States’ largest retailer of used vehicles. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., CarMax operates 146 used car stores in 74 markets. The CarMax consumer offer features low, no-haggle prices, a… Read more »

Montreal’s David’s Tea brewing up U.S. IPO with US$75-million expansion plan

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues.

Description: Montreal-based David’s Tea will file for an initial public offering of its shares in the United States with an aim to raise US$75 million to fuel its North American expansion plans. Source: FinancialPost.com Date: April 06, 2015 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/montreals-davids-tea-brewing-up-u-s-ipo-with-us75-million-expansion-plan Questions for discussion: What are the positive aspects that make this IPO interesting to investors?… Read more »