Core Viewpoint - Starbucks' dividend growth, which has seen a remarkable increase of 1,140% since its first dividend in 2010, is expected to come to an end, with signs indicating a halt in dividend hikes later this year [1][2]. Dividend Growth Trends - From 2010 to 2020, Starbucks averaged a 24.5% annual increase in dividends, but growth has significantly slowed since 2021 [4]. - The quarterly payouts and annual dividend increases from 2021 to 2025 are as follows: - 2021: $0.49 per share, 8.9% increase - 2022: $0.53 per share, 8.2% increase - 2023: $0.57 per share, 7.5% increase - 2024: $0.61 per share, 7% increase - 2025: $0.62 per share, 1.6% increase [5]. Financial Indicators - The payout ratio has surged above 200%, indicating that Starbucks is spending more than twice its net income on dividends, which raises concerns about sustainability [6][8]. - Cash flow from operations has decreased from approximately $5.6 billion a year ago to just under $4.3 billion currently, further complicating the dividend outlook [9]. - Starbucks has not repurchased shares since 2024, and the employee stock investment plan is increasing the number of shares outstanding, which dilutes the share price [11]. Market Context - The current market capitalization of Starbucks is $113 billion, with a current price of $97.54 and a dividend yield of 2.48% [13]. - The suspension of the buyback program in 2022 by the then-CEO Howard Schultz has contributed to a decline in share prices, as cash was redirected towards operational investments [13].

Core Insights - Ichor Holdings significantly exceeded Q4 earnings expectations and provided optimistic guidance for future performance [1][3] Financial Performance - Ichor reported non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.07 for Q4, surpassing Wall Street's average estimate of a loss of $0.06 per share [3] - Sales for the quarter reached $223.6 million, exceeding the average analyst target by $2.76 million [3] - Year-over-year revenue declined by 4%, but demand in the semiconductor segment and growth in commercial manufacturing contributed to a strong earnings performance [4] Margin Analysis - The adjusted gross margin decreased to 11.7% from 12% in the same quarter last year, but management indicated that margin improvement initiatives are in early stages [4] - For the upcoming quarter, gross margins are projected to rise to between 12% and 13% [7] Future Outlook - Ichor anticipates continued growth in commercial manufacturing, potentially outpacing semiconductor sales growth [6] - The company expects Q1 sales to range between $240 million and $260 million, indicating a year-over-year growth of approximately 12% at the midpoint [7] - Adjusted earnings per share for the current quarter are projected to be between $0.08 and $0.16, suggesting earnings will remain consistent with the previous year's quarter despite increased growth-related expenditures [7]

Core Viewpoint - Oscar Health's stock rose nearly 2% due to unexpectedly optimistic guidance for the fourth quarter, despite missing analyst estimates on trailing results [1] Financial Performance - Oscar's total revenue for Q4 2025 was $2.8 billion, reflecting a 17% increase from the previous year [2] - The company's net loss deepened to approximately $353 million ($1.24 per share) from a loss of nearly $154 million in Q4 2024 [2] Analyst Expectations - Analysts had projected Oscar to perform better, with average revenue estimates at $3.1 billion and a net loss estimate of $0.89 per share [4] Membership Growth - Oscar reported a significant increase in membership, with total members exceeding 2 million, up from under 1.7 million in the same period last year [4] Future Outlook - The company provided a bullish full-year revenue guidance of $18.7 billion to $19 billion, with operational earnings projected between $250 million and $450 million [7] - This revenue projection is significantly higher than the consensus analyst estimate of under $12.8 billion [8]

The SPAC is a vehicle for a pure-play quantum company.Special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Churchill Capital Corp X (CCCX +15.14%) was special to investors on Tuesday. The business set to merge into it (a trendy way to go public) reported some very encouraging news, leading investors to load up on the SPAC. Its price closed the day 15% higher.A SPAC in spaceThe company maneuvering to park itself into Churchill Capital is Infleqtion, which has attracted notice as a differentiated, pure-play quantum com ...

Core Viewpoint - Alphabet's significant increase in capital expenditure (capex) to between $175 billion and $185 billion for 2026 is expected to benefit Broadcom substantially, positioning it as a major winner from this spending surge [1][2]. Group 1: Capital Expenditure Details - Alphabet's capex for 2026 is a substantial rise from $91 billion in 2025, with approximately 60% allocated to servers and 40% to long-duration assets like data centers and networking equipment [1][2]. - The spending on servers will primarily focus on semiconductor chips, while long-duration assets will include networking equipment such as Ethernet switches and fiber optic cables [2]. Group 2: Broadcom's Role and Revenue Potential - Broadcom co-develops Alphabet's tensor processing units (TPUs), essential for Alphabet's AI workloads, and earns around $13,000 in revenue for each chip produced [4]. - Broadcom is a leader in networking, with its Tomahawk Ethernet switches being the industry standard for large-scale data centers, contributing to higher gross margins compared to its custom AI ASIC chip business [5]. Group 3: Financial Impact and Growth Projections - Citigroup estimates indicate that Alphabet accounted for nearly $13 billion in Broadcom's ASIC revenue in fiscal 2025, representing about 17% of Alphabet's capex for that period [6]. - With Alphabet's increased focus on TPUs, Broadcom's TPU revenue from Alphabet could potentially double or triple next year, alongside a significant rise in networking revenue [6]. - Broadcom has secured a $21 billion order from Anthropic for TPUs to be delivered this year, which could lead to a doubling of its total revenue from $63.9 billion in fiscal 2026 [8].

Core Viewpoint - Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) has demonstrated exceptional dividend growth, significantly outperforming the S&P 500, which has seen a 376% increase in dividends since 2000, averaging 4.76% annually [1][2]. Group 1: Dividend Growth - Canadian Natural Resources has achieved a staggering 9,300% increase in dividends since 2001, with an average annual growth rate of 21% [5]. - The company began paying dividends in 2001 at $0.00625 per share, which tripled within five years, and by 2021, the dividend had increased by 553% from 2011 levels [3][5]. - Current quarterly payouts are 100% higher than those from five years ago, showcasing consistent growth [3]. Group 2: Financial Performance - In the last year, Canadian Natural Resources generated an operating cash flow of $14.8 billion, which comfortably covers the $3.6 billion required for its current dividend payments [6]. - The company has the potential to increase its dividend payouts by another 21% in 2026 while still maintaining over $10 billion in operating cash flow [6]. Group 3: Market Position - The current dividend yield of Canadian Natural Resources stands at 4.3%, nearly four times the average yield of the S&P 500, making it an attractive option for income-seeking investors [7]. - The company can remain profitable as long as oil prices stay above $21 per barrel, thanks to its industry-leading operating costs [7].

Core Insights - The Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHQ) focuses on U.S. Treasuries, while the State Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Corporate Bond ETF (SPLB) offers corporate credit risk and a higher yield [1][9] - SCHQ has a lower expense ratio and is more concentrated in government bonds, whereas SPLB provides broader exposure to corporate bonds [4][6] Cost and Size Comparison - SCHQ has an expense ratio of 0.03%, while SPLB has a slightly higher expense ratio of 0.04% [3][4] - As of the latest data, SPLB has a 1-year return of 6.5% compared to SCHQ's 3.6% [3] - SPLB offers a dividend yield of 5.2%, higher than SCHQ's 4.5% [3][4] - SPLB has assets under management (AUM) of $1.2 billion, while SCHQ has $925 million [3] Performance and Risk Comparison - Over the past five years, SPLB experienced a maximum drawdown of 31.8%, while SCHQ had a drawdown of 38.5% [5] - The growth of $1,000 invested over five years would result in $889 for SPLB and $729 for SCHQ [5] Portfolio Composition - SCHQ holds 98 securities, all in U.S. government bonds, reflecting its focus on government debt [6] - SPLB has a much broader portfolio with 2,959 holdings, targeting investment-grade corporate bonds across various sectors [7] Investment Implications - SPLB provides higher yields and diversification, which may mitigate the risks associated with corporate debt [9] - SCHQ is suitable for investors seeking reliable income from U.S. government bonds, but SPLB outperformed SCHQ during the 2022 drawdown [10] - The potential for lower interest rates and improving economic conditions may favor SPLB as a better investment option moving forward [10]

Group 1 - Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) is set to be acquired for $6.2 billion in an all-cash deal by Mubadala Capital and TWG Global, with a cash price of $2.43 per share [2][4] - The acquisition announcement led to a significant increase in CCO's stock price, rising 8.22% to close at $2.37, with trading volume reaching 63.9 million shares, which is approximately 1,819% above its three-month average [2][4] - CCO has experienced a decline of 88% since its IPO in 2005, indicating a challenging market position prior to the acquisition [2] Group 2 - The acquisition includes a 45-day "go-shop" period during which CCO can consider other potential acquisition offers [5] - Investors will still have options for outdoor advertising investments after the acquisition, including Boston Omaha, Lamar Advertising, and OUTFRONT Media [5] - The broader advertising industry is seeing movements, with Omnicom Group's stock increasing by 3.24% as investors evaluate consolidation and scale advantages [3]

Core Insights - Quantum computing is an emerging technology with significant long-term investment potential, projected to reach a market value of $1 trillion or more in the next decade [2]. Company Summaries IonQ - IonQ is a leading pure-play stock in the quantum computing sector, having invested in the technology for over 20 years [4]. - The company's Tempo computing system offers a computational space 36 quadrillion times larger than competitors, indicating its potential [4]. - IonQ's revenue grew by 222% year-over-year in Q3, with estimates predicting revenue of $192 million for the current fiscal year and $316 million for the next [5]. - The current market cap of IonQ is $13 billion, with a stock price of $35.48, but it has experienced a 58% decline from its recent peak [6][8]. - IonQ's stock trades at a high sales multiple of 109, reflecting the early-stage nature of the technology and the associated risks [8]. Nvidia - Nvidia is a major supplier of GPUs and sees quantum computing as a new market to expand its leadership [9][11]. - The company provides high-speed interconnects that link GPUs to quantum chips, facilitating accelerated computing for quantum systems [11]. - Nvidia generated $99 billion in net income on $187 billion in revenue over the past 12 months, showcasing its financial strength [12]. - The stock trades at 24 times this year's earnings estimate, presenting an attractive valuation compared to IonQ [13].

Another trillion-dollar stock has become the apple of billionaires' eyes.For much of the last three decades, investors have had a game-changing technology or hyped trend to capture their attention and capital. Some of these popular trends include the advent and proliferation of the internet, genome decoding, nanotechnology, 3D printing, blockchain technology, cannabis, and the metaverse.But on rare occasions, two growth-altering trends have coexisted. Right now, investors are privy to the evolution of artif ...