Core Viewpoint - Syensqo SA has successfully completed the third tranche of its €300 million share buyback program, which was initiated on February 27, 2025, and concluded on July 30, 2025 [1][2]. Group 1: Share Buyback Program Details - A total of 784,328 shares were purchased during the program, accounting for approximately 0.75% of the company's outstanding shares [2]. - The company invested €50 million in the third tranche at an average purchase price of €63.75 per share [2]. - As of July 30, 2025, the company held a total of 1,540,858 shares in treasury [3]. Group 2: Recent Transactions - In the final update of the third tranche, Syensqo repurchased 3,434 shares from July 28, 2025, to July 30, 2025, with an average price of €69.72 on CEUX and €69.65 on XBRU [3]. - The total expenditure for these recent purchases amounted to €239,309 [3]. Group 3: Historical Context - Prior to the third tranche, 445,001 shares were cancelled on May 9, 2025, and 746,031 shares were acquired under the Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) share purchase program completed on October 23, 2024 [2][5].

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported record revenue of $9.6 billion for the second quarter, reflecting a 4% year-over-year same-store revenue increase [6][12] - Diluted earnings per share (EPS) increased by 29% year-over-year, reaching $9.87, with an adjusted EPS of $10.24, marking a 2530% increase year-over-year [5][6] - Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $489 million, a 20% increase year-over-year [26] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Same-store aftersales gross profit grew by 8.5% year-over-year, with gross profit margin widening to 57.8%, a 180 basis point increase from last year [20][21] - Financing operations income more than doubled year-over-year from $7 million to $20 million, supported by a 50 basis point expansion in net interest margin to 4.6% [24][25] - New vehicle units increased by 2% year-over-year, while used vehicle units increased by 4% year-over-year [18][19] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company noted a 50% same-store sales improvement in value auto sales compared to last year [19] - The UK market showed a 3% year-over-year profitability increase, indicating resilience despite challenging industry conditions [36] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to scale high-margin adjacencies and deepen customer relationships while maintaining capital discipline [7][12] - Strategic acquisitions remain a core pillar of growth, targeting $2 to $4 billion in annual revenue from acquisitions [14][70] - The company is focused on improving store performance and expanding its digital reach to grow U.S. market share from 1.1% to 5% [15] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the ability to grow profitably and take market share, despite pressures from lower gross profit units (GPUs) [7][12] - The evolving tariff landscape and broader consumer trends are being monitored closely [7] - Management highlighted the importance of operational efficiency and cost control in navigating current market conditions [23][24] Other Important Information - Over 60% of the company's net profit comes from aftersales operations, indicating a diversified earnings stream [8][21] - The company repurchased 3% of its outstanding shares in the first half of the year, with plans to continue aggressive buybacks [15][28] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you discuss SG&A to gross profit leverage? - Management acknowledged the need for operational improvements and emphasized the focus on driving growth and productivity [34][35] Question: How is the UK market performing? - The UK operations showed a 3% year-over-year profitability increase, with effective cost management in place [36][37] Question: How does the U.S. SG&A look? - The U.S. business continues to perform well on the SG&A front, with ongoing focus on cost control [41][42] Question: What is the outlook for DFC growth? - DFC is on a growth trajectory, with expectations for continued strong performance in the coming quarters [48][49] Question: How much of the aftersales growth is due to last year's issues? - Over 50% of the stronger same-store sales growth in aftersales can be attributed to lapping last year's CDK issues [75] Question: How will tariffs impact pricing? - Management indicated that manufacturers are already adapting to mitigate tariff impacts, and the company is well-positioned to manage these changes [98][100]

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Bitfarms stock spikes after announcing 50 million share buyback, CEO says its Bitcoin business is 'underappreciated' https://t.co/UvSldKp8ZB ...

Core Viewpoint - Citigroup Inc. shares reached a new 52-week high of $88.82, closing at $87.60, with a 35.3% increase over the past year, compared to the industry's 41.2% growth [1][9] Financial Performance - Citigroup passed the Federal Reserve's 2025 stress test, indicating strong capital to absorb significant losses [4] - The company plans to increase its quarterly dividend by 7% to 60 cents per share starting in Q3 2025, pending board approval [5] - Citigroup's current dividend yield is 2.56%, higher than Wells Fargo's 1.94% and Bank of America's 2.14% [6] Capital Management - Citigroup has a $20 billion stock repurchase program, with $1.75 billion in shares bought back in Q1 2025 and a similar target for Q2 [7] - As of March 31, 2025, Citigroup's cash and investments totaled $761 billion, with total debt at $317.5 billion, indicating a strong liquidity position [8] Business Restructuring - The company is simplifying its governance structure, reducing management layers from 13 to eight, and has announced plans to eliminate 20,000 jobs over two years, saving $2-2.5 billion annually by 2026 [10][11] - Citigroup is exiting consumer banking operations in 14 markets, having successfully exited in nine countries, which is expected to free up capital for higher-return segments [12][16] Revenue Growth - Citigroup's net interest income (NII) has a CAGR of 8.4% from 2020 to 2024, with expectations of a 2-3% increase in 2025 [16][17] - The company is expanding its presence in private credit through partnerships, including a $25 billion direct lending initiative with Apollo Global Management [18][19] Estimates and Valuation - Consensus estimates suggest a 3.5% and 3.2% increase in sales for 2025 and 2026, respectively, with earnings expected to rise by 23.2% and 27.6% [20] - Citigroup's current P/E ratio is 10.46x, lower than the industry average of 15.06x, indicating a potentially undervalued stock [22][25] Strategic Outlook - Citigroup's strong capital levels, operational efficiency improvements, and strategic exits position it for long-term growth, despite rising expenses and a complex overhaul plan [26][27]

At IPO, I think Larry Ellison owned something like 23% of Oracle. Typically, that goes down over time. He now owns 41% of Oracle.What's he done. Every year, he's run that business superbly. It's got 43% operating margins and he's used that cash to buy back shares.He hasn't sold any. So, his ownership has just gone up over time. Two things happened this year.One is the stock really popped 40% and he got a lot of cloud credit. But the interesting thing is this is the year he actually abandoned the buyback str ...

Glencore plans to buy back up to $1 billion of its shares following the completion of the sale of its agricultural business to Bunge https://t.co/E5viAz3ekq ...

Core Viewpoint - NB Private Equity Partners (NBPE) announced its monthly NAV estimate for May 2025, reporting a NAV per share of $27.24 (£20.20) with a total return of (0.2%) for the month [1][5]. NAV Highlights - As of 31 May 2025, the NAV total return (TR) was 0.7% year-to-date and 2.0% over one year, while the three-year and five-year annualized returns were 13.2% and 9.9%, respectively [3]. - The MSCI World TR showed a stronger performance with a year-to-date return of 5.2% and a one-year return of 47.1% [3]. - The share price TR in GBP was reported at (7.9%) year-to-date, with a one-year return of 7.9% [3]. Portfolio Update - The NAV performance was influenced by $66 million in realizations year-to-date [4]. - The fair value of private company valuations decreased by (0.4%) during Q1 2025, while quoted holdings increased in value by $8 million [5][6]. - As of 31 May 2025, NBPE had $285 million in available liquidity, including $75 million in cash and liquid investments [8]. Share Buybacks - Approximately 51,000 shares were repurchased in May 2025 at a weighted average discount of 30%, contributing approximately $0.01 per share to NAV [10]. - Year-to-date, a total of 738,000 shares have been repurchased at a weighted average discount of 29%, which added approximately $0.11 per share to NAV [10]. Portfolio Valuation - The fair value of NBPE's portfolio as of 31 May 2025 was $972.5 million, representing 77.5% of total investments [11]. - The portfolio is primarily concentrated in North America (77%) and Europe (22%) [12]. - The industry distribution shows significant investments in Tech, Media & Telecom (22%) and Consumer/E-commerce (22%) [12].

Core Points - Scatec ASA will initiate a buyback of up to 68,533 shares for a total maximum amount of NOK 9,600,000, with the buyback period running until 30 June 2025 [1] - The purpose of the buyback is to acquire shares for the Company's Employee Share Purchase Programme, as previously announced [2] - DNB Bank ASA has been engaged to carry out the buyback, which is authorized by the Board of Directors to purchase up to 3,500,000 shares at a minimum of NOK 1 and a maximum of NOK 1,000 per share [3] - All acquisitions will be executed on Euronext Oslo Børs, and the buyback programme may be discontinued at any time based on market conditions [4] Company Overview - Scatec is a leading renewable energy solutions provider, focusing on developing, building, owning, and operating renewable energy plants, with 6.2 GW in operation and under construction across five continents [5] - The Company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol 'SCATC' [5]

Performance Overview - The company reported a Portfolio Return on a Local Currency Basis of 0.6% for the three months ended 30 April 2025, but a negative return of (2.4)% when converted to Sterling due to foreign exchange effects [3][17] - The NAV per Share Total Return for the quarter was (2.6)%, with a closing NAV per Share of 2,011p [3][17] - Over the last five years, the company has achieved an annualised NAV per Share Total Return of 14.8% [3][17] Investment Activity - Total New Investments during the quarter amounted to £48m, with £25m in Primary investments, £15m in Direct investments, and £8m in Secondary investments [22][19] - Total Proceeds for the quarter were £149m, including £62m from the sale of a portion of the Portfolio at a 5.5% discount and £48m from the sale of Minimax, the largest portfolio company [3][22] - The company made five new fund commitments totaling £76m during the quarter [20] Financial Position - The company maintained a robust balance sheet with a low gearing ratio of 3% and total available liquidity of £201.5m as of 30 April 2025 [3][24][27] - The cash balance increased to £7.5m from £3.9m at the end of January 2025, while drawn debt decreased to £52.3m [27][24] Dividend Policy - A first quarter dividend of 9p per share was declared, with intentions to pay total dividends of at least 38p per share for FY26, up from 36p in FY25 [3][28] - The company has a progressive dividend policy, reflecting its commitment to returning value to shareholders [28] Portfolio Composition - As of 30 April 2025, the Portfolio was valued at £1,386m, with 86% of the Portfolio valued using valuations from 31 March 2025 or later [15][17] - The Portfolio composition included 51% in Primary investments, 34% in Direct investments, and 15% in Secondary investments [13][12]