Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Adjusted sales were flat while adjusted operating income and EBITDA improved by 110 basis points and 160 basis points respectively [5] - EPS improved by 19% with solid margin performance in residential AgTech and infrastructure businesses [5] - Operating cash flow generated was $14 million and free cash flow was $2 million [5] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes Residential - Net sales decreased by $2.4 million or 1.3% due to lower retail store traffic and soft end market activity [12] - Adjusted operating EBITDA margins decreased by 80 and 70 basis points respectively, remaining at strong levels [13] AgTech - Net sales increased by 32.4% driven primarily by the Lane Supply acquisition [19] - Organic net sales decreased by 12.6% due to permit approval delays [19] Renewables - Adjusted net sales decreased by $7.8 million or 15.1% while bookings were up 3% [25] - Backlog decreased by 23% [25] Infrastructure - Net sales decreased by $600,000 or 2.7% due to project delays [33] - Demand remains strong with backlog increasing by 11% [33] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Year-over-year AgTech bookings increased by 226% reflecting demand in both produce and structures markets [6] - Infrastructure bookings were up 11% and renewables bookings were up 3% [6] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company plans to continue investing in organic growth and M&A opportunities, particularly in residential and AgTech segments [36] - A new three-year $200 million stock repurchase program was approved to return value to shareholders [37] - The company is focused on mitigating tariff impacts through price adjustments and operational efficiencies [10] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management reaffirmed the full-year guidance for 2025, expecting net sales between $1.4 billion and $1.45 billion [41] - The company anticipates a slower first half and a stronger second half of the year based on current backlog and bookings activity [29] - Management expressed confidence in navigating the current economic environment, citing past experiences with inflation and supply chain disruptions [9] Other Important Information - The company completed two acquisitions in the residential segment for approximately $90 million, expected to be accretive this year [17] - The backlog for project-based businesses is at a record level of $434 million, up 30% [5] Q&A Session Summary Question: Demand cadence and participation gains in residential - Management noted that real-time demand continues to flow in as expected, with participation gains starting to materialize [46][47] Question: Expected revenue and EPS contribution from recent acquisitions - The expected accretion benefit from the two recent acquisitions is about $0.15 EPS and revenue around $50 million [56] Question: Adjustments to the revenue and profit outlook for Renewables - Management indicated a 15% to 20% adjustment in the revenue outlook for Renewables due to timing issues and market uncertainties [62] Question: Supply chain and tariff impacts - Management discussed the redesign of the supply chain to mitigate tariff impacts and emphasized that they have a clear understanding of the cost implications [66][69] Question: Value addition with the direct-to-contractor model in residential - Management confirmed that the direct-to-contractor model is accretive to margins and enhances speed and service quality [70][72] Question: Current project schedules in AgTech - Management provided insights into project schedules, indicating a strong second half starting in Q2 based on signed contracts and backlog [78][81]

Core Viewpoint - Charter Communications Inc. is positioned as a strong competitor in the cable industry, demonstrating resilience through improved cash flow and subscriber retention strategies despite facing challenges from competitors and market conditions [1][5]. Financial Performance - Charter's revenue increased by 0.4%, exceeding estimates by $70 million, while EBITDA rose by 5% with a 180 basis points expansion in EBITDA margins to 42%, surpassing expectations by 80 basis points [2]. - The company reported a normalized loss of approximately 150,000 subscribers in fiscal 2024, with improvements noted in broadband and video subscriber losses compared to the first quarter of 2024 [5]. Subscriber Dynamics - Charter's broadband subscriber losses improved to 55,000 from 72,000 in the previous quarter, while video subscribers declined by 167,000 compared to a larger loss of 392,000 in the first quarter [5]. - The company is offering promotional pricing for broadband at $40 per month, while the average revenue per user (ARPU) for residential broadband subscribers is $130, compared to Comcast's $170 [4]. Market Strategy - Charter's video offerings now include OTT packages priced at $80 per month, and the company is focusing on upselling additional services despite industry-wide pricing pressures [3]. - The company has resumed stock repurchases following the Liberty Broadband acquisition vote, indicating confidence in its financial position [5]. Future Outlook - Horan projects that Charter will achieve a free cash flow per share increase of four times by 2030, with a projected free cash flow yield of approximately 27% [6][7]. - The company plans to maintain a capital expenditure of around $12 billion for fiscal 2025, decreasing to $8 billion by 2028 [6].

Market Overview - The Shanghai Composite Index rose by 0.56% to close at 3295.06 points, with a weekly high of 3313.51 points [1] - The Shenzhen Component Index increased by 1.38% to 9917.06 points, reaching a peak of 9990.03 points [1] - The ChiNext Index saw a 1.74% rise, closing at 1947.19 points, with a maximum of 1962.68 points [1] - Global markets also experienced gains, with the Nasdaq Composite up by 6.73%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by 2.48%, and the S&P 500 up by 4.59% [1] - In the Asia-Pacific region, the Hang Seng Index rose by 2.74% and the Nikkei 225 Index increased by 2.81% [1] New Stock Subscription - No new stock issuances occurred last week [2] Margin Financing and Securities Lending - The total margin financing and securities lending balance in the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets was 1.797371 trillion yuan, with a financing balance of 1.786215 trillion yuan and a securities lending balance of 11.156 billion yuan [2] - The total margin financing and securities lending balance decreased by 1.192 billion yuan compared to the previous week [2] - The Shanghai market's margin balance was 917.657 billion yuan, down by 3.729 billion yuan, while the Shenzhen market's balance was 879.714 billion yuan, up by 2.538 billion yuan [2] - A total of 3428 stocks had financing funds buying in, with 35 stocks having buy amounts exceeding 1 billion yuan, led by Shenghong Technology, Xinyi Sheng, and Dongfang Fortune [2] Fund Issuance - Fourteen new funds were issued last week, including various types such as mixed funds and ETFs [3][4] Company Buyback Amounts - A total of 21 companies announced share buybacks last week, with the highest amounts executed by Ningde Times, Lishi Group, and Huagong Technology [5] - The highest buyback amounts were in the electric equipment, machinery, and food and beverage industries [5][6]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported diluted earnings per share of $0.72, down from $0.96 in the linked quarter, with a notable $0.14 per share after-tax differential in the mortgage servicing rights fair value adjustment [21][24] - Net interest income remained unchanged at $38,500,000, while the net interest margin increased to 3.81% from 3.75% in the linked quarter, primarily due to a decline in the cost of deposits [21][22] - Deposits increased by $171,600,000 to $3,790,000,000, with the cost of deposits decreasing to 219 basis points from 229 basis points in the linked quarter [22][23] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Loans held for investment increased by $20,800,000 or 2.7% annualized to $3,080,000,000, driven by growth in commercial owner-occupied real estate loans and commercial goods and services loans [14] - The indirect auto loan portfolio grew by $7,000,000 to $243,000,000, with a decline in loans past due by more than 30 days to 41 basis points from 47 basis points [17][18] - Non-interest income decreased to $10,600,000 from $13,300,000 in the linked quarter, primarily due to a drop in mortgage banking revenues [19][20] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Loans in major metropolitan markets decreased by $18,000,000 to $1,040,000,000, with expectations of elevated early payments on loans in the first half of the year [15] - The company reported strong loan growth in the Permian market, achieving the strongest loan growth in a single quarter since entering the market in 2019 [16] - The company anticipates loan growth to trend towards the lower end of the low to mid-single digit range for the full year 2025 due to economic uncertainty [19] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on organic growth and selectively adding to its team across major metropolitan and rural markets [10] - A $15,000,000 stock repurchase program was authorized, with $8,300,000 spent to repurchase 250,000 shares in the first quarter, indicating a strategy to return value to shareholders [11] - The company remains cautious regarding M&A activity due to current market uncertainty but is positioned to capitalize on opportunities as they arise [12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the company's credit quality and its ability to perform well through economic downturns, despite potential recession risks [6][10] - The company believes it has the liquidity, capital, and team to take advantage of opportunities during economic difficulties [9] - Management expects the economic growth in Texas to remain resilient, although they are aware of the uncertainties created by external factors [19] Other Important Information - The allowance for credit losses to total loans held for investment ratio was 1.4%, with a recorded provision for credit losses of $420,000 in the first quarter [23] - Non-interest expense increased to $33,000,000 from $29,900,000 in the linked quarter, with expectations that this level will be a good run rate for the remainder of the year [24][25] - Tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio was 9.64%, with tangible book value per share increasing to $26.5 [26] Q&A Session Summary Question: On deposit costs and potential for further reduction - Management acknowledged that while significant progress has been made in reducing deposit costs, there is still room for further reductions in certain accounts [31][33] Question: Loan yields and margin expansion potential - Management indicated that while there may be some room for margin expansion, it will depend on overall liquidity and loan funding conditions [35][38] Question: Elevated loan payoffs and their impact - Management noted that payoffs were approximately $10,000,000 higher in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter, but they remain confident in their production and pipeline [41][42] Question: Current hiring landscape and mortgage hiring outlook - Management stated they are actively hiring but are selective, focusing on finding the right talent rather than increasing headcount indiscriminately [48][50] Question: Concentration of loan portfolio in energy and growth in the quarter - Management confirmed that approximately 4% of the loan portfolio is concentrated in energy, primarily driven by energy service businesses [60][63]

Core Viewpoint - Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. (GSBC) is currently on sale amid a stock market sell-off, with a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) and expected earnings growth of 7.6% in 2025 [1][13]. Company Overview - Great Southern Bancorp is the holding company for Great Southern Bank, founded in 1923 in Springfield, Missouri, and has expanded to 97 offices across 12 states [1]. - The company has a market capitalization of $619 million [3]. Financial Performance - In the first quarter of 2025, Great Southern Bancorp reported preliminary earnings of $1.47, exceeding the Zacks Consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.21 [4]. - The company has beaten earnings estimates in 4 out of the last 5 quarters [5]. - Net interest income for the quarter increased by $4.5 million, or approximately 10.1%, to $49.3 million compared to $44.8 million a year ago, driven by higher interest income on loans and lower interest expenses on deposits [5]. - Total interest income for the first quarter of 2025 was $80.2 million, reflecting higher earning asset levels and loan yields [8]. Asset Quality - As of March 31, 2025, non-performing assets totaled $9.5 million, or 0.16% of total assets, a slight decrease from $9.6 million as of December 31, 2024 [6]. - Problematic loans, including non-performing assets and potential problem loans, amounted to $17 million as of March 31, 2025, an increase from $16.6 million at the end of 2024 [5]. Shareholder Focus - In the first quarter of 2025, the company repurchased 175,000 shares and announced a new stock repurchase program of up to one million additional shares [10]. - The company currently pays a dividend with a yield of 3% [12]. Analyst Outlook - Analysts have revised their estimates for 2025, increasing the Zacks Consensus Estimate from $5.25 to $5.66, indicating an earnings growth of 7.6% from $5.26 in 2024 [13][14]. Valuation Metrics - Great Southern Bancorp's shares have pulled back in 2025, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.4, considered cheap [15][18]. - The company has a price-to-book ratio of 1.04, which is close to the threshold of 1.0, indicating a potentially attractive valuation [19].

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS) (the "Company") today announced that its Board of Directors ("Board") declared a quarterly cash dividend of fourteen cents ($0.14) per share on its common stock. The dividend is payable on May 30, 2025 to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 16, 2025. The Company also announced today that its Board has authorized an additional stock repurchase program of up to $150 million of the Company's common sto ...

Group 1 - The company has approved a share repurchase plan to buy back A-shares through centralized bidding, with a maximum price of 100 RMB per share and a total repurchase amount between 1.5 billion and 3 billion RMB [1] - The repurchase period is set for 12 months from the date of board approval, which was on April 8, 2025 [1] - The first repurchase occurred on April 9, 2025, with 1,720,300 shares bought back, representing 0.0225% of the total share capital, at a total cost of approximately 120 million RMB [1] Group 2 - The company will adhere to relevant regulations and make repurchase decisions based on market conditions during the repurchase period [2] - The company commits to timely information disclosure regarding the progress of the share repurchase [2]

Core Viewpoint - Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has authorized a stock repurchase program of up to $50 million, reflecting confidence in its strategy and future outlook while aiming to create long-term value for shareholders [1][2]. Company Overview - Emergent BioSolutions has approximately 54.3 million shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2024 [3]. - The company focuses on delivering protective and life-saving solutions for various health threats, including smallpox, mpox, botulism, Ebola, anthrax, and opioid overdose emergencies [4]. Stock Repurchase Program - The stock repurchase may occur on the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, with timing and amount determined by management based on market conditions and other factors [2]. - The program is part of the company's multi-year transformation plan aimed at driving long-term growth and profitability [2].