(Alliance News) – Howden Joinery Group PLC on Thursday said profit was up as the company targets 1,000 depots in the UK. The London-based kitchen and joinery supplier reported that pretax profit for 2022 was GBP405.8 million, increasing 3.9% from GBP390.2 million a year ago. The company posted annual revenue of GBP2.32 billion, up 11% from GBP2.09 billion in 2021. Howden said the revenue increase reflected the strength of its local, trade-only and in-stock business model. Basic earnings per share were 65.8 pence, up 24% from 53.2p in 2021. Howden declared a final dividend of 15.9p per share, bringing the total dividend for the year to 20.6p, increasing 5.6% from 19.5p a year ago. During the period, Howden opened 30 new depots in the UK, bringing its total to 808, and refurbished 82 older depots, with 50% of depots now trading in the updated format. The company also opened 25 depots in France, closing 5, brining its total to 60. Five depots were opened in Ireland. Chief Executive Officer Andrew Livingston said: "Our markets are large and fragmented which gives us a long-term opportunity for growth. In response, we are continuing to expand our depot network, improve our product […]

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Retail Opportunity Investments Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. ( NASDAQ:ROIC – Get Rating ) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the eight research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.00. Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROIC. BTIG Research cut Retail Opportunity Investments from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Raymond James cut Retail Opportunity Investments from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 4th. Insider Activity In other news, Director Laura H. Pomerantz sold 6,425 shares of Retail Opportunity Investments stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.55, for a total value of $99,908.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 59,704 shares in the company, valued at $928,397.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be […]

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The EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT) is a leading natural gas production company with operations across the United States. The company has a strong track record of generating significant returns for its shareholders through its efficient operations and commitment to responsible resource development. EQT faced its longest bear market, lasting almost six years (69 months), following its peak in 2014. We observed that this bearish trend unfolded in an Elliott wave corrective structure, which we identified in our article back in 2019. Based on our analysis , we anticipated that the stock would reach a major bottom below $8 and subsequently experience a larger three-wave bounce in the future. EQT 2019 weekly chart Moving forward to the present time, EQT has experienced a massive rally, increasing more than 1000% in just two years. The rally unfolded in an impulsive five-wave structure, reaching its peak wave (I) at 51.97. Currently, a wave (II) is in progress as a three-wave zigzag structure, with the stock reaching the equal legs area of 29.85 – 20.49 as presented on the next chart . The blue boxes in our charts are the High-frequency areas where the Markets are likely to end cycles and make a […]

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Signage is seen outside the Blackstone Group headquarters in New York City, U.S., January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon NEW YORK, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Blackstone Inc (BX.N) , the world’s largest private equity firm, is set to raise as much as $10 billion for its tactical opportunities strategy, which gives it versatility to invest in a range of assets, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Blackstone has amassed about $5 billion for the Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Fund IV, which was initially aiming to raise only $4 billion, Reuters previously reported. It has also raised an extra $5 billion in separately managed accounts from investors that will invest alongside the main fund, said the sources, who declined to named because the matter is confidential. A Blackstone spokesperson declined to comment. Blackstone markets its tactical opportunities funds as products that provide "opportunistic capital", which is not limited to any industry, geography, or specific group of assets, enabling it to make investments from data centers and ports to dating apps and women’s wear. Blackstone has raised three previous tactical opportunities funds that cumulatively collected about $16.4 billion from investors since the first of them was first launched in 2012. Latest Updates […]

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Dear Bankless Nation, We’ve got a special issue for you today, unpacking a particularly exciting development from a massive crypto powerhouse. We’ve got a lot of details — and, of course, lots of bear and bull takes � – Bankless team � Immutable is powering the next generation of web3 games ✨ Bankless Writer: Jack Inabinet Graphic by Logan Craig Feeling blue balled, anon? CT was captivated with blue dot fever after Coinbase posted a cryptic short video designating TODAY as the big day. Optimism even joined in on the fun! Optimism (✨�_�✨) @optimismFNDtybg 5:54 PM ∙ Feb 22, 20232,242Likes478Retweets All day yesterday, CToors read between the lines, with some imagining they had discovered the legendary Arbitrum airdrop! CC2 @CC2Ventures@PC_PR1NCIPAL Might be reaching and left-curving it hard but: Optimism = Red� Arbitrum = Blue� tybg = Thank You Based God � jumps into the air [dropping], while � congratulates/thanks its closest competitor [tybg due to more TVL]. olimpio @OlimpioCrypto�� �✨ What’s going on @coinbase @optimismFND @arbitrum? https://t.co/1OkYdEd9la 6:33 PM ∙ Feb 22, 2023 I’m here to inform you that these theories are not only wrong, they’re completely off- base ! Okay, so what is happening then? Source: Coinbase Coinbase […]

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JHVEPhoto It is not often I find myself buying US technology stocks, but the collapse in Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG )(NASDAQ: GOOGL ) valuations makes a compelling case for a long position, particularly on a relative basis. After a sharp fall in equity prices and continued share buybacks, the market cap of Google has fallen by 41% from its 2021 peak. Google Market Cap (Bloomberg) The trailing PE ratio has fallen from a peak of 33x at the peak to just 18.9x, a level that was last seen in 2012. Google now trades at a steep discount to the overall market, particularly on a free cash flow to enterprise value basis, which puts Google’s valuation discount to the Nasdaq 100 at almost 50%. The sheer size of the company means future earnings growth will almost certainly be much lower than they have been in the past, but this size also comes with safety. This, together with the strong net debt position, suggests Google should perhaps be trading at higher valuations relative to the NDX and there is significant scope for relative outperformance over the coming years. On a trailing PE basis, Google now trades at a 28% discount to the […]

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Former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad said the Iowa Legislature must walk a “fine line” with bills that would restrict investments by Chinese and Iowa governmental entities. The Iowa House and Senate are moving to ban various forms of investment between the state and the People’s Republic of China. Examples of restrictions include the ownership of real property by Chinese nationals and investment of public and state board of regents funds in companies that are owned or controlled by the Chinese military or government. Iowa and China have a long, storied connection stretching back to the mid-1980s, when then-governor Branstad and then-provincial official Xi Jinping met during a trip to study American agriculture. It has continued since then. “One of the things I did as governor is I traveled the world to try to not only market our products, but also to encourage investment,” Branstad said. “I think it’s a fine line the Legislature needs to thread, to try to protect our interests, but not be so restrictive as to prevent economic development opportunities that will create good jobs in Iowa and, of course, China is a little different than some of the other ones… The big challenge […]

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Over the course of 2022, public asset classes experienced a “valuation reset,” or a market correction. We saw valuations move materially lower over the last year, with bond valuations resetting the most on the back of rates rising from 0% to 4.5% through 2022 (Source: Bloomberg, iCapital Investment Strategy, as of January 12, 2023). Equities also reset lower and at current, do not appear as expensive as they were before (Source: Bloomberg, iCapital Investment Strategy, as of January 9, 2023). This current dislocation in the public equity markets will continue to impact private market valuations in the coming quarters, presenting an attractive opportunity for investors to take advantage of the reset in valuations in the private equity space. Given the timing and information lag inherent in private markets, this dynamic has not yet been fully realized at the deal level, but further contraction in multiples is expected. While this may lead to multiple compression in existing portfolios, a valuation reset may create an attractive buying environment. Historically, private markets take six to 12 months to fully reflect the valuations environment in the public markets. We are in the midst of this private markets valuation correction, and the pricing expectations […]

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STRATMOR Group report says lenders can partner with wealth managers for mortgage business. Mortgage lenders searching for new business could find it by partnering with wealth managers and private bankers who serve high net worth (HNW) borrowers — but only if they are willing to meet exacting standards. That’s the takeaway from a report published by the STRATMOR Group in the February issue of its Insights Report. Written by STRATMOR Group Principal Jennifer Smith, it outlines how mortgage lenders can find success with this business segment, although it may require more effort than typical mortgage transactions. “Although the mortgage transaction is just that, a transaction, the savvy lender who has the chops to work with a HNW borrower and wealth manager or private banker understands that the mortgage is one piece of a bigger, and more lucrative, relationship,” Smith said. “Treating the client very well with the intent to foster a great relationship with the client’s wealth manager can pay off handsomely.” Smith said that wealth advisers who have an in-house lending option often do not want to refer mortgages to them. Instead, many advisers prefer to direct clients to a mortgage broker or other external contact — but […]

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With the help of decentralised renewable energy (DRE) technologies which are capable of mitigating intermittent electricity problems and introducing mechanisation, the rural women will be able to improve their productivity, according to the ‘Unlocking Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities for Rural Women’ report conducted by the Powering Livelihoods — a CEEW and Villgro initiative. A recent report conducted by the Powering Livelihoods — a CEEW and Villgro initiativ– has highlighted that a market opportunity worth USD 50-billion exists for clean energy-powered livelihood appliances to boost India ‘s rural economy, especially among women. In India, more than 75 per cent of all female workers are employed in agriculture and agri-allied industries such as food processing and livestock. With the help of decentralised renewable energy ( DRE ) technologies which are capable of mitigating intermittent electricity problems and introducing mechanisation, the rural women will be able to improve their productivity, according to the ‘Unlocking Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities for Rural Women’ report. The report showcases several models to mainstream women in tech-enabled livelihood opportunities using distributed renewable energy-powered technologies as a case study. "Powering Livelihoods has helped more than 13,000 end-users using programme-supported DRE livelihood technologies, out of which more than 10,400 (80 per […]

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