Private equity firms have relied on institutional investors to raise money to (usually) buy distressed companies, turn them around and sell them for a profit. This old way of fundraising is slowly dying. Several PE firms have acquired or bought stakes in insurance companies. Using premiums, they funnel money into leveraged, risky and illiquid assets.Continue reading “Apollo Global Management Analysis – February 2024”
Category Archives: business
Thoughts on Return on Equity – January 2024
Return on Equity (ROE) is a measure of profitability and of managerial performance. ROE is routinely used to compare a company to its peers to try to gauge the company’s efficiency of turning shareholder investments into profits. It is calculated by dividing Net Income by Shareholder Equity. It is generally calculated at or over aContinue reading “Thoughts on Return on Equity – January 2024”
Archer-Daniels-Midland Analysis – January 2024
Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM) procures, transports, stores, processes, and merchandises agricultural commodities, products, and ingredients. It operates through 3 segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrates and Nutrition. News came out today that the company expects its Nutrition business to report its operating profit down by 18% and that the company is being investigated by the SEC forContinue reading “Archer-Daniels-Midland Analysis – January 2024”
Guyana Invasion & Red Sea Attacks – December 2023
Venezuela recently had a vote on whether to absorb two-thirds of current land of Guyana, its neighbour. Whether the vote was fixed or not, the result was 95% yes. Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s leader, might try to invade whilst the United States is distracted with the war In Israel and Ukraine. Maduro’s government-run oil company hasContinue reading “Guyana Invasion & Red Sea Attacks – December 2023”
Basel III & Banana plantations – December 2023
Basel III is an international regulatory accord that introduced a set of reforms designed to mitigate risk within the banking sector by requiring banks to maintain certain leverage ratios and keep certain levels of reserve capital on hand. Basel III Endgame is currently under preliminary consultation with bosses of big banks discussing it in CongressContinue reading “Basel III & Banana plantations – December 2023”
VF Corp Analysis & Natural rate of Interest – November 2023
VF Corp (NYSE: VFC) is an apparel manufacturer. It provides products under the names: The North Face, Timberland, Smartwool, Icebreaker, Altra, Vans, Supreme, Kipling, Napapijri, Eastpak, JanSport and Dickies. VF Corp has had impairment charges in 2 of the last four quarters relating to Supreme. VF reported its quarterly results today, taking a big hitContinue reading “VF Corp Analysis & Natural rate of Interest – November 2023”
Canadian National or Canadian Pacific? Analysis – October 2023
I read an article in Globe and Mail asking which company is better, Canadian National or Canadian Pacific? So I made a small analysis. Canadian National Railway (CNR.TO)–Slowing Net Income of $5,470m in FY2017 down to $5,118m in FY2022-Net Income over 6-year period in decline whilst revenue went up from $13,041m in FY2017 to $17,107mContinue reading “Canadian National or Canadian Pacific? Analysis – October 2023”
Stella-Jones Analysis – October 2023
Stella Jones (TSX : SJ) is a publicly-listed lumber and wood production company based in Saint-Laurent, Quebec. But this isn’t your average lumber company, it has key footholds in important sub-industries of the classic wood cutting business, making comparisons to other lumber and wood companies hard to make. Utility poles (40% of sales) increased to $1,227mContinue reading “Stella-Jones Analysis – October 2023”
Vermillion Energy Analysis – September 2023
Vermillion Energy (TSX : VET) is a publicly-listed oil & gas exploration and production company. It is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Vermillion used to have a high-paying dividend until the co-vid pandemic forced the company to cut it. It has spent recent years paying off its debt and is set to re-establish its dividend after itContinue reading “Vermillion Energy Analysis – September 2023”
General Mills Analysis – September 2023
General Mills (NYSE: GIS) is a publicly-listed consumer-defensive company that focuses on packaged foods. It has had a rough year with its stock price down almost 18% from a year ago. Is it a buying opportunity? Compared to its peers, it is fairly valued but generally more profitable with higher-quality and healthier products. The companyContinue reading “General Mills Analysis – September 2023”
Devlin Demontigny 