"The learning curve is definitely real," Microsoft's (MSFT) head of marketing and finance tells the Financial Times, in a partial explanation of why the company will reportedly change "key aspects" of how Windows 8 works when a new version is released later this year. The company's apparent about-face is being likened to Coke's infamous New Coke debacle and it appears MSFT will attempt to appease those whose difficulties adjusting to the tablet-like interface have prompted calls for the return of a more familiar PC experience. [View news story]
Most software companies feel like they need to change things around from time to time, just so they can say "new and improved". Then the spinmeisters take the stage and tell us all why they made the new changes and how it will change our lives. In the case of Microsoft and the introduction of Windows 8m they had to have countless peer groups seeing how they liked it and whether or not it was user friendly. One can only wonder how in hell they came to the conclusions that they did. I for one have never found another human being who had used Windows previously and found Windows 8 to their liking. Why Microsoft (or any other company) would take the risk of antagonizing paying customers is clearly above my pay grade. Apparently Microsoft thinks they can change peoples perception just by telling them that is what they need. At the end of the day Microsoft will either declare a mia culpa and revert or they will be replaced by a more foreward thinking software company. At this point, the later would seem to be the most likely.
Dell (DELL) has warned that its operating profit will come in at $3B in FY 2014, down from a previous internal forecast of up to $5.6B, while its revenue will fall by $10B over four years. The dire outlook came in a 274-page preliminary proxy statement that seeks to persuade investors why Michael Dell's $13.65/share offer, which would take the company private, is better than higher bids from Blackstone (BX) and Carl Icahn, which would keep the firm public. [View news story]
Chesapeake Energy (CHK) appointed COO Steven Dixon as interim CEO on Friday and made him part of a three-person committee to search for a replacement for Aubrey McClendon, who bid a teary goodbye to employees. “Advanced” negotiations with an unnamed candidate for the top job reportedly broke down yesterday. [View news story]
Somewhere along the way, McClendon lost sight of the ball. Instead of remembering that Chesapeake was now a public held entity, instead of his own private source of income, he chose his own path down the road of destruction. He will be remembered for an innovator and pioneer who lost his way and succumbed to the inevitable attraction known as GREED. His poor decisions have cost me a great deal of money. I, for one, am glad to see his departure.
There's more management reshuffle at E*Trade (ETFC) where Frank Petrilli will step down as chairman to be replaced by former Fidelity president Rodger Lawson. Board member Ronald Fisher is also stepping down (no replacement named yet). Paul Idzik took over as CEO last month. [View news story]
God, the moral at the top of the ETrade food chain must me abysmal...at best. This has been going on for what, 6 years now since their entry into the banking/loan business took a header into the cesspool. I am beginning to wonder if they might have been better advised to just take bankruptcy or maybe sell the company to get the debt off the books. Any relevant thoughts out there?
Carl Icahn promises "years of litigation" for Dell (DELL -0.1%) if it doesn't combine a vote on its LBO with one for an annual meeting in which Icahn will propose a friendly slate of directors, in a letter to the board. Icahn also suggests Dell would only have to raise $4.26/share ($5.25B) in new debt to finance his $9/share dividend. Larry Dignan argues "rivals will have a field day" with a debt-laden Dell should Icahn's proposal win out. But this assumes the proposal isn't just a negotiating tactic. Jefferies: "We think that Icahn would likely be satisfied with a raised bid to $15." (more) [View news story]
I tried reading "between the lines" on Icahn's threat of "years of litigation" but have not arrived at much. What is he really trying to say?
Dell LBO Deal Structure - Like Buying A Rental House With Cashback And No Money Down [View article]
As a long term retail investor of this stock, I am going to feel violated if this deal goes through and I have to sell at this price. Does the term "Raped" ring a bell with anybody?
The Kohl's LBO Thesis: Does The Math Add Up? [View article]
Like you suggest, Kohl's is a great company. They have clean, well lite, well merchandised stores in good locations. They are very easy to business with as they will take back nearly anything without the original receipt too. That is easy! They also have alot of debt. That limits them as to what they can do in their business model. What they don't have is good comp sales from quarter to quarter. I would say at this point we probably have a very old stogy board of directors in place. That is hard to change unless some hedge fund should lean on them hard enough to force a change.
Chesapeake (CHK) will no longer be run by Aubrey McClendon, but the company he founded is far from rid of him. He is entitled to ~$47M in total compensation, but the most enduring entanglement is his interests in up to 2.5% of ~45K producing wells, which could make it harder to structure a takeover deal. "It's hard for me to imagine anyone wanting to take it all on," Argus' Phil Weiss says. [View news story]
I kick myself in the shins everyday for buying that stock. Just when I thought they were tying the can to this dude and were going to be rid of him, this crops up.
Carl Icahn offers kind words for Aubrey McClendon as the Chesapeake (CHK) CEO heads for the door: "Aubrey has every right to be proud of the company he has built... and the collection of assets he has assembled... the best portfolio of energy assets in the country." CHK +10.8% AH. [View news story]
Bye, bye Aubrey. Xin Loy! Hasta Lavista Baby! I hope you won't be back. I have lost shareholder value every year for the last 5 years waiting for your "plan" to kick in.
Sirius XM Share Buyback And The Impact On Price - Part 2 [View article]
Either the share price goes up or you buy it for the dividend!!! Anytime you have to resort to such a convoluted plan as was described here you are whizzing in the wind. I see more risk than reward. Maybe it is because I have never been a fanboy of their business model or their architech, Mel K. I fail to see any reason to buy this wayward orphan.
"It's hard to find anyone who would admit to owning Kohl's (KSS), aside from me," says Brian Rogers at the Barron's Roundtable. The company had a tough 2012, but Rogers isn't worried about seasoned management blowing a fashion cycle on occasion. In the meantime free cash flow allows a 2.8% yield (set to rise soon, says Rogers), and buybacks amounting to 25% of the float over the last 3 years. [View news story]
For anyone to claim that it is acceptable for "seasoned management" to blow a fashion cycle from time to time is clearly delusional and making excuses where none is warranted. I mean they have been sucking the hind teat for over a year now. For the board to accept this type of behavior is nothing short of criminal on their part. I suspect there is some good ole boy "cronyism" in play here. You either produce or you are gone. We need a new team here.
Jabil Circuit (JBL) declares $0.08/share quarterly dividend, in line with previous. Forward yield 1.60%. For shareholders of record Feb. 15. Payable Mar. 01. Ex-div date Feb. 13. (PR) [View news story]
When I first bought shares of Jabil and Flextronics 8 or10 years ago I was firmly of the mind that the business models of both companies were sound. I further believed that both companies were poised for rapid growth because the major computer manufacturers were looking for contract assemblers to design and crank out their motherboards and components for them. Little did I realize at the time that this type of business would be such a competitive and low margin enterprise. LIve and learn, as the old saw goes.
Three members of Sirius XM Radio's (SIRI -0.6%) board resign in an unsurprising development after the company lost control of itself to Liberty Media. Leon Black, Lawrence Gilberti, and Jack Shaw stepped down to be replaced by Liberty-affiliated Mark Carleton, Robin Pringle, and Charles Tanabe. [View news story]
As someone who got in on the IPO, Siri has been nothing but a big, brown fecal ball. I remember the legions of people who were in the broadcasting industry fawning all over themselves when they described how Mel Baby was going to set the moon. I truly believe that if it were better managed they would not have to pay so much for certain hosts and content. Liberty could not do any worse than the previous management team did. So. they can only go up.
Lowe's (LOW -0.2%) says it will debut a whole slate of home networking products at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as the home improvement giant delves a bit deeper into the home electronics realm of embattled Best Buy and RadioShack. The bigger issue: As new technology emerges in the home automation frontier, Lowe's stands well-positioned to leverage its large partner base. [View news story]
Who out there actually thinks many consumers will think of Lowes when they need a Cat 5/6 cable or a wireless card? On paper it might sound plausible but in reality...not so much. Sounds like the "Bladder Theory" hard at work here.
Slow Windows 8 Sales Should Be The Least Of Microsoft's Worries [View article]
Like so very many of the articles appearing on the Seeking Alpha site, this article is nothing more than a regurgitation of facts gleaned elsewhere. There is absolutely nothing new here. Creative writing, it is not. It is almost like an editor said "OK, we need some filler for tomorrow, so crank out some crap, anything will do". I find most of the articles on Seeking Alpha to be equally lacking in originality and creativity. In other words...Pulp.
"The learning curve is definitely real," Microsoft's (MSFT) head of marketing and finance tells the Financial Times, in a partial explanation of why the company will reportedly change "key aspects" of how Windows 8 works when a new version is released later this year. The company's apparent about-face is being likened to Coke's infamous New Coke debacle and it appears MSFT will attempt to appease those whose difficulties adjusting to the tablet-like interface have prompted calls for the return of a more familiar PC experience. [View news story]
One can only wonder how in hell they came to the conclusions that they did. I for one have never found another human being who had used Windows previously and found Windows 8 to their liking. Why Microsoft (or any other company) would take the risk of antagonizing paying customers is clearly above my pay grade. Apparently Microsoft thinks they can change peoples perception just by telling them that is what they need. At the end of the day Microsoft will either declare a mia culpa and revert or they will be replaced by a more foreward thinking software company. At this point, the later would seem to be the most likely.
Dell (DELL) has warned that its operating profit will come in at $3B in FY 2014, down from a previous internal forecast of up to $5.6B, while its revenue will fall by $10B over four years. The dire outlook came in a 274-page preliminary proxy statement that seeks to persuade investors why Michael Dell's $13.65/share offer, which would take the company private, is better than higher bids from Blackstone (BX) and Carl Icahn, which would keep the firm public. [View news story]
Chesapeake Energy (CHK) appointed COO Steven Dixon as interim CEO on Friday and made him part of a three-person committee to search for a replacement for Aubrey McClendon, who bid a teary goodbye to employees. “Advanced” negotiations with an unnamed candidate for the top job reportedly broke down yesterday. [View news story]
There's more management reshuffle at E*Trade (ETFC) where Frank Petrilli will step down as chairman to be replaced by former Fidelity president Rodger Lawson. Board member Ronald Fisher is also stepping down (no replacement named yet). Paul Idzik took over as CEO last month. [View news story]
Carl Icahn promises "years of litigation" for Dell (DELL -0.1%) if it doesn't combine a vote on its LBO with one for an annual meeting in which Icahn will propose a friendly slate of directors, in a letter to the board. Icahn also suggests Dell would only have to raise $4.26/share ($5.25B) in new debt to finance his $9/share dividend. Larry Dignan argues "rivals will have a field day" with a debt-laden Dell should Icahn's proposal win out. But this assumes the proposal isn't just a negotiating tactic. Jefferies: "We think that Icahn would likely be satisfied with a raised bid to $15." (more) [View news story]
Dell LBO Deal Structure - Like Buying A Rental House With Cashback And No Money Down [View article]
Does the term "Raped" ring a bell with anybody?
The Kohl's LBO Thesis: Does The Math Add Up? [View article]
They also have alot of debt. That limits them as to what they can do in their business model.
What they don't have is good comp sales from quarter to quarter. I would say at this point we probably have a very old stogy board of directors in place. That is hard to change unless some hedge fund should lean on them hard enough to force a change.
Chesapeake (CHK) will no longer be run by Aubrey McClendon, but the company he founded is far from rid of him. He is entitled to ~$47M in total compensation, but the most enduring entanglement is his interests in up to 2.5% of ~45K producing wells, which could make it harder to structure a takeover deal. "It's hard for me to imagine anyone wanting to take it all on," Argus' Phil Weiss says. [View news story]
Carl Icahn offers kind words for Aubrey McClendon as the Chesapeake (CHK) CEO heads for the door: "Aubrey has every right to be proud of the company he has built... and the collection of assets he has assembled... the best portfolio of energy assets in the country." CHK +10.8% AH. [View news story]
Xin Loy!
Hasta Lavista Baby!
I hope you won't be back.
I have lost shareholder value every year for the last 5 years waiting for your "plan" to kick in.
Sirius XM Share Buyback And The Impact On Price - Part 2 [View article]
Anytime you have to resort to such a convoluted plan as was described here you are whizzing in the wind. I see more risk than reward. Maybe it is because I have never been a fanboy of their business model or their architech, Mel K.
I fail to see any reason to buy this wayward orphan.
"It's hard to find anyone who would admit to owning Kohl's (KSS), aside from me," says Brian Rogers at the Barron's Roundtable. The company had a tough 2012, but Rogers isn't worried about seasoned management blowing a fashion cycle on occasion. In the meantime free cash flow allows a 2.8% yield (set to rise soon, says Rogers), and buybacks amounting to 25% of the float over the last 3 years. [View news story]
Jabil Circuit (JBL) declares $0.08/share quarterly dividend, in line with previous. Forward yield 1.60%. For shareholders of record Feb. 15. Payable Mar. 01. Ex-div date Feb. 13. (PR) [View news story]
Three members of Sirius XM Radio's (SIRI -0.6%) board resign in an unsurprising development after the company lost control of itself to Liberty Media. Leon Black, Lawrence Gilberti, and Jack Shaw stepped down to be replaced by Liberty-affiliated Mark Carleton, Robin Pringle, and Charles Tanabe. [View news story]
Lowe's (LOW -0.2%) says it will debut a whole slate of home networking products at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as the home improvement giant delves a bit deeper into the home electronics realm of embattled Best Buy and RadioShack. The bigger issue: As new technology emerges in the home automation frontier, Lowe's stands well-positioned to leverage its large partner base. [View news story]
Slow Windows 8 Sales Should Be The Least Of Microsoft's Worries [View article]
I find most of the articles on Seeking Alpha to be equally lacking in originality and creativity. In other words...Pulp.