NonePaddy's Pointers: Four observations after Norwich's Plymouth romp
Utah Valley is on the road but looking no worse for wear. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but Utah Valley leads 34-32 over Western Georgia. If Utah Valley keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 4-1 in no time. On the other hand, Western Georgia will have to make due with an 0-7 record unless they turn things around (and fast). Utah Valley Wolverines @ Western Georgia Wolves Current Records: Utah Valley 3-1, Western Georgia 0-6 When: Tuesday, November 26, 2024 at 4 p.m. ET Where: Pete Hanna Center -- Homewood, Alabama TV: ESPN Plus Follow: CBS Sports App Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.) The Western Georgia Wolves will face off against the Utah Valley Wolverines at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Pete Hanna Center. The Wolves are looking for their season's first win. Western Georgia is headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week's over/under low at 153.5, but even that wound up being too high. They took a 64-54 hit to the loss column at the hands of Georgia Southern on Saturday. The matchup marked the Wolves' lowest-scoring contest so far this season. Meanwhile, Utah Valley skirted by Murray State 77-75 on Friday on a last-minute layup from Tanner Toolson with less than a second left in the second quarter. Carter Welling and Dominick Nelson were among the main playmakers for Utah Valley as the former almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds and the latter almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds. Western Georgia's defeat dropped their record down to 0-6. As for Utah Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 3-1. Western Georgia is hoping to beat the odds on Tuesday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. This contest will be their seventh straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 3-2-1 against the spread). Utah Valley is a big 14.5-point favorite against Western Georgia, according to the latest college basketball odds . The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Wolverines as a 15-point favorite. The over/under is 141.5 points. See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now .Financial Survey: Highwoods Properties (NYSE:HIW) versus COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP)
Some commercial drivers operating within Enugu metropolis have decried low patronage by residents, attributing it to the economic challenges in the country. They said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Saturday in Enugu. According to them, the recent increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popular called petrol by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had worsened the situation. Mr. Okwy Ozor who spoke to NAN said the profit he got from transport business had reduced since the Federal Government announced the removal of fuel subsidy and subsequent increase of pump price of the product. READ ALSO: Auto mechanics in Warri groan as patronage drops “Driving business has not been moving fine since the removal of fuel subsidy and the subsequent increase in the price of fuel,” he said. A tricycle rider, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the increase in fuel price made him to increase the transportation fare. “When we started buying petrol for N650, 00, we only increased transport fare a little and passengers were finding it difficult to pay. “Where we used to collect N100 we increased it to N150, 00 or N200 depending on the distance, but passengers will still wanted to pay the old fare. “That is why these days many people prefer to enter the big commercial buses, popularly called 911 which is cheaper than the tricycle while many have resorted to trekking,” he told NAN. READ ALSO: Badaru says FG committed to enhance security in Southeast Mr. Felix Ujah, a mini-bus driver, said that it was not the fault of the commercial drivers that the transportation fare had increase. “It is not that we, commercial drivers, do not understand the plight of the passengers, but because sometimes if you buy N7000 worth of fuel it will not take you for more than one or two days. ”So business has been bad for us since they increased fuel price. “Sometimes you will only go two rounds in the morning due school hours and after that, one can only pick few passengers until closing school hours,” he said. Mr. Caleb Onyema, a bus conductor, said he had observed that many residents, especially civil servants and students had resorted to trekking since petrol pump price increased to N1,150 as against its previous price of N980,00 READ ALSO: Get actively involved in politics, group charges Southeast women Also another commercial driver, Mr. Osita Ugwu, said he hardly make enough gain as against what he used to have before. “I spend so much but at the end of the day l cannot even realize the amount I used in fueling my vehicle. ” It is a sad situation; I call on the government to quickly resolve the issue of increase in the price of fuel so that prices of foodstuffs and other things will come down,” he said.
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024-- Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today announced the latest results of its Milliman Pension Buyout Index (MPBI). As the pension risk transfer (PRT) market continues to grow, it has become increasingly important to monitor the annuity market for plan sponsors that are considering transferring retiree pension obligations to an insurer. During October, the estimated cost to transfer retiree pension risk to an insurer in a competitive bidding process decreased from 101.7% of a plan’s accounting liabilities (accumulated benefit obligation, or ABO) to 101.2% of those liabilities. That means the estimated retiree PRT cost is now 101.2% of a plan’s ABO. During the same time period, the average annuity purchase cost across all insurers in our index also decreased, from 104.4% to 103.9%. The competitive bidding process is estimated to save plan sponsors about 2.7% of PRT costs as of October 31. “Unlike what we saw in 2023, insurers still seem to have capacity as we approach year end,” said Jake Pringle, a Milliman principal and co-author of the MPBI. “With a new insurer entering the market in 2025, and a change in the political winds, we may see fluctuations in the PRT market in the new year.” The MPBI uses the FTSE Above Median AA Curve, along with annuity purchase composite interest rates from nine insurers, to estimate the competitive and average costs of a PRT annuity de-risking strategy. Individual plan annuity buyouts can vary based on plan size, complexity, and competitive landscape. To view the complete Milliman Pension Buyout Index, go to https://www.milliman.com/mpbi . To receive regular updates with Milliman’s pension buyout analysis, contact us at pensionbuyout@milliman.com . About Milliman Milliman leverages deep expertise, actuarial rigor, and advanced technology to develop solutions for a world at risk. We help clients in the public and private sectors navigate urgent, complex challenges—from extreme weather and market volatility to financial insecurity and rising health costs—so they can meet their business, financial, and social objectives. Our solutions encompass insurance, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, and employee benefits. Founded in 1947, Milliman is an independent firm with offices in major cities around the globe. Visit us at milliman.com . View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121690052/en/ CONTACT: Jake Pringle Milliman, Inc. Tel: +1 713 202 0819 jake.pringle@milliman.com KEYWORD: WASHINGTON UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES INSURANCE FINANCE ASSET MANAGEMENT CONSULTING PERSONAL FINANCE ACCOUNTING SOURCE: Milliman, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/21/2024 02:47 PM/DISC: 11/21/2024 02:46 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121690052/en
HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. What happened at Enron? Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company's collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work and wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. Is Enron coming back? On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but "We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company's website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory claiming all birds are actually government surveillance drones. What do former Enron employees think of the company’s return? Peters said she and some other former employees are upset and think the relaunch was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, 74, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. But Sherron Watkins, Enron’s former vice president of corporate development and the main whistleblower who helped uncover the scandal, said she didn’t have a problem with the joke because comedy “usually helps us focus on an uncomfortable historical event that we’d rather ignore.” “I think we use prior scandals to try to teach new generations what can go wrong with big companies,” said Watkins, who still speaks at colleges and conferences about the Enron scandal. __ This story was corrected to fix the spelling of Ken Lay’s first name, which had been misspelled “Key.” ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70 Juan A. Lozano, The Associated PressPolitical stress: Can you stay engaged without sacrificing your mental health?
United Rentals ( NYSE:URI – Free Report ) had its price target boosted by Argus from $840.00 to $880.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. Argus currently has a buy rating on the construction company’s stock. Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup increased their price objective on United Rentals from $930.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $774.00 to $795.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $954.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $751.67. View Our Latest Report on United Rentals United Rentals Stock Performance United Rentals ( NYSE:URI – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $11.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $12.49 by ($0.69). The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.73% and a net margin of 17.12%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $11.73 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals will post 43.46 EPS for the current fiscal year. United Rentals Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.03%. Insider Transactions at United Rentals In related news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total transaction of $740,916.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,682,702.56. This represents a 30.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 82,462.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,606,661 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,300,962,000 after buying an additional 1,604,715 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the first quarter valued at approximately $332,349,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 77.7% during the second quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 457,056 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $295,626,000 after purchasing an additional 199,810 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in United Rentals by 259.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 150,152 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $97,108,000 after purchasing an additional 108,360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 4,778.7% during the 2nd quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 103,672 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $67,048,000 after purchasing an additional 101,547 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock. United Rentals Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities. Read More Receive News & Ratings for United Rentals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for United Rentals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Dell Technologies ( DELL -11.80% ) stock tumbled 11% through 10:05 a.m. ET Wednesday after the company reported mixed earnings last night. Heading into the report, analysts forecast Dell would earn $2.06 per share in Q3. Dell beat that number, reporting pro forma profits of $2.15. However, the company's quarterly revenue fell short of expectations at $24.4 billion, versus Wall Street's expected $24.7 billion. Dell Q3 earnings were a mixed bag Sales still grew 10% year over year, however, led by the company's infrastructure solutions group (server farms), which showed tremendous 34% sales growth. Client solutions, however (PCs and similar devices), suffered a 1% decline in sales. Earnings growth was even better. Non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) adjusted profits grew 14%, and GAAP profits grew 16%, but the GAAP number remains far smaller -- only $1.58 per share -- a 27% difference, suggesting Dell's not really as profitable as the "earnings beat" makes it look. Is Dell stock a buy? As demonstrated by the divergence in growth rates between servers and PCs, Dell's placing a big bet on the continued popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) functions to drive its growth. COO Jeff Clarke said in the earnings release, "AI is a robust opportunity for us, with no signs of slowing down." And "interest in our [AI products] is at an all-time high, driving record AI server orders demand of $3.6 billion in Q3 and a pipeline that grew more than 50%, with growth across all customer types." So why aren't investors impressed? The fact that sales came in just a bit lighter than expected is probably one reason. Valuation may be another. Priced at 25 times earnings today, Dell stock is actually cheaper than the average S&P 500 ( ^GSPC -0.38% ) stock, which costs closer to 31 times earnings. That makes Dell stock look like a relative bargain, but with profits only growing in the mid-teens, the stock still sells for a PEG ratio of at least 1.5, which isn't objectively cheap. I continue to be cautious on Dell stock.