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CHICAGO, Dec. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of Oil-Dri Corporation of America ODC today declared quarterly cash dividends of $0.155 per share of the Company's Common Stock and $0.1165 per share of the Company's Class B Stock. The dividend amount has been proportionately reduced to reflect the anticipated two-for-one stock split, in the form of a stock dividend, where stockholders of record at the close of business on December 20, 2024, the record date of the stock split, will receive one additional share of Common Stock for every share of Common Stock held on the record date, and one additional share of Class B Stock for every share of Class B Stock held on the record date. Oil-Dri expects the additional shares will be distributed after market close on January 3, 2025. The cash dividends will be payable on March 7, 2025 to stockholders of record at the close of business on February 21, 2025. Oil-Dri has paid cash dividends continuously each year since 1974 and has increased dividends annually for twenty-one consecutive years. The Company's press release outlining its performance for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 will be issued after the close of the U.S. stock market on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Oil-Dri will host an earnings discussion via a live webcast on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. Participation details will be posted on the Company's website's Events page approximately one week prior to the call. About Oil-Dri Corporation of America Oil-Dri Corporation of America ("Oil-Dri") is a leading manufacturer and supplier of specialty sorbent products for the pet care, animal health and nutrition, fluids purification, agricultural ingredients, sports field, industrial and automotive markets. Oil-Dri is vertically integrated which enables the Company to efficiently oversee every step of the process from research and development to supply chain to marketing and sales. With over 80 years of experience, the Company continues to fulfill its mission to Create Value from Sorbent Minerals . To learn more about the Company, please visit oildri.com . Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may contain forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are based on our current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our future performance, our business, our beliefs and our management's assumptions. In addition, we, or others on our behalf, may make forward-looking statements in other press releases or written statements, or in our communications and discussions with investors and analysts in the normal course of business through meetings, webcasts, phone calls and conference calls. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "expect," "outlook," "forecast," "would," "could," "should," "project," "intend," "plan," "continue," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "anticipate," "may," "assume," "potential," "strive," and similar references to future periods. Such statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, those described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, intended, expected, believed, estimated, projected, planned or otherwise expressed in any forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except to the extent required by law, we do not have any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements after the distribution of this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, or otherwise. Contact: Leslie A. Garber Director of Investor Relations Oil-Dri Corporation of America InvestorRelations@oildri.com (312) 321-1515 This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.None
UW-Stout marriage and family therapy professor awarded for advancing AI integration with therapyAI and crypto drove gains in this year's top 5 tech stocks
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott is the quarterback of the near future for the Dallas Cowboys. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones will have to decide soon whether he feels the same about coach Mike McCarthy. Cooper Rush is making a good case to stay as Prescott’s backup. If Rush can help pull an upset in either of the final two games at Philadelphia on Sunday or home against Washington, he’ll have a winning record in three different seasons filling in for Dallas’ injured star QB. It was 1-0 in 2021 when Prescott had a calf strain, 4-1 a year later after Prescott broke a thumb in a season-opening loss and now 4-3 following a season-ending hamstring tear for the three-time Pro Bowler. Rush, who is a free agent after the season, helped keep a playoff season on track in 2022. He couldn’t do that again this season, losing the first two starts to cap a five-game losing streak that was too much for Dallas to overcome in pursuit of a fourth consecutive postseason trip for the defending NFC East champions. The Cowboys (7-8) were eliminated a few hours before kickoff against Tampa Bay on Sunday night. They won anyway, the 26-24 victory costing the Buccaneers control of their playoff fate. RELATED COVERAGE Texans WR Tank Dell out for season after dislocating knee, tearing ACL Former NFL great Michael Vick introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach Netflix is airing 2 NFL games on Christmas Day. Here’s what to know Rush had a career high for passing yards in a half with 226 before the break, and the defense made the big plays late when the offense couldn’t run out the clock. A week earlier, Rush threw a career-best three touchdown passes in a 30-14 victory over Carolina. “I think you’ve just seen a man take full advantage of his opportunities,” McCarthy said. “And what I love about Cooper is, you look at his performance, it’s improved every week because he’s always prepared properly. He’s an ace in the quarterback room, as far as getting ready each and every week even when he wasn’t the starter.” Last year, Dallas traded for Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick by San Francisco in 2021, to play behind Prescott and Rush and give the Cowboys another consideration for the future. There’s been plenty of talk about the Cowboys seeing what they have in a young QB who flamed out quickly with the 49ers. Lance’s contract is up after the season as well. Dallas has been steadfast in believing Rush was the best option to win now, and made winning a priority even as the playoff hopes faded. Now, it appears whatever future Lance has will be elsewhere. Like any QB, Rush would love a chance to start full time. He’s also 31 and knows a good situation when he sees one, even if the Cowboys did at one point give up on him by going with Andy Dalton as the backup in 2020. Rush returned later in that pandemic-altered season, and is about to finish an uninterrupted four-season run behind Prescott. “This is ball,” Rush said. “This is what you do. You get paid to do it. I don’t think people need much more motivation.” What’s working WR CeeDee Lamb simply won’t let an injured right shoulder sideline him this season. He has at least 100 yards receiving in the first half of the past two games and has surpassed 100 catches for the third time in his five seasons. Only two other receivers have done the latter. What needs help The Dallas run game was finally stuffed after a lengthy stretch of helping control games. McCarthy half-expected it against the usually stout rushing defense of the Bucs. The Cowboys had 31 yards rushing, their fewest in a win in almost four decades. Stock up K Brandon Aubrey had two 58-yard field goals and another from 53 against Tampa. He and Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn are in an intriguing duel for an NFL record. Aubrey has 14 field goals of at least 50 yards to 13 for Fairbairn this season. Whichever kicker finishes with more will have the record, unless they end up sharing it. Stock down Rookie LT Tyler Guyton might be better off watching the final two games as long as veteran Chuma Edoga stays healthy. They rotated early, but Guyton ended up getting just seven snaps. Guyton has been battling a variety of injuries this season. Injuries LB Eric Kendricks couldn’t go because of a calf injury, opening the door for Nick Vigil to play a season-high 69 snaps and lead the Cowboys with 10 tackles. It had been six weeks since Vigil played any defensive snaps. Key number 10 — Star edge rusher Micah Parsons needs half a sack to reach double digits in each of his first four seasons. He would be the fifth player to do it. The other four are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Next steps Rush is 9-2 as a starter against teams other than Philadelphia. He’s 0-2 against the Eagles, including a 34-6 loss in his first start after Prescott’s injury this season. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflA chorus of support is growing behind actress Blake Lively after she filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment and a smear campaign against "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni. Actress Amber Heard on Monday became the latest celebrity to speak out on behalf of the "Gossip Girl" alum over what she says was a coordinated social media effort to tarnish her name. Over the weekend, Lively filed a complaint claiming that Baldoni and a lead producer had behaved unacceptably during the filming of box office hit "It Ends With Us." The allegations included that Baldoni -- who also directed the film -- had spoken inappropriately about his sex life, and had sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to. They also detailed how lead producer Jamey Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away. But the complaint goes into great detail -- including with texts and emails -- on a PR campaign to wreck her reputation and to divert attention from any public comments she might make about the men's alleged misbehavior. This was "a carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others from speaking out about the hostile environment that Mr Baldoni and Mr Heath created," the complaint says. It includes allegations that the two men hired a crisis PR team that amplified or planted negative stories about Lively on social media platforms. "You know we can bury anyone," Melissa Nathan, a member of the team, is alleged to have said, according to messages contained in the complaint. Heard's ex-husband Johnny Depp hired the same PR team during the high-profile defamation trial between the couple in 2022, in which a jury unanimously found that Heard defamed Depp over allegations he abused her. "Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying 'A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,'" Heard said in a statement carried by NBC News. "I saw this firsthand and up close. It's as horrifying as it is destructive." Heard's support came on the heels of a joint statement by America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel, who starred with Lively in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." "As Blake's friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation," they wrote on Instagram. "Throughout the filming of 'It Ends with Us', we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice." A lawyer for Wayfarer, the studio behind the film, said in a statement released to the New York Times that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively. "These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media," lawyer Bryan Freedman wrote. The complaint was lodged with the California Civil Rights Department, and is a precursor to a lawsuit. Major Hollywood talent agency WME -- which represents Lively -- has reportedly dropped Baldoni as a client. hg/aha
We can finally say that we know what Christopher Nolan ’s next film is going to be about. Universal Pictures shared the first real details about the highly-anticipated picture in a tweet. The movie is called The Odyssey , and it’s going to be taking the legendary director into the mythic action genre. Mythic action is not exactly something you'd associate with Nolan, but seeing as The Odyssey in question is Homer’s actual odyssey, you can pretty much see why. According to Universal, the movie will be released in cinemas on July 17, 2026. More interestingly, it’s going to be shot “using brand new IMAX film technology,” though it is not clear what that actually means. The Odyssey will be shot at various locations around the world, which seems to suggest a lot of real-world action, rather than soundstage/studio shooting, and production will reportedly begin in the first half of 2025. While that’s the extent of Universal’s tweet, we do know that The Odyssey already has a stellar cast that includes Robert Pattinson , Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and Lupita Nyong’o, according to industry reports. The Odyssey is one of Greek culture’s most recognisable (and adapted) epic poems. It is certainly no stranger to film, having been adapted several times, more famously in 1954’s Ulysses. Not all adaptations follow the entire epic, however, as some tend to be loosely based on it, borrowing certain themes or only filming certain sections of the poem - the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? is one such project. Considering how secretive Nolan likes to be with his projects, we’re not likely to hear any official details until much closer to release. Even then, they’re going to be more than a little vague, especially if we assume that it won’t be straightforward adaptation.
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7 shocking scientific events set to blow your mind in 2025: Interesting EngineeringMira Bhayandar: Two women -Sheetal Joshi and Stella Fernandes who had fell prey to the evil designs of cyber crooks by losing Rs 43.46 lakh and Rs 12.68 lakh respectively last year were pleasantly surprised when they received a call from the cyber cell attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police on Monday informing them that their lost money had been recovered. While Joshi (47) works as a teacher, 64-year-old Fernandes is a retired employee. Joshi got lured to an advertisement posted on social media platforms offering trading tips and guidance about safe investment schemes which would fetch high returns. After clicking the provided link, she was added to a WhatsApp group in which the crooks posing as stock markets experts offered guidance and tips to members who on their part shared their profit-sharing experiences. Joshi fell for the trap and went on to download a fake trading application on her mobile on which she invested Rs 43.46 lakh via multiple transfer transactions to specified bank accounts within a span of 35 days between 9, November to 13, December last year. However, she neither got back her investment, nor profit. Upon questioning the group admin asked her to transfer another Rs 30 lakh to get back her money. Realising she had been duped, Joshi registered a complaint at the Bhayandar police station on 21, December, 2023. Joshi learnt that she was not alone as Stella Fernandes had been cheated of Rs 12.68 lakh by the cyber crooks using a similar modus operandi. An offence under the relevant sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act was registered against the cyber crooks and account holders. A team led by police inspector (cyber cell)Sujit Kumar Gunjkar started investigations by launching a money trail which led to the arrest of two people-Hrishikesh Kushwaha (28) and Rohit Singh (25) in April last year for their involvement in the crime. After relentlessly pursuing the cases, the cyber cell finally managed to get orders from the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Thane following which entire lost money amounting Rs 56.14 lakh was reverted to the respective bank accounts of both the women. Meanwhile both the accused are cooling their heels in jail for the past nine months. MBVV chief- Madhukar Pandey has advised citizens to be aware of investment scams, asking them to avoid suspicious links, WhatsApp calls, and messages from unknown numbers. In case of any cyber-related offences, people can directly approach the local police stations or lodge a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) or call the cybercrime helpline 1930.Choice Hotels Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend
Four new-age tech stocks – PB Fintech, Zaggle, Zomato and CarTrade Tech – ended 2024 with gains in excess of 100% Eleven out of the 19 new-age tech stocks that listed before 2024 ended the year in the red, including Nykaa, ideaForge, Delhivery, due to lacklustre financials, sectoral headwinds, among others Meanwhile, the 13 new entrants to the bourses had a positive 2024, with most of them listing at a premium to their respective IPO price and a majority of them ending the year above listing price It was an eventful year for new-age tech companies on the IPO front, with 13 startups going public in 2024 . These companies cumulatively raised a staggering INR 29,000 Cr ($3.4 Bn). However, the going wasn’t all easy for the 19 new-age tech companies which listed on the bourses before 2024. While the shares of eight out of these 19 companies gained this year on the back of improving financials, sectoral tailwinds, and strength in the broader market, 11 ended the year in the red. Zomato emerged as a multi-bagger this year, while Paytm made a remarkable turnaround. Four stocks – PB Fintech, Zaggle, Zomato and CarTrade Tech – ended the year with gains in excess of 100%. The losers this year included Nykaa, ideaForge, Delhivery, MapmyIndia , among others, as they were impacted by varied reasons ranging from lackluster financials to sector-specific issues. Overall, the market sentiment was positive throughout the year on account of large inflows into the domestic mutual funds and strong economic activity. However, the benchmark indices saw a decline towards the end of 2024 as selloff by foreign institutional investors (FII) and the US Fed’s outlook of fewer rate cuts in 2025 triggered a slump. Notwithstanding the volatility, which is expected to persist till at least Budget 2025, listed Indian startups emerged from the shadows in 2024 and investors will keep a keen eye on them in 2025. As we near the end of the year, let’s take a look at the top gainers and losers among the listed new-age tech companies in 2024 as part of Inc42’s ‘Year In Review’ series. Now, let’s deep dive into the performance of some of the top new-age tech companies on the bourses this year. PB Fintech, the parent entity of insurtech major Policybazaar, emerged as the top gainer among the 19 new-age tech stocks which went public before 2024. Its shares surged over 170% to surpass the INR 2,000 mark from around INR 800 at the end of 2023. The upswing came on the back of the company’s profitability streak, starting from the December quarter (Q3) of the financial year 2023-24 (FY24), and its foray into the healthcare space . As a result of this, PB Fintech’s market cap zoomed to $11 Bn by the end of 2024 from $4.2 Bn a year ago. The company posted a net profit of INR 50.98 Cr in Q2 FY25, with operating revenue zooming over 43% year-on-year (YoY) to INR 1,167.2 Cr. Shares of fintech SaaS company Zaggle jumped over 150% in 2024 on the back of strong financial performance and strategic acquisitions to expand offerings. While the stock was on an uptrend since the beginning of the year, it saw a spike in early September after the company bagged an order from HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company. The uptrend continued as Zaggle announced two acquisitions in the same month. While it announced acquiring a 98% stake in Span Across IT Solutions for approximately INR 32 Cr, it bought a 26% stake in Mobileware Technologies (now ‘86400’) for INR 15.6 Cr. In Q2 FY25, the company posted a net profit of INR 20.29 Cr as against INR 7.58 Cr in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. While the company continued to bag contracts from enterprises throughout 2024, it also partnered with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to facilitate the issuance of prepaid payment instruments to customers. In its Q2 earnings release, Zaggle said it is actively seeking more strategic alliances and M&As with a combined strategy of small tuck-ins and larger investment opportunities in the SaaS fintech sector, including areas like NBFC and payments. The company raised nearly INR 595 Cr through a qualified institutional placement (QIP) in December and is eyeing three more investments and acquisitions by March 2025 . Zomato continued the momentum of 2023 into 2024, with its shares surging 136% to touch almost INR 300 mark. It was an eventful year for the Deepinder Goyal-led company, as it took a number of new initiatives to strengthen its position in the competitive market. While it bolstered its quick commerce business Blinkit amid intensifying competition, it launched ‘District’ to further strengthen its ‘going-out’ vertical. As part of this, Zomato acquired the entertainment ticketing business of Paytm . The company not only managed to retain its leading position in the food delivery and quick commerce markets but also saw an increase in its profits. Zomato posted a consolidated net profit of INR 176 Cr in Q2 FY25. Though it was a decline of 30% from INR 253 Cr in the preceding June quarter, it was 389% higher year-on-year (YoY). The company ended the year with its inclusion in the benchmark index BSE Sensex . Currently, 23 out of the 26 analysts covering the stock have a ‘buy’ or higher rating on it. The average price target (PT) for the stock is INR 302.58. Prashanth Tapse, senior VP (research) at Mehta Equities, said he recommends investing more in Swiggy. However, both Zomato and Swiggy should be part of the portfolios of investors. “Having said that, the valuations are expensive because the sectors in which these companies operate are new and lots of money is coming in. Though Zomato has more than doubled this year, the performance wouldn’t be the same going ahead as it’s an index stock now,” Tapse added. CarTrade Tech, which saw its share price double on the D-Street this year, largely traded sideways throughout the year and saw a breakout only in October due to improving fundamentals. The online classifieds and auto auction platform recorded a massive 509% YoY jump in its consolidated net profit to INR 30.72 Cr in Q2 FY25 from INR 5.04 Cr in the year-ago period. On the rise in its share price, JM Financial said in a research note that while increasing understanding of the company’s business model and its growth drivers, along with the operating leverage story, justifies the uptick, it has caught further strength with the company twice sharing guidance on Q3 FY25 – a 30% YoY growth in consumer group and 25-30% PAT growth sequentially. “While PAT growth guidance was in line with JM Financial’s estimate, 30% growth in New Auto considering the relatively muted auto sales environment was a positive surprise. We expect these to drive sharp upgrades in consensus estimates,” the brokerage said while reiterating its ‘buy’ rating and PT of INR 1,655 for CarTrade shares. Paytm arguably had the most happening year among the new-age tech companies. From hitting rock bottom in the early months of the year after a regulatory crackdown to scripting a successful turnaround, Paytm saw the worst and the best in 2024. The horror for Paytm started when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on January 31 this year, clamped down on Paytm Payments Bank , barring it from taking any deposits or credit transactions or top-ups in any of its customer accounts. The central bank stopped Paytm Payments Bank from providing any other banking services, such as UPI facility and fund transfers. Following this, shares of Paytm plummeted to around INR 300 from INR 800-INR 1,000 levels earlier. The Vijay Shekhar Sharma-led company then decided to focus on its core payments and merchant lending business . Paytm has also been actively leveraging AI to save costs and time. As part of this, the company announced cutting more than 5,000 jobs this year. The company also took some other steps like selling the entertainment ticketing business to Zomato and s tock acquisition rights in Japanese digital payments firm PayPay Corporation to SoftBank to focus on its core business and boost cash reserves. With the worst likely behind, shares of Paytm are expected to continue their momentum. Though there could be some profit booking, Mehta Equities’ Tapse believes that the stock can see another 20-30% growth if the company manages to post net profit in Q3 FY25 like it did in Q2. Paytm posted a consolidated PAT of INR 930 Cr in Q2, largely on the back of the sale of Paytm Insider to Zomato. Nazara Technologies doubled down on its acquisition spree in 2024. It started the year with the announcement that its subsidiary NODWIN Gaming will buy Comic Con India for INR 55 Cr. Soon NODWIN Gaming announced an investment of €8 Mn (around INR 71.8 Cr) in Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH, a German marketing services company for gaming and esports. Nazara also acquired a 100% stake in its subsidiary Nextwave. Its subsidiary Absolute Sports acquired Pennsylvania-based entertainment news site Soap Central for $1.4 Mn in an all-cash deal. Nazara also bought an additional 48.42% stake in Paper Boat Apps from its promoters Anupam and Anshu Dhanuka. Most recently, its subsidiary NODWIN Gaming announced acquiring another 93% stake in gaming and esports media company AFK Gaming . The acquisitions and market expansion this year were followed by Nazara raising funds from Zerodha’s Kamath Brothers, ICICI Prudential MF, and Plutus Wealth. Despite major announcements, the stock didn’t see any significant growth. After a fall in the March-May period, the shares largely traded sideways. Overall, the stock gained 22% in 2024 and is currently trading at around INR 1,000 level. Despite its foray into new verticals, shares of traveltech platform EaseMyTrip remained under pressure throughout 2024. The stock fell more than 16% during the year. The company posted a loss of INR 15 Cr for the March quarter of 2024 due to a one-time expense. However, EaseMyTrip posted a net profit of INR 33.9 Cr in the next quarter – Q1 FY25. It also said it would enter the ebus manufacturing segment and announced its foray into the hospitality vertical with plans to build a five-star hotel in Ayodhya. It also acquired a non-controlling stake of about 13% in Eco Hotels and Resorts Limited. However, its shares slumped significantly after CEO Nishant Pitti sold shares worth INR 920 Cr. EaseMyTrip also made its third bonus share issue this year. Ex-bonus, currently its shares are trading at INR 16.6 on the BSE. EaseMyTrip reported a 42.8% YoY decline in its consolidated PAT at INR 26.8 Cr in Q2 FY25. Analysts believe that significant competition in the traveltech market, with many unlisted companies also operating in the segment, and ixigo’s debut on the bourses are among the factors hindering EaseMyTrip’s growth. The year 2024 was not great for EaseMyTrip’s competitor Yatra as well. It slipped into the red and posted a consolidated net loss of INR 4.5 Cr in FY24 as against a net profit of INR 7.6 Cr in the previous fiscal year. In October, Ezeego Travels & Tours Ltd filed an insolvency petition against Yatra’s subsidiary TSI Yatra. However, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) recently stayed the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) order to initiate a corporate insolvency resolution process against TSI Yatra. Meanwhile, Yatra’s shares, which were on a downward trend since September, sharply declined to touch multiple all-time lows in October and November. The stock touched an all-time low at INR 102.4. In the September quarter of FY25, Yatra swung back to profit and posted a consolidated net profit of INR 7.3 Cr. Its shares are down around 21% this year. Amid severe competition in the D2C beauty and personal care space and changes in its business model, Mamaearth faced massive pressure in scaling its business this year. This also impacted its share price. The company also lost its unicorn status soon after it posted a consolidated net loss of INR 18.6 Cr in Q2 FY25 . Mamaearth’s revenue from operations declined nearly 7% YoY to INR 461.8 Cr during the quarter. Mamaearth parent Honasa’s cofounder and CEO Varun Alagh said in an analyst call that the company did not anticipate the high impact on margins from the renewed offline distribution strategy under ‘Project Neev’, introduced in November 2023. Emkay Research downgraded Honasa to ‘sell’ from a ‘buy’ rating and gave a PT of INR 300. “Limited offline presence and slower growth in the core brand may pave the way for the competition, where recouping in the long term would be daunting,” the brokerage said. “We await proof of execution as the management aims for a business turnaround.” Though JM Financial maintained its ‘buy’ rating, it said, “More work needs to be done to sharpen the focus in core categories, increase allocation to hero SKUs (salience of top-10 SKUs is 40-45% for Mamaearth vs 70-75% for other HPC brands), improve product superiority/proposition and execute better in 200K outlets (80% of weighted distribution for mass-premium brands).” Honasa’s shares fell over 40% this year and are trading at around INR 250-INR 260 levels. Of the 12 analysts covering the stock, 4 have a ‘sell’ rating currently and 6 recommend ‘buy’. Shares of NSE Emerge-listed blockchain and IT development company Yudiz Solutions took the biggest hit this year. After listing at a 12% premium to its IPO price in August last year, shares of Yudiz touched INR 150-INR 160 level in January this year. However, amid its weak financials, the stock slumped over 50% in 2024 and was trading at around INR 70 level by the end of the year. In between, the company also saw HDFC Bank freezing its bank account in which it stashed its IPO proceeds. The account was unfreezed after over a month. Yudiz slipped into the red in FY24 with a net loss of INR 2.9 Cr, hurt by a slump in its revenue in the second half (H2) of the fiscal year and a sharp rise in employee costs. In H1 FY25, the company reported a standalone net profit of INR 5,000 as against a profit of INR 1.34 Cr in the year-ago period. While the year was a mixed one for new-age tech stocks listed before 2024, the 13 new entrants on the bourses largely had a positive 2024. Most of the new-age tech stocks that went public this year listed at a premium to their respective IPO price. By the end of the year, only FirstCry and Unicommerce were trading below their listing price. Now, it remains to be seen what 2025 has in store for them. [Edited By Vinaykumar Rai]