DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Big Companies Seeing Tax Benefits From Law Change Some of Them Fought
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Richard Rubin | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Those companies now qualify for a bigger tax break for exports because of the way the research-deduction change alters their tax calculations. Photo: Dado Ruvic/REUTERSModerna saw that tax break jump to a 7.4 percentage-point benefit on its tax rate from 4.8 points in 2021, even as its cash tax payments rose. The change requiring companies to spread out research deductions was part of the 2017 tax law, and it was designed to partly offset the revenue loss from cutting corporate tax rates. PREVIEWAt the same time, the smaller research deduction means many companies can get a bigger advantage from the export tax break. The size of the FDII tax break is based in part on how much income a company has.

☆ The 1% Stock-Buyback Tax Hasn’t Slowed Repurchases. A Proposed 4% Tax Might.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Executives largely shrugged off a new 1% tax on stock buybacks as the cost of doing business. Even with the 1% tax, stock buybacks are the preferred way to return cash to shareholders, Mr. Krone said at a conference in February. Stock repurchases by Berkshire and the publicly traded companies it owns benefited investors, he wrote in the Feb. 25 letter. For one, share repurchases typically don’t commit them to continuing to buy shares, and offer flexibility on timing. “We only really consider share repurchases when we have an attractive repurchase price,” the CFO said.

Organizations: & $, & $, & $

☆ Rising Interest Rates May Bring Higher Pension Costs for Companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Rising interest rates have boosted corporate pensions, with funded status reaching a 20-year high in the second half of last year. But rising rates may not prove so kind to companies, from Delta Air Lines Inc. to Sysco Corp. , and their pension costs this year. Within the last year, interest rates rose significantly while asset values fell, driving up pension accounting costs. Plan sponsors that measured these costs at the end of 2022, for instance, saw much higher interest rates than a year earlier, he said, which pushes 2023 balance sheet costs up. The higher costs were driven by a reduction in return on plan assets and higher interest costs, which were only partially offset by higher discount rates, the building materials maker said in a regulatory filing last month.

Finance chiefs are coming into the year grappling with a variety of challenges, from rising interest rates and inflation to managing labor disruptions, pricing and inventory. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. “But…there’s more and more of a belief that any kind of downturn will be short and shallow, frankly. Some finance chiefs, meanwhile, are finding opportunities to expand in the volatile economy. You can’t take everything that your vendors are sending you.”Labor woes persistHiring, however, remains a challenge for finance chiefs.

☆ U.K. Regulators Are Urged to Address Pension Risks After Last Year’s Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

It also prompted regulators and policy makers last year to start calling for action to address the risks related to LDI strategies. As the crisis unfolded, U.K. pension funds began rushing to raise cash to satisfy collateral calls triggered by the moves on the government bonds. The committee, which in part scrutinizes the work of government agencies, said regulators failed to sufficiently focus on the risks associated with LDI strategies. This meant that while interest rates were falling, pension funds benefited. There should additionally be stricter limits and reporting on the amount of leverage allowed in LDI funds, the committee chair said.

☆ Campbell Soup Names New CFO as It Looks to Continue Strong Growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Kathryn Hardison | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Campbell Soup Co. appointed its next finance chief as the soup and snack maker looks to build on its recent growth. The Camden, N.J.-based company on Wednesday said Carrie Anderson will become chief financial officer, effective Feb. 6. Carrie Anderson, incoming CFO at Campbell Soup Co. Photo: Campbell Soup Co.Ms. Anderson is set to join Campbell from medical technology company Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp. , where she has been CFO since June 2019. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. Campbell’s brands include its namesake soup, Prego sauces, Pepperidge Farm snacks and breads, and Cape Cod potato chips.

Stanley Black & Decker Inc. appointed the chief financial officer of Fortune Brands Innovations Inc. to lead its finances as the tool maker works on substantial cost cuts. Mr. Hallinan will join Stanley Black & Decker after a 17-year career at home- and security-products maker Fortune Brands. Mr. Hallinan will remain CFO at Fortune Brands until March 2. At Stanley Black & Decker, Mr. Hallinan will succeed Corbin Walburger, who stepped in as interim finance chief last July when Donald Allan Jr. , the previous CFO, was elevated to chief executive officer. Patrick Hallinan has been appointed chief financial officer of Stanley Black & Decker, effective April 6.

However, Congress in its last session in December didn’t reach an agreement, and finance chiefs say they hope the topic will be revisited. “That’s a 20 percentage point increase in tax for Yelp, so obviously very meaningful for us,” Mr. Schwarzbach said. The higher costs due to the law change will factor into investment decisions going forward, Mr. Schwarzbach said. The tax change has an impact on the company’s net income, Mr. Schwarzbach said. The San Francisco-based company reported R&D expenses of $75.8 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with $69.4 million a year earlier.

☆ Conagra CFO Doesn’t See Need for Big Price Increases in Near Term
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Photo: Conagra Brands“We won’t have any more significant price increases unless our cost, our inflation estimate, starts to go back up,” Mr. Marberger said. The reading comes amid moderating price increases after a peak of 9.1% in June. I never, ever remember that kind of a price increase,” Mr. Marberger said. “They are now turning the corner and from here are going to need less rapid price increases, unless some other price shocks occur.”Conagra’s sales volumes fell 8.4% for the quarter ended Nov. 27 as customers responded to the price increases, the company said. “And that plays well for us.”Overall, Conagra’s customers—which include retailers Walmart Inc. and Kroger Co. —have accepted the price increases, Mr. Marberger said.

☆ Alcoa Appoints New CFO Amid Executive Reshuffle
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Colin Kellaher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Alcoa Corp. named a new finance chief amid a wider executive reshuffle as the aluminum producer faces soaring energy costs and volatile prices. Ms. Beerman succeeds current CFO William Oplinger, who will become chief operations officer next month after about six years in the top finance role. In addition, two executive vice presidents—Chief Operations Officer John Slaven and Chief Innovation Officer Benjamin Kahrs —are leaving as part of the restructuring, Alcoa said. It will “ensure continued improvement and focus on Alcoa’s strategies to operate as a low-cost, margin-focused, sustainable producer,” Chief Executive Roy Harvey said in a statement. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team.

☆ CFOs Ponder Their Pricing Power as the Economy Cools
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

After a year of significant price increases, companies are trying to figure out how far they can go in 2023. However, pricing experts said, consumers and businesses will likely pull back on discretionary spending and will be less tolerant of price increases as they become mindful of their budgets. The Katy, Texas-based retailer takes an item-by-item approach to price increases. Customers haven’t balked at higher price tags, Ms. Huber said in late October. Still, the company said the aggressive price hikes in 2022 haven’t yet had a significant impact on consumers’ behavior.

Comcast Corp. named a company insider as its next finance chief as the cable and media sector grapples with cord-cutting customers and deterioration in the ad market. Jason Armstrong was appointed chief financial officer, Philadelphia-based Comcast said Friday, after serving for the past nine years in various financial leadership positions. Mr. Armstrong most recently served as deputy CFO and treasurer, responsible for capital formation, capital allocation, credit-related matters and investment management activities. Jason Armstrong, chief financial officer of Comcast. Photo: Comcast CorpSince joining Comcast in 2014, Mr. Armstrong has also had the roles of CFO of Sky, Comcast’s pay-TV giant, and head of investor relations and finance.

☆ ISSB Plans to Finalize Rules on Disclosure of Climate-Related Risks in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

And then quite naturally, we’re now looking at what’s next,” Mr. Faber said. The International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation, an accounting standards body based in London, launched the ISSB to develop sustainability reporting standards. One of the rule proposals would see companies disclose significant climate-related risks, such as floods and other extreme weather events. The number of global companies reporting under four different frameworks rose to 255 in 2020 from eight in 2019, the data shows. These “adjacent topics” are top of mind for investors, according to Mr. Faber.

☆ New Tax on Buybacks Is Weeks Away, but Finance Chiefs Aren’t Too Worried
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

A new corporate tax on stock buybacks hasn’t worried finance chiefs enough for them to rethink their strategy. For Bolingbrook, Ill.-based Ulta Beauty Inc., a maker of beauty products, the impact of the tax will be minimal, finance chief Scott Settersten said. The company’s board in March authorized a new buyback program that enables Ulta Beauty to repurchase up to $2 billion in shares. It is set to be levied on net buybacks, meaning total shares repurchased minus new shares issued during the year. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS How will the new tax on stock buybacks affect company repurchase plans in the years ahead?

Organizations: & $

☆ U.S. Watchdog Sanctions KPMG Firms, Audit Professionals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

PREVIEWThe U.K. firm was additionally sanctioned for allegedly failing to reasonably supervise an unregistered audit firm, Romanian audit firm KPMG Audit SRL, in four consecutive audits of Endava PLC, a British technology services company. KPMG U.K. was found to have also made several inaccurate PCAOB filings about the involvement of unregistered firms in certain audit work. The PCAOB imposed a $600,000 penalty for the alleged failings around unregistered audit firms, which KPMG U.K. didn’t admit or deny. KPMG U.K. has reviewed the way it works with other firms, enhancing controls and providing additional training, Cath Burnet, U.K. head of audit at KPMG, said. The U.K.’s audit and accounting regulator in a July letter to seven audit firms, including KPMG, said that it is “deeply concerned” about audit professionals cheating on external professional exams and internal assessments.

☆ U.K. Tax Change to Yield Higher Costs, but Much-Needed Certainty for Companies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Now, under a new prime minister, the government is pledging fiscal austerity, accompanied by an increase in the corporate tax rate to 25%. Photo: Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesWith the latest change, the corporate tax rate has flip-flopped four times in less than a year. The tax increase, from the current rate of 19%, will apply to companies with annual profit of more than £250,000, equivalent to more than $307,000. We know it is increasing to 25%.”The U.K. government’s change brings the corporate tax rate in line with those of other large economies. Photo: Jason Alden/Bloomberg NewsU.K. companies’ costs are rising on multiple fronts.

☆ U.K. Tax Change to Yield Higher Costs, But Much-Needed Certainty For Companies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Layoffs Create Pitfalls for Finance Executives Looking to Cut Costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

They are increasingly looking to layoffs as a way to preserve capital, alongside other measures, such as hiring freezes. Finance chiefs play a key role in this by determining which costs to cut and setting companies’ financial targets, said advisers who work with companies during staffing cuts. Tech business HP Inc., ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. and tool-and-appliance maker Stanley Black & Decker Inc. have announced layoffs in recent months. Finance chiefs are increasingly part of the initial discussions about whether job cuts are needed, said Hardik Sheth, a partner at Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm. Some employees at Twitter, which recently cut roughly half of its workforce, are now pushing back against the dismissals.

☆ Carillion Liquidators Say KPMG Missed Red Flags in Audits of Defunct Construction Firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Big Four firm KPMG LLP missed multiple red flags when it audited the financial statements of Carillion PLC, the liquidators of the defunct construction and outsourcing firm said. KPMG received £29 million from Carillion without qualifying its audit opinions over the course of 19 years, according to the liquidators. The construction company’s liquidators also reject KPMG’s argument that the value of the construction contracts was concealed. The Carillion liquidators will rely at trial on findings from the FRC’s investigation, the filings show. If there is no settlement between the liquidators and the audit firm, the case against KPMG could go to trial in or around 2024.

☆ How Elon Musk’s Twitter Faces Mountain of Debt, Falling Revenue and Surging Costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Elon Musk says his $44 billion Twitter takeover might result in a bankruptcy filing. To make the deal work, Mr. Musk has been trying to add subscription revenue and reassure advertisers about the platform’s future. What’s more, the company’s debt stack now includes floating-rate debt, meaning that interest costs are set to rise as the Federal Reserve continues to increase interest rates. Twitter’s credit ratings, which were below investment grade before the transaction with Mr. Musk, have deteriorated further. For that, Mr. Musk would need to persuade potential investors that he has a viable long-term business plan, he said.

☆ Grindr Plans to Focus on Monetization, Subscription Prices After Going Public
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The company will list on the New York Stock Exchange under a new name, Grindr Inc.Vanna Krantz, Grindr CFO. Ms. Krantz said she plans to review subscription prices, which currently start at $19.99 a month for paid accounts. Once the company is public, Ms. Krantz will be responsible for further building out Grindr’s finance function. Ms. Krantz said she would focus on further improvement when it comes to forecasting. The year-over-year loss was largely driven by one-time costs associated with going public, such as legal, consulting and audit fees, Ms. Krantz said.

☆ Retailer TJX Names New CFO as Sales Decline
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Colin Kellaher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Klinger, who joined TJX in 2000, currently serves as executive vice president and corporate controller. U.S. comparable-store sales, which exclude e-commerce sites, fell 2%, driven by a 16% drop in comparable sales for the U.S. homegoods business. For the 2023 fiscal year, TJX forecasts U.S. comparable-store sales to fall 1% to 2%. TJX in August projected a full year decline in U.S. same-store sales of 2% to 3%. This is because they’ve withheld key metrics such as the figures for comparable-store sales, since they weren’t meaningful as a result of store closures brought on by the pandemic, she said.

☆ Tyson Foods CFO Arrest Adds to Governance Challenges for Board
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Photo: Michael Conroy/Associated PressThe Tyson family had nearly 71% of the total voting rights in the meat giant as of December 2021, according to a securities filing. It didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Mr. Tyson would make his debut to analysts and investors by taking part in the earnings call. As CFO, Mr. Tyson has an annual base salary of $650,000, according to a regulatory filing. Tyson Foods CFO John R. Tyson was arrested on public intoxication and trespassing allegations. Photo: Associated PressThe Fayetteville Police Department’s report said that the woman didn’t know Mr. Tyson and that she thought he came in through an unlocked door.

☆ U.S. CFOs Ask Congress to Repeal Change to R&D Tax Rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | In A Letter Finance Chiefs On The Change To R D Deductibility Tax Rules. | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

For decades, businesses were allowed to deduct certain R&D expenses straight away to reduce their taxable income. Tax deductions are subtractions from taxable income while tax credits get subtracted from the amount of tax owed. Over the course of this year, companies have been making estimated tax payments that incorporate the R&D change, tax attorneys said. On the agenda: Agreeing on funding the government to avoid a shutdown, aid for Ukraine, alongside potential changes to the treatment of R&D expenses. When it comes to a potential repeal or deferral related to R&D deductibility, timing is crucial, said Shelby Ford, a tax partner at Crowe LLP, a public accounting, consulting and technology firm.

☆ Late Bed Bath & Beyond CFO Dropped From Shareholder Suit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Gone are claims from the original 24-page complaint that Mr. Arnal and Mr. Cohen colluded to boost the company’s share price. Bed Bath & Beyond has said the lawsuit was without merit. Bed Bath & Beyond and Mr. Cohen, along with JP Morgan Securities LLC, are still named as defendants in the suit, which seeks class-action status. Bed Bath & Beyond shares traded around $4.05 on Wednesday, down more than 70% since the beginning of the year. Mr. Toll said he hadn’t heard from Bed Bath & Beyond or Mr. Arnal’s estate leading up to the filing of the amended complaint.

Search resuls for: "Jennifer Williams"

25 mentions found