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☆ Chevron expects annual production at low-end of prior forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Chevron Corp FollowJuly 28 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp (CVX.N) said on Friday that its annual production forecast was near the low-end of its previously estimated range. The company last year delivered the highest U.S. production in its history at 1.2 million barrels of oil‑equivalent per day (boepd), while forecasting production to be flat or rise 3% from those levels. For the current quarter, Chevron said it was expecting upstream turnarounds and downtime to reduce production by about 110,000 (boepd). The oil major also expects Permian basin production in the third quarter to be roughly flat before growing again in the fourth quarter. Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Arunima Kumar, Shinjini Ganguli, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Chevron Corp, U.S, Chevron, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowJuly 28 (Reuters) - Shares of TC Energy (TRP.TO) fell nearly 5% on Friday after the Keystone pipeline operator said it would spin off its liquids business to focus on transporting natural gas. But TD Securities downgraded TC to "hold" from "buy", saying it was skeptical the spinoff would create value. TC CEO Francois Poirier said TC needed to sell another C$3 billion in assets during the next 18 months to reach its 4.75 times debt to EBITDA target. TC had 5.4 times debt to EBITDA last year and is aiming to reduce that to 5 times this year. TC's Keystone pipeline in December spilled more than 14,000 barrels of oil in Kansas.

Persons: Linda Ezergailis, Ryan Bushell, Bushell, Francois Poirier, TC, Brandon Thimer, Poirier, It's, ” Poirier, Stephen Ellis, TC's, Joe Biden, Arshreet Singh, Rod Nickel, Anil D'Silva, Mark Potter Organizations: TC Energy, Keystone, Columbia, Transmission, TC, Securities, Newhaven Asset Management, Investment, National Bank of Canada, Morningstar, Thomson Locations: Toronto, Columbia, Newhaven, United States, Kansas

☆ McDonald's beats sales estimates as cheaper burgers draw consumers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 27 (Reuters) - McDonald's (MCD.N) beat market expectations for quarterly comparable sales on Thursday, as the restaurant chain's relatively cheaper burgers and fries attracted cost-conscious diners in an inflationary environment. While U.S. restaurant chains including McDonald's have had to raise prices to offset a hit to profit from higher costs, the company has still managed to keep its prices lower than its competitors. Those moves, coupled with improved staffing levels at its chains, have helped McDonald's gain market share from its peers. In contrast, overall traffic at fast-food and quick-service chains climbed just 1.2% in the same period. Easing costs of key ingredients including chicken, cheese and pork have also helped McDonald's, whose total restaurant margins in the United States climbed 12% in the quarter.

Persons: McDonald's, Deborah Sophia, Anil D'Silva Organizations: U.S, McDonald's, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Bengaluru, Kailyn Rhone, New York

☆ Southwest Airlines warns of higher full-year costs as quarterly profit falls
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 27 (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) on Thursday warned of higher labor costs for the year and signaled softer pricing for the current quarter, stoking worries that rising operational expenses could add to a potential hit to travel demand from strained household budgets. American Airlines (AAL.O), United Airlines (UAL.O) and Delta Air (DAL.N) also fell between 1.0% and 1.5% premarket after Southwest's results. The airline attributed the fall in RASM, a proxy for pricing power, to tough comparisons from a boom in travel demand last year. U.S. airlines have reiterated resilience in travel demand, in part due to limited capacity, though concerns remain over the impact of rising interest rates on consumers' disposable income. Surging international travel demand has also grabbed a share from domestic travel, Alaska Air Group (ALK.N) said earlier this week.

Persons: stoking, Shivansh, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Organizations: Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air, U.S, Alaska Air Group, Thomson Locations: RASM, Bengaluru

Major insurers UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) and Humana (HUM.N) have already warned of booking higher costs due to a jump in non-urgent surgeries in the United States, highlighting demand for such procedures. HCA Healthcare, which is the biggest for-profit hospital operator in the United States, raised its full-year adjusted core earnings forecast to between $12.3 billion and $12.8 billion, from prior expectations of between $12.1 and $12.7 billion. "We anticipate the market wanted more even though HCA's outlook remains prudent as the healthcare system normalizes," said Citi analyst Jason Cassorla. Shares of rivals Tenet Healthcare (THC.N) and Universal Health Services (UHS.N) fell 2% and 1%, respectively, in morning trading. Profits at hospital operators took a hit following COVID-led lockdowns as people delayed non-urgent surgeries, and as the pandemic deepened a nursing shortage that led to a spike in costs.

Persons: Jason Cassorla, lockdowns, Khushi Mandowara, Manas Mishra, Shinjini Ganguli, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Healthcare Inc, UnitedHealth, HCA Healthcare, Citi, Tenet Healthcare, Universal Health Services, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru

[1/2] A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 24, 2023. The Fed lifted its benchmark overnight interest rate by a widely expected 25 basis points, marking the 11th hike in the U.S. central bank's past 12 policy meetings. As of Wednesday, 77.6% of the 152 companies listed on the S&P 500 (.SPX) that have reported earnings have beaten analysts' expectations as compiled by Refinitiv. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by a 1.75-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.64-to-1 ratio favored advancers. The S&P 500 posted 29 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 72 new highs and 92 new lows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Dow, Jerome Powell, Goldman Sachs, Angelo Kourfafas, Edward Jones, Brent Schutte, David Bahnsen, Jim Vena, Lance Fritz, Wells Fargo, decliners, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M, Savio D'Souza, Anil D'Silva, Maju Samuel, Richard Chang Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Boeing, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal, Fed, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, Google, NYSE, Bahnsen, Meta, Facebook, Refinitiv, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Dow Jones, Union Pacific, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

Shares of the company rose 7% to hit a 1-1/2 year high after Boeing also posted second-quarter results above Wall Street expectations. The planemaker is now transitioning its 737 production line - including the MAX models that make up the vast majority of 737 production - to building 38 jets per month, up from 31, the company said. Calhoun later added the company is already in "prep mode" to raise monthly 737 production to 42, but wouldn't specify whether Boeing would do so in 2023, as Boeing Commercial Airplanes head Stan Deal said told Bloomberg TV in June. 'ENCOURAGING' RESULTS AMID CHALLENGESA photo of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes parked on the tarmac at the Boeing Factory in Renton, Washington, U.S. March 21, 2019. Boeing expects to deliver most of the 228 MAXs in its inventory by the end of 2024, making it critical that Boeing step up production.

Persons: there'll, Dave Calhoun, Calhoun, Stan Deal, Brian West, Lindsey Wasson, Peter McNally, Refinitiv, Valerie Insinna, Abhijith Ganapavaram, Anil D'Silva, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Boeing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Bloomberg TV, Boeing Factory, REUTERS, Commercial Aerospace, Thomson Locations: Renton , Washington , U.S, West

☆ Union Pacific appoints former executive Jim Vena as CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 26 - Union Pacific Corp (UNP.N) on Wednesday named former chief operating officer Jim Vena as its top boss, months after CEO Lance Fritz said he was stepping down, sending the U.S. railroad operator's shares up 6.7% in premarket trading. Vena, who will take the top job on Aug. 14, started his career in 1976 and was in the reckoning to lead Canadian National Railway Co (CNR.TO) after investors backed him for the role. He has worked under the late Hunter Harrison at Canadian National, who pioneered Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), which is commonly used across the industry today. Union Pacific, which connects 23 states in the western part of the country by rail, also elected Mike McCarthy as its board chairman. Reporting by Nathan Gomes and Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jim Vena, Lance Fritz, Vena, Hunter Harrison, Mike McCarthy, Nathan Gomes, Amna, Anil D'Silva, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: Union Pacific Corp, Wednesday, U.S ., Canadian National Railway Co, Canadian National, Union Pacific, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Union Pacific names former executive Vena as CEO, misses profit estimate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Vena, who will take the top job on Aug. 14, started his career in 1976 and was in the reckoning to lead Canadian National Railway Co (CNR.TO) after investors backed him for the role. He has worked under the late Hunter Harrison at Canadian National, who pioneered Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), which is commonly used across the industry today. Union Pacific, which connects 23 states in the western part of the country by rail, also elected Mike McCarthy as its board chairman. The company reported second-quarter profit of $2.54 per share, missing analysts' average estimate of $2.75 per share, according to Refinitiv IBES data, as its shipments fell. The railroad industry has been struggling with railcar shortages resulting in shipment delays and supply-chain disruptions.

Persons: Jim Vena, Lance Fritz, Vena, Hunter Harrison, Fritz, Mike McCarthy, Nathan Gomes, Amna, Anil D'Silva, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: Union Pacific Corp, Wednesday, U.S ., Canadian National Railway Co, Canadian National, Soroban Capital Partners, Union Pacific, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

SummaryCompanies Alphabet climbs on Q2 profit beatMicrosoft slides as AI spending grows faster than revenueFed's rate decision awaited at 2:00 p.m. Meta Platforms <META.O> rose 1.8% after Alibaba's cloud unit said it would support the Facebook owner's open-source AI model Llama. The Fed is expected to deliver a 25-basis point interest rate hike later in the day, though there is less clarity over what the central bank will do at subsequent meetings. ET, Dow e-minis were down 65 points, or 0.18%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 7.25 points, or 0.16%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 43.75 points, or 0.28%. Wells Fargo (WFC.N) climbed 2.8% after the bank's board authorized a new share buyback program of up to $30 billion.

Persons: Joshua Warner, Stefan Koopman, Wells Fargo, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M, Savio D'Souza, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Microsoft, Dow, Nasdaq, Wall, Google, NYSE, Facebook, Rabobank, Dow e, Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Boeing boosts monthly 737 production to 38, posts upbeat earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of the company jumped 4% before the bell after the company also posted second-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations. The push to build 38 MAXs a month comes amid heightened travel demand, as airlines seek to grow their fleets post-pandemic. Boeing Commercial Airplanes head Stan Deal said in June that the company would ramp up narrow-body production to 38 a month "very soon." Although Boeing set a deadline to ramp 737 production by the end of the year, executives signaled to its supply chain that the boost to 38 a month would begin in June. Those plans faltered in April when a supplier defect involving the improper installation of a 737 bracket was discovered, though Boeing maintained it would still ramp to 38 jets by year-end.

Persons: Dave Calhoun, Stan Deal, Refinitiv, Valerie Insinna, Abhijith Ganapavaram, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Boeing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Paris Air Show, Air India, Airbus, Thomson

[1/2] A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 24, 2023. Microsoft (MSFT.O) eased 4.0% after laying out an aggressive spending plan to meet demand for its new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered services. "This is indicative of the selectivity we are seeing in big tech after such a stock price surge so far this year." Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.50-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.32-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 24 new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 58 new highs and 64 new lows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, David Bahnsen, Melissa Brown, we're, Dow, Jim Vena, Lance Fritz, Wells Fargo, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M, Savio D'Souza, Anil D'Silva, Maju Samuel Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Boeing, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal, Google, NYSE, Bahnsen, Facebook, Applied Research, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Dow Jones, Union Pacific, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Qontigo, Bengaluru

☆ TikTok launches text-only posts to rival Elon Musk's Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 25 (Reuters) - Chinese short-video app TikTok is allowing users to create text-only posts, in the latest attempt by a social media firm to capitalize on the turmoil at Twitter since its buyout by Elon Musk last year. The move, announced on Monday, would allow TikTok users to choose from a variety of backgrounds for their text posts that can feature hashtags and allow people to tag other users. The posts, which look similar to Instagram Stories, have a 1,000-character limit, according to tech news website the Verge. Meta Platforms (META.O) Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg launched Threads in July, another text-only application that could pose a threat to Musk's Twitter. Musk on Monday renamed Twitter to X, and removed the iconic blue bird logo, in his bid to create "an everything app".

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Musk, Aditya Soni, Zaheer Kachwala, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Twitter, Elon, Thomson

☆ Verizon profit beats on lower costs, surprise rise in wireless users
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 25 (Reuters) - Verizon (VZ.N) beat quarterly profit estimates on Tuesday on the back of lower costs and a surprise rise in wireless subscribers as efforts to grow its enterprise customer base and super-fast 5G network paid off. They are still down about 5% since the July 9 Wall Street Journal report, which also named AT&T (T.N) among firms that left behind the potentially toxic lead cables. Free cash flow, a metric closely watched by investors to help determine dividend payouts, came in at $5.6 billion, above estimates of $5.05 billion, according to Visible Alpha. Total revenue fell 3.5% to $32.6 billion, missing analysts' estimates of $33.24 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anthony Skiadas, Hargreaves, Matt Britzman, Verizon's, Samrhitha, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Verizon, Alpha, Consolidated, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ ChatGPT now on Android in some countries including US
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 25 (Reuters) - ChatGPT is now available for Android users in the United States, India, Bangladesh and Brazil, the viral chatbot's owner OpenAI said on Tuesday, as it looks to take advantage of the popularity of the artificial intelligence tool. As AI becomes widely used in tasks such as content writing to coding, San Francisco-based OpenAI announced ChatGPT for Android last week to further expand its user base. ChatGPT, which was launched by the Sam Altman-led company in November last year, has been available on Apple's (AAPL.O) iOS platform since May. The viral success of ChatGPT has triggered a wave of enthusiasm in AI, prompting companies such as Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) to pour billions of dollars into the technology. OpenAI said it would expand the rollout on Android to additional countries over the next week.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, ChatGPT, Jaspreet Singh, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Android, Microsoft, Google, Thomson Locations: United States, India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ Dow flags dismal second-half, Q2 profit tumbles
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 25 (Reuters) - Dow (DOW.N) on Tuesday posted a 70% drop in second-quarter profit on lower product prices and weak sales volumes, while warning that the macroeconomic environment would remain challenging in the second half of the year after. Dow said it was expecting third-quarter net sales in the range of $10.25 billion to $10.75 billion, lower than Wall Street's expectations of $12.37 billion in net sales. Dow's net sales during the quarter fell to $11.4 billion from $15.7 billion, hinting at weak demand for its products that are used in everything from plastics and paints to building materials. Dow posted operating income of 75 cents per share, beating estimates by 5 cents, according to Refinitiv data, aided by its cost-saving efforts. Reporting by Sourasis Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dow, Sourasis Bose, Savio D'Souza, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Dow, Thomson Locations: United States, Europe, China, Bengaluru

Investors are awaiting Microsoft (MSFT.O), Google-owner Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta Platforms (META.O) earnings this week, which will show whether their stocks justify sky-high valuations. The Nasdaq (.NDX) lagged other indexes as investors looked to non-tech stocks for bargains, lifting sectors from energy to banks. Helping the Dow (.DJI) notch its longest winning streak since February 2017, Chevron (CVX.N) gained almost 2% as the oil giant posted upbeat preliminary quarterly earnings over the weekend. Nine of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors rose, led by a gain in energy stocks (.SPNY). The S&P 500 posted 22 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 58 new highs and 97 new lows.

Persons: Barbie, Randy Frederick, You've, Carol Schleif, Toymaker Mattel, AMC's, decliners, Carolina Mandl, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M, Shounak Dasgupta, Anil D'Silva, Richard Chang Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Mattel, Chevron, Dow Jones, Federal Reserve, Schwab Center, Financial Research, Microsoft, Google, Investors, BMO Family Office, Reuters, AMC Entertainment, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York, Bengaluru

July 24 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group (9984.T) is forming a joint venture with warehouse automation company Symbotic (SYM.O) to build AI-powered warehouses that will be majority owned by the Japanese technology investor, the companies said on Monday. The unit has also signed a contract to buy AI-powered systems from Symbotic that will be worth $7.5 billion in the next six years. Based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Symbotic provides robotics warehouse automation solutions and counts Walmart (WMT.N) as its major backer and customer. The Japanese company will have a 65% stake in GreenBox, with Symbotic owning the rest. For fiscal year 2022, Symbotic reported revenue of $593.3 million, up 136% year over year, with a loss of $139.1 million.

Persons: Symbotic, Rick Cohen, upping, Masayoshi Son, Zaheer Kachwala, Krystal Hu, Shailesh Kuber, Anil D'Silva, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: SoftBank, Systems, SoftBank Group Corp, Walmart, JV, Tokyo bourse, Thomson Locations: SoftBank, Wilmington , Massachusetts, Tokyo, GreenBox

Investors are awaiting Microsoft (MSFT.O), Google-owner Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta Platforms (META.O) earnings this week, which will show whether their stocks justify sky-high valuations. The Nasdaq (.NDX) lost steam during the session as investors looked to non-tech stocks for bargains, lifting sectors from energy to banks. Barclays' head of U.S. equity strategy Venu Krishna said in a note to clients that investors are differentiating between tech companies. A few Big Tech names are driving all of the earnings upside, while the outlook for the "Rest of the Tech" is deteriorating, he said. Helping the Dow (.DJI) notch its longest winning streak since February 2017, Chevron (CVX.N) gained as the oil giant posted upbeat preliminary quarterly earnings over the weekend.

Persons: Barbie, Randy Frederick, Venu Krishna, You've, Carol Schleif, Toymaker Mattel, AMC's, Carolina Mandl, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M, Shounak Dasgupta, Anil D'Silva, Richard Chang Organizations: Chevron, Dow, Dow Jones, Federal Reserve, Schwab Center, Financial Research, Microsoft, Google, Nasdaq, Barclays, Big Tech, Tech, Investors, BMO Family Office, Reuters, AMC Entertainment, Thomson Locations: U.S, New York, Bengaluru

The action-packed week also includes the Fed's policy meeting, with the central bank expected to raise interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday. As of Friday, second-quarter earnings are expected to decline by 7.9%, according to Refinitiv data. The tech-heavy Nasdaq (.IXIC) has rallied 34% so far this year, outperforming its Wall Street peers, as rate-sensitive megacap growth companies jumped on hopes of an end to the Fed's tightening cycle and optimism over AI. Ten of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors were higher, led by a 2.1% gain in energy stocks (.SPNY). The S&P index recorded 14 new 52-week highs and one new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 41 new highs and 67 new lows.

Persons: Barbie, Chris Zaccarelli, Toymaker Mattel, AMC's, Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Johann M, Shounak Dasgupta, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Chevron, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Microsoft, Google, Reuters, Independent, Alliance, Dow Jones, AMC Entertainment, NYSE, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ SNAPSHOT Wall St rises ahead of megacap growth results, Fed decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 24 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes crept higher at the open on Monday as investors braced for earnings from megacap growth and technology companies, while focusing on a rate decision from the Federal Reserve later this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 3.10 points, or 0.01%, at the open to 35,230.79. The S&P 500 (.SPX) opened higher by 7.05 points, or 0.16%, at 4,543.39, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) gained 48.83 points, or 0.35%, to 14,081.63 at the opening bell. Reporting by Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bansari Mayur, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Federal Reserve, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ SoftBank forms JV to build AI-powered warehouses with Symbotic
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 24 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group (9984.T) is forming a joint venture with supply-chain services provider Symbotic to build AI-powered warehouses that will be majority owned by the Japanese technology investor, the companies said on Monday. The firms are investing a total of $100 million in the venture, which will be called GreenBox Systems. The unit has also signed a contract to buy AI-powered systems worth $7.5 billion for its warehouses from Symbotic. The deal will give SoftBank, already an investor in Symbotic, warrants representing about 2% of the U.S. company's outstanding shares. The Japanese firm said it had also bought 17.8 million shares of Symbotic from CEO Rick Cohen.

Persons: Rick Cohen, Masayoshi Son, Vikas Parekh, Greenbox, Symbotic, Zaheer Kachwala, Shailesh Kuber, Anil D'Silva Organizations: SoftBank, Systems, Tokyo bourse, SoftBank Investment, JV, Thomson Locations: Symbotic, Tokyo, GreenBox

☆ J&J starts share exchange offer for consumer health spin-off Kenvue
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Johnson & Johnson logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoJuly 24 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) said on Monday it had launched an exchange offer under which its stockholders can opt for shares of Kenvue <KVUE.N>, its newly listed consumer health unit. The exchange will allow J&J shareholders to exchange their shares for those of Kenvue at a 7% discount, subject to conditions. Kenvue, which debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in May, has a market capitalization of about $46 billion. ‍Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan Securities are serving as dealer managers for the offering, J&J said.

Persons: Johnson, Brendan McDermid, ‍ Goldman Sachs, J.P, J, Bhanvi, Shounak Dasgupta, Anil D'Silva Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Johnson, Morgan Securities, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Kenvue, Bengaluru

☆ American Express keeps profit forecast unchanged after strong results, shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 21 (Reuters) - American Express (AXP.N) kept its forecast for full-year profit unchanged on Friday, disappointing investors and overshadowing its quarterly results that topped estimates on record card member spending by its young and affluent customers. AmEx shares fell 4.4% in premarket trading as the credit card giant reaffirmed its full-year 2023 per-share profit forecast of $11 to $11.40. AmEx's total provisions for credit losses came in at $1.2 billion in the second quarter, compared with $410 million a year earlier. "Card member spending hit another all-time high, growing 8 percent on an FX-adjusted basis, driven by double-digit growth in U.S. Consumer and International Card Member spending," CEO Stephen Squeri said in a statement. The credit card company reported a profit of $2.89 per share in the quarter, beating analysts' average expectation of $2.81 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Persons: Stephen Squeri, AmEx, Manya Saini, Anil D'Silva Organizations: American Express, . Consumer, Card, Thomson Locations: U.S, Refinitiv, Bengaluru

☆ AmEx's profit view dampens strong results from record card spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Manya Saini | Thomson Reuters | Manya Saini Reports On Prominent Publicly Listed U.S. Financial Firms Including Wall Street S Biggest Banks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Results were strong, though spending growth is moderating from unsustainably high rates in 2022," said Edward Jones analyst Kyle Sanders. These worries took the shine off a record quarter in which spending surged to $426.6 billion despite rapid interest rate hikes by the U.S. central bank ushering in an end to easy money. "Our base is changing in terms of more Millennials and Gen Z who will grow with us. Millennial and Gen Z were its fastest-growing customer base as their combined spending surged 21% in the U.S. from a year ago. Despite that, AmEx just reaffirmed its per-share profit forecast of $11 to $11.40 for 2023 after reporting a market-beating profit of $2.89 per share.

Persons: Edward Jones, Kyle Sanders, Gen Z, Stephen Squeri, Gen, Jeff Campbell, AmEx, Campbell, Christophe Le Caillec, Manya Saini, Anil D'Silva, Arun Koyyur Organizations: American Express, U.S, RBC Capital Markets, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

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