Warren Buffet auto know…
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There’s no denying GM had nothing short of a disastrous year. Not quite as disastrous as it was for the victims of their faulty ignition switches, of course. But as far as Wall Street was concerned their earnings were a fiscal nightmare (and deservedly so for not being on its safety “A” game). But despite GM’s lousy earnings and even lousier – make that non-existent profits – Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) holding company picked up 3 million shares of the embattled auto maker, according to an SEC regulatory filing. Laugh all you want but they don’t call him the Oracle of Omaha for nothing. The stock is at what you would call a “discount” and Warren Buffet loves himself a good discount. The man knows a thing or two about investing, seeing as how his company’s stock just hit $200,00 a share. He also happens to think GM CEO Mary Barra is friggin’ awesome. Just don’t expect a quick turn-around as Mr. Buffet is known for holding onto stocks for the long-term. And in this case, that term might just be longer than usual.
Make-up retail wake-up….
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Apparently the quest for beauty is well…priceless. Estée Lauder Companies Inc. released really good and very attractive earnings, especially considering lots of other retailers posted less than glamorous earnings and the US Department of Commerce reported that July retail sales were virtually flat, effectively spooking plenty on Wall Street. Estée Lauder Companies Inc. also owns MAC, Clinique and La Mer (famous as much for the cost of its products as it is for the products themselves). The $28 billion make-up company pulled in $2.73 billion in revenues. Wall Street clearly underestimated the love for make-up and had pegged estimates at $2.66 billion. As for net income – it more than doubled coming up to $257.7 million. The company’s guidance also expects some nice growth hopefully adding a little height to a very unsightly, flattened retail graph.
A whale of tale…
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Nothing like some bad earnings to get killer whales some new and much bigger digs. Following its really bad earnings the other day, with shares of SeaWorld falling 35%, the amusement park company is pledging $10 million for killer whale research and ocean health. Its CEO is also hoping that doubling the size of its Orca tanks will attract more people to its park and boost revenue. SeaWorld attributed some of its losses to the unflattering film “Blackfish” which SeaWorld called a “propaganda film. Two California lawmakers are hoping get a ban on killer whale performances. Of course PETA entered the fray telling whoever that a “bigger prison is still a prison.”
Pujonomics. 