The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) was created by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Act, Chapter 372 of the Acts of 1984 of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its operating territory covers 61 communities (i.e. cities, towns and special purpose entities) in eastern and central Massachusetts. Within that territory, it serves 5,500 industrial businesses and 2.5 million people, more than 40% of total population of Massachusetts. 51 communities receive the Authority’s water service; while 43 communities connect their local sewer systems to the Authority’s regional sewer collectors and treatment facilities. The MWRA supplies 215 million gallons of water and treats 315 million gallons of sewage per day. Continue reading
2016 Mass Investor Conference (Part 3): the MWRA
2016 Mass Investor Conference (Part 2): the MBTA
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA or the Authority) is a body politic and corporate and a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is also a component of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Created in 1964, it is the oldest and fifth largest transit system in the country. Its authority is derived from Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 161A (as restated by Section 151 of Chapter 127 of the Acts of 1999 and amended by the Control Board Act, Chapter 46 of the Acts of 2015) and also Section 35T of Chapter 10, which together are known as the “Enabling Act.” The Enabling Act does not provide for the Authority to be a debtor under the federal bankruptcy code. Continue reading
Notes and Analysis from the 2016 Mass. Investor Conference – Part 1
The Conference was held on December 7, 2016. Continue reading
Update on Consolidated Water (CWCO)
Shares of Consolidated Water (CWCO) have struggled over the past several months, extending a period of underperformance vs. peers that stretches back for more than a year. Year-to-date (through 12/9), CWCO has posted a loss (including dividends) of 6.4%. That compares with the total return of 12.9% for the S&P 500 and an estimated total return of 18.0% on the Dow Jones U.S. Water Utility Index. Continue reading
Arch Coal Post-Bankruptcy
On October 5, Arch Coal officially exited the bankruptcy process. The exit came just short of nine months after it had filed for bankruptcy on January 11, 2016. This was a remarkable achievement, given the company’s size, the large and diverse creditor group and the downturn in the coal industry, which under the plan required unsecured creditors to accept a 98% loss on their claims. Continue reading
Thoughts and Analysis from Tenaris’s Investor Day
Tenaris S.A. (TS) is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of seamless and welded steel casing and tubing, otherwise known as “oil country tubular goods.” Its products are used mostly in oil & gas drilling operations. Continue reading
Arch Coal Puts Its Bankruptcy Plan to a Vote
On July 6, the bankruptcy court approved Arch Coal’s Third Amended Bankruptcy Plan and Disclosure Statement. That set in motion the voting process which is scheduled to end on August 31. If there are no hitches and creditors vote in favor of the Plan, the court will hold a confirmation hearing on Sept. 13. That would set the stage for Arch to exit bankruptcy as early as September 30, less than nine months after it filed for bankruptcy. By most bankruptcy benchmarks, that would be a remarkable achievement. Continue reading
Coal Sector Update
The Dow Jones U.S. Coal Mining Sector Index has more than doubled so far this year, up 117.6% through July 15, obviously much better than the broader DJ US Total Market Index’s gain of 5.7%. Much of coal’s gains reflect “dead cat bounces” from stocks that trade in the pink sheets. Yet even the sector’s larger cap survivors are up big this year: Westmoreland Coal (WLB) is up 48%; Alliance Resource Partners (ARLP) is up 35%; Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) is up 35%; CONSOL Energy (CNX) is up 34% and CNX Coal Resources (CNXC) is up 22%. Continue reading
PayPal’s Business is On Target, But Its Stock is Ahead of Plan.
PayPal’s stock has underperformed the broader market since reaching a new high of $41.75 on March 22. The stock bottomed at $34.00 on June 27 and has since bounced back to close at $38.15 today. Year-to-date, the stock is up 5.4%, slightly behind the S&P 500’s 5.8% total return. Since being spun-off from eBay on July 2, 2015, PayPal is up 3.9%, about 1.4 percentage points behind the S&P. Continue reading
The Coal Industry Goes Bust
Very few industries have suffered a decline as steep as coal’s. In just five years, the coal industry has gone from relatively healthy to almost entirely bankrupt. Major coal producers – including Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources – have filed for Chapter 11 protection over the past year. Continue reading
Arch Coal Goes Bust
Arch Coal, the second largest U.S. coal producer, is another casualty of the sharp decline in coal consumption. After a steady slide in its business that began in 2011 and accelerated when oil and natural gas prices plunged in 2014, the company filed for bankruptcy in January 2016. Continue reading
An Update on Merck (MRK)
Product Pipeline Successes. Merck has enjoyed a couple of notable successes in its product pipeline over the past year. The first and most important is Keytruda (pembrolizumab), the company’s anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) immunotherapy treatment for cancer. Keytruda has already been approved to treat melanoma and NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer). It was awarded Breakthrough Therapy status by the FDA in the Continue reading
Notes and Analysis from AXP’s Analyst Day
Shareholders of the American Express Company have had a pretty rough ride over the past few years. Since 2013, when AXP’s stock earned nearly twice the S&P 500, the stock has underperformed the broader market significantly Continue reading
Greece Meets EU Ministers. Changes to GREK.
Greece’s quest to pass the next milestone on it bailout plan will get a hearing on Monday in Brussels at a meeting of EU finance ministers. Press reports suggest that the EU and IMF are still looking for about €9 billion in further austerity measures by 2018 to help plug a deficit. The Germans, however, appear willing to cut Greece some slack by delaying these measures for a few years to give Greece greater breathing room to deal with its refugee crisis. Continue reading
Notes from General Electric’s Annual Outlook Meeting
This has been an eventful year for General Electric (GE), one that brought about the most significant changes that the company has seen in its 127 year history. The company has repositioned its business mix, drastically reducing its profile in financial services and emphasizing its industrial core. It has also stepped up its drive to infuse its products with sophisticated technology (e.g. internet of things (IoT), additive manufacturing and advanced software) that can help its products run harder and longer and give customers greater insight into their utilization efficiency. Continue reading
American Water Works (AWK) Update
2015 has been another strong year for the stock of American Water Works (AWK). Year-to-date (through Dec. 18), it is up 11.7% on price and has delivered a 14.5% total return. By comparison, the S&P 500 is down 2.6% on price and down 0.6% on total return. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Utility Average, of which AWK is now a member, is down 8.1% on price. Continue reading
Investing in Greece: Notes from the 2015 Capital Link Conference
Although the recovery in the Eurozone is underway, Greece has so far been left behind. Europe is growing now at an overall rate of 2% per year. Even the other peripheral countries that had been experiencing difficulties– Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain – are now showing positive growth. Greece, meanwhile, will likely report that its economy contracted again in 2015, but probably only slightly. It is expected to return to growth in the second half of 2016. Continue reading
Notes from the 2015 Massachusetts Investor Conference
Author’s Note: Municipal bonds have been on my radar for some time, even though my focus has been on stocks and corporate bonds. I have attended the Massachusetts Investor Conference for the past four years, as a way to learn about state government, including financial reporting practices and recent financial performance. Continue reading
Campbell Fiscal 2016 First Quarter Update
Campbell Soup (CPB) reported fiscal 2016 first quarter GAAP earnings of $0.62 per diluted share, compared with $0.78 in the comparable prior year period. Excluding special items, the company’s non-GAAP earnings were $0.95, compared with $0.78 last year. Continue reading
Consolidated Water (CWCO) 2015 Third Quarter Update
Consolidated Water (CWCO) reported 2015 third quarter earnings of $0.12 per share, compared with $0.13 per share in the prior year comparable quarter. Revenues of $14.6 million, were down 14% from $17.0 million last year. Both earnings and revenues fell short of consensus views, but this was a quarter in which I had no expectations for any significant changes in the company’s performance, either up or down. Continue reading
Brightcove 2015 Third Quarter Update
The company reported a third quarter GAAP loss of $0.04 per share, much better than last year’s $0.12 loss. Adjusted (non-GAAP) EPS, which excludes (non-cash) stock-based compensation and merger-related costs was positive at $0.03, a reversal of last year’s $0.03 loss. I was anticipating a GAAP loss of $0.08 and a non-GAAP loss of $0.02, so the company’s performance exceeded my expectations (and also the Street’s, since my earnings projection was in line with the consensus estimate). Continue reading
Consolidated Water (CWCO) Update
Consolidated Water reported net income attributable to stockholders of $2.23 million or 15 cents per share for the 2015 second quarter ended June 30. This was below last year’s $2.76 million or $0.19 per share and also a penny short of the consensus estimate. Continue reading