British American Tobacco, or BAT, is one of the world's largest tobacco companies with a broad international reach. The company primarily sells cigarettes (~90% of sales), with oral tobacco and so-called next-generation products accounting for the rest.Through the years, BAT has generated consistent cash flow thanks to the addictive nature of its products, strong brand [...]
Simon's Empire Mall in South Dakota – the largest mall in the state – has seen its retailers' sales exceed their 2019 pre-pandemic level, according to comments made earlier this week by General Manager Dan Gies. Empire Mall's observation supports Simon's expectation that its mall retailers would likely see their sales start topping 2019 levels beginning in [...]
Southern Company's two nuclear reactors under construction in Georgia may face more delays and require $2 billion of additional costs, according to testimony provided earlier this week by an independent monitor of the troubled project. Known as Vogtle Units 3 and 4, these plants are America's first new nuclear reactors built in more than 30 years and [...]
Last week Merck completed the spinoff of its women's health, biosimilars, and off-patent drugs businesses into the newly formed Organon & Co (OGN).Investors of Merck received one-tenth of a share of Organon common stock for every Merck common share owned, with cash paid in place of any remaining fractional shares.Organon has not declared an official dividend yet, [...]
National Health Investors (NHI) on June 3 cut its dividend by 18%. This was in line with the expectation we shared in May that NHI may lower its dividend by up to 25%, reflecting the challenging environment faced by its senior housing and skilled nursing tenants. NHI's dividend cut will save the REIT nearly $40 million annually (about 12% [...]
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Johnson & Johnson's request to appeal a 2018 ruling in Missouri that its talc-based baby powders helped cause ovarian cancer, keeping the healthcare giant on the hook to pay $2.1 billion to 22 women. This eye-popping payout may seem especially alarming since J&J at the end of 2020 [...]