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Former Pfizer CEO, finance chief step back from Starboard's activist campaign

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Former Pfizer CEO, finance chief step back from Starboard's activist campaign

Ian Read, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, speaks as President Donald Trump, left, listens during an announcement on a new pharmaceutical glass packaging initiative in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., July 20, 2017. 

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Former Pfizer CEO Ian Read and ex-CFO Frank D’Amelio said Wednesday evening that they would step away from Starboard Value’s campaign at the struggling pharmaceutical giant, just days after news of the activist’s stake broke.

Read and D’Amelio said they were “fully supportive” of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in a joint statement made via an investment bank and confirmed to be authentic. The duo had been in contact with a number of directors shortly before news of Starboard’s stake broke Sunday evening, according to people familiar with the matter.

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“We are confident that over time they will deliver shareholder value,” the two former executives said of Pfizer’s current board and management. The company’s shares are essentially flat for the year and are off by roughly 50% from their 2021 highs.

The statement was made through Guggenheim Securities, which has long advised Pfizer on dealmaking. A representative for the bank declined to comment beyond the release.

The about face comes as Pfizer’s board grapples with the activist’s efforts, and just days before Starboard’s Jeff Smith was slated to meet with CEO Bourla, said people familiar with the matter. For executives to join, and then walk away from an activist’s campaign is highly unusual.

It was also not immediately clear what impact, if any, the breakaway would have on Starboard’s campaign. A representative for the activist fund did not immediately return a request for comment. Starboard, one of the largest and most tenacious activist funds, has amassed a roughly $1 billion position in the pharmaceutical firm, CNBC previously reported.

Jeff Smith, the managing member at Starboard, has previously mounted campaigns at Autodesk and Salesforce in recent months. While it typically focuses on the technology sector, it also built stakes in Starbucks and Wall Street Journal parent News Corp this year.

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Representatives for Pfizer did not return requests for comment.

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Vallourec SA (VLOUF) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Moves and Financial Resilience …

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Vallourec SA (VLOUF) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Moves and Financial Resilience …
  • EBITDA Margin: Maintained a healthy margin similar to previous quarters.

  • Full Year EBITDA Outlook: Reiterated at EUR800 million to EUR850 million.

  • Cash Generation: EUR130 million in Q3, reducing net debt for the eighth consecutive quarter.

  • Net Debt Reduction: Over EUR1.2 billion reduction since 2022.

  • Q3 Group EBITDA Margin: Close to 19%.

  • Tubes Volumes: Reduced to 292 kilotons in Q3.

  • Mine & Forest Segment EBITDA: Expected slightly below EUR100 million for the full year.

  • Net Debt Reduction in Q3: EUR124 million.

  • Full Year Mine Production Expectation: Approximately 5 million tonnes, down from 6 million tonnes.

  • Q3 Cash Flow: Total cash generation of EUR130 million.

Release Date: November 15, 2024

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

  • Vallourec SA (VLOUF) maintained a healthy EBITDA margin in Q3 2024, driven by strong international OCTG market performance.

  • The company generated significant cash flow, reducing net debt for the eighth consecutive quarter, totaling a reduction of over EUR1.2 billion since 2022.

  • Vallourec SA (VLOUF) announced its first strategic acquisition in nearly a decade with Thermotite do Brasil, enhancing its position in the offshore line pipe market.

  • The company is progressing well with its optimization program in Brazil, which is expected to significantly contribute to closing the profitability gap.

  • Vallourec SA (VLOUF) plans to announce a dividend proposal for its 2025 AGM, marking the first dividend in 10 years, reflecting strong financial health.

  • The US OCTG market experienced softness, impacting Vallourec SA (VLOUF)’s overall performance.

  • The global iron ore market softened in Q3, leading to lower prices and sales volumes in the Mine & Forest segment.

  • Vallourec SA (VLOUF) lowered its full-year mine production expectations to approximately 5 million tonnes, down from 6 million tonnes.

  • Q3 2024 saw a reduction in tonnage sold and a slight decrease in average realized prices, leading to a year-over-year decline in revenues and EBITDA.

  • The company faces potential challenges from the new tax environment in France, which could impact shareholder remuneration strategies like share buybacks.

Q: Is a share buyback still an option for shareholder remuneration given the new tax environment in France? A: Philippe Guillemot, CEO: While we never exclude any ways to return excess cash to shareholders, the potential tax implications in France make share buybacks less attractive. We plan to return cash to shareholders with a payout ratio of 80% to 100%, starting from Q3. The dividend proposal will be announced in February, based on Q3 cash generation.

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JSB Financial Inc. Reports Earnings for the Third Quarter and First Nine Months of 2024

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JSB Financial Inc. Reports Earnings for the Third Quarter and First Nine Months of 2024

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va., November 15, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–JSB Financial Inc. (OTCPink: JFWV) reported net income of $2.0 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, representing an increase of $1.3 million when compared to $643 thousand for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per common share were $7.64 and $2.33 for the third quarter of 2024 and 2023, respectively. The third quarter results include the recognition of an interest recovery totaling $1.3 million, a recovery to the allowance for credit losses on loans totaling $252 thousand and a recovery of legal fees totaling $17 thousand on prior nonperforming loans. Excluding the impact of these notable items, pre-tax income of $959 thousand for the third quarter of 2024 was $187 thousand more than the same period in 2023.

Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 totaled $3.4 million, representing an increase of $1.1 million when compared to $2.3 million for the same period in 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per common share were $13.33 and $8.46 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Annualized return on average assets and average equity for September 30, 2024 was 0.87% and 17.65%, respectively, and 0.66% and 13.17%, respectively, for September 30, 2023. Excluding the impact of the notable items in the third quarter of 2024, pre-tax income of $2.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was $96 thousand lower than the same period in 2023.

“We are pleased with our performance for the third quarter, which includes one-time recoveries on nonperforming loans totaling $1.5 million. Additionally, our team continued to create, deepen and expand our customer relationships which resulted in an increase in total deposits of 10% when compared to the second quarter and 17% year-over-year,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, Cindy Kitner. “During the third quarter, we saw stable loan growth, which was funded through loan maturities and deposit growth, and we continue to have strong credit quality metrics including past dues, nonaccruals, charge offs and nonperforming loans, all of which remained at historically low levels.”

Income Statement Highlights

For the third quarter of 2024, net interest income totaled $4.5 million, representing an increase of $1.5 million, or 50%, from $3.0 million for the third quarter of 2023. For the first nine months of 2024, net interest income totaled $11.0 million, representing an increase of $1.8 million, or 19%, when compared to $9.2 million the same period in 2023. Excluding the interest recovery of $1.3 million, net interest income increased $247 thousand when comparing the third quarter 2024 to the same period in 2023 and increased $508 thousand when comparing the first nine months of 2024 to the same period in 2023. The increase in net interest income for the quarter ended and nine months ended 2024 was attributed to higher loan balances and yields on earning assets, partially offset by higher deposit costs related to the deposit mix and pricing.

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Interest and fees on loans totaled $6.5 million and $4.1 million for the third quarter of 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $16.2 million and $11.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Interest and fees on loans increased with organic growth in the loan portfolio, which was primarily led by residential mortgage loan and commercial real estate loan originations. The mix of the loan portfolio shifted slightly with commercial real estate loans representing 23% of total loans as of September 30, 2024, compared to 21% as of December 31, 2023. The yield on earning assets improved when compared to the prior year due primarily to higher interest rates on new loan originations as well as repricing of variable rate loans.

Total interest expense was $3.1 million for the third quarter of 2024, representing an increase of $1.3 million when compared to $1.8 million for the third quarter 2023. For the nine months ended 2024, interest expense totaled $8.1 million, representing an increase of $3.5 million, when compared to $4.6 million for the same period in 2023. This increase was driven by higher deposit balances and costs of interest-bearing deposits as customers have migrated to higher yielding deposit products. With strong deposit growth, the level of noninterest bearing deposits remains at 24% of total deposits.

The net interest margin was 2.90% for the third quarter of 2024 compared to 2.73% the third quarter of 2023.

Noninterest income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 totaled $586 thousand and $1.7 million, respectively, compared to $583 thousand and $1.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively.

Noninterest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 totaled $2.9 million and $8.5 million, respectively, compared to $2.8 million and $8.0 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. The increase in noninterest expense was primarily related to salaries and employee benefits from increased staffing levels and wages.

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Balance Sheet Highlights

Total assets were $577.3 million as of September 30, 2024, an increase of $76.7 million, or 15.3%, from $500.6 million as of December 31, 2023. Year-over-year total assets increased $78.9 million, or 15.8%, from $498.4 million as of September 30, 2023.

Loans, net of the allowance for credit losses, were $376.7 million as of September 30, 2024, an increase of $28.8 million, or 8.3%, from $347.9 million as of December 31, 2023. Year-over-year net loans grew $34.7 million, or 10.2%, from $342.0 million as of September 30, 2023.

Investment securities, excluding restricted securities, were $114.7 million as of September 30, 2024, $118.7 million as of December 31, 2023 and $117.8 million as of September 30, 2023. Investment securities decreased during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, primarily due to principal repayments and maturities totaling $7.1 million, offset in part by a decrease in the investment portfolio’s unrealized losses on available for sale securities totaling $1.8 million.

Total deposits were $514.7 million as of September 30, 2024, an increase of $88.6 million, or 20.8%, from $426.1 million as of December 31, 2023. Year-over-year total deposits increased $73.6 million, or 16.7%, from $441.1 million as of September 30, 2023. Noninterest bearing deposits represent 24.0% of total deposits as of September 30, 2024, which is down slightly from 26.4% as of December 31, 2023 and 27.4% as of September 30, 2023. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, noninterest bearing balances increased $11.0 million and interest-bearing balances increased $77.6 million.

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At September 30, 2024, total borrowings decreased $18.1 million since December 31, 2023 and $2.9 million from September 30, 2023. Borrowings through the Federal Reserve’s Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) totaled $28.0 million as of September 30, 2024. There were no borrowings through FHLB as of September 30, 2024. At September 30, 2024, total liquidity sources exceeded $304 million and included on and off-balance sheet liquidity through cash and cash equivalents; unpledged available for sale securities at fair value; Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) and Federal Reserve borrowing capacities; and unsecured correspondent bank lines of credit.

Shareholders’ equity at September 30, 2024 was $29.5 million, representing an increase of $4.6 million, or 18.3% from December 31, 2023. Book value per share of $114.65 at September 30, 2024 increased from $96.93 at December 31, 2023. Year-to-date earnings contributed $3.4 million to the increase in shareholders’ equity. Accumulated other comprehensive loss decreased $1.7 million, which was primarily related to the change in unrealized losses on available for sale securities at September 30, 2024. During the third quarter 2024 the Company declared a regular semi-annual dividend of $1.20 per share payable on September 13, 2024. This dividend was consistent with the previous semi-annual dividend and resulted in an annual dividend of $2.40 per share in 2024, representing an increase of $0.10 per share or 4.3% from $2.30 per share in 2023. Year-over-year shareholders’ equity increased $6.6 million, or 28.9%, from $22.9 million as of September 30, 2023.

All bank regulatory capital ratios remain in excess of applicable regulatory requirements for well-capitalized institutions. The Tier 1 leverage ratio declined to 7.47% from 7.65% at December 31, 2023 and 8.01% at September 30, 2023. The ratio of Common Equity Tier 1 capital and Tier 1 capital to risk weighted assets was 12.45%, 12.40% and 12.85% at September 30, 2024, December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, respectively. The total risk-based capital ratio was 13.70%, 13.65% and 14.09% at September 30, 2024, December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, respectively. The decline in regulatory capital ratios reflects the impact of continued trend of growth in total assets through the first nine months of 2024. This growth was in part related to management’s decision to increase total assets and maintain a higher level of cash and cash equivalents on the balance sheet. Management conducts regular monitoring of capital planning strategies to support and maintain adequate capital levels.

Asset Quality

As of September 30, 2024, the credit quality of the loan portfolio remained strong with nonaccrual loans totaling $47 thousand, or 0.01% of total loans, compared to $51 thousand, or 0.01% of total loans, at December 31, 2023 and $53 thousand, or 0.02% of total loans, at September 30, 2023. As of September 30, 2024, total past due loans decreased to $349 thousand, or 0.09% of total loans, compared to $385 thousand, or 0.11%, of total loans at December 31, 2023 and decreased when compared to $357 thousand, or 0.10% of total loans, as of September 30, 2023.

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At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the allowance for credit losses on loans was $4.0 million, or 1.06% of total loans, and $3.8 million, or 1.08% of total loans, respectively. During its assessment of the allowance for credit losses, the Company reviews and addresses credit risk associated with all loan portfolio segments and has appropriately reserved for economic conditions with consideration of management’s prudent underwriting at loan origination and ongoing loan monitoring procedures.

The company recorded net recoveries on loans totaling $237 thousand for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively. As a result, the company released provisioning for credit losses totaling $266 thousand and $86 thousand for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively. This is compared to a provision expense of $75 thousand and $122 thousand for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. The release of provisioning in 2024 was related to the recovery of a previously charged off loan totaling $252 thousand and continued stability in the economic environment and the credit quality of the loan portfolio.

Third Quarter 2024 Compared to Second Quarter of 2024

Compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2024, net income increased $1.2 million primarily due to higher revenue and lower provision for credit losses. Excluding the notable items in the third quarter of 2024, pretax income decreased by $6 thousand, or 0.6%, compared to the same period in 2023.

Net interest income increased by $1.3 million, or 39%, from the second quarter of 2024. Excluding the notable item, net interest income increased $11 thousand, or 0.3%, compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2024. This slight increase to net interest income shows the continued improvement in both the yield and mix of earning assets, while the Company also continued to experience pricing pressures on deposits. Management is actively monitoring the interest rates and the mix of deposits and wholesale funding to control funding costs.

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The Company recorded a release of provisioning for credit losses of $266 thousand for the third quarter of 2024, compared to a provision for credit losses expense of $60 thousand for the second quarter of 2024. This change was primarily driven by similar factors as the year-over-year changes stated above.

Noninterest income for the three months ended September 30, 2024 totaled $586 thousand, compared to $582 thousand for the three months ended June 30, 2024. Noninterest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024 totaled $2.9 million, compared to $2.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024.

When comparing September 30, 2024 to June 30, 2024, total assets increased $35.2 million, or 6.5%, loans, net of the allowance for credit losses, increased by $2.8 million, or 0.7%, total deposits increased $46.1 million, or 9.8%, and shareholders’ equity increased $3.6, or 14.0%.

About JSB Financial Inc.

JSB Financial Inc. (OTCPink: JFWV) is the holding company for Jefferson Security Bank, an independent community bank operating six banking offices located in Berkeley County and Jefferson County, West Virginia and Washington County, Maryland. Founded in 1869, Jefferson Security Bank serves individuals, businesses, municipalities and community organizations through a comprehensive suite of banking services delivered by an exceptional team who put customers first. Jefferson Security Bank has received industry recognition by American Banker magazine five years in a row. Most recently, as a Top 100 Community Bank in 2024 and prior as a Top 200 Community Bank for four consecutive years. Operating for over 155 years, Jefferson Security Bank is the oldest, independent, locally owned and managed bank in West Virginia. Visit www.jsb.bank for more information.

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Offices:

105 East Washington Street, Shepherdstown, WV (304-876-9000)
7994 Martinsburg Pike, Shepherdstown, WV (304-876-2800)
873 East Washington Street, Suite 100, Charles Town, WV (304-725-9752)
277 Mineral Drive, Suite 1, Inwood, WV (304-229-6000)
1861 Edwin Miller Boulevard, Martinsburg, WV (304-264-0900)
103 West Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD (301-432-3900)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241115698441/en/

Contacts

Jenna Kesecker, CPA, Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer
304-876-9016

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Interested In Manulife Financial’s (TSE:MFC) Upcoming CA$0.40 Dividend? You Have Four Days Left

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Interested In Manulife Financial’s (TSE:MFC) Upcoming CAalt=

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it’s exciting to see Manulife Financial Corporation (TSE:MFC) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company’s books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Accordingly, Manulife Financial investors that purchase the stock on or after the 20th of November will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 19th of December.

The company’s next dividend payment will be CA$0.40 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed CA$1.60 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Manulife Financial has a trailing yield of approximately 3.5% on its current stock price of CA$46.23. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether Manulife Financial can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

View our latest analysis for Manulife Financial

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable – hardly an ideal situation. Manulife Financial paid out more than half (55%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies.

When a company paid out less in dividends than it earned in profit, this generally suggests its dividend is affordable. The lower the % of its profit that it pays out, the greater the margin of safety for the dividend if the business enters a downturn.

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Click here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

TSX:MFC Historic Dividend November 15th 2024

Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we’re encouraged by the steady growth at Manulife Financial, with earnings per share up 4.5% on average over the last five years.

Another key way to measure a company’s dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the past 10 years, Manulife Financial has increased its dividend at approximately 12% a year on average. It’s encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

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