Thursday, February 6, 2025

EXPE stock | Earnings | Feb 6 2025 | Dividend - 2025 First quarter | Buy back?

Expedia Group Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results

Double-digit room nights, gross bookings, and revenue growth in the fourth quarter

Both B2C and B2B bookings growth accelerated 5 pts sequentially in the fourth quarter

Reinstates quarterly dividend 

February 06, 2025 04:01 PM Eastern Standard Time

SEATTLE--()--Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) announced financial results today for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024.

Key Highlights

  • Booked room nights grew 12% in the fourth quarter year-over-year and 9% for full year 2024.
  • Total gross bookings and revenue grew 13% and 10% year-over-year, respectively in the fourth quarter. Full year gross bookings and revenue both grew 7% compared to 2023.
  • B2C and B2B gross bookings growth accelerated 5-points to 9% and 24% respectively in the fourth quarter.
  • Lodging gross bookings grew 12% year-over-year in the fourth quarter; hotel bookings were up 14%.
  • Fourth quarter net income grew 124% and adjusted net income grew 30%, year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA increased 21% with 175 basis points of margin expansion, and adjusted EBIT increased 50% with 282 bps of margin expansion.
  • Repurchased over 12 million shares for $1.6 billion in 2024.
  • Declares a quarterly dividend of $0.40 starting in March 2025.

“Our fourth quarter results exceeded our expectations and reflect continued strong execution and better-than-expected travel demand. All three of our core consumer brands achieved bookings growth and we further accelerated growth in our B2B business. These results contributed to a solid full year 2024 for us," said Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group. "The reinstatement of our quarterly dividend reflects our confidence in our long-term outlook and commitment to shareholder returns."

Reinstatement of Quarterly Dividend

Our Board of Directors has approved the reinstatement of a quarterly cash dividend. The Executive Committee of the Board, acting on its behalf, declared a first quarter dividend of $0.40 per share of the company’s outstanding common stock, to be paid on March 27, 2025 to holders of record on March 6, 2025. Expedia Group suspended its quarterly cash dividend in the second quarter of 2020 in response to uncertainty driven by the global coronavirus pandemic. Going forward, Expedia Group expects to pay a cash dividend on a quarterly basis, subject to approval by its Board of Directors and to the Board's continuing determination that the declarations of dividends are in the best interests of Expedia Group and its stockholders.

Conference Call

Expedia Group, Inc. will webcast a conference call to discuss fourth quarter 2024 financial results and certain forward-looking information on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (PT). The webcast will be open to the public and available via ir.expediagroup.com. Expedia Group expects to maintain access to the webcast on the IR website for approximately twelve months subsequent to the initial broadcast.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group, Inc. brands power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers.


Telerik support | Network issue | DNS

 I noticed that you have closed the ticket, but I wanted to share some more tips that you can try if the problem resides or reappears:

  • Verify DNS Configuration: Ensure the DNS settings on the affected computer are correctly configured. You can do this by checking the network adapter settings and confirming that the DNS server addresses are set correctly. Using public DNS servers like Google's (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) can sometimes resolve connectivity issues.

  • Firewall and Security Software: Check if any firewall or security software on the computer is blocking outbound connections to the domain mplighting.net. Temporarily disabling the firewall or security software can help identify if they are causing the issue.

  • Network Proxy Settings: Verify that there are no proxy settings configured in the browser or system network settings that might be affecting connectivity. Incorrect proxy settings can often lead to network access issues.

  • Ping from Another Device: Try pinging mplighting.net from another device on the same network to determine if the issue is specific to the worker's computer or if it affects the entire network.

  • Check Hosts File: Ensure that the hosts file on the affected computer does not have any incorrect entries for mplighting.net that could be causing the ping to fail. The hosts file can be found at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.

  • Network Troubleshooting Tools: Use network troubleshooting tools like tracert to see if there are any network hops where the connection is failing. This can help identify if the issue is within the local network or elsewhere.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, it would be beneficial to continue working with your IT support team, as they have the ability to access and modify network configurations directly. Please let me know if you need further assistance or have additional details to share.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Meta stock | Earnings date | Feb. 5 2025

 



Marketsurge | 24 Essential lessons for investment success: Part I






SABR stock | Jan 1 to Feb 5 2025 | 3.2 - 3.5

 




Leaderboard handbook |

Here is the article. 

For 30 years, Investor’s Business Daily has been helping people succeed in the stock market with the daily IBD® newspaper, investing workshops, and the award-winning website Investors.com. Now, we’re pleased to welcome you to our most powerful product yet: Leaderboard. Leaderboard was designed with one goal: to help you make more money in the stock market. In Leaderboard, IBD’s Market Team scans all of our proprietary stock lists, screens, and features to find stocks with the most potential for big gains. Then, they analyze them every step of the way. They’ll show you bases, buy points, sell signals, and the right time to take profits.



Lord Abbett Developing Growth Fund Class A MUTF: LAGWX

 10 stocks

  1. GKOS
  2. CRDO
  3. RDDT
  4. CYBR
  5. ALAB
  6. AGYS
  7. PIPR
  8. FTAI
  9. FIX
  10. CAVA

HoldingSectorAssets
Credo Technology Group Holding LtdInformation Technology2.5%
Glaukos CorpHealth Care2.5%
Reddit IncCommunication Services2.4%
CyberArk Software LtdInformation Technology2.3%
Astera Labs IncInformation Technology2.3%
Agilysys IncInformation Technology2.3%
Piper Sandler CosFinancials2.0%
FTAI Aviation LtdIndustrials2.0%
Comfort Systems USA IncIndustrials1.9%
Cava Group IncConsumer Discretionary1.9%

Seekingalpha.com | 3 out of the 7 ‘Magnificent Stocks’ are the worst performers year-to-date

Here is the article. 

Feb. 05, 2025 10:36 AM ETGlobal X Dow 30 Covered Call ETF (DJIA)WMT, AAPL, IBM, AMZN, MSFT, JPM, GS, AMGN, NVDA, MMMBy: Monica L. Correa, SA News Editor

Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), and Microsoft (MSFT) are this year’s top worst performers so far, at -13.13%, -8.95%, and -2.51% respectively, within the Global X Dow 30 (NYSEARCA:DJIA).

International Business Machines (IBM) is the best performer so far, up 18.61%; followed by 3M (MMM), up 16.23%; and JPMorgan & Chase (JPM), up 11.31%.

In addition, only six Dow (NYSEARCA:DJIA) stocks are up more than 10% year-to-date, also including Amgen (AMGN), up 10.83%; Goldman Sachs (GS), up 10.43%; and Walmart (WMT), up 10.17%.

Another “Magnificent Seven” stock – Amazon (AMZN) – is up 8.22%.

Here is the full 30 stocks’ performance:




 


Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Investor's Corner | The Best Stocks Have Crystal-Clear Buy Points; Here's How To Identify Them

Here is the article. 


Investor's Corner | Best Stocks To Buy Form Bullish Bases Before Big Price Gains

Here is the article. 


Investor's Corner | The Best Stocks Have Crystal-Clear Buy Points; Here's How To Identify Them

Investor's Corner | How To Invest: 8-Week Hold Rule Helps Latch On To Big Winners

Here is the article. 

DOMINIC GESSEL

08:00 AM ET 02/07/2024

IBD has two main rules for selling a stock: Take your profits at 20% to 25% and cut your losses at 7% to 8%.

If you are buying stocks on breakouts from properly formed bases, following these guidelines will keep your head above water. But there is also a third option, one that can take your 25% profit and turn it into much more. It's called the eight-week hold rule.

If your stock produces a gain of 20% or more within three weeks of breaking out of a proper base, you may have a true winner on your hands.

IBD research shows that in many cases, stocks that make this quick and powerful move are capable of doubling or tripling in price. Unless your stock shows a clear sell signal, you should sit on your hands for the first eight weeks of such a move.

IBD Founder Discovered Signal

IBD founder William O'Neil conceived this rule in the early 1960's after being shaken out of Certain-Teed, a winning stock. In a moment of market weakness, O'Neil sold his position for only a two- or three-point gain. Certain-Teed tripled in price without him.

Doing nothing can be a challenge for investors, but your 20% profit cushion helps ease the difficulty.

Unless you are in danger of a complete round trip of gains, hold your stock for those eight weeks. It may appear to wane as it pulls back to or just below the 10-week moving average, but this action is normal.

After the eight weeks lapse, it is time to reassess the stock. It's likely your stock has returned to or surpassed the area of initial strength, and you can then decide when to sell and take profits.

How To Invest: Shopify's Monster Run

Shopify (SHOP) broke out of a deep cup base in April 2020. While deep bases normally don't work out, this was one of many deep patterns that formed during that 2020 bear market and still panned out.



Following the lows of the Covid crash, the stock ran up 24% in three weeks from the 59.39 buy point, triggering the eight-week hold rule (1).

The remaining five weeks saw the price continue to a superb 42% gain, then pull back nearly 19%. But Shopify did not cross below the 10-week moving average, which would have been at least a red flag. The eighth week closed at a split-adjusted 74.26, or 25% above the buy point (2).

Patient investors were quickly rewarded; the very next week ended with Shopify up 48% from the entry (3).

Since the breakout did not cross the 10-week line at any point, it would be logical to use that as your stop. In the week ended Sept. 4, 2020, the stock finally had a close below the 10-week line after notching a 64% gain (4).

The eight-week hold rule is a conditional tool: It is most effective in the first two years of a new bull market.

This article was originally published April 14.2023, and has been updated.

 

IBD rule | Key points about the 8-week rule:

 The "IBD 8-week rule" refers to a stock trading strategy from Investor's Business Daily (IBD) where if a stock gains more than 20% within three weeks of breaking out from a proper chart pattern, you should hold it for at least eight weeks to potentially capture larger gains, as this indicates a strong market leader with the potential for significant growth; essentially, it encourages investors to stay invested through potential short-term volatility to reap bigger rewards from exceptional stocks. 

Key points about the 8-week rule:
  • Fast movers:
    This rule applies to stocks that rapidly rise more than 20% within a few weeks of breaking out, signifying strong institutional interest and potential for further gains.
  • Holding period:
    Once a stock triggers the 8-week rule, you should hold it for at least eight weeks from the breakout point before considering selling.
  • Identifying strong leaders:
    The 8-week rule helps identify stocks that could become long-term market leaders, allowing investors to ride the wave of strong upward momentum. 
Important considerations:
  • Not for every stock:
    This rule should only be applied to stocks with strong fundamentals and clear chart patterns that exhibit the rapid price increase characteristic of a true market leader. 
  • Market conditions:
    Be aware that during volatile market periods, the 8-week rule might need to be adjusted based on the overall market behavior.

Technologies | Telerik | Update on cache issue | Tech support

 First, I would like to check if the problem has been resolved on your end, as I was able to successfully access the URL from my desktop using the Chrome browser. If the issue persists, I’d like to provide some steps to troubleshoot further:

  1. Clear Client-Side DNS Cache

    • On your mobile device, try toggling airplane mode on and off.
    • Clear the browser cache and cookies (you can find this option in your browser settings).
    • If this doesn’t work, restarting the device may help.
  2. Network-Specific Testing

    • Since the page loads using your mobile service but not on the internal Wi-Fi, it’s likely related to your network settings.
    • Please check with your IT team to ensure the domain mplighting.net is not being blocked by the firewall or proxy settings.
  3. Browser Cache Clearing

    • For desktop or mobile browsers, you can try clearing the cache:
      • Go to browser settings → Privacy and Security → Clear Browsing Data.
      • Alternatively, open the page in an incognito window or perform a "hard refresh" (Ctrl + Shift + R).
  4. Telerik UI Dependencies

    • Ensure all required Telerik UI resources are loading properly. Sometimes, older cached files can cause display issues. Clearing the cache or testing in an incognito browser may resolve this. 
    • You can also enable and disable the Telerik and Microsoft CDN and see if this makes any difference:

              <telerik:RadScriptManager ID="RadScriptManager1" runat="server" CdnSettings-TelerikCdn="Enabled" EnableCdn="true"></telerik:RadScriptManager>
              <telerik:RadStyleSheetManager ID="RadStyleSheetManager1" runat="server" CdnSettings-TelerikCdn="Enabled"></telerik:RadStyleSheetManager>

For Internal IT Troubleshooting

If the issue still occurs, the following steps can be helpful for your IT team:

  • Verify if the DNS cache has been fully cleared on the network.
  • Whitelist the domain mplighting.net in the network’s firewall or proxy settings.
  • Use tools like ping or tracert to test network connectivity to the server.

Please let me know if any of these steps help resolve the issue, or feel free to share additional details about the error message or behaviors you are seeing. I am happy to assist further and coordinate with your IT team if needed.

Looking forward to your update!

Technologies | WordPress, ASP.NET, Telerik UI, IIS, PHP, MySQL | Upgrade advice | Telerik

 Hi Jianmin,

Thanks for reaching out! Based on your current stack (WordPress, ASP.NET, Telerik UI, IIS, PHP, MySQL), there are several ways to expand your technology for better performance and scalability.

Upgrading to ASP.NET Core will provide cross-platform support and better performance. If you're already using Telerik UI, you can continue with Telerik UI for ASP.NET Core. Moving to cloud services like Azure or AWS will improve scalability, security, and access to advanced features like AI-driven analytics.

For a more API-driven approach, integrating RESTful or GraphQL APIs will enhance flexibility, and a Headless CMS (such as Strapi, Contentful, or WordPress API) can help deliver content dynamically using React.js, Next.js, or Vue.js. Improving database performance with SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and caching (Redis or Memcached) can further optimize speed and scalability.

Due to privacy policies, we cannot disclose specific companies, but Telerik UI is widely used by leading organizations in finance, healthcare, and retail for building robust enterprise applications. For advanced, interactive UI experiences, many enterprises rely on Telerik UI components, Kendo UI, or Blazor for .NET development. You can explore our sample ASP.NET applications to see some of these technologies in action Sample ASP.NET Applications.

Monday, February 3, 2025

ASP.NET Framework vs ASP.NET Core

AI Overview

Learn more

While both are used for web development, ASP.NET Framework is a traditional Microsoft framework primarily designed for Windows, while ASP.NET Core is a newer, cross-platform framework that can run on Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it more flexible and suitable for modern cloud-based applications; essentially, ASP.NET Core is considered the successor to ASP.NET Framework with significant advantages in portability and modern features. 

Key Differences:

Platform Compatibility: ASP.NET Framework is Windows-only, while ASP.NET Core is cross-platform. 

Modernity: ASP.NET Core is considered a more modern framework with newer features and architecture compared to ASP.NET Framework. 

When to Choose ASP.NET Framework:

Legacy applications that are already built on the .NET Framework and require minimal changes. 

Projects where specific Windows-only features are necessary. 

When to Choose ASP.NET Core:

New web application development projects where cross-platform compatibility is important. 

Cloud-based applications requiring flexibility in deployment options. 

Projects that need to leverage the latest features and performance improvements. 

 

ASP.NET Core | ASP.NET -> ASP>NET Core

 Learn more

ASP.NET Core is completely free to use; it's an open-source framework developed by Microsoft, meaning you can download and use it without any licensing costs for building web applications and services across platforms like Windows, Linux, and macOS. 

Key points about ASP.NET Core being free:

Open-source nature:

The core framework is available on GitHub and can be freely accessed and modified. 

No licensing fees:

You don't need to pay any upfront or recurring fees to use ASP.NET Core for commercial projects. 

Cross-platform compatibility:

You can develop and deploy ASP.NET Core applications on various operating systems without additional costs.