Daily Archives: June 4, 2021

Slack has been under pressure for not growing as fast as other work-from-home stocks. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Slack (WORK), the online chat tool that has become the main way many people have communicated with their coworkers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, reported its fiscal Q1 2022 earnings after the bell on Thursday, beating expectations on the top and bottom line.

Here are the most important numbers from the report compared with what analysts were expecting as compiled by Bloomberg.

Revenue: $273 million versus $265 million expected

Earnings per share: $0.08 versus -$0.01 expected

Total paid accounts: 169,000 versus 155,852 expected

The company's stock was trading down slightly following the earnings announcement.

"In Q1 we saw a near-record number of Paid Customer additions, a record number of Paid Customers adopting Slack Connect, and approached 1 million active developers on our platform, Slack CEO and co-founder Stewart Butterfield said in a statement.

Slacks Q1 could be its last quarterly report as an independent company, as business software giant Salesforce (CRM) is expected to close its $27.7 billion acquisition of the messaging platform in the coming months.

That deal, which was announced in December 2020, sent shares of Slack soaring after they hovered around the $20 to $30 range throughout the pandemic. Slack has been criticized for not capitalizing on the need for work-from-home software as millions of workers around the world fled their offices last year.

Investors and analysts have been calling on Slack to push its user growth higher to better match with the kind of expansion seen by other so-called work-from-home stocks like Zoom, which exploded during the pandemic.

While Zoom saw its stock price increase 54% in the last 12 months, Slack saw growth of just 13.5%, lower than the S&P 500s 36% price increase. Whats more, much of Slacks stock price growth came as rumors of its acquisition began circulating.

Of course, Slack could face the same issues that have struck Zoom, which saw its stock price tumble following its Q1 2022 earnings during which it revealed its growth is slowing as the pandemic wanes.

Story continues

By Daniel Howley, tech editor. Follow him at @DanielHowley

Sign up for Yahoo Finance Tech newsletter

Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com over via encrypted mail at danielphowley@protonmail.com, and follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

More from Dan:

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit.

Continue reading here:

Slack sees 39% user growth as it beats Q1 expectations - Yahoo Finance

By Michael Martina

WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) - The Biden administration will issue a new executive order on Thursday that bans U.S. entities from buying or selling publicly traded securities for 59 Chinese companies with alleged ties to defense or surveillance technology sectors, senior administration officials said.

The Treasury Department will enforce and update on a "rolling basis" the new ban list, which replaces one from the Department of Defense, the officials, noting the policy would take effect on Aug. 2.

The new order, which is an effort to make a similar Trump-era prohibition more legally sound, signals the administration's intent to "ensure that U.S. persons are not financing the military industrial complex of the People's Republic of China", one of the senior officials told reporters.

The inclusion of Chinese surveillance technology firms expanded the scope of the previous order, the officials said.

"We fully expect that in the months ahead ... we'll be adding additional companies to the new executive order's restrictions," an official said.

President Joe Biden has been reviewing a number of aspects of U.S. policy towards China, and his administration had delayed the implementation of the previous order while it formulated its new policy framework.

The move is part of a broader series of steps to counter China, including reinforcing U.S. alliances and pursuing large domestic investments to bolster U.S. economic competitiveness, amid increasingly sour relations between the world's two most powerful countries.

Biden's Indo-Pacific policy coordinator Kurt Campbell said last month that a period of engagement with China had come to an end and that the dominant paradigm in bilateral ties going forward would be one of competition.

The Treasury Department is expected to issue the full list later on Thursday, and give guidance on what the scope of surveillance technology means, including whether companies are facilitating "repression or serious human rights abuses" in or outside of China, one of the officials said.

Story continues

"We really want to make sure that any future prohibitions are on legally solid ground. So, our first listings really reflect that," a second senior administration official said.

Investors would have time to "unwind" investments, a third official said.

In May, a judge signed an order removing the designation on Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi, which was among the more high-profile Chinese technology companies that the Trump administration targeted for alleged ties to China's military.

The judge later also suspended an ban imposed on Luokung Technology Corp, a Chinese mapping technology company.

The Department of Defense had also placed similar restrictions on China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation 0981.HK, a firm key to China's national drive to boost its domestic chip sector. (Reporting by Michael Martina Editing by Alistair Bell)

Originally posted here:

Biden order to ban investment in 59 Chinese defense and tech firms - Yahoo Finance

No one wants to name their baby girl Karen any more.

The name has tanked in popularity over the past year, according to figures released by the Social Security Administration.

Throughout 2020 the name Karen fell a whopping 171 spots on the popularity list, from a low of 660 to number 831, Huffington Post reported Tuesday.

The names popularity had already been ebbing, falling to its lowest ranking since 1929 by the end of last year, Huffington Post reported in September 2020. While it fell 23 spots to 660 on the list of popular baby names for 2019, it has plummeted even more since then.

The parents of just 325 baby girls named their daughter Karen last year, down from 439 in 2019, Huffington Post said, citing the SSA.

In 1965, at the names peak popularity, nearly 33,000 newborns were named Karen, HuffPo noted.

While theres no scientific link between the name Karen and the pejorative connotations with the entitled white woman who wants to speak to the manager, theres no denying that The Name That Launched a Thousand Memes is morphing into something less than desirable.

How could it not, with connotations like the Central Park Karen who falsely called police to say a Black bird-watcher who had asked her to comply with the rules and leash her dog had actually threatened to harm her? Or the so-called SoHo Karen, who wrongfully accused a Black boy of stealing her cellphone? Or a woman actually named Karen, who refused to mask up in an Ohio grocery store?

Baby names are always a mirror of the times, noted the website Baby Center last October, noting that 2020s changes reflected a year of loss and political divisiveness, with Kobe leaping 175% after the helicopter-crash death of basketball great Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, whose name popularity soared even further, by 216%.

Also gaining in popularity were Kamala, up 104%, and Liberty, which rose 12%, while Karen dropped by 13%, the parenting website said in its own list of popular baby names for 2020, based on its own database of 550,000 babies born in 2020 to parents registered on BabyCenter.

Story continues

Similar stats apply around the world, with a poll that asked 6,000 British parents and parents-to-be to list the top three names they would never dream of calling their child, The New Zealand Herald reported in December. There, too, Karen falls far from the list of most desirable names.

Boris is the most disliked name for a baby boy, the Herald said, and in a blow to the U.K. [Prime Minister] Boris Johnson, is even more unpopular than the name Donald.

_______

Here is the original post:

Karen baby name going the way of the dodo - Yahoo News

The capitalist system is in the biggest need of reform in America, said Ford Foundation President Darren Walker.

A former banker, Walker said he is a believer that there is no better mechanism to organize an economy than capitalism. But I also, as an advocate for capitalism, have to acknowledge its shortcomings and the reality that in the United States, we have actually never given real capitalism a chance. What we need is a new form of stakeholder capitalism that recognizes the importance of all stakeholders, including employees, the communities, and suppliers."

Walker said "the actual boardroom of corporations needs to change. If you look, a year ago, we had a third of the S&P that did not even have a single African-American director. I can assure you that if you do not have representation at the board, you are not likely to see material, sustainable change at the C-suite and within the company more broadly.

"We've got to change the rules of the game so that people have an opportunity to compete on a level playing field, he said.

Walker believes that last year was one of racial reckoning of the kind we have never seen in this country, and certainly in our lifetimes, as major companies acknowledged that corporate America has failed Black America.

So there has been huge disappointment. And that disappointment was manifest in 2020. But the encouraging thing that came out of 2020 was the strong statements Black Lives Matter and other statements by CEOs with concrete, measurable objectives attached that give us time now, one year later, to assess just how much progress has been made.

But despite the progress, Walker said, We are far from turning the corner. But I do think we have begun to see some progress and some reasons for hope.

In order for the American Dream to continue, the question wealthy and privileged people must ask is how much money and power they are willing to give up, Walker said.

Story continues

I am lucky enough to live in a country where a poor kid like myself could be born in the bottom 1% and find myself in the top 1%. And that can only happen in America, he explained. But if we want that to continue to happen, we have to not hoard all the privileges and all of the assets.

In order for the opportunity ladder to continue to work, Walker explained, we've got to have a system that does not compound the advantage of the already-advantaged, and compound the disadvantage of the already disadvantaged and particularly the historically disadvantaged.

So we have to look at what are the systems that produce and reproduce inequality," Walker said. "Those systems are our education system, our access to capital systems, financial systems, and say, what do we need to do to change those systems?

Theres something fundamentally wrong, he said, with a system where during a pandemic, privileged Americans are better off than most Americans that suffered financially. We need to ask some questions to ensure that we still leave hope on the table. At the end of the day, the American dream of hope and aspiration is what fuels our society. Hope is the oxygen of democracy.

And if we allow it, hopelessness will be the end of our society, Walker said. And I believe in this country. I know there is no other nation like the United States of America, and my loyalty and faith in it is unwavering. But I also am sobered by the reality of what I see in this country, which is far too much inequality.

Kristin Myers is a reporter and anchor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit

Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news

For tutorials and information on investing and trading stocks, check out Cashay

Originally posted here:

Ford Foundation president: We need a new form of capitalism to level the playing field - Yahoo Finance

Hat tip to you, Bank of America analyst Curtis Nagle for adhering to some very basic principles of investing, which still matter even though meme stock traders couldn't care less about valuation methodologies, free cash flow outlooks or margin structures.

After seeing Bed Bath & Beyond (BBY) shares explode 62% on June 2, Nagle said in a research note on Friday that it's time for him step back from the volatile stock.

"This [move in the stock] comes in the context of no significant updates from Bed Bath & Beyond or any other material news. Bed Bath & Beyond did release a press release on 6/2/21 regarding the launch of three new private label brands but this was already expected by investors and is not material, in our view. Instead we believe that the rapid appreciation in Bed Bath & Beyond's shares is being driven by another surge in interest and trading led by retail investors," Nagle said. "This follows a very large but short-term move in late January of this year. We also note that Bed Bath & Beyond's share price increase corresponds to big moves over the past week with "meme stocks" such as GameStop, AMC and BlackBerry. As a result, we move to No Rating as we believe shares of Bed Bath & Beyond are no longer trading on fundamentals. Investors should no longer rely upon our previous investment opinion or price objective."

Nagle isn't the first sell-side analyst this year to remove a rating or price target or just outright drop coverage of a company swept up into meme stock mania. Even still, as this former analyst could attest these are drastic actions that are far from the norm among the analyst community on Wall Street. It's a group that prides itself on making great calls after conducting granular research and maintaining good relationships with executive teams.

But the surprise maneuvers do underscore how impossible it is for an analyst to properly cover a company which includes talking with management, modeling out future earnings and communicating those things to clients amid an environment fast-filling up with a new generation of retail traders. In this topsy turvy backdrop, a veteran analyst could go from being a hero one day to being out of a job tomorrow simply because a CEO like Adam Aron of AMC conducts an interview with a YouTube influencer.

Story continues

Having said all of that, as luck would have it Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Mark Tritton was on Yahoo Finance Live on June 2 as the company's stock was going to the moon. Tritton joined us as shares of Bed Bath & Beyond was up more than 40%, as the meme stock army let themselves be heard once more.

"I think today's activities are just a day in time. It doesn't affect us operationally. We are focused and ready," Tritton said. "Regardless of the stock movement our role is to create sequential growth and strength at both the balance sheet and in growth ratios. We believe we have been doing that."

BofA's Nagle appears to believe that too, saying the company has a "solid" long-term turnaround in place. That may eventually lend itself to a fresh rating on the stock from Nagle, but for now the meme army is going to do its thing.

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

Whats hot from Sozzi:

Watch Yahoo Finances live programming on Verizon FIOS channel 604, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Pluto TV, and YouTube. Online catch Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, and LinkedIn.

Go here to read the rest:

This meme stock exploded 62% in one day and this Wall Street analyst has had enough - Yahoo Finance

The Telegraph

Striker Bruno Petkovic is expected to fill Mario Mandzukic's big boots at Euro 2020 as Croatia aim to reach the last 16. Mandzukic, who scored an extra time winner in a 2-1 victory over England in their 2018 World Cup semi-final, is one of several stalwarts who hung up their international boots after Croatia were beaten by France 4-2 in the final. There were no surprises in coach Zlatko Dalic's squad as a bulk of those who spearheaded that World Cup campaign were named alongside a host of players looking to impress on the big stage. Dejan Lovren and Domagoj Vida are likely to be Dalic's first-choice centre backs again while 35-year old captain Luka Modric will continue to drive the midfield. "Petkovic has to be at Euro 2020 what Mandzukic was in Russia," Dalic told the online edition of daily Sportske Novosti. "He has shown that he is capable of leading the line but he has to be in top form. If not, Andrej Kramaric and Ante Budimir are the alternatives." The gifted Petkovic has scored six goals in 13 appearances for Croatia but is yet to be tested on the biggest stage after making his debut in March 2019. The Croatians face England, Scotland and the Czech Republic in Euro 2020 Group D and open their campaign against the English at Wembley on June 13. They face the Czechs at Hampden Park on June 18 where they also lock horns with Scotland in their final group match four days later. Dalic played down Croatia's chances of emulating or surpassing their World Cup success. "The primary goal is to reach the knockout stages and what makes it difficult is the fact that England and Scotland will be hosts in their games against us," he said. "England will be our most difficult opponents because they are a top quality side and we'll be playing them at Wembley. "Our will-power and energy levels are the same as before the World Cup, but the atmosphere is different. The bar is too high and expectations are unrealistic now whereas no one had any before we went to Russia. "We are still among the top 10 sides in Europe but there are many teams with a better chance of winning Euro 2020." Croatia Euro 2021 squad Goalkeepers: Lovre Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Simon Sluga (Luton Town) Defenders: Domagoj Vida (Besiktas), Joko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Domagoj Bradari (LOSC Lille), Mile kori (Osijek), Dejan Lovren (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), Borna Barisic (Rangers), Duje Caleta-Car (Marseille), Josip Juranovic (Legia Warsaw) Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozovic (Internazionale), Milan Badelj (Genoa), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (CSKA Moscow), Ivan Perisic (Internazionale) Forwards: Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Josip Brekalo (Wolfsburg), Mislav Orsic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Kristijan Lovric (Gorica), Ante Rebi (AC Milan), Bruno Petkovi (Dinamo Zagreb) Croatia Euro 2021 fixtures England vs Croatia, Sunday June 13, 2pm Croatia vs Czech Republic, Friday June 18, 5pm Croatia vs Scotland, Tuesday June 22, 8pm Group D latest standings

Here is the original post:

Amazon reportedly pursuing Al Michaels to be the voice of 'Thursday Night Football' package - Yahoo Sports

Just as the Madison Square Garden crowd saluted the New York Knicks for a return to relevancy after years of misery, Trae Young drilled a 30-footer, bowed to the crowd and signaled that for all the good vibes the moment delivered, the series was over.

And it was a reminder of the work to be done before the Empire State Building can turn its lights orange and blue again when the Knicks take the floor for the 2021-22 season.

The feel-good story of the year had a hard crash Wednesday, dumped by the surprising and mouthy Atlanta Hawks in five games. The expectations were raised headed into the series by the Knicks strong finish, but they were relatively exposed as an overachieving bunch.

It proved something that wasnt a secret, with the regular season being about what you can do and the playoffs being about what you cant.

Heres where Knicks president Leon Rose, senior adviser William Worldwide Wes Wesley and general manager Scott Perry must get busy in the offseason, because honeymoons in that city dont last but for a New York minute.

The Knicks face plenty of questions not as many as when a seat is reserved at the lottery, but plenty nonetheless. Playing for head coach Tom Thibodeau requires maximum effort at all times, which doesnt leave much room for the elevator to go higher in the playoffs.

The temptation is alluring $60 million in cap space, extra draft picks courtesy of shrewd trades to use as sweetener in a deal for a prime-time player and an annoying amount of hope but going for the large talent upgrade could be fools gold unless the perfect deal comes along.

Theyll be in every conversation for any disgruntled superstar, and even if they arent, well still hear about it anyways. The Knicks have turned into a desirable destination and with the crosstown Brooklyn Nets charting a championship path, the pressure will be on to match their energy sooner rather than later.

Story continues

Taking care of Julius Randle is probably the easiest financial decision if he wants an extension, a relative bargain this season at $18.9 million and $19.8 million next season. Randle struggled mightily in the series, looking nothing like the Most Improved Player and at times, like the turnover machine he was when he first arrived via free agency.

It looked like Randle saw triple during the series, every set of eyes fixated on him, and couldnt discover the man who dominated Atlanta during the regular season, the Julius Randle who gave the Hawks two of his three 40-point games.

Its because the playoffs are a different game, and teams will load up on his left hand next season as the book is out. His turnovers increased as the series went on, highlighted by eight in the clincher, and he shot under 30% from the field.

Ugh.

They didnt have the playmakers to lessen the dependency on Randle when he struggled and strategically, didnt find ways to make the game easier for him. He was either forcing the action or wholly indecisive, an experience the Knicks better hope is an outlier rather than harbinger.

There's only one way to get experiences, you have to get it, but it's a big part of learning, Thibodeau said. And hopefully we can take that and move it forward.

Randle thrived as the main playmaker, and its easy to say hes not a traditional No. 1 for a contender, but not many of those players come on the market, especially not after the litany of player turnover league-wide the last couple of seasons.

Can he be as effective if the Knicks made a personnel move to acquire a top-line scorer, if the offense wasnt built around him? If he finds a way to be more finisher than facilitator, itll make his life and the Knicks that much easier.

After the confetti from making its first postseason since 2013 fell from the emotional rafters, we saw a team that couldnt shoot, could barely score and maxed out.

The Hawks didnt make them quit, but the mascara was removed and the picture wasnt as pretty as we thought.

Antics aside, the 4-5 matchup with the Hawks looked like a clear disparity with talent, and if the Knicks look close enough, theyll see a team thats perhaps a half-step ahead with roster development.

Young was sensational and theatrical, but it was a group effort from the Hawks that propelled them to a second-round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.

I thought Atlanta really, they added some good pieces to complement Trae and I think that helped him, Thibodeau said following Game 5.

Second-year forward DeAndre Hunter didnt get a full chance to display his growth, but the potential both from using his length and the angles to effectively guard Derrick Rose and his improved shot selection was evident in stretches.

And adding a secondary scorer in Bogdan Bogdanovic took pressure off Young. Not only did it shift opposing defenses, but it took pressure off Young to make every play, limiting the bad shots and questionable decisions.

Derrick Rose wants to be back, and if Tom Thibodeau has his way, the Knicks will sign him. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Sounds like a recipe the Knicks can follow.

Rose wants to be back, and if Thibodeau has his way, the Knicks will sign him. Names like Dennis Schroder or veteran Kyle Lowry will come up in free agency, but Thibodeau would close games with Rose even if a 25-year old Magic Johnson was manning the point.

Thibodeau clearly soured on Elfrid Payton, but theres enough space for internal development elsewhere on the roster if the Knicks choose to be patient.

Its not sexy to say player development but thats the lane Obi Toppin, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley travel in. Mitchell Robinson is still a second-round gem, but his injuries had better be more freak than the sign of a brittle athlete. He missed out on valuable playoff experience with a fractured right foot.

Can the Knicks invest in every young player or will they be bold and try to capitalize on the organizational momentum? Rose and Wesley are still novices, and they could want to press the fast-forward button.

But even the biggest Knick optimist can see theres a gulf between any team in the East and Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Milwaukee hence why Danny Ainge stepped down in Boston. Theres no one magic move to elevate them to that echelon, not one without huge risk that isnt necessary at this stage of development.

The appetite has been whet all around New York City, now its up to the front office not to get too full in the meantime.

More from Yahoo Sports:

Original post:

Knicks facing plenty of questions this offseason as the honeymoon won't last long - Yahoo Sports

Bias in clinical trials is one of many shortcomings the U.S. health care system uncovered by the coronavirus pandemic and advocacy groups are calling for more diversity in trial participants moving forward.

The federal government has started to take steps in recent years, with a Clinical Trial Diversity Toolkit published by the National Institutes of Health in 2016, and a call for greater diversity on a page published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

During the COVID-19 vaccine trials, Moderna (MRNA), which was the first company to start clinical trials, slowed its enrollment for the final stage of trials in order to ensure a more diverse participant pool. Other companies, including Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Novavax (NVAX), conducted global trials to provide a level of diversity.

The largest industry lobbying group, PhRMA, is slated to host a workshop in June to discuss "participation barriers" and ways to "enhance diversity" for clinical trials.

And some companies are vocal about the need to change the system.

"It's incumbent on us to ensure that when we study our medicines, that those medicines are studied in the representative patient populations that they're intended to treat. Historically, that's not been the case," Dr. Andy Plump, president of research and development at Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda (TAK), told Yahoo Finance in a recent interview.

Reuters senior correspondent Aislinn Laing receives a dose of vaccine or placebo for a Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial at a medical facility in Colina area, Santiago, Chile, November 20, 2020. Picture taken November 20, 2020. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

The pandemic forced some companies to adopt a strategy they had been too cautious to pursue in the past, but could play a vital role in diversifying trials: remote participation.

The idea that a decentralized clinical trial setup, with engagement from physicians rather than institutions, could help encourage a more diverse participant pool, has already been attempted by firms like TrialSpark. But the idea that it could be done remotely, and thereby expand access, wasn't a popular idea pre-pandemic.

Story continues

That has since changed, and companies that can provide the necessary tech platforms can see the shift.

Derk Arts, CEO of software firm Castor EDC, saw the opportunity and hit the jackpot when the World Health Organization (WHO) was searching for a better way to run the most important trials amid the pandemic.

"The entirety of this business process is not data-driven at all," Arts told Yahoo Finance recently.

Securing the WHO contract was a result of a proactive outreach and luck, Arts said. The WHO was struggling with its existing platform at the time he decided to reach out to the principle investigator to pitch his company. With the addition of the 50,000-plus WHO trial, it meant the small company had to suddenly scale, and very quickly, to meet the demand.

"Within a week, we basically had the entire trial move on our platform and running. Almost no other competitor would have been able to pull that off," Arts said.

He believes that if contract research organizations, which are clinical trial sites that partner for federally-funded or pharma-funded trials, take the initiative to ensure remote monitoring and other tech-based tools are available, they will be prepared for the future.

"As soon as the (trial) sponsors start demanding that, they need to be in the right place. I think it's very likely they will look elsewhere for a more technology-focused partner who can kind of help them," Arts said of companies who are likely to start look for ways to bridge the diversity gap.

The contract with WHO has put Castor on the radar of Big Pharma. "It's definitely also just been driving a whole new customer segment to us. Where previously it would be very rare for big (clinical trial sites) or big CEOs or big sponsors to reach out to us, now everyone's saying, 'Wait, this company is making waves and making a difference,'" Arts said.

Castor opened up its platform for free for COVID-19 trials in February 2020, and is now supporting 300 trials. To-date, the company has completed 2,000 clinical trials, with about 4,000 currently under way.

Takeda's Plump believes the industry at-large is now focused new ways to conduct and monitor more diverse trials.

"I think that what we've seen over the last year is, in a sense, a jumpstart to something that we've been trying to do for many years, but now I think we're supercharged," he said.

To support the enthusiasm, a combination of industry action and federal engagement are necessary, with the a need for mandates or new regulations in some cases, Plump said.

But, he added, "mandates are less effective than the guiding principles and alignment of a sector, because mandates, as you know, sometimes drive bad behavior."

Still, now that the industry has had some experience with the concept, it is likely to start building forward. But it's not as simple as just ramping up what was put in place during the pandemic.

"I wish it was so simple," Plump said, noting that new relationships will need to be built in order to truly diversify.

To achieve that, Plump said, building trust in diverse populations and ensuring language in informed consent forms reflect inclusivity are the first big steps.

"Many of those trial sites don't access patients in the representative way that we're looking at, so it requires building out new relationships, new clinical trial sites....I think that's going to take time if we want to do this in a way that's foundational and lasting," Plump said.

More from Anjalee:

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance.

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Follow Anjalee on Twitter @AnjKhem.

See more here:

How the pandemic spurred reform of clinical trials in drug industry - Yahoo Finance

Victory Capital Holdings, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:VCTR) dividend will be increasing to US$0.12 on 25th of June. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 1.1%, which is below the industry average.

View our latest analysis for Victory Capital Holdings

If it is predictable over a long period, even low dividend yields can be attractive. However, prior to this announcement, Victory Capital Holdings' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 13.9% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 9.2% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

historic-dividend

The company has maintained a consistent dividend for a few years now, but we would like to see a longer track record before relying on it. The first annual payment during the last 2 years was US$0.20 in 2019, and the most recent fiscal year payment was US$0.48. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 55% per annum over that time. It is always nice to see strong dividend growth, but with such a short payment history we wouldn't be inclined to rely on it until a longer track record can be developed.

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Victory Capital Holdings has impressed us by growing EPS at 109% per year over the past five years. Earnings per share is growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low which we think is an ideal combination in a dividend stock as the company can quite easily raise the dividend in the future.

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Victory Capital Holdings that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

Read the original here:

Victory Capital Holdings' (NASDAQ:VCTR) Dividend Will Be Increased To US$0.12 - Yahoo Finance

REHOVOT, Israel, June 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CollPlant (NASDAQ: CLGN), a regenerative and aesthetic medicine company, announced today the uplisting of its ordinary shares to the Nasdaq Global Select Market effective at the open of market today, Friday, June 4, 2021.

CollPlant's ordinary shares now trade under the Company's current ticker symbol "CLGN" and the Company's American Depositary Shares (ADSs) have been mandatorily cancelled and exchanged for ordinary shares at a one-for-one ratio. Shareholders holding their ADSs in book-entry or through a bank, broker, or other nominee form do not need to take any action in connection with the mandatory exchange.

"We are pleased to complete this important milestone and believe that our current and future shareholders will benefit from our Nasdaq Global Market status and the transition to ordinary shares," stated Yehiel Tal, CollPlant CEO.

A listing on the Nasdaq Global Market is considered an indicator of status and success for companies that qualify for listing. Listed companies must satisfy stringent financial, liquidity and corporate governance requirements, both initially and on an ongoing basis.

About CollPlant

CollPlant is a regenerative and aesthetic medicine company focused on 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs, and medical aesthetics. The Company's products are based on its rhCollagen (recombinant human collagen) produced with CollPlant's proprietary plant based genetic engineering technology. These products address indications for the diverse fields of tissue repair, aesthetics, and organ manufacturing, and are ushering in a new era in regenerative and aesthetic medicine. CollPlant recently entered into a development and global commercialization agreement for dermal and soft tissue fillers with Allergan, an AbbVie company, the global leader in the dermal filler market.

For more information, visit http://www.collplant.com.

Safe Harbor Statements

Story continues

This press release may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to CollPlant's objectives plans and strategies, as well as statements, other than historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that CollPlant intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. These statements are often characterized by terminology such as "believes," "hopes," "may," "anticipates," "should," "intends," "plans," "will," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "positioned," "strategy" and similar expressions and are based on assumptions and assessments made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Many factors could cause CollPlant's actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the Company's history of significant losses, its ability to continue as a going concern, and its need to raise additional capital and its inability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the Company's expectations regarding the timing and cost of commencing clinical trials with respect to tissues and organs which are based on its rhCollagen based BioInk and products for medical aesthetics; the Company's ability to obtain favorable pre-clinical and clinical trial results; regulatory action with respect to rhCollagen based BioInk and medical aesthetics products including but not limited to acceptance of an application for marketing authorization review and approval of such application, and, if approved, the scope of the approved indication and labeling; commercial success and market acceptance of the Company's rhCollagen based products in 3D Bioprinting and medical aesthetics; the Company's ability to establish sales and marketing capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties and its reliance on third party distributors and resellers; the Company's ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate collaborations; the Company's reliance on third parties to conduct some or all aspects of its product manufacturing; the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights and the Company's ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; the overall global economic environment; the impact of competition and new technologies; general market, political, and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates; projected capital expenditures and liquidity; changes in the Company's strategy; and litigation and regulatory proceedings. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting CollPlant is contained under the heading "Risk Factors" included in CollPlant's most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC, and in other filings that CollPlant has made and may make with the SEC in the future. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and reflect CollPlant's current views with respect to future events, and CollPlant does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact at CollPlant:Eran RotemDeputy CEO & Chief Financial OfficerTel: + 972-73-2325600Email: Eran@collplant.com

Cision

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/collplant-announces-effectiveness-of-uplisting-to-the-nasdaq-global-market-ordinary-shares-replace-adss-301305552.html

SOURCE CollPlant

Continued here:

CollPlant Announces Effectiveness of Uplisting to the Nasdaq Global Market; Ordinary Shares Replace ADSs - Yahoo Finance