Monday, August 3, 2026

Meta's "True" ROIC, and Some Notes from Meta and Alphabet's 10-Qs

Meta’s adjusted LTM ROIC is in the mid-50s after excluding $80 billion of construction in progress; that capacity will lower returns as AI capex enters service.

META $1.8T

MBI Deep Dives Aug 3 9 clicks

Aug 3 BLDR $6B

[scuttleslops] BLDR, RYAN, APG, GFL, FND

scuttleblurb 9 clicks

Aug 2 FND $4.9B

Floor & Decor 2Q'26: Tentative Green Shoots

MBI Deep Dives 5 clicks

Meta: 2Q26 Business Update

Meta's 2Q26 revenue rose 27%, but capex, depreciation and nascent cloud and AI ambitions raise margin and return risks as it maximizes…

META $1.8T

Speedwell Memos Jul 31 3 clicks

Amazon 2Q'26: AWS Gets the Love

Amazon’s AWS grew 37% to a $169 billion run rate in 2Q’26, while North America retail margins fell excluding a $600 million tariff refund.

AMZN $2.7T

MBI Deep Dives Jul 31 2 clicks

[scuttleslops] ODFL, AMD, INTC, CDNS, URI, VRSK, KNSL, WSO

Old Dominion Freight Line grew Q2 revenue 10.4% and EPS 32.3% as pricing offset lower tonnage, while excess network capacity sets up…

ODFL $38B

scuttleblurb Jul 30 2 clicks

Google’s AI Return on Investment

Alphabet’s $132 billion AI capex produced an estimated 49% post-tax incremental ROIC once only in-service assets are counted, versus a…

GOOGL $4.2T

Bristlemoon Capital Jul 28 4 clicks

Under the Hood - Adobe Inc. ($ADBE)

Adobe generates 96% of revenue from subscriptions and converts over 40% into free cash flow, but generative AI tests whether Creative…

ADBE $90B

Bearhold Research Jul 27 3 clicks

Under the Hood - Tractor Supply ($TSCO)

Tractor Supply’s 2,602-store rural retail network supported 30+ years of growth.

TSCO $17B

Bearhold Research Jul 23 2 clicks

Boston Scientific Has to Keep Buying the Future

Boston Scientific built its interventional-medicine portfolio through acquisitions, but early-2000s growth became heavily dependent on the…

BSX $61B

scuttleblurb Jul 20 3 clicks

$CBZ: stop the buybacks and restart the M&A flywheel? | Reference Equity

CBIZ activist Ryan Bunn urges ending buybacks, issuing equity and resuming bolt-on acquisitions to delever after the $2.3 billion Marcum…

CBZ $3B

Yet Another Value Podcast Jul 14 3 clicks

Under The Hood - Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.

Sprouts Farmers Market’s 483-store fresh-food format combines dedicated distribution, curated assortments and long-built site selection,…

SFM $6.1B

Bearhold Research Jul 11 4 clicks

$VEON: a busted EM telecom hiding a 4x? | Samit Umatiya, UIG Funds

VEON’s 84% Kyivstar stake and JazzCash underpin a sum-of-the-parts case for 4x upside, despite its sanctioned shareholder, capital…

VEON $5.3B

Yet Another Value Blog Jul 1 2 clicks

PSKY · short

Paramount Skydance CORP

Paramount Skydance (PSKY) is a levered media conglomerate expected to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery in the third quarter.

PSKY $11B

Value Investors Club Apr 30 5 clicks

Thinking aloud about Google remedies

Justice Department remedies could bar Google from using location data it cannot share, weakening targeted ads and traffic routing despite…

GOOGL $4.2T

John Hempton's Newsletter Oct 9 5 clicks

Does anyone remember when Alnylam went up 50 percent in a day on a phase three result

Alnylam’s 2022 50% phase-three gain faces FDA advisory-panel scrutiny over its amyloidosis drug’s label extension.

ALNY $30B

John Hempton's Newsletter Sep 12 1 click

We can get some extra votes. Pity they are worthless and scumbags are in charge of governance.

Campari’s five-year loyalty plan grants five votes per share, letting its controlling shareholder sell stock while retaining control and…

DVCMY $8.3B

John Hempton's Newsletter Aug 7 2 clicks