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  • Trucking company files Chapter 7 bankruptcy, shuts down abruptly

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    When a trucking company shuts down, it usually has a wind-down period when it delivers any remaining loads in its possession. Not doing so leaves thousands of people in limbo, since they don’t know whether their orders will ever arrive.

    The problem can be even worse when items being delivered have an expiration date or might otherwise become less valuable, or even worthless, if they sit.

    In some cases, items in mid-transit become an even bigger hassle, as customers have paid for the delivery, but whoever ends up owning the assets of the bankrupt freight company has no obligation to deliver.

    A similar issue arose when furniture company Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams went bankrupt in 2023. Customers had paid it for delivery, but that payment had not been sent to its shipping partners.

    Ultimately, the bankruptcy court allowed Ryder Last Mile and other freight companies to charge the customers again if they wanted their goods.

    In the case of Montgomery Transport, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on Oct. 9 and immediately shut down, the fate of its in-warehouse and in-transit deliveries remains in limbo.

    Montgomery Transport LLC, a Birmingham, Alabama-based flatbed trucking company, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and immediately ceased operations. That leaves about 1,000 employees out of work and the fate of anything the company was shipping uncertain.

    The company described its business on its website.

    “Montgomery Transport is a leading flatbed carrier in the nation specializing in the safe transport of over dimensional freight. Our company is built around understanding the unique needs of our customers and our drivers. That means state-of-the-art safety technology, well-maintained equipment, high standards for quality, and strong relationships,” the company shared.

    It then follows with a statement that now rings hollow, given the Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing and the abandonment of its remaining loads:

    We treat every haul like it’s the most important one on the road — because to us, it is.

    • Montgomery Transport LLC (based in Birmingham, AL) filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased operations immediately.

    • The filing followed a failed sale to P & S Transportation.
      Source:LinkedIn

    • Approximately 1,000 employees are now out of work as a result of the shutdown.

    • “This is the largest trucking bankruptcy of the year,” according to Craig Fuller, a freight industry expert, posting on X, the former Twitter.

    • The abrupt closure suggests no “wind-down period.” Operations ceased as of the bankruptcy.

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  • Should You Buy Nvidia Stock Before Nov. 20? The Evidence Is Piling Up, and Here’s What It Suggests.

    Should You Buy Nvidia Stock Before Nov. 20? The Evidence Is Piling Up, and Here’s What It Suggests.

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    The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is continuing at a brisk pace, but some are waiting for the other shoe to drop. A strengthening U.S. economy and robust quarterly results from several AI-related companies helped push the Nasdaq Composite to a new record high last week. Yet these same factors have some investors wondering if the bull market has gone too far, too fast.

    Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has become the de facto standard bearer for the generative AI industry. The company is scheduled to report its fiscal 2025 third-quarter results in less than three weeks, and it’s not an exaggeration to suggest that Wall Street is on pins and needles waiting for the clues that report will offer about the state of AI adoption. Nvidia’s sales have surged since the start of last year, driving the stock up 833% (as of this writing). It’s also less than 5% off the all-time high it touched late last month.

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    There’s a lot riding on Nvidia’s upcoming financial report, and many shareholders are wondering whether the stock can possibly continue its breathtaking run. Is it worth picking up shares ahead of its financial report on Nov. 20? Fortunately for investors, data has begun to pile up that could help answer that question.

    Image source: Getty Images.

    The key to Nvidia’s astounding successes of the past couple of years has been the performance of its graphics processing units (GPUs), which are the best chips for supplying the specific type of computational horsepower necessary for generative AI, as well as other types of cloud computing needs. The necessary resources and the sheer magnitude of data involved limit the top-tier AI models to the world’s largest technology companies and cloud providers — most of which are Nvidia customers. Comments made in conjunction with those tech giants’ recent quarterly results provide some insights about the state of the AI revolution — and the evidence is clear.

    For example, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) said it spent heavily to advance its AI agenda in its fiscal 2025 first quarter (which ended Sept. 30). The company had capital expenditures (capex) of $20 billion, which primarily went to support “cloud and AI-related” demand. CFO Amy Hood expects Microsoft’s spending spree to continue: “We expect capital expenditures to increase on a sequential basis given our cloud and AI demand signals,” she said.

    During Alphabet‘s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) third-quarter earnings call, CEO Sundar Pichai said, “Realizing [the opportunity] of AI requires … meaningful capital investment.” The company revealed capex of $13 billion during the quarter and suggested there would be “substantial increases in capital investment … going into 2025.”

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  • 2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Companies That Could Follow Nvidia’s Lead and Split Their Stock

    2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Companies That Could Follow Nvidia’s Lead and Split Their Stock

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    Stock splits generate a lot of buzz in the investing world, especially among the amateur crowd. You probably already know that a split doesn’t affect the company’s underlying value — if you have one share worth $100 and the company executes a 10-for-1 split, you would have 10 shares worth $10 each for the same $100 value.

    However, there are some advantages to shrinking per-share prices. For example, it’s easier for smaller investors to accumulate a position. Let’s say you put $300 into an account monthly; it’s easier to accumulate a position in a stock selling for $100 than $2,000. The announcements also draw attention to the company, which is potentially of help.

    Nvidia is the latest big tech company to announce a split (its second in the past three years). The stock split 10-for-1 last week after an incredible run over the previous few years, as shown below. But Nvidia isn’t the only company with a swelling stock price. The artificial intelligence (AI) boom sent several other stocks to all-time highs.

    Could one of these below be next to split their stock?

    Super Micro Computer

    Let’s look first at Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI), which trades above $750 per share. This is well below its 52-week high of $1,229 but well above the 52-week low price of $213. Supermicro (as its known) is a nuts-and-bolts play in the AI sector, as its server, storage, and networking hardware are critical to data centers, edge computing, and more.

    The intense customer demand, primarily driven by AI, caused revenue and operating income to skyrocket recently, as shown below.

    SMCI Revenue (TTM) Chart

    SMCI Revenue (TTM) Chart

    The company’s latest quarter saw 200% year-over-year sales growth to $3.9 billion, and Supermicro expects intense growth to continue next quarter with a forecast of $5.1 billion to $5.5 billion. The great thing about this sales growth is that Supermicro is doing it profitably, as you can see by the rising operating income in the chart above. Data center growth is a tailwind that should last for years (check out this article for details).

    If the stock price stays high, the company could move to split the stock — potentially soon.

    ServiceNow

    Companies are turning to automation like never before. Automating tasks is critical to efficiency, which is paramount in the hyper-competitive business world. With the Now Platform provided by ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), customers get virtual customer service agents, process automation, and AI-based issue detection, routing, and problem-solving solutions.

    ServiceNow has an expanding customer base of over 8,100, including 85% of the Fortune 500. This includes nearly 2,000 large customers that spend an average of $4.6 million each with ServiceNow annually. The company also boasts a 98% renewal rate. Like Supermicro, ServiceNow’s sales and operating profits are soaring, as shown below.

    NOW Revenue (TTM) ChartNOW Revenue (TTM) Chart

    NOW Revenue (TTM) Chart

    The $9.5 billion in trailing-12-month sales above include $2.6 billion in the first quarter, a 24% increase over the prior year. ServiceNow’s stock price has followed suit and trades near $700 per share. If the stock remains elevated, ServiceNow could follow other tech companies and consider a split.

    In the grand scheme of the stock market, stock splits aren’t very consequential. They best serve investors by keeping most stocks trading within the same relative range. It would complicate things if all companies did what Berkshire Hathaway did; its stock trades for over $600,000 per share after decades of growth without splitting (although investors can still buy the Class B shares much more cheaply).

    Still, stock splits garner attention, open the market up to smaller investors, and create fun topics of conversation. Nvidia is the latest titan to split; more could soon follow.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Super Micro Computer right now?

    Before you buy stock in Super Micro Computer, consider this:

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    Bradley Guichard has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Nvidia, and ServiceNow. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

    2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Companies That Could Follow Nvidia’s Lead and Split Their Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool

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  • These investors think Trump’s new public company will flop

    These investors think Trump’s new public company will flop

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    Former President Donald Trump has clearly scored a financial win with his media startup, Trump Media & Technology Group. Once the firm goes public, likely this week, Trump’s ownership stake could fetch more than $3 billion.

    But many investors seem to think the Trump venture will flop. The Trump startup will go public via a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC), a special-purpose vehicle that’s been trading since 2021. After revealing its plan to merge with Trump’s startup, DWAC’s stock soared from its opening price of $10 to a high of $98 in 2022.

    The stock has since fallen back to around $50, and there’s a lot of negative sentiment not yet priced into the stock. “There is huuuuge conviction (Trump pun intended) that there will be a significant decline in the stock price in the short term,” Ihor Dusaniwsky, managing director at S3 Partners, said in an email.

    The short interest in DWAC stock — bets that the price will fall rather than rise — is about 11% of outstanding shares, according to S3. That’s high, but not unprecedented: Average short interest in public companies is in the 3% to 4% range, though short interest can reach 40% or more if traders think a stock is doomed.

    But there are very few DWAC shares available to execute short trades, which makes it extremely costly to bet against the stock. That means elevated short interest is a strong indicator of negative views of the company’s prospects. “There is very little stock available to support new short sales,” Dusaniwsky said. “But short sellers are staying in this trade even while paying over 200 times the average stock borrow rate for a US short trade.”

    DWAC has basically become a meme stock, a kind of viral sensation that attracts investor interest beyond what the company’s fundamentals would ordinarily suggest. That obviously stems from Trump’s notoriety and the fervent belief some supporters have in his “make America great again” crusade.

    Many buyers pushing up DWAC’s price have been individual investors expressing loyalty to Trump himself. But there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that other buyers are betting on a bubble and hoping to sell before it pops.

    “DWAC is dropping to $2.50 after the merger,” one investor posted on Reddit’s meme stock channel, WallStreetBets. Another suggested anybody holding the stock for the long haul is a “MAGA bagholder” who will basically end up putting money into Trump’s pocket.

    Short sellers betting against DWAC have lost money so far this year, since the stock has risen in anticipation of the finalization of the merger and Trump’s reemergence on public markets. But there are several reasons to think the Trump company will struggle, and shareholders will suffer, once the company is fully public.

    Drop Rick Newman a note, follow him on Twitter, or sign up for his newsletter.

    CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 25: In this photo illustration, Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump's social media platform Truth Social is shown on a tablet on March 25, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The company is expected to go public tomorrow on the NASDAQ market, trading under the ticker symbol DJT. Trump reportedly owns about 58 percent of the company, a stake that is could be valued at roughly $3 billion. (Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    Former President Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social is expected to go public tomorrow on the NASDAQ market, trading under the ticker symbol DJT. (Scott Olson via Getty Images)

    First, the Trump company’s main business, the Truth Social networking app, is a money-losing niche player that has no obvious advantage against competitors such as X and Facebook other than the divisive appeal of Trump himself. The company has little revenue and has lost millions since its 2022 launch.

    Another risk is Trump’s own financial stake in the company, which will trade under the ticker DJT — the same symbol as a Trump casino company that went bankrupt in 2004. Trump will own at least 55% of the combined company, worth at least $3.3 billion at current valuations. But Trump could have a strong incentive to sell shares to pay legal fees associated with four criminal cases he’s battling and two civil cases where he’s been assessed more than $500 million in penalties and fees.

    Trump has to wait six months before selling any shares in the public company, according to the terms of the merger. But that would still allow him to sell shares by October. The company board could also waive that rule, which seems plausible given that it’s composed of Trump cronies plus his son, Donald Jr.

    If Trump sells shares in his own company or investors even think he’s likely to sell shares, that would put downward pressure on the stock price, as normally happens when any insider sells. If Trump dumped a lot of shares to raise money quickly, shares could plummet in value.

    The stock price already swings on news related to Trump’s personal finances. On March 25, a New York court lowered the amount of money Trump must post while appealing a civil conviction for business fraud from $464 million to $175 million. DWAC shares jumped nearly 20% on the news, since it suggested Trump might be less likely to sell his own company’s shares to raise money. For a publicly traded stock, that’s extraordinary sensitivity to one person’s financial disposition and it could easily go the other way if or when Trump suffers reverses.

    A third risk is that Trump, likely to be the Republican presidential candidate in 2024, loses in November to incumbent President Joe Biden. A second loss to Biden would leave little political future for the 77-year-old Trump, except as a kind of Republican Party boss emeritus. Instead of being the “in” place for Trump supporters to converse, Truth Social would become a remnant of the Trump movement. One thing Trump’s company is, for sure, is a unique way to monetize your political beliefs about the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

    Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @rickjnewman.

    Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow’s stock prices.

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  • Rivian Rebounds From Record Low In Premarket: What’s Going On With The Stock

    Rivian Rebounds From Record Low In Premarket: What’s Going On With The Stock

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    Shares of Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) rose in premarket trading on Monday after the battering they received last week in the aftermath of the electric vehicle startup’s quarterly report.

    The stock lost a whopping 38% in the week ended Feb. 23 and closed at a record low after the company announced 2024 deliveries guidance that came in notably below Street expectations. Following the earnings, sell-side analysts lowered their forward estimates for the company and, as an extension, their price targets for the stock.

    The stock also suffered downgrades in the hands of JPMorgan, UBS and Truist Securities.

    • JPMorgan downgraded the stock from Neutral to Underweight and reduced its price target from $20 to $11.

    • UBS downgraded the stock from Buy to Sell and lowered the price target from $24 to $28.

    • Truist cut its rating on the stock from Buy to Hold and took down the price target from $26 to $11.

    Monday’s rebound could be because the sell-off may have been overdone. Following last week’s dismal stock performance, Tesla investor Gary Black defended the company. He flagged the company’s likelihood of emerging as a credible number two to Tesla by 2030. 

    Black expects Rivian to be gross-margin positive by the fourth quarter, Black said, adding that the company’s cash bleed will drop significantly exiting 2024. He also raised the specter of Rivian customer Amazon potentially considering buying its electric delivery van supplier.

    The company has a key catalyst in the near term as the Irvine, California-based company gears up to launch its second-gen R2 low-priced EV on Mar. 7.

    For a reversal, the stock should fill the gap formed when it gapped down following the quarterly results and go past a key resistance around the $15 area. The stock is currently in oversold territory, going by its relative strength index.

    In premarket trading, Rivian rose 1.09% to $10.18, according to Benzinga Pro data.

    Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

    See Also: Best Electric Vehicle Stocks

    Photo Courtesy of Rivian Automotive

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    This article Rivian Rebounds From Record Low In Premarket: What’s Going On With The Stock originally appeared on Benzinga.com

    © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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