Recently covered

Photo: Armstrong World Industries, Inc. / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Armstrong World raises buyback to $2.5B, boosts dividend

Armstrong World Industries expanded its share repurchase program by $800 million, bringing the total authorization to $2.5 billion and extending the program through December 31, 2029, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.339 per share payable on August 19, 2026 to shareholders of record August 5. The announcements, highlighted by the company’s leadership, underscore its confidence in ongoing cash flow and long-term shareholder value through disciplined capital allocation.

8 sources

Photo: giggel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

FACT II terminates Precision Aerospace merger

Fact II Acquisition Corp. terminated its proposed business combination with Precision Aerospace & Defense Group, Inc. after failing to obtain the necessary shareholder approvals and closing conditions by the deadline, with no breaches alleged by either party. The SPAC will continue pursuing other opportunities and has noted that sponsor and related support agreements have terminated as part of the termination, with further details to be provided in a Form 8-K.

13 sources

Photo: Maurice King / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Alaska Plans Hawaii Inter-Island Fleet Shift

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are moving to replace Hawaiian’s inter-island Boeing 717s with Boeing 737-800s starting in 2028, with a dedicated Hawaii-based sub-fleet and initial 737-800 deployment to Honolulu–Kahului in late 2026 to bolster capacity and service. The plan includes expanded cargo operations with four 737-800 freighters, Starlink connectivity, enhanced premium seating, and a long-term investment to sustain Hawaii’s essential island-to-island travel network under the Hawaiian Airlines brand.

8 sources

Photo: Daniel Schwen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Trump admin pauses $1B Medicaid payments California Minnesota

The current Trump administration is pausing and freezing over $1 billion in federal Medicaid funding for California and Minnesota amid fraud concerns, demanding documentation to prove legitimacy of the payments. Health officials cite audits identifying fraud-prone services and say funds will remain deferred until the states substantiate claims and provide required receipts, part of a broader crackdown on healthcare fraud.

7 sources

iPower Plans AI Hardware Leasing Subsidiary

iPower Inc. is forming a dedicated AI subsidiary, iPower AI LLC, to pursue AI hardware leasing and compute resource distribution with preliminary customer interest but no definitive agreements yet. The filings also indicate the subsidiary joining a guaranty tied to its senior secured convertible note facility as part of ongoing financing arrangements.

6 sources

Photo: Metaphysics305 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

FatPipe Wins $7M School Network Contract

FatPipe, Inc. has been awarded a roughly $7 million contract to supply network edge products and monitoring services to schools, aiming to improve network availability, visibility, and access to digital learning platforms. The deployments underscore FatPipe's role in supporting large-scale public-sector education networks across multiple connectivity options.

8 sources

Photo: Sebastian Ballard / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Vivakor Plans 300k Bbl/Month Crude Deals; $700M Annual

Vivakor announces four recurring physical crude oil transactions that lift marketed volumes to 300,000 barrels per month (3.6 million annually) and an estimated $289 million in annualized commercial activity, with trading across the Cushing and Midland hubs. When added to existing programs, total recurring commercial activity reaches about $709 million annually and 8.1 million barrels of marketed crude oil, signaling expanded integration of marketing with its transportation, terminaling and storage assets.

11 sources

Photo: Zairon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Iran Attacks Kuwait Power, Water Plants Fourth Day

Iran has attacked Kuwait's power-generation and water-desalination facilities for a fourth consecutive day, causing fires and damage that authorities say are being controlled and repaired. The strikes jeopardize critical desalination-driven water supplies for Kuwait, while diplomacy and broader regional tensions persist amid ongoing U.S. and allied actions.

14 sources

Photo: Tyler Frew MD / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

PolyPid Secures $320M D-PLEX100 Deal in U.S., Canada

PolyPid inked an exclusive U.S. and Canada commercialization deal with Azurity for D-PLEX100 to prevent surgical site infections, unlocking $15 million upfront, another $15 million upon FDA NDA acceptance, and up to about $300 million in additional milestones, with royalties mid-teen to mid-twenties and a U.S. launch aimed for Q1 2027. The agreement follows positive Phase 3 SHIELD II results and FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation, with PolyPid retaining non-U.S. rights and manufacturing while Azurity funds clinical development for potential label expansions.

6 sources

Photo: Sweeneyr / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

MSCI shares fall 6% after Q2 results

MSCI reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $867.0 million (up 12.2%) and adjusted earnings per share of $4.94, with GAAP EPS of $4.69, and raised its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance amid stronger asset-based fees. The results showcased a record asset-based-fee run rate in the Index segment, ongoing share repurchases totaling about $147.2 million and a $2.05 quarterly dividend, with management citing AI-driven momentum for future product expansion.

16 sources

Photo: Americasroof (talk) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Marsh & McLennan Q2 Revenue Up 6%

Marsh & McLennan reported Q2 2026 revenue of $7.4 billion, up 6%, with adjusted EPS of $2.96 (up 9%) as CEO John Doyle cited strong demand across risk, people, strategy and investments. The six‑month results showed revenue of $15.0 billion and adjusted EPS of $6.25, with Risk & Insurance Services posting $4.8 billion in quarterly revenue and consulting up 10%, while the company also expanded shareholder value via a 4.5 million share repurchase and a 10% dividend hike.

10 sources

Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Danaher Q2 Profit, Revenue Up on Life Sciences

Danaher posted strong Q2 2026 results with net income of $870 million and revenue around $6.265–$6.3 billion, as adjusted earnings per share reached $1.94 on 5.5% revenue growth, led by Life Sciences. The company raised full-year guidance, signaling mid-single-digit core revenue growth and higher EPS targets, aided by acquisitions like Masimo and planned StatLab integration.

18 sources

Photo: Johnvedwards / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Frasers surpasses 30% Hugo Boss stake, triggers bid

Frasers Group has pushed its Hugo Boss stake above the 30% threshold, triggering a mandatory takeover bid for the remaining shares, and now holds about 30.28% of the stock. The €38-per-share offer remains open until 27 July, while Hugo Boss has urged investors not to accept, saying the price undervalues the business.

12 sources

UK unemployment holds at 4.9% in May

UK unemployment stayed at 4.9% for the three months to May 2026, even as payroll data showed a drop in company payrolls and vacancies continued to ease, pointing to a mixed jobs picture. Wages remained firm, with regular pay at about 3.4% and total pay higher, while employment rose overall and second jobs increased, underscoring a still-tight but gradually softening labor market.

17 sources

Samsung establishes RX Office to advance robotics

Samsung is establishing the RX (Robotics eXperience) Business Promotion Office, reporting directly to the CEO, to unify dispersed robotics capabilities and push robotics as a core growth driver across consumer and industrial domains. It will build a data factory at the Gumi plant, create global research hubs in the US, China, and Japan, recruit leading talent, and coordinate mid- to long-term strategy, technology development, and commercialization to accelerate field deployment of intelligent robots.

23 sources

Photo: DennisM / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

KPMG Australia Names Sams CEO Amid Scandal

KPMG Australia has named John Sams as chief executive officer with immediate effect as the firm plans to cut hundreds of jobs in response to the whistleblower scandal, and to pursue governance and culture reforms to restore confidence. Sams, drawn from tax, corporate finance and infrastructure advisory, will lead the turnaround under the board’s mandate and with Independent Chairman Michael Ebeid overseeing the actions to address accountability and integrity issues.

13 sources

Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Wintrust Q2 Profit Rises to $225M

Wintrust Financial posted solid Q2 results with $225.3 million in net income and $3.30 per share on revenue of about $961 million, a year-over-year rise driven by loan and deposit growth. The bank also reported record first-half net income for 2026, driven by strong net interest income and ongoing balance-sheet expansion, and beat consensus estimates for quarterly earnings per share.

15 sources

USCB Financial Declares $0.125 Dividend Payable Sept. 4

USCB Financial Holdings announced a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share of Class A common stock, payable September 4, 2026 to shareholders of record as of August 17, 2026, with future dividends subject to quarterly review and board approval. The multiple press releases and 8-K filings confirm the dividend details.

6 sources

Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

FinWise Bancorp completes Tallied acquisition, owns card tech stack

FinWise Bancorp expanded its card technology stack by acquiring Tallied Technologies, gaining end-to-end control of its credit card issuance, processing, and servicing with a cloud-native platform. The deal, funded with cash on hand, is not expected to materially affect capital ratios, though integration costs are anticipated over the next year as Tallied’s team joins FinWise.

10 sources