Core Points - D-BOX Technologies Inc. will hold its annual and special meeting of shareholders virtually on September 25, 2024 [1] - The proposed slate for the Board of Directors includes three current directors and four new independent nominees [2] - The Chair of the Board emphasized the need for new perspectives to guide D-BOX's growth following a resurgence in revenue and profitability [3] Board Composition - The slate includes Sébastien Mailhot (President and CEO), Brigitte Bourque, and Zrinka Dekic for re-election, along with new nominees Daniel Marks, David McLurg, Marie-Claude Boisvert, and Naveen Prasad [2] - Denis Chamberland and other outgoing directors were thanked for their contributions and strong governance during their tenures [3] New Director Nominees - Daniel Marks has a background in capital markets and corporate strategy, controlling 9.72% of D-BOX's outstanding shares [5] - Dave McLurg brings over 40 years of strategic leadership and revenue expertise, currently serving as CEO of a global advisory firm [6] - Marie-Claude Boisvert has extensive experience in business financing and has been recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Business [7] - Naveen Prasad has a strong background in media and content production, previously serving as President of VICE Media in Canada [8] Company Overview - D-BOX specializes in creating immersive entertainment experiences through motion, vibration, and texture, collaborating with various industries including film, gaming, and virtual reality [9]

Core Insights - D-BOX Technologies Inc. reported a 16% decrease in total revenues to $8.8 million for Q1 fiscal 2025, attributed to ongoing softness in the theatrical market and timing differences in the simulation and training market [2][5] - The company experienced a net loss of $316 thousand compared to a net profit of $496 thousand in the same quarter last year [2][8] - Sim racing revenues increased by $1.1 million, indicating growth in this segment despite overall revenue decline [2][6] Financial Performance - Total revenues for Q1 fiscal 2025 were $8.8 million, down from $10.5 million in Q1 fiscal 2024 [3][5] - System sales revenues decreased by 15% to $6.3 million, with simulation and training system sales down 29% to $2.1 million [3][6] - Adjusted EBITDA fell to $263 thousand from $1.3 million a year earlier [2][8] Market Dynamics - The decline in revenues was influenced by a weaker movie slate compared to the previous year, with only four net new theater installations during the quarter [2][6] - Rights for use, rental, and maintenance revenues decreased by 19% to $2.4 million, primarily due to the absence of blockbuster titles in the current quarter [6][7] - Despite the challenges, occupancy rates for D-BOX seats in cinemas remained high, supported by demand for premium offerings [2][6] Strategic Initiatives - The company is focusing on profitable growth in commercial markets, supported by a streamlined sales and marketing structure and a favorable credit agreement [2][8] - An organizational restructuring has been completed to reduce costs and enhance commercial execution [2][8] - D-BOX had a cash position and undrawn credit facilities totaling $6.7 million at the end of the quarter [8]

Retail Sector Overview - The retail sector is currently in focus with earnings releases from major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Target, along with Nordstrom and Kohl's [1] - So far, 23 out of 36 retailers in the S&P 500 Index have reported earnings, showing a 26.2% increase in earnings year-over-year on a 6.1% rise in revenues, with 52.2% exceeding EPS estimates and 34.8% surpassing revenue estimates [1] - The overall retail sector is projected to report earnings growth of 26.5% alongside a 6.1% revenue growth [1] Individual Retailer Earnings Insights - **Wal-Mart**: Earnings ESP of -0.93% and Zacks Rank 2, with no earnings estimate revision in the past 30 days; average earnings surprise of 8.34% over the last four quarters; scheduled to report on Aug 15 [2] - **Home Depot**: Earnings ESP of -0.94% and Zacks Rank 3, with a negative earnings estimate revision of 4 cents in the past week; average earnings surprise of 1.99% over the last four quarters; scheduled to report on Aug 13 [2] - **Target**: Earnings ESP of +0.37% and Zacks Rank 3, with a positive earnings estimate revision of 1 cent; average earnings surprise of 22.43% over the last four quarters; scheduled to report on Aug 21 [3] - **Lowe's**: Earnings ESP of -0.44% and Zacks Rank 4, with a negative earnings estimate revision of 2 cents; average earnings surprise of 2.83% over the last four quarters; scheduled to report on Aug 20 [3] - **Nordstrom**: Earnings ESP of -7.69% and Zacks Rank 3, with a positive earnings estimate revision of 1 cent; average earnings surprise of -3.59% over the last four quarters; scheduled to report on Aug 27 [4] - **Kohl's**: Earnings ESP of +21.65% and Zacks Rank 5, with a negative earnings estimate revision of 6 cents; average earnings surprise of -123.19% over the last four quarters; scheduled to report on Aug 28 [4] ETFs in Focus - **SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT)**: Tracks the S&P Retail Select Industry Index, holding 77 diversified stocks with no single stock exceeding 2% of the portfolio; AUM of $457.6 million and average trading volume of 5 million shares; charges 35 bps in annual fees and has a Zacks ETF Rank 3 [5][6] - **VanEck Vectors Retail ETF (RTH)**: Tracks the MVIS US Listed Retail 25 Index, focusing on the 26 largest retail firms; AUM of $200.3 million and average trading volume of 4,000 shares; charges 35 bps in annual fees and has a Zacks ETF Rank 2 [7]

Core Insights - The analysis focuses on the developments of Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) in the last quarter, particularly in the context of California's QSR landscape and the impact of the FAST Act on operating costs and sales performance [1] Group 1: Industry Overview - Fast-food chains in California experienced weaker traffic than the national average in 10 of the 12 weeks following the enactment of the FAST Act, attributed to competition from substitute products and rising menu prices [1] - Full-service restaurants in California attracted more traffic compared to QSRs, contrasting with national trends where full-service restaurants saw slower traffic [1] - QSRs in California have successfully increased average check sizes, offsetting declines in traffic, with comparable sales growth outpacing the national average [2] Group 2: Company Performance - Jack in the Box reported a 2.2% decline in comparable sales overall, but a slight increase of 0.1% in company-operated locations, driven by a 4% increase in average check per guest despite a 3.9% decrease in traffic [4] - The company has been refranchising, converting 66 Del Taco locations and 5 Jack's locations to franchisees, which is part of a strategy to control operating costs and enhance profitability [5] - Jack's average check per guest grew to nearly $15, indicating effective cross-selling strategies, although traffic did not increase as expected from promotions like 'Munchies Under $4' [5][9] Group 3: Strategic Initiatives - Jack's is implementing a revamped value meal called 'Jack's Big Deal Meal' priced at $5, aimed at attracting lower-income guests and increasing transaction values through cross-selling [6] - The company is adopting a barbell pricing strategy, offering both low-priced and premium items to cater to different customer segments during slow traffic periods [7] - A hook and build strategy is being employed, using limited-time offers (LTOs) to attract customers while building long-term relationships through loyalty programs and menu innovations [8] Group 4: Future Outlook - The company anticipates that comparable sales may remain neutral or slightly negative in the upcoming quarter, but expects improvements in margins as operational enhancements are implemented [13][14] - Del Taco is facing challenges with lower-than-expected performance and needs to focus on improving restaurant-level margins, which are currently low compared to industry standards [10][11] - Jack's plans to expand into new markets such as Florida, Chicago, and Georgia by 2025, with a mix of company-owned and franchised units, indicating growth potential [12]

Core Insights - Jack in the Box Inc. reported mixed results for its third quarter, with earnings per share of $1.65, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.51 by 9.27%, while quarterly sales of $369.17 million fell short of the consensus estimate of $371.11 million [1][2]. Financial Performance - Quarterly earnings were $1.65 per share, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $1.51 [2]. - Quarterly sales amounted to $369.17 million, missing the analyst consensus estimate of $371.11 million [2]. Management Commentary - CEO Darin Harris expressed pride in the team's efforts to enhance guest experience and operational improvements despite a challenging sales environment [2]. - The company is focusing on value and improving transactions with low-income guests while emphasizing innovation, variety, and late-night offerings [2]. - The company aims to finish the year strong and maintain positive momentum heading into 2025, while executing strategic initiatives for long-term growth and profitability [2]. Future Guidance - Jack in the Box projects FY24 earnings to be between $6.10 and $6.25 per share, compared to the estimate of $6.30 per share [2]. Stock Performance - Following the earnings announcement, Jack in the Box shares rose 0.4% to close at $53.03 [2]. Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Wedbush analyst Nick Setyan maintained an Outperform rating but lowered the price target from $68 to $60 [2]. - TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles maintained a Hold rating and cut the price target from $59 to $57 [2]. - Piper Sandler analyst Brian Mullan maintained a Neutral rating and lowered the price target from $60 to $56 [2]. - Oppenheimer analyst Brian Bittner maintained an Outperform rating and reduced the price target from $75 to $70 [2]. - Truist Securities analyst Jake Bartlett maintained a Buy rating and lowered the price target from $83 to $70 [2].

Group 1 - The Zacks Premium service offers tools for investors to enhance their stock market engagement and confidence, including daily updates, research reports, and stock screens [1] - Zacks Style Scores are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on value, growth, and momentum, helping investors identify stocks likely to outperform the market in the short term [2][3][4] Group 2 - The Value Score focuses on identifying undervalued stocks using financial ratios like P/E and Price/Sales, appealing to value investors [2] - The Growth Score assesses a company's financial health and future outlook, targeting stocks with sustainable long-term growth [3] - The Momentum Score capitalizes on price trends, using factors like recent price changes to identify high-momentum stocks [3] Group 3 - The VGM Score combines all three Style Scores, providing a comprehensive indicator for investors who utilize multiple investing strategies [4] - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary model that uses earnings estimate revisions to simplify stock selection, with 1 (Strong Buy) stocks achieving an average annual return of +25.41% since 1988 [5][6] Group 4 - Box, Inc. is a cloud content management platform provider, currently rated 3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank with a VGM Score of A [7] - Box has a Momentum Style Score of B, with shares increasing by 4.7% over the past four weeks, and has seen positive earnings estimate revisions for fiscal 2025 [7][8]

Core Insights - Jack in the Box is adapting its strategy to address declining traffic and increased competition from convenience stores, particularly focusing on low-income guests [1][5] - The company has experienced a decrease in same-store sales (SSS), with a 0.6% drop in company-owned stores and a 2.6% drop in franchises, despite a 3.1% increase in average check [1][5] - Labor costs are a significant concern, with Jack's labor costs at 30.6% of revenue, while Del Taco's are at 34.9%, prompting a refranchising strategy to manage operational costs [1][2] Company Developments - Jack in the Box has refranchised several units, with 5 Jack in the Box and 16 Del Taco units refranchised in 2023, and an additional 13 Del Taco units before the end of the first semester [1][2] - The company is focusing on promotions to attract low-income guests, launching the 'Munchies Under $4' promotion to compete with other fast-food chains [6][12] - Jack's digital sales are lagging behind competitors, with only 13% of sales coming from digital channels, indicating a need for improvement in this area [7][8] Industry Context - California's minimum wage increase to $20 per hour is impacting QSRs, leading to decreased traffic and increased labor costs, which must be passed on to consumers [3][4] - Traffic at fast-food chains in California has been weaker than the national average, with a decline in weekly restaurant visits from 68% to 67% overall, and from 59% to 58% among low-income guests [3][4] - Full-service restaurants are gaining market share at the expense of QSRs, as consumers perceive better value in full-service dining experiences [4][5] Financial Overview - Jack's operating cash flow (OCF) has been negatively impacted by an accumulation of operating accounts, resulting in a negative OCF for the first time in two years [10][11] - Despite challenges, Jack maintained a record investment of $98.8 million in capital expenditures (Capex) and positive free cash flow [10] - The company's debt levels remain high, with a debt ratio that has only slightly decreased since 2019, raising concerns about financial risk [11][12] Strategic Initiatives - The introduction of the 'CRAVED' model aims for a net growth of 2% per year in unit numbers, focusing on lean units with a payback period of less than five years [9][12] - Jack is integrating a new POS system to enhance operational efficiency and improve digital sales capabilities, which is essential for future growth [8][12] - The company is actively working on optimizing its promotional mix and menu offerings to attract low-income guests and improve traffic [6][12]

Box (BOX) is continuously riding on Box AI.Box AI is gaining strong momentum as it helps in the easy extraction of information from documents, the generation of new content automatically, and deriving timely insights from content, which, in turn, helps accelerate the workflows of various businesses.Hence, the company is making strong efforts to strengthen Box AI in order to boost its consulting offerings.It recently made end-user queries in Box AI for Hubs, Documents and Notes unlimited for Enterprise Plus ...

With a new month and quarter kicking off, now is a good time for investors to reassess their portfolios. From a bullish standpoint, retailers Target Corp (NYSE:TGT) and Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) may be solid buy-the-dip plays, as both were last seen trading below breakeven, but still rank among the best equities to own in July.Per Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White, COST and TGT are the top retailers on a list of 25 best performing S&P 500 Index (SPX) stocks to own this mon ...

A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Box (BOX) . Shares have lost about 5.9% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Box due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts. Box Q1 Earnings & Revenues Surpass Estimates, Increase Y/YBox repor ...