On Thursday, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA)’s shares declined -2.21% to $89.52.
After Dedicated to championing everyone’s right to be happy and healthy, Walgreens™ nationwide will start exclusively selling red noses today, April 17, in support of Red Nose Day – May 21. Red Nose Day has been celebrated in the United Kingdom for more than 25 years and encourages people to don red noses and have a good laugh for a good cause. As the starting point for the first Red Nose Day in the United States, Walgreens is raising funds in support of the Red Nose Day Fund, which supports non-profit organizations that assist lift children and young people out of poverty in the U.S. and overseas.
“Happiness and health are at the heart of Walgreens mission and at the heart of what Red Nose Day is all about. Just the simple, silly act of putting on a red nose means that anyone can benefit children in poverty,” said Alex Gourlay, president of Walgreens. “We’re thrilled to join Red Nose Day as the exclusive red nose retailer in the U.S. and encourage our entire Walgreens family – our customers, employees, and vendor partners – to join us in having a good laugh for a good cause.”
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., together with its auxiliaries, operates a network of drugstores in the United States. It provides consumer goods and services, pharmacy, and health and wellness services through drugstores, in addition to through mail, and by telephone and online. The company sells prescription and non-prescription drugs; and general merchandise, counting convenience and fresh foods, household items, personal care, photofinishing and candy, and beauty care.
Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE:WBS)’s shares dropped -2.19% to $35.77, during the last trading session on Thursday.
Yesterday, Webster Financial Corporation the holding company for Webster Bank, N.A., declared net income accessible to common shareholders of $47.1 million, or $0.52 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 contrast to $47.8 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2014.
“Webster’s solid first quarter results mark our 22nd successive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth, a clear reflection of our bankers’ success in serving our customers and communities,” said James C. Smith, chairman and chief executive officer. “Commercial Banking once again recorded double-digit loan growth, while HSA Bank opened a record number of new health savings accounts, as consumers increasingly reap the rewards of taking ownership for their health care costs.”
Highlights for the first quarter of 2015 contrast to the first quarter of 2014:
- Not including security gains, earnings per diluted share of $0.52 contrast to $0.50 a year ago.
- Growth in commercial and commercial real estate loans of $993.4 million, or 14.0 percent. Overall loan growth of $1.3 billion, or 9.8 percent.
- Successful closing of attained HSA business resulted in the addition of $1.4 billion in low-cost, long duration health savings account deposits (HSAs), reinforcing HSA Bank’s position as a market leader in this fast growing segment.
- Overall deposit growth of $2.5 billion, or 16.7 percent, primarily reflecting the HSA acquisition.
- Record core revenue of $217.6 million raised 8.3 percent, while core expenses raised by 7.1 percent resulting in core pre-provision net revenue of $84.7 million, or a 10.3 percent improvement.
- Efficiency ratio of 59.76 percent, an improvement of 51 basis points. Positive operating leverage of 1.2 percent.
- Annualized return on average tangible common shareholders’ equity of 11.82 percent.
- “We’ve now accomplished eight successive quarters with the efficiency ratio at or below 60 percent,” said Glenn MacInnes, executive vice president and chief financial officer. “In addition, the annualized net charge-off ratio has been 25 basis points or less for five successive quarters as we maintain credit discipline in a competitive market.”
Webster Financial Corporation operates as the bank and financial holding company for Webster Bank, National Association that provides financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, Community Banking, and Other. The Commercial Banking segment provides lending, deposit, and cash administration services to middle market companies; and asset-based lending, commercial real estate, and equipment finance, in addition to treasury and payment services, which comprise government and institutional banking.
At the end of Thursday’s trade, Ocwen Financial Corp (NYSE:OCN)‘s shares dipped -7.38% to $7.78.
On March 30, Ocwen Financial Corp stated a preliminary net loss of $(546.0) million, or $(4.18) per share, for the year ended December 31, 2014 contrast to net income of $310.4 million, or $2.13 per share, for the year ended December 31, 2013. Ocwen generated preliminary revenue of $2.1 billion, up 4% contrast to $2.0 billion in the preceding year. Preliminary income from operations was $76.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.
Preliminary pre-tax loss for 2014 was $(443.2) million, contrast to $352.5 million pre-tax income in 2013. Preliminary pre-tax income on a normalized basis for 2014 was $284.9 million, contrast to the $550.4 million normalized pre-tax income in 2013. During 2014, Ocwen incurred a total of $728.1 million in preliminary normalized expenses. Normalization items in 2014 comprise $420.2 million of goodwill impairment, $186.1 million of legal and settlement expenses primarily related to the settlement with the New York Department of Financial Services, $72.3 million for MSR-related fair value changes and $49.5 million of transition and other items. The preliminary normalized results for 2014 were influenced by and comprise $127.3 million of servicer expenses and uncollectible advances together with $39.4 million in regulatory monitoring costs. In addition, our preliminary net loss results comprise a charge to record an about $77 million valuation allowance against our remaining deferred tax asset.
The financial results and other financial data presented in this press release are preliminary, based upon the Company’s estimates and subject to completion of the Company’s final financial closing procedures. Moreover, this data has been prepared on the basis of presently accessible information. The Company’s independent auditor has not audited or reviewed, and does not express an opinion with respect to, this data. This data does not constitute a comprehensive statement of the Company’s financial results for the year ended December 31, 2014, and the Company’s final results could differ materially from these preliminary results.
Ocwen Financial Corporation, through its auxiliaries, is engaged in the servicing and origination of mortgage loans in the United States and internationally. The company’s Servicing segment provides residential and commercial mortgage loan servicing, special servicing, and asset administration services to owners of mortgage loans and foreclosed real estate.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc (NYSE:CNP), ended its Thursday’s trading session with -2.11% loss, and closed at $20.86.
On April 13, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. is decreasing the gas supply rate (GSR) portion of Arkansas customers’ natural gas bills starting with this month’s natural gas bill.
The adjustment will lower an April Arkansas residential gas bill using 50 Ccf (hundred cubic feet) of natural gas by more than 14 percent contrast to last year. This means a bill that was $65.48 last April is $55.92 this month. Actual bills will vary depending on how much natural gas individual customers use.
Through the GSR, an allowed adjustment to the gas supply charge portion of a customer bill, CenterPoint Energy passes on the cost of natural gas with no markup. The GSR reflects the actual prices the company pays for natural gas.
“The price we pay to purchase natural gas has continued to drop in the last several months,” said Walter Bryant, vice president of Gas Operations in Arkansas for CenterPoint Energy. “This is great news for our customers and we are happy to be passing along our savings to them.”
CenterPoint Energy works with a variety of natural gas suppliers and buys natural gas throughout the year on a competitively bid basis, a common utility practice to ensure reliable supplies at a reasonable price.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company’s Electric Transmission & Distribution segment offers electric transmission and distribution services to retail electric providers, municipalities, electric cooperatives, and other distribution companies. As of December 31, 2014, this segment owned 28,282 pole miles of overhead distribution lines and 3,719 circuit miles of overhead transmission lines; 22,435 circuit miles of underground distribution lines and 26 circuit miles of underground transmission lines; and 236 substations with a capacity of 57,477 megavolt amperes.
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