Warren Buffett's ability to consistently outperform the market has led many to think the billionaire investor has some sort of secretive edge. But the investing strategies Buffett and his top lieutenants over at Berkshire Hathaway employ are rooted in many simple concepts. In other words, making money in the market does not require outsized risks, speculative opportunities, or chasing the next big megatrend. Case in point: According to Berkshire's most recent 13F filing , Buffett's latest major investment is Domino's Pizza ( DPZ 1.68% ) . That's right, billionaires love pizza too! Let's look at how an investment in Domino's fits with Berkshire's investing philosophy, and assess whether now is a good opportunity to follow Buffett's lead. Why Domino's Pizza makes a great addition to the Berkshire portfolio Some institutional investors choose to own hundreds of different securities -- covering every major sector and myriad sub-markets within these industries. Berkshire is a bit different. Buffett and his team tend to invest in maybe 40 or 50 stocks at a time while holding onto their largest positions for years or even decades. Two of Berkshire's most successful investments have been major consumer brands, including beverage maker Coca-Cola and electronics specialist Apple . But why these companies? Consider Coca-Cola's iconic red soda cans and Apple's coveted iPhone. These two products have helped both companies build unparalleled moats . The perception of Domino's isn't much different in my opinion, as it's pretty hard to think about pizza and not have the Domino's brand come to mind. Another staple part of Buffett's philosophy is investing in businesses that generate steady cash flow. While free cash flow trends may be tougher to forecast for restaurant businesses, the big idea from the chart below is that Domino's has managed to grow its cash flow consistently over the course of the past decade. Data by YCharts . The company's rising cash flow has gone toward dividend increases too, which make up another pillar of Buffett's investing criteria. A resilient business in a tough market The restaurant industry is unbelievably intense. For national chains, customers expect quick, convenient service and affordable prices. One key metric for tracking a company's growth is same-store sales , which measures growth trends at existing locations. By excluding new restaurant openings, usually from the past year, same-store sales shed light on customer traffic and spending. The table below breaks down Domino's same-store sales over the last year: Category Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Same-store sales (U.S.) (0.6%) 2.8% 5.6% 4.8% 3.0% Same-store sales (International) 3.3% 0.1% 0.9% 2.1% 0.8% Data source: Investor relations. Domino's has had a solid year with steady growth both inside and outside the U.S. But a skeptical investor may wonder if the company has only been able to generate this same-store sales growth through price hikes as inflation drives up the cost of materials and labor. However, this is far from the case with Domino's. On the latest earnings call, management said same-store sales in the U.S. have been experiencing rising transaction growth in addition to higher price mixes. It appears Domino's is seeing success from its rewards programs and marketing campaigns. Why Domino's should keep delivering The analysis below benchmarks Domino's against a peer set of other national restaurant stocks using the forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple. While there is a notable difference between Starbucks and the rest of this group, Domino's remains priced at a premium relative to its closest peer, Papa John's , and many other leading industry players. Data by YCharts . That said, I would argue that Domino's long-term track record warrants a premium valuation. Even though Domino's might not offer exposure to high-growth opportunities in emerging areas like artificial intelligence (AI) or big data, there is still a lot to like about the company. Buffett's recent investment is just another signal to consider Domino's stock as a compelling buy-and-hold opportunity.
HONOLULU (AP) — KyeRon Lindsay and Terence Harcum each scored 16 points as Murray State beat Loyola Chicago 71-68 on Wednesday for seventh place at the Diamond Head Classic. Lindsay also had five rebounds and four steals for the Racers (7-6). Harcum went 5 of 10 from the floor, including 2 for 6 from 3-point range, and 4 for 6 from the line. AJ Ferguson shot 4 of 8 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line to finish with 11 points. The Ramblers (9-4) were led by Miles Rubin, who posted 16 points and three blocks. Des Watson added 12 points and Sheldon Edwards had 10 points. Lindsay scored eight points in the first half and Murray State went into halftime trailing 36-34. Harcum led the way with 10 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Stock market today: Wall Street ends mixed after a bumpy weekUS President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to address daylight saving time, describing it as "inconvenient and very costly to our nation." Speaking on Friday, Trump said the Republican party would "use its best efforts" to bring an end to the practice. "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't!" Trump said on social media. "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation." Daylight saving time - putting the clocks forward one hour during the summer half of the year to make the most of the longer evenings - has been in place in nearly all of the United States since the 1960s, but has been a topic of debate in recent years. Some lawmakers want to stay on standard time year-round, more are on record calling for remaining on daylight saving time all year, while others want to keep the status quo. President Joe Biden never took a public position on the issue. In March 2022, the US Senate voted unanimously to make daylight saving time permanent but the effort stalled in the House after lawmakers said they could not reach consensus. A bipartisan group of senators in March made a new push to make daylight saving time permanent. Supporters of remaining on daylight saving time argue it would lead to brighter afternoons and evenings and more economic activity during the winter months. Critics say it would force children to walk to school in darkness, since the measure would delay sunrise by an hour. Proponents of eliminating daylight saving time altogether say the twice-annual changing of clocks causes sleep disturbance and health issues. Congress has not held any new hearings on the issue for more than two years and the Senate would need to take up the issue again. Year-round daylight saving time was used during World War Two and adopted again in 1973 in a bid to reduce energy use because of an oil embargo, but was unpopular and was repealed a year later. Since 2015, about 30 states have introduced or passed legislation to end the twice-yearly changing of clocks, with some states proposing to do it only if neighbouring states do the same.
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Cambridge Wins Big at ThinkAdvisor Luminaries AwardsDENVER , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - The Board of Trustees (the "Board") of Principal Real Estate Income Fund (the "Fund"), announced today that it has approved a renewal of the Fund's share repurchase program. Under the share repurchase program, the Fund may purchase up to approximately 2.1% of its outstanding common shares beginning January 21, 2025 , in the open market, until January 21, 2026 . As part of its evaluation of options to enhance shareholder value, the Board has authorized ALPS Advisors, Inc. (the "Advisor") to repurchase the Fund's common shares at such times and in such amounts as the Advisor reasonably believes may enhance shareholder value. The Board and the Advisor continually analyze options to enhance shareholder value and potentially reduce the discount between the market price of the Fund's common share and the net asset value per share ("NAV"). The Board and the Advisor believe that the share repurchase program may further these goals because the program allows the Fund to acquire its shares in the open market at a discount to NAV, which will increase the NAV and thereby benefit remaining shareholders while potentially providing additional liquidity in the trading of the fund shares. The Board will monitor the repurchase program and will continue to consider strategic options to enhance shareholder value in the long-term. The Fund's repurchase program will be implemented on a discretionary basis under the direction of the Advisor. There is no assurance that the Fund will purchase shares at any specific discount level or in any specific amount or that the market price of the Fund's shares will increase as a result of any share repurchases. RISKS An investment in the Fund is not appropriate for all investors and is not intended to be a complete investment program. The Fund is designed as a long-term investment and not as a trading vehicle. Investing in the Fund involves risks, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or that you may lose part or even all of your investment and exposure to below-investment grade investments (i.e., "junk bonds"). The Fund's net asset value will vary and its distribution rate may vary and both may be affected by numerous factors, including changes in the market spread over a specified benchmark, market interest rates and performance of the broader equity markets. Fluctuations in net asset value may be magnified as a result of the Fund's use of leverage. Therefore, before investing you should carefully consider the risks that you assume when you invest in the Fund's common shares. Securities backed by commercial real estate assets are subject to market risks similar to those of direct ownership of commercial real estate assets including, but not limited to, declines in the value of real estate, declines in rental or occupancy rates and risks related to general and local economic conditions. The Fund's investment objectives and policies are not designed to seek to return the initial investment to investors that purchase shares. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain an annual report or semi-annual report which contains this and other information visit www.principalcef.com or call 855.838.9485. Please read them carefully before investing . Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value and initial offering prices. NOT FDIC INSURED | May Lose Value | No Bank Guarantee The Fund is a closed-end fund and does not continuously issue shares for sale as open-end mutual funds do. Since the initial public offering, the Fund now trades in the secondary market. Investors wishing to buy or sell shares need to place orders through an intermediary or broker. The share price of a closed-end fund is based on the market's value. ALPS Advisors, Inc. is the investment adviser to the Fund. Principal Real Estate Investors LLC is the investment sub-adviser to the Fund. Principal Real Estate Investors LLC is not affiliated with ALPS Advisors, Inc. or any of its affiliates. ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc. is the FINRA Member firm. About SS&C Technologies SS&C is a global provider of services and software for the financial services and healthcare industries. Founded in 1986, SS&C is headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut , and has offices around the world. Some 20,000 financial services and healthcare organizations, from the world's largest companies to small and mid-market firms, rely on SS&C for expertise, scale, and technology. Additional information about SS&C (Nasdaq: SSNC) is available at www.ssctech.com . About SS&C ALPS Advisors SS&C ALPS Advisors, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SS&C Technologies, is a leading provider of investment products for advisors and institutions. With over $26.24 billion under management as of September 30, 2024 , SS&C ALPS Advisors is an open architecture boutique investment manager offering portfolio building blocks, active insight and an unwavering drive to guide clients to investment outcomes across sustainable income, thematic and alternative growth strategies. For more information, visit www.alpsfunds.com. About SS&C Technologies Principal Real Estate Investors manages or sub-advises $102 billion in commercial real estate assets, as of September 30, 2024 . The firm's real estate capabilities include both public and private equity and debt investment alternatives. Principal Real Estate Investors is the dedicated real estate group of Principal Global Investors, a diversified asset management organization and a member of the Principal Financial Group ® . PRE000436 12/18/2025 View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/principal-real-estate-income-fund-continues-share-repurchase-program-302335508.html SOURCE Principal Real Estate Income FundMSTR’s Wild Ride! From Bitcoin to Gaming?