IHG Pursues Business Travelers Through Emirates and Other Deals
IHG signed a partnership agreement with Emirates this week, the latest move in the hotel group's multiyear strategy to capture more business from small- and medium-sized enterprises that lack the resources of large corporations but still need travel arrangements.
The deal allows business travel customers of both companies to access benefits from the other, creating what IHG executives describe as a community of services for companies with fewer than 500 employees. The goal is to encourage more direct bookings, avoiding commissions charged by online travel agencies.
Participating companies whose employees are members of Emirates' loyalty program can now re
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Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Beats Q2 Sales Targets, Full-Year Outlook Slightly Exceeds Expectations
Water infrastructure products manufacturer Mueller Water Products announced better-than-expected revenue in Q2 CY2025, with sales up 6.6% year on year to $380.3 million. The company's full-year revenue guidance of $1.41 billion at the midpoint came in 1.1% above analysts' estimates. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.34 per share was in line with analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy Mueller Water Products? Find out in our full research report. Mueller Water Products (MWA) Q2 CY2025 Highlights: Revenue: $380.3 million vs analyst estimates of $367.7 million (6.6% year-on-year growth, 3.4% beat) Adjusted EPS: $0.34 vs analyst estimates of $0.34 (in line) Adjusted EBITDA: $86.4 million vs analyst estimates of $88.4 million (22.7% margin, 2.3% miss) The company lifted its revenue guidance for the full year to $1.41 billion at the midpoint from $1.40 billion, a 1.1% increase EBITDA guidance for the full year is $320 million at the midpoint, above analyst estimates of $313.3 million Operating Margin: 19.4%, in line with the same quarter last year Free Cash Flow Margin: 14.6%, down from 21.1% in the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $3.80 billion 'We achieved an impressive third quarter, setting new records for consolidated net sales, gross margin and adjusted EBITDA, even amidst heightened macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. Our gross margin exceeded 38% this quarter, reflecting a significant sequential improvement of 320 basis points. Our teams executed well, capitalizing on higher-than-expected order levels and driving manufacturing efficiencies, despite the challenges posed by the recently enacted tariffs. We are pleased with the expected positive impact of closing our legacy brass foundry, which has contributed to our overall success,' said Martie Edmunds Zakas, Chief Executive Officer of Mueller Water Products. Company Overview As one of the oldest companies in the water infrastructure industry, Mueller (NYSE:MWA) is a provider of water infrastructure products and flow control systems for various sectors. Revenue Growth Examining a company's long-term performance can provide clues about its quality. Any business can put up a good quarter or two, but the best consistently grow over the long haul. Over the last five years, Mueller Water Products grew its sales at a decent 7.7% compounded annual growth rate. Its growth was slightly above the average industrials company and shows its offerings resonate with customers. We at StockStory place the most emphasis on long-term growth, but within industrials, a half-decade historical view may miss cycles, industry trends, or a company capitalizing on catalysts such as a new contract win or a successful product line. Mueller Water Products's recent performance shows its demand has slowed as its annualized revenue growth of 3.4% over the last two years was below its five-year trend. This quarter, Mueller Water Products reported year-on-year revenue growth of 6.6%, and its $380.3 million of revenue exceeded Wall Street's estimates by 3.4%. Looking ahead, sell-side analysts expect revenue to grow 3.7% over the next 12 months, similar to its two-year rate. This projection doesn't excite us and indicates its newer products and services will not lead to better top-line performance yet. Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we've identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefiting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link. Operating Margin Operating margin is one of the best measures of profitability because it tells us how much money a company takes home after procuring and manufacturing its products, marketing and selling those products, and most importantly, keeping them relevant through research and development. Mueller Water Products has been an efficient company over the last five years. It was one of the more profitable businesses in the industrials sector, boasting an average operating margin of 12.5%. Analyzing the trend in its profitability, Mueller Water Products's operating margin rose by 2.3 percentage points over the last five years, as its sales growth gave it operating leverage. In Q2, Mueller Water Products generated an operating margin profit margin of 19.4%, in line with the same quarter last year. This indicates the company's cost structure has recently been stable. Earnings Per Share Revenue trends explain a company's historical growth, but the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) points to the profitability of that growth – for example, a company could inflate its sales through excessive spending on advertising and promotions. Mueller Water Products's EPS grew at a spectacular 16.8% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years, higher than its 7.7% annualized revenue growth. This tells us the company became more profitable on a per-share basis as it expanded. Diving into Mueller Water Products's quality of earnings can give us a better understanding of its performance. As we mentioned earlier, Mueller Water Products's operating margin was flat this quarter but expanded by 2.3 percentage points over the last five years. This was the most relevant factor (aside from the revenue impact) behind its higher earnings; interest expenses and taxes can also affect EPS but don't tell us as much about a company's fundamentals. Like with revenue, we analyze EPS over a more recent period because it can provide insight into an emerging theme or development for the business. For Mueller Water Products, its two-year annual EPS growth of 44.6% was higher than its five-year trend. We love it when earnings growth accelerates, especially when it accelerates off an already high base. In Q2, Mueller Water Products reported adjusted EPS at $0.34, up from $0.32 in the same quarter last year. This print was close to analysts' estimates. Over the next 12 months, Wall Street expects Mueller Water Products's full-year EPS of $1.15 to grow 13.9%. Key Takeaways from Mueller Water Products's Q2 Results We enjoyed seeing Mueller Water Products beat analysts' revenue expectations this quarter. We were also glad its full-year EBITDA guidance exceeded Wall Street's estimates. On the other hand, its EBITDA missed. Overall, we think this was a decent quarter with some key metrics above expectations. The stock remained flat at $23.94 immediately following the results. So should you invest in Mueller Water Products right now? The latest quarter does matter, but not nearly as much as longer-term fundamentals and valuation, when deciding if the stock is a buy. We cover that in our actionable full research report which you can read here, it's free. Sign in to access your portfolio
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Hitachi Rail acquires rail monitoring technology provider Omnicom
Hitachi Rail has concluded the acquisition of Omnicom, a rail monitoring technology provider, from Balfour Beatty. The deal, announced in January, is designed to grow HMAX, Hitachi Rail's digital asset management solution. HMAX is currently deployed on more than 2,000 trains worldwide. The acquisition includes software and hardware designed for the surveying, inspection, and monitoring of rail infrastructure assets, such as overhead lines and tracks. The newly acquired monitoring technology can be fitted onto trains and employs edge computing and machine learning to facilitate 'near real-time' anomaly detection on rail tracks. This technology can generate trillions of bytes of images daily, which can assist clients in optimising trackside maintenance planning and managing the lifecycle of assets. Omnicom managing director Sanjay Razdan said: 'From today our technology will complement Hitachi Rail's existing digital asset management solutions, enabling HMAX to deliver even more for customers around the world. 'This acquisition will also enable us to benefit from the unique digital capabilities of the wider Hitachi Group, enabling us to continue to innovate and deliver AI-enabled systems that can optimise the management of railway infrastructure.' HMAX was introduced at InnoTrans in September 2024 as a 'comprehensive' digital asset management solution that integrates extensive live data from trains and surrounding rail infrastructure into a unified platform. The platform leverages Lumada 3.0's digital capabilities. HMAX utilises AI and machine learning to analyse data, and provides insights that enhance operations and services, including traffic optimisation, energy consumption reduction, and predictive maintenance processes. Furthermore, HMAX processes large volumes of data in 'real time', with only pertinent information being relayed back to operational control centres. This capability is claimed to accelerate the delivery of 'actionable' insights to transport operators, reducing the time previously required for data processing in maintenance locations. Hitachi Rail executive director and CTO Koji Agatsuma said: 'This strategic acquisition complements our existing cutting-edge proprietary technology, backed by the digital power of the Hitachi Group. 'Our HMAX platform is driving the digital transformation of rail, and the addition of Omnicom's track monitoring tools further strengthens our global offer to optimise our customer's railway systems.' "Hitachi Rail acquires rail monitoring technology provider Omnicom" was originally created and published by Railway Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
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Eastman Chemical (EMN) International Revenue Performance Explored
Have you evaluated the performance of Eastman Chemical's (EMN) international operations during the quarter that concluded in June 2025? Considering the extensive worldwide presence of this specialty chemicals maker, analyzing the patterns in international revenues is crucial for understanding its financial resilience and potential for growth. In the current era of a tightly interconnected global economy, the proficiency of a company to penetrate international markets significantly influences its financial health and trajectory of growth. For investors, the key is to grasp how reliant a company is on overseas markets, as this provides insights into the durability of its earnings, its ability to exploit different economic cycles, and its overall growth capabilities. Presence in international markets can act as a hedge against domestic economic downturns and provide access to faster-growing economies. However, this diversification also brings complexities due to currency fluctuations, geopolitical risks and differing market dynamics. Upon examining EMN's recent quarterly performance, we noticed several interesting patterns in the revenue generated from its international segments, which are commonly analyzed and observed by Wall Street experts. The company's total revenue for the quarter amounted to $2.29 billion, marking a decrease of 3.2% from the year-ago quarter. We will next turn our attention to dissecting EMN's international revenue to get a clearer picture of how significant its operations are outside its main base. Trends in EMN's Revenue from International Markets During the quarter, Asia Pacific contributed $583 million in revenue, making up 25.5% of the total revenue. When compared to the consensus estimate of $570.6 million, this meant a surprise of +2.17%. Looking back, Asia Pacific contributed $539 million, or 23.5%, in the previous quarter, and $590 million, or 25%, in the same quarter of the previous year. Europe, Middle East, and Africa generated $610 million in revenues for the company in the last quarter, constituting 26.7% of the total. This represented a surprise of -1.08% compared to the $616.65 million projected by Wall Street analysts. Comparatively, in the previous quarter, Europe, Middle East, and Africa accounted for $610 million (26.6%), and in the year-ago quarter, it contributed $650 million (27.5%) to the total revenue. Latin America accounted for 5.7% of the company's total revenue during the quarter, translating to $131 million. Revenues from this region represented a surprise of +4.35%, with Wall Street analysts collectively expecting $125.54 million. When compared to the preceding quarter and the same quarter in the previous year, Latin America contributed $121 million (5.3%) and $129 million (5.5%) to the total revenue, respectively. International Revenue Predictions Wall Street analysts expect Eastman Chemical to report a total revenue of $2.41 billion in the current fiscal quarter, which suggests a decline of 2.2% from the prior-year quarter. Revenue shares from Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa and Latin America are predicted to be 23.9%, 25.8%, and 5.5%, corresponding to amounts of $576.16 million, $621.44 million, and $132.27 million, respectively. For the full year, the company is expected to generate $9.25 billion in total revenue, down 1.4% from the previous year. Revenues from Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa and Latin America are expected to constitute 24.6% ($2.28 billion), 26.5% ($2.45 billion) and 5.4% ($501.14 million) of the total, respectively. Final Thoughts Relying on international markets for revenues, Eastman Chemical faces both prospects and perils. Thus, tracking the company's international revenue trends is essential for accurately projecting its future trajectory. In a world where international interdependencies and geopolitical conflicts are ever-increasing, Wall Street analysts closely monitor these trends for companies having international presence to adjust their earnings forecasts. Of course, there are several other factors, including a company's standing within its home borders, that influence analysts' earnings forecasts. We at Zacks strongly focus on the dynamic earnings forecast of companies, given that empirical studies have demonstrated its potent impact on the immediate price movement of stocks. Invariably, there's a positive relationship -- upward earnings predictions often result in an increase in stock prices. Our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, with its externally validated exceptional track record, harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions to serve as a dependable measure for anticipating the short-term price trends of stocks. Currently, Eastman Chemical holds a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), signifying its potential to underperform the overall market's performance in the forthcoming period. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> . Examining the Latest Trends in Eastman Chemical's Stock Value Over the past month, the stock has lost 26.1% versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's 0.6% increase. The Zacks Basic Materials sector, of which Eastman Chemical is a part, has declined 2.4% over the same period. The company's shares have declined 24.1% over the past three months compared to the S&P 500's 11.7% increase. Over the same period, the sector has risen 3.7% Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Eastman Chemical Company (EMN) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
