Latest news with #underperformance
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pollux Properties' (Catalist:5AE) one-year decline in earnings translates into losses for shareholders
Pollux Properties Ltd. (Catalist:5AE) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 20% in the last quarter. But that doesn't change the reality of under-performance over the last twelve months. After all, the share price is down 11% in the last year, significantly under-performing the market. While the stock has risen 14% in the past week but long term shareholders are still in the red, let's see what the fundamentals can tell us. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. Given that Pollux Properties only made minimal earnings in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue to gauge its business development. Generally speaking, we'd consider a stock like this alongside loss-making companies, simply because the quantum of the profit is so low. It would be hard to believe in a more profitable future without growing revenues. In just one year Pollux Properties saw its revenue fall by 2.9%. That's not what investors generally want to see. The stock price has languished lately, falling 11% in a year. That seems pretty reasonable given the lack of both profits and revenue growth. We think most holders must believe revenue growth will improve, or else costs will decline. The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). This free interactive report on Pollux Properties' balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. Investors in Pollux Properties had a tough year, with a total loss of 11%, against a market gain of about 23%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 0.9%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 6 warning signs for Pollux Properties (of which 2 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of undervalued companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Singaporean exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Boys are falling behind at school — could mentors be the answer?
Boys need mentors including workmen and Scout leaders to boost their attainment, a new think tank has suggested. In a parliamentary debate on boys' education on Thursday, it will call for a minister for boys as well as a new strategy to tackle the problem. Boys do worse than girls at almost every subject and level at school and this is too readily accepted, according to the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys. • Classroom crisis: number of male secondary teachers at record low A briefing sent to MPs before the debate, which will be led by Sam Rushworth, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, says that boys' underperformance at school is ignored and there should be a campaign to boost results. Girls achieve on average higher grades than boys in primary school tests, GCSEs, A-levels and first-class degrees, although slightly more boys attain A*s, the top grade at A-level. The think tank's trustees include Professor Sir Michael Marmot, professor of epidemiology at University College London; Professor Roger Kirby, former president of the Royal Society of Medicine; and Dr Anna Machin, an anthropologist who has written books on fatherhood. The organisation wants a full research programme on the reasons for boys' and young men's relative underperformance, a strategy and plan to address this and for the government and local authorities to work with civic organisations such as the Scouts and cadets to increase boys' membership. It said: 'There should be a nationwide campaign and strategic project to encourage and increase the number of male mentors available to young men and boys whether through schools, including more male teachers … or [with] relatable leaders such as tradespeople or community leaders.' Previously the government ran the campaign This Girl Can to get more girls into sport, and the think tank called for a similar initiative for boys, which could give them careers advice, including routes into under-represented careers for men such as health and social care and education. The briefing says: 'Policymakers including governments at all levels should talk up young men and boys to give them confidence. There should be a ministerial role with explicit responsibility for improving boys' educational attainment. 'The level of under-attainment and disengagement is impacting on the economy and wider society and will impact on the government's plans for a national employment rate of 80 per cent.' Mark Brooks, director of policy at the think tank, said that it was important to raise the profile of the 'politically under-recognised issue'. He added: 'Boys are behind girls at every stage of education and it seems to have been accepted as normal with little in the way of research and solutions. We would like to see a full strategy to find out the causes with a plan to boost boys' results. This can be included in the government's schools white paper, due in the autumn.' Brooks also called for a campaign to give boys confidence and skills in finding jobs and careers, plus a national scheme for increasing male mentors, particularly those without male role models in the home. Teachers and head teachers have urged the government to fund September's pay rise fully. In May, the government accepted the recommendations of the School Teachers' Review Body to raise the salaries of teachers and school leaders in England by 4 per cent from September. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said schools would have to find about 1 per cent of the pay awards themselves 'through improved productivity and smarter spending'. In a joint response to Phillipson, four education unions have set out their 'united view' on the need for the government to provide additional investment to fully fund the pay increase for the next academic year. The National Education Union, the National Association of Head Teachers, the Association of School and College Leaders and Community said: 'Investing in the improvements needed to teacher and school leader pay and conditions is vital to tackling the recruitment and retention crisis.' They warned against creating a 'false trade-off' between teacher pay and reductions in support for pupils.
Mail & Guardian
02-06-2025
- General
- Mail & Guardian
Calls grow to address marginalisation of boys in education system
With youth month around the corner, education support networks have raised the alarm on the persistent underperformance and marginalisation of boys in the education system. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) With youth month around the corner, education support networks have raised the alarm on the persistent underperformance and marginalisation of boys in the education system. 'Girls are now outperforming boys in National Senior Certificate results and bachelor's degree graduations, which is a positive achievement, but why are boys not matching up to that percentage?' asked former Gauteng education minister, Mary Metcalfe. Malose Langa, the author of Becoming Men, said: 'Boys are underperforming and there is no light shed on this issue — we need an equal society in the workplace and out in the community.' Recent Moreover, the 2023 National Senior Certificate results indicate that although boys and girls had similar pass rates (82.92% and 82.88% respectively), boys are more prone to dropping out before completing grade 12. Kathryn Kure of Data Myna, an analytics platform, describes the issue as 'complex', emphasising that boys are particularly at risk of falling behind during their early schooling years. 'Gendered norms play a significant role. Boys are often expected to be dominant, self-reliant and emotionless. These expectations clash with the demands of modern learning environments,' she said. A report by the Zero-Dropout Campaign highlights that boys are dropping out of school at higher rates than girls, largely because of entrenched gender norms and social expectations. The report, titled, The research suggests that from an early age, boys are socialised into rigid and often violent forms of masculinity, making them more susceptible to bullying and less likely to feel a sense of belonging at school. According to the report, this emotional detachment contributes to a gradual withdrawal from learning. 'Dropout comes at the end of a long process of disengagement in which learners are pushed or pulled away from school because of factors at home, at school and in their communities,' said the campaign's communications director, Colin Wardle. 'When educators, school leaders and decision-makers are aware of the factors driving disengagement and drop-out, they will be in a better position to implement drop-out prevention strategies.' The study also links dropout to socio-economic pressures, particularly for boys in single-parent households who may be expected to take on provider roles. Other contributing factors include gang involvement, substance abuse and experiences of corporal punishment, all of which compound the problems boys face in staying in school. 'Boys can become easily pressured into harmful acts which will jeopardise their future all because they did not have school-based initiatives that encouraged boys to express emotions and challenge harmful gender norms,' said Langa. During the department of basic education's commemoration of International Day of the Boy Child, TT Mbha, the founder of the men's wellness network Amatyma Brotherhood Circle, emphasised the need for community-based support networks to address the feeling of isolation among boys. 'Young boys often do not have strong father figures in their lives, and that is where community members should step in and guide them to make good choices to raise confident and capable young men,' Mbha said. A According to the report, in 2022, the out-of-school rate for South African children and adolescents of primary and secondary school age was 10.54% for boys, compared to 8.17% for girls. In response to these issues, the department of basic education said it has committed to improving foundational learning for all children. 'Through our global efforts to uplift women, and the girl child in particular, there is the unintended consequence of leaving the boy child behind in our classrooms and our communities,' said Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube during the commemoration of International Day of the Boy Child. 'Boys are either disengaging in schools or they are repeating grades. This has a societal impact, and we need to make sure that we are supporting boys and giving them space to be vulnerable to become positive male models, and to grow up to be responsible men, citizens and leaders, not engaging in violence.' The department said it has launched initiatives which include the implementation of programmes aimed at enhancing reading, writing, and maths skills among primary pupils. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to ensure that no child is left behind in the pursuit of quality education. But advocacy groups such as Equal Education argue that more comprehensive measures are necessary. 'We need to establish the importance of addressing systemic issues such as unequal resource allocation and the need for inclusive policies that cater to the diverse needs of all learners,' said Equal Education's Noncedo Madubedube.
