holding company

AMERICAN EXPRESS CO., $59.44, New York symbol AXP, rose 2% this week on speculation that WELLS FARGO &CO., $50.05, New York symbol WFC, will soon launch a takeover offer. Berkshire Hathaway (New York symbol BKB.B), the holding company controlled by billionaire investors Warren Buffett, owns 15.6% of American Express and 9.8% of Wells Fargo. An acquisition would enhance Wells Fargo’s credit card business and give it access to Amex’s high-quality clientele. In addition, the bank’s large depositor base provides a lower-cost way of funding credit card loans. Combining the two businesses would also allow Wells Fargo to eliminate overlapping operations....

Record-setting revenue gains, no debt and recurring contracts sustain high yield for Calian Technologies

Tegna Inc. is using cash from ad revenue to pay down debt, buy back shares and purchase TV stations

ALPHABET INC., Nasdaq symbols GOOG (class C non-voting), $683.57, and GOOGL (class A voting), $703.76, is the new holding company for Google’s Internet search business and its smaller, riskier operations. These smaller businesses, which the company calls “Other Bets,” sell home thermostats and high-speed Internet and digital TV services. In the three months ended December 31, 2015, Alphabet’s revenue rose 17.8%, to $21.3 billion from $18.1 billion a year earlier, beating the consensus forecast of $20.8 billion. The main search engine business accounted for 99% of the total. That division’s revenue gained 17.7%. The number of paid clicks on advertisers’ ads jumped 31%, helping offset a 13% drop in the average amount advertisers paid per click. More people are using mobile devices to access the Internet, but advertisers pay lower rates for mobile ads because they’re harder to see on smaller screens. Revenue from Other Bets (1% of revenue) jumped 42.5%....

Intel Corp. aims to grow revenue by $1.8 billion with new chip technology for server computers

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Hi. Can you give me your take on Icahn Enterprises? Is this is a good way to invest alongside Carl Icahn and get a great dividend at the same time? Thanks. A: Icahn Enterprises L.P., $56.62, symbol IEP on Nasdaq (Units outstanding: 129.0 million; Market cap: $7.5 billion; www.ielp.com), is a holding company with interests in 10 business segments: Investment, Automotive, Energy, Metals, Railcar, Gaming, Mining, Food Packaging, Real Estate and Home Fashion. Its main subsidiaries include CVR Energy (oil refining, nitrogen fertilizers), WestPoint Home (bedsheets, blankets, towels), Viskase Companies (plastic food containers), Tropicana Entertainment (casinos) and PSC Metals (scrap-metal recycling)....

ATCO LTD. (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $35 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $35; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 115.1 million; Market cap: $4.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.atco.com) has sold its ATCO Emissions Management subsidiary for an undisclosed sum. This business helps producers of oil, gas and electricity reduce air and noise pollution. Small deals like this help simplify ATCO’s complex holding company structure, which should enhance its long-term value. The class I (X) non-voting shares are more liquid than the class II (Y) voting shares....

Brookfield Asset Management, $41.21, symbol BAM.A on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 981.1 million; Market cap: $40.2 billion; www.brookfield.com), is a holding company with a focus on real estate, infrastructure and power generation....

Value stock Verizon Communications dials up growth with its AOL acquisition, more wireless revenue, and a new mobile video app.