Author: The Motley Fool

Zoom is great, but it needs to find something outside video conferencing to get investors and the market excited about where it is going. 

(00:21) Jason Moser and Dylan Lewis discuss:

- Whether AI and expanded offerings can create a next act and growth pillar for Zoom.

- Why Lowe’s and Home Depot continue to hold up even as home improvement projects dry up.

- The early signs that Target’s focus on loyalty and value are getting customers back in the stores just in time for back to school shopping.

Companies discussed: ZM, LOW, HD, TGT, WMT

Host: Dylan Lewis

Guests: Jason Moser

Engineers: Dan Boyd

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Stock prices are up, but consumers are squeezed. This puts advertisers in an unusual spot. Ricky Mulvey, Dylan Lewis, and Mary Long are live at Podcast Movement and they discuss:

- The macro landscape for advertisers.

- Podcasting’s shift to video.

- The real value of your time to marketers.

Companies discussed: TTD, PUBM, SPOT

Note: No show tomorrow, we’re back on Thursday, August 22.

Host: Ricky Mulvey

Guests: Dylan Lewis, Mary Long

Engineer: Dan Boyd

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AMD’s latest acquisition is about building out an ecosystem and doing what it can to offer customers more in the AI race. 

(00:21) Asit Sharma and Dylan Lewis discuss:

- Why AMD is spending $4.9B on ZT Systems, and what the company’s rack-scale ambitions look like.

- General Motors’ plans to lay off over 1,000 employees, and why it might be AI-driven.

- The questions that company leadership and boards should be asking as they think about AI, and two companies that have established good AI practices so far.

Articles mentioned on the show:

• WSJ piece: Why AI Risks Are Keeping Board Members Up at Night
• Salesforce’s Generative AI Guidelines

Companies discussed: AMD, NVDA, GM, CRM, NOW

Host: Dylan Lewis

Guests: Asit Sharma

Engineers: Dan Boyd

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To get outsized returns, it can pay to find a pond where fewer people are fishing. 

Bill Mann is the director of Small Cap Research at The Motley Fool, lead advisor for our Global Partners service, and a frequent guest on the show. In today’s episode, Bill talks with Mary Long about:

• how travel has informed his investing philosophy.
• what initially caught his eye about Chipotle.
• why he thinks you should “keep turning over rocks.” 

Have an analyst you want us to feature on an upcoming “Meet the Fool” episode? Want to share your own investing journey with us? Send a note (or a voice recording!) to podcasts@fool.com

Host: Mary Long

Guest: Bill Mann

Engineer: Tim Sparks

Tickers mentioned: CMG, CNSWF

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Right now, the S&P 500 is paying a paltry 1.3% dividend yield. The only time it’s been lower than that was during the dot-com boom.

Matt Argesinger and Anthony Schiavone lead The Motley Fool’s Dividend Investor portfolio. They joined Mary Long for a conversation about:

- Why companies pay dividends.

- How to tell if a company’s payout is sustainable.

- Dividend payers including Pool Corp, Nike, and Starbucks

Companies/tickers mentioned: HSY, FAST, POOL, NKE, SPG, SBUX, CMG, SPG, SCHD

Host: Mary Long

Guests: Matt Argersinger, Anthony Schiavone

Producer: Ricky Mulvey

Engineer: Tim Sparks

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The macro picture might be putting a damper on guidance for some companies, but depressed valuations and climbing cash balances mean as the macro picture clears up, money could come back into the market in waves.

(00:21) Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger discuss:

- What Brian Niccol will need to do to turn around Starbucks as CEO, and how Chipotle will handle the departure of their superstar executive.

- Earnings updates from Home Depot, Walmart, and Brinker.

- Warren Buffett’s latest buys – Ulta Beauty and Heico – and what Berkshire and other smart money’s rising cash hoards might mean.

(30:45) Jason and Matt break down two stocks on their radar: Palo Alto Networks and Kenvue.

Stocks discussed: SBUX, CMG, HD, WMT, EAT, PANW, KVUE

Host: Dylan Lewis

Guests: Jason Moser, Matt Argersinger

Engineers: Dan Boyd

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The world’s largest retailer is crushing the market.

(00:21) Asit Sharma and Ricky Mulvey discuss:

- Walmart’s international growth and pricing power.

- What broader retail sales data says about the economy.

- The economic side effects of weight-loss drugs.

Then, (16:39) Motley Fool Analyst Buck Hartzell joins Ricky to discuss Shift4, a payments company putting up impressive growth numbers.

Companies discussed: WMT, COST, KR, WMS, LLY

Article discussed: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-08-07/ozempic-boom-inside-usa-s-weight-loss-drug-capital?ref=biztoc.com

Host: Ricky Mulvey

Guests: Asit Sharma, Buck Hartzell

Engineer: Dan Boyd

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Here’s why investors could win.

(00:21) Tim Beyers and Mary Long discuss the lawsuit against Google, the likelihood of a big tech breakup, and consolidation in the snacking sector.

Then, (14:29) Jason Hall and Ricky Mulvey check in on some solar power stocks.

Learn more about the Range Rover Sport at www.landorverusa.com

Companies discussed: GOOG, GOOGL, K, ENPH, SEDG

Host: Mary Long

Guests: Tim Beyers, Jason Hall, Ricky Mulvey

Engineer: Dan Boyd

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(00:21) David Meier and Ricky Mulvey discuss:

- Why Starbucks wants Chipotle’s CEO.

- What Home Depot’s quarter says about the economy.

- On Holding’s impressive growth.

Plus, (15:39) Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp discuss how investors can prepare for a lower-rate world.

Factor offer: Head to www.factormeals.com/foolpod50 and use code foolpod50 to get 50% off your first box and 20% off your next month.

Companies discussed: SBUX, CMG, HD, TREX, ONON, NKE, OTC: ADDYY

Host: Ricky Mulvey

Guests: David Meier, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp

Engineer: Dan Boyd

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two quarters in, Reddit’s looking pretty good. And big box office numbers and streaming profits can’t distract investors from a slowdown in Disney’s parks segment.  

(00:21) Asit Sharma and Dylan Lewis discuss:

- Reddit’s strong growth numbers, some of its monetization opportunities beyond ads, and why it could buck the trend of struggling social companies like Pinterest, Snap, and Twitter/X.

- Why strong box office and streaming results weren’t enough to get investors excited about Disney, but long term the company’s prospects still look good.

(16:43) Jason Moser and Mary Long discuss Wayfair, the power of a good distribution network, and the company’s path to consistent profitability.

Companies discussed: RDDT, DIS, W, AMZN, KO

Host: Dylan Lewis

Guests: Asit Sharma, Mary Long, Jason Moser

Producer: Mary Long

Engineers: Dan Boyd

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices