J.C. Penney Reports Sizable Net Loss, Slashes Guidance

J.C. Penney reported a net loss of $101 million for the second quarter on total net sales of $2.76 billion, falling short of analysts’ expectations of $2.86 billion.For the same period last year, the company reported a smaller net loss of $48 million and net sales that were 7.5% higher.In conjunc...

By William Sprouse • Aug. 16, 2018

Cisco Beats Estimates, Forecasts 5-7% Growth

Cisco Systems shares jumped in after-hours trading Wednesday on better-than-expected quarterly results and a strong growth forecast that indicated its shift to software is gaining momentum.For the fourth quarter, Cisco reported net income of $3.8 billion, or 81 cents a share, compared with $2.42 ...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 16, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

Tax policy shifts: What CFOs need to know to stay ahead

Discover how evolving tax policies are creating new opportunities and challenges for CFOs.

By CFO.com staff

SEC Charges Citigroup for Internal Controls Failure

Citigroup agreed to an SEC enforcement action on Thursday that charged the bank with inadequate controls that failed to detect “fraudulently-induced” loans made by a Mexican subsidiary. The failure ultimately resulted in $475 million of losses reported by Citigroup.The fraud occurred in an accoun...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 16, 2018

Audit Software Firm Nabs $40M in Funding

With many enterprises still using Excel to track the data produced by internal control, audit, and risk management activities, a cloud-based solution to perform the task has a chance to be a game changer.Enter AuditBoard, a Los Angeles-based startup that enables CFOs to create an out-of-the-box s...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 15, 2018

16 Years Later, SOX Compliance Continues to Evolve

In the early days after the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) took effect in 2002, companies expected to struggle for a few years under the added costs and effort required to comply with the new law. Then, they believed, the annual compliance exercise would gradually evolve into a relatively stable one.Th...

By David McCann • Aug. 13, 2018

ADT Shares Drop 6% on Unexpected Q2 Loss

ADT shares fell sharply in extended trading Wednesday as investors reacted to an unexpected quarterly loss that overshadowed a 6% gain in revenue and an improved outlook for the full year.The security company’s net loss for the second quarter narrowed to $67 million, or 9 cents per share, from $9...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 9, 2018

Companies Plead for New Pharma Supply Model

A vast majority of benefits managers at large companies are dissatisfied with the pharmaceutical supply-chain model, which they consider to be complex, inefficient, and opaque.With steeply rising drug prices being the single biggest component of overall health-care cost increases in recent years,...

By David McCann • Aug. 8, 2018

Ex-Sonus CFO Fined Over Faulty Guidance

Cloud communications company Sonus Networks, its former CFO, and another executive have agreed to pay more than $1.9 million to settle charges that they provided misleading revenue guidance to investors.The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said finance chief Mark Greenquist ignored red fla...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 8, 2018

CBD for Dogs with Arthritis

Best CBD Oil For Dogs With Arthritis – What to Look For When Buying Oils For Your DogBest Cbd Oil For Dogs With Arthritis – It’s time to get back to basics and really take a hard look at the top joint care oils on the market today. What kind of an anti-inflammatory natural substance can help redu...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 8, 2018

Accelerated Share Repurchases Help Execs, Not Investors

U.S. companies’ interest in buying back their stock is well-known, and it’s anything but waning. According to Calcbench, S&P 500 firms repurchased $166.3 billion worth of shares during the first quarter of 2018, up 18.7% from a year ago.For a long time, companies have primarily performed regu...

By Ahmet Kurt • Aug. 7, 2018

Auction Calendar Shift Hits Sotheby’s Earnings

Sotheby’s shares dipped on Monday as quarterly earnings came in below expectations due to a shift in auction scheduling and a decline in commission margin.The auction house reported second-quarter net income of $57.3 million, or $1.08 per share, compared to $76.9 million, or $1.43 per share, a ye...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 6, 2018

Kraft Heinz Protects Profit With Price Hikes

Kraft Heinz shares jumped more than 8% on Friday after the packaged food giant reported better-than-expected quarterly results and predicted improved profitability by the end of the year.Kraft Heinz’s net income fell to $756 million, or 62 cents per share, in the second quarter from $1.16 billion...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 6, 2018

Metric of the Month: Number of Budget Versions

Though summer is still in full swing, CFOs’ thoughts have already turned toward next year. Thus begins the annual budgeting season, with the inevitable multiple versions making their way through endless rounds of approvals. The number of budget versions before final approval reflects the efficien...

By Perry D. Wiggins • Aug. 6, 2018

Tesla Shares Jump 16% Despite Record Loss

Tesla on Thursday posted a record quarterly loss but renewed assurances of profitability — and CEO Elon Musk’s more subdued behavior in an earnings call — helped push its shares to their biggest percentage gain since December 2013.For the second quarter, Tesla reported a loss of $718 million, or ...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 3, 2018

Study Finds Disturbing Evidence of Earnings Management

Do investors get a straight story about company earnings?It’s well known that the traditional way of measuring profits, by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), has been gradually, increasingly overshadowed by other metrics in company press releases, analyst forecasts, and clearinghous...

By David McCann • Aug. 2, 2018

Blue Apron Customers Eat Elsewhere

Shares of Blue Apron Holdings fell off a cliff on Thursday after the company reported lower-than-expected second-quarter revenue and said its volume of orders in the quarter contracted by 23%.The meal-kit-delivery firm’s woes in the 13 months after going public continued, with revenue falling to ...

By David McCann • Aug. 2, 2018

P&G Beats Estimates, Announces Price Hikes

Procter & Gamble announced price increases on some of its key brands as rising shipping and commodity costs cut into its quarterly profit.The consumer products giant on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter core earnings of 94 cents per share, beating analysts’ estimates of 90 per share. But total ...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 1, 2018

Tax Options Abound for U.S. Multinationals

On the surface, U.S. multinational corporations say they are thrilled by the corporate tax cut approved by Congress last year. But in practice, the law has sparked more head-scratching than jubilation.In particular, details about what will constitute the optimal tax structure for corporations wit...

By Bill Henson • Aug. 1, 2018

Six Key Steps to a Successful Spinoff

Spinoffs are increasingly used for creating shareholder value as companies more frequently examine their portfolios and sharpen the focus on their core businesses and assets.These transactions, which involve separating an existing company’s businesses through the creation of one or more separate ...

By Tze-Liang Chiam and Lasida Klinsukond • July 31, 2018

Pfizer Beats Estimates on Strength in Key Drugs

Pfizer reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Tuesday, driven in part by strong demand for its rheumatoid arthritis drug, but lowered its full-year outlook due to unfavorable exchange rates.For the second quarter, Pfizer’s net income was $3.87 billion, up 26% from a year earlier, and...

By Matthew Heller • July 31, 2018

The Labyrinths of Uncertainty Around Information Security

Information security threats are intensifying every day. Organizations risk becoming disoriented and losing their way in a maze of uncertainty, as they grapple with complex technology, data proliferation, increased regulation, and a debilitating skills shortage.The year 2020 will dawn on a hyper-...

By Information Security Forum and Steve Durbin • July 30, 2018

Caterpillar Posts Record 2nd Quarter Profit

Caterpillar reported record second-quarter profit on strong demand for its equipment from the oil, gas, and mining sector while raising its full-year outlook for a second straight quarter despite rising costs due to tariffs.The heavy equipment maker said Monday that demand for oil, gas, and minin...

By Matthew Heller • July 30, 2018

Are Your Capital Allocations Strategic?

For many companies, the capital allocation process is where big strategic goals fizzle out. Companies aren’t wishing for that result, but most capital allocation processes are poorly equipped to deal with change.Frank Hopson, Fortuna Advisors Frank R. Hopson, CapitalA leading factor is that capit...

By Frank R. Hopson • July 30, 2018

Chipotle Same-Store Sales Gain Boosts Stock

Chipotle Mexican Grill delivered a quarterly earnings report that buoyed investors as the burrito chain attempts to rebound from its food-safety crisis.Chipotle shares jumped 6.5% to $446.76 in extended trading Thursday after the company announced that same-store sales, a key industry metric, ros...

By Matthew Heller • July 27, 2018

Exxon Earnings Hit by High Maintenance Costs

Exxon shares delivered another quarterly earnings miss on Friday as its refinery business was hit by “significant” maintenance costs and oil and gas production dipped by 7%.While Exxon’s profits jumped 18% to nearly $4 billion in the second quarter, earnings per share of 92 cents fell well short ...

By Matthew Heller • July 27, 2018