Latest news with #ADT
The South African
2 hours ago
- Business
- The South African
Former Springbok's green fire engines hit Cape Town streets
If you've spotted a green fire engine in Cape Town recently, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you – and it's not a new colour scheme for the City's firefighting fleet. The green fire trucks belong to ADT Fidelity's SecureFire, a private firefighting service launched as a rapid-response alternative to complement municipal firefighting operations. Since its inception two years ago, SecureFire has responded to over 850 fires, offering what it describes as speedy, strategic support where every second counts. Former Springbok loose forward Wahl Bartmann, who these days is CEO of Fidelity, says the service uses a tiered model to maximise response efficiency: First responders : ADT's existing armed response officers have been trained and equipped with large fire extinguishers , ready to intervene within 5 to 6 minutes of a callout : ADT's existing armed response officers have been trained and equipped with , ready to intervene within of a callout Second responders : Specialised teams in smaller firefighting vehicles are dispatched, staffed with firefighters trained to international standards : Specialised teams in are dispatched, staffed with firefighters trained to Third-tier units: Full-size fire trucks, easily recognisable in their green livery, provide additional backup and suppression capability 'We've got more than 200 ADT armed response vehicles in the Cape Town area,' says Bartmann. 'We've trained the officers as first responders.' The SecureFire service is subscription-based, with a price tag that Bartmann calls 'affordable for everyday households.' 'It costs R35 a month – about the price of a cappuccino – and we're providing that service to all our current customers as well as any new customer,' he says. Bartmann insists that SecureFire is not meant to replace the City's public fire services, but rather enhance community response times in areas where coverage may be delayed or overextended. 'Definitely, there is a need… our strategy is national, and in some areas, the fire systems are much better,' he notes. 'This is about saving lives and property where minutes matter.' As demand for more agile fire response grows – especially in densely populated or fire-prone urban areas like Cape Town – SecureFire could signal a shift in how private security and emergency services support traditional firefighting infrastructure. Wahl Bartmann played eight Tests for South Africa between 1986 and 1992, winning four and losing four. He also represented Transvaal in 93 games, scoring 18 tries, before moving to Durban where he played 79 matches (scoring 21 tries) for Natal. Full names: Wahl Justice Bartmann Date of birth: 13 June 1963 Place of birth: Florida School: Florida Springbok # 545 Current age: 62 Test summary: Tests: 8 Tries: 0 First Test: 10 May 1986 – Flank against NZ Cavaliers at Newlands, Cape Town Last Test: 24 October 1992 – Flank against France at Parc des Princes, Paris Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Top 5 Analyst Questions From ADT's Q1 Earnings Call
ADT started 2025 with results that aligned with market expectations, driven by ongoing investments in its ADT Plus platform and improved operational efficiency. Management cited record recurring monthly revenue and historically low customer attrition as key factors supporting stability. CEO Jim DeVries pointed to the company's 'continued strong demand for innovative offerings and premium customer experience' as contributors to the quarter's performance, alongside a notable increase in installation revenue from outright equipment sales. Is now the time to buy ADT? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $1.27 billion vs analyst estimates of $1.24 billion (6.5% year-on-year growth, 2% beat) Adjusted EPS: $0.21 vs analyst estimates of $0.20 (6.8% beat) Adjusted EBITDA: $660.8 million vs analyst estimates of $687.3 million (52.1% margin, 3.9% miss) The company reconfirmed its revenue guidance for the full year of $5.13 billion at the midpoint Management reiterated its full-year Adjusted EPS guidance of $0.81 at the midpoint EBITDA guidance for the full year is $2.7 billion at the midpoint, in line with analyst expectations Operating Margin: 25.2%, in line with the same quarter last year Customers: 6.4 million, in line with the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $6.75 billion While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention. Ronan Kennedy (Barclays) asked about the demand environment and macroeconomic uncertainty. CEO Jim DeVries emphasized ADT's resilience in downturns, noting that demand for safety can rise in uncertain times, and retention benefits when relocations slow. George Tong (Goldman Sachs) inquired about the 7% decline in gross recurring monthly revenue additions. DeVries attributed this to tightened credit standards in DIY and health segments, but highlighted growth in the core professional install business. David Page (RBC Capital Markets) sought updates on the State Farm partnership and AI initiatives. DeVries shared that State Farm pilots are progressing and that 90% of customer chats are now handled by AI, with voice AI set for expansion. Peter Christiansen (Citigroup) probed trends in the small business channel and the mix between monitoring and installation revenue. DeVries said small business performance was stable with flat attrition, while Likosar explained that installation revenue growth reflects outright sales via the ADT Plus platform. Yehuda Silverman (Morgan Stanley) questioned the sustainability of improvements in attrition. DeVries outlined ongoing retention initiatives and set a long-term goal to reduce attrition further, noting improvements are generally linear but can fluctuate. Going forward, the StockStory team will be monitoring (1) the pace of adoption and monetization of the ADT Plus platform and related product enhancements, (2) measurable cost savings and customer experience improvements from scaling AI-driven customer service, and (3) the effectiveness of tariff mitigation strategies and their impact on margins. The trajectory of customer retention and new partnership channels, such as State Farm, will also be important to watch. ADT currently trades at $8.11, up from $7.92 just before the earnings. Is the company at an inflection point that warrants a buy or sell? Find out in our full research report (it's free). The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
Medscape
12-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
IRONMAN: Can PSA Guide Metastatic Prostate Cancer Care?
CHICAGO — Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels could help guide treatment decisions for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, according to real-world findings from the IRONMAN study. Specifically, an undetectable PSA nadir — defined as PSA level < 0.2 ng/mL — predicted a good prognosis and a PSA level ≥ 0.2 ng/mL predicted poor prognosis among patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) therapy for 6-12 months, according to Michael Ong, MD, who presented the findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. In other words, this real-world study found that absolute PSA at 6 and 12 months is prognostic in this patient population, said Ong, a medical oncologist at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada. Patients with a poor prognosis could then be considered for clinical trials offering therapy escalation, whereas those with a better prognosis — particularly those with PSA < 0.1 ng/mL — could be considered for de-escalation, said Ong. Ong explained that prior phase 3 studies have demonstrated that PSA > 0.2 ng/mL is associated with poor prognosis in patients receiving ADT and ARPI. However, data in real-world settings remain limited. Some patients with rapid PSA decline never progress, whereas others develop early resistance despite intensive therapy, he explained. The IRONMAN study set out to answer two main questions: When should PSA cutoffs be interpreted for prognostic significance? And how may PSA cutoffs differ in real-world patients? To this end, Ong and his colleagues included 1219 patients from the prospective IRONMAN cohort with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer who had received ADT and ARPI therapy, with or without docetaxel, and had PSA data available. PSA was stratified into three groups: ≥ 0.2 ng/mL, 0.10-0.19 ng/mL, and < 0.10 ng/mL. The research team constructed a 12-month landmark population to assess conditional overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 and 12 months across each PSA level. The 12-month analysis was the primary study outcome. Patients were a median age of 70 years, 58% had Gleason score of 8-10, and 75% had de novo metastatic disease. Overall, most (74%) were White and just over half were enrolled from centers outside US or Canada. ARPI agents included abiraterone acetate (44%), apalutamide (21%), enzalutamide (22%), or darolutamide (13%), and 12% of patients received docetaxel in addition to doublet therapy with ADT plus ARPI. PSA levels shifted across the two time points. At 6 months, 52% of patients had a PSA < 0.2 ng/mL, whereas 48% had a PSA level ≥ 0.2 ng/mL. At 12 months, 68% had PSA levels < 0.2 ng/mL and 32% had levels ≥ 0.2 ng/mL. Both the 6- and 12-month landmark analyses showed that PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/mL was associated with worse conditional OS and PFS compared with PSA < 0.2 ng/mL. Ong broke down conditional OS and PFS at 12 months — the primary study outcome —by absolute PSA levels. Absolute PSA 3-year overall survival 3-year progression-free survival OS mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio) ≥ 0.2 ng/mL 45% 41% 4.85 (3.36-7.01) 0.10-0.19 ng/mL 79% 62% 1.34 (0.82-2.20) < 0.1 ng/mL 84% 80% Reference After adjustment for confounders, PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/mL was associated with an almost fivefold higher risk for death at 12 months (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.85). Ong noted that PSA was prognostic of overall survival regardless of ARPI class or whether patients received doublet or triplet therapy with docetaxel. Invited discussant Rahul Aggarwal, MD, agreed that a PSA nadir between 6 and 12 months 'is strongly prognostic for progression-free and overall survival.' However, Aggarwal cautioned, although 'it is tempting to use PSA nadir to guide treatment decisions in clinical practice,' the approach has not been validated. Plus, other factors and biomarkers may play a role in treatment decisions and help optimize outcomes, including quality of life, treatment and financial toxicity, and the role of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN , added Aggarwal, of the University of California, San Francisco. 'We await randomized trial data to know, in fact, whether we should use this to guide treatment decision-making,' said Aggarwal. Such trials are underway. Ong is co-chair of a phase 3 study assessing survival after treatment escalation for patients with PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/mL after 6-12 months of ADT and ARPI therapy. Another phase 3 study will assess treatment de-escalation in those with PSA ≤ 0.2 ng/mL at 6-12 months after treatment initiation. This study's principal funder was the Movember Foundation; the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium was a trial sponsor, plus Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Janssen, Merck, Novartis and Sanofi provided funding support. Ong disclosed relationships with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, EMD Serono, Janssen, Merck, Novartis/AAA, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Ipsen. Aggarwal disclosed relationships with Alessa Therapeutics, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BioXcel Therapeutics, Boxer Capital, Curio Science, and others.
CNBC
10-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
48. Sierra
Founders: Bret Taylor (CEO), Clay BavorLaunched: 2023Headquarters: San FranciscoFunding: $285 millionValuation: N/AKey Technologies: Artificial intelligence, generative AIIndustry: Enterprise technologyPrevious appearances on Disruptor 50 list: 0 Founded with a vision to use AI to allow brands to improve customer experience across industries, Sierra has emerged as a notable player on a competitive agentic AI landscape. Established just a few years ago, the company quickly carved out a niche by focusing on AI agents that can work with customers via chat, text, email, and over the phone in real-time to solve their issues, from scheduling deliveries to troubleshooting problems. "We think every company in the world, whether it's a technology company or a 150-year-old company like ADT, can benefit from AI, and the technology is ready right now," Sierra co-founder Bret Taylor, who is also chairman of OpenAI and a former Salesforce CEO, told CNBC. Backed by high-profile investors including Benchmark and OpenAI's Startup Fund, Sierra approach to the "virtual agent" centers on autonomy. Rather than simply responding with predefined scripts or routing tickets, Sierra's AI agents are designed to act like autonomous employees — capable of understanding complex queries, initiating multi-step workflows, updating records across backend systems, and learning from repeated interactions. These agents are tailored for enterprise clients and embedded into customer service ecosystems across industries such as fintech, healthcare, and e-commerce. Unlike traditional chatbots or even many LLM-based systems, Sierra's platform is built around agents that maintain persistent memory, enabling ongoing conversations that feel coherent and personalized. These agents are integrated directly into CRMs, ERPs, and ticketing systems, allowing them to take actions like issuing refunds, rescheduling deliveries, or updating customer profiles — without human intervention. This "full-loop" automation positions Sierra as a strategic partner for companies looking to both reduce support costs and increase customer satisfaction. Early adopters of the platform included SiriusXM and Sonos, the latter of which reported a 20 percent customer satisfaction increase after using Sierra. Other companies that now use Sierra include ADT, Casper, Chubbies and Minted. Sierra most direct competitors include companies like Ada, Ultimate, and Forethought. Legacy platforms such as Zendesk and Salesforce are also incorporating generative AI features into their customer service suites, leveraging their large client bases and deep integrations. Meanwhile, tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are expanding their AI toolkits for customer engagement, bundling conversational agents into broader enterprise solutions. In October 2024, Sierra secured a $175 million new round of funding led by Greenoaks Capital. The company also continued its growth momentum in 2025, with the acquisition of Receptive AI in March and the announcement of a New York office in May. What Sierra hopes sets it apart is its ambition to create agents that not only respond but act — closing the loop by executing tasks autonomously. But competition is intense and as generative AI becomes commoditized, Sierra must continually differentiate its product and deliver results.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Consumer Stocks with Mounting Challenges
Consumer discretionary businesses are levered to the highs and lows of economic cycles. This sensitive demand profile can cause discretionary stocks to plummet when macro uncertainty enters the fray, and over the past six months, the industry has shed 11.9%. This drawdown was especially disappointing since the S&P 500 stood firm. Investors should tread carefully as many companies in this space are also unpredictable because they lack recurring revenue business models. Taking that into account, here are three consumer stocks we're swiping left on. Market Cap: $764.7 million Founded in 1986, Cable One (NYSE:CABO) provides high-speed internet, cable television, and telephone services, primarily in smaller markets across the United States. Why Are We Out on CABO? Demand for its offerings was relatively low as its number of residential data subscribers has underwhelmed Forecasted revenue decline of 2.7% for the upcoming 12 months implies demand will fall even further Capital intensity will likely increase as its free cash flow margin is anticipated to drop by 1.5 percentage points over the next year Cable One's stock price of $135.80 implies a valuation ratio of 0.9x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why CABO doesn't pass our bar. Market Cap: $5.59 billion Founded by two Aspen, Colorado ski patrol guides, Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) is a mountain resort company offering luxury experiences in over 30 locations across the globe. Why Are We Hesitant About MTN? Muted 1.2% annual revenue growth over the last two years shows its demand lagged behind its consumer discretionary peers Demand for its offerings was relatively low as its number of skier visits has underwhelmed Demand will likely be soft over the next 12 months as Wall Street's estimates imply tepid growth of 3.9% Vail Resorts is trading at $150.50 per share, or 18.4x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including MTN in your portfolio, it's free. Market Cap: $7.00 billion Founded in 1874 and headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, ADT (NYSE:ADT) is a provider of security, automation, and smart home solutions, offering comprehensive services for home and business protection. Why Is ADT Not Exciting? Number of customers has disappointed over the past two years, indicating weak demand for its offerings Projected sales growth of 4.3% for the next 12 months suggests sluggish demand Below-average returns on capital indicate management struggled to find compelling investment opportunities At $8.50 per share, ADT trades at 9.8x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than ADT. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.
