-- The quarterly US employment cost index rose by 0.9% in Q1, faster than the 0.7% gain in the previous quarter, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday.
This was above the consensus estimate of a 0.8% gain in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:35 am ET.
Benefits costs rose by 1.2% in the quarter after a 0.8% gain in previous quarter, while wage growth accelerated to 0.8% from 0.7% in Q4.
CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We lower our 12-month target by $25 to $375, based on a 2027 P/E of 9.0x, a modest discount to LAD's 10-year forward P/E of 10.3x. We reduce our adjusted EPS estimates to $35.30 from $39.25 for '26 and to $41.80 from $43.20 for '27. Following LAD's Q1 earnings beat, we are lowering our estimates and price target but reiterating our Strong Buy on the shares. LAD remains our top pick in auto retail, as the company continues to outperform in a more challenging environment for dealerships. LAD's same-store-sales growth is outperforming peers by a wide margin and its combination of aggressive share repurchases and accretive acquisitions is helping support its bottom line. Impressively, LAD bought back ~4% of total outstanding shares in Q1 after retiring 11% of its share count in 2025. We find LAD's current risk/reward compelling with significant upside potential in a more favorable demand environment, continuing to view the long-term growth story as intact and noting management's history of solid execution.
Stifel Canada on Thursday maintained its buy rating on the shares of Kinross Gold (K.TO, KGC) and its C$65.00 price target following the company's first-quarter results."Kinross reported Q1/26 adjusted EPS of $0.71 vs. our $0.69 (consensus: $0.72) on attributable GEO production of 492.6Koz vs. our 489.8Koz (consensus: 481.8Koz) at attributable cost of sales of $1,380/GEO and AISC of $1,732/GEO which were in-line and within the FY26 guidance ranges ($1,360 +/- 5% and $1,730 +/- 5%, respectively). Adjusted Q1/26 EPS absorbed a $91Mln withholding-tax charge, of which $65Mln relates to taxes payable in future quarters tied to repatriation of Mauritania cash flows. Record Q1/26 attributable FCF of $837.5Mln implies FCF/GEO ex-WC of $2,656/GEO (+$1,034/GEO or +63.8% QoQ vs. +$722/oz or +17.4% in gold price). Kinross repurchased $250.1Mln in shares in Q1/26 (plus $50Mln in April) and reaffirmed its 40%-of-FCF return-of-capital target. We estimate approx. $1.3Bln for share buybacks in 2026 (vs. $0.6Bln in 2025) or 3.4% of shares outstanding (vs. 2.5% in 2025). Q1/26 total liquidity stood at $3.9Bln, including $2.2Bln of cash (+$443Mln QoQ)," analyst Ralph Profiti wrote.(covers equity, commodity and economic research from major banks and research firms in North America, Asia and Europe. Research providers may contact us here: https://www..com/contact-us)Price: $40.93, Change: $+0.07, Percent Change: +0.17%
CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We raise our price target by $3 to $180, representing an unchanged 26x multiple on our 2026 EPS view and a premium to shares' 25x five-year average forward multiple. We raise our 2026 EPS estimate to $6.91 from $6.80 and 2027's to $7.73 from $7.60. After Q1 results that beat estimates, we reiterate our Strong Buy opinion. YUM saw strong system sales growth (+6%) driven by KFC (+2% comps) and Taco Bell (+8% comps), highlighting its "Raise The Bar" strategy focused on winning the future consumer through menu innovation, strong value perception, and consumer insights. Unit economics remain strong with KFC margins expanding 70 basis points to 43.6%, reflecting operational efficiency and favorable cost dynamics. Taco Bell margins of 35.2% remain industry-leading despite investments in growth. Strong unit economics, combined with 8.2% net unit growth (402 net new stores in Q1), support long-term guidance of 7% system sales growth and 8% core operating profit growth.