ROCKFORD, Mich. A West Michigan contractor is accused of taking thousands of dollars and not doing the job.

Davide Uccello says in October he hired Eric Demorest of RAM Concrete and Flatwork to fix his failing driveway at his newly bought home.

The cost of the job was roughly $20,000. Uccello says he paid half, down.

They were out here the first day that I actually gave him the check and they excavated. That's the last time I saw him, Uccello told FOX 17.

Uccello says they excavated and left, leaving his driveway in an even worse spot heading into winter.

At that point, I had a whole complete mudslide towards my house that could essentially just wipe the whole house out Uccello explained.

I tried to make contact with him, he kept telling me yes I'll be there. Well after about 30 days of text messages I just realized he wasn't going to come and I had to get on fixing the situation, Uccello said.

Uccello hired a different contractor to put in a retaining wall to protect his home.

He then sued Demorest in Kent County court and in April was awarded a judgement of more than 50,000 dollars, which includes damages.

But Uccello says Demorest wont pay up.

He's unwilling to cooperate with the courts, he's unwilling to cooperate with any juncture of this lawsuit, so I have a judgment that I really can't collect on. I want to make sure that he doesn't do this to anyone else in the community, Uccello added.

According to documents obtained by FOX 17 Problem Solvers, Eric Demorest filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 15th.

In his filing, numerous creditors including individuals and other companies are listed, totaling nearly $140,000 owed.

Last week, FOX 17 Problem Sovler Aaron Parseghian called Eric Demorest to ask him about whats going on.

He refuted Uccellos claims and said hed have his attorney send information and a statement within a couple days.

We waited four days and still heard nothing, our crew then visited a home we heard he was doing work at.

Our crew waited in the driveway for someone to come outside and in a few minutes, someone inside saw them, closed the doors, the windows and our crew left.

Hopefully he will man up and make this right you know because I will put whatever is in the past in the past, as long as it's made right, Uccello said.

A couple hours after taping this on Monday, Eric Demorest called FOX 17s Aaron Parseghian and said he was on his wifes property and informed Aaron that she was pressing charges against him for trespassing.

Aaron Parseghian nor the photographer he was working with saw any no trespassing signs on the property and are fully cooperating with local law enforcement.

Demorest also told Aaron if FOX 17 ran the story hed be suing him for defamation.

Well keep you updated as this develops.

Continue reading here:
Contractor accused of taking thousands, calls cops on FOX 17 Problem Solver - Fox17

When two strangers walking by stopped to accuse James Jaime Juanillo of defacing private property, the San Francisco manimmediatelytook a defensive posture.He started recording the encounter, which eventually went viral, garnering more than 23 million views.

I came up recording not because I thought there was a potential for a viral video, but because I believed that I was going to need to prove my innocence, that they were going to accuse me of a crime, says Juanillo, 50, a Filipino American.

His crime was chalking a Black Lives Matter message on the retaining wall in front of the Pacific Heights home he shares with his husband and some friends.In the video, the woman,identifiedas Lisa Alexander, along with her male partner, approach Juanillo and question whether he lives at the property. They say they know that he does not and suggest he is breaking the law.

Juanillo is heard calmly refusing to answer any questions while challenging the womans apparent insinuation that a person who looks like him could not belong in the wealthy enclave.

What I experienced is this kind of polite, everyday, ubiquitous, accepted racism where it's delivered gift wrapped and politely, stipulating your acceptance of their superiority and their supremacy, Juanillo says. The presumption is that they are entitled to whatever answers [to questions] that they feel like posing to a random person of color in whatever situation.

Alexander, the woman in the video, was dubbed a Karen. The term originally referred to an entitled white woman who tries to use her privilege or status in society to threaten orsupersedesomeone in an argument.

The origins of the meme a humorous image, video or words that spread rapidly on the internet are unknown. Some trace it to a character in the 2004 movie Mean Girls, while others say it came from U.S. comedian Dane Cook, who did a sketch about a friend nobody likes, a girl named Karen.

Wherever it came from, the term has evolved, according to Matt Schimkowitz, senior editor of Know Your Meme, a website that documents internet phenomena.

I think that the term took on a more serious meaning in the past year, given that it's kind of associated with what we call, on the website, a white cop caller nickname, he says, which is this trend of videos of white peopletypically ... white womencalling the police on people of color for just usually living their lives or doing their jobs.

The turning point for the Karen meme, Schimkowitz says, came in May when a woman called the police after a Black birdwatcher in New Yorks Central Park asked her toput aleash on her dog in keeping withalocal ordinance. The man, a 57-year-old Harvard-educated science editor, recorded the encounter during which the woman threatens to tell police there is an African American man threatening my life.

Just who a Karen is continues to evolve with the times. The meme can also now refer to a white woman who tries to cough on people wearing masks because she thinks the coronavirus is a hoax. Or throwing a tantrum in a store after being asked to wear a mask. No male equivalent of the Karen meme has caught on.

Which leads a lot of people to debate the sexist connotations of Karen,and why we use it,as a kind of double standard, Schimkowitz says.

He thinks the Karen meme has reached sucha high levelof saturation that people online will stop using it. However, the word has become soingrainedin the culture that it is likely to continue to be used.

Because the word is so specific in its meaning and everyone understands it, I think it will probably just continue to be used,because it's good shorthand for a society that, really more than anything right now, valuesbrevity, Schimkowitz says. There's not a lot of space for long pieces about the world. We would rather just read a tweet,and in that interest,I think Karenstays with us sort of like the way a smiley face emoji does.

Back in San Francisco, the police who responded to the call about Juanillo recognized him as a longtime resident and left without incident. Alexander and her partner released a public apology after the encounter went viral. Juanillo decided to release the video of his Karen moment to highlight what everyday racism can look like.

Racism just doesn't mean being executed on the streets of America. Sometimes it just means being questioned for why you existand where you exist, Juanillo says. Someone can call the copsmen with gunson you for innocuous actions like designing chalk art on property that's not theirs, that they have novested interestin. They don't feel threatened by youand yet,they're still willing to bet your entire life.

The term and people who embody it will continue to exist, but people like Juanillo who might have previously felt helpless or vulnerable during such encounters, now have a powerful weapon of their own to deploy.

This is no longer a world where its he said versus she said or he said versus he said.It is now a world where technology is a great equalizer, Juanillo says, and we all have the ability and the technology to record the truth,and justice will be visually on our side.

Read more:
What It's Like to Encounter a 'Karen' - Voice of America

In 2015, Baltimore had an uprising against police violence much like those occurring around the country this summer. When it happened, we were both working at the Baltimore City Paper, an alternative weekly much like Boulder Weekly except that it no longer exists.

The Baltimore Uprising was the sort of event that alt-weeklies exist to cover: A massive community-organized protest in response to the death of one of its residents standing up and saying, no more. Our coverage focused on the people in the streets organizers, gang members who were trying to make a truce, for example and we put the reporting together into dispatches that all assumed the voice of the paper which was the voice, we hoped, of the city.

The experiences we had trying to chronicle that rebellion and the police blowback that followed it, was ultimately translated into our new book, I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of Americas Most Corrupt Police Squad which came out July 21. I Got A Monster details the way a corrupt crew of cops working in a unit called the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) ran a criminal enterprise, robbing drug dealers, stealing and dealing drugs in the aftermath of the uprising. Co-writing the book could only have happened because of the alt-weekly newspapers where advocacy journalism, narrative storytelling, and actually good writing are encouraged rather than discouraged.

As we write this, many cities continue to organize against police violence and after sending in federal law enforcement to snatch people up in Portland, Donald Trump threatens to send federal agents into other cities and do the same. And while their federal authority and intervention is novel, their activities are not. They are an extension of policing as it is intended to function in all of our cities as this excerpt from I Got A Monster shows.

DETECTIVE MOMODU GONDO DIDNT SHOW up for the new GTTFs first raid. Detectives Jemell Rayam, Daniel Hersl and John Clewell got the guy dirty in his car, and Hersl and Rayam waited on the porch while Clewell went for a warrant to search his house.

Hey, if theres any money, you know, well split it, Rayam said. Hersl agreed. It was no big deal for either of them.

Clewell returned with Sgt. Wayne Jenkins and Detectives Hendrix, Ward, and Taylor to execute the warrant. Ransacking the house together, GTTF found weed, coke, heroin, two pistols and a massive rifle with banana clips.

Hey, did you get any money? Hersl asked Rayam after the search.

I figured, you know, it should be money in there, Rayam said. But I didnt find any.

There was always the possibility that one of the new guys had found the cash first and not cut them in. Even if they didnt get any money, Jenkinss new unit gained glory in the form of news coverage: Guns and Drugs Seized in Southwest Baltimore Raid, the local TV declared the next morning with a photo of all the dope and guns laid out on a table.

A few days later, Jenkins, Gondo, Rayam, Hendrix, and Ward entered Milton Millers row house in East Baltimore and forced him to show them where he kept his money. In Millers bedroom, they found a shoe box with $10,000 stuffed in it. They sent him downstairs and stole $2,000. They also found $15,000 in a boot along with fifty grams of heroin. They took the money and left the heroin.

A few days later, Jenkins called Gondo, who was with Rayam at an auto shop in South Baltimore. The two were trying to get some additional police lights put on an unmarked car. Jenkins told Gondo about some fuckin ballers he was up on and suggested getting together to do some street ripping later on.

We over here right across from the Ravens stadium now trying to get these lights in, Gondo said.

Oh, you found somebody to do it? Jenkins asked.

Yeah, we did, man, but I mean, we strikin out, Gondo said.

How much they want? Jenkins asked.

They talkin like four or five hundred, Gondo said.

Man, tell them bitches three hundred cash, its for the police, Jenkins said. And they get a get-out-of-jail-free card with my bosss phone number.

Right. This is a legitimate business, though, Gondo said. They saying, I think they cant even do it, though, they talking to Rayam now, they saying they cant do it.

Man, there aint no legitimate business anywhere, Jenkins said.

Right, Gondo said dutifully.

Lazy motherfuckers, Jenkins said. Tell them we about to drop a case on em.

THAT NIGHT, the GTTF got together for a series of door pops. A little after midnight, two cars rolled down Baltimores historic Pennsylvania Avenue not far from where Freddie Gray was grabbed, looking for groups to roll up on and grab anybody who ran.

A couple of nights a week, we would just go out to hot areas, we would drive around, Hersl said. We drive around them areas kind of go hunting, see what we can get into.

A group of black men were hanging out near a corner store, some against the wall and one sitting on a bus stop bench emblazoned with Baltimore: The Greatest City in America. Jenkins whipped a manic turn and pulled up to the curb. Clewell popped the door, scattering the group, moving targets running in all directions.

Someone in a white T-shirt rushed around the corner, and Clewell went after him, but he was too fast and Clewell lost him. From the back seat of the car, Hersl saw another man dart the other way, holding his waistband like he was trying to stop a gun from slipping through his pants. So Clewell went after the man and Hersl hopped out and ran with Clewell.

When the suspect leaped off a retaining wall, a gun fell out on the ground and Clewell grabbed it.

The door pop was a new strategy for the GTTF and it was unconstitutional. But numbers were numbers. They got three more guns that night with door pops.

Courtesy of St. Martins Press. Order your copy at us.macmillan.com/books/9781250221803.

Read the original:
Book excerpt: 'I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Corrupt Police Squad' - Boulder Weekly

Written by Laxman Singh | Mumbai | Updated: August 8, 2020 4:44:32 pm Cracks on B G Kher Road. (Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

Ridge Road, or B G Kher Road, a link road from Malabar Hill to the rest of the city, and part of N S Patkar Road, also known as Hughes Road, are likely to remain shut for six months, after Wednesdays landslide caused massive structural damage to the road foundations, on the recommendation of a team of engineers from IIT-Bombay that studied the damage on Friday.

On August 6, heavy rainfall caused a huge landslide near Doongerwadi at Malabar Hill leading to the closure on a stretch of both B G Kher Road and N S Patkar Road.

A team of engineers from IIT-B inspected the landslide area on Friday to assess the damage and has recommended a partial closure for at least six months of both the roads. The team is, however, checking the possibility of opening the traffic on the south side of N S Patkar Road, previously known as Hughes Road.

Engineers from IIT-B will submit their report in two days. But after the inspection they suggested not to open either side for traffic on both roads. It would be risky as a massive portion of the hill has caved in and we have to remove huge quantities of mud and large number of fallen trees so that it does not fall further, said a BMC official. However, officials said that the final decision will be taken after the IIT teams report and in discussion with the municipal commissioner.

Primary investigation has revealed that over a period of time water had started accumulating between the retaining wall and the hill slope causing deterioration in the structural stability of the wall. The heavy downpour on Wednesday led to an increase in water pressure which led to the retaining wall giving in.

As per the inspection of the IIT team, a150-m stretch of the Ridge Road has sunk by four feet to six feet. Officials said that the landslide damaged about 220 m on N S Patkar Road.

We have to first remove all mud and damaged trees from the site. Following this the embankment will be constructed and after which filling of caved in portions of the road will be done to reconstruct B G Kher Road. Not much work can be done during the monsoon as there is a risk of more landslides due to water retention in the ground, said a senior BMC official.

IIT has suggested LiDAR survey of the damaged area. Our team will take help of a consultant for survey and subsequently a report will be submitted to IIT team for discussion. After that decision will be taken on traffic opening, said Prashant Gaikwad, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, D ward (Malabar Hill). A LiDAR or Light Detection and Ranging survey is a remote sensing technology to study the surface of the earth.

Area residents said a couple of weeks ago, BEST was doing some digging work along the B G Kher Road for laying cables, and are linking that to the landlside. About a fortnight ago, I was passing on B G Kher Road and saw excavation going on near Altamount Road. The work stretched till Tower of Silence. My car was stuck in one of the pits dug by them. It broke my cars shock absorber. When I enquired about the work they said it was pending because of Covid-19. I told them to at least re-lay the dug up portion to avoid accidents, said Deepak Bhayani, a resident of Napean Sea Road.

Meanwhile, the restoration of water supply in part of south Mumbai will at least take 48-hours. We are trying very hard to finish the work in next two days. But it is challenging as the approach road for carrying out the repair works of water pipelines is an issue, said a senior official from HE department.

The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App.

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Malabar Hill landslide: Ridge Road, part of Hughes Road likely to be closed for six months for repairs - The Indian Express

Flats and shops will be built at the site of a former superstore in Swansea despite some of the new gardens facing a very high retaining wall.

The old Morriston Superstore at Rhodfa Fadog, Cwmrhydyceirw, will be demolished to make way for a new four-block scheme comprising 22 flats, seven houses and three retail units.

Swansea Council's planning committee voted in favour of the application by Morganstone Ltd by seven votes to one at a meeting on August 7.

Planning officer Ian Davies said the applicant had made changes to their previous scheme which the committee, and then a Welsh Government -appointed planning inspector, had rejected.

The alterations included gabled roofs on the main three-storey block, instead of a flat roof, and the introduction of some Juliet balconies.

Mr Davies said some concerns remained about the new proposal, but insisted all the housing would be affordable.

"It is finely balanced," he said.

"However, it is considered that the provision of 100% affordable housing, coupled with positive changes to the scheme, marginally outweigh the identified harm."

Some of the gardens at the rear of the sloping site will face a retaining wall up to eaves height, and will be just under the recommended 10m length.

"It is an issue that we have wrestled with," said Mr Davies.

He said the scheme, according to the applicant, would no longer be viable if there was a reduction in the number of residential units.

There will be 33 spaces for residents, and 15 spaces - including three disabled ones - for the retail units.

Planning agent Geraint John, on behalf of Morganstone, said the current scheme had 11 residential units less than the original one, and that no statutory consultees had objected.

Addressing the committee, ward councillor Ceri Evans said he backed some redevelopment at the site and was in favour of social housing.

"However, I cannot personally in good conscience support this application as it currently stands," he said.

Cllr Evans said he didn't think the two principal refusal reasons from the previous scheme had been overcome.

Affordable housing, he said, should not be used as a "loophole for inappropriate and substandard housing".

Committee member Cllr Mary Jones said she shared this "loophole" concern and wanted to know who would be responsible for maintaining the retaining wall at the rear.

Cllr Mike Lewis said he backed the development, saying the site would otherwise be left as a "desolated piece of land".

Cllr Linda Tyler-Lloyd was worried that occupants of the flats might "feel trapped" inside, but noted the introduction of Juliet balconies.

The consent given by the committee is subject to 23 planning conditions.

Officers had recommended approval, saying in their report it was a close-run thing but that the "current proposal overcomes many of the issues identified in the previous appeal".

Read more:
Superstore to be demolished to make way for new affordable flats, houses and shops - Wales Online

The pen drive, a revolutionary digital storage device, was invented by a Malaysian engineer. (Pixabay pic)

Malaysia has much to be proud of its rich diversity of cultures, food beyond compare and many beautiful natural sights to enjoy.

But Malaysians are also responsible for many inventions, some which are used worldwide on a daily basis.

Here are five:

1. Flash drive

Office workers of the older generation would remember when floppy disks were the size of dinner plates and could store only a limited amount of data.

Then came compact discs, which were much easier to carry around but could easily be damaged with the slightest scratch or an accumulation of dust.

Sekinchan-born Pua Khein Seng came up with the idea of a portable data storage device that could easily fit into the palm of the hand. While working in Taiwan, he would create the worlds first flash drives, a milestone in the field of data storage.

Given how people store everything from photographs to songs to videos to documents on their tiny but reliable flash drives nowadays, there is much to thank Pua for.

2. Loom bands

These colourful rubber bands, which were a huge commercial success in the US, were the brainchild of a Malaysian.

Called Rainbow Looms, they are little plastic devices that weave colourful rubber and plastic bands together to make bracelets and charms for children.

Cheong Choon Ng was working as an automotive engineer in the US when he made some colourful rubber band bracelets for his children.

When his daughters went to school with their new bracelets, schoolmates began to ask where they could get them, and the rest is history.

It was reported that as at 2014, his company had sold over eight million Rainbow Looms worldwide as well as 40 million packets of the rubber bands that go with them.

3. Lytro camera

Avid photographers will know of the occasional struggle to get just the right amount of light in the picture and to control its direction.

Malaysian-born Ren Ng ran into this problem while taking a photograph of a friends daughter and decided to solve it.

At the time, he was studying light fields as a student in a Stanford University programme in Australia and he came up with the idea for a light field camera.

Technically, there were cameras that could do what he wanted but they were impractical, consisting of nearly 100 digital cameras connected to a supercomputer.

By looking into electrical and mechanical engineering, he came up with a practical light field camera that was capable of taking photographs in dark conditions without using a flash.

4. Egg boiler

A relatively simple but brilliant invention, egg boilers can be found everywhere, from traditional kopitiams to tea stalls and quite possibly the kitchen at home.

Necessity, they say is the mother of invention. Hew Ah Kow was a bulldozer operator in a lumber camp. He loved half-boiled eggs for breakfast but, unfortunately, those served at the camp were often overcooked.

Hew began looking for a way to perfectly half-boil eggs and, eventually, he put together four pieces of plasticware to make the first egg boiler.

In addition to being effective, these boilers are also highly practical as one just needs to put in hot water and eggs before leaving the boiler to do its job.

5. Nehemiah walls

Driving alongside a flyover, walls consisting of hexagonal blocks can be seen. They are called Nehemiah walls and they serve a purpose beyond looking aesthetically pleasing they provide structural integrity to bridges.

Named after Nehemiah Lee, each hexagonal panel is connected with steel bars and together they form a strong and versatile wall.

Lee was studying for his Masters when he came up with his own uniquely patterned retaining wall.

The effectiveness of his invention is proven by the fact they are used not only in Malaysia but also Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong.

See the article here:
5 everyday things invented by Malaysians | Free Malaysia Today - Free Malaysia Today

Most readers would already be aware that nVent Electrics (NYSE:NVT) stock increased significantly by 10% over the past three months. But the companys key financial indicators appear to be differing across the board and that makes us question whether or not the companys current share price momentum can be maintained. Particularly, we will be paying attention to nVent Electrics ROE today.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

View our latest analysis for nVent Electric

Return on equity can be calculated by using the formula:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for nVent Electric is:

5.8% = US$150m US$2.6b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

The return is the yearly profit. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.06 in profit.

Thus far, we have learned that ROE measures how efficiently a company is generating its profits. Depending on how much of these profits the company reinvests or retains, and how effectively it does so, we are then able to assess a companys earnings growth potential. Assuming all else is equal, companies that have both a higher return on equity and higher profit retention are usually the ones that have a higher growth rate when compared to companies that dont have the same features.

When you first look at it, nVent Electrics ROE doesnt look that attractive. Next, when compared to the average industry ROE of 11%, the companys ROE leaves us feeling even less enthusiastic. Given the circumstances, the significant decline in net income by 7.1% seen by nVent Electric over the last five years is not surprising. However, there could also be other factors causing the earnings to decline. For example, it is possible that the business has allocated capital poorly or that the company has a very high payout ratio.

So, as a next step, we compared nVent Electrics performance against the industry and were disappointed to discover that while the company has been shrinking its earnings, the industry has been growing its earnings at a rate of 6.7% in the same period.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Is nVent Electric fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

Despite having a normal three-year median payout ratio of 50% (where it is retaining 50% of its profits), nVent Electric has seen a decline in earnings as we saw above. It looks like there might be some other reasons to explain the lack in that respect. For example, the business could be in decline.

Additionally, nVent Electric started paying a dividend only recently. So it looks like the management may have perceived that shareholders favor dividends even though earnings have been in decline. Upon studying the latest analysts consensus data, we found that the company is expected to keep paying out approximately 54% of its profits over the next three years.

On the whole, we feel that the performance shown by nVent Electric can be open to many interpretations. Even though it appears to be retaining most of its profits, given the low ROE, investors may not be benefitting from all that reinvestment after all. The low earnings growth suggests our theory correct. Wrapping up, we would proceed with caution with this company and one way of doing that would be to look at the risk profile of the business. Our risks dashboard would have the 4 risks we have identified for nVent Electric.

PromotedWhen trading nVent Electric or any other investment, use the platform considered by many to be the Professionals Gateway to the Worlds Market, Interactive Brokers. You get the lowest-cost* trading on stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds worldwide from a single integrated account.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. *Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

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nVent Electric plc (NYSE:NVT) Is Going Strong But Fundamentals Appear To Be Mixed : Is There A Clear Direction For The Stock? - Simply Wall St

KB Home (NYSE:KBH) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 24% over the last three months. As most would know, fundamentals are what usually guide market price movements over the long-term, so we decided to look at the companys key financial indicators today to determine if they have any role to play in the recent price movement. In this article, we decided to focus on KB Homes ROE.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. Put another way, it reveals the companys success at turning shareholder investments into profits.

See our latest analysis for KB Home

Return on equity can be calculated by using the formula:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for KB Home is:

12% = US$303m US$2.5b (Based on the trailing twelve months to May 2020).

The return refers to a companys earnings over the last year. Another way to think of that is that for every $1 worth of equity, the company was able to earn $0.12 in profit.

So far, weve learned that ROE is a measure of a companys profitability. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or retain, we are then able to evaluate a companys future ability to generate profits. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that dont necessarily bear these characteristics.

To start with, KB Homes ROE looks acceptable. Even when compared to the industry average of 14% the companys ROE looks quite decent. As you might expect, the 14% net income decline reported by KB Home is a bit of a surprise. Based on this, we feel that there might be other reasons which havent been discussed so far in this article that could be hampering the companys growth. Such as, the company pays out a huge portion of its earnings as dividends, or is faced with competitive pressures.

However, when we compared KB Homes growth with the industry we found that while the companys earnings have been shrinking, the industry has seen an earnings growth of 18% in the same period. This is quite worrisome.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. Doing so will help them establish if the stocks future looks promising or ominous. Is KB Home fairly valued compared to other companies? These 3 valuation measures might help you decide.

KB Homes low three-year median payout ratio of 6.4% (or a retention ratio of 94%) over the last three years should mean that the company is retaining most of its earnings to fuel its growth but the companys earnings have actually shrunk. This typically shouldnt be the case when a company is retaining most of its earnings. So there could be some other explanations in that regard. For example, the companys business may be deteriorating.

Moreover, KB Home has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more suggesting that management must have perceived that the shareholders prefer dividends over earnings growth. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to rise to 9.5% over the next three years.

On the whole, we do feel that KB Home has some positive attributes. Although, we are disappointed to see a lack of growth in earnings even in spite of a high ROE and and a high reinvestment rate. We believe that there might be some outside factors that could be having a negative impact on the business. With that said, we studied the latest analyst forecasts and found that while the company has shrunk its earnings in the past, analysts expect its earnings to grow in the future. Are these analysts expectations based on the broad expectations for the industry, or on the companys fundamentals? Click here to be taken to our analysts forecasts page for the company.

PromotedIf youre looking to trade KB Home, open an account with the lowest-cost* platform trusted by professionals, Interactive Brokers. Their clients from over 200 countries and territories trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds worldwide from a single integrated account.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. *Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

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Has KB Homes (NYSE:KBH) Impressive Stock Performance Got Anything to Do With Its Fundamentals? - Simply Wall St

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Oakmont wall restoration project to start in early July, traffic to be altered near Verona border - TribLIVE

Black Lives Matter mural painted on retaining wall in Downtown Pittsburgh

Updated: 8:24 PM EDT Jun 9, 2020

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CONTROVERSY. PITTSBURGHS TRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT WAS INITALY PAINTED SATURDAY BY TWO WHITE ARTISTS FROM PHILADELPHIA. >> THERE WERE BLACK ARTISTS THAT HAD BEEN REACHED OUT TO THAT HAD CANCELED WHICH IS FINE. ANDREW: NOT HAVING BLACK ARTISTS, BLACK PITTSBURGH ARTISTS, DID NOT SIT WELL WITH THE CITYS BLACK ARTISTIC COMMUNITY. >> UPSET, DISAPPOINTED A LOT OF , DIFFERENT THINGS BUT I DO KNOW IT WAS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE FIXED AND SOMETHING THAT NEEDED ACTION TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT. ANDREW: THE TWO ARTISTS, FROM OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE STATE, HAVE SINCE CONNECTED AND CLEARED UP THE MISCOMMUNICATION. >> I AM FORTUNATE AND HAPPY THAT CAMERON AND ME HAVE REACHED OUT TO EACH OTHER AND TALKED AND ALREADY ITS BEEN A COUPLE OF HOURS BUT ALREADY ITS MUCH MORE VIVID AND I THINK ITS GOING TO BE MUCH MORE OF A POSITIVE THING . ANDREW: TONIGHT, OVER 25 LOCAL BLACK ARTISTS JOINED LENT THIER TALENTS, ADDING A PITTSBURGH PERSPECTIVE TO THIS PIECE OF ART. >> IT WAS NOT HANDLED THE BEST WAY AND NOT HANDLED THE WORST WAY BUT I DO THINK IT WAS A STEP FORWARD AND WHAT WE DOING TODAY IS A GOOD ICING ON THE CAKE. ANDREW: PITTSBURGHS ACTION N

Black Lives Matter mural painted on retaining wall in Downtown Pittsburgh

Updated: 8:24 PM EDT Jun 9, 2020

Black Lives Matter is a statement that is being heard and seen throughout the nation.In Pittsburgh, a large "Black Lives Matter" mural has been painted on a retaining wall along the Allegheny River. It includes portraits of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Antwon Rose.See the mural in the video player above.Drivers can see the large mural as they cross the Fort Duquesne Bridge onto the Fort Pitt Bridge. It's also visible from the North Shore area near PNC Park.Mayor Bill Peduto's office says it welcomes the mural and has asked Public Works crews not to paint over it.

Black Lives Matter is a statement that is being heard and seen throughout the nation.

In Pittsburgh, a large "Black Lives Matter" mural has been painted on a retaining wall along the Allegheny River. It includes portraits of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Antwon Rose.

See the mural in the video player above.

Drivers can see the large mural as they cross the Fort Duquesne Bridge onto the Fort Pitt Bridge. It's also visible from the North Shore area near PNC Park.

Mayor Bill Peduto's office says it welcomes the mural and has asked Public Works crews not to paint over it.

Read more from the original source:
Black Lives Matter mural painted on retaining wall in Downtown Pittsburgh - WTAE Pittsburgh