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Home Depot just showed who will gain the most from corporate tax cuts
WAPO ^ | 12-7-2017 | David J. Lynch

Posted on 12/08/2017 11:10:51 AM PST by spintreebob

With unemployment low and demand for new homes high, a company like Home Depot could be spending most of its surplus billions on raises for workers or the rollout of new stores.

Instead, it is using $15 billion to buy back shares of its own stock, a move that will reward shareholders including chief executive Craig Menear.

Home Depot’s statement was a reminder that corporate America may have other plans for that cash.

Several companies already have indicated that they will use excess funds to pay off debt, increase dividend payments or repurchase their own shares rather than create new jobs or raise wages. the consensus is that workers will be last in line.

The chain’s founder, Bernie Marcus, was among President Trump’s staunchest supporters during the 2016 campaign, once writing that “the fate of this nation” depended upon his election.

Now, the White House website features a Marcus opinion piece praising the tax cut as “the gift that keeps on giving.” Home Depot last month issued a statement praising the plan for “improving the competitive position of companies so they can create more jobs.”

Several corporations, including AT&T and CVS Health, have publicly touted plans to funnel tax savings into new spending on equipment or hiring. The telecom giant has vowed to boost its annual investment next year by $1 billion, about a 4 percent increase from last year’s $22 billion total.

Over the past five years, companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index spent $2.6 trillion acquiring their own shares. Information technology companies such as Google’s parent company Alphabet led the way with big banks such as Wells Fargo and Citigroup close behind. Dozens of companies so far this year, including marquee names such as Apple, JPMorgan Chase and Boeing, have spent big on their own stock.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: corporateamerica; djia; homedepot; investment; jobs; taxcut; trumptaxcuts; unemployment
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To: spintreebob

There are some good longer term reasons why companies will on occasion buy back some of the zillions of outstanding shares. I do not know the particulars in Home Depot’s case in the context of their financial positions and prospects today. Regardless of that there is not a one-to-one relationship of a company’s buyback of some shares and what salaries it is paying might be.

The economically ignorant Mr David Lynch assumes too much when he assumes that if Home Depot was not buying back those shares that there were be no other good use of the money besides raising salaries.

Labor markets and the directions within them determine most salaries, not the short term fortunes or misfortunes of a company.


81 posted on 12/08/2017 1:59:42 PM PST by Wuli
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To: spintreebob
I regard stock buy backs as bit of a scam, especially when PE ratios in the high 20s. Home Depot is around 25. It makes a ton of sense when your stock is arguably priced low of course (more stock for your buck), but not so much when you are priced high and still have debt payments (or even dividend) payments to make. I believe when management do these buy backs it is all an image play to say “Heh look how great our company is!” to try to game the price higher, thus making more money on share options that the management owns.
82 posted on 12/08/2017 2:04:21 PM PST by Sam Gamgee
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To: dragnet2
If anyone thinks Wall Street works hard for us little shareholders, well, I do have a bridge to sell. Wall Street is there to enrich Wall Street and upper management. That is where the entire pro-forma profit scam came from. Juice short term profits, or what appears to be profits to juice up share options.
83 posted on 12/08/2017 2:07:24 PM PST by Sam Gamgee
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To: dragnet2

You really are one stupid mother f***r aren’t you?


84 posted on 12/08/2017 2:15:31 PM PST by bar sin·is·ter (Climate Scientology - another example of science fiction morphing into a religious cult)
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To: spintreebob

If the employees of Home Depot want raises, nobody is stopping them from going elsewhere.


85 posted on 12/08/2017 2:16:14 PM PST by Arthur McGowan (https://youtu.be/hj3e8cKZWiY)
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To: Sam Gamgee
Sam Gamgee said: "I regard stock buy backs as bit of a scam, especially when PE ratios in the high 20s. Home Depot is around 25."

A healthy stock is showing a 4% per annum return on the investment. That is twice what one might make in an FDIC insured account.

What do you think P/Es would be if the government was not artificially holding interest rates low?

Regardless of P/Es, it can make sense to return the money to stockholders when the company cannot find a better place to put the money. Stock buy-backs allow the stockholders to recognize the return as capital gains rather than dividends.

Without government meddling we would have a much healthier economy.

86 posted on 12/08/2017 2:23:10 PM PST by William Tell
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To: Sam Gamgee

Wall Street is corrupt to the core. But I love how some of these naive people sing the praises of the markets, Wall Street and well connected corporate insiders who have corrupted, subverted and manipulated, “Econ 101” in every direction.

Widespread corruption/greed was a big factor and helping elect Trump to the presidency. And even the election was corrupted in an attempt by these insiders to ensure everything stayed business as usual.


87 posted on 12/08/2017 2:27:33 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Sam Gamgee

In other words, all this epic corruption and greed is exactly what brought us candidates like this.

88 posted on 12/08/2017 2:33:06 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: ridesthemiles
Maybe for one dividend payment cycle-—but in the long run, NO.

The average dividend yield in the S&P 500 is around 2.2%. That means it will take 45 years for the dividend savings to equal the cash you pay out today, not even taking into account the time value of money.

All makes sense if you want to expand in half a century or so.

89 posted on 12/08/2017 2:54:35 PM PST by semimojo
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To: bar sin·is·ter

Stop projecting.


90 posted on 12/08/2017 3:15:39 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: dp0622

Raises will come with supply and demand. It just has not gotten competitive enough yet.

If anyone has a retirement account of any kind at all they had better own stock and should be very happy if shares are bought back or dividends increase. Especially if there are not enough good places to invest the profits.


91 posted on 12/08/2017 3:32:51 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (It feels like we have exchanged our dreams for survival. We just have a few days that don't suck.)
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To: Sequoyah101

Agreed. 24000?!!!??!?!?

that’s a lot lol!!

and the P/E ratio is high but not insane like the 90s.

Maybe some of the techs are kind of crazy high but they’ve always been. the leaders


92 posted on 12/08/2017 4:05:57 PM PST by dp0622 (The Left should know that if Trump is kicked out of office, it is WAR!)
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To: spintreebob
...With unemployment low and demand for new homes high, a company like Home Depot could be spending most of its surplus billions on raises for workers or the rollout of new stores...

A. Actually, very very few new homes are built using materials from Home Depot. Too expensive. Where Home Depot gets its customers is mostly from people who already own homes, and from remodelers. Good economic times with new houses does not mean good times for Home Depot.

B. The primary duty of Home Depot management is to the shareholders. If they feel that this is the best way to serve the shareholder interest, that is the way it is. If they are wrong, a competitor will take business from them and provide jobs and raises like the author wants.

93 posted on 12/08/2017 4:12:45 PM PST by CurlyDave
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To: dragnet2

I don’t blame people for what others do when they impose themselves on their property. Nor do I blame them for what some of their apparently customers do.

Unless you can produce evidence that Home Depot actually tried to attract illegal aliens to camp out on their paring lots I’m gonna continue blaming only the criminal aliens and their employers.


94 posted on 12/08/2017 4:16:16 PM PST by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: Rurudyne
Geee, I guess you can say the exact same about the entire U.S. government going back nearly 30 years. No one was responsible. No one was held accountable. A wide open free for all which left a landscape of tens of hundreds of thousands of American victims over the decades

Did ya know loitering is a crime? You can be arrested. If Home Depot wanted to enforce this and keep their OWN parking lots and close by neighborhoods safe, they would have made damn sure the cops enforced it instead of allowing cartel owned food trucks into their parking lots to service the illegal aliens. Spit*

They didn't because it was not politically correct for them to do so. The government did the same damn thing, and gave millions of excuses for not enforcing the borders and even ginned up the numbers when Americans started running out of civil patience.

Based on your responses, I have forgotten more about this issue than you ever knew.

95 posted on 12/08/2017 5:04:09 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: spintreebob

Or the approximately $75 billion Home Depot has spent over the last 15 years buying back stock.


96 posted on 12/08/2017 5:06:49 PM PST by LexRex in TN ("A republic, if you can keep it.......")
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To: dragnet2

Not.

We are talking about a private company here, not the government.

A private company can post signs, hire security guards, or even complain about people doing things like loitering but actually enforcing the law is the governemnt’s job and if they don’t do it what are you gonna do? Harass people assuming they are illegal aliens? That’s a great way to get the ire of actual customers down on your head.

As for “cartel owned” food vendors, which cartels are you thinking of? Maybe you’ve never noticed, while we’re at it, that Home Depot customers buy food at these? Same with those outside Lowes. In my experience they serve “American” foods.


97 posted on 12/08/2017 6:37:43 PM PST by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: Rurudyne
What am I think of? Money from cartels used to purchase existing businesses among other things, using straw buyers. Hello? Of course most of this was pre-Trump but I'am sure it's on going to some degree.

Btw, not sure how old you are, but during most of Home Depots existence they didn't have people out front peddling food. That is a relatively new thing. At one time, at many locations, food trucks came in and went straight to those standing around the parking lots. It was a daily thing. You missed all that right?

Wise up, Home Depot is worth billion$. They swing big influence. If ya believe Home Depot couldn't have put quick stop to their parking lots being used as illegal alien sanctuary camps, I can't help ya.

And peddle your illegal alien tales of harassment to someone who might buy it. No sale here.

98 posted on 12/08/2017 9:19:16 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: dragnet2

Agree 100 percent


99 posted on 12/11/2017 5:30:38 PM PST by Sam Gamgee
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To: spintreebob
Instead, it is using $15 billion to buy back shares of its own stock, a move that will reward shareholders including chief executive Craig Menear.

Who will then use their additional wealth to order yachts, private airplanes, vacations, and other luxury items. Think of all the people who will be put to work building and piloting those yachts and plane. If the Left is upset about this, then they must really hate the working class.

100 posted on 12/11/2017 5:34:54 PM PST by SamAdams76
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