Pricing power is what’s allowing many companies — including seven of our Club holdings — to support revenue growth and enhance, or at the very least protect, profitability during an earnings season marked by a still-elevated inflationary environment. When we’re talking about “pricing power,” it’s the ability of companies with strong brands to raise prices without seeing too much impact on demand. In many cases, it’s because consumers, who are also feeling the bite of inflation in their personal budgets, are willing to pay those higher prices because the products are so essential to their everyday lives. And, in times of economic uncertainty, consumers tend to take comfort in their favorite brands. For example, Club holding Procter & Gamble (PG) beat on the top and bottom lines in its fiscal third quarter as price increases enriched profit margins despite a small slip in volumes . Similarly, comparable sales at McDonald’s (MCD) increased by 13% in the first quarter and traffic increased despite increased menu prices. Strategic price hikes at Coca-Cola (KO) resulted in strong Q1 revenue and a muted effect on people’s buying habits. “Some of the best brands in America have been able to push through price increases and have seen favorable demand to where the consumer has responded without too much negativity,” Bradley Thomas, consumer and retail analyst at KeyBanc, said in an interview with CNBC. Cash-strapped Americans are “seeking value,” Thomas added. Remember, value is not always about offering the lowest price, it’s about offering the greatest bang for your buck. The pricing success at P & G, Coca-Cola, or McDonald’s comes down to consumers feeling that they are still getting that value from brands they know and love. Here’s a list of Club holdings with pricing power, starting with a closer look at P & G. PG YTD mountain Procter & Gamble’s stock performance year to date. Procter & Gamble last week delivered quarterly earnings and revenue beats while raising guidance for full-year organic sales growth. The consumer goods powerhouse raised prices across segments, lifting its gross margin by 150 basis points to 48.2% in its fiscal third quarter. P & G reported a 4% increase in fiscal Q3 sales. Organic sales, which exclude the impacts from foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestitures, rose 7%. That increase was driven by a 10% boost from higher pricing. But the Tide, Pampers and Gillette maker’s volume fell 3% as some shoppers traded down to cheaper alternatives. We aren’t concerned since some volume decline is to be expected given the magnitude of the price hikes. Management was able to strike a balance between delivering growth and the best value to customers through its premium products. JNJ YTD mountain Johnson & Johnson’s stock performance year to date. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)exhibited pricing power during the first quarter in its consumer business, which will be separated later this year and brought public as a standalone company called Kenvue. The unit sales increased 11.4% in Q1, driven by strong pricing actions and healthy demand across its product categories including over-the-counter, skin, health and beauty, and baby care, to name a few. Management during last week’s post-earnings call said its consumer unit, post-separation will be even more competitive. The company’s pharmaceuticals and medtech divisions, which drive a majority of revenue, will remain, and they will keep the Johnson & Johnson name. LIN YTD mountain Linde’s stock performance year to date. Industrial gas giant Linde (LIN) is our way to play decarbonization in an economy focused on clean energy initiatives, and it’s another Club holding that has pricing power. The company produces, processes, and sells different kinds of gases used in a variety of industries including healthcare manufacturing, food, beverage carbonation, steel making, and aerospace. Due to the complexity of the supply chain, Linde has the distinct advantage of contractually passing on additional costs to its customers. This prevents profits from being crunched by higher energy prices and allows Linde to deliver consistent future cash flow and strengthen its earnings power. In its latest earnings, out Thursday, the company said volumes were flat but its price and mix contributed 8% to the top line. Halliburton HAL YTD mountain Halliburton’s stock performance year to date. Halliburton (HAL) on Tuesday announced strong financial performance in the U.S., and international markets in Q1. Total revenue rose 33% year over year while earnings per share more than doubled on an annual basis. The top and bottom-line beats were accompanied by strong operating margin performance and operating cash flow. The oilfield services company has benefitted from an increase in inflation, which has partly resulted from higher energy prices this year. “Pricing continues to trend up for all product lines in all regions,” Halliburton CEO Jeffrey Miller said on the call. Sustained customer demand was also a crucial factor of growth for the quarter. Halliburton has exhibited strong pricing power due to massive demand from global end markets, benefitting from years of under-investment in drilling. AAPL YTD mountain Apple’s stock performance year to date. Apple (AAPL) is another Club holding with pricing strength. In addition to premium prices on its hardware devices, the iPhone maker increased its subscription rate for its streaming service by 40% in November 2022. The monthly price for Apple TV+ rose to $6.99 from its previous $4.99. When Apple TV+ was first rolled out, it only had a few shows and movies, and the price tier was a more affordable option. A few years after its 2019 launch, the platform now has a wider selection of documentaries, films, and TV series in many categories. At that time, the company also increased prices for its Apple Music service to $10.99 from the prior $9.99, in addition to its Apple One bundle service, which hosts these plans among other services to $16.95 from $14.95. When it reported its fiscal first quarter in February, Apple delivered a new record for Services revenue of $20.8 billion despite the difficult macroeconomic backdrop. Apple is out with its latest quarterly next week. MSFT YTD mountain Microsoft’s stock performance year to date. Earlier this year, Microsoft (MSFT) announced changes to global pricing for its cloud services, effective April 1. Microsoft’s cloud offerings, which include Microsoft 365 and Azure, are 9% more expensive in the U.K., and 15% more expensive for customers in the European Union. Microsoft said this price hike is an effort to “align the pricing of our Microsoft Cloud products globally.” Looking ahead, the company will “assess pricing in local currency as part of a regular twice-a-year cadence, taking into consideration currency fluctuations relative to USD [dollar].” While its cloud growth slowed during its fiscal third quarter , rising 27% compared with 31% growth in the prior quarter, the company said Azure took market share, attracting more customers to its AI-powered applications. CAT YTD mountain Caterpillar’s stock performance year to date. During its first-quarter earnings results, out Thursday, Caterpillar (CAT) delivered solid year-over-year revenue growth in each of its product segments, along with meaningful margin expansion. Management said the strength was driven by “favorable price realization and higher sales volume.” Its Construction Industries unit saw sales up 10% and profit margins grew to 26.5% from 17.3%, fueled by stronger pricing and strong demand in both residential and non-residential markets in the U.S. Caterpillar’s latest report shows how its business is benefitting from strategic pricing, which offset costs. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long PG, JNJ, LIN, HAL, AAPL, MSFT, CAT. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. 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A grocery cart sits in an aisle at a grocery store in Washington, DC, on February 15, 2023.
Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Pricing power is what’s allowing many companies — including seven of our Club holdings — to support revenue growth and enhance, or at the very least protect, profitability during an earnings season marked by a still-elevated inflationary environment.
Genesis is gearing up to introduce its first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), the GV70. Ahead of its debut, the Genesis GV70 EREV was spotted in Korea, offering a closer look at the upcoming SUV.
Genesis prepares for its first EREV, the GV70
The luxury automaker is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a slate of new EVs, hybrids, and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) set to arrive over the next few years.
During its CEO Investor Day last month, Hyundai revealed plans to launch several new Genesis vehicles, including its first EREV.
First up will be the Genesis GV70 EREV, promising to deliver over 1,000 km (620 miles) of driving range. The electrified SUV will still run on a 100% electric motor, but a small gas engine acts as a generator to charge the battery when it becomes low, thereby extending the driving range.
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Although the Genesis GV70 EREV isn’t due out for another year or so, we are already getting our first look at the new extended-range electric SUV.
Genesis plans to launch new luxury EVs, hybrids, and EREVs (Source: Hyundai)
The folks at HealerTV spotted the new vehicle parked in South Korea, giving us a better idea of what to expect when it arrives.
Although it’s still covered in camouflage, you can see it’s nearly identical to the current gas-powered GV70. At least from what we can see, the front and back ends look about the same.
We also got a sneak peek at the interior, which also appears to be essentially unchanged. Genesis just introduced an updated interior and exterior design on its current vehicle lineup, so no major changes are expected.
Since it’s still a prototype, the design could change by the time it hits the market, which is expected in December 2026.
Genesis will launch its first hybrid next year, the GV80 SUV, which is expected to be followed by the GV70 EREV later in the year. Following that, at least two new luxury SUVs will join the lineup, based on the Neolun (pictured on the left) and X Gran Equator concepts (pictured on the right).
The Neolun is expected to arrive as the Genesis GV90, an “ultra-luxe” flagship electric SUV, while the X Gran Equator will be an off-roader.
Genesis plans to expand into up to 20 European markets while boosting brand sales in the US with its new lineup. By 2030, the luxury brand aims to sell 350,000 vehicles globally.
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Austin-based Base Power just raised $1 billion in Series C funding to accelerate its mission to modernize the Texas grid, one home battery at a time.
Addition led the round, with support from existing and new investors. The fresh capital will help Base scale up operations, grow its team, and build out domestic manufacturing to meet surging demand for resilient, distributed home batteries.
Base Power is a licensed electricity provider operating in Texas’s deregulated electricity market, and it functions as a virtual power plant (VPP). Its model is simple but transformative: customers pay a monthly fee for energy, installation, and a home battery – no rooftop solar required. When the grid is up, Base’s networked batteries help stabilize it; when it goes down, the battery keeps the lights on at home.
“The chance to reinvent our power system comes once in a generation,” said Zach Dell, Base Power’s CEO and cofounder. “We’re scaling the team to make our abundant energy future a reality.”
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In under two years, Base has already deployed more than 100 megawatt-hours (MWh) of residential battery capacity, making it one of the fastest-growing distributed energy platforms in the US. The company’s rapid growth has been fueled by organic customer demand, partnerships with major homebuilders like Lennar, and collaborations with forward-thinking utilities.
Base Power currently serves homeowners across the Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin regions, and plans to expand nationwide. To support that growth, the company is building its first factory, an energy storage and power electronics manufacturing hub at the former Austin American-Statesman printing press site in downtown Austin.
The company also recently qualified for Texas’s Aggregated Distributed Energy Resource (ADER) program, which allows distributed batteries to participate directly in the grid market. That means extra reliability for the state and lower costs for customers through shared revenue from grid services.
“The only way to add capacity to the grid is by deploying hardware — and we need to make that here in the US, ourselves,” said Justin Lopas, Base’s COO and cofounder. “This factory in Austin is our first, and we’re already planning for our second. We’re building the tools and systems to reindustrialize America and reinvent the grid.”
Electrek’s Take
Texas’s grid struggles, from heatwaves to winter blackouts, make Base Power’s model timely. Linking home batteries to a virtual power plant offers home backup and grid support. (I was part of a VPP in Vermont, and I can’t stress enough how great it is, especially in power outages.)
With $1 billion in new funding and a planned Austin factory, Base aims to scale fast. For context, Tesla deployed over 31 GWh of storage in 2024, but that figure includes utility-scale Megapacks as well as residential Powerwalls because Tesla didn’t separate out the two in its report. Sunrun’s VPPs now include 20,000+ customers across nine states, and it supplies significant grid support in California. Base’s 100 MWh so far is much smaller, but as a licensed electricity provider, not just a technology platform, its focused Texas rollout and participation in the state’s ADER program could position it as a nimble challenger in the growing VPP space.
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GM is ending plans for a program that enabled its dealers to extend the $7,500 tax credit for new Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac EV leases beyond the September 30 deadline. Instead, it has another plan to keep the savings going.
GM ends $7,500 EV tax credit and plans its own savings
After the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles expired at the end of September, GM was among the automakers planning to extend the incentive through leasing.
That will no longer be the case after the automaker suddenly reversed its decision. According to Bloomberg, GM will not extend the credit for EVs that were in transit to dealers ahead of the September 30 deadline.
Instead, GM will provide about $6,000 from its own pockets for a limited time to continue supporting electric vehicle leases.
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A company spokesperson confirmed that “GM worked on an extended offer for the benefit of our customers and dealers,” adding “After further consideration, we have decided not to claim the tax credit.”
The savings will last until the end of the month. The spokesperson said in an email that “GM will fund the incentive lease terms through the end of October.”
Chevy Equinox EV LT (Source: GM)
GM and Ford announced programs last week that involved buying EVs through their financing units, which would enable them to qualify for the $7,500 tax credit. The companies would then use the funds to extend the credit through leasing.
A source close to the matter told Reuters that GM decided to end the program after Republican Senator Bernie Moren urged the end of the loophole that enabled the $7,500 credit to be passed on through leasing.
Cadillac ESCALADE IQL electric SUV (Source: Cadillac)
The announcement comes after GM delivered a record of over 66,500 electric vehicles in the third quarter. Through September, GM sold 144,668 EVs, more than double the amount it sold in the same period in 2024.
The Chevy Equinox EV is now the best-selling non-Tesla EV in the US, while Cadillac ranked as the top luxury electric vehicle brand in Q3.
Chevy Blazer EV (left), Chevy Equinox EV (middle), Chevy Silverado EV (right) (Source: GM)
Ford, Jeep maker Stellantis, and BMW are still planning to extend the credit for those EV leases for at least another few months. GM was expected to extend the offer until the end of the year.
GM already has one of the most affordable EVs in the US with the Chevy Equinox EV starting at under $35,000. In 2026, it will face a wave of new lower-priced EVs, including the new Nissan LEAF, which will start at under $30,000. General Motors is betting on more affordable EVs, including the 2027 Chevy Bolt, to gain a bigger share of the market over the next few years.
Interested in testing out one of GM’s electric vehicles for yourself? From the Chevy Equinox EV to the Cadillac Escalade IQ, you can use our links below to see what’s available near you.
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