Technology

WASTE CONNECTIONS ANNOUNCES 10.5% INCREASE IN QUARTERLY DIVIDEND

Published

4 hours ago

October 23, 2024

TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Waste Connections, Inc. (TSX/NYSE: WCN) (“Waste Connections” or the “Company”) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend on the Company’s common shares and approved a 10.5% increase in the dividend. The regular quarterly cash dividend, which increases to $0.315 U.S. per common share of the Company from $0.285 U.S. per common share of the Company, will be paid on November 21, 2024 to shareholders of record on the close of business on November 7, 2024. The Board intends to review the quarterly dividend each October, with a long-term objective of increasing the amount of the dividend.

Shareholders of Waste Connections whose common shares are held by a bank or broker that participates in U.S. depositary DTC will receive payment of their dividends in U.S. dollars. Shareholders of Waste Connections whose common shares are held by a bank or broker that participates in Canadian depositary CDS will receive payment of their dividends in Canadian dollars, calculated based on the Bank of Canada’s daily average exchange rate on November 7, 2024. Shareholders of Waste Connections who hold their shares in direct registration with Computershare, the Company’s transfer agent, will receive payment of their dividends in Canadian dollars if they are residents of Canada, as reflected in Waste Connections’ shareholders register, and will receive their dividend payments in U.S. dollars if they are not residents of Canada, including if they are residents of the U.S.

About Waste Connections

Waste Connections (wasteconnections.com) is an integrated solid waste services company that provides non-hazardous waste collection, transfer and disposal services, including by rail, along with resource recovery primarily through recycling and renewable fuels generation. The Company serves approximately nine million residential, commercial and industrial customers in mostly exclusive and secondary markets across 46 states in the U.S. and six provinces in Canada. Waste Connections also provides non-hazardous oilfield waste treatment, recovery and disposal services in several basins across the U.S. and Canada, as well as intermodal services for the movement of cargo and solid waste containers in the Pacific Northwest. Waste Connections views its Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) efforts as integral to its business, with initiatives consistent with its objective of long-term value creation and focused on reducing emissions, increasing resource recovery of both recyclable commodities and clean energy fuels, reducing reliance on off-site disposal for landfill leachate, further improving safety and enhancing employee engagement. Visit wasteconnections.com/sustainability for more information and updates on our progress towards targeted achievement.

Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PSLRA”), including “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance and reflect Waste Connections’ current beliefs and expectations regarding future events and operating performance. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “should” or “anticipates,” or the negative thereof or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy. All of the forward-looking statements included in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the PSLRA and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements about the timing and amount of cash dividends. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, risk factors detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the SEC and the securities commissions or similar regulatory authorities in Canada. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Waste Connections undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements set forth in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws.

CONTACT:

Mary Anne Whitney / (832) 442-2253

Joe Box / (832) 442-2153

maryannew@wasteconnections.com

joe.box@wasteconnections.com

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SOURCE Waste Connections, Inc.

Technology

SK keyfoundry expands high-voltage foundry services portfolio with the launch of HVIC process technology

Published

51 seconds ago

October 24, 2024

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SK keyfoundry, an 8-inch pure-play foundry in Korea, announced today that it has expanded and enhanced its high-voltage foundry services portfolio with the launch of HVIC (High Voltage Integrated Circuit) process technologies.

SK keyfoundry’s HVIC process is characterized by implementing 5V logic, 25V high-voltage devices, 650V+ nLDMOS (Lateral Double diffused MOS), and 650V+ Bootstrap diode in one process, enabling customers to reduce external devices and design various high-voltage functions on a single chip, and is expected to contribute to improving customer product competitiveness by securing high current performance in the case of the 25V high-voltage devices and 650V nLDMOS devices included. In addition, non-volatile devices, MTP (Multi Time Program) IP and OTP (One Time Program) IP, are provided as an option, enabling customers to change various product specifications in one design.

With this HVIC process development, SK keyfoundry expands its high-voltage lineup to include gate driver products in the 650V to 1200V range, in addition to its existing lineup of 200V and lower products in the high-voltage BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) process and ultra-high voltage products above 1500V with the Thick IMD (Inter Metal Dielectric) option. In particular, this process meets the automotive quality standard AEC-Q100 Class 1, making it suitable for automotive motor drivers and OBCs for electric vehicles, and is expected to enable business expansion into various applications where demand is projected to increase in the future, such as solar inverters.

Major products using HVIC process include gate driver ICs for high voltages that take control signals from an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) and directly drive gates such as high-voltage MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) or IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), which are used in a variety of power products, including motor drives for large white goods, voltage converters for data servers, automotive motor drives and OBCs (On Board Charger), and industrial motor drives.

“The launch of our HVIC process technology is significant as it strengthens our competitiveness in the large home appliance and automotive motor markets,” said Derek D. Lee, CEO of SK keyfoundry. “As we continue to expand our HVIC portfolio, we will continue to build on our technology advantage for a variety of applications, including gate driver ICs for next-generation power semiconductor high-voltage devices.”

About SK keyfoundry

Headquartered in Korea, SK keyfoundry provides specialty Analog and Mixed-Signal foundry services for semiconductor companies to serve a wide range of applications in the consumer, communications, computing, automotive and industrial industries. With a broad range of technology portfolios and process nodes, SK keyfoundry has the flexibility and capability to meet the ever-evolving needs of semiconductor companies across the globe. Please visit https://www.skkeyfoundry.com for more information.

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SOURCE SK keyfoundry.

Technology

Voler Strategic Advisors Takes Home Six Awards at the 20th Annual Davey Awards

Published

53 seconds ago

October 24, 2024

The fast-growing communications firm wins one gold and five silver awards in video and corporate identity categories.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Voler Strategic Advisors is thrilled to announce it has been named a multiple winner at the prestigious 20th Annual Davey Awards. The firm secured a remarkable six awards across various categories, solidifying its position as a leader in creative and strategic communications.

The Davey Awards celebrate the best work from creative agencies of all sizes, including boutique firms like Voler Strategic Advisors. The international competition recognizes excellence in various fields, including Video, Advertising & Marketing, Mobile Apps & Sites, Social Media, Branded Entertainment, Emerging Tech, and Podcasts.

“We are incredibly honored to be recognized six times at the Davey Awards,” said Perla Rodriguez, CEO, at Voler Strategic Advisors. “This achievement is a testament to our team’s dedication, creativity, and strategic expertise.”

Voler Strategic Advisors won recognition in the following Davey Awards categories:

Film/Video-Social Good, Gold 2024Film/Video-General-Education, Silver 2024 (2 separate awards)Film/Video Campaign-Schools & Universities, Silver 2024Corporate Identity-Logos, Silver 2024Film/Video-Non-Profit, Silver 2024

Rolando Bonilla, Chief Strategy Officer, at Voler Strategic Advisors, remarked, “This recognition fuels our commitment to delivering exceptional results. Our team is passionate about building impactful campaigns for our clients, nearly all of which are public-serving institutions. We are proud that three of these six awards were for bilingual projects in Spanish and English that engaged diverse audiences.”

The Davey Awards are judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an exclusive group of top professionals from leading brands, media agencies, and marketing firms, including Spotify, Nissan, Tinder, Condé Nast, Disney, Microsoft, and many others. Visit aiva.org for more information.

Voler Strategic Advisors has been lauded as one of Silicon Valley’s fastest-growing communications firms–it has doubled in size in recent months, hiring across its leadership, strategic communications, and video teams.

About Voler Strategic Advisors: Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, Voler Strategic Advisors is a full-service strategic communications firm offering public relations, crisis management, and communications strategies that help organizations achieve their full potential. Learn more at: https://volersa.com/

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SOURCE Voler Strategic Advisors

Technology

SK hynix Announces 3Q24 Financial Results

Published

1 hour ago

October 23, 2024

Revenues at 17.5731 trillion won, operating profit at 7.03 trillion won, net profit at 5.7534 trillion won – all reaching new recordsAchieving best-ever quarterly performance with increasing high value-added product sales based on no.1 AI Memory technologyStrong demand of memory for AI servers – HBM’s share of DRAM revenues in Q3 marks 30% and forecast to be 40% in Q4Company to lead the global AI memory market again next year promoting long-term growth by securing both business stability and profitability

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SK hynix Inc. (or “the company”, www.skhynix.com) announced today that it recorded 17.5731 trillion won in revenues, 7.03 trillion won in operating profit (with an operating margin of 40%), and 5.7534 trillion won in net profit (with a net margin of 33%) in the third quarter this year.

Quarter revenues marked all-time high, exceeding the previous record of 16.4233 trillion won in the second quarter of this year by more than 1 trillion won. Operating profit and net profit also far exceeded the record of 6.4724 trillion won and 4.6922 trillion won in the third quarter of 2018 during the semiconductor super boom.

SK hynix emphasized that the demand for AI memory continued to be strong centered on data center customers, and the company marked its highest revenue since its foundation by expanding sales of premium products such as HBM and eSSD. In particular, HBM sales showed excellent growth, up more than 70% from the previous quarter and more than 330% from the same period last year.

As sales increased mainly on highly profitable premium products, the average selling price (ASP) of both DRAM and NAND rose in the mid 10% range compared to the previous quarter, which made the company mark the highest operating profit.

While the demand of memory for AI servers such as HBM and eSSD has grown noticeably this year, the company predicts that this trend will continue next year. This is because generative AI is developing into a multi-modal1 form and global big tech companies continue to invest to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI)2.

1Multi-modal: AI service that can understand multiple complex information such as text, photos, voice, video, etc.

2Artificial General Intelligence: Artificial intelligence that implements human-like or higher intelligence with a computer

SK hynix also forecasts that the PC and mobile product markets, which had been slow to recover demand compared to memory for AI servers, will be on a steady growth path as well next year as AI memories optimized for each device are released.

As a result, the company will continue to focus on profitability by increasing sales centered on high value-added products based on its world-leading technology in AI memory.

In the DRAM area, SK hynix is continuing the rapid transition from existing HBM3 to HBM3E 8-layer products. The company also plans to start supplying 12-layer HBM3E products, which were mass-produced last month, in the fourth quarter as scheduled. This makes HBM sales, which accounted for 30% of total DRAM revenues in the third quarter, expected to reach 40% in the fourth quarter.

For NAND, the company plans to expand sales of high-capacity eSSD, which is rapidly increasing market demand, while focusing on investment efficiency and production optimization.

“SK hynix has solidified its position as the world’s No.1 AI memory company by achieving the highest business performance ever in the third quarter of this year.” said Kim Woohyun, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at SK hynix. “We will continue to maximize profitability while securing stable revenues by taking flexible product and supply strategies in line with market demand.”

3Q24 Financial Results (K-IFRS)

*Unit: Billion KRW

3Q24

QoQ

YoY

2Q24

Change

3Q23

Change

Revenues

17,573.1

16,423.3

7 %

9,066.2

94 %

Operating
Profit

7,030

5,468.5

29 %

-1,792

Turn to profit

Operating
Margin

40 %

33 %

7%p

-20 %

60%p

Net Income

5,753.4

4,120

40 %

-2,184.7

Turn to profit

Financial information of the earnings is based on K-IFRSPlease note that the financial results discussed herein are preliminary and speak only as of October 24, 2024. Readers should not assume that this information remains operative at a later time.

About SK hynix Inc.

SK hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is the world’s top tier semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips (“DRAM”), flash memory chips (“NAND flash”) and CMOS Image Sensors (“CIS”) for a wide range of distinguished customers globally. The Company’s shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxemburg Stock Exchange. Further information about SK hynix is available at www.skhynix.com, news.skhynix.com.

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SOURCE SK hynix Inc.