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3 Monster Growth Stocks That Still Have Room to Run

3 Monster Growth Stocks That Still Have Room to Run

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4 years ago

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For the stock market, is it onwards and upwards? As the dog days of summer come to a close, stocks have ripped higher in a remarkable fashion, with the market sitting at record highs. That said, when we make our way into September, a historically rough month for equities, should investors put their hunts for compelling plays on hold? 

Not necessarily. The pros on Wall Street have set their sights on a select few names with growth prospects that can only be described as monstruous. We aren’t exaggerating here. These stocks have already posted some serious gains in 2020, with analysts arguing there’s more than enough fuel in the tank to keep the rally alive.  

Bearing this in mind, we used TipRanks’ database to pinpoint three stocks deemed as exciting growth plays by the analyst community. According to the platform, each ticker has received Buy ratings and boasts substantial upside potential.  

ACM Research Inc. (ACMR) 

Operating as a wafer fab equipment (WFE) supplier, ACM Research specializes in wet processes including wet clean and electroplating. With shares notching a 398% year-to-date gain, it’s no wonder Wall Street focus has locked in on this name.  

Writing for Needham, five-star analyst Quinn Bolton believes ACMR does in fact have more “room to run.” He notes this name has had “a monstrous run this year,” and was able to deliver solid Q2 2020 results.  

Digging deeper into the details of the print, revenue, non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP EPS all exceeded Bolton’s expectations. ACMR also reported shipments of $45 million in the quarter, which sets “the stage for sequential revenue growth in Q3 2020,” in the analyst’s opinion.  

“The company provided several product and business highlights, but the most noteworthy in our view are the announcement of ~ $36 million orders from two China-based analog and power devices companies and the announcement of a repeat order for its Tahoe platform. According to management, most of the $36 million tools will ship in 2H20 and 2021,” Bolton added.  

Going forward, management raised its outlook for 2020 from $130-$150 million, which had a potential C2H20 DRAM recovery built in as the swing factor, to $140-$155 million, factoring in only modest DRAM investment. “The stronger revenue outlook is driven by an improving China WFE outlook that has risen from $8-9 billion to $10-plus billion, which may still have upside as SMIC just raised CapEx again. ACMR management expects domestic China WFE will grow in 2021 setting the stage for further revenue growth next year,” Bolton explained. To this end, he sees the business fundamentals as being robust. 

That said, Bolton points out that the share price is “less fundamental driven but more trading driven today as ACMR's China subsidiary is expected to list on China's STAR Market that typically values semiconductor and semicap stocks at 31-35x EV/sales (vs. less than 10x in international markets),” with it hard for him to value the stock.  

However, this doesn’t change Bolton’s bullish thesis. “By comparing SMIC's relative valuations on the STAR Market and Hong Kong Exchange, we believe ACMR on NASDAQ could be valued at ~40% of the expected multiple on the STAR Market. This translates to a potential valuation of ~14x EV/CY21 sales leading up to the China IPO expected near year end,” the analyst said. 

Everything ACMR has going for it keeps Bolton with the bulls. Along with a Buy rating, the analyst leaves a $125 price target on the stock. This target suggests shares could surge 36% in the next year. (To watch Bolton’s track record, click here) 

Looking at the consensus breakdown, 5 Buys and 2 Holds have been published in the last three months. Therefore, ACMR gets a Moderate Buy consensus rating. Based on the $120.83 average price target, shares could rise 31% in the next twelve months. (See ACM Research stock analysis on TipRanks) 

TG Therapeutics (TGTX) 

Primarily focused on the development of cutting-edge treatments, TG Therapeutics wants to improve the lives of patients with B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Even though this healthcare name has already soared 121% in 2020, several members of the Street believe shares can climb even higher.  

Ladenburg Thalmann analyst Matthew Kaplan sees big things in store following the FDA’s acceptance of umbralisib’s NDA filing with a Priority Review for relapsed/refractory (r/r) Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL) (February 15, 2021 PDUFA) and a Standard Review for Follicular Lymphoma (FL) (June 15, 2021 PDUFA). The Priority Review was based on the Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) umbralisib had previously been granted for MZL. 

“We expect a commercial launch for the MZL indication could come in Q1 2021. Additionally, the FDA awarded the FL indication a Standard Review (10-month) with a PDUFA date of June 15, 2021. We expect the commercial launch for the FL indication could come in Q3 2021,” Kaplan commented.  

It should be noted that the FDA doesn’t plan to hold an advisory committee meeting for either indication. To this end, Kaplan stated, “We are encouraged by the acceptance of the umbralisib NDA for review by the FDA and look forward to the potential approval for both the MZL and FL indications in 1H21.” 

On top of this, additional upside could be driven by regulatory milestones and results from late-stage clinical trials slated for 2H20 and early 2021, in Kaplan’s opinion. In Q4 2020, topline data from the Phase 3 ULTIMATE I and II studies with ublituximab in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) will be read out, with an approval potentially coming in late 2021.  

The analyst added, “Detailed data from the positive UNITY-CLL trial and detailed data from the UNITY-NHL MZL and FL cohorts, including full efficacy and safety data is expected to be presented at a medical conference in 2020 and we expect the UNITY-CLL NDA/BLA submission in late 2020/early 2021.” Data already released from this trial indicates the therapy showed superior efficacy as it successfully hit the primary progression-free survival (PFS) endpoint. 

Summing it all up, Kaplan said, “We continue to be impressed with the progress TGTX has made and recommend investors purchase the stock ahead of the significant potential catalysts expected during 2H20.”  

Therefore, Kaplan kept his bullish call and $44 price target as is. Should this target be met, a twelve-month gain of 80% could be in store. (To watch Kaplan’s track record, click here)   

What does the rest of the Street think? Only Buy ratings, 5 to be exact, have been received in the last three months, so the consensus rating is a Strong Buy. The $41.80 average price target suggests 71% upside potential. (See TG Therapeutics stock analysis on TipRanks) 

Vivint Smart Home (VVNT) 

Making homes smarter, Vivint Smart Home offers products that allow its clients to secure, automate and control their homes. So far in 2020, shares have jumped 67%, but this is only the beginning, according to one analyst. 

J.P. Morgan’s Paul Coster tells clients he is even more optimistic about VVNT’s long-term growth prospects after speaking with its CEO, noting a “positive re-rating of this somewhat undiscovered growth-stock” could be in the cards. Choosing the company as a top pick in Applied Tech and a Focus List Pick, the analyst is “looking for a homerun here.” 

Expounding on this, Coster stated, “We believe growth momentum, revenue visibility, expanding margins, improved cash flow, and optionality warrant a close look at this leader in smart home solutions by tech investors, by GARP investors, and a re-rating could be spurred on by branding events and improved stock liquidity.” 

To back this up, Coster cites VVNT’s Q2 earnings release, which he believes was “pivotal.” During the quarter, the company reported 9% year-over-year growth despite COVID-19's impact on door-to-door sales and the planned temporary withdrawal from the Canadian market. Additionally, all operational metrics got a major boost, with churn, customer acquisition cost and subscriber service cost dropping.  

If that wasn’t enough, adjusted EBITDA margins reached approximately 50% and cash flow from operations turned positive, one year earlier than expected, and almost all upfront equipment sales are now either paid-in-full or third-party financed through FlexPay. Coster added, “The company raised guidance for the year. Various thresholds were crossed, and we think the bearish concerns that accompanied that SPAC are largely put to rest.” 

Reflecting additional positives, 90% of 2020 revenue was contracted in previous years, and 95% of revenue is recurring. With its subscriber base, which currently lands at 1.6 million, expanding at about a 15% CAGR, Coster thinks “VVNT has a meaningful leadership position in the professionally-installed, smart home/home security space at a time when homeowners are making significant investments in their homes.”  

The analyst also mentioned, “Though the solution is largely focused on security today, the firm has a path to grow into near adjacencies, the most exciting of which is likely to be home insurance (they have an enormous amount of data regarding the home, its occupants and their behaviors), but could include home automation, age-in-place services, telehealth and so on. We think Google’s investment in ADT is a validation of the space and its potential.”  

With VVNT placing a significant focus on increasing brand awareness, which could benefit sales, and launching an insurance product, the deal is sealed for Coster. As a result, he reiterated his Overweight rating. Given the $30 price target, shares could gain 74% in the next twelve months. (To watch Coster’s track record, click here)     

Turning now to the rest of the Street, opinions are split evenly down the middle. 2 Buys and 2 Holds assigned in the last three months add up to a Moderate Buy analyst consensus. In addition, the $21.75 average price target implies upside potential of 26%. (See Vivint Smart Home stock analysis on TipRanks)    

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

The post 3 Monster Growth Stocks That Still Have Room to Run appeared first on TipRanks Financial Blog.

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‘Excess Mortality Skyrocketed’: Tucker Carlson and Dr. Pierre Kory Unpack ‘Criminal’ COVID Response

‘Excess Mortality Skyrocketed’: Tucker Carlson and Dr. Pierre Kory Unpack ‘Criminal’ COVID Response

As the global pandemic unfolded, government-funded…

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8 hours ago

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March 14, 2024

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'Excess Mortality Skyrocketed': Tucker Carlson and Dr. Pierre Kory Unpack 'Criminal' COVID Response

As the global pandemic unfolded, government-funded experimental vaccines were hastily developed for a virus which primarily killed the old and fat (and those with other obvious comorbidities), and an aggressive, global campaign to coerce billions into injecting them ensued.

Then there were the lockdowns - with some countries (New Zealand, for example) building internment camps for those who tested positive for Covid-19, and others such as China welding entire apartment buildings shut to trap people inside.

It was an egregious and unnecessary response to a virus that, while highly virulent, was survivable by the vast majority of the general population.

Oh, and the vaccines, which governments are still pushing, didn't work as advertised to the point where health officials changed the definition of "vaccine" multiple times.

Tucker Carlson recently sat down with Dr. Pierre Kory, a critical care specialist and vocal critic of vaccines. The two had a wide-ranging discussion, which included vaccine safety and efficacy, excess mortality, demographic impacts of the virus, big pharma, and the professional price Kory has paid for speaking out.

Keep reading below, or if you have roughly 50 minutes, watch it in its entirety for free on X:

"Do we have any real sense of what the cost, the physical cost to the country and world has been of those vaccines?" Carlson asked, kicking off the interview.

"I do think we have some understanding of the cost. I mean, I think, you know, you're aware of the work of of Ed Dowd, who's put together a team and looked, analytically at a lot of the epidemiologic data," Kory replied. "I mean, time with that vaccination rollout is when all of the numbers started going sideways, the excess mortality started to skyrocket."

When asked "what kind of death toll are we looking at?", Kory responded "...in 2023 alone, in the first nine months, we had what's called an excess mortality of 158,000 Americans," adding "But this is in 2023. I mean, we've  had Omicron now for two years, which is a mild variant. Not that many go to the hospital."

'Safe and Effective'

Tucker also asked Kory why the people who claimed the vaccine were "safe and effective" aren't being held criminally liable for abetting the "killing of all these Americans," to which Kory replied: "It’s my kind of belief, looking back, that [safe and effective] was a predetermined conclusion. There was no data to support that, but it was agreed upon that it would be presented as safe and effective."

Carlson and Kory then discussed the different segments of the population that experienced vaccine side effects, with Kory noting an "explosion in dying in the youngest and healthiest sectors of society," adding "And why did the employed fare far worse than those that weren't? And this particularly white collar, white collar, more than gray collar, more than blue collar."

Kory also said that Big Pharma is 'terrified' of Vitamin D because it "threatens the disease model." As journalist The Vigilant Fox notes on X, "Vitamin D showed about a 60% effectiveness against the incidence of COVID-19 in randomized control trials," and "showed about 40-50% effectiveness in reducing the incidence of COVID-19 in observational studies."

Professional costs

Kory - while risking professional suicide by speaking out, has undoubtedly helped save countless lives by advocating for alternate treatments such as Ivermectin.

Kory shared his own experiences of job loss and censorship, highlighting the challenges of advocating for a more nuanced understanding of vaccine safety in an environment often resistant to dissenting voices.

"I wrote a book called The War on Ivermectin and the the genesis of that book," he said, adding "Not only is my expertise on Ivermectin and my vast clinical experience, but and I tell the story before, but I got an email, during this journey from a guy named William B Grant, who's a professor out in California, and he wrote to me this email just one day, my life was going totally sideways because our protocols focused on Ivermectin. I was using a lot in my practice, as were tens of thousands of doctors around the world, to really good benefits. And I was getting attacked, hit jobs in the media, and he wrote me this email on and he said, Dear Dr. Kory, what they're doing to Ivermectin, they've been doing to vitamin D for decades..."

"And it's got five tactics. And these are the five tactics that all industries employ when science emerges, that's inconvenient to their interests. And so I'm just going to give you an example. Ivermectin science was extremely inconvenient to the interests of the pharmaceutical industrial complex. I mean, it threatened the vaccine campaign. It threatened vaccine hesitancy, which was public enemy number one. We know that, that everything, all the propaganda censorship was literally going after something called vaccine hesitancy."

Money makes the world go 'round

Carlson then hit on perhaps the most devious aspect of the relationship between drug companies and the medical establishment, and how special interests completely taint science to the point where public distrust of institutions has spiked in recent years.

"I think all of it starts at the level the medical journals," said Kory. "Because once you have something established in the medical journals as a, let's say, a proven fact or a generally accepted consensus, consensus comes out of the journals."

"I have dozens of rejection letters from investigators around the world who did good trials on ivermectin, tried to publish it. No thank you, no thank you, no thank you. And then the ones that do get in all purportedly prove that ivermectin didn't work," Kory continued.

"So and then when you look at the ones that actually got in and this is where like probably my biggest estrangement and why I don't recognize science and don't trust it anymore, is the trials that flew to publication in the top journals in the world were so brazenly manipulated and corrupted in the design and conduct in, many of us wrote about it. But they flew to publication, and then every time they were published, you saw these huge PR campaigns in the media. New York Times, Boston Globe, L.A. times, ivermectin doesn't work. Latest high quality, rigorous study says. I'm sitting here in my office watching these lies just ripple throughout the media sphere based on fraudulent studies published in the top journals. And that's that's that has changed. Now that's why I say I'm estranged and I don't know what to trust anymore."

Vaccine Injuries

Carlson asked Kory about his clinical experience with vaccine injuries.

"So how this is how I divide, this is just kind of my perception of vaccine injury is that when I use the term vaccine injury, I'm usually referring to what I call a single organ problem, like pericarditis, myocarditis, stroke, something like that. An autoimmune disease," he replied.

"What I specialize in my practice, is I treat patients with what we call a long Covid long vaxx. It's the same disease, just different triggers, right? One is triggered by Covid, the other one is triggered by the spike protein from the vaccine. Much more common is long vax. The only real differences between the two conditions is that the vaccinated are, on average, sicker and more disabled than the long Covids, with some pretty prominent exceptions to that."

Watch the entire interview above, and you can support Tucker Carlson's endeavors by joining the Tucker Carlson Network here...

Tyler Durden Thu, 03/14/2024 - 16:20

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Shakira’s net worth

After 12 albums, a tax evasion case, and now a towering bronze idol sculpted in her image, how much is Shakira worth more than 4 decades into her care…

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14 hours ago

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March 14, 2024

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Shakira’s considerable net worth is no surprise, given her massive popularity in Latin America, the U.S., and elsewhere. 

In fact, the belly-dancing contralto queen is the second-wealthiest Latin-America-born pop singer of all time after Gloria Estefan. (Interestingly, Estefan actually helped a young Shakira translate her breakout album “Laundry Service” into English, hugely propelling her stateside success.)

Since releasing her first record at age 13, Shakira has spent decades recording albums in both Spanish and English and performing all over the world. Over the course of her 40+ year career, she helped thrust Latin pop music into the American mainstream, paving the way for the subsequent success of massively popular modern acts like Karol G and Bad Bunny.

In late 2023, a 21-foot-tall bronze sculpture of Shakira, the barefoot belly dancer of Barranquilla, was unveiled at the city's waterfront. The statue was commissioned by the city's former mayor and other leadership.

Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images

In December 2023, a 21-foot-tall beachside bronze statue of the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer was unveiled in her Colombian hometown of Barranquilla, making her a permanent fixture in the city’s skyline and cementing her legacy as one of Latin America’s most influential entertainers.

After 12 albums, a plethora of film and television appearances, a highly publicized tax evasion case, and now a towering bronze idol sculpted in her image, how much is Shakira worth? What does her income look like? And how does she spend her money?

Related: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's net worth: How the new TKO Board Member built his wealth from $7

How much is Shakira worth?

In late 2023, Spanish sports and lifestyle publication Marca reported Shakira’s net worth at $400 million, citing Forbes as the figure’s source (although Forbes’ profile page for Shakira does not list a net worth — and didn’t when that article was published).

Most other sources list the singer’s wealth at an estimated $300 million, and almost all of these point to Celebrity Net Worth — a popular but dubious celebrity wealth estimation site — as the source for the figure.

A $300 million net worth would make Shakira the third-richest Latina pop star after Gloria Estefan ($500 million) and Jennifer Lopez ($400 million), and the second-richest Latin-America-born pop singer after Estefan (JLo is Puerto Rican but was born in New York).

Shakira’s income: How much does she make annually?

Entertainers like Shakira don’t have predictable paychecks like ordinary salaried professionals. Instead, annual take-home earnings vary quite a bit depending on each year’s album sales, royalties, film and television appearances, streaming revenue, and other sources of income. As one might expect, Shakira’s earnings have fluctuated quite a bit over the years.

From June 2018 to June 2019, for instance, Shakira was the 10th highest-earning female musician, grossing $35 million, according to Forbes. This wasn’t her first time gracing the top 10, though — back in 2012, she also landed the #10 spot, bringing in $20 million, according to Billboard.

In 2023, Billboard listed Shakira as the 16th-highest-grossing Latin artist of all time.

Shakira performed alongside producer Bizarrap during the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards Gala in Seville.

Photo By Maria Jose Lopez/Europa Press via Getty Images

How much does Shakira make from her concerts and tours?

A large part of Shakira’s wealth comes from her world tours, during which she sometimes sells out massive stadiums and arenas full of passionate fans eager to see her dance and sing live.

According to a 2020 report by Pollstar, she sold over 2.7 million tickets across 190 shows that grossed over $189 million between 2000 and 2020. This landed her the 19th spot on a list of female musicians ranked by touring revenue during that period. In 2023, Billboard reported a more modest touring revenue figure of $108.1 million across 120 shows.

In 2003, Shakira reportedly generated over $4 million from a single show on Valentine’s Day at Foro Sol in Mexico City. 15 years later, in 2018, Shakira grossed around $76.5 million from her El Dorado World Tour, according to Touring Data.

Related: RuPaul's net worth: Everything to know about the cultural icon and force behind 'Drag Race'

How much has Shakira made from her album sales?

According to a 2023 profile in Variety, Shakira has sold over 100 million records throughout her career. “Laundry Service,” the pop icon’s fifth studio album, was her most successful, selling over 13 million copies worldwide, according to TheRichest.

Exactly how much money Shakira has taken home from her album sales is unclear, but in 2008, it was widely reported that she signed a 10-year contract with LiveNation to the tune of between $70 and $100 million to release her subsequent albums and manage her tours.

Shakira and JLo co-headlined the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show in Florida.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

How much did Shakira make from her Super Bowl and World Cup performances?

Shakira co-wrote one of her biggest hits, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” after FIFA selected her to create the official anthem for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. She performed the song, along with several of her existing fan-favorite tracks, during the event’s opening ceremonies. TheThings reported in 2023 that the song generated $1.4 million in revenue, citing Popnable for the figure.

A decade later, 2020’s Superbowl halftime show featured Shakira and Jennifer Lopez as co-headliners with guest performances by Bad Bunny and J Balvin. The 14-minute performance was widely praised as a high-energy celebration of Latin music and dance, but as is typical for Super Bowl shows, neither Shakira nor JLo was compensated beyond expenses and production costs.

The exposure value that comes with performing in the Super Bowl Halftime Show, though, is significant. It is typically the most-watched television event in the U.S. each year, and in 2020, a 30-second Super Bowl ad spot cost between $5 and $6 million.

How much did Shakira make as a coach on “The Voice?”

Shakira served as a team coach on the popular singing competition program “The Voice” during the show’s fourth and sixth seasons. On the show, celebrity musicians coach up-and-coming amateurs in a team-based competition that eventually results in a single winner. In 2012, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Shakira’s salary as a coach on “The Voice” was $12 million.

Related: John Cena's net worth: The wrestler-turned-actor's investments, businesses, and more

How does Shakira spend her money?

Shakira doesn’t just make a lot of money — she spends it, too. Like many wealthy entertainers, she’s purchased her share of luxuries, but Barranquilla’s barefoot belly dancer is also a prolific philanthropist, having donated tens of millions to charitable causes throughout her career.

Private island

Back in 2006, she teamed up with Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame and Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz to purchase Bonds Cay, a 550-acre island in the Bahamas, which was listed for $16 million at the time.

Along with her two partners in the purchase, Shakira planned to develop the island to feature housing, hotels, and an artists’ retreat designed to host a revolving cast of artists-in-residence. This plan didn’t come to fruition, though, and as of this article’s last update, the island was once again for sale on Vladi Private Islands.

Real estate and vehicles

Like most wealthy celebs, Shakira’s portfolio of high-end playthings also features an array of luxury properties and vehicles, including a home in Barcelona, a villa in Cyprus, a Miami mansion, and a rotating cast of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Philanthropy and charity

Shakira doesn’t just spend her massive wealth on herself; the “Queen of Latin Music” is also a dedicated philanthropist and regularly donates portions of her earnings to the Fundación Pies Descalzos, or “Barefoot Foundation,” a charity she founded in 1997 to “improve the education and social development of children in Colombia, which has suffered decades of conflict.” The foundation focuses on providing meals for children and building and improving educational infrastructure in Shakira’s hometown of Barranquilla as well as four other Colombian communities.

In addition to her efforts with the Fundación Pies Descalzos, Shakira has made a number of other notable donations over the years. In 2007, she diverted a whopping $40 million of her wealth to help rebuild community infrastructure in Peru and Nicaragua in the wake of a devastating 8.0 magnitude earthquake. Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Shakira donated a large supply of N95 masks for healthcare workers and ventilators for hospital patients to her hometown of Barranquilla.

Back in 2010, the UN honored Shakira with a medal to recognize her dedication to social justice, at which time the Director General of the International Labour Organization described her as a “true ambassador for children and young people.”

On November 20, 2023 (which was supposed to be her first day of trial), Shakira reached a deal with the prosecution that resulted in a three-year suspended sentence and around $8 million in fines.

Photo by Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images

Shakira’s tax fraud scandal: How much did she pay?

In 2018, prosecutors in Spain initiated a tax evasion case against Shakira, alleging she lived primarily in Spain from 2012 to 2014 and therefore failed to pay around $14.4 million in taxes to the Spanish government. Spanish law requires anyone who is “domiciled” (i.e., living primarily) in Spain for more than half of the year to pay income taxes.

During the period in question, Shakira listed the Bahamas as her primary residence but did spend some time in Spain, as she was dating Gerard Piqué, a professional footballer and Spanish citizen. The couple’s first son, Milan, was also born in Barcelona during this period. 

Shakira maintained that she spent far fewer than 183 days per year in Spain during each of the years in question. In an interview with Elle Magazine, the pop star opined that “Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate. It's clear they wanted to go after that money no matter what."

Prosecutors in the case sought a fine of almost $26 million and a possible eight-year prison stint, but in November of 2023, Shakira took a deal to close the case, accepting a fine of around $8 million and a three-year suspended sentence to avoid going to trial. In reference to her decision to take the deal, Shakira stated, "While I was determined to defend my innocence in a trial that my lawyers were confident would have ruled in my favour [had the trial proceeded], I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight."

How much did the Shakira statue in Barranquilla cost?

In late 2023, a 21-foot-tall bronze likeness of Shakira was unveiled on a waterfront promenade in Barranquilla. The city’s then-mayor, Jaime Pumarejo, commissioned Colombian sculptor Yino Márquez to create the statue of the city’s treasured pop icon, along with a sculpture of the city’s coat of arms.

According to the New York Times, the two sculptures cost the city the equivalent of around $180,000. A plaque at the statue’s base reads, “A heart that composes, hips that don’t lie, an unmatched talent, a voice that moves the masses and bare feet that march for the good of children and humanity.” 

Related: Taylor Swift net worth: The most successful entertainer joins the billionaire's club

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Delta Air Lines adds a new route travelers have been asking for

The new Delta seasonal flight to the popular destination will run daily on a Boeing 767-300.

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14 hours ago

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March 14, 2024

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Those who have tried to book a flight from North America to Europe in the summer of 2023 know just how high travel demand to the continent has spiked.

At 2.93 billion, visitors to the countries making up the European Union had finally reached pre-pandemic levels last year while North Americans in particular were booking trips to both large metropolises such as Paris and Milan as well as smaller cities growing increasingly popular among tourists.

Related: A popular European city is introducing the highest 'tourist tax' yet

As a result, U.S.-based airlines have been re-evaluating their networks to add more direct routes to smaller European destinations that most travelers would have previously needed to reach by train or transfer flight with a local airline.

The new flight will take place on a Boeing 767-300.

Shutterstock

Delta Air Lines: ‘Glad to offer customers increased choice…’

By the end of March, Delta Air Lines  (DAL)  will be restarting its route between New York’s JFK and Marco Polo International Airport in Venice as well as launching two new flights to Venice from Atlanta. One will start running this month while the other will be added during peak demand in the summer.

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“As one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Venice is hugely popular with U.S. travelers, and our flights bring valuable tourism and trade opportunities to the city and the region as well as unrivalled opportunities for Venetians looking to explore destinations across the Americas,” Delta’s SVP for Europe Matteo Curcio said in a statement. “We’re glad to offer customers increased choice this summer with flights from New York and additional service from Atlanta.”

The JFK-Venice flight will run on a Boeing 767-300  (BA)  and have 216 seats including higher classes such as Delta One, Delta Premium Select and Delta Comfort Plus.

Delta offers these features on the new flight

Both the New York and Atlanta flights are seasonal routes that will be pulled out of service in October. Both will run daily while the first route will depart New York at 8:55 p.m. and arrive in Venice at 10:15 a.m. local time on the way there, while leaving Venice at 12:15 p.m. to arrive at JFK at 5:05 p.m. on the way back.

According to Delta, this will bring its service to 17 flights from different U.S. cities to Venice during the peak summer period. As with most Delta flights at this point, passengers in all fare classes will have access to free Wi-Fi during the flight.

Those flying in Delta’s highest class or with access through airline status or a credit card will also be able to use the new Delta lounge that is part of the airline’s $12 billion terminal renovation and is slated to open to travelers in the coming months. The space will take up more than 40,000 square feet and have an outdoor terrace.

“Delta One customers can stretch out in a lie-flat seat and enjoy premium amenities like plush bedding made from recycled plastic bottles, more beverage options, and a seasonal chef-curated four-course meal,” Delta said of the new route. “[…] All customers can enjoy a wide selection of in-flight entertainment options and stay connected with Wi-Fi and enjoy free mobile messaging.”

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