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Peet, a notable player in the Australian property scene, has shown resilience with its debt to equity ratio improving from 57.1% to 53.5% over five years. Despite a high net debt to equity ratio of 45.8%, its interest payments are well covered by EBIT at 10.7 times, reflecting robust financial health. The company reported earnings growth of 60% last year, outpacing the real estate industry average of 40.9%. With sales jumping from A$292 million to A$415 million and net income rising from A$36 million to A$58 million, Peet’s strategic review led by Goldman Sachs aims to leverage these strong market conditions further.

Simply Wall St Value Rating: ★★★★★☆

Overview: Wagners Holding Company Limited is involved in the production and sale of construction and building materials across several countries, including Australia, the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia, with a market capitalization of approximately A$565.22 million.

Operations: Wagners Holding generates revenue primarily from Construction Materials (A$257.69 million), Project Services (A$105.71 million), and Composite Fibre Technology (A$68.45 million). The company also earns a small amount from Earth Friendly Concrete, contributing A$0.16 million to its revenue streams.

Wagners Holding, a nimble player in Australia’s construction materials sector, has seen its earnings surge by 120.9% over the past year, outpacing industry growth. The company recently expanded its concrete and quarry operations to capitalize on infrastructure demand in Southeast Queensland. Despite sales dipping to A$431 million from A$481 million last year, net income climbed to A$22.72 million from A$10.28 million, highlighting improved operational efficiency with high-quality earnings and satisfactory debt management at a 12.6% net debt-to-equity ratio. Wagners’ inclusion in the S&P/ASX Emerging Companies Index underscores its growing market presence amidst strategic expansions and sustainability-focused ventures like Composite Fiber Technologies (CFT).

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.

Companies discussed in this article include ASX:DUI ASX:PPC and ASX:WGN.

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At Fortune’s Global Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, Amini founder and CEO Kate Kallot said her company is building computing power that will enable purpose-built AI solutions for Africa.

The former Nvidia executive also predicted that AI will add $2.9 trillion to Africa’s economy over the next five years as governments begin to view data and computing capacity as critical infrastructure, alongside roads and hospitals. Kallot served as head of emerging areas at Nvidia before departing in 2022 to start Amini.

As infrastructure investments grow, governments are demanding that large language models deployed in Africa actually reflect local realities, given that nearly a billion Africans are still offline while LLMs are trained on internet data, Kallot said.

This new mindset of strategic partnerships has expanded from the governmental level to the private sector, and startups have emerged that will help shape the future of their countries and their economies, she said.

“We’re seeing technology and AI as potentially one of the biggest equalizers that Africa has ever seen,” Kallot added.

But that’s not yet reflected in the global narrative, which doesn’t recognize AI innovation in Africa, she pointed out.

The reality is that the continent is actually a leader in developing AI that’s efficient, responsible, and inclusive—and the rest of the world is about to find out.

“Within the next five to 10 years, we’re going to see African intelligence being exported in other countries across the Global South,” Kallot said.

Changing the global narrative

The negative narrative about Africa is costly, according to Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, CEO of the global advocacy group One Campaign.

That bias has made borrowing costs for African countries more expensive, with negative reporting about the region costing an estimated $4.2 billion. But in fact, certain sectors are seeing returns as high as 10x.

“We’re changing the narrative, and we’re saying Africa is a return on investment, not a risk,” she told Fortune’s Diane Brady. “And this is the time to partner with us with fair financing that delivers results and delivers jobs.”

Flipping the script is also top of mind for Boris Kodjoe, cofounder of the investment and impact platform Full Circle Africa.

The former model and Hollywood actor noted that Africa’s diaspora—the world’s third-largest after China’s and India’s—has been structuring its capital in recent years and is key to the growth story.

Today, Africa’s economy is young, creative, digital, and moving fast, defining itself with culture and technology rather than just its natural resources, Kodjoe explained.

“Africa is the only region where population is getting younger, more connected, and more entrepreneurial all at the same time,” he added. “I think the world is no longer asking ‘why Africa,’ but ‘when can we get in?’ And i think the time is now.”