Friday, August 3, 2018

3 Ways to Boost Your Social Security Benefits in Your 60s

There's a really good chance you'll be reliant on Social Security when you retire. According to data from the Social Security Administration, 62% of today's aged beneficiaries lean on the program to provide at least half of their monthly income. Of these folks, 34% rely on Social Security for virtually all of their income (90% to 100%).

As for future retirees, national pollster Gallup found a strong expected reliance in an April 2018 survey. When polling nonretirees, Gallup observed that 30% expect Social Security to be a "major source" of income during retirement, with another 54% forecasting it to be a "minor source" of income. Overall, this combined 84% that will need Social Security in some capacity when they retire ties a high-water mark for nonretirees over the past 15 years.

Two Social Security cards partially covering a hundred dollar bill.

Image source: Getty Images.

Yes, you can still boost your Social Security benefits while in your 60s

Because of its clear importance, few things have a higher priority for seniors in their 60s than getting as much as possible from the Social Security program. But what you may not realize is that folks in their 60s still have options available that can help boost their eventual monthly and/or lifetime payout. If you're in your 60s, or nearing your 60s, here are three ways you can still boost what you'll receive.

1. Be patient

Without question, the easiest way to increase what you'll be paid by Social Security is to simply be patient.

You see, eligible beneficiaries -- those who've earned the 40 lifetime work credits required to receive a retired worker benefit -- can begin receiving their payout at age 62, or any point thereafter. There is, however, a big incentive to hold off on claiming benefits early. For each year that you simply wait, your eventual monthly benefit, which is based on your work and earnings history, will grow by approximately 8%, up until age 70.

Depending on your birth year, claiming as early as possible, at age 62, could mean accepting a 25% to 30% permanent reduction in your monthly payout. Conversely, waiting until age 70, the last point at which benefits continue to accrue, might net a 24% to 32% bonus over what you would have received at your full retirement age (FRA). Your FRA is the age that you're eligible to receive your full retired worker benefit, and it's determined by your birth year.

If we were to look at two identical individuals with the same birth year, income, and length of work history, the one claiming at age 70 could take home 76% more per month than the one claiming at age 62.

A senior man cutting lumber in a wood shop.

Image source: Getty Images.

2. Take advantage of your work experience and skills

Other than simply waiting, another consideration to make is to work longer.

Now, I fully understand that not all senior citizens want to be in the workforce in their 60s, and that's perfectly OK. But here's an important point to keep in mind: By your 60s, you'll have amassed a lifetime of skills and work experience that may allow you to command a higher hourly wage or salary.

Why's this important? As noted, your retired worker benefit takes into account your work and earnings history. Specifically, your 35 highest-earning, inflation-adjusted years are what will determine your benefit at full retirement age. For each year less of 35 worked, a zero ($0) is averaged in. Therefore, working a few extra yeas, if you don't have 35 years of work under your belt, could provide a healthy boost to your eventual payout.

In addition, landing a well-paying job in your 60s with your acquired skills and experience could help replace a lower, inflation-adjusted year of income from when you were younger and lacked the skills or work experience to be paid a good wage. This could lift your average annual payout over your 35 highest-earning years.

A person filling out a Social Security benefits application form.

Image source: Getty Images.

3. Don't forget about SSA-521

Finally, don't forget about Social Security's secret weapon, Form SSA-521, which is officially known as the Request for Withdrawal of Application.

As the title implies, this form gives beneficiaries the right to request that their benefits claim be undone within the first 12 months of receiving benefits. Should the Social Security Administration grant the request, it'll be as if the original payouts never occurred. In other words, your eventual payout will again be growing at approximately 8% per year until you do decide to claim it in the future.

There is, of course, a catch. To qualify, you'll have to repay every cent you, or someone who's made a claim based on your earnings history -- such as a spouse -- have received. And, as pointed out, you have to do this within the first 12 months of receiving benefits.

This Social Security mulligan can be particularly useful if you regret your decision to enroll early for benefits, but land a well-paying job within 12 months. This job, which can cover your daily expenses, may allow you to undo your claim and repay what you've received from Social Security. More importantly, your benefits will keep growing.

Just because you're in your 60s, it doesn't mean you lack the flexibility to increase your Social Security payout.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:PDFS,PCG,APLE,MDWD,HBI,

Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of GMS (NYSE:GMS) by 14.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 374,506 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 45,937 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.91% of GMS worth $11,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of GMS in the 4th quarter valued at $129,000. Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of GMS in the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of GMS by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 3,055 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co boosted its position in shares of GMS by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 8,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 2,583 shares during the period. Finally, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. NY acquired a new position in shares of GMS in the 4th quarter valued at $340,000. 74.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: PDF Solutions Inc.(PDFS)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    These are some of the media headlines that may have effected Accern Sentiment’s scoring:

    Get PDF Solutions alerts: FlipHTML5 Page Flip PDF Turns Social Media Accounts Into Compelling Ones (digitaljournal.com) $23.10 Million in Sales Expected for PDF Solutions, Inc. (PDFS) This Quarter (americanbankingnews.com) PDF Solutions, Inc. (PDFS) Expected to Announce Earnings of $0.06 Per Share (americanbankingnews.com) Basware introduces a ��Smart PDF�� invoice (itwire.com) ActivePDF Brings Redaction to Businesses, Improving Privacy, Security,�� (virtual-strategy.com)

    A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on PDFS shares. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of PDF Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 16th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of PDF Solutions to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. BidaskClub upgraded shares of PDF Solutions from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, May 3rd. Finally, ValuEngine cut shares of PDF Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on PDF Solutions (PDFS)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    ValuEngine upgraded shares of PDF Solutions (NASDAQ:PDFS) from a strong sell rating to a sell rating in a report released on Tuesday.

    PDFS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded PDF Solutions from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 14th. BidaskClub upgraded PDF Solutions from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on PDF Solutions to $26.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $22.00.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Pacific Gas & Electric Co.(PCG)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Pacific Gas and Electric (NYSE: PCG) and Unitil (NYSE:UTL) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Media coverage about PG&E (NYSE:PCG) has been trending somewhat positive on Saturday, Accern reports. The research firm identifies positive and negative media coverage by analyzing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. PG&E earned a news sentiment score of 0.20 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media stories about the utilities provider an impact score of 46.1218598724786 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the next few days.

  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    PG&E Corp. (NYSE: PCG), the parent of Pacific Gas & Electric, has been the focus of many regulatory actions in California over time. And power lines have been targeted, and PG&E shares dropped after the 2017 wildfires in the state.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    PG&E Corp. (NYSE: PCG) dropped more than 18% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $41.61 after closing at $51.12 on Wednesday. The 52-week high is $71.57. Volume was around 47 million, nearly 8 times the daily average of around 6 million. The giant utility suspended its quarterly dividend this morning in order to set aside funds to deal with potential liability resulting from wildfires earlier this year in Northern California.

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    PG&E (NYSE:PCG) had its target price hoisted by analysts at UBS from $45.00 to $47.00 in a report released on Tuesday, www.benzinga.com reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. UBS’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 10.46% from the company’s current price.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc.(APLE)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Headlines about Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) have been trending positive on Saturday, Accern reports. The research firm identifies negative and positive news coverage by analyzing more than twenty million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Apple Hospitality REIT earned a media sentiment score of 0.31 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media stories about the real estate investment trust an impact score of 46.3188845387547 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near term.

  • [By Lee Jackson]

    Apple Hospitality REIT Inc. (NYSE: APLE) owns one of the largest portfolios of upscale, select-service hotels in the United States.�Investors are paid a generous 6.67% yield. The shares traded at $17.95 early Thursday, in a 52-week range of $16.72 to $21.90.�The consensus price objective is $19.25.

  • [By Max Byerly]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Apple Hospitality REIT (APLE)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Shares of Apple Hospitality REIT Inc (NYSE:APLE) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $19.75.

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Apple Hospitality REIT (APLE)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: MediWound Ltd.(MDWD)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Max Byerly]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Mediwound (MDWD)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Mediwound (NASDAQ: MDWD) and True Drinks (OTCMKTS:TRUU) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and profitability.

  • [By Money Morning Staff Reports]

    After looking at this week's penny stock gainers, we'll give you that leg up with one of our top-rated penny stocks from our proprietary stock ranking system…

    Penny Stock Current Share Price (March 26) Last Week's Gain Cartesian Inc. (OTCMKTS: CRTN) $0.39 170.69% Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. (Nasdaq: OMEX) $8.76 135.90% iFresh Inc. (Nasdaq: IFMK) $8.25 64.64% China Auto Logistics Inc. (Nasdaq: CALI) $4.68 47.43% National American University Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: NAUH) $1.20 39.29% Document Security Systems Inc. (NYSE: DSS) $1.58 33.91% Blonder Tongue Labs Inc. (NYSE: BDR) $0.77 33.90% CareDx Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA) $7.49 29.88% Mediwound Ltd. (Nasdaq: MDWD) $5.10 26.51% New York & Co. Inc. (NYSE: NWY) $3.37 26.35%

    Don't Miss This Shot at a $78,000 Windfall: This tiny firm is about to make the entire world wire-free. As its game-changing technology revolutionizes the global power structure, its stock could hand investors a massive return. Learn more…

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Hanesbrands Inc.(HBI)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Mackay Shields LLC bought a new position in Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 61,368 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,130,000.

  • [By Keith Noonan]

    Shares of Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI) climbed 20.8% in June, according to data provided by�S&P Global Market Intelligence. There doesn't appear to have been much in the way of fresh company-specific news driving the gains, but shares continued on an upward trek that began in May and helped the stock recover from big sell-offs earlier in the year.

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Hanesbrands (HBI)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Friday, July 27, 2018

ArcelorMittal (MT) Earns Daily Media Sentiment Score of 0.17

News headlines about ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT) have been trending somewhat positive on Saturday, according to Accern Sentiment. The research group rates the sentiment of media coverage by reviewing more than twenty million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. ArcelorMittal earned a daily sentiment score of 0.17 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news headlines about the basic materials company an impact score of 46.6472448827797 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the immediate future.

Here are some of the news headlines that may have effected Accern’s rankings:

Get ArcelorMittal alerts: ArcelorMittal to unveil improved proposal for Ilva (seekingalpha.com) ArcelorMittal announces the publication of second quarter and first half 2018 Ebitda sell-side analysts’ consensus figures (finance.yahoo.com) Recipe for big leap in steel (telegraphindia.com) Two Steel Stocks That Could Heat Up Soon (schaeffersresearch.com) ArcelorMittal Temirtau to suspend hot-rolled steel coil exports to Iran – adviser (finance.yahoo.com)

MT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TheStreet raised shares of ArcelorMittal from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ArcelorMittal in a research note on Wednesday, June 6th. Credit Suisse Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ArcelorMittal in a research note on Thursday, April 5th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of ArcelorMittal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 3rd. Finally, ValuEngine lowered shares of ArcelorMittal from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. ArcelorMittal has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.33.

Shares of NYSE:MT opened at $29.22 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.59 billion, a PE ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 2.34. ArcelorMittal has a twelve month low of $24.74 and a twelve month high of $37.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $19.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.38 billion. ArcelorMittal had a net margin of 6.63% and a return on equity of 11.85%. equities analysts forecast that ArcelorMittal will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

ArcelorMittal Company Profile

ArcelorMittal, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates steel manufacturing and mining facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa. It operates through NAFTA, Brazil, Europe, ACIS, and Mining segments. The company produces finished and semi-finished steel products with various specifications.

See Also: What are CEFs?

Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT)

Saturday, July 21, 2018

The 5 Best US Bank Stocks of 2018 (So Far)

After fantastic performances in 2016 and 2017, the financial sector has been a laggard so far in 2018. Despite a 5% rise in the S&P 500, the financial sector has fallen by about 1.4%. Perhaps the major banking industry catalysts such as tax reform and rising interest rates had already been mainly priced in, or maybe the sector is just taking a breather. Whatever the case, 2018 has been a somewhat disappointing year for bank investors as a whole.

Having said that, not all bank stocks have performed poorly. Here are five U.S. banks that have handily beaten the S&P so far this year, and a little bit about why each one has done so well.

Bank teller greeting a customer.

Image source: Getty Images.

Company

Market Capitalization

Dividend Yield

YTD Stock Performance

SVB Financial (NASDAQ:SIVB)

$16.3 billion

None

31.3%

Popular Inc. (NASDAQ:BPOP)

$4.7 billion

2.2%

30%

TCF Financial (NYSE:TCF)

$4.3 billion

2.4%

23.9%

Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ:CBSH)

$7.3 billion

1.4%

22.7%

First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:FFBC)

$3.1 billion

2.4%

21.4%

Data sources: Market caps and dividend yields from TD Ameritrade and performance from YCharts, as of July 20, 2018. Only U.S.-based banks with market capitalizations of $1 billion or higher were considered.

SVB Financial

SVB Financial is the holding company for Silicon Valley Bank, an institution that specializes in banking service for entrepreneurs and private equity.

To put it mildly, SVB has grown tremendously in recent years, although the majority of this year's strong performance can be attributed to a stellar first-quarter earnings report. Not only did the bank beat estimates on both the top and bottom lines, but it reported 35% annual revenue growth, a 20% jump in the bank's loan portfolio, and a staggering 46% increase in client investment funds. What's more, SVB is growing in profitability and efficiency as well. The bank's return on equity (ROE) of 18.1% and return on assets (ROA) of 1.51% are both among the best in the banking industry and represent tremendous improvement.

Popular

Popular is a Puerto Rican bank holding company with about $46 billion in assets that operates in Puerto Rico (Banco Popular de Puerto Rico) as well as in the continental U.S. (Banco Popular North America).

Popular's outperformance can mainly be attributed to the continuing recovery of Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria. Net interest income as well as non-interest income have both returned to pre-disaster levels, and credit quality isn't as bad as many had feared. For example, the bank's net charge-off rate dropped to 0.90% in the first quarter from 1.61% at the end of 2017. Even after its outperformance, Popular still trades for a significant discount to book value, so it's fair to say that the market is still pricing in a fair amount of risk.

TCF Financial

TCF Financial is a regional bank with 318 branches in Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin, Arizona, and South Dakota. The bank's impressive stock performance can be attributed to particularly strong improvement in several key metrics.

Specifically, the bank's first-quarter earnings report showed 9% revenue growth, significant margin expansion, and a massive improvement in efficiency. So, the bank's 56% earnings growth wasn't just because of tax reform.

Commerce Bancshares

Commerce Bank is based in Missouri and has a physical presence in Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Colorado as well. For the first quarter, the bank reported impressive 42% year-over-year earnings growth. This was fueled by a 24-basis-point margin expansion and strong growth in fee income, including a 16% jump in card-related revenue. Additionally, the bank's 58% efficiency ratio (down from over 62% a year ago) is among the best of its peer group.

First Financial Bancorp

The smallest bank on this list, First Financial Bank operates just over 150 branches in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. And unlike the other top-performing banks, First Financial's earnings were actually flat year over year, despite tax reform generally boosting bank profits.

However, the bank's earnings were significantly depressed thanks to costs related to its merger with MainSource Financial Group, which was completed during the second quarter. Ignoring the effects of the merger, First Financial's earnings were up by an impressive 54% year over year. Furthermore, the bank's adjusted 1.6% return on assets is among the best in the business, as was its 30-basis-point increase in net interest margin.

Friday, July 20, 2018

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:E,SU,BCEI,GPRK,AAV,

There seems to be a prevailing notion that nuclear is on a decline. The Wall Street Journal put out an article the other day on several nuclear power plants that are going to close. Fortunately for the price of uranium and Cameco (NYSE:CCJ), the markets already know this.

The Journal correctly pointed out that Entergy's (NYSE:ETR) Indian Point Plant, 35 miles of New York City, will soon close. This will make four plants that will close by the year 2025 in the U.S. The article also quotes a manager at Entergy who stated that natural gas from the Marcellus Formation drove down energy prices 45% to $36 per megawatt hour and that it cost Indian Point $160 million in revenues. The U.S. receives about 20% of its power from nuclear, 35% from natural gas, 30% from coal, 7% hydro, 6% wind, and 1% solar.

What the article does not state is that natural gas reached a 17-year low about a year ago and touched $1.64 per million British thermal units. A few weeks ago on December 28, gas reached $3.99 MbTU. Gas has since fallen to $3.15. As you can see, like all commodities, gas is cyclical.

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: ENI S.p.A.(E)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Zacks]

    Following the reform, Mexico drew multi-billion dollars' investment. It could lead up to an output of 3 MMBbl/d by the end of the planned period, as predicted by the supporters of the reform. The reform could also bring down electricity rates in the country. So far, Mexico has awarded around 90 contracts, both onshore and offshore. The country raised about $100 billion from the auctions by the end of January. With nine oil and gas blocks, Shell has emerged as the leading player in the auctions held so far. Other winners in the bidding processes include Eni S.p.A. (NYSE: E)of Italy, Inpex of Japan, France's TOTAL S.A. (NYSE: TOT), Chevron and more.

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Suncor Energy Inc.(SU)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By ]

    Suncor Energy Inc. (SU) - "We expect modestly below-consensus results driven by
    downtime and the ramp costs at Fort Hills. We still see a robust second-half 2018 and 2019 free cash flow story and would recommend investors look through any near-term
    noise."

  • [By Tyler Crowe, Reuben Gregg Brewer, and Travis Hoium]

    Clearly, investors should be at least looking at stocks in this industry, so we asked three of our investing contributors to each highlight a great company in the industry to help you get started. Here's why they picked Baker Hughes, a GE Company (NYSE:BHGE), Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU), and Total (NYSE:TOT).�

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    JPMorgan Chase & Co. lessened its stake in Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) by 31.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,460,586 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 670,136 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Suncor Energy were worth $50,448,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc.(BCEI)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Bonanza Creek Energy (NYSE:BCEI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at ValuEngine from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Shanthi Rexaline]

    Crude oil prices continue to remain bullish, brightening the prospects of oil and related companies. Bonanza Creek Energy Inc (NYSE: BCEI), an oil and natural gas exploration and production company that emerged from Chapter 11 in April 2017, could also benefit from an improved cost structure, according to Imperial Capital. 

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Geopark Ltd(GPRK)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on GeoPark (GPRK)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Max Byerly]

    Canaccord Genuity reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Geopark (NYSE:GPRK) in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

    “We expect the Street to raise its estimates once again on the back of these strong results.”,” the firm’s analyst wrote.

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd(AAV)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Max Byerly]

    Advantage Oil & Gas (NYSE:AAV) (TSE:AAV) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The oil and gas company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.03), MarketWatch Earnings reports. The business had revenue of $58.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.09 million. Advantage Oil & Gas had a net margin of 39.22% and a return on equity of 2.98%.

Thursday, July 12, 2018

The Music-Streaming Space May Be Getting a Bit More Complex

In this Market Foolery podcast, host Mac Greer Hill and senior analysts Taylor Muckerman and Jason Moser discuss some of the more interesting news items from the business world over the past few days. First, there's a new U.S. leader in the music-streaming space -- it's Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), though Spotify (NYSE:SPOT)�still has a solid lead globally. But China's e-commerce giant Tencent now plans to spin off its own streaming service -- and it's tied to Spotify by fairly large mutual stock holdings.

Meanwhile, there was a double shot of news from Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX): It's phasing out disposable plastic straws, and its former CEO made a bold prediction about the growth of its business in China. PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL)�tells investors that it's still interested in acquisitions, and will be for a while. Finally,�Twitter (NYSE:TWTR)�goes into housecleaning mode, which is making Wall Street nervous.

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on July 9, 2018.

Mac Greer: It's�Monday July 9th. Welcome to Market Foolery! I'm Mac Greer. Joining me�in studio, we have Motley Fool analysts Taylor Muckerman and�Jason Moser. Guys, happy Monday!

Jason Moser: Hey-o!

Taylor Muckerman:�How are you doing?

Greer:�I'm doing good. I'm rested. I was out in Colorado for a little while,�I feel good. I should bring my A-game.

Moser: You know,�you have a little sun to you. You look healthy.

Greer: Are�you just saying that?

Moser: No! You look healthy!

Greer: Normally I don't look healthy?

Muckerman:�It's all that fresh air out there. [laughs]�

Moser: No,�I'm just saying you look healthier.

Greer: [laughs]�OK.

Moser: You probably ate a little bit better out there, right?

Greer: I did. I ate too much.

Moser: A lot?

Greer: Yeah. I have to start losing weight again.

Moser: Well,�it was a nice place.

Greer: I crossed a significant milestone, that's all I'll say.

Moser: Now,�see, you said that, I didn't!

Greer: I know, it's a cry for help. OK, on today's show, guys, let's talk some Starbucks and China, also talk some PayPal. They're in a spending mood, so we're�going to talk about that. Twitter cleaning up their act and, at least, if you look at what's happening to the stock today,�Wall Street is really not liking the news.�But,�I don't want to start there. Jason,�I know you have a lot to say about that.�

Let's�start with the music wars.�Apple's streaming music service gaining ground on Spotify. According to Digital Music News, Apple Music has�surpassed Spotify in U.S. subscribers. Spotify still has a big lead globally. Jason,�that's not all. The�plot is thickening.�Tencent is now announcing it's going to spin off its music service into a U.S.�IPO. This is where it gets really confusing --�Spotify owns about 9% of Tencent, while Tencent owns�7.5% of Spotify. What�does that mean?

Moser: It's�a mouthful. This is really shaking out�to be a very interesting space for a number of reasons.�I don't think the Apple Music news is any kind of surprise. We�saw that trend back at the beginning of the year. Domestically speaking, it makes a lot of sense. Apple holds a big share of�the smartphone market here domestically.�

When you take that out and look globally, that's where I think this gets really interesting. Android is�by far and away the most dominant operating system globally. When�it comes to Apple Music,�the question for me is, how do they grow beyond the domestic market? The reason why I ask that is, I don't think there's much incentive to use Apple Music if you don't have an Apple device.�I mean, I have an Apple device and I don't even use Apple Music.�I think there are a lot of options out there, and�Spotify certainly has a great reputation worldwide. They've been�able to grow their member base at�very impressive clip.�

I wonder if, at some point,�we don't see Apple trying to gain more share by�perhaps selling some more low-end or cheaper iPhones�to get those devices out into people's hands.�I think, if you want to grow Apple Music, you're�going to have to get those Apple devices in people's hands.�

The nice thing for Apple is, they're�not going to depend on Apple Music for their�success. That's just one of the many things that they offer.�I think that goes to that greater point we�talked about earlier today. It's�different if you're a pure-play in this business vs. if it's just part of your offering. Apple,�Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN),�Alphabet, they're�not just music companies. Spotify,�right now, it's a music company. They're going into podcasts and talk shows and stuff like that, but they're very content-driven. It's�really interesting to see how this is shaking out.

Muckerman:�If you're�looking at Spotify, it's very much an international story. You're�talking about 70 million paying subscribers globally, I think around 170 million monthly active users,�which includes the freemium side of things. This�business, still not even in Russia, India, countries like that, but they're�talking about moving into those countries.�I think there's a lot more growth, when you're looking at music apps in particular, for Spotify.

Greer: How about the Tencent piece of this, this Tencent IPO in the U.S.? Is this something that excites you? And, what about that Tencent�relationship with Spotify, where they each own a part of each other?

Moser: I don't know that I get too worked up over the Tencent�side of it, but I do think it's pretty interesting from a Spotify perspective, in that you have two�pretty big players in this space teaming up, it seems like, to gain more share. That's going to make it very difficult for something like an Apple Music to really gain meaningful traction.�

If Spotify is able to continue to pick up global share, markets especially like China and India and whatnot, those are the big opportunities out there. For me, it's neat�to see those two big players in the space teaming up to�potentially grow the offering and grow the audience.�

What�gets lost in here -- I mean, what do you do if you're Pandora at this point?

Greer: Woof.

Moser: I mean,�that was the name in this space just four years ago, five years ago.

Greer: So dominant.

Moser: But�you go through Capital IQ and look at Pandora's financials, I've said this before, they're some of the worst financials out there. It�goes to show, it's not always about being first. It's about,�sometimes, being second and learning�from the mistakes of your predecessor.

Muckerman:�I think they're just resting on their laurels. You�look at Spotify partnering up with Hulu in April to offer a�joint membership for $13 a month for Spotify and Hulu. They've partnered with Cadillac. I've heard rumors that they might start talking to airlines, to be able to use streaming of Spotify on airlines to expand their brand a little bit. So,�I think there's a little bit more innovation there on the customer acquisition side.

Greer:�I use Amazon Music Unlimited and I'm just pleased as punch. That's an incredible service.

Muckerman:�I haven't gotten into that yet.

Greer: Oh,�it's great.

Moser: Do�you pay for the subscription?

Greer: Yes, I pay.

Moser:�I have Amazon Music that I get with the Prime membership, and even that's OK. Now my music preferences are maybe a little bit different. I pull a lot of the live music I want to hear online anyway. I don't have a Spotify membership or a Pandora membership or anything like that. But�I think that just goes toward that greater point. As a pure-play�in this business, it's really difficult. The�economics of the music business are really hard. If you're�something like an Apple or an Amazon or an Alphabet, it's really nice to have that as just one facet of this overall offering,�as opposed to relying on that one trick.

Greer:�I want to ask you guys about Spotify. When I was on vacation, I was talking to my brother, and he asked me about Spotify the stock. When my brother asks me about stocks -- I've worked at The Motley Fool for almost 20 years, so I've heard a lot. So, he says, "What do you think about Spotify the stock?" I gave him my standard answer. "Uh,�I don't know." So, what should I tell my brother about Spotify the stock?

Moser: For me�personally, I'm not quite on board with wanting to own the stock. I'll say, I hear from a lot of people in the industry and users themselves,�Spotify seems to have a great reputation in this space, from a user interface�perspective and from a content perspective and whatnot. To me, the economics of music are so tough, and music is�so individual. Everybody likes their own thing. I would rather own a part of a music offering that was�part of something greater. That's my cop-out for saying I'll just own Amazon and be done with it.

With that said, I do think, if you're looking for a pure-play winner in this space,�I think Spotify is probably the front-runner right now.�I'm just not convinced it's actually worth investing in.

Muckerman:�Yeah,�I'd have to agree. The market, you're looking at streaming, almost 40% of music revenues globally. There's still some room to grow on the streaming side, to be sure. But even though it's a small competitive market, I don't know if I'm going to buy into a pure-play. In an industry that was�so recently disrupted by streaming, who knows what's next around the corner?

Moser:�You�look for things like pricing power and switching costs, obvious competitive advantages. As�time goes on, perhaps there's a switching cost to Spotify, in that�you don't want to change your entire music life over to some other provider, if that's the way you listen to music. But, I don't see that�this company has a whole heck of a lot of pricing power, to be honest.�

I do like the fact that they're branching out into other content,�so it's not just music. I think that's where they have a really good chance of becoming something more. We've seen over time --�Sirius XM�is a good example of�a company that, at the very beginning stages of Sirius XM, nobody�gave them a chance whatsoever. They had the benefit of Howard Stern really�helping spearhead the beginnings of that company. Now,�they have a subscriber base of 30 million or more�happily paying. The big question out there is, when Stern leaves,�how many of those people stay? Certainly, I don't know that I do.

Greer: There's�only one Howard Stern.

Moser: Then�that comes back to the pricing power. I might stay�if they make it worth my while. And by�making it worth my while, I mean,�cut that subscription in half. The economics make it really difficult.

Greer: Guys,�let's move on to Starbucks. A�lot of different news here. We have outgoing�executive chairman Howard Schultz saying that the recent slowdown in China would be short-lived.�Starbucks also announcing that it's getting rid of plastic straws by 2020.

Moser: [claps]�I applaud that plastic straws move! Thank you!

Greer: That's great! We were just talking before the show, Jason, you were saying you're not a straw guy, you don't use straws.

Moser:�I'm not. I'm not a straw guy. I feel like that's one of the obvious things that you could either just change, or make it out of something compostable. It's just�one of those simple little fixes, I don't know why we haven't done it yet. K-Cups, same thing. How�hard is it to produce a fully compostable K-Cup? I don't know! That stuff is all magic to me anyway! But I have to believe someone out there can do it, right?

Greer: You�have to believe. If we can put a man on the moon ... Taylor, what do you think of�the Starbucks news?

Muckerman:�I wonder if straws were even big back when we put the first man on the moon. When did the first straw come out? I don't know,�McDonald's, probably --

Greer: This is�a bit of a digression, but when I was a kid -- there are going to be two or three listeners who will know this reference -- there were these things called Krazy straws.

Moser:�Oh, yeah!

Muckerman: Oh, sure.

Greer: That would be the one exception. I would say that they should eliminate all straws but have�Krazy straws.

Moser:�But�here's the difference, the Krazy straw is reusable! You would use it, you'd put it in the dishwasher, you'd clean it, and it's Krazy all over again!�

Greer: Oh,�my God! It would last a thousand years!

Moser: Exactly! I'm OK�with that because you can reuse it. It's that plastic, disposable, it kills me.

Greer:�I would go to Starbucks more if they had Krazy straws. Right now, I'm a Dunkin'�guy.

Moser: See,�Dunkin' kills me because of the Styrofoam cups.

Greer: That's a great point.

Moser: I don't understand, why can't you make that switch?

Greer: You�know what Dunkin' does? They take the time to put the cream and sugar in your coffee for you. I like that. I like that extra step. Life's�hard enough.

Moser:�Or are you lazy?

Greer: Absolutely! That's what I mean by the extra step. I'm lazy, do it for me.�Taylor, back to Starbucks. What do you think about this whole China thing, Schultz saying, "Hey, you know the China story? Not�too bad, don't worry." Do you buy that?

Muckerman:�Just�based on the fact that it's still pretty early days for Starbucks, and they are opening stores,�it seems like, every 30 minutes in China ...�I'm not too sure of the consumer preferences in China. I know tea is probably a big deal over there. I don't know about coffee. But�coffee wasn't big and other countries that Starbucks moved�into. In Europe, you think espresso�is the big deal, but�Starbucks is very successful serving their�full cups of coffee over there, along with all their sugary beverages. I think there's a�good future there.�

For me personally,�I do wonder, Starbucks might become that dividend stock�that you hold on to. I don't know if it's the�same growth story, or even close to what we've seen over the last five to ten years,�regardless of how China pans out. Even if it hits all the marks. I still think it's not going to be that stock that you see those life-changing gains anymore from.

Moser: Yeah, I tend to agree with that. I think the local risk is in play here,�at least domestically. Growing that store base here in the U.S.,�it seems like we're pretty saturated at this point. It�also does seem like mom-and-pop coffee shops are making a little bit of a comeback.

Muckerman:�Yeah, it's almost like the craft brew industry here in the U.S., with all these mom-and-pop coffee shops.

Moser: That's not going to have a tremendous impact on their business, but�it certainly brings into question the growth domestically. The thesis for the growth�story in Starbucks over the past few years has been China. If you look at what Schultz says, I quote, he says, "I will say�unequivocally that�anyone who is�betting against Starbucks in China is dead wrong."

Greer: Fighting words!

Moser: Yeah. He's very certain. I will say this, I don't think there's a CEO out there,�at least of an American multinational company,�that has done more research into the Chinese market than�Howard Schultz has.�I think that a lot of people that might get out there and criticize him on that statement�don't know anywhere close to what he knows about the China market.

Greer: We�should add that Schultz is leaving. Does that concern you?

Moser: No,�not really. I think, at the end of the day, he's still going to be there to help,�whether it's a formal or an informal way of making sure that Starbucks is doing well. I think a lot of what's going on right now, is unfolding, is stuff that he had already put into work.�I think he got that ball rolling, helped get that ball rolling, some time ago.�Kevin Johnson understands a lot about the China market as well�because of his relationship with Howard Schultz. It's all to say that I don't think Schultz makes or breaks this company, but I do take his opinion seriously when he talks about things like this. A lot of what's going on right now, this strategy was already put into action before he decided to sever ties.�

The fact of the matter is, if you're talking about a company like Starbucks�partnering up with Alibaba�and Jack Ma, Jack Ma's goal with Alibaba is to make China more of an importer,�to bring more American goods into China. You could open up a tremendous distribution network there on the tea and�coffee side with the Starbucks brand, the Teavana brand. A lot of opportunities there.�

It's�all to say, great businesses go through tough times.�I think Starbucks is going through a tough time. Even if it's not that robust growth story that�some were hoping for, I think it's going to be a�pretty reliable investment. Certainly, the dividend is going to be there.�I think it'll continue to grow. I could�think of many reasons to hang on to these shares.

Greer: Guys,�let's talk PayPal. PayPal's�CEO Dan Schulman saying that PayPal is ready to invest up to $3 billion a year on acquisitions.�Taylor, you're a PayPal shareholder. How do you feel about this?

Muckerman:�I feel good. If you look at the last couple of months, they've�already spent about $3 billion on acquisitions. Certainly not something we haven't seen before. Granted, the bulk�of that recent spending was on one�company, the largest acquisition to date for the company, for iZettle for $2.2 billion. I've seen it called the�Square of Europe. Different integration there.�International has been the focus, especially with these last three acquisitions. I�expect that to continue to be the case.�

Dan Shulman also said that they don't want to just be a button company,�they want to be a solutions and platform company. One�of the acquisitions there was an AI�company that focuses on helping companies market certain�products to different visitors online�based on preferences that they've established through their online trail that�they've left through cookies and whatever. I think you see them branching out�not just from the payments side, but�distribution of payments and the marketplace style e-commerce system�that we've seen growing so rapidly,�made famous by Amazon. Almost�more of a competition with Amazon,�rather than just a partner on the payments side. They�certainly have the balance sheet to spend some money.

Moser: Yeah, I think you're�absolutely right there on the balance sheet side. There was that Synchrony deal from a number of months ago where they�unloaded a receivables portfolio to�Synchrony Bank, their banking partner. The basic idea was, they don't need to be in that business. That's�something that, you let a business like Synchrony do that, because they do that kind of stuff well. It freed up a considerable amount of cash flow for PayPal. The idea was, they were going to use that free cash flow to�reinvest in the business and more of their strengths.�I think this is right in line with that strategy.

Muckerman:�Yeah,�it just accelerated the cash conversion cycle by selling those receivables off, not�having to wait on them or even possibly risk not�receiving them at all.

Greer: Let's�broaden the conversation out a bit, Jason.�I know for a while now, you've been talking about the war on cash, and�you've been recommending a basket of stocks. Are you�still of that mindset? Or, if I'm an investor,�should I be thinking more about some of the standouts --�PayPal, one of them; Square has had another great run. Or,�do you still think, take a basket approach?

Moser:�I like the basket approach simply because I don't think this is a zero-sum game.�I think there are going to be plenty of ways to win out there. It�just seems like quarter in, quarter out,�Chris and I would come in for Market Foolery or Motley Fool Money, and�we'd be talking about MasterCard and Visa and PayPal and be like, "Did�you end up buying shares last quarter?" "No, did you?" "No." And I'd be like, "Dammit! We have to figure out a solution here!"�

The�solution was the basket,�because I felt like it gives you exposure to�not only the stalwarts in�the industry, in MasterCard and Visa, but I do believe that PayPal and Square are the two companies that are going to really define this space�over the coming decade. What we're seeing unfold is just that. It's like they're tit-for-tatting, almost. Anything you can do, I can do better. They're�making multiple acquisitions, they have to keep up with each other.�PayPal is becoming a little bit more of a hardware company with iZettle; you see Square trying to get their e-commerce edge with the Weebly deal. It's just a little back and forth. I think that, investors who focus on that basket approach, it gives you a better chance to win. If�you ask me to rank my favorites from top to bottom --

Greer: I will in a minute.

Moser: OK.

Greer: No, go ahead, rank them.

Moser: Because I've been asked this before! The war on cash basket that I have, I think I would actually give the edge to PayPal�because of its size. Square is a very close second. It's like 1A and 1B.

Greer: Fair enough. I like it.

Muckerman:�They're�just starting to go international, but PayPal certainly has the advantage there.

Moser: Exactly.

Greer: Guys,�let's close with Twitter. Twitter cleaning up their act. The Washington Post reporting Friday evening that Twitter is suspending more than one million fake accounts each day. I hear that, and I think,�that's good. That's good news. But,�apparently, investors don't feel the same way. At the�time of our taping today on Monday here, shares of Twitter down more than 9%. Jason, what gives?

Moser: Let's be clear. There's�a lot of hypothesizing going on here. We don't actually know a lot factually, other than they're culling inactive bad accounts. We don't have numbers to put around it.

Greer:�Are they fake accounts? Or should I dial that back?

Moser: Well, fake or inactive, whatever you want to call it. Basically, they're�taking out the trash. I think Wall Street is trying to put some numbers around this. I think�somebody was throwing out one million accounts per day. This is unsubstantiated, but�if you do the math, you think, one million�accounts per day, over 30 days, that's�30 million accounts, yada yada yada. Who really knows?�

My bottom line takeaway is, Twitter the stock has certainly had a wonderful run this year. That's for a number of reasons. I think that management has done a very good job of changing the conversation away from monthly active users and�more toward the daily users side, because�that's where Twitter is a bit more relevant.�

This to me is just Wall Street thinking at its finest. I look at something like this and I think, there's�a lot of uncertainty just based on the lack of exact�information on what they're doing and�how to quantify it. It's still the same platform that it was on Friday. For me,�I see this, and I think, OK, I'll be OK. I wouldn't sweat it.

Muckerman:�And�those aren't revenue-generating users. If they're bots, they're not eyeballs that are going to be clicking on ads, they're not going to be purchasing anything. We�do the same thing here at The Motley Fool with our email marketing channels. Every six months, in Canada, at least, we purge our email file of�people that aren't active. That doesn't really impact our subscription sales�because they weren't going to buy anyways.�

When you look at this, it gives a higher revenue per user number for Twitter. Certainly, as a user of�Twitter myself, I'm very appreciative of them cleaning up the trash. One�other thing they talked about was eliminating some dissemination of�untruthful news and material,�similar to what Facebook is trying to do.�I'm not too worried about this one, either.

Greer: So,�this is another case of Wall Street just being short-term focused?

Muckerman:�They lose a metric to balance their numbers against.

Moser: Yeah, more than likely. It's fair to say that Twitter, the optimism is a bit up there. It's had a great year; the stock�has been on a terrific run. That's for�a number of different reasons.

Greer:�One�of our analysts was recommending it a while back, I forget who.

Moser: [laughs]�We'll see if we can't talk about that maybe after taping.

Greer: It was Jason Moser.

Muckerman:�Stock of the year!

Moser:�To Taylor's point, I think a higher-quality network is better, even if it's a smaller network. A higher-quality network is better than a low-quality network. That low-quality network, whether it's bots or trolls or whatever, that really stifles engagement and growth. This is�one of those decisions that's more long-term focused, it's more forest for the trees.�

Jack Dorsey and his team are one of the most transparent management teams out there today. All�you have to do is scroll through his Twitter feed to see what I mean. For me,�I look at this as a long-term decision. We�look at Twitter as an investment to hold on to for�years to come. One day isn't going to change that.

Muckerman:�If you look at this, if they haven't been doing this before --�this is a big number because it's been a backlog of�things that they should have done over a rolling period. So,�if this continues to be a thing that they do, that unsub�number starts to shrink on a daily, monthly basis.

Moser: Yep.

Greer: OK,�guys, let's end with my favorite, incredibly unfair, arbitrary question. It's my desert island question. You're�on a desert island for the next five years and�you have to buy one of these stocks. And�yes, I realize no one invests this way, but you know what? It's a fun question. Apple, Spotify, Tencent, Starbucks,�PayPal, or Twitter? For the next five years?

Moser: Was Square in there? Or just PayPal?

Greer:�I'll throw Square in.

Muckerman: I'll go PayPal, since I own it and I'm a pretty big believer in it. Don't know enough about Tencent�personally to say, but quite a buzz around The Fool�about Tencent.

Moser: Yeah,�I think I'd go PayPal, as well. Money is going to be money ten years from now. It has to get from point A to point B, and�PayPal is really making it easy.

Greer: There you go. Money is going to be money. That's deep. OK, guys,�thanks for joining me!

Muckerman:�[laughs]�Thanks!

Moser: Thank you!

Greer: As always, people on the show may have interests in the stocks they talk about, and The Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against, so don't buy or sell stocks based solely on what you hear. That's it for this edition of Market Foolery. The show is mixed by Dan Boyd. I'm Mac Greer. Money is going to be money. Thanks for listening! We'll see you tomorrow!

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

$0.30 EPS Expected for ILG Inc (ILG) This Quarter

Analysts expect ILG Inc (NASDAQ:ILG) to announce earnings per share (EPS) of $0.30 for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks reports. Three analysts have issued estimates for ILG’s earnings. ILG posted earnings of $0.26 per share in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 15.4%. The business is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings report on Thursday, August 2nd.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that ILG will report full year earnings of $1.33 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.32 to $1.33. For the next financial year, analysts forecast that the business will post earnings of $1.65 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.52 to $1.77. Zacks’ EPS averages are a mean average based on a survey of research analysts that cover ILG.

Get ILG alerts:

ILG (NASDAQ:ILG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 3rd. The business services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.02. ILG had a net margin of 9.14% and a return on equity of 8.50%. The business had revenue of $482.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $477.33 million.

A number of equities analysts have commented on ILG shares. ValuEngine raised shares of ILG from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 2nd. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of ILG from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 15th. Finally, BidaskClub cut shares of ILG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. ILG has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $34.80.

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ILG. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of ILG by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 227,684 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,484,000 after acquiring an additional 7,217 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of ILG by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 252,394 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,189,000 after acquiring an additional 18,917 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of ILG by 25.8% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 75,890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,161,000 after acquiring an additional 15,588 shares during the last quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ILG by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 70,781 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,016,000 after acquiring an additional 2,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Suntrust Banks Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ILG in the 4th quarter worth about $441,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.36% of the company’s stock.

Shares of ILG opened at $33.78 on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. ILG has a 52 week low of $24.38 and a 52 week high of $35.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.42 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 1st were issued a $0.175 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 31st. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. ILG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.64%.

About ILG

ILG, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides professional vacation services in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Vacation Ownership (VO), and Exchange and Rental. The VO segment engages in the sale, marketing, financing, and development of vacation ownership interests; and management of vacation ownership resorts, as well as in the provision of related services to owners and homeowners' associations (HOAs).

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on ILG (ILG)

For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Earnings History and Estimates for ILG (NASDAQ:ILG)

Monday, July 9, 2018

Here's Why Illumina Stock Has Gained 28.3% in 2018 (So Far)

What happened

Shares of DNA sequencing leader Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) have kept their rally from 2017 going through the first half of 2018, having gained 28.3% thus far. The stock is now up 119% in the last 18 months, which has pushed the company's market valuation to more than $41 billion.

While that's now bringing back the age-old debate over the premium valuation of shares, the company has announced quite a few operational updates to keep Wall Street abuzz with excitement. Illumina has launched a new desktop DNA sequencing system called the iSeq 100, which sells for a base price of under $20,000. Several new collaborations in oncology diagnostics have been inked. And investors are looking forward to the slow and steady rise of a system that could one day enable human genomes to be sequenced for $100 apiece.

A hand pulling up the last and tallest bar in a bar chart showing growth.

Image source: Getty Images.

So what

It took scores of researchers many years and $3 billion to sequence the first human genome, which was finalized in 2003. The NovaSeq system was launched in 2017 and, with the right improvements to software and consumable reagents (and a lot of accounting tricks), it's expected to eventually deliver $100 genomes in less than a day. The state of DNA sequencing technology has come a long way, and Illumina has led that exponential ramp down the cost curve.

While Wall Street is keeping a close eye on the number of NovaSeq systems out in the wild (285 in mid-June), management has been quick to remind investors the ramp-up will take time. For one, they're expensive machines. For another, not many customers (a handful of genetic testing companies and medical centers) need the system, and most that could use it are still paying off their multimillion HiSeq systems purchased earlier this decade.�

Considering 64% of total revenue is derived from consumables, or the chemical reagents and kits needed to run the 11,000 Illumina instruments in labs worldwide, the NovaSeq system may not be that big of a driver for the business in the near term anyway. The company has wisely focused on growing consumable product offerings to build recurring revenue streams and offset the choppiness of selling hardware. With a 28% compound annual growth rate from 2012 to 2017, investors might call it a success.�

In 2018 Illumina has made a big push to do the same in oncology diagnostics, building out a portfolio of genetic tests for use in the clinic and in clinical trials with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Loxo Oncology, and others. Investors are excited about the possibilities for future, diverse growth.

Now what

While things are humming along for the business right now, investors shouldn't overlook the rise of nanopore sequencing technology. If the companies developing the technology continue to find success, then they could steal significant DNA sequencing market share in the next decade. In the near term, investors can expect Illumina stock to continue to bounce around in the second half of 2018 as investors debate the stock's premium valuation (50 times future earnings) and the company's $40 billion market cap (sitting at 14 times sales). It has managed to outrun and outgrow those concerns in the past, but new competition could make that more difficult.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Braskem SA (BAK) Holdings Trimmed by Millennium Management LLC

Millennium Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Braskem SA (NYSE:BAK) by 40.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 538,986 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 372,581 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC’s holdings in Braskem were worth $15,625,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Braskem by 18.9% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 15,941 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 2,539 shares during the last quarter. Mckinley Capital Management LLC Delaware lifted its stake in Braskem by 5.8% during the first quarter. Mckinley Capital Management LLC Delaware now owns 48,713 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,412,000 after purchasing an additional 2,675 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Braskem during the first quarter worth $103,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Braskem by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,876 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $627,000 after purchasing an additional 4,777 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Braskem by 2.5% during the first quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 233,552 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $6,771,000 after purchasing an additional 5,803 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Get Braskem alerts:

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. ValuEngine cut Braskem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. HSBC upgraded Braskem from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 1st. Finally, Zacks Investment Research upgraded Braskem from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Braskem currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Shares of Braskem opened at $25.99 on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm has a market cap of $10.36 billion, a PE ratio of 8.00 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.19, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Braskem SA has a 52-week low of $20.10 and a 52-week high of $33.73.

Braskem (NYSE:BAK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 9th. The energy company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter. Braskem had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 51.49%. sell-side analysts anticipate that Braskem SA will post 2.25 EPS for the current year.

Braskem Company Profile

Braskem SA, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells thermoplastic resins. Its Basic Petrochemicals segment offers olefins, such as ethylene, polymer and chemical grade propylene, butadiene, and butene-1; BTX products comprising benzene, para-xylene, and toluene; fuels, including automotive gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas, ethyl tertiary butyl ether, and methyl tertiary butyl ether; intermediates, such as cumene; and aliphatics, aromatics, and hydrogenates solvents, as well as specialties, such as isoprene, dicyclopentadiene, piperylene, nonene, tetramer, polyisobutylene, and hydrocarbon resins.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BAK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Braskem SA (NYSE:BAK).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Braskem (NYSE:BAK)

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:ITI,JCOM,FCPT,BRKS,GOOGL,

Photo Credit: Forbes.com

Targeting Network Effects

The big news from Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B) (NYSE:BRK.A) last week was Warren Buffett��s targeting of leading ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies (UBER). While the $3B proposed deal ultimately didn��t materialize, the interest from Berkshire is in line with one of Buffett��s preferred investment strategies.

Buffett provided insight into this strategy in his 1989 annual letter to Berkshire shareholders:

In other instances, a great investment opportunity occurs when a marvelous business encounters a one-time huge, but solvable, problem as was the case many years back at both American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) and GEICO. Overall, however, we've done better by avoiding dragons than by slaying them.��

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch Right Now: Iteris, Inc.(ITI)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Iteris (ITI)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    iTicoin (CURRENCY:ITI) traded 21.2% higher against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 20:00 PM Eastern on June 2nd. iTicoin has a total market capitalization of $543,370.00 and approximately $61.00 worth of iTicoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. In the last week, iTicoin has traded up 20.2% against the U.S. dollar. One iTicoin coin can currently be bought for approximately $16.98 or 0.00222465 BTC on major exchanges including BTC Trade UA, BTC-Alpha, Cryptopia and Livecoin.

  • [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Red Violet, Inc. (NASDAQ: RDVT) rose 75.31 percent to close at $9.94 after reporting Q1 results. Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited (NASDAQ: CLWT) shares jumped 40.62 percent to close at $4.50 on Tuesday after reporting 2017 year-end results. MEI Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEIP) gained 34.39 percent to close at $3.40. MEDIGUS Ltd/S ADR (NASDAQ: MDGS) gained 32.74 percent to close at $1.50 in reaction to its Monday announcement of a distribution agreement. The medical device company said it reached an agreement to distribute its minimally invasive medical devices in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Pfenex Inc. (NYSE: PFNX) surged 31.15 percent to close at $8.00 after the company announced the positive top-line PF708 study results in Osteoporosis patients that showed no imbalances in severity or incidence of adverse events. Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKDA) rose 21.07 percent to close at $11.09. Arcadia Biosciences reported that Albert D. Bolles, Ph.D. has joined its board of directors. Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) rose 20.23 percent to close at $10.58. Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR) shares gained 17.62 percent to close at $17.82. Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: APVO) rose 17.1 percent to close at $5.82. Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE: FENG) shares jumped 16.23 percent to close at $4.87 following Q1 earnings. Stein Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) rose 16.04 percent to close at $3.69. PPDAI Group Inc. (NASDAQ: PPDF) climbed 15.99 percent to close at $7.98 following Q1 results. Tyme Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYME) rose 15.93 percent to close at $3.42. LiqTech International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LIQT) gained 15.59 percent to close at $0.5532 following Q1 results. Sophiris Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPHS) gained 13.92 percent to close at $3.52 on Tuesday following Q1 results. Euroseas Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESEA) jumped 13.4 percent to close at $2.37. Iteris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITI) shares surged 13.05 percent to close
  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Iteris (ITI)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch Right Now: j2 Global, Inc.(JCOM)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    J2 Global (NASDAQ:JCOM) Director W Brian Kretzmer sold 5,942 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.25, for a total value of $518,439.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $590,159. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch Right Now: Four Corners Property Trust, Inc.(FCPT)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Four Corners Property (FCPT)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Four Corners Property Trust (FCPT)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Neuberger Berman Group LLC trimmed its position in Four Corners Property (NYSE:FCPT) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,843 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC owned 0.10% of Four Corners Property worth $1,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch Right Now: Brooks Automation Inc.(BRKS)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Shares of Brooks Automation, Inc (NASDAQ:BRKS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $34.00.

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Brooks Automation (NASDAQ:BRKS) insider Maurice H. Tenney sold 8,969 shares of Brooks Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.80, for a total transaction of $267,276.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Brooks Automation (NASDAQ: BRKS) and Amtech Systems (NASDAQ:ASYS) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and risk.

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Brooks Automation (BRKS)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Max Byerly]

    BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA reduced its stake in Brooks Automation, Inc (NASDAQ:BRKS) by 21.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,761 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 6,086 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA’s holdings in Brooks Automation were worth $616,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch Right Now: Alphabet Inc.(GOOGL)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Benzinga News Desk]

    Google on Tuesday showed how its virtual assistant can now call restaurants and salons to book appointments, navigating complex conversations, as the Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL) unit acknowledged that a technological onslaught was leaving users frazzled and needing a cure: Link

  • [By ]

    Lary Merlo of CVS Health (CVS) , Lowell McAdam of Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) , Sundar Pichai of Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) , and Jeff Bezos of Amazon Inc. (AMZN) rounded out the top five. 

  • [By Spencer Israel]

    The largest blockchain companies will be bigger than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google, according to Alex Mashinksy.

  • [By Leo Sun]

    That's great news for Alphabet�(NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL)�subsidiary Google and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), which hold a near-duopoly in internet ads. Last December, research firm Pivotal estimated that the two companies accounted for�73% of all digital advertising in the U.S., up from 63% in the second quarter of 2015. That growth could hurt smaller digital ad players like Twitter�and Snap.

  • [By ]

    I think Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Iron Mountain (NYSE:IRM), and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) are great picks for investors in their 60s. Here's what makes these three stocks stand out.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:TTI,EGL,PRFT,GLPG,GEL,TDW,XIN,SDPI,PSK,TAHO, What happened

Shares of natural gas fuel company Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ:CLNE) fell as much as 12.7% in trading Friday as oil prices continue to swing wildly on the market. Shares gained back some of their losses late in the day but were still down 8.7% at 3:25 p.m. EDT.�

So what

Yesterday, fellow Fool Jason Hall highlighted how rising oil prices were helping push Clean Energy Fuels' shares higher. That trade reversed course today with WTI crude oil prices down 2% to $65.68 and Brent crude oil down 1.1% to $76.69 as I'm writing.�

Image source: Getty Images.

The truth is that a stock that's risen as fast as Clean Energy Fuels is bound to pull back eventually. And shares are still trading at the same level as earlier this week.�

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Tetra Technologies, Inc.(TTI)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Tetra Technologies (NYSE: TTI) and Chaparral Energy (OTCMKTS:CHPE) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, earnings and valuation.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Engility Holdings, Inc.(EGL)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited (NASDAQ: CLWT) surged 73.3 percent to $3.90. Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) shares gained 51 percent to $33.1365. The nano-cap low-float stock skyrocketed over 1,300 percent on Wednesday on no company specific news which would support the surge. The move higher is consistent with what was seen in other low-float stocks over the past few months. Monaker Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MKGI) shares jumped 34 percent to $3.00. Sharing Economy International Inc. (NASDAQ: SEII) shares rose 28.2 percent to $4.51 after gaining 9.32 percent on Wednesday. STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA) shares jumped 27.8 percent to $21.40 after reporting upbeat Q1 results. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) rose 20.5 percent to $8.920 after climbing 107.87 percent on Wednesday. Xspand Products Lab Inc (NASDAQ: XSPL) gained 19.5 percent to $ 5.97. Xspand Products priced its IPO at $5 per share. YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) rose 18.9 percent to $10.035 following upbeat quarterly earnings. ENDRA Life Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: NDRA) gained 18.3 percent to $3.0177. ENDRA Life Sciences is expected to report Q1 results on May 15. MYR Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MYRG) rose 18.1 percent to $35.85 after the company posted strong Q1 earnings. Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: RTEC) shares jumped 16 percent to $30.75 following upbeat quarterly earnings. TTM Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTMI) gained 13.7 percent to $16.53 after reporting Q1 results. Insight Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSIT) shares surged 12 percent to $40.06 following better-than-expected Q1 earnings. TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (NYSE: THS) rose 11.8 percent to $40.93 following Q1 results. Engility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EGL) surged 11.2 percent to $27.36. Engility reported upbeat quarterly earnings. Synalloy Corporation (NASDAQ: SYNL) rose 10.7 percent to $19.10 following Q1 results. Logitech International S.A. (NASDAQ: LOGI)
  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Aecom (NYSE: ACM) and Engility (NYSE:EGL) are both construction companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, profitability, risk, earnings and institutional ownership.

  • [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited (NASDAQ: CLWT) shares jumped 155.56 percent to close at $5.75 on Thursday. Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: INSP) shares gained 56.12 percent to close at $24.98. Inspire Medical went public Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. The company issued 6.75 million shares priced at $16 each. Presbia PLC (NASDAQ: LENS) shares rose 53.02 percent to close at $3.55. Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) shares rose 46.29 percent to close at $32.11. The nano-cap low-float stock skyrocketed over 1,300 percent on Wednesday on no company specific news which would support the surge. The move higher is consistent with what was seen in other low-float stocks over the past few months. Technical Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: TCCO) climbed 27.78 percent to close at $5.75. STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA) shares gained 26.27 percent to close at $21.15 after reporting upbeat Q1 results. Sharing Economy International Inc. (NASDAQ: SEII) shares jumped 22.16 percent to close at $4.30 on Thursday after gaining 9.32 percent on Wednesday. China Advanced Construction Materials Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CADC) rose 20.45 percent to close at $2.65 on Thursday. YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) surged 18.36 percent to close at $9.99 following upbeat quarterly earnings. MYR Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MYRG) jumped 17.68 percent to close at $35.74 after the company posted strong Q1 earnings. Xspand Products Lab Inc (NASDAQ: XSPL) jumped 17.4 percent to close at $5.87. Xspand Products priced its IPO at $5 per share. Coherus BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRS) shares rose 17.32 percent to close at $14.90. Coherus BioSciences reported resubmission of BLA for CHS-1701. Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: RTEC) shares gained 17.17 percent to close at $31.05 following upbeat quarterly earnings. The Meet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEET) gained 16.02 percent to close at $2.68 following Q1 earnings. Ca

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Perficient, Inc.(PRFT)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Perficient (NASDAQ:PRFT) was downgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Galapagos NV(GLPG)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Todd Campbell, Sean Williams, and Brian Feroldi]

    There have been more stock market pops and drops lately and that might have you wondering what healthcare stocks can be bought to take advantage of this volatility. Buying healthcare stocks during periods of volatility can be smart because demand for healthcare products and services usually isn't discretionary. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it makes sense to buy every healthcare stock out there. To find out what healthcare stocks it might make sense to buy this month, we asked top Motley Fool investors what companies are on their radar. In their view,�Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA), Novacure (NASDAQ:NVCR), and Galapagos (NASDAQ:GLPG)�should be at the top of your idea list right now. Read on to find out why.

  • [By Brian Feroldi, Keith Speights, and Sean Williams]

    Around 44,000 CF patients have gene mutations that are addressable by Vertex's current drugs. The company is moving forward with several late-stage studies of new triple-drug combinations that hold the potential to treat another 24,000 CF patients.�While AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) and Galapagos (NASDAQ:GLPG) are also developing triple-drug CF combos, Vertex has a clear head start.

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    News stories about GALAPAGOS NV/S (NASDAQ:GLPG) have trended somewhat positive this week, Accern Sentiment reports. Accern rates the sentiment of news coverage by analyzing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. GALAPAGOS NV/S earned a coverage optimism score of 0.10 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news coverage about the biotechnology company an impact score of 45.8547598064064 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near future.

  • [By Stephen Mack]

    Our investing experts have made some tremendous picks over the last several years, outperforming the S&P 500 by 100%, 200%, or even as much as 700% in the case of Money Morning Executive Editor Bill Patalon's 2012 pick of Galapagos NV (Nasdaq: GLPG).

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Genesis Energy, L.P.(GEL)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By ]

    Genesis Energy LP (NYSE: GEL)
    Billing itself as a "growth-oriented master limited partnership," GEL concentrates its efforts on providing services around and within refineries primarily located on the Gulf Coast. Management is committed to logical double-digit growth as well as strengthening its distribution coverage. At $20.80 per unit, GEL yields 11.8% and trades at a nearly 40% discount to its 52-week high.

  • [By Max Byerly]

    Blair William & Co. IL cut its stake in Genesis Energy, L.P. common stock (NYSE:GEL) by 21.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 55,817 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 15,409 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Genesis Energy, L.P. common stock were worth $1,100,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Genesis Energy, L.P. common stock (GEL)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Stifel Financial Corp cut its stake in shares of Genesis Energy, L.P. common stock (NYSE:GEL) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 450,749 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 7,788 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.37% of Genesis Energy, L.P. common stock worth $8,884,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Tidewater Inc.(TDW)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Motley Fool Staff]

    Tidewater (NYSE:TDW) Q1 2018 Earnings Conference CallMay. 15, 2018 11:00 a.m. ET

    Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

    Operator

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Xinyuan Real Estate Co Ltd(XIN)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. (NYSE:XIN) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, May 30th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 11th will be given a dividend of 0.05 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Superior Drilling Products, Inc.(SDPI)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Money Morning News Team]

    Superior Drilling Products Inc.�(NYSE: SDPI) is based in Utah and manufactures equipment used in drilling for the natural gas and oil mining sectors.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: SPDR Wells Fargo Preferred Stock ETF (PSK)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    PrairieSky Royalty (TSE:PSK)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as C$28.50 and last traded at C$28.40, with a volume of 395241 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$28.32.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Tahoe Resources, Inc.(TAHO)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Tahoe Resources (TSE:THO) (NASDAQ:TAHO) – Equities research analysts at National Bank Financial reduced their FY2018 earnings estimates for shares of Tahoe Resources in a research report issued on Monday, April 9th. National Bank Financial analyst M. Parkin now forecasts that the company will earn $0.29 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $0.35. National Bank Financial currently has a “Sector Perform” rating and a $8.00 price objective on the stock.

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    TheStreet lowered shares of Tahoe Resources (NYSE:TAHO) (TSE:THO) from a c rating to a d+ rating in a report published on Tuesday.

    A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on TAHO. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Tahoe Resources in a research note on Wednesday, March 28th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Tahoe Resources from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, April 26th. ValuEngine downgraded Tahoe Resources from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Monday, April 2nd. Finally, Credit Suisse Group downgraded Tahoe Resources from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Tahoe Resources has an average rating of Hold.

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Tahoe Resources (TAHO)

    For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Saturday, June 9, 2018

A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Signal Lower Start On Wall Street

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded lower in early pre-market trade. Data on wholesale inventories for April will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 144 points to 25,125.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures fell 14.75 points to 2,758.00. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index dropped 69.25 points to 7,092.50.

Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures fell 0.75 percent to trade at $76.74 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures dropped 0.61 percent to trade at $65.55 a barrel. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is schedule for release at 1:00 p.m. ET.

 

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were lower today, with the Spanish Ibex Index falling 0.99 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index declining 0.34 percent and German DAX 30 index dropping 0.77 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading lower by 0.65 percent, while French CAC 40 Index fell 0.12 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.56 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index declined 1.76 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index declined 1.36 percent and India’s BSE Sensex fell 0.05 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at JP Morgan upgraded DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: DXCM) from Neutral to Overweight.

DexCom shares rose 1.93 percent to $91.22 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO) reported upbeat results for its second quarter on Thursday. Edap Tms SA (ADR) (NASDAQ: EDAP) reported the FDA approval for Focal One. Microvision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS) reported an $18 million common stock offering. Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) reported better-than-expected results for its first quarter. The company also issued strong second-quarter guidance.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Airlines great at customer service? J.D. Power…

It seems like everyone��s got an airline horror story these days, but it may be premature to declare airline-bashing as the USA��s next national pastime.�

That��s because travelers are as happy as they��ve been with North American carriers in years, according to the latest North American Customer Satisfaction Study out Wednesday from J.D. Power.

Improvements to planes, baggage handling,�and even the application of those infamous airline fees are all areas in which customer satisfaction has increased, according to J.D. Power. In fact, J.D. Power said it recorded ��record-high customer satisfaction�� in its 2018 report, the 14th annual study by the group.

��With a single exception, airlines in North America show consistent improvements across all the factors, from booking a ticket to handling luggage,�� Michael Taylor, Travel Practice Lead at J.D. Power, said in a statement accompanying the group��s survey results for 2018.�

Passengers' happiness with service on U.S. and Canadian airlines rose for the seventh consecutive year, hitting its highest�mark since J.D. Power moved to its current survey format in 2006. The industry's satisfaction score climbed to an average of 762 on a 1,000-point scale -- a six-point jump from the previous record high set last year.

IN PICTURES: 43 cool aviation photos

FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedIn43 cool aviation pics: Boeing 747s to retro flight attendants to A380s FullscreenPost to FacebookPosted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

United Airlines flight attendants dress in 1970's retro United Airlines flight attendants dress in 1970's retro uniforms aboard the carrier's last Boeing 747 passenger flight on Nov. 7, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenUnited Airlines flight 747 takes off from San Francisco United Airlines flight 747 takes off from San Francisco International Airport as it travels to Honolulu on its final passenger flight on Nov. 7, 2017.  Justin Sullivan, Getty ImagesFullscreenHawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 jets park at the inter-island Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 jets park at the inter-island terminal at Honolulu International Airport on Nov. 8, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA make-up artist applies make-up to a United Airlines A make-up artist applies make-up to a United Airlines flight attendant dressed in a retro 1970s-themed uniform before taking part in the final Boeing 747 flight for the airline on Nov. 7, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenAn Aer Lingus Boeing 757-200 lands at Boston Logan An Aer Lingus Boeing 757-200 lands at Boston Logan International Airport on Nov. 25, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA Cathay Pacific flight readies for take off from A Cathay Pacific flight readies for take off from Hong Kong on Nov. 8, 2017.  Anthony Wallace, AFP/Getty ImagesFullscreenMechanic Ron Lostica poses for a photo onboard United Mechanic Ron Lostica poses for a photo onboard United Airlines' last Boeing 747 jet before it made its final passenger flight on Nov. 7, 2017. Mr. Lostica, a 31-year United veteran, wore a Boeing 747 hat from a delivery in the 1990s.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 departs Boston Logan A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 departs Boston Logan International Airport on Nov. 25, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenLufthansa's retro-painted Boeing 747-8i lands at Seattle-Tacoma Lufthansa's retro-painted Boeing 747-8i lands at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in December 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA JetBlue Embraer E190 lands at Worcester Regional A JetBlue Embraer E190 lands at Worcester Regional Airport in central Massachusetts on Nov. 24, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenSean Worsley and Christine Ellis embrace after Mr. Sean Worsley and Christine Ellis embrace after Mr. Worsley asked Ms. Ellis to marry him aboard United Airlines last Boeing 747 passenger flight on Nov. 7, 2017. She said 'yes.'  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA cabin crew member aboard United Airlines last Boeing A cabin crew member aboard United Airlines last Boeing 747 flight takes the 1970s retro-theme to heart on Nov. 7, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenAn Aeromexico jet sits on the tarmac at Mexico City's An Aeromexico jet sits on the tarmac at Mexico City's international airport on Nov. 28, 2017.  Pedro Pardo, AFP/Getty ImagesFullscreenA Horizon-operated Embraer E170 jet, flying for Alaska A Horizon-operated Embraer E170 jet, flying for Alaska Airlines, lands at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in December 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA Hainan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner departs Boston A Hainan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner departs Boston Logan International Airport on Nov. 25, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet lands at A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet lands at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in December of 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenUnited Airlines last Boeing 747 rests at the gate in United Airlines last Boeing 747 rests at the gate in Honolulu after completing its final passenger flight on Nov. 7, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA passenger aboard United Airlines last Boeing 747 A passenger aboard United Airlines last Boeing 747 flight poses for a portrait on Nov. 7, 2017.  Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAYFullscreenA flight of Australian low-cost carrier JetStar taxis A flight of Australian low-cost carrier JetStar taxis at Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airpor on Nov. 27, 2017.  Daniel Munoz, EPA-EFEFullscreen