Buy Heritage Foods; target of Rs 903: Edelweiss

Edelweiss' research report on Heritage Foods

Heritage Foods (HFL) reported Q1FY19 revenue growth of ~4% YoY (3% below estimate) on a high base (~32% growth driven by incremental volumes from Reliance Dairy in Q1FY18), but value-added dairy products (VADP) posted solid ~18% YoY growth. EBITDA margin expanded ~280bps, lifting EBITDA ~71% YoY (in line with our estimate) on the back of lower procurement cost, a favourable sales mix and improved performance of Reliance Dairy. While volume offtake growth took a hit owing to deepening penetration of new entrants/unorganized players in the current soft milk price environment, management guided for ~10% and ~15%-plus volume growth in liquid milk and VADP, respectively.

Outlook

Furthermore, HFL is focusing on marketing campaigns and processing capacity & distribution expansion to achieve its targets under ��Vision 2022��. Hence, we estimate ~37% EBITDA CAGR over FY18��20. Maintain ��BUY�� with TP of INR903.

For all recommendations report,�click here

Disclaimer:�The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Read More First Published on Aug 2, 2018 03:38 pm

Hot Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:SLG,TBNK,AON,PEB,

The U.S. hasn’t lifted economic sanctions against Sudan on telecommunications and other technology sectors since the Trump administration announced last October that it would partially lift sanctions against Sudan, the country’s telecommunications minister Ibrahim El-Mirghani told reporters in the capital Khartoum.

El-Mirghani says the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control has refused to lift telecommunications and technology sanctions against his country and that it’s in contact with “many concerned bodies” in the U.S. to “fully” lift the sanctions and to “allow our telecommunications sector to get the benefit of that.”

The Trump administration decided to partially lift the sanctions, which were imposed in 1997, against Sudan last fall but the country hasn’t been able to integrate itself with the global financial system because it is still on a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. In response, Sudanese officials said Sudan is fully cooperating with the U.S. in the fight against terror.

Hot Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019: SL Green Realty Corporation(SLG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in SL Green Realty (NYSE:SLG) by 13.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 315,900 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 51,200 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.35% of SL Green Realty worth $30,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on SL Green Realty (SLG)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Sterlingcoin (SLG) is a proof-of-stake (PoS) coin that uses the
  X13 hashing algorithm. It was first traded on September 21st, 2014. Sterlingcoin’s total supply is 4,241,006 coins. Sterlingcoin’s official Twitter account is @SterlingcoinSLG and its Facebook page is accessible here. The Reddit community for Sterlingcoin is /r/sterlingcoin and the currency’s Github account can be viewed here. The official website for Sterlingcoin is sterlingcoin.org.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of SL Green Realty Corp (NYSE:SLG) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $111.54.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Easterly Government Properties (NYSE: DEA) and SL Green Realty (NYSE:SLG) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, dividends, valuation and earnings.

Hot Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019: Territorial Bancorp Inc.(TBNK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Territorial Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:TBNK) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.50.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shares of Territorial Bancorp (NASDAQ:TBNK) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $33.50.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Territorial Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:TBNK) Director David S. Murakami sold 4,394 shares of Territorial Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.67, for a total value of $134,763.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 27,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $843,240.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Hot Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019: Aon Corporation(AON)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  BB&T Securities LLC raised its holdings in Aon PLC (NYSE:AON) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,352 shares during the period. BB&T Securities LLC’s holdings in AON were worth $3,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Aon (NYSE:AON) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 40,448 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in AON were worth $5,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  AON (NYSE: AON) and CorVel (NASDAQ:CRVL) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  AON (NYSE:AON) had its price target hoisted by Citigroup from $160.00 to $165.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning. They currently have a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  CorVel (NASDAQ: CRVL) and AON (NYSE:AON) are both business services companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

• [By Max Byerly]

  State of Wisconsin Investment Board decreased its holdings in shares of Aon (NYSE:AON) by 9.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 384,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 38,942 shares during the quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board’s holdings in AON were worth $53,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Hot Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019: Pebblebrook Hotel Trust(PEB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  These are some of the news stories that may have effected Accern’s analysis:

  Get Pebblebrook Hotel alerts: Pebblebrook Hotel (PEB) Expected to Post Quarterly Sales of $206.07 Million (americanbankingnews.com) Keep Company Secrets Safe With a Strong Publishing Process (cmswire.com) Analysts Anticipate Pebblebrook Hotel (PEB) to Post $0.73 Earnings Per Share (americanbankingnews.com) Pebblebrook Hotel Forecasted to Earn Q2 2018 Earnings of $0.72 Per Share (PEB) (americanbankingnews.com)

  A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PEB. Boenning Scattergood restated a “hold” rating on shares of Pebblebrook Hotel in a report on Monday, April 30th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Pebblebrook Hotel from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Pebblebrook Hotel from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 1st. Finally, ValuEngine cut Pebblebrook Hotel from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Pebblebrook Hotel presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.61.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Pebblebrook Hotel (PEB)

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

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Improving business travel demand during the first quarter drove Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE:PEB) to update its outlook earlier this month. Those travel trends turned out to be stronger than even its more optimistic expectations, helping the company to deliver results that were above the updated forecast. Because of that, the company is even more encouraged about what lies ahead in 2018.

Buy Zee Entertainment; target of Rs 651: Centrum

Centrum's research report on Zee Entertainment

We maintain our BUY rating on Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) with a revised target price of Rs651. We believe there is upside risk to our ad growth expectation of 16% for FY19E on the back of strong market share gains across languages and increasing ad spends by FMCG companies. Further we believe the full impact of the TRAI tariff order would be in FY20 and the management is confident to deliver low teens growth on the back of ARPU increase. New channel launches would help the company complete its bouquet of languages and help in increasing ad inventory. Management strategy to do deals for ZEE5 with telecos only on favourable terms is healthy for long term while we believe the international launch by end of FY19 would be an added positive. We believe increase in ZEE5 originals and to premier movies on ZEE5 would help the company generate significant subscribers over medium term.

Outlook
We maintain our BUY rating and value the stock on Adj OCF/EV yield on 5 year avg cash flow and arrive at a TP of Rs651. Downside risk being uncertainty in implementation of Tariff Order and rollout of ZEE5.

For all recommendations report, click here

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Read More First Published on Jul 20, 2018 05:19 pm

Hot Bank Stocks For 2019

tags:AMAG,EXK,HMSY,

Japan’s trade recovery powered into 2018, with exports and imports registering strong growth. The increase in imports resulted in the first monthly trade deficit since May 2017.

HighlightsThe value of exports rose 12.2 percent in January from a year earlier (forecast +9.4%).Imports grew 7.9 percent (forecast +7.7%).The January trade balance was a deficit of 943.4 billion yen (forecast -1 trillion yen).Export volumes rose 9.2 percent from a year earlier.Key Takeaways

Japan enjoyed a strong export recovery in 2017 that helped push the nation’s economy to the longest expansion in nearly 30 years. Rising imports, a sign of improving domestic demand, indicate the Bank of Japan is making progress in its efforts to generate a self-sustaining economic recovery. A surging yen, though, is a risk. It will make imports cheaper, weighing on inflation, while cutting into exporters’ profits.

Hot Bank Stocks For 2019: AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(AMAG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  AMAG Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMAG) was downgraded by equities researchers at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  AMAG Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMAG) was upgraded by equities researchers at ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday.

• [By Chris Lange]

  AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAG) has a PDUFA date set for its drug Feraheme for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients who have an intolerance or unsatisfactory response to oral iron. The date is set for February 2. Shares of AMAG were trading at $14.45, in a 52-week range of $11.93 to $25.20 and with a consensus price target of $18.00.

Hot Bank Stocks For 2019: Endeavour Silver Corporation(EXK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Endeavour Silver (NYSE: EXK) and Yamana Gold (NYSE:AUY) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and profitability.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Endeavour Silver Corp (TSE:EDR) (NYSE:EXK) insider Christine Deborah West sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$4.23, for a total value of C$67,680.00.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Akorn, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKRX) fell 32.7 percent to $13.25 in pre-market trading after Fresenius terminated its merger deal with Akorn. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE: CBI) fell 15.7 percent to $12.30 in pre-market trading. Subsea 7 confirmed a $7.00 per share proposal to acquire Mcdermott, pending termination of merger agreement with CB&I. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) fell 9 percent to $3.65 in pre-market trading after rising 11.39 percent on Friday. Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) fell 8 percent to $88.36 in pre-market trading after the company reported weaker-than-expected results for its first quarter on Monday. SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) fell 7.1 percent to $9.00 in pre-market trading. Endeavour Silver Corp. (NYSE: EXK) shares fell 5.9 percent to $2.88 in pre-market trading after declining 3.16 percent on Friday. Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) shares fell 5.5 percent to $12.25 in pre-market trading. Valeritas Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: VLRX) shares fell 5.1 percent to $2.96 in pre-market trading after rising 76.27 percent on Friday. GlobalSCAPE, Inc. (NYSE: GSB) fell 5.1 percent to $3.57 in pre-market trading. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE: FMS) shares fell 4.1 percent to $49.93 in pre-market trading. Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE: OAS) fell 4.1 percent to $9.75 in pre-market trading. SunTrust Robinson Humphrey downgraded Oasis Petroleum from Hold to Sell

Hot Bank Stocks For 2019: HMS Holdings Corp(HMSY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSPM) shares rose 35.8 percent to $3.00. Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVGI) shares surged 32 percent to $8.94 after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Carbon Black, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBLK) gained 29.6 percent to $24.62. Carbon Black priced its IPO at $19 per share. California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) shares rose 26.8 percent to $32.70 following upbeat Q1 earnings. Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) gained 25 percent to $7.185 after reporting strong quarterly results. Medifast, Inc. (NYSE: MED) shares climbed 23.7 percent to $122.87 after the company reported strong Q1 results and raised its FY18 guidance. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) rose 23.2 percent to $8.4999 after reporting Q2 results. Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTLA) gained 22.2 percent to $41.27 after the FDA approved the company's Andexxa, the only antidote indicated for patients treated with rivaroxaban and apixaban. Shake Shack Inc (NYSE: SHAK) rose 22.2 percent to $57.955 after the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter and raised its FY18 guidance. Atomera Incorporated (NASDAQ: ATOM) jumped 19.7 percent to $6.12 after reporting Q1 results. Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) rose 16.4 percent to $21.00 after reporting strong preliminary results for the third quarter. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) shares rose 16.4 percent to $12.21 following Q1 earnings. Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE: ITGR) shares gained 14.9 percent to $63.75 following Q1 results. Control4 Corporation (NASDAQ: CTRL) shares climbed 14.5 percent to $23.98 folloiwng strong Q1 results. B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE: BGS) climbed 12.6 percent to $25.40 after reporting Q1 earnings. HMS Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: HMSY) shares gained 10 percent to $19.59 after reporting upbeat quarterly earnings. Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAV) rose 7 percent to $10.09 following Q3 r
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSPM) shares jumped 29.86 percent to close at $2.87 on Friday. Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVGI) shares gained 28.87 percent to close at $8.75 after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Mexco Energy Corporation (NYSE: MXC) gained 27.02 percent to close at $5.4744. Carbon Black, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBLK) climbed 26 percent to close at $23.94. Carbon Black priced its IPO at $19 per share. Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTLA) rose 25.64 percent to close at $42.44 after the FDA approved the company's Andexxa, the only antidote indicated for patients treated with rivaroxaban and apixaban. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) rose 23.19 percent to close at $8.50 after reporting Q2 results. California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) shares gained 22.45 percent to close at $31.58 following upbeat Q1 earnings. Atomera Incorporated (NASDAQ: ATOM) gained 22.31 percent to close at $6.25 after reporting Q1 results. Medifast, Inc. (NYSE: MED) shares jumped 22.27 percent to close at $121.46 after the company reported strong Q1 results and raised its FY18 guidance. Jerash Holdings (US), Inc. (NASDAQ: JRSH) gained 20.86 percent to close at $8.46. Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) rose 19.83 percent to close at $6.89 after reporting strong quarterly results. Shake Shack Inc (NYSE: SHAK) rose 18.01 percent to close at $55.95 on Friday after the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter and raised its FY18 guidance. Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) rose 17.73 percent to close at $21.25 after reporting strong preliminary results for the third quarter. Schmitt Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMIT) rose 17.41 percent to close at $2.36. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) shares gained 16.78 percent to close at $12.25 following Q1 earnings. Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE: ITGR) shares rose 14.23 percent to close at $63.40 following Q1 result
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of HMS Holdings (NASDAQ:HMSY) by 40.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,007,174 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 292,456 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 1.21% of HMS worth $16,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTLA) rose 34.7 percent to $45.50 in pre-market trading following news that the FDA has approved Andexxa for the reversal of factor Xa inhibitors. Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited (NASDAQ: CLWT) rose 15.7 percent to $6.65 in pre-market trading after climbing 155.56 percent on Thursday. China Recycling Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: CREG) rose 14.7 percent to $2.75 in pre-market trading after climbing 57.89 percent on Thursday. Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) rose 11 percent to $6.40 in pre-market trading after reporting strong quarterly results. Fred's, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRED) rose 9.2 percent to $1.90 in pre-market trading following Q4 results. Shake Shack Inc (NYSE: SHAK) rose 9.1 percent to $51.70 in pre-market trading after the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter and raised its FY18 guidance. Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDRX) rose 9 percent to $12.55 in pre-market trading after the company posted Q1 results and agreed to acquire HealthGrid. Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) rose 7.6 percent to $75 in pre-market trading after the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter. The company also raised its FY18 earnings outlook from $2.40-$2.70 to $3-$3.20. Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAV) rose 7.5 percent to $10.15 in pre-market trading following Q3 results. Pearson plc (NYSE: PSO) rose 4.5 percent to $11.83 in pre-market trading after reporting strong quarterly earnings. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA) shares rose 4.4 percent to $190.50 in the pre-market trading session as the company posted upbeat Q4 results. Aqua Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AQMS) shares rose 3.9 percent to $4.30 in pre-market trading after gaining 6.98 percent on Thursday. Newell Brands Inc (NYSE: NWL) shares rose 3.6 percent to $27.65 in pre-market trading after reporting upbeat quarterly earnings. HMS Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: H

Critical Analysis: Echo Therapeutics (ECTE) vs. Soleno Therapeutics (SLNO)

Echo Therapeutics (OTCMKTS: ECTE) and Soleno Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SLNO) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, valuation and institutional ownership.

Profitability

Get Echo Therapeutics alerts:

This table compares Echo Therapeutics and Soleno Therapeutics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Echo Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	N/A
Soleno Therapeutics	N/A	-54.36%	-40.91%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Echo Therapeutics and Soleno Therapeutics’ top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Echo Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$22.19 million	N/A	N/A
Soleno Therapeutics	$1.45 million	38.04	-$15.66 million	($1.35)	-2.07

Soleno Therapeutics has higher revenue and earnings than Echo Therapeutics.

Risk and Volatility

Echo Therapeutics has a beta of 1.38, meaning that its stock price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Soleno Therapeutics has a beta of 5.11, meaning that its stock price is 411% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Echo Therapeutics and Soleno Therapeutics, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Echo Therapeutics	0	0	0	0	N/A
Soleno Therapeutics	0	0	3	0	3.00

Soleno Therapeutics has a consensus price target of $7.33, indicating a potential upside of 162.84%. Given Soleno Therapeutics’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Soleno Therapeutics is more favorable than Echo Therapeutics.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

45.8% of Soleno Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.0% of Echo Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 43.3% of Soleno Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Soleno Therapeutics beats Echo Therapeutics on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Echo Therapeutics

Echo Therapeutics, Inc. engages in the development of transdermal skin permeation and diagnostic medical devices for wearable-health consumer and diabetes outpatient markets. It is developing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, a needle-free wireless continuous glucose monitoring system in a hospital setting in the European Union. The company has a licensing agreement with Ferndale Pharma Group, Inc. to develop, manufacture, distribute, and market devices for skin preparation prior to the application of topical anesthetics or analgesics prior to a range of needle-based medical procedures in North America, the United Kingdom, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and other portions of the European Community. In addition, it has a license agreement with Handok Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. to develop, use, market, import, and sell CGM to medical facilities and individual consumers in South Korea; and a license, development, and commercialization agreement with Medical Technologies Innovation Asia, Ltd to research, develop, manufacture, and use CGM in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey.

About Soleno Therapeutics

Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. focuses on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases. Its lead candidate, diazoxide choline controlled-release (DCCR), a tablet for the treatment of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), is entering into late-stage clinical development. The company was formerly known as Capnia, Inc. and changed its name to Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. in May 2017. Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in Redwood City, California.

Why Fitbit Stock Isn’t Worth More Than $6

Shares of wearables maker Fitbit (NYSE:FIT) were red-hot in May and early June. FIT stock rallied from $4 to $8 on renewed optimism regarding the company’s pivot into smartwatches. Investors were also getting excited about the company’s long-term growth prospects through enterprise data partnerships.

But then FIT stock hit a wall called reality in mid-June.

Fitbit’s latest and greatest smartwatch, Versa, is awesome, but not awesome enough to change the landscape of the smartwatch market that is over-crowded with competitors and dominated by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). Meanwhile, data is the future of the wearables market, but Fitbit’s data is no more valuable than any other wearable maker’s data. Thus, the data side of the wearables industry is commoditized, and Fitbit could inevitably be squeezed out of that, too.

Consequently, FIT stock peaked in early June around $8. Since, it has steadily dropped to the mid-$6 range.

Unfortunately, I think this weakness in FIT stock persists. Above $6, FIT stock is just overvalued, even under aggressive long-term growth assumptions. Consequently, FIT stock could easily drop below $6 as investor sentiment normalizes from euphoria to realism.

Here’s a deeper look.

Fitbit’s Growth Prospects Are Improving, But Still Aren’t Great

Fitbit’s growth prospects are improving.

The Versa smartwatch is Fitbit’s best product ever. It took Versa only seven weeks to hit a million device shipments, which is a Fitbit product record. Versa is also the right product (a smartwatch) at the right time (when smartwatches are eating basic activity trackers’ lunch). In a big picture sense, Versa illustrates that Fitbit can survive in the wearables market by pivoting into smartwatches.

Meanwhile, Fitbit’s data business is progressing with an impressive pace. Fitbit has roughly 1,500 enterprise clients, and is aggressively pushing data partnerships with big tech companies and healthcare and insurance providers. Again, this is the right move (data sharing) in the right space (smart healthcare and insurance). In the big picture, this data business could very well be the big growth driver of Fitbit in the future.

In total, the Fitbit growth narrative is improving. But, not by that much.

Versa is a winning product. But the wearables market is really crowded, and Versa is just another good product in that crowded market. Plus, other players like traditional watch giant Fossil (NASDAQ:FOSL) are making a push into the smartwatch market. This only creates more competition for Fitbit.

Thus, in total, Versa is a positive for Fitbit, but it doesn’t mean big growth is ahead. Instead, it just means that big declines are likely over.

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Meanwhile, all those smartwatch companies are also collecting the same data Fitbit is collecting, so Fitbit’s data is largely commoditized. Moreover, because Fitbit is smaller than Apple, Apple’s consumer healthcare data-set is presumably much bigger and more valuable. After all, in other industries where data matters (digital advertising), the bigger players, like Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL), dominate the smaller players, like Snap (NYSE:SNAP).

Fitbit Stock Isn’t Worth More Than $6

In the big picture, Fitbit’s growth prospects are improving. But not by all that much. More importantly, they aren’t improving by enough to warrant the recent run-up in FIT stock.

Let’s say that revenues do bottom out at $1.5 billion this year and that smartwatches and data partnerships power 10% revenue growth over the next five years. Let’s also assume that gross margins stabilize around 40%, and that operating expenses stay around $800 million even amid increasing revenues.

Under those aggressive assumptions, I still think Fitbit can do only about $0.50 in earnings-per-share in five years. A market-average 16-times forward multiple on $0.50 implies a four-year forward price target of $8. Discounted back by 10%-per-year, that equates to a present-day value below $5.50.

FIT stock currently trades north of $6. As such, it looks like FIT stock is presently supported by euphoria more than anything else. Eventually, this euphoria will be replaced by realism, and FIT stock will drop below $6.

Bottom Line on FIT Stock

FIT stock had a strong rally from $4 to $8 on renewed smartwatch and data optimism. But then FIT stock hit a wall called reality, and now, FIT stock is still suffering from that collision.

When all is said and done, this stock should settle below $6.

As of this writing, Luke Lango was long AAPL, FOSL, FB, GOOG and SNAP. 

Legendary Investor Louis Navellier’s #1 Stock to Buy NOW

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Bank of America raises 2018 S&P 500 earnings forecast by 4%

Getty Images/iStockphoto Things are looking up for earnings.

Strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch on Monday raised their 2018 and 2019 S&P 500 earnings forecasts, joining market observers who remain optimistic even as the drumbeat of a trade war echoes in the distance.

Equity and quant strategist Jill Carey Hall and her colleagues now expect S&P 500 earnings per share at $159 this year, a 4% rise from their previous forecast of $153. The projection stands 20% higher than 2017 EPS for the index and comes on the back of stronger oil prices and robust economic growth, including upbeat jobs data. The team lifted its 2019 EPS view by 6% to $170 from $161.

��Higher oil prices are a benefit to S&P 500 EPS, where much of the index either produces commodities or supplies commodity producers,�� said Hall in a report.

Bank of America��s commodity strategists project WTI crude oil CLQ8, +0.28% the U.S. benchmark, and Brent oil LCOU8, +1.47% the international marker, to average $65 to $70 a barrel in 2018, roughly 25% higher than initially forecast earlier this year.

��Nearly 40% of the boost to our earnings forecasts both this year and next year comes from energy,�� said Hall.

The U.S. economy is also expanding at a faster pace than expected, with Bank of America economists projecting 2018 gross domestic product gaining at a clip of 3%, 0.1 percentage point higher than the previous forecast. A one percentage point increase in GDP boosts EPS growth by around 3 percentage points, according to the strategists.

For now, Bank of America economists believe the impact of Trump administration tariffs implemented so far is likely to be limited. But if tensions escalate and the situation worsens, earnings are likely to be adversely affected, they said.

Read: Washington��s ��political climate�� seen as the biggest risk to stocks, survey says

��We��ve estimated that a 10% rise in import costs��assuming a small drop in foreign sales��would reduce S&P 500 EPS by 3-4%. But a larger risk is if global growth suffers,�� Hall wrote.

In late June, Bank of America projected second-quarter EPS to rise more than 20% year on year to $39.75, while sales were expected to increase 8% year on year.

Higher earnings will be a boon for the stock market, which has comparatively underperformed this year compared to 2017. Still, strategists on Wall Street have largely remained upbeat with both JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup recently issuing commentaries that support further buying of equities.

Read: Stock market gets Wall Street vote of confidence even as jitters over trade loom

The S&P 500 SPX, +0.88% � closed up 0.9% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +1.31% �gained by triple digits, adding 1.3% and turning positive for the year.

Sue Chang

Sue Chang is a MarketWatch reporter in San Francisco. You can follow her on Twitter at @SueChangMW.

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All 30 Dow Stocks Ranked by Tenure in the Index

For 122 years, the storied Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) has stood above practically all other stock indexes. A big reason is that it's the second-oldest stock index, behind only the Dow Transportation Index, which preceded it by two years. Nevertheless, when Wall Street and investors attempt to get a feel for the breadth of the market and the overall state of the U.S. economy, the Dow is often the index they turn to.

The Dow's last original member gets the boot

Yet throughout the years, the Dow has gone through some big changes. When originally launched on May 26, 1896, the index had just 12 members. It was expanded to 20 components on Oct. 4, 1916, and got its 30-component limit it has today on Oct. 1, 1928.

Image source: Getty Images.

Since its inception, the Dow has undergone more than 50 changes -- i.e., companies being added and/or removed from the index -- to keep up with a dynamic U.S. economy. Sometimes these changes were very simple, with a single company being added and a corresponding company being removed. Then, there were moments like on April 1, 1901, when five companies from the 12-component index were dropped in favor of five new companies.

Throughout the Dow's history, the closest thing to a constant has been�General Electric (NYSE:GE). General Electric was an original member of the Dow and, following two brief stints outside the index, had been a regular member for more than 110 years. However, GE's tenure in the Dow came to an unsurprising close on June 26, 2018. After losing more than 60% of its value over the trailing-two-year period, and with the Dow being a price-weighted index (General Electric's share price of $13 hardly registered), GE's days were numbered.

Ranking the Dow 30 by tenure

With stalwart GE stepping aside, a new class of tenured Dow components have risen the ranks.

Image source: Getty Images.

Below is a list of all 30 current Dow components ranked, according to the date they were added, or most recently added (assuming they've bounced in and out of the index like GE), to the index.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM): Added Oct. 1, 1928 Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG): Added May 26, 1932 DowDuPont (NYSE:DWDP): Added Nov. 20, 1935 United Technologies (NYSE:UTX): Added March 4, 1939 3M: Added Aug. 9, 1976 IBM: Added June 29, 1979 Merck: Added Jun. 29, 1979 American Express: Added Aug. 30, 1982 McDonald's: Added Oct. 30, 1985 Boeing: Added March 12, 1987 Coca-Cola: Added March 12, 1987 Caterpillar: Added May 6, 1991 JPMorgan Chase: Added May 6, 1991 Walt Disney: Added May 6, 1991 Johnson & Johnson: Added March 17, 1997 Walmart: Added March 17, 1997 Home Depot: Added Nov. 1, 1999 Intel: Added Nov. 1, 1999 Microsoft: Added Nov. 1, 1999 Pfizer: Added April 8, 2004 Verizon: Added April 8, 2004 Chevron: Added Feb. 19, 2008 Cisco Systems: Added June 8, 2009 Travelers Cos.: Added June 8, 2009 UnitedHealth Group: Added Sept. 24, 2012 Goldman Sachs: Added Sept. 23, 2013 Nike: Added Sept. 23, 2013 Visa: Added Sept. 23, 2013 Apple: Added March 19, 2015 Walgreens Boots Alliance: Added Jun. 26, 2018

As you'll note, a third of the components have only been part of the Dow for the past 14 years. Just four components -- ExxonMobil, Procter & Gamble, DowDuPont, and United Technologies -- have been included for more than 42 consecutive years.

Image source: Getty Images.

The Dow's most-tenured stocks are mostly here to stay

With GE's departure, oil and gas giant ExxonMobil now stands at the front of the pack. When October rolls around, it'll hit its 90th anniversary in the Dow, albeit it was known as the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey when it was first added in 1928. According to David Blitzer,�managing director and chairman of the committee that makes decisions to move companies in and out of the Dow, consumer, finance, healthcare, and technology companies are playing a more prominent role in today's economy. Nevertheless, ExxonMobil's status within the Dow appears solid given its importance in global energy production.�

Stalwarts Procter & Gamble and United Technologies probably aren't going anywhere, either, thanks to their diversification. Since consumption accounts for around 70% of U.S. GDP, and Procter & Gamble owns a small army of brand-name households products, such as Tide detergent and Crest toothpaste, it's a company that has staying power.

Then there's United Technologies, with its four main operating segments -- Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, Otis Elevator, UTC Aerospace Systems, and UTC Climate, Controls & Security -- each contributing in the neighborhood of 20% to 30% to its annual sales. This allows United Technologies to get its fingers in numerous sectors and industries.�

DowDuPont, on the other hand, may soon give up its spot near the head of the table. Dow Chemical and DuPont completed their merger last year in order to save more than $3 billion in cost synergies, and to create three global powerhouses in agriculture, specialty products, and material sciences. By sometime in early to mid-2019, DowDuPont plans to break up into three separate companies. This breakup could mean expulsion from the Dow and yet another change, although that'll be up to the index committee to decide.�

But for the time being, it appears as though ExxonMobil, P&G, and United Technologies will be sticking around for years or decades to come.

Sherwin-Williams Could Be Attractive

We��ve been bullish on the residential construction sector for several years now. We still are, even though interest rates and mortgage rates are rising. However, Trump��s escalating trade war (skirmishes?) and a tightening labor market are introducing new risks to our homebuilder stock thesis. We still think the residential construction market will remain strong but it could be prudent for investors to diversify. We��ve already reduced our position in builder D.R. Horton (NYSE:DHI) and added a position in an HVAC company Lennox International (NYSE:LII). We think Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) also could make a great candidate for further inclusion into our residential construction bucket of stocks.

Why Sherwin-Williams?

Sherwin-Williams has two attributes that make it attractive for diversification purposes.

First, it��s cost inputs are very different then homebuilders and HVAC manufacturers. Labor and lumber costs are two of the biggest input costs (excluding land) for the price of new homes. For HVAC companies steel, aluminum, copper, motors and compressors, and electrical control components are some of the biggest cost inputs. Lumber, steel, and aluminum have been recently affected by tariffs.

In contrast, the biggest input costs for Sherwin-Williams are chemicals such as titanium dioxide and various hydrocarbons and acrylic polymers that make up the components of paint.

(Source: Investor presentation)

As a company that sells paint vs. doing the actual painting, the company also is insulated from labor costs to some degree. Yes, the company does operate retail stores, so there would be some potential for increased costs for retail associates. But producing paint is not as labor intensive as building a house.

The second thing Sherwin-Williams has going for it is that while the coatings industry is highly fragmented, the various sub industries are not. When it comes to traditional architectural coatings (or ��house paint��) there are four to five major players �� Benjamin Moore (NYSE:BRK.B), PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG), Masco (NYSE:MAS), Sherwin-Williams, and perhaps RPM International (NYSE:RPM). Not only that but the retail market is even more consolidated. The typical big box hardware store carries just one or two major brands of paint. We looked at the paint carried by the three major hardware store chains �� Lowe's (NYSE:LOW), Home Depot (NYSE:HD), and Ace Hardware. The graphics below are screen shots of the interior and exterior home paint brands each chain offers. We added paint company next to each brand.

Below is Ace Hardware. For exterior paint they offer mainly Sherwin-Williams owned or produced products with some RPM. For interior, it��s mainly Masco along with some Sherwin-Williams and RPM.

Home Depot is mainly a PPG and Masco store.

Lowe��s signed an exclusivity agreement with Sherwin-Williams so all PPG paint will eventually be phased out (which is why we crossed it out in the graphic below).

There is some RPM paint sold but all of those are quart-sized products designed for metal and other surfaces. Additionally, some of the other brands you see such as James Hardie or NextStone are specialty paint products designed for very specific applications.

We can see that although the coatings industry in aggregate is fragmented, individual submarkets have consolidated significantly and companies have carved up the third-party retail space between themselves. This makes it likely that the paint companies have the ability to raise prices should input costs start to rise.

Also, when it comes to painting the actual cost of the product makes up a very small portion of the total overall cost of painting something. A majority of the cost is labor. Thus, increases in paint prices will not have a significant impact on the cost of painting in most cases.

Sherwin-Williams checks all the boxes for diversification. Its cost exposure is significantly different than other building products companies or homebuilders. It��s also not de-worsification as the architectural coatings industry is fairly consolidated and margins and returns on capital should be good. The only caveat is the stock��s valuation.

Valuation

Sherwin-Williams has been range bound for about the last eight months or so but is still trading at almost 22 times forward earnings.

Using a reverse DCF model with a 10% discount rate, short-term, high-growth period of five years, and a terminal growth rate of 3% the current stock price is implying 16.3% growth over the next five years. Right now analysis consensus growth estimates are 15.33%.

However, the company is currently in the midst of integrating the Valspar acquisition and is projecting some additional margin and synergy benefits. If we project an additional 1% increase in gross margins the five-year implied growth rate drops to about 11%. If we add in the additional synergies and better FCF conversion for a total of $150M in additional FCF the implied five year growth rate drops further to about 9.2%.

Sherwin-Williams certainly is cheap but we think a case could be made that the stock is close to fairly priced, especially considering it��s reasonable to pay a premium for a company that derives a majority of its net income (81%) from a highly consolidated industry.

Disclosure: I am/we are long DHI, LII.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: We may initiate a long position in SHW in the next 72 hours or more. We are also long UTX which has an HVAC business.

Zacks: Brokerages Anticipate Nordson Co. (NDSN) Will Post Quarterly Sales of $549.93 Million

Equities research analysts predict that Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) will post $549.93 million in sales for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Eight analysts have made estimates for Nordson’s earnings, with estimates ranging from $541.50 million to $555.70 million. Nordson reported sales of $496.14 million during the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year-over-year growth rate of 10.8%. The business is scheduled to report its next earnings results on Monday, August 20th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Nordson will report full year sales of $2.28 billion for the current financial year, with estimates ranging from $2.26 billion to $2.32 billion. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the company will post sales of $2.38 billion per share, with estimates ranging from $2.32 billion to $2.45 billion. Zacks Investment Research’s sales calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that follow Nordson.

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Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 21st. The industrial products company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.13. Nordson had a return on equity of 28.97% and a net margin of 16.63%. The business had revenue of $553.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $551.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. Nordson’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

NDSN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Co set a $135.00 price target on Nordson and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 23rd. Zacks Investment Research raised Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 16th. BidaskClub lowered Nordson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd. B. Riley cut their price target on Nordson from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 23rd. Finally, ValuEngine lowered Nordson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $153.60.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its position in shares of Nordson by 972.7% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 1,062 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. CI Global Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Nordson by 1,721.4% in the first quarter. CI Global Investments Inc. now owns 1,275 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares in the last quarter. Sapphire Star Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Nordson in the fourth quarter worth $212,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nordson in the fourth quarter worth $213,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nordson in the fourth quarter worth $214,000. Institutional investors own 66.24% of the company’s stock.

Nordson stock opened at $130.49 on Friday. Nordson has a one year low of $107.16 and a one year high of $151.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.58 billion, a PE ratio of 24.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 29th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 25th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.35%.

About Nordson

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures, and markets products and systems to dispense, apply, and control adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids. Its Adhesive Dispensing Systems segment provides dispensing, coating, and laminating systems for adhesives, lotions, liquids, and fibers to disposable products and roll goods; and product assembly dispensing, coating, and laminating systems for use in paper and paperboard converting applications, as well as for the manufacture of roll goods.

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

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

In tech, patents are trophies -- and these companies are dominating

Dan Zhang just had his career bar mitzvah.

Zhang, 30, interned at Apple (AAPL) and Intel (INTC) before landing a full-time engineering role at another big tech firm last year. This spring, he finally checked off a key item on his bucket list: filing his first patent.

"It's a rite of passage," says Zhang, who likened the patent process to the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony. He declined to go into detail about the patent filing, which has not yet been made public. (It can take months or even years for patents to be granted.)

Zhang says patents offer "some objective evidence" that you're an expert in your field and serves "as a trophy, or a piece of bragging rights."

He isn't alone in this view. While patents are intended to protect intellectual property, they're also seen in the tech industry as a way to brand companies and their employees as being more innovative.

"To some extent, they are trading chips," says Mark Lemley, a law professor at Stanford and director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology. "We count them because they represent innovation, not because they are a powerful legal right."

On Tuesday, the US Patent and Trademark Office announced issuing its 10 millionth patent, for a "Coherent Ladar Using Intra-Pixel Quadrature Detection" from Raytheon. Yes, it's a mouthful.

A good chunk of those patents comes from the tech industry. Apple, Microsoft (MSFT), Intel, Google (GOOGL), Qualcomm (QCOM) and Samsung (SSNLF) were each granted more than 2,000 patents last year, ranking them among the top 15 patent recipients in the US, according to IFI Claims Patent Services, which tracks patent data.

No company has been more prolific with patents than IBM (IBM). It received 9,043 patents in 2017, marking its 25th consecutive year of dominating the patent rankings -- a fact IBM is not bashful about sharing. This year, it is on pace to top 10,000 patents, according to projections provided to CNNMoney by IFI Claims.

Apple's late CEO Steve Jobs received U.S. patent number 7,166,791 for a "graphical user interface" for the iPod.

These patents can be used for licensing, or as a defensive measure against litigation. Manny Schecter, chief patent counsel at IBM, says the sprawling patent portfolio also helps brand IBM to potential customers and employees as "an innovator," potentially boosting sales and recruiting.

"Patents are sometimes used as a currency for innovation," Schecter tells CNNMoney. "That's because it's hard to otherwise quantify the amount of innovation that's going on."

To be sure, patents played a key role in the smartphone wars that dominated Silicon Valley in recent years. Apple and Samsung have been engaged in a years-long legal showdown over software and design patents. In 2012, Google spent $12.5 billion to acquire Motorola Mobility, giving it access to a treasure trove of patents.

But changes in the law over the past decade have only made it harder to get an injunction or win large sums in damages, says Michael Risch, a patent law professor at Villanova University.

"Patents are just not as valuable as they used to be," he says.

Several classic patents, including Wilbur and Orville Wright's patent for a "Flying Machine."

That hasn't stopped tech companies from aggressively filing patents. Google, Apple, Amazon (AMZN) and others are pushing forward with a range of new patents touching on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, drones and virtual reality, according to an analysis of patent activity late last year from CB Insights.

"I do think more recently, companies -- especially startups -- are realizing that just being a cool application is not enough," says Ethan Kurzweil, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. They want to be "inventing some core piece of technology, whether it be AI, machine learning, autonomous driving, or computer vision. ... Patents will matter a lot more in those contexts."

Tech companies make sure to reward employees for filing patents. Depending on their division, IBM employees may get a bonus, a plaque or certificate, or even have their picture featured in an IBM building or on the website, Schecter says.

Zhang says he's also seen companies give out small cash rewards as well as "decorative marble cubes that say, 'Congratulations.'"

More than the money or the trinkets, Zhang says it's about the sense of "validation" the patent provides. "It shows this is what I accomplished. I've been recognized by the US government for this accomplishment."

iShares Russell 1000 (IWB) Stake Lowered by Parisi Gray Wealth Management

Parisi Gray Wealth Management decreased its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 (NYSEARCA:IWB) by 20.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,747 shares of the company’s stock after selling 450 shares during the quarter. Parisi Gray Wealth Management’s holdings in iShares Russell 1000 were worth $254,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 by 112.6% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 2,228,815 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,539,000 after purchasing an additional 1,180,541 shares during the last quarter. Tiedemann Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in iShares Russell 1000 in the first quarter worth approximately $7,556,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA boosted its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 by 255.8% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 463,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,997,000 after purchasing an additional 332,873 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 by 83.8% in the first quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 724,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,344,000 after purchasing an additional 330,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 by 122.8% in the first quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares Russell 1000 opened at $151.75 on Monday, according to Marketbeat Ratings. iShares Russell 1000 has a 1-year low of $133.70 and a 1-year high of $159.31.

iShares Russell 1000 Profile

iShares Russell 1000 ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 1,000 largest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 1000 (NYSEARCA:IWB).

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:SHI,SHLD,TEL,STRL,ADX,

California state lawmakers are trying to change the way cannabis is perceived by both consumers and the long arm of the law.

Tuesday (Sept. 18), the California state legislature voted on a joint resolution urging the federal government to reclassify marijuana.

"The Legislature urges the Congress of the United States to pass a law to reschedule marijuana or cannabis and its derivatives from a Schedule I drug to an alternative schedule, therefore allowing the legal research and development of marijuana or cannabis for medical use," reads a joint resolution approved by the California Assembly on Tuesday. The vote was approved 60 to 10.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Buy Right Now: SINOPEC Shangai Petrochemical Company Ltd.(SHI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shanghai Petrochemical (NYSE: SHI) and Eastman Chemical (NYSE:EMN) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sears Holdings Corporation(SHLD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) is one of those dying companies that just refuses to accept defeat. The company made a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signaling details of private exchange offers for notes that were addressed in January, but the struggling department store operator also gave an update to its fiscal fourth quarter.

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  The third stock I'd hate to buy right now is former retail titan Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:SHLD). In many respects, Sears Holdings is a dead retailer walking, kept "alive" only through the cash infusions from liquidating its once-great assets. It unloaded its Craftsman�brand of tools last year to stay afloat, and it has even resorted to selling its DieHard batteries on Amazon.com just to keep some cash coming in.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Shares of�Sears Holdings Corp�(NASDAQ:SHLD) were soaring today after the struggling retailer said it would team up with�Amazon�(NASDAQ:AMZN)�to sell and install tires. Sears said its Auto Centers would provide full-service tire installation and balancing for tires ordered on Amazon.com. As a result, the stock closed up 15.9%.�

• [By ]

  Sears (SHLD) chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert told investors at its annual meeting Wednesday that he is "fighting like hell" to transform the company. That "fight" is way too little, way too late, say analysts and industry observers.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Sears Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: SHLD) announced Monday it was exploring a sale of its Kenmore brand and related assets, its Sears Home Improvement business and its Parts Direct business.

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  In the past two years or so, J.C. Penney has expanded its merchandise assortment in order to reduce its weather sensitivity. The company's return to the appliance business has drawn the most attention. This move to capture market share from Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:SHLD) has been very effective so far. That said, J.C. Penney has also put toy shops in all of its stores and expanded its furniture and mattress offerings.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Buy Right Now: TE Connectivity Ltd.(TEL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  TE Connectivity Ltd (NYSE:TEL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the fourteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $114.30.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE:TEL) by 0.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,295,222 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,957 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in TE Connectivity were worth $129,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sterling Construction Company Inc(STRL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers ProPhase Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPH) gained 50.7 percent to $4.34 after the company announced a special $1.00 per share cash dividend. Impinj, Inc. (NASDAQ: PI) surged 28.4 percent to $17.44 after reporting Q1 results. Cardlytics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDLX) gained 22 percent to $17.945. Care.com, Inc. (NYSE: CRCM) shares rose 19.3 percent to $18.92 following Q1 earnings. Sharing Economy International Inc. (NASDAQ: SEII) jumped 19.1 percent to $4.3934 after the company disclosed that it entered into a license agreement with Ecrent Capital Holdings Limited. Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) rose 18.6 percent to $4.79 after jumping 171.14 percent on Monday. IntriCon Corporation (NASDAQ: IIN) climbed 17.4 percent to $29.30 after reporting Q1 results. Nevsun Resources Ltd. (NYSE: NSU) rose 16.2 percent to $3.45 after Lundin Mining Corporation and Euro Sun Mining Inc. proposed to acquire Nevsun Resources for around C$1.5 billion. Tactile Systems Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: TCMD) gained 15.4 percent to $42.61 following Q1 results. eGain Corporation (NASDAQ: EGAN) gained 15.3 percent to $10.55 following Q3 earnings. Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) rose 13.8 percent to $9.48 after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Sterling Construction Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRL) shares surged 13.1 percent to $13.42 after reporting Q1 results. USA Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: USAT) climbed 11.9 percent to $10.85 following better-than-expected Q3 earnings. scPharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: SCPH) gained 11.2 percent to $14.45 following Q1 results. Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRGI) rose 10.2 percent to $24.08 following Q1 results. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX) shares rose 7.9 percent to $19.60 as the company posted upbeat Q1 results and raised its outlook. Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TAST) rose 7.7 percent to $11.90 following upbeat Q1 results. Pareteum Corporation (NASDAQ: TEUM) rose 6.8 perc
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Sterling Construction Company Inc (NASDAQ:STRL) – Equities research analysts at DA Davidson lowered their Q3 2018 earnings per share estimates for Sterling Construction in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 8th. DA Davidson analyst B. Thielman now anticipates that the construction company will earn $0.37 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.38. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Sterling Construction’s Q4 2018 earnings at $0.21 EPS.

• [By ]

  Cramer was bearish on BGC Partners (BGCP) , Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) , Sterling Construction Co. Inc.  (STRL) and B&G Foods (BGS) .

  Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Tuesday afternoon, the industrial shares rose 0.73 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Yangtze River Port and Logistics Limited (NASDAQ: YRIV), up 28 percent, and Sterling Construction Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRL) up 15 percent.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) rose 30.8 percent to $22.00 in pre-market trading after declining 18.63 percent on Monday. Nevsun Resources Ltd. (NYSE: NSU) rose 14.5 percent to $3.40 in pre-market trading after Lundin Mining Corporation and Euro Sun Mining Inc. proposed to acquire Nevsun Resources for around C$1.5 billion. Sharing Economy International Inc. (NASDAQ: SEII) rose 15.2 percent to $4.25 in pre-market trading after the company disclosed that it entered into a license agreement with Ecrent Capital Holdings Limited. Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) shares rose 14.1 percent to $19.50 in pre-market trading after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Impinj, Inc. (NASDAQ: PI) rose 13.4 percent to $15.40 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. SandRidge Energy, Inc. (NYSE: SD) shares rose 13.2 percent to $16.45 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) rose 12.6 percent to $4.55 in pre-market trading after jumping 171.14 percent on Monday. Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) shares rose 10 percent to $16.66 in pre-market trading after the company reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter and issued strong sales forecast for the second quarter. Pareteum Corporation (NASDAQ: TEUM) rose 9.7 percent to $3.05 in pre-market trading after announcing Q1 results. Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) rose 8 percent to $9.00 in pre-market trading after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRGI) rose 7.3 percent to $23.45 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. IAMGOLD Corporation (NYSE: IAG) rose 7.1 percent to $6.09 in pre-market trading after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. TC PipeLines, LP (NYSE: TCP) rose 6.4 percent to $27 in pre-market trading after gaining 2.08 percent on Monday. Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TAST) rose 6.3 percent to $11.75 in pre-market trading fol
• [By ]

  Sterling Construction Co. Inc (STRL) : "I'm going to stick with U.S. Concrete (USCR) ."

  B&G Foods (BGS) : "No, we're going to stay away. This group is a snake pit."

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Buy Right Now: Adams Diversified Equity Fund, Inc.(ADX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  AdEx (CURRENCY:ADX) traded up 9.2% against the dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 18:00 PM Eastern on April 24th. In the last seven days, AdEx has traded up 47.7% against the dollar. One AdEx token can now be purchased for about $1.12 or 0.00011782 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including IDEX, Huobi, EtherDelta (ForkDelta) and Liqui. AdEx has a total market cap of $81.99 million and approximately $13.84 million worth of AdEx was traded on exchanges in the last day.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  AdEx (CURRENCY:ADX) traded 2.3% lower against the U.S. dollar during the 1-day period ending at 15:00 PM E.T. on May 12th. One AdEx token can now be purchased for $0.77 or 0.00009068 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including IDEX, EtherDelta (ForkDelta), Binance and Gatecoin. During the last seven days, AdEx has traded 25.9% lower against the U.S. dollar. AdEx has a total market cap of $56.24 million and $2.87 million worth of AdEx was traded on exchanges in the last day.

Head-To-Head Review: RingCentral (RNG) & Inovalon (INOV)

RingCentral (NYSE: RNG) and Inovalon (NASDAQ:INOV) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Earnings & Valuation

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This table compares RingCentral and Inovalon’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
RingCentral	$501.53 million	11.64	-$26.14 million	($0.35)	-211.86
Inovalon	$449.36 million	3.49	$34.81 million	$0.23	44.78

Inovalon has lower revenue, but higher earnings than RingCentral. RingCentral is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Inovalon, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares RingCentral and Inovalon’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
RingCentral	-3.99%	-9.90%	-4.62%
Inovalon	3.20%	2.50%	1.62%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for RingCentral and Inovalon, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
RingCentral	0	3	9	0	2.75
Inovalon	1	3	0	0	1.75

RingCentral presently has a consensus target price of $64.83, indicating a potential downside of 12.56%. Inovalon has a consensus target price of $12.00, indicating a potential upside of 16.50%. Given Inovalon’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Inovalon is more favorable than RingCentral.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

77.6% of RingCentral shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 29.5% of Inovalon shares are held by institutional investors. 12.0% of RingCentral shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 50.9% of Inovalon shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

RingCentral has a beta of 0.67, suggesting that its share price is 33% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Inovalon has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its share price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Inovalon beats RingCentral on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About RingCentral

RingCentral, Inc. provides software-as-a-service solutions for business communications and collaboration primarily in the United States. The company's products include RingCentral Office, a multi-tenant, multi-location, and enterprise-grade communications and collaboration solution that enables employees to communicate through voice, text, team messaging and collaboration, and HD video and Web conferencing through smartphones, tablets, PCs, and desk phones for businesses, which require a communications solution; RingCentral Professional, an inbound call routing subscription with additional text and fax capabilities primarily for smaller businesses; and RingCentral Fax solution that offers Internet fax capabilities, which allow businesses to send and receive fax documents without the need for a fax machine. Its products also comprise RingCentral Contact Center that provides a cloud based contact center solution, which delivers omni-channel capabilities; and RingCentral Glip, a team messaging and collaboration solution that allows a range of teams to stay connected through various modes of communication through an integration with RingCentral Office. RingCentral, Inc. serves a range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, legal services, real estate, retail, technology, insurance, construction, hospitality, and state and local government, as well as others. The company sells its products through a network of direct sales representatives, as well as sales agents and channel partners. RingCentral, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Belmont, California.

About Inovalon

Inovalon Holdings, Inc., a technology company, provides cloud-based platforms empowering a data-driven transformation from volume-based to value-based models in the healthcare industry. The company's platform enables the assessment and enhancement of clinical and quality outcomes and financial performance. It serves health plans and provider organizations, as well as pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics companies. The company provides technology that supports approximately 500 healthcare organizations. Its platforms are informed by data pertaining to approximately 932,000 physicians; 455,000 clinical facilities; and approximately 240 million individuals and 37 billion medical events. Inovalon Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Bowie, Maryland.

Trader-Based Social Network TradingView Raises $37 Million In Series B Funding

TradingView, winner of Best Analysis Tool at Benzinga’s 2017 Fintech Awards, announced Monday that it closed a $37-million round of Series B financing meant to expand its software suite and international reach.

The seven-year-old company operates one of the market’s largest financial and social platforms meant to democratize trading among self-directed investors.

With more cash on hand, TradingView intends to expand over the next six to 12 months by:

Moving its headquarters to the financial hub of New York; Expanding charting and analytics data with the potential addition of options; Adding more U.S. and international brokers, such as Robinhood, E*TRADE Financial Corp (NADSAQ: ETFC) and TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: AMTD); Incorporating big crypto exchanges; and Building out mobile and app platforms.

It also plans to improve international interactions.

"There's a lot of things to be done in terms of visibility in each region," TradingView COO Stan Bokov told Benzinga. "China is huge in the trading world, and it requires Weibo, QQ and Alipay integrations, etc. so we'll be focusing a lot on local needs, what kind of news they need, data, experience, pricing, etc."

TradingView's products appeal largely to millennials but also support institutional clients such as CME Group, Investopedia, Zacks and national exchanges.

"TradingView has clearly emerged as the preeminent charting platform and social network for active traders," Peter Johnson, vice president at Jump Capital, said in a press release. "Their tools have become an invaluable resource to the trading community, as demonstrated by their rapid growth to over 8 million monthly users and integrations into thousands of leading exchanges and financial applications."

In its early days, TradingView got a boost from TechStars Chicago and secured $3.7 million from TechStars, Irish Angels, iTech Capital and other angel investors. Its latest round of financing was led by Insight Venture Partners with contributions from Jump Capital and DRW Venture Capital.

Related Links:

'Trading Is The Ultimate Goal': Fintech Is Dictating The Development Of Cryptocurrency

For Traders, The Right Charting Software Is Critical

Photo courtesy of TradingView.

Best Performing Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:TSN,WYNN,ASTE,HTZ,

An erosion of their wealth may not be the only piece of bad news for those who hold Punjab National Bank's (PNB) stock. The 125-percent fall in its price since January has resulted in the bank's market capitalisation falling to less than that of its subsidiary PNB Housing Finance.

According to data available with BSE, PNB��s market cap�has fallen�to Rs 20,925.15 crore, less than PNB Housing Finance��s Rs 21,322.92 crore. PNB Housing Finance's stock is currently trading around 5 percent lower than the price at which it started the calendar year.

PNB�has been at the centre of a Rs 14,000-crore bank fraud involving businessmen Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Poor financial performance on the back of rising non-performing assets (NPAs), and a surge in provisions have also weighed on sentiment.

The bank recently reported a net loss of Rs 13,416.91 crore for the quarter ended March, the highest quarterly loss ever posted by any Indian bank. The bottom line was dragged down by a threefold surge in provisions towards bad loans, because the bank chose to provide for most of its bad loans in the March quarter itself.

Best Performing Stocks To Invest In 2019: Tyson Foods Inc.(TSN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  But what investors are overlooking are the fundamental risks to this logic. Corporate earnings are the lifeblood of the market, keep in mind. Higher oil prices have already translated into higher gas prices, which is a key risk to automakers such as Ford (F) and General Motors (GM) that have pivoted big-time to producing SUVs and trucks. Higher oil prices have already taken a toll on earnings for packaged food giants like Proctor & Gamble (PG) and Tyson Foods (TSN) . Now, each are staring at consumer price increases because it costs more to deliver their products to stores.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) reported weaker-than-expected results for its fiscal second quarter.

  Tyson posted quarterly earnings of $1.271 per share on sales of $9.773 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $1.32 per share on sales of $9.89 billion. Tyson expects FY18 earnings of $6.55 to $6.70 per share.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Media headlines about Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) have been trending somewhat positive this week, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group rates the sentiment of news coverage by monitoring more than 20 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. Tyson Foods earned a media sentiment score of 0.19 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned headlines about the company an impact score of 46.975937339582 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the next several days.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) reported weaker-than-expected results for its fiscal second quarter.

  Tyson posted quarterly earnings of $1.271 per share on sales of $9.773 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $1.32 per share on sales of $9.89 billion. Tyson expects FY18 earnings of $6.55 to $6.70 per share.

• [By ]

  Cramer said he'll be listening to Tyson Foods (TSN) on Monday, but with rising input costs, the bears are likely to keep winning in the short-term. On a positive note, Service Now (NOW) will be holding an analyst day, which will be sure to ignite the cloud stocks.

• [By ]

  In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on T-Mobile US (TMUS) , Lennar (LEN) , Toll Brothers (TOL) , Tyson Foods (TSN) , JB Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) and International Paper (IP) .

Best Performing Stocks To Invest In 2019: Wynn Resorts, Limited(WYNN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  My most recent recommendation to Income Trader readers is on a stock that was recently flagged by an ITV signal -- Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN).

• [By Chris Lange]

  The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Monday was Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN) which traded down roughly 9% at $163.45. The stock��s 52-week range is $92.67 to $203.63. Volume was about 26 million compared to the daily average volume of 2.2 million.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Just in case you thought Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) CEO Matthew Maddox was suggesting he would sell the pending Boston Harbor resort to prevent any "contagion"�of misconduct allegations from spreading to the rest of the company, he wants you to know that, no, the project is not up for sale.

Best Performing Stocks To Invest In 2019: Astec Industries, Inc.(ASTE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shares of Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $67.25.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Dean Investment Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) by 5.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 59,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,870 shares during the period. Dean Investment Associates LLC’s holdings in Astec Industries were worth $3,256,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Best Performing Stocks To Invest In 2019: Hertz Global Holdings Inc(HTZ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) were down 11 percent to $19.77 after the company reported a wider-than-expected loss for its first quarter.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) were down 17 percent to $18.505 after the company reported a wider-than-expected loss for its first quarter.

• [By Daniel Miller]

  Shares of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HTZ), an automotive vehicle rental service specialist, are down 14% as of 11:30 a.m. EDT after the company announced disappointing first-quarter results.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Nevro Corp. (NASDAQ: NVRO) fell 11.6 percent to $81.58 in pre-market trading after reporting wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) shares fell 8.3 percent to $20.33 in pre-market trading after the company reported a wider-than-expected loss for its first quarter. Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) fell 7.5 percent to $51.74 in pre-market trading. Zillow reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter, but issued weak sales guidance for the second quarter. Sanchez Energy Corporation (NYSE: SN) fell 7.2 percent to $3.11 in pre-market trading after reporting wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) shares fell 5.5 percent to $4.14 in pre-market trading after rising 11.17 percent on Monday. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) fell 5.1 percent to $95.00 in pre-market trading. Albemarle declared a quarterly dividend of $0.335 per share. Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM) fell 4.8 percent to $23.80 in pre-market trading. Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA) fell 4.5 percent to $57.14 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Kitov Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ: KTOV) shares fell 4.3 percent to $2.25 in pre-market trading after gaining 1.73 percent on Monday. 51job, Inc. (NASDAQ: JOBS) shares fell 4.2 percent to $93 in pre-market trading after rising 3.55 percent on Monday