Benefitfocus Secondary Offering Will Eliminate 2 of Its Top Holders

Benefitfocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNFT) has seen its shares recently hit all-time highs. The company announced earnings after the close of trading on Tuesday, but its shares are getting battered because a shelf registration for a secondary offering is going to eliminate two of the five largest institutional shareholders. This will also add a substantial amount of free floating shares available to the public.

Benefitfocus is a cloud-based benefits management platform and services provider. The company announced that certain funds managed by Goldman Sachs and by Mercer have filed to sell an aggregate of 5,704,758 shares of common stock in a secondary offering. The company will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by these selling stockholders.

While the company said the offering will not impact the number of shares outstanding, this still increases the free float of shares that individuals and/or other institutions can more easily purchase.

The company did report earnings of $0.14 in adjusted earnings per share on revenues of $74.8 million. Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) had its consensus estimates as $0.10 EPS and $72.9 million in revenues. Its guidance for first quarter revenues of $66.5 million to $68.5 million was under the consensus estimate of $71.5 million.

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) is listed in the automatic shelf registration as owning 3,791,835 shares of common stock, an 11.8% stake in the company, and it will hold just 48,889 shares after the offering. Goldman Sachs spent just over $100 million back in 2007 to purchase what was roughly 66% of the business around its 2013 IPO.

Mercer LLC, under the Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE: MMC), is shown to be the other shareholder selling shares. It was shown in the shelf registration that Mercer owns 2,817,526 shares, an 8.8% stake, and it will own 0 shares after the offering.

The sale will be led by J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs and BofA Merrill Lynch. Co-managers for the offering were listed as Piper Jaffray, Raymond James, Wedbush Securities, and First Analysis Securities.

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This will leave funds managed by Fidelity, BAMCO, Vanguard, Blackrock and Artisan Partners as the top 5 institutional holders with a combined 44% of the float.

Benefitfocus shares closed down 0.8% at $57.80 on Tuesday, versus a 52-wewek range of $21.75 to $60.66. Its market cap at the close of trading was $1.85 billion, but its shares were initially trading down 8.8% at $52.70 after the news.

This company came public in 2013 at $26.50 per share in a 4 million share initial public offering.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:EBIX,PNTR,YNDX,SOHU,OMCL,

This post originally appeared on TradeStation's Market Insights blog, and is for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as a trade recommendation. Options trading may not be suitable for all investors.

Options traders are rekindling an old flame as energy comes back to life.

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE: LNG) was a darling in the natural-gas frenzy that swept markets early this decade. Its planned fleet of massive tankers would carry America's abundant shale gas to Asia and Europe. Old smoke-belching coal plants would shut down and "carbon footprints" around the globe would shrink -- all thanks to a new kind of technology based on super-cooled compressed natural gas.

Even if you never heard of it, LNG saw huge options activity in those days. TradeStation data shows it often trading more than 100,000 contracts per session in 2013 and 2014. Derivatives flow dried up over the next three years as energy crashed, but now they're roaring back.

Almost 59,000 contracts changed hands in LNG on Wednesday, its busiest session in over two years. A single large bullish roll accounted for almost all the volume as an investor pushed a large upside bet through the end of the summer. Here's a breakdown:

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Ebix, Inc.(EBIX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Ebix Inc (NASDAQ:EBIX) were down 5.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $57.66 and last traded at $61.47. Approximately 18,499 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 189,931 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.10.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Ebix (NASDAQ:EBIX) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The technology company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.01), MarketWatch Earnings reports. The business had revenue of $108.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $106.81 million. Ebix had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 27.65%. Ebix’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.8% on a year-over-year basis.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Ebix (NASDAQ: EBIX) and Godaddy (NYSE:GDDY) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends and earnings.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Ebix (NASDAQ: EBIX) and Mattersight (NASDAQ:MATR) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Pointer Telocation Ltd.(PNTR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Pointer Telocation (NASDAQ:PNTR)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by HC Wainwright in a report released on Monday. They presently have a $24.50 target price on the communications equipment provider’s stock. HC Wainwright’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 89.92% from the stock’s current price.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Pointer Telocation (PNTR)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Pointer Telocation Ltd (NASDAQ:PNTR) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $10.25 and last traded at $11.05, with a volume of 5226 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.85.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: PNTR) and Pointer Telocation (NASDAQ:PNTR) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and risk.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Pointer Telocation Ltd (NASDAQ:PNTR) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.33.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  QUALCOMM (NASDAQ: QCOM) and Pointer Telocation (NASDAQ:PNTR) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, risk and valuation.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Yandex N.V.(YNDX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rex Moore]

  1. Yandex highlights advances in self-driving carsMy top moment came far from the convention center crowds, in a self-driving car by a company largely unfamiliar to Americans. The company is Yandex (NASDAQ:YNDX) -- known as the "Google of Russia" because it dominates internet search in that country and rakes in a lot of cash because of it.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribing]

  Yandex (NASDAQ:YNDX) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 15, 2019 8:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS purchased a new stake in shares of Yandex NV (NASDAQ:YNDX) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 78,843 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,830,000.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Yandex (NASDAQ: YNDX) and Jianpu Technology (NYSE:JT) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, risk and earnings.

• [By Leo Sun]

  Yandex (NASDAQ:YNDX) owns Russia's top search engine, but its lead over Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google always had a caveat: Yandex was more popular on desktop PCs, but Google consistently beat Yandex on tablets and smartphones, sparking concerns about Yandex's mobile growth.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Sohu.com Inc.(SOHU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  Shares of Chinese internet company Sohu.com (NASDAQ:SOHU) fell as much as 11.8% on Wednesday, following the company's first-quarter earnings release. The stock is down 8.4% at the time of this writing.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Sohu.com (NASDAQ:SOHU) is still struggling to fire on all cylinders, but investors nonetheless bid shares of the dot-com pioneer higher on Friday after it posted mixed fourth-quarter results. Revenue clocked in at $482.2 million for the final three months of 2018, a 5% decline from a year earlier, but a 5% sequential improvement. 

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  I've been covering Sohu.com (NASDAQ:SOHU) for awhile, so when the Chinese internet pioneer announced plans to spin off Sogou, I was more than a little interested. Sogou has been the main growth driver at Sohu for years. With Sohu's online advertising business meandering and its internet gaming business proving volatile, search has been its crown jewel.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  The market isn't warming up to Sohu.com's (NASDAQ:SOHU) latest financial report. Its shares are hitting their lowest levels since the summer of 2007 after the Chinese online advertising, search, and gaming specialist posted disappointing first-quarter results on Wednesday morning. 

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  It's now been seven months since Sohu.com (NASDAQ:SOHU) completed its objective of spinning off Sogou. Sogou had been the fastest growing component at Sohu for years. It should have taken off after trading on its own merits, but that failed to happen. Though the shares inched slightly higher in their first few days of trading, Sogou has spent most of its time since late November as a broken IPO until it finally cracked the $13 ceiling today in intraday trading.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Omnicell Inc.(OMCL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Omnicell Inc  (NASDAQ:OMCL)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 07, 2019, 4:30 p.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Max Byerly]

  Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Omnicell, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMCL) by 6.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,390 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,735 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.21% of Omnicell worth $4,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Omnicell, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMCL) Director James T. Judson sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.90, for a total value of $344,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,952 shares in the company, valued at $2,408,192.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Why Devon Energy Stock Is Surging Today

What happened

Shares of Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) were in rally mode on Wednesday, surging more than 10% by 10:00 a.m. EST. Fueling the gains in the oil producer's stock were its fourth-quarter results.

So what

On the one hand, Devon Energy's fourth-quarter report was a bit underwhelming. For starters, the oil company's core earnings of $46 million, or $0.10 per share, came in $0.21 per share below the consensus estimate. That miss was due in large part to the company's U.S. operations, where oil production came in below the low end of Devon's guidance range due to timing delays, which pushed high-margin wells into 2019.

Image source: Getty Images.

Investors, however, were able to overlook those lackluster results, because the company also unveiled plans to complete its transformation into a U.S.-focused oil growth company. Devon intends to do so by pursuing the separation of its Canadian oil sands properties and its gas-focused Barnett Shale assets through either a spinoff or sale of these businesses. By shedding these operations, Devon will transform into a low-cost, high-growth oil producer focused on four top-tier, oil-rich shale plays.

The company also said that it plans to invest less capital this year in drilling new wells. That budget will enable the company to keep spending to within the cash flow it can produce on $46 oil, which is still enough money to grow its U.S. oil output 13% to 18% from 2017's average. Further, Devon added $1 billion to its share-buyback program, boosting it up to $5 billion, which is enough money to retire 30% of its outstanding shares. Finally, the company increased its dividend by 13%.

Now what

Devon Energy's decision to streamline its operations and focus on four core regions thrilled investors. The new Devon will be able to deliver healthy growth at much lower oil prices, which will enable it to generate even more free cash that it intends to return to shareholders. The company believes that this balance of growth and shareholder returns will create significant value for investors.

IQVIA Holdings Inc (IQV) Files 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December 31, 2018

IQVIA Holdings Inc (NYSE:IQV) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2018. IQVIA Holdings Inc is an information and technology-enabled healthcare service provider to the pharmaceutical services, biotechnology, and healthcare industries. The Commercial Solutions and Research and Development Solutions generate maximum revenue. IQVIA Holdings Inc has a market cap of $28.02 billion; its shares were traded at around $141.85 with a P/E ratio of 114.40 and P/S ratio of 2.84. IQVIA Holdings Inc had annual average EBITDA growth of 14.10% over the past five years.

For the last quarter IQVIA Holdings Inc reported a revenue of $2.7 billion, compared with the revenue of $2.6 billion during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $10.4 billion, an increase of 6.9% from last year. For the last five years IQVIA Holdings Inc had an average revenue growth rate of 17% a year.

The reported diluted earnings per share was $1.24 for the year, a decline of 78.9% from the previous year. Over the last five years IQVIA Holdings Inc had an average EPS decline of 2.4% a year. The IQVIA Holdings Inc had an operating margin of 7.77%, compared with the operating margin of 8.44% a year before. The 10-year historical median operating margin of IQVIA Holdings Inc is 9.34%. The profitability rank of the company is 6 (out of 10).

At the end of the fiscal year, IQVIA Holdings Inc has the cash and cash equivalents of $891.0 million, compared with $959.0 million in the previous year. The long term debt was $10.9 billion, compared with $10.1 billion in the previous year. The interest coverage to the debt is 2, which is not a favorable level. IQVIA Holdings Inc has a financial strength rank of 5 (out of 10).

At the current stock price of $141.85, IQVIA Holdings Inc is traded at 79.4% premium to its historical median P/S valuation band of $79.05. The P/S ratio of the stock is 2.84, while the historical median P/S ratio is 1.58. The stock gained 39.66% during the past 12 months.

Directors and Officers Recent Trades:

Director Ronald A Rittenmeyer sold 3,840 shares of IQV stock on 02/05/2019 at the average price of $130. The price of the stock has increased by 9.12% since.

For the complete 20-year historical financial data of IQV, click here.

Zacks: Analysts Expect CDK Global Inc (CDK) to Post $0.94 EPS

Wall Street brokerages expect CDK Global Inc (NASDAQ:CDK) to announce earnings per share of $0.94 for the current quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Four analysts have made estimates for CDK Global’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $0.96 and the lowest estimate coming in at $0.92. CDK Global posted earnings of $0.85 per share during the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year-over-year growth rate of 10.6%. The firm is scheduled to issue its next earnings report on Thursday, April 25th.

On average, analysts expect that CDK Global will report full-year earnings of $3.75 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $3.70 to $3.78. For the next financial year, analysts anticipate that the business will post earnings of $4.23 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.01 to $4.33. Zacks Investment Research’s earnings per share averages are an average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that follow CDK Global.

Get CDK Global alerts:

CDK Global (NASDAQ:CDK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 5th. The software maker reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.12. CDK Global had a negative return on equity of 135.00% and a net margin of 16.36%. The firm had revenue of $590.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $578.91 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

CDK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $62.00 price objective on shares of CDK Global and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 8th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of CDK Global from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 11th. Oppenheimer set a $67.00 price objective on shares of CDK Global and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 5th. Barrington Research set a $80.00 price objective on shares of CDK Global and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 13th. Finally, BidaskClub raised shares of CDK Global from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.25.

In other CDK Global news, insider Neil Packham purchased 588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $47.76 per share, with a total value of $28,082.88. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 588 shares in the company, valued at $28,082.88. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bruderman Asset Management LLC lifted its position in CDK Global by 722.7% in the 4th quarter. Bruderman Asset Management LLC now owns 543 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional bought a new position in CDK Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new position in CDK Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in CDK Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its position in CDK Global by 27.6% in the 4th quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 1,045 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $183,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. 82.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CDK Global stock traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $58.19. 1,606,803 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,371,006. CDK Global has a twelve month low of $44.01 and a twelve month high of $71.70. The company has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.65.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 28th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. CDK Global’s payout ratio is 19.74%.

CDK Global Company Profile

CDK Global, Inc provides software and technology solutions for automotive retailers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Retail Solutions North America, Advertising North America, and CDK International segments. The company offers Dealer Management System (DMS), a portfolio of layered software applications and services for automotive retailers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), consumers, and other industry participants manage the acquisition, sale, financing, insuring, parts supply, and repair and maintenance of vehicles.

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

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

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:FCEL,ATAI,MOBI,PQ,

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USAA announced the initial trading of its first USAA-branded exchange-traded funds on NYSE Arca.

The new suite of ETFs, which consists of four smart beta equity ETFs and two fixed income ETFs, was built as a core portfolio-building solution, providing investors more choices at a competitive entry point.

The smart beta equity ETFs strategy is to focus on two primary factors: value and momentum, which identify stocks with attractive valuations and positive price momentum. The strategy includes holdings that are weighted in such a way to help diversify the risk of the individual holdings.

The four new smart beta equity ETFs include USAA MSCI USA Value Momentum Blend Index ETF (ULVM), which has a net expense ratio of 20 basis points; USAA MSCI USA Small Cap Value Momentum Blend Index ETF (USVM), which has a net expense ratio of 25 basis points; USAA MSCI International Value Momentum Blend Index ETF (UIVM), with a net expense ratio of 35 basis points; and USAA MSCI Emerging Markets Value Momentum Blend Index ETF (UEVM), which has a net expense ratio of 45 basis points.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: FuelCell Energy Inc.(FCEL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on FuelCell Energy (FCEL)

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

• [By Paul Ausick]

  FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) posted an increase of 8% in short interest during the two-week period. Some 7.45 million shares were short as of May 31. The stock’s price was $1.76 at Monday’s market close, a spike of about 1.1% for the day, within a 52-week range of $1.08 to $2.49. Shares traded up about 2.5% in the two-week short interest period, and the number of days to cover rose from 14 to 17.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL) and Integer (NYSE:ITGR) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership and risk.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) posted a decrease of 25.7% in short interest during the period. Some 5.86 million shares were short as of April 30. The stock closed at $1.93 on Wednesday, up about 1.6% for the day, in a 52-week range of $0.80 to $2.49. Shares traded down about 7.8% in the short interest period, and days to cover rose from six to eight.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: ATA Inc.(ATAI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  ATA Inc. (NASDAQ: ATAI) traded down about 14% Monday to set a new 52-week low of $0.82, based on revalued shares that closed at $0.72 on Friday but traded up about 250% on Monday at $2.53. Volume was more than 200 times the daily average of around 42,000. You’re on your own here to figure this one out.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Sky-mobi Limited(MOBI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Mobius (CURRENCY:MOBI) traded 12.4% lower against the US dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 17:00 PM E.T. on September 25th. One Mobius token can now be bought for approximately $0.0265 or 0.00000414 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Gate.io, Kucoin, BitMart and GOPAX. Over the last week, Mobius has traded up 8.8% against the US dollar. Mobius has a market cap of $10.22 million and approximately $69,762.00 worth of Mobius was traded on exchanges in the last day.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Mobius (CURRENCY:MOBI) traded 1.2% lower against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 14:00 PM E.T. on August 21st. In the last week, Mobius has traded down 1.1% against the dollar. One Mobius token can now be bought for about $0.0291 or 0.00000452 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including GOPAX, BitMart, Gate.io and Stellar Decentralized Exchange. Mobius has a total market capitalization of $11.23 million and approximately $78,528.00 worth of Mobius was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Mobius (CURRENCY:MOBI) traded up 0.1% against the dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 18:00 PM ET on February 11th. In the last week, Mobius has traded 3.1% lower against the dollar. One Mobius token can now be bought for approximately $0.0095 or 0.00000260 BTC on exchanges including OTCBTC, Gate.io, Stellar Decentralized Exchange and BitMart. Mobius has a total market capitalization of $4.89 million and approximately $19,445.00 worth of Mobius was traded on exchanges in the last day.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Media coverage about Sky-mobi (NASDAQ:MOBI) has trended somewhat positive this week, according to Accern Sentiment. The research group ranks the sentiment of media coverage by analyzing more than twenty million news and blog sources. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Sky-mobi earned a news impact score of 0.06 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news stories about the software maker an impact score of 45.6853785900783 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near term.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Petroquest Energy Inc(PQ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  News headlines about Petroquest Energy (NYSE:PQ) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern identifies negative and positive news coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Petroquest Energy earned a coverage optimism score of 0.05 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news stories about the energy company an impact score of 47.638327846877 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.

Cisco Does It Again in Q2

When Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) reported its fiscal second-quarter financial results after the markets closed on Wednesday, the company posted $0.73 in earnings per share (EPS) and $12.4 billion in revenue. Consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters that had called for $0.72 in EPS and revenue of $12.41 billion. In the same period of last year, Cisco said it had EPS of $0.0.63 on $11.69 billion in revenue.

During the most recent quarter, total revenue increased 7% year over year, with product revenue up 9% and service revenue up 1%. Revenue by geographic segment: Americas up 7%, EMEA up 8% and APJC up 5%. Product revenue performance was generally broad-based, with growth in Applications, up 24%, Security, up 18% and Infrastructure Platforms, up 6%.

Deferred revenue totaled $17.3 billion, down 8% in total, with deferred product revenue down 23%. Deferred service revenue was up 3%.

Looking ahead to the fiscal second quarter, the company expects to see EPS in the range of $0.76 to $0.78 and revenue growing between 4% and 6% year over year. Consensus estimates call for $0.76 in EPS and $12.84 billion in revenue.

Chuck Robbins, board chair and chief executive of Cisco, commented:

We are very pleased with our strong performance in the quarter. Our teams are executing incredibly well, aggressively transitioning to a software model and accelerating our pace of innovation. We are redefining and connecting every domain of the networking infrastructure to deliver the agility, operational efficiency and security our customers require to embrace multicloud, edge computing and digital transformation.

Shares of Cisco closed Wednesday at $47.50, with a consensus analyst price target of $52.64. The stock has a 52-week trading range of $40.19 to $49.47. Following the announcement, the stock was up about 5% at $49.70.

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In Love? Make Sure Money Secrets Don't Ruin Your Relationship

Few people talk much about their finances early in a relationship. When you're still learning about your new romantic interest's favorite music and cuisines, it's a bit awkward to ask how much credit card debt they have.

The problem is that even as couples get more serious about each other -- and sometimes, even after they decide to get married -- they frequently keep sidestepping those potentially fraught money discussions. In fact, only 51% of engaged couples talk about how they will handle money once they get married before they tie the knot, according to a recent survey. And among respondents to that SunTrust survey (conducted by The Harris Poll), only 41% even told their soon-to-be-spouse exactly how much they earned, while just 36% disclosed the full extent of their debts.

Communication failures like those are a recipe for relationship disasters. But wealth advisor Julia Pham of investment management firm Halbert Hargrove has some suggestions that can help couples figure out how to begin those discussions, and avoid some common financial pitfalls.

You should talk about finances with your partner before considering marriages. Image source: Getty Images.

Go in eyes open

As noted above, a first date may not be the best time to bring up finances, though Pham knows someone "who felt comfortable asking their date that they just met what their credit score was!" That's probably a little pushy for that stage of things -- and it's a move that could seriously cut your odds of getting a second date. 

"I typically find that a good time to talk about finances is when things start to get serious," she wrote. (Our interview was conducted by email.) "However, the nice thing is that people will show you who they are by how they act, and you can figure out early on some hints as to how a person manages money through certain behavioral tells."

You can tell a lot about a person from their spending habits. Of course, you should also factor in that someone trying to impress you might be acting somewhat out of character when it comes to their spending on those early dates.

"Do they act impulsively and spend lots of money on flashy clothes or accessories? Are they constantly on social media posting pictures of their most recent luxury vacation, even though what they do for a living doesn't seem like it would support that lifestyle?" she wrote. "These are red flags and signs that they could be spending beyond their means."

There's no universally right moment in a relationship to sit down for a deep chat on finances, but there is a point beyond which people shouldn't delay: Once a couple decides to move in together, it's imperative that they lay all their cards on the table. And that conversation should go well beyond each person's financial situation. A soon-to-be cohabitating couple needs to get clear about how they'll  handle money together.

"There is no right or wrong way," Pham wrote. "Whether they decide to combine finances or keep them separate, it's important to communicate, be 100% honest, and be respectful of the other person's opinion about money."

That can be particularly hard if the two have widely differing views on handling money. In such cases, Pham offers this suggestion.

"Having a hybrid of both joint and separate accounts is also a great solution, so that shared expenses can be easily paid for while [each party is] able to maintain some independence and control," she wrote.

Keep an open dialogue

Once you move past the dating stage and into being a couple, it's important to maintain an open financial dialogue. This means talking about what your hopes and dreams are, as well as how you plan to achieve them. If one person wants to embrace a life of frugality so they can retire by 45, while the other always expected to work until 70, but spend more freely along the way, well, that disparity needs to be addressed.

It all comes down to openness. You can avoid fights -- and even breakups -- with a policy of transparency. So keep your surprises in the romantic realm, rather than on your credit report.

Best Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:TSRO,XHR,IBKC,CAE,

"We all know that the rate of improvement in microprocessor speed exceeds the rate of improvement in DRAM memory speed, each is improving exponentially, but the exponent for microprocessors is substantially larger than that for DRAMs. The difference between diverging exponentials also grows exponentially; so, although the disparity between processor and memory speed is already an issue, downstream someplace it will be a much bigger one. How big and how soon? […] We want to look at how the average access time changes with technology, so we'll make some conservative assumptions; as you'll see, the specific values won't change the basic conclusion of this note, namely that we are going to hit a wall in the improvement of system performance unless something basic changes." - "Hitting the Memory Wall – Implications of the Obvious" – William Wulf and Sally A. McKee, University of Virginia - 1994

_________________________________

"Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it

Best Stocks To Own For 2019: TESARO, Inc.(TSRO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Here are some of the headlines that may have effected Accern Sentiment Analysis’s analysis:

  Get TESARO alerts: TESARO Partners With the Pan-Mass Challenge for 2018 Ride Benefiting Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (finance.yahoo.com) TESARO Inc Expected to Post FY2021 Earnings of $3.00 Per Share (TSRO) (americanbankingnews.com) TESARO (TSRO) Draws $200 Million From Second Tranche of Non-Dilutive Term Loan Financing (streetinsider.com) TESARO Draws $200 Million From Second Tranche of Non-Dilutive Term Loan Financing (finance.yahoo.com) Tesaro to sell Varubi rights for U.S. and Canada to TerSera for $40M (seekingalpha.com)

  A number of equities analysts recently commented on TSRO shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of TESARO from $94.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 4th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of TESARO from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 4th. Argus reduced their price objective on shares of TESARO from $154.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd. Lake Street Capital set a $120.00 price objective on shares of TESARO and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of TESARO in a research note on Tuesday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. TESARO currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $111.24.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Tesaro Inc. (NASDAQ: TSRO) is expected to issue an update on its regulatory discussions with FDA regarding niraparib in breast cancer. Shares of Omeros closed Friday at $44.47, with a consensus analyst target of $77.67 and a 52-week range of $38.40 to $143.45.

• [By Todd Campbell]

  If that's the case, then Opko Health is going to need some big wins. Unfortunately, Opko Health's acquisitions haven't panned out so far. It's been slow going for Rayaldee, and BioReference Labs' revenue is declining. Also, a chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting drug, Varubi, that it licensed to Tesaro (NASDAQ:TSRO) and that won FDA approval in 2015 has been a commercial dud. Earlier this year, Tesaro walked away from Varubi after it had to pull an IV formulation off the market following reports of anaphylaxis. Overall, Opko reported a $6.2 million net loss on $263.7 million in sales, down 10% year over year, in Q2. 

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

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

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Friday was a good day on Wall Street, especially for the large companies that make up the broadest major benchmarks. Market participants didn't let a slightly weak July employment report rain on their parade, instead insisting that the long-term course of the U.S. economy still looks overwhelmingly positive. Nevertheless, that general sentiment wasn't enough to prevent some stocks from posting considerable losses. Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK), Tesaro (NASDAQ:TSRO), and Square (NYSE:SQ) were among the worst performers on the day. Here's why they did so poorly.

Best Stocks To Own For 2019: Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc.(XHR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Chicago Equity Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:XHR) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 330,625 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 9,325 shares during the quarter. Chicago Equity Partners LLC owned 0.31% of Xenia Hotels & Resorts worth $6,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Xenia Hotels & Resorts (XHR)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Penn National Gaming (NASDAQ:PENN) and Xenia Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:XHR) are both mid-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Xenia Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:XHR) hit a new 52-week high and low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $25.42 and last traded at $25.23, with a volume of 36149 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.03.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Xenia Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:XHR) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, profitability and valuation.

Best Stocks To Own For 2019: IBERIABANK Corporation(IBKC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

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

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its position in shares of Iberiabank (NASDAQ:IBKC) by 8.5% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 15,832 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System’s holdings in Iberiabank were worth $1,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Northern Trust Corp cut its holdings in shares of IBERIABANK Corp (NASDAQ:IBKC) by 35.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 743,718 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 401,090 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.33% of IBERIABANK worth $56,374,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: “Rothschild & Co. Asset Management US Inc. Increases Position in IBERIABANK Corp (IBKC)” was first published by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are reading this article on another publication, it was stolen and republished in violation of United States and international copyright & trademark legislation. The legal version of this article can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4146526/rothschild-co-asset-management-us-inc-increases-position-in-iberiabank-corp-ibkc.html.

Best Stocks To Own For 2019: CAE Inc(CAE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

  CAE (TSE:CAE) (NYSE:CAE) had its target price upped by investment analysts at CIBC from C$24.00 to C$27.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday. CIBC’s price objective points to a potential upside of 1.12% from the company’s current price.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Cae Inc (NYSE:CAE) (TSE:CAE) – Equities research analysts at Desjardins lowered their FY2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of CAE in a research note issued to investors on Monday, February 11th. Desjardins analyst B. Poirier now expects that the aerospace company will earn $0.89 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $0.90. Desjardins currently has a “Average” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Desjardins also issued estimates for CAE’s FY2020 earnings at $1.07 EPS and FY2021 earnings at $1.17 EPS.

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

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

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  CAE Inc. (NYSE:CAE)Q1 2019 Earnings Conference CallAug. 14, 2018, 1:30 p.m. ET

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

  Operator

Silicon Valley hedge funder Glen Katcher sees an 'incredible opportunity' in SoftBank

Some of the best investments that Silicon Valley has been chasing after can be found on just one stock: Softbank, hedge funder Glen Kacher told CNBC on Wednesday.

The founder and chief investment officer of Light Street Capital, based in Palo Alto, California, called the Japanese conglomerate an "incredible opportunity." SoftBank is the firm's largest equity holding.

"Their stake in Alibaba is their entire market cap. They also own incredible assets," including a big stake in Yahoo Japan and Sprint, which is awaiting approval of its merger with T-Mobile, Kacher said in an interview with Leslie Picker on "Fast Money: Halftime Report."

"They've got the Vision Fund, which is an incredible business operation where they're shooting guided missiles [of cash] at the best companies..., right? They want to be investors in these companies. And the investors in Silicon Valley are running around with rifles and pistols investing in these companies."

Kacher founded the hedge fund, which largely focuses on tech, in 2010. It has $1.4 billion in assets under management. Its second-largest stock holding is Amazon.

He said he doesn't expect SoftBank to disrupt the venture capital community but instead succeed side by side with it. "It's an incredible opportunity for the individual investor as well as the institutional investor like us to get real exposure to this incredible growth part of the industry where Softbank is investing."

— CNBC's Laura Batchelor contributed to this report.

Disclaimer

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:GLRE,RPAI,BLUE,JHX,BRT,

I didn’t think it was possible for Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger to run out of ways to spend the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A, NYSE:BRK.B) cash hoard, which shrunk to a little more than $100 billion in the first quarter, but it appears that might be the case. Berkshire stock is not what it once was. 

Buffett bought another 75 million shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in Q1 2018 bringing the company’s total ownership to 240.3 million or about 5% of the iPhone maker’s stock.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Apple stock, its products, and even Tim Cook, who’s managed to grow into the job as CEO after the thankless task of following Steve Jobs in the role.

And it’s fair to say that both companies benefit from the investment: Berkshire Hathaway gets something like $700 million in dividends annually and Cook gets a ringing endorsement of his company’s stock and products.

Let’s hope this tech investment turns out better than International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM). I’m pretty sure it will, but it’s hard not to consider that possibility.

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch For 2019: Greenlight Capital Re Ltd.(GLRE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Greenlight Capital Re (GLRE)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLRE) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $14.05 and last traded at $14.15, with a volume of 249308 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.65.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Greenlight Capital Re (NASDAQ:GLRE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported ($3.85) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($4.43) by $0.58. Greenlight Capital Re had a negative return on equity of 23.81% and a negative net margin of 40.65%. The firm had revenue of $0.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.20 million. sell-side analysts forecast that Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. will post -4.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Greenlight Capital Re (NASDAQ:GLRE) was upgraded by analysts at ValuEngine from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch For 2019: Retail Properties of America, Inc.(RPAI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Retail Properties of America (RPAI)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Retail Properties of America (RPAI)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Retail Properties of America Inc (NYSE:RPAI) – Equities research analysts at KeyCorp upped their FY2018 earnings per share estimates for Retail Properties of America in a research note issued on Wednesday, August 15th. KeyCorp analyst T. Thomas now forecasts that the real estate investment trust will post earnings per share of $1.02 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $1.01.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Retail Properties of America Inc. (NYSE: RPAI) investors receive a 5.7% yield. The stock was last seen trading at $11.45 a share. The 52-week range is $10.94 to $14.70, and the consensus price target is $15.44.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lowered its holdings in Retail Properties of America Inc (NYSE:RPAI) by 46.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,722 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 17,915 shares during the quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd’s holdings in Retail Properties of America were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Retail Properties of America (RPAI)

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

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch For 2019: bluebird bio, Inc.(BLUE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Campbell, Keith Speights, and Chuck Saletta]

  Additionally, Celgene's got four other potential blockbuster approval decisions coming by the end of 2020. Earlier this year, it acquired rights to fedratinib, a myelofibrosis drug it plans to submit for approval by the end of 2018. The company also acquired rights to the cancer gene therapy liso-cel earlier this year, and it could win an FDA go/no-go decision in 2019. An application is expected next year for luspatercept, a beta thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndromes drug that Celgene thinks could be a billion-dollar blockbuster, and collaboration partner bluebird bio (NASDAQ:BLUE) could win an FDA OK for the multiple myeloma gene therapy bb2121 in 2020.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In his fourth segment -- something blue -- he talks about clinical-stage gene-therapy company bluebird bio (NASDAQ:BLUE). It's a RuleBreakers recommendation, and it has been for almost three and a half years. It's also a fine illustration of some key Foolish principles of investing.

• [By ]

  Finally, Bluebird Bio (Nasdaq: BLUE) has long been thought as a potential acquisition target. Still a clinical-stage company without a marketable drug, BLUE's potential lies with its proprietary technology and its focus on gene therapies. Up more than four-fold since its June 2013 IPO, BLUE has all the hallmarks of an industry leader.

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch For 2019: James Hardie Industries plc.(JHX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Media headlines about James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX) have been trending somewhat positive on Saturday, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research firm rates the sentiment of media coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. James Hardie Industries earned a coverage optimism score of 0.16 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned press coverage about the construction company an impact score of 45.4803891697197 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch For 2019: BRT Realty Trust(BRT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  BRT Apartments Corp (NYSE:BRT) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, June 12th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 25th will be given a dividend of 0.20 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, July 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 22nd.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  BRT Apartments Corp (NYSE:BRT) – Equities researchers at B. Riley reduced their FY2018 EPS estimates for BRT Apartments in a research report issued on Tuesday, August 21st. B. Riley analyst C. Kucera now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings of $0.94 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $1.13. B. Riley also issued estimates for BRT Apartments’ Q4 2018 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q1 2019 earnings at $0.21 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.22 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.23 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.25 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $0.91 EPS.

• [By Max Byerly]

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

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

Steinberg Global Asset Management Sells 11,006 Shares of Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA)

Steinberg Global Asset Management cut its holdings in shares of Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VEA) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,291 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,006 shares during the quarter. Steinberg Global Asset Management’s holdings in Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF were worth $1,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,295,000. Vectors Research Management LLC acquired a new position in Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,393,000. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC now owns 319,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,851,000 after purchasing an additional 15,956 shares during the last quarter. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF by 40.5% in the 3rd quarter. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. now owns 10,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 3,153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Cubed Investments LLC acquired a new position in Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at about $764,000.

Get Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF alerts:

NYSEARCA:VEA opened at $39.40 on Friday. Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF has a 1-year low of $35.74 and a 1-year high of $45.77.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: “Steinberg Global Asset Management Sells 11,006 Shares of Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA)” was posted by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this report on another website, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of US & international copyright and trademark laws. The legal version of this report can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4141323/steinberg-global-asset-management-sells-11006-shares-of-vanguard-ftse-developed-markets-etf-vea.html.

Recommended Story: Stock Split

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VEA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VEA).

Apple's Trying to Push iPhone Upgrades -- and That's OK!

Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone business is experiencing some turbulence from a number of factors, including lengthening smartphone upgrade cycles, trade tensions between the U.S. and China, and the company's temporary low-cost iPhone battery-replacement program. 

Now, according to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple has apparently "asked retail employees to promote new iPhones using methods not seen before." 

Image source: Apple.

Here's how Bloomberg described those efforts:

Technicians were told to push iPhone upgrades to consumers with out-of-warranty devices. Senior sales staff had to make sure other retail workers were suggesting upgrades, and easels offering generous trade-in deals for the iPhone XR were erected in stores. Apple's online homepage was also replaced with reduced iPhone pricing that required a trade-in of older models.

Although this is newsworthy because Apple hadn't previously employed these tactics, it's simply a good business move. Here's why. 

A new reality

The tactics that Bloomberg described might seem like temporary measures to help Apple get through a rough patch for its iPhone business. I don't think they are.

It's true that some of the issues currently impacting Apple's iPhone business may prove fleeting. Trade tensions are likely to get resolved eventually, for example, and Apple probably won't lower the price of battery replacements again. But there are some permanent matters the company will need to cope with on an ongoing basis.

For instance, market research company IDC believes that the smartphone market may experience a decline in unit sales for the third consecutive year in 2019. Apple is not immune to a smartphone market slowdown, and if the market is shrinking, you'd expect each smartphone vendor to aggressively protect its share while trying to poach customers from competitors.

Apple also participates exclusively in the higher-end portion of the smartphone market, which is troublesome when the low end of the market seems to be outpacing the higher end. 

In the face of this new reality, Apple needs to adjust to maximize its sales and profitability. 

More aggressive marketing over time

Even though Apple has implemented new marketing tactics to boost its iPhone business, and even though the discounted iPhone battery-replacement program has come to an end, the company's financial guidance for the current quarter isn't particularly optimistic.

Apple told investors to expect revenue to be in the range of $55 billion to $59 billion this quarter, down from $61.1 billion in the same period a year ago. Furthermore, Apple's non-iPhone businesses are set to grow year over year, meaning that the company expects a severe decline in iPhone sales. 

This implies that Apple's work is far from done on the marketing side. Over time, the company will need to continue finding new ways to stoke interest in its products and keep working to find ways to make it easier for customers to pay for new devices. Just building great products is no longer enough.

Apple has its work cut out for it, and I think the actions Bloomberg reported represent the first step in what's bound to be a multiyear journey to transform the company's go-to-market strategy. 

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:MMP,RIG,HAL,WPZ,ECA,

When Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) reported its third-quarter earnings late last month, shares dipped on the news even though the company delivered a repeat performance in a long line of strong showings. While shares did trend downward after the quarterly report, the company's stock price is still up more than 21% year to date and more than 40% over the trailing 12 months. Even the company's most spoiled investors should be pleased with returns like that.

In the quarter, net revenue rose to $5.2 billion, a 15% increase year over year, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) grew to $1.20, a 39% increase year over year. The strong top- and bottom-line growth was powered by strong growth in total payments volume -- the amount of money that travels across Visa's payment network -- to $2.1 trillion, a 13% increase year over year. Also in Q3, processed transactions, the number of times a Visa-branded product was used to facilitate a transaction, rose 12% to 31.7 billion. What stood out was that Visa's international numbers easily outshone its domestic growth, an ongoing trend for the company.

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Magellan Midstream Partners L.P.(MMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer, Travis Hoium, and Chuck Saletta]

  Often a high yield is an indication of a stock that's facing some sort of trouble -- but not always. If you take the time, you can find high-yield stocks worth buying if you look in the right places. For example, decidedly low-tech Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR), beaten-up midstream player Magellan Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:MMP), and renewable power-focused TerraForm Power, Inc. (NASDAQ:TERP) come from vastly different industries. However, each of these high-yield stocks has a solid business and good growth prospects.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  The midstream partnership sector is deeply out of favor today, despite the fact that these companies provide vital services moving and processing oil and natural gas. For conservative investors, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) and Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE:MMP) are two high-yield stocks that appear to be on sale today, still off roughly 30% and 20% from their 2014 highs, respectively. Here's what you need to know to decide if Enterprise or Magellan is the better buy for you.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Investing when you are young is generally focused on growing your nest egg. And as you near retirement, that starts to change to a goal of living off your savings. Doing that can be a lot easier if you focus on dividend-paying companies backed by stable businesses. Here are three high-yield stocks that fit that bill: Magellan Midstream Partners LP (NYSE:MMP), Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK), and Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG).

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  The only potential problem for investors has been Enterprise's funding choices. Partnerships are designed to pass cash on to unitholders, leaving little money for capital investments. That means that capital spending is often funded by issuing debt, potentially increasing leverage, or new units, which dilutes current unitholders. The latter is the key issue right now. Over the past five years the partnership's unit count has increased by nearly 20%. For comparison, Magellan Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:MMP) has effectively issued no new units over the same span while still managing to expand its business with sizable capital projects.

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jason Hall, Tyler Crowe, and Matthew DiLallo]

  At the same time, there has been a tremendous amount of consolidation (like this and this and this), leaving fewer -- stronger -- companies operating just when work is starting to pick up. Here's a look at quarterly revenue for Diamond Offshore (NYSE:DO), Transocean (NYSE:RIG), Ensco PLC (ADR) (NYSE:ESV), Noble Corp. (NYSE:NE), and Rowan (NYSE:RDC) so far this year. 

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.80.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-four brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.52.

• [By Jason Hall, Tyler Crowe, and John Bromels]

  According to three Motley Fool contributors, there are still ample opportunities to profit in the oil and gas segment as some left-behind subsectors start to catch up to the higher price trend. Three in particular that are well-positioned going forward are Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG), National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE:NOV), and Devon Energy Corp (NYSE:DVN).  

• [By Tyler Crowe, Matthew DiLallo, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  We asked three Motley Fool contributors to discuss one stock in the oil and gas space they think is a great buy right now. Here's a rundown on their three picks: Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG), ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), and Transocean (NYSE:RIG).

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  If you want to take the pulse of the North American oil and gas market, one of the best places to start is Halliburton's (NYSE:HAL) quarterly conference call. As the largest oil services company in North America and with clients of all sizes across every shale basin, management has an intimate knowledge of what is going on in the oil patch at any given moment. Listening to, or reading a transcript of, Halliburton's quarterly conference calls can give investors insights into the market that can help steer investment decisions.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Haliburton Co.’s (NYSE: HAL) second-quarter report is scheduled for Monday before the markets open. The consensus estimates are $0.58 in earnings per share (EPS) on revenue of $6.11 billion. The shares ended the week at $45.20. The consensus price target is $60.80, and the 52-week trading range is $38.18 to $57.86.

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  IEZ is also a top-heavy fund. Just two stocks — Schlumberger NV (NYSE: SLB) and Halliburton Inc. (NYSE: HAL) — combine for almost 26 percent of the fund's weight. Underscoring the correlation to oil prices, IEZ has a three-year standard deviation of 30 percent, indicating this ETF is far more volatile than standard diversified energy funds.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Societe Generale downgraded shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday, The Fly reports. They currently have $43.00 price target on the oilfield services company’s stock.

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Williams Partners L.P.(WPZ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its holdings in Williams Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE:WPZ) by 27.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,682 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 14,458 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Williams Pipeline Partners were worth $1,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Tyler Crowe, Jason Hall, and Matthew DiLallo]

  Matt DiLallo (Williams Companies): This natural gas pipeline giant has had a slow start in 2018. Through the first half of the year, cash flow at the company's MLP Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) has only increased by about 2%, due mainly to recent asset sales. However, with a major expansion project coming on line, cash flow growth should accelerate in the second half of the year. That project and others in the pipeline have the company on track to grow cash flow 9% in 2018 and another 13% next year.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Overall, earnings at both Williams and its MLP Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) were down slightly versus the year-ago period due to asset sales, while cash flow modestly increased thanks to lower interest expenses.

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Sentinel Trust Co. LBA lessened its stake in shares of Encana Corp (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) by 37.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 328,255 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 195,760 shares during the quarter. Encana accounts for about 1.0% of Sentinel Trust Co. LBA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Sentinel Trust Co. LBA’s holdings in Encana were worth $4,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• [By Keith Noonan, Travis Hoium, and Matthew DiLallo]

  We asked three Motley Fool investors to profile some of the best under-the-radar growth stocks on the market today. Read on to see why they selected Encana (NYSE:ECA), Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), and Baozun (NASDAQ:BZUN) as top growth stocks for in-the-know investors.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Encana Corp. (NYSE: ECA) may be one of the most undervalued companies in the energy patch. The Canadian energy player was given upside of almost 60% in a call from Merrill Lynch that noted the innovative shale leader has an infrastructure advantage and rising free cash flow.

• [By Max Byerly]

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

  Get Encana alerts: Encana Corp (ECA) Rising Higher 7.95% Over the Past Four Weeks (fisherbusinessnews.com) Encana Corporation (ECA) Most Active Stock Price trades 19.10% off from 200- SMA (nasdaqchronicle.com) Mid-Day Movers –: Encana Corporation (NYSE:ECA), CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX), MGIC Investment Corporation … (journalfinance.net) Featured Stock: Encana Corporation (ECA) (stockquote.review) Active Stock Evaluation – Encana Corporation (NYSE: ECA) (financerater.com)

  ECA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Encana from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $15.00 to $18.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Encana from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $10.84 to $16.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 7th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Encana from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Scotiabank raised shares of Encana from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $13.00 to $14.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Goldman Sachs cut their price target on shares of Encana from $17.25 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.28.

Top 10 Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:ARQL,AMGN,BIIB,ALNY,

Here's how it's supposed to work. A biotech wins FDA approval for a promising new drug. The biotech stock then goes up. But that's not what happened for GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:GWPH) on Monday.

GW Pharmaceuticals got the first part right. The biotech announced FDA approval for cannabidiol drug Epidiolex in treating Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), both of which are rare forms of epilepsy. However, GW stock didn't go up. Instead, it dropped more than 4%.

Why didn't the stock jump on the great news? Here are three reasons behind GW Pharmaceuticals' drop. 

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Overall market drag

There's an old saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. However, a falling tide also brings all boats down. 

I think this was a big factor for GW Pharmaceuticals stock on Monday. Most stocks fell on reports that the Trump administration planned to impose new trade restrictions on China, and potentially other countries. 

Top 10 Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now: ArQule Inc.(ARQL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ArQule, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQL)’s share price rose 6.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $5.21 and last traded at $5.15. Approximately 955,706 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the average daily volume of 1,244,948 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.85.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  BidaskClub upgraded shares of ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

  A number of other research firms have also issued reports on ARQL. Roth Capital upped their price target on ArQule from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 17th. Leerink Swann upgraded ArQule from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. Zacks Investment Research lowered ArQule from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 4th. ValuEngine upgraded ArQule from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Finally, B. Riley set a $4.00 price target on ArQule and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, March 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, The stock currently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $4.69.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

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

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of development-stage biopharma ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL) rose nearly 17% today after the company announced two appointments to its management team in two newly created positions. Dr. Marc Schegerin will serve as senior vice president, corporate strategy, communication, and finance. Dr. Shirish Hirani will serve as senior vice president, program management and product planning. 

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $6.00 price target on the biotechnology company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $5.00. Needham & Company LLC’s price target suggests a potential upside of 134.38% from the company’s previous close.

Top 10 Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Amgen Inc.(AMGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zacks]

  The FDA also approved biosimilar Erelzi in 2016. However, the launch is pending in the United States due to an ongoing litigation with Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN).

• [By ]

  Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) for example, announced FDA approval of its heart-attack prevention therapy on Dec 1. Immediately after, the stock popped 15% in less than two months, moving from $177.20 to $199.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Field & Main Bank grew its stake in shares of Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) by 9.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,153 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 345 shares during the quarter. Field & Main Bank’s holdings in Amgen were worth $708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Cory Renauer]

  There's a lot for investors to like about Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) and Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB). Both of these biotech stocks have produced tremendous returns over the past couple of decades, and the businesses they represent still generate enormous profits. 

• [By Keith Speights]

  Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) actually have quite a bit in common. They co-market one of the world's best-selling drugs, Enbrel. They both face some headwinds with declining sales of older drugs. Each company has promising new drugs. And both stocks are up by nearly the same percentage over the last 12 months.

• [By Keith Speights]

  The big reason Humira will maintain its position at the top is the U.S. market. U.S. sales of the drug are projected to be around $12.2 billion in 2024. That's not much lower than Humira's 2017 U.S. sales of nearly $12.4 billion. Will Amgen's (NASDAQ:AMGN) biosimilar Amjevita, which will go on sale in the U.S. effective Jan. 31, 2023, really make that small of a dent in Humira's sales? Not really. The impact will be greater than the 2024 projections indicate.

Top 10 Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Biogen Idec Inc(BIIB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Campbell]

  PTC Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTCT) shares took off after updated data from a trial evaluating risdiplam suggested it could mount a stiff challenge to Biogen's (NASDAQ:BIIB) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals' (NASDAQ:IONS) Spinraza for the treatment of  spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare and life-threatening genetic disease. The data is solid, but a one-and-done SMA treatment is already in late-stage studies at Novartis' (NYSE:NVS), and that therapy could become available as soon as 2019. 

• [By ]

  What should investors do with shares of Celgene (CELG) , Biogen Idec (BIIB) , Gilead Science (GILD) and Regeneron (REGN) ? Cramer once proclaimed these high-fliers his "four horsemen of biotech," but lately they've lost all of their traction, with Celgene down 21%, Biogen off 14%, Gilead down 9% and Regeneron off 23% so far this year.

• [By George Budwell]

  Shares of large-cap biotech Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) gained a healthy 15.2% in July, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. What triggered this breakout? 

Top 10 Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ALNY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Cory Renauer]

  After 16 years as a public company, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY) finally got the go-ahead to launch its first product earlier this month. Onpattro is the first in a new class of drugs that alter gene expression, but Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE:PFE) just reported some impressive results with a possible competitor that works a lot differently.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY) by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 492,768 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,992 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.49% of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals worth $48,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $21.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.23 million. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 36.81% and a negative net margin of 565.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($1.25) earnings per share. equities analysts anticipate that Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Can GameStop Stock Bounce Back in 2019?

GameStop (NYSE:GME) was one of last week's biggest losers. Shares plummeted 29% for the week, after the small-box retailer of video games announced that it was abandoning plans to put itself up for sale. The stock hit a 13-year low on Thursday, closing out the week more than 80% below its late-2013 highs and its all-time peak in 2017. 

As cruel as it's been to be a GameStop shareholder in recent years, it wouldn't be a surprise to see at least a small bounce here. GameStop's yield -- up to a record 13.5% -- is going to smoke out more than a few income investors that can stomach the risk. Bears will argue that GameStop's business is in a death spiral, but with the chain's healthy profitability and a cash-rich balance sheet saddled with manageable debt, there will be short-term opportunities for bulls to win on this slow road to obsolescence. 

Image source: GameStop.

Playing a new game

The obituary for GameStop has been written years ago. The shift to digital delivery has put physical game discs and cartridges on the endangered species list. Developers are cutting out the middleman, establishing direct relationships with diehard gamers. New games are still coming out, but that's no longer the only way that publishers are getting paid. There's also the mobil revolution, as casual gamers shift from consoles to tablets and smartphones for cheaper and more portable diversions. 

The trends are problematic for GameStop. Its highest-margin business has always been the resale of preowned games, but that market's future is hazy as more people are buying digital games and add-ons that can't be traded in to GameStop for in-store credit. The appetite for hardware and accessories remains strong, but consoles have historically commanded the lowest margins in GameStop's arsenal. 

The good news for knife catchers here is that GameStop may be breaking but it's not broken. Revenue grew in its latest quarter, posting its first period of positive comps in more than a year. Adjusted earnings clocked in lower -- as a 13% decline in pre-owned sales ate into the lower-margin growth in new hardware and software sales -- but the point here is that GameStop remains very profitable. GameStop did slash its outlook in November, and after a mixed holiday showing, it's sticking to its target of adjusted earnings per share of $2.55 to $2.75 for the fiscal year that ended last week. 

GameStop's model is still generating gobs of free cash flow. GameStop has done the right thing with those proceeds, returning it to its shareholders in the form of buybacks and dividends as well as diversifying into collectibles and wireless services. It seemed to be pivoting away from that last month when it closed on the $735 million sale of Spring Mobile, but that was when it figured it was still smoking out potential suitors. The silver lining in the sale is that it will beef up an already healthy balance sheet, if it doesn't provide more ammo for buybacks or new ventures. 

There is little reason to get excited about GameStop's long-term prospects, but it should have moments where it does push higher. Though the stock will likely be lower in five years, it wouldn't be a surprise to see it navigate its way higher in 2019 from its current deeply discounted starting line. 

$166.66 Million in Sales Expected for Bank of Hawaii Co. (BOH) This Quarter

Equities research analysts expect that Bank of Hawaii Co. (NYSE:BOH) will announce $166.66 million in sales for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Two analysts have issued estimates for Bank of Hawaii’s earnings, with estimates ranging from $165.70 million to $167.61 million. Bank of Hawaii posted sales of $162.99 million during the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year-over-year growth rate of 2.3%. The business is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 22nd.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Bank of Hawaii will report full-year sales of $681.93 million for the current financial year, with estimates ranging from $676.50 million to $684.74 million. For the next fiscal year, analysts expect that the business will report sales of $707.41 million, with estimates ranging from $698.10 million to $714.00 million. Zacks’ sales calculations are an average based on a survey of research analysts that that provide coverage for Bank of Hawaii.

Get Bank of Hawaii alerts:

Bank of Hawaii (NYSE:BOH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 28th. The bank reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $166.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.16 million. Bank of Hawaii had a return on equity of 17.53% and a net margin of 30.54%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.01 earnings per share.

BOH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. ValuEngine raised shares of Bank of Hawaii from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 24th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Bank of Hawaii from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, December 31st. Barclays reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Bank of Hawaii in a research report on Friday, January 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Bank of Hawaii from $84.00 to $80.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $87.50.

In related news, Director Barbara J. Tanabe sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $40,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.04% of the company’s stock.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Bank of Hawaii in the second quarter worth approximately $100,000. ETF Managers Group LLC grew its holdings in Bank of Hawaii by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC now owns 1,602 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. TLP Group LLC acquired a new position in Bank of Hawaii during the third quarter valued at approximately $116,000. Columbia Asset Management acquired a new position in Bank of Hawaii during the third quarter valued at approximately $118,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Bank of Hawaii by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,034 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.13% of the company’s stock.

Shares of NYSE BOH traded up $1.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $78.44. The company had a trading volume of 201,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 302,997. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.86. Bank of Hawaii has a 12-month low of $63.64 and a 12-month high of $88.92.

Bank of Hawaii declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $130.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the bank to buy up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 28th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 27th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. Bank of Hawaii’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.42%.

Bank of Hawaii Company Profile

Bank of Hawaii Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Bank of Hawaii that provides financial products and services in Hawaii, Guam, and other Pacific Islands. It operates through four segments: Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Investment Services and Private Banking, and Treasury and Other.

See Also: What is the return on assets (ROA) ratio?

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Bank of Hawaii (BOH)

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

M&M surges 5% on better January sales number

Share price of Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) surged 5 percent intraday Friday on the back of better sales number declared by the company for the month of January 2019.

The company's total sales stood at 55,722 vehicles, a rise of 7 percent compared to 52,063 vehicles during January 2018.

The company's domestic sales was 52,500 vehicles versus 49,432 vehicles in January 2018, a growth of 6%. Its Passenger Vehicles segment sold 23,872 vehicles against 23,686 vehicles.

In the commercial vehicles segment, the company sold 22,625 vehicles versus 21,002 vehicles, a growth of 8%. In its Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles (MHCV) segment, company sold 849 vehicles for the month. Exports stood at 3,222 vehicles, a growth of 22%.

Rajan Wadhera, President, Automotive Sector, M&M said, "The first month of the new calendar year continues to be on an overall growth path. There is buoyancy in rural growth, commodity costs are levelling, fuel prices are coming down and we see improvement in Forex movement, which in turn will drive positive customer sentiment."

At 13:15 hrs Mahindra and Mahindra was quoting at Rs 713.55, up Rs 32.75, or 4.81 percent on the BSE.

For more market news, click here First Published on Feb 1, 2019 01:27 pm