Insider Selling: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc (BFAM) Director Sells $1,334,458.16 in Stock

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc (NYSE:BFAM) Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 10,906 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.36, for a total transaction of $1,334,458.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 70,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,589,794.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Mary Ann Tocio also recently made the following trade(s):

Get Bright Horizons Family Solutions alerts: On Monday, February 4th, Mary Ann Tocio sold 2,500 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.49, for a total transaction of $288,725.00. On Friday, January 4th, Mary Ann Tocio sold 2,500 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.41, for a total transaction of $271,025.00. On Thursday, December 6th, Mary Ann Tocio sold 2,500 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.62, for a total transaction of $299,050.00.

Shares of BFAM opened at $123.10 on Friday. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc has a 12 month low of $91.29 and a 12 month high of $124.20. The firm has a market cap of $7.15 billion, a PE ratio of 40.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.11. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a net margin of 8.30% and a return on equity of 23.67%. The company had revenue of $478.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.48 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. Bright Horizons Family Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BFAM. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 226.9% during the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 503,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,111,000 after purchasing an additional 349,470 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,697,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,033,000 after purchasing an additional 316,987 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 57.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management Ltd. now owns 588,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,333,000 after purchasing an additional 213,616 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,888,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,494,000 after purchasing an additional 186,139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,938,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $327,460,000 after purchasing an additional 170,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.13% of the company’s stock.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 2nd. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $123.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 6th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.89.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION WARNING: “Insider Selling: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc (BFAM) Director Sells $1,334,458.16 in Stock” was originally reported by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this story on another domain, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of United States and international trademark and copyright legislation. The original version of this story can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4173476/insider-selling-bright-horizons-family-solutions-inc-bfam-director-sells-1334458-16-in-stock.html.

About Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc provides child care and early education, back-up dependent care, and educational advisory services for employers and families. The company operates through three segments: Full Service Center-Based Child Care, Back-Up Dependent Care, and Other Educational Advisory Services.

Featured Article: What are earnings reports?

American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) Issues FY19 Earnings Guidance

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH) issued an update on its FY19 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $1.06-1.14 for the period, compared to the Thomson Reuters consensus EPS estimate of $1.17. American Homes 4 Rent also updated its FY 2019 guidance to $1.06-1.14 EPS.

NYSE AMH traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $22.80. 2,068,623 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,167,094. American Homes 4 Rent has a twelve month low of $18.91 and a twelve month high of $23.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.70.

Get American Homes 4 Rent alerts:

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE:AMH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.28. American Homes 4 Rent had a return on equity of 1.90% and a net margin of 10.70%. The firm had revenue of $270.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $269.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.26 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Homes 4 Rent will post 1.07 EPS for the current year.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded American Homes 4 Rent from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered American Homes 4 Rent from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $22.50 to $21.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on American Homes 4 Rent from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 14th. Raymond James lowered American Homes 4 Rent from a strong-buy rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, November 19th. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded American Homes 4 Rent from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $23.75.

In other news, Director Douglas N. Benham bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $21.00 per share, for a total transaction of $63,000.00. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Tamara Hughes Gustavson bought 379,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $19.78 per share, for a total transaction of $7,504,532.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 17,920,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $354,467,054.84. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 26.52% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: This piece of content was originally posted by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are reading this piece of content on another website, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of US and international trademark and copyright legislation. The original version of this piece of content can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4169664/american-homes-4-rent-amh-issues-fy19-earnings-guidance.html.

American Homes 4 Rent Company Profile

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) is a leader in the single-family home rental industry and "American Homes 4 Rent" is fast becoming a nationally recognized brand for rental homes, known for high quality, good value and tenant satisfaction. We are an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust, or REIT, focused on acquiring, renovating, leasing, and operating attractive, single-family homes as rental properties.

Featured Story: How is Preferred Stock Different from Common Stock?

Hot Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:NXG,NGD,ORE,GSS,

Randgold Resources (NASDAQ:GOLD) was downgraded by analysts at Deutsche Bank from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $12.75 target price on the basic materials company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $14.00. Deutsche Bank’s price objective points to a potential downside of 1.54% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Randgold Resources from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, December 31st. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Randgold Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 24th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Randgold Resources from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 20th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Randgold Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 9th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Randgold Resources in a research report on Thursday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Randgold Resources currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $45.54.

Hot Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: Northgate Minerals Corporation(NXG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of NEX Group PLC (LON:NXG) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 696 ($9.21).

Hot Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) fell 23.3 percent to $9.87 in pre-market trading after declining 13.45 percent on Wednesday. SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SXCP) fell 12.8 percent to $16.00 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Briggs & Stratton Corporation (NYSE: BGG) fell 11 percent to $17.55 in pre-market trading after the company posted mixed Q3 results and lowered its FY18 guidance. New Gold Inc. (NYSE: NGD) fell 8.4 percent to $2.30 in pre-market trading following downbeat Q1 results. Quality Care Properties, Inc. (NYSE: QCP) fell 8.2 percent to $20.85 in pre-market trading. Welltower announced plans to acquire QCP for $20.75 per share in cash. China Customer Relations Centers Inc. (NASDAQ: CCRC) shares fell 7.5 percent to $17.25 in pre-market trading after climbing 18.73 percent on Wednesday. Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) shares fell 5.7 percent to $5.58 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) fell 5.6 percent to $38.66 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. Southw
• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSE: NGD) dropped about 4.7% Friday to post a new 52-week low of $2.05. Shares closed at $2.15 on Thursday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. Volume was about 50% higher than the daily average of 4.2 million. The junior gold miner had no specific news.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of New Gold (NYSEMKT:NGD) sold off on Thursday, plunging more than 20% by 11 a.m. EST after the gold mining company reported its fourth-quarter results as well as its outlook for 2019.

Hot Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: Orezone Gold Corp (ORE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Sandstorm's due diligence is thorough, they don't just invest in any company. They like West Africa because they understand the area and the opportunities that exist there. Sandstorm is a royalty and streaming company, so they make these investments and receive cashflow deals that often kick in much later on. But they have already established a presence in Burkina and have deals in place with larger companies like Orezone Gold (TSXV: ORE) and Endeavour Mining (TSX: EDV). Sandstorm's investment also potentially gives us access to their marketing department through something they call Launch Lab, and it looks like it will really benefit our own marketing efforts and will expose us to more opportunities over the coming year.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Galactrum (ORE) is a PoW/PoS coin that uses the
  Lyra2RE hashing algorithm. It launched on November 11th, 2017. Galactrum’s total supply is 2,092,679 coins and its circulating supply is 1,372,679 coins. Galactrum’s official Twitter account is @galactrum. Galactrum’s official website is galactrum.org.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Galactrum (CURRENCY:ORE) traded 1.7% lower against the U.S. dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 18:00 PM Eastern on August 31st. Galactrum has a total market capitalization of $866,847.00 and approximately $5,272.00 worth of Galactrum was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Galactrum coin can now be purchased for about $0.42 or 0.00006032 BTC on major exchanges including Stocks.Exchange and Cryptopia. In the last seven days, Galactrum has traded 12.5% higher against the U.S. dollar.

• [By Jim Robertson]

  Finally, Richard Seville, the CEO of Brisbane-based Orocobre Ltd (ASX: ORE) which began lithium sales in 2015 from northern Argentina and also experienced difficulty boosting output, commented that an "inability to access traditional funds has delayed the development of the sector" and that "these projects aren't easy -- so the banks just don't want to go there."

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Galactrum (ORE) is a PoW/PoS coin that uses the
  Lyra2RE hashing algorithm. It was first traded on December 13th, 2017. Galactrum’s total supply is 2,781,952 coins and its circulating supply is 2,061,952 coins. Galactrum’s official website is galactrum.org. Galactrum’s official Twitter account is @galactrum.

Hot Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: Golden Star Resources Ltd(GSS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Golden Star Resources (GSS)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Golden Star Resources Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:GSS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in September. As of September 28th, there was short interest totalling 10,021,831 shares, an increase of 6.9% from the September 14th total of 9,371,344 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,038,207 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.7 days. Approximately 4.7% of the company’s shares are sold short.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Golden Star Resources (GSS)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Golden Star Resources Ltd. (TSE:GSC) (NYSE:GSS) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$1.48.

Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:RRC,MMP,HAL,ECA,COP,

News stories about Cypress Energy Partners (NYSE:CELP) have been trending somewhat positive on Wednesday, Accern Sentiment reports. The research group identifies negative and positive press coverage by analyzing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Cypress Energy Partners earned a daily sentiment score of 0.11 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media headlines about the oil and gas company an impact score of 45.7904647443962 out of 100, meaning that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the near term.

CELP traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $7.61. The stock had a trading volume of 800 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,368. Cypress Energy Partners has a 1 year low of $5.50 and a 1 year high of $8.50. The firm has a market cap of $85.61 million, a P/E ratio of 15.22 and a beta of 1.59.

Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2019: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Range Resources (RRC)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) – Research analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies upped their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Range Resources in a report issued on Monday, August 27th. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst D. Kistler now anticipates that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings of $0.43 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.42. Piper Jaffray Companies has a “Buy” rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies also issued estimates for Range Resources’ Q2 2019 earnings at $0.35 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.44 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $1.61 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.39 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $1.93 EPS.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Companies in this region have had more measured growth plans because of the lack of pipelines. As Miller mentioned, though, improved efficiency has resulted in most companies outpacing their production growth plans. The lack of takeaway capacity has led to much lower prices for in-basin production. Range Resources (NYSE:RRC), one of the larger producers in the region, has noted that its price realizations were 10% below benchmark prices because of a lack of takeaway capacity. 

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) by 25.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,421 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,839 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank’s holdings in Range Resources were worth $1,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2019: Magellan Midstream Partners L.P.(MMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Bromels]

  Speaking of debt, energy infrastructure MLPs tend to take on high levels of it to fund their large infrastructure development projects. That means taking on additional debt to fund a distribution isn't always feasible. Luckily, in the case of Magellan and Enterprise, their conservative management teams have kept them at comparatively good debt ratings and low levels of debt relative to their peers:

  Company Debt Rating Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)  Debt-to-Adjusted-EBITDA Ratio (TTM) Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) BBB+/Baa1 3.5 3.3 Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) BBB+/Baa1 4.3 3.7 Buckeye Partners BBB-/Baa3 5.0 4.3 Energy Transfer Partners BBB-/Baa3 5.2 N/A

  Data sources: Company presentations and YCharts. TTM = trailing 12 months.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  There are always clear signs of excess at market tops -- which everyone typically sees in hindsight. With stock market averages trading near all-time highs and now two companies' market caps topping $1 trillion, it's time to considering some boring, financially strong dividend payers. Here are three stocks to get you going: NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE), The Hormel Foods Company (NYSE:HRL), and Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE:MMP).

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Meanwhile, MPLX took another step forward in early September after the company and its partners -- fellow MLPs Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE:ETP) and Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) as well as refiner Delek US Holdings -- secured enough shippers to move ahead with construction on the Permian Gulf Coast Pipeline. The 600-mile pipeline will move crude oil from the Permian to the Texas coast. From there, it will flow into Energy Transfer Partners' Nederland terminal as well as Magellan Midstream Partners' East Houston terminal. The partners expect that the system will be in operation by the middle of 2020. It's a crucial project for the industry since there currently isn't enough pipeline capacity to move oil out of the Permian.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE:MMP) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.46.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  In addition to those pipelines already under construction, companies continue to pitch new projects to shippers in hopes of locking in the next wave of growth. The latest entry into this building boom is the proposed Permian Gulf Coast pipeline, which is a joint venture between Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE:ETP), Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), MPLX (NYSE:MPLX), and Delek US Holdings (NYSE:DK). The line could be in service as soon as mid-2020 if everything goes according to plan.

Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2019: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. decreased its position in shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) by 2.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 43,482 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock after selling 1,312 shares during the period. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Halliburton were worth $2,035,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Mckinley Capital Management LLC Delaware grew its position in shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) by 68.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,626 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,689 shares during the quarter. Mckinley Capital Management LLC Delaware’s holdings in Halliburton were worth $311,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

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

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

  Not only are these pipeline issues impacting producers, but they're also starting to pinch the profits of oil-field service companies. Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), for example, recently said that while "we thought there would be a downturn in activity [in the Permian] due to budget constraints and takeaway issues... it's more than we expected." Because of those issues and some others, Halliburton's third-quarter results will come in $0.08 to $0.10 per share below expectations. Meanwhile, its outlook for 2019 is dimming due to the slowdown. 

Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2019: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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 ]

  Already, shale companies such as Encana (ECA) , Occidental Petroleum (OXY) and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) , among others, are reporting higher cash flows and earnings on higher oil prices. As a result, they are paying down debt, increasing dividends and engaging in buybacks. This is a dramatic improvement in shareholder yield for the group.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Morgan Stanley set a $19.00 price objective on Encana (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) in a report published on Friday morning. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Encana Corp (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $5.95, but opened at $6.10. Encana shares last traded at $6.11, with a volume of 65113676 shares changing hands.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Electra (CURRENCY:ECA) traded down 5.1% against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 15:00 PM E.T. on June 12th. Over the last seven days, Electra has traded down 25.7% against the U.S. dollar. Electra has a market cap of $34.53 million and approximately $134,011.00 worth of Electra was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Electra coin can currently be bought for $0.0013 or 0.00000020 BTC on exchanges including CryptoBridge, Fatbtc, CoinFalcon and Coinhouse.

Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2019: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Oil prices have risen off of the lows reached following the mid-2014 oil downturn. That's been great news for most oil-related companies, since it means revenues are heading higher. The biggest beneficiaries are the companies most reliant on oil prices, like ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), which is up 85% since mid-January 2016, when oil prices started rising again. However, the downturn was an ugly reminder that what goes up can just as quickly go down. If you are considering an oil investment, forget ConocoPhillips and take a look at this pair of diversified energy giants instead.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  As things stand right now, analysts anticipate that at least some Iranian oil will come off the market as a result of the sanctions. That lost output would further tighten an oil market that suddenly has little margin for error thanks to red-hot demand and tame supply growth. That's the recipe for higher oil prices and could make top-tier U.S. oil stocks Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN), and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) big winners in the coming years.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Many of its peers slashed or eliminated their dividends to preserve cash. Former dividend stalwarts ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) and Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC) were among the many that caved under the pressure of lower oil prices, with ConocoPhillips slicing its payout by two-thirds, while Anadarko slashed its dividend by 82%.

The Fed Owns This Stock Market

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image bloomberg size-large wp-image-43143769&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/43143769/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;639&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Jerome Powell, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

On December 19, Jay Powell stepped to the microphone after the Federal Reserve had raised short-term interest rates and began his press conference. The market was concerned. The two-year rate on government bonds was at 2.65% and was higher than the 5-yr (2.62%) and inching perilously close to the 10-yr at 2.76%. The Fed typically inverts (raises short-term interest rates above long-term rates) the yield curve when it wants to slow the economy because inflation has begun to rear its ugly head. Just one problem. In December 2018 there was no surge of inflation. In fact, the TIPs market said inflation would be below the Fed&a;rsquo;s 2% for 10 years.

All of this begged the brilliantly on-point query by Jeanna Smialek of Bloomberg, and I paraphrase: &a;ldquo;If you haven&a;rsquo;t achieved your two percent inflation goal for 10 years and you don&a;rsquo;t see it overshooting, what&a;rsquo;s the point of raising rates again at all?&a;rdquo; Powell hedged and said policy at this point &a;ldquo;does not need to be accommodative&a;rdquo;. The market basically crashed for the next week as everyone took that to mean we will continue to raise rates and shrink the balance sheet. Or to paraphrase Ben Bernanke: &a;ldquo;We the Fed will murder this economy!&a;rdquo;

The Bloomberg Financial Conditions Index, which measures the overall level of financial stress, plummeted. All risk assets were harmed- equities, credit spread products, and commodities. Market participants, including myself, were shocked that the Federal Reserve would &a;ldquo;murder&a;rdquo; an economy showing no signs of inflation. The Fed was, in fact, achieving its sometimes-contradictory dual mandate - strong employment and stable prices. Instead of smiling and taking a victory lap, Powell felt the need to get way ahead of the data. Fortunately, it wasn&a;rsquo;t a plan. It was a rookie mistake.

So how do I know for sure? Immediately after the pre-Christmas debacle, all the Fed governors, including Chairman Powell, walked further rate increases back and, furthermore, even hinted at slowing or stopping the pace of balance sheet shrinking. This culminated in his January 30th press conference where he stated, the Fed is now in &a;ldquo;a wait and see approach&a;rdquo; and the case for &a;ldquo;raising rates has weakened&a;rdquo;. I have followed the Fed for a long time, and I can never remember a bigger 180-degree turnaround in one month. The risk markets have noticed. The stock market is on an upward tear along with high yield bonds and other risk assets.

Unfortunately, some damage was already done, and we now see some weakness in the US economy, perhaps from foreign economic weakness, or from a December stock market chill that affected Main Street. The Citi Economic Surprise Index, which is at -23.6 and falling, is near a two-year low and may presage a weak 1Q GDP report. Earnings for Q1 will likely be down year-on-year and full year estimates are rapidly approaching flat. Interestingly, while stocks have had a memorable rally, it has not created losses on long-term government bonds as they are up as well.

So, how do we know the Fed owns this market? In 2018, The real GDP was up almost 3%, inflation as measured by the Core PCE, was sub 2%, and S&a;amp;P 500 earnings were up 20+%. Despite all this the market fell because of Fed tightening. Now in 2019, the economy is weaker, earnings are flat and, presto, the stock market is unstoppable. The markets are now predicting the Fed will cut interest rates. The Fed owns this market and now they know they own it. We, as market participants, are spending more time than ever parsing their various speeches and meetings!

Addendum- Why did they miss inflation clues so badly? I will cover this in my next column but there are a couple of things to think about. For example, market participants like Powell and others my age, are colored by the 1970&a;rsquo;s and 80&a;rsquo;s inflation experience. Also think about the following VERBS and their effects on inflation- To Frack, To Uber, To Google, To Amazon and To Stream. Got you thinking?&l;/p&g;

Altium Limited Announces Interim Dividend of $0.16 (ALU)

Altium Limited (ASX:ALU) declared a interim dividend on Tuesday, February 19th, MarketIndexAU reports. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 27th will be paid a dividend of 0.16 per share on Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 1st.

Shares of ALU traded up A$5.49 ($3.89) during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting A$32.56 ($23.09). The company had a trading volume of 1,970,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 866,771. The firm has a market cap of $4.25 billion and a PE ratio of 113.06. Altium has a 52-week low of A$7.26 ($5.15) and a 52-week high of A$22.33 ($15.84).

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In related news, insider Sergiy Kostynsky 250,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 26th. Also, insider Lynn Mickleburgh acquired 6,800 shares of Altium stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of A$14.74 ($10.45) per share, for a total transaction of A$100,232.00 ($71,086.52).

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: “Altium Limited Announces Interim Dividend of $0.16 (ALU)” was reported by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this piece on another domain, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of United States & international copyright & trademark law. The correct version of this piece can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4164167/altium-limited-announces-interim-dividend-of-0-16-alu.html.

About Altium

Altium Limited develops and sells computer software for the design of electronic products in the United States and internationally. It operates through Board and Systems, Electronic System Solutions, and Cloud Applications segments. The company offers printed circuit board (PCB) design software products, including Altium Designer, a PCB design tool; CircuitStudio, a professional PCB design tool; CircuitMaker, a community based PCB design tool for makers, hobbyists, and DIYers community; and NEXUS, an agile PCB design for teams, as well as embedded products, such as TASKING tools for embedded software development.

See Also: Risk Tolerance

1 New Workplace Benefit Employees Will Be Sure to Celebrate

It's not a secret that student debt is a burden for millions of Americans. Collectively, former students owe more than $1.5 trillion in loans, and as college costs rise, that number stands to climb.

But here's a bit of good news for indebted Americans whose loan payments eat up more of their income than they can comfortably afford: A growing number of companies are offering help with student debt as part of their workplace benefits packages. And that's something employees will no doubt come to appreciate.

If your company is looking to retain its staff, it pays to consider offering some form of student loan assistance. It could be just the thing that buys you the employee loyalty you're after.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Giving your workers a reason to stay

In today's healthy job market, it's easier than ever for employees to jump ship and explore different opportunities. When that happens, you, as an employer, are left scrambling to fill open roles, all while spending time and resources on a process you'd probably rather avoid.

Rather than spend money on the hiring process, you might instead allocate some funds toward a benefit that's likely to encourage employees to stay put. In fact, 86% of workers say they'd stay with a company for at least five years if their employer were to help pay down their student debt, according to advocacy group American Student Assistance.

Helping workers pay down their student debt might also help them better focus on their jobs and improve their output. In fact, 33% of workers say they're distracted by personal financial issues at the office, to the point where it stunts their productivity. Alleviating that burden, at least to some degree, should give your employees one less thing to worry about, thereby allowing them to better concentrate when they're supposed to be plugging away.

Another way you, as an employer, can help on the student debt front is educating workers with families on the importance of saving for college, and bringing in financial advisors to introduce them to the savings tools available to them. For example, 529 plans are a great way to save for college because earnings in those account aren't taxed -- but many people are still unfamiliar with 529 plans because they never had one when they were younger.

Talking to your employees about student loan refinancing or consolidation is another way to potentially help. Many people either don't know that these options exist, or are afraid to pursue them for fear that they'll somehow make their situations worse, so providing that education could really change some workers' lives.

Americans of all ages are plagued by student loans, so if you're looking to minimize the burden while taking steps to retain your staff, look at rolling out some sort of debt assistance program at your place of work. Chances are, you'll find that it's a worthwhile investment in more ways than one.

Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Investment Research

Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ:PTEN) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

According to Zacks, “Patterson-UTI's business is set to benefit from its proprietary design and technologically advanced ‘Apex’ rigs, which are better suited for the new demands of the exploration business thereby commanding higher dayrates and utilization than rigs from other land drillers. Further, the strategic acquisitions of Seventy-Seven and MS Energy have not only bolstered PTENs scale and customer base but will also provide a huge impetus to the earnings and revenues in the coming quarters. However, the company's string of loss-making quarters continues. This combined with an underperforming pressure pumping business could spell troubling times ahead. Further, Patterson-UTI’s contract drilling operation has been experiencing rig cancellations from customers over the sharp drop in oil prices. Hence, Patterson-UTI warrants a cautious stance from the investors.”

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A number of other research firms have also issued reports on PTEN. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Patterson-UTI Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Raymond James set a $20.00 price target on Patterson-UTI Energy and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 8th. Piper Jaffray Companies set a $20.00 price target on Patterson-UTI Energy and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Patterson-UTI Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $16.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 17th. Finally, ValuEngine downgraded shares of Patterson-UTI Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Patterson-UTI Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $21.07.

Shares of NASDAQ:PTEN traded up $0.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.19. 131,099 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,965,031. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -41.74 and a beta of 1.35. Patterson-UTI Energy has a fifty-two week low of $9.49 and a fifty-two week high of $23.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ:PTEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 7th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.14) by $0.10. The company had revenue of $795.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.10 million. Patterson-UTI Energy had a negative return on equity of 1.93% and a negative net margin of 9.66%. Patterson-UTI Energy’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.10) earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Patterson-UTI Energy will post -0.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Patterson-UTI Energy declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 7th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

In other news, Director Curtis W. Huff acquired 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $10.14 per share, for a total transaction of $202,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 113,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,148,902.56. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 3.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Patterson-UTI Energy by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 65,236 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 4,856 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Patterson-UTI Energy by 8.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,764,590 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $67,762,000 after purchasing an additional 289,056 shares during the period. Atria Investments LLC raised its position in Patterson-UTI Energy by 36.0% during the third quarter. Atria Investments LLC now owns 31,087 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $532,000 after acquiring an additional 8,235 shares during the last quarter. Aperio Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Patterson-UTI Energy by 24.1% during the third quarter. Aperio Group LLC now owns 142,049 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,430,000 after buying an additional 27,594 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oakbrook Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Patterson-UTI Energy by 34.4% during the third quarter. Oakbrook Investments LLC now owns 27,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $475,000 after buying an additional 7,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.91% of the company’s stock.

Patterson-UTI Energy Company Profile

Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides onshore contract drilling services to oil and natural gas operators in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments, Contract Drilling and Pressure Pumping. The Contract Drilling segment markets its contract drilling services primarily in Texas, southeastern New Mexico, northern Louisiana, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, western Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and western Canada.

Read More: How is a Moving Average Calculated?

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Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:SMSI,LILA,RCI,

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) – Investment analysts at William Blair raised their FY2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Exelixis in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, May 3rd. William Blair analyst A. Hsieh now anticipates that the biotechnology company will post earnings per share of $0.90 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $0.66. William Blair currently has a “Buy” rating on the stock. William Blair also issued estimates for Exelixis’ Q1 2019 earnings at $0.23 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.25 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.27 EPS and Q4 2019 earnings at $0.29 EPS.

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A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Exelixis from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 3rd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Exelixis from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 30th. BidaskClub lowered Exelixis from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 4th. Cann restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Exelixis in a report on Tuesday, March 20th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Exelixis from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, March 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Smith Micro Software Inc.(SMSI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  These are some of the news stories that may have impacted Accern’s scoring:

  Get Smith Micro Software alerts: Short Interest in Smith Micro Software (SMSI) Increases By 51.9% (americanbankingnews.com) Smith Micro Software’s (SMSI) CEO Bill Smith on Q1 2018 Results – Earnings Call Transcript (seekingalpha.com) Smith Micro Software (SMSI) Reports Q1 Loss of $0.10 (streetinsider.com) Smith Micro Reports First Quarter 2018 Financial Results (finance.yahoo.com) Smith Micro announces above market USD 7.0m private placement offering (financial-news.co.uk)

  Separately, ValuEngine upgraded shares of Smith Micro Software from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Okta (NASDAQ: OKTA) and Smith Micro Software (NASDAQ:SMSI) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation and profitability.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Connecture (OTCMKTS: CNXR) and Smith Micro Software (NASDAQ:SMSI) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Liberty Global plc(LILA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Liberty Latin America (NASDAQ:LILA) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.75.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Liberty Latin America Ltd Class A (NASDAQ:LILA) SVP Christopher J. Noyes acquired 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $17.93 per share, for a total transaction of $358,600.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Shares of Liberty Latin America Ltd Class A (NASDAQ:LILA) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $23.40.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Liberty Latin America (NASDAQ:LILA) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 16,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $320,000.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH) and Liberty Latin America (NASDAQ:LILA) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its holdings in shares of Liberty Latin America (NASDAQ:LILA) by 39.2% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,187 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,571 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Liberty Latin America were worth $198,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Rogers Communication, Inc.(RCI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.3762 per share. This is an increase from Rogers Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 11th. Rogers Communications’s payout ratio is currently 42.99%.

  WARNING: “Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Has $27.14 Million Stake in Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI)” was posted by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this article on another domain, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of international trademark & copyright law. The legal version of this article can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4122411/gamco-investors-inc-et-al-has-27-14-million-stake-in-rogers-communications-inc-rci.html.

  Rogers Communications Profile

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Rogers Communications (NYSE:RCI) (TSE:RCI.B) by 346.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,294 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 43,691 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Rogers Communications were worth $3,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Media coverage about Rogers Communications Inc. Class B (NYSE:RCI) (TSE:RCI.B) has trended somewhat positive this week, according to Accern Sentiment. Accern identifies positive and negative news coverage by monitoring 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. Rogers Communications Inc. Class B earned a coverage optimism score of 0.08 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media headlines about the Wireless communications provider an impact score of 45.3527592568768 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the near future.

• [By Money Morning News Team]

  When it comes to the 5G revolution, Telus has the jump on its rivals BCE Inc. (NYSE: BCE) and Rogers Communications Inc. (NYSE: RCI).

  Telus has market control over much of Canada's fiber optic cables and local transmitters, both of which are necessary to facilitate the high speeds of 5G data.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Rogers Communications (NYSE:RCI) (TSE:RCI.B) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, April 20th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of 0.3821 per share by the Wireless communications provider on Tuesday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 8th.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Rogers Communications Inc. Class B (TSE:RCI.B) (NYSE:RCI) had its target price lifted by National Bank Financial from C$68.00 to C$69.00 in a report issued on Friday morning. The brokerage currently has a sector perform rating on the stock.

Top Cheap Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:XLU,CTL,USG,

HDFC Securities' research report on Granules India

Driven  by  fresh  capacities  in  API/PFI  and  resumption  of OTC product supplies  for  the  US partner, revenues grew 42%YoY to Rs 5.0bn in 4QFY18.  However,  steep  price  increase in key raw materials (ex. Acetic acetate), unfavorable  geographic  mix  and  inventory write off led to sharp fall in EBITDA  margin  from 18% in 3QFY18 to 8.7% in 4QFY18. As a result, reported PAT  was  at Rs 204mn, down 55%YoY. GRAN had taken Rs 240mn incremental R&D spend  through  P&L  in  4QFY18,  due to new accounting policies. Moreover, there was Rs 120mn inventory write off. Adjusted for these expenses, EBITDA margin  was  at 18%. The impact of raw material price hike and business mix was only ~300-400bps, in our view.

Outlook

At CMP, the stock  is  trading  at  15.7x  FY18E, 11.6x FY19E and 8.6x FY20E, still 50% cheaper  to  industry peers. We continue to maintain BUY with reduced TP of Rs 115 (12x FY20E).

Top Cheap Stocks To Watch For 2019: Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  High-yield and traditionally-safe sectors like Utilities, represented by the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLU), and Consumer Staples, represented by the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLP), show this relationship with yields.

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Energy stocks were market leaders today, with the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT:XOP) up 2.2%. Utilities fell on rising long-term interest rates; the Utilities Select SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLU) slipped 0.3%. 

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Long-term bonds rose, hurting financial stocks and giving a boost to utilities. The Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLF) declined 0.9%, while the Utilities Select SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLU) added 1.2%.

• [By ]

  They can also invest in a mutual fund or a low-cost exchange-traded fund (ETF). One popular option is Utilities Select Sector SPRD ETF (NYSE: XLU), at nearly $7.5 billion in size.

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  With June's reputation for equity market declines, it's probably not surprising that defensive sectors are among the better performers in the sixth month of the year. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLU) is usually the best-performing sector SPDR ETF in June, but its average June gains are negligible, according to CXO data.

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Energy stocks rose after President Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the Iran nuclear accord. The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT:XOP) gained 2.1%. Utility stocks fell on rising interest rates, with the Utilities Select SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLU) dropping 2.5%.

Top Cheap Stocks To Watch For 2019: CenturyLink, Inc.(CTL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Centurylink Inc (NYSE:CTL) shares gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $20.37, but opened at $21.07. Centurylink shares last traded at $20.80, with a volume of 589637 shares traded.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Cove Street Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Centurylink Inc (NYSE:CTL) by 1.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 534,788 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 7,914 shares during the period. Cove Street Capital LLC’s holdings in Centurylink were worth $9,968,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Globalstar CEO and chairman Jay Monroe is consolidating his business empire here. Monroe is also the CEO and majority shareholder of investment firm The Thermo Companies, which is stepping in to take over Globalstar here in a deal worth $1.65 billion. The merger will fortify Globalstar's struggling core business by combining it with regional fiber network FiberLight and injecting some fresh capital into its balance sheet. The resulting company, which will be known as Thermo Companies but should continue to trade under Globalstar's GSAT ticker until further notice, will gain a $100 million cash boost along with 15.5 million shares of CenturyLink (NYSE:CTL), currently worth about $280 million.

• [By Leo Sun, Jamal Carnette, CFA, and Nicholas Rossolillo]

  AT&T's (NYSE:T) massive moat, its high forward yield of 6.2%, and its status as a Dividend Aristocrat make it a favorite income investment for many investors. It might seem tough to find a stable company that pays a higher yield than AT&T, but three stocks fit that description: GEO Group (NYSE:GEO), Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners (NYSE:BEP), and CenturyLink (NYSE:CTL).

Top Cheap Stocks To Watch For 2019: USG Corporation(USG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  USG Co. (NYSE:USG) – Equities research analysts at SunTrust Banks reduced their Q3 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of USG in a report issued on Monday, July 9th. SunTrust Banks analyst K. Hughes now forecasts that the construction company will post earnings of $0.57 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.61. SunTrust Banks currently has a “Hold” rating and a $44.00 price target on the stock. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for USG’s FY2018 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.71 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $2.53 EPS.

• [By Max Byerly]

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

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

• [By Jordan Wathen]

  As USG Corporation (NYSE:USG) drags its feet on an offer to sell the company for $42 per share, Berkshire intends to use its 30.8% ownership stake to motivate its top brass to make a deal. Berkshire told Bloomberg it intends to vote its shares against USG's board members who are up for re-election at this year's annual meeting, a clear message that Buffett is ready to cash in, even if USG's management and board are not.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Warren Buffett likes to hold his stock positions for the long run, and his experience with USG (NYSE:USG) has been typical of his other long-term investments. The Oracle of Omaha started buying shares of the manufacturer of Sheetrock drywall and other building materials back in 2000, accumulating a sizable stake that has ballooned to more than 30% of the company. USG ended up going through bankruptcy in order to get a handle on its asbestos liability claims, but thanks largely to Buffett's involvement, the building materials company not only survived bankruptcy but also saw share prices soar briefly on hopes that USG would once again fully participate in the then-strong housing boom.

Insider Selling: Red Hat Inc (RHT) EVP Sells 25,000 Shares of Stock

Red Hat Inc (NYSE:RHT) EVP Michael Cunningham sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.79, for a total transaction of $4,469,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,482,444.09. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

RHT stock opened at $179.34 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $31.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.55. Red Hat Inc has a 52 week low of $115.31 and a 52 week high of $179.82.

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Red Hat (NYSE:RHT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 17th. The open-source software company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $847.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $852.79 million. Red Hat had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 33.96%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Red Hat Inc will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Several research analysts have commented on RHT shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Red Hat to $190.00 in a report on Monday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Red Hat in a report on Monday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $183.00 target price for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up from $186.00) on shares of Red Hat in a report on Monday, December 10th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Red Hat from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $194.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, December 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Red Hat from $140.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.30.

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RHT. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Red Hat during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Athena Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Red Hat during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Red Hat during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Red Hat during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Reilly Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Red Hat by 40.8% during the fourth quarter. Reilly Financial Advisors LLC now owns 276 shares of the open-source software company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.90% of the company’s stock.

TRADEMARK VIOLATION NOTICE: This article was first published by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this article on another domain, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of international copyright law. The original version of this article can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4147423/insider-selling-red-hat-inc-rht-evp-sells-25000-shares-of-stock.html.

About Red Hat

Red Hat, Inc provides open source software solutions to develop and offer operating system, virtualization, management, middleware, cloud, mobile, and storage technologies to various enterprises worldwide. It offers infrastructure-related solutions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an operating system platform that runs on hardware for use in hybrid cloud environments; Red Hat Satellite, a system management offering that helps to deploy, scale, and manage in hybrid cloud environments; and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, a software solution that allows customers to utilize and manage a common hardware infrastructure to run multiple operating systems and applications.

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Morgan Stanley: Why GM and Amazon may be investing in 'the next Tesla'

General Motors and Amazon are reportedly in talks to invest in Detroit startup Rivian Automotive and that indicates a massive shift in the "next and potentially imminent" electric vehicle market of pickup trucks, Morgan Stanley said on Wednesday.

"The highly lucrative and US-dominated pickup truck market" is "an important area of investor focus" due to the "culmination of battery cost reduction, architecture, duty cycle, and price point," Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said. Jonas earned a wide following on Wall Street due to his early calls on Tesla and the rise of electric vehicles.

Morgan Stanley featured Rivian earlier this week as the "next serious competition" for Tesla. The startup's "clean sheet" approach could make it "the next Tesla," Jonas said.

"We have focused considerable research effort on the theme of electric pickup trucks in recent days," Jonas said. Rivian emerged as the firm's top pick to challenge Tesla in the coming years, due to Rivian's "access to talent & capital focused on the fastest growing segments of pickup trucks & SUVs," he said.

Rivian previewed its R1T electric truck prototype in November. Rivian CEO R.C. Scaringe said the R1T will deliver 400 miles of range, with four individual motors allowing for all-wheel-drive. The R1T will be able to hit 60 miles per hour in 3 seconds and tow up to 11,000 pounds. Rivian is also building the R1S, an electric seven-passenger SUV. Rivian says the R1S will also have a range of over 400 miles.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images RJ Scaringe, founder and chief executive officer of Rivian Automotive, speaks after unveiling the R1S electric sports utility vehicle (SUV).

The Amazon and GM deal would value Rivian between $1 billion and $2 billion, according to Reuters on Tuesday.

Morgan Stanley believes Amazon is seizing the opportunity to use its own technology "to shape electric delivery vehicles to support its own logistics efforts," the firm said.

"Amazon has spent the last few years building out and expanding its logistics network and recently invested in autonomous driving startup Aurora," Jonas said.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

Facebook And Alphabet Lead List Of Balance-Sheet Powerhouses

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-1088855520&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/1088855520/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; photo credit: Getty

Why did companies such as Goldman Sachs and General Electric come running to Warren Buffett during the financial crisis?

Because he had something they lacked--cash.

Financial strength is something most investors don&a;rsquo;t pay enough attention to. To celebrate companies with outstanding financial strength, I compile an annual list of Balance Sheet Powerhouses.

To make the list, a company must pass six tests:

&l;/p&g;&l;ul&g;&l;li&g;Domiciled and traded in the U.S.&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;Market value of $1 billion or more.&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;$300 million or more in cash and near-cash.&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;Debt less than 10% of stockholders&a;rsquo; equity.&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;Current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) of 2.0 or better.&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;Earnings of at least 10 cents a share in the latest fiscal year.&l;/li&g; &l;/ul&g;&l;strong&g;The Leaders&l;/strong&g;

Thirty-three companies pass these tests as of February 8, up from 28 companies a year ago. Leading the parade are &l;strong&g;Alphabet&l;/strong&g; (GOOGL) and &l;strong&g;Facebook&l;/strong&g; (FB). Alphabet has more than $16 billion in cash, Facebook $10 billion.

No one else comes close to those two behemoths, but five other companies have more than $1 billion in cash and near-cash.

They are &l;strong&g;Vertex Pharmaceuticals&l;/strong&g; (VRTX) with $3.2 billion, &l;strong&g;Regeneron Pharmaceuticals&l;/strong&g; (REGN) with $1.5 billion, &l;strong&g;Madison Square Garden&l;/strong&g; (MSG) with $1.2 billion, &l;strong&g;Cognizant Technology&l;/strong&g; &l;strong&g;Solutions&l;/strong&g; (CTSH) with $1.2 billion and &l;strong&g;Skyworks Solutions&l;/strong&g; (SWKS) with $1.1 billion.

To make the Balance Sheet Powerhouses list is an honor and a tribute to a company&a;rsquo;s success. It is not necessarily a stock recommendation. The virtues of many of these companies are well known, and so their stocks are often high-priced.

&l;strong&g;My Picks&l;/strong&g;

Each year, I pick just a few Balance Sheet Powerhouse stocks to recommend. This year I plump for three: &l;strong&g;Advanced Energy Industries&l;/strong&g; (AEIS), &l;strong&g;Foot Locker&l;/strong&g; (FL), and &l;strong&g;Urban Outfitters&l;/strong&g; (URBN).

Advanced Energy makes power conversion equipment. It is on this honor roll for the second straight year. Analysts expect its earnings to dip this year, and recover in 2020. The stock sells for 12 times earnings, a modest multiple these days. The company has $351 million in cash or near-cash, and no debt.

Foot Locker sells shoes and athletic wear. The stock sells for only 13 times earnings because of internet competition and the fickle nature of apparel retailing. Earnings dropped last year but the company has $849 million in cash or near-cash, and only $125 million in debt.

Urban Outfitters sells clothes, mainly to young adults. As brick and mortar retailers have fallen out of favor, the stock has meandered around, currently selling for about the same price ($31 a share) as it did nine years ago. The company is decently profitable, has $329 million in cash, and has no long-term debt.

&l;strong&g;Repeat Winners&l;/strong&g;

Three companies--Alphabet, &l;strong&g;AVX&l;/strong&g;&a;nbsp; (AVX) and &l;strong&g;Dolby Laboratories&l;/strong&g; (DLB) are making their eighth appearance on this honor roll. They are the current champions for longevity.

&l;strong&g;Cognizant Technology Solutions&l;/strong&g; (CTSH) enjoys its seventh year on the list.

Back for a sixth time are &l;strong&g;Intuitive Surgical&l;/strong&g; (ISRG), &l;strong&g;SEI Investments&l;/strong&g; Co. (SEI) and &l;strong&g;Skyworks Solutions&l;/strong&g; (SWKS).

&l;strong&g;The Rest&l;/strong&g;

For those who want the full Balance Sheet Powerhouse list, here are the companies not otherwise mentioned in this article:

&l;strong&g;Ansys&l;/strong&g; (ANSS), &l;strong&g;Arista Networks&l;/strong&g; (ANET), &l;strong&g;Axon Enterprise&l;/strong&g; Inc. (AAXN), &l;strong&g;Bio-Rad Laboratories&l;/strong&g; (BIO), &l;strong&g;Cerner&l;/strong&g; (CERN), &l;strong&g;Columbia Sportswear Co&l;/strong&g;. (COLM), &l;strong&g;Deckers Outdoor&l;/strong&g; (DECK).

Also: &l;strong&g;Emergent BioSolutions&l;/strong&g; (BIO), &l;strong&g;Epam Sysems&l;/strong&g; (EPAM), &l;strong&g;Exelixis&l;/strong&g; (EXEL), &l;strong&g;ICU Medical&l;/strong&g; (ICUI), &l;strong&g;IPG Photonics&l;/strong&g; (IPGP), &l;strong&g;Masimo&l;/strong&g; (MASI), &l;strong&g;Monster Beverage&l;/strong&g; (MNST), &l;strong&g;Skechers USA&l;/strong&g; (SKX), &l;strong&g;TripAdvisor&l;/strong&g; (TRIP), &l;strong&g;United Therapeutics&l;/strong&g; (UTHR), V&l;strong&g;eeva Systems&l;/strong&g; (VEEV) and &l;strong&g;Yelp&l;/strong&g; (YELP).

&l;strong&g;Past Record

&l;/strong&g;Beginning in 2001, I&a;rsquo;ve written 15 columns on Balance Sheet Powerhouses, including this one. The average one-year total return on my recommendations from the previous 14 columns has been 14.0%, compared to 8.5% for the Standard &a;amp; Poor&a;rsquo;s 500 Index.

So far so good, but my success was concentrated in a handful of good years. I beat the S&a;amp;P 500 only six times out of 14 in this series.

Last year&a;rsquo;s picks produced a 6.5% loss, from February 13, 2018 through February 8, 2019. Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS), Gentex (GNTX), Sanderson Farms (SAFM) and Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) all declined. My only gainer was Foot Locker. The S&a;amp;P 500 advanced 3.7%

Bear in mind that my column recommendations are theoretical and don&a;rsquo;t reflect actual trades, trading costs or taxes. Their results shouldn&a;rsquo;t be confused with the performance of portfolios I manage for clients. And past performance doesn&a;rsquo;t predict future results.

&l;em&g;Get timely investing news and information from Forbes Investing Digest. &l;a href=&q;http://info.forbes.com/Investing-Digest-FDC-Sign-Up.html?k=EM_ID_FDC&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Sign up now, it&s;s free.&l;/a&g;&l;/em&g;

&l;em&g;Disclosure: I own Alphabet and Sanderson Farms personally and for many of my clients.&l;/em&g;

----

&l;em&g;John Dorfman is chairman of Dorfman Value Investments LLC and a syndicated columnist. His firm or clients may own or trade securities discussed in this column. He can be reached at &l;a href=&q;mailto:jdorfman@dorfmanvalue.com&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;jdorfman@dorfmanvalue.com&l;/a&g;. &l;/em&g;

The Breakout in Chipotle Stock Is ‘For Real’

Following Chipotle’s (NYSE:CMG) earnings report, two very different and large gaps off and on the price chart have investors questioning whether now is the time to buy Chipotle stock or if they should wait for conditions to simmer.

By some measures, Thursday was a sizzling day for Chipotle stock. Shares of CMG gapped and rallied strongly to finish up nearly 11.50% to a fresh three-year high. Behind the bullish fiesta, investors celebrated items like year-over-year earnings growth of 2.3% on profits of $6.31.

Or did they?

On the one hand, while not serving up the growth of yesteryear, Chipotle’s GAAP number nonetheless did deliver more evidence the fast-fresh burrito king is back on track following a couple years of well-publicized food scares. But in a move to remain transparent during its restructuring, the company also used non-GAAP figures as well. And that’s where CMG stock looks extra, extra tasty!

Looking at earnings from a non-GAAP angle, which benefits from the company’s strategic closing of under-performing restaurants and relocation of its headquarters, CMG stock offered up sizzling profits of $9.06 and growth of 33% from 2017. Yummy, indeed.

So, with this sizable profit gap off the price chart related to the two earnings numbers, which one were investors hot for? At the end of the day, there’s no definitive answer. Still, with top institutional names representing more than 60% of Chipotle stock’s shareholders, I’m willing to give credit that investors buying into CMG are smart enough to give the promotional non-GAAP teaser its due weight, but also recognize the possible limitations when they collectively gobbled up shares Thursday.

Chipotle Stock Weekly Chart

On the CMG stock price chart another type of sizable gap looks unequivocally bullish. Thursday’s jump in the CMG share price launched it out of a “high” handle consolidation which rested on top of a large and healthy corrective “W” or high-level, double-bottom base. With the beefy pattern breakout also vaulting CMG shares cleanly above the 62% retracement level from its 2015 all-time-highs, my estimate for an initial upside target is conservatively priced from $650 to $700.

Ideally, I’d like to see a simple multi-day pullback in shares based on a fairly aggressive position in shares outside the daily chart Bollinger Band. But in a less perfect reality, beginning to nibble today based on the big picture and being ready to accumulate Chipotle stock on weakness makes sense.

Sure, some bears might warn Thursday’s reaction was helped in part by some of CMG stock’s near 10% short interest covering their you know what. To a certain extent that could very well be true. It’s also the case those bears have admitted defeat and been on the wrong side of the action for quite some time now.

Bottom line, I don’t mind disrespecting the bear population and seeing the breakout in Chipotle stock as being “For Real” and one in which bulls can still profit from.

Disclosure: Investment accounts under Christopher Tyler’s management currently own positions in Chipotle stock (CMG) and / or its derivatives. The information offered is based upon Christopher Tyler’s observations and strictly intended for educational purposes only; the use of which is the responsibility of the individual. For additional options-based strategies and related musings, follow Chris on Twitter @Options_CAT and StockTwits.

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Earnings Report Brings Improvement and Uncertainty to Spotify Stock

Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) surprised investors on multiple fronts. The popular streaming music service beat estimates by reporting its first-ever quarterly profit. It further defied expectations by using much of this profit to purchase two firms involved with podcasting. Unfortunately for SPOT bulls, Spotify stock fell following this news.

Source: Spotify

This move leaves investors with the question as to whether prospective buyers should invest in Spotify’s new direction. Given this lack of clarity, I believe investors should wait before going into SPOT stock. Spotify Stock Reports a Surprise Profit, Enters Podcasting

Yesterday, SPOT released its fourth-quarter earnings report. Spotify’s revenue came in at $1.7 billion, falling just shy of the $1.71 billion analyst estimate. It shows a substantial increase from the $1.36 billion revenue figure from the same quarter last year.

However, investors still sold off the equity on that news.

On a happier note, SPOT announced it had earned its first quarterly profit. The company earned 41 cents per share, about $502 million. Analysts had predicted a loss of 22 cents per share.

SPOT has fallen by more than 7% over two days following this revenue loss. Analysts also expect SPOT stock to revert to reporting quarterly losses for the next several quarters. Hence, forward guidance left investors with few financially based reasons to cheer.

However, some potential for a turnaround lies with how the Stockholm-based company put some of those earnings to work. Spotify purchased a broadcasting studio called Gimlet Media as well as Anchor, a creation app. Although Spotify did not release the cost of these purchases, Gimlet was rumored to have sold for $230 million.

The Optimistic, Unclear Path for SPOT Stock

Currently, 90% of Spotify’s income comes from premium services. Ad revenue constitutes most of the remainder. Still, this could face threats from Spotify’s lack of a discernible moat. SPOT now competes with much larger firms such as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL, NASDAQ:GOOG), and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) in music streaming.

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Yes, Spotify has become one of the world’s largest streaming services. However, it achieved this using content produced by others. Now, larger players have copied this business model. These big players are mega-cap stocks with tens or hundreds of billions of dollars in cash. Spotify stock stands as barely a large cap that reports a rare quarterly profit.

To Spotify’s credit, pivoting into podcasts allows for the creation of original, proprietary content. In this area, its peer Sirius (NASDAQ:SIRI) has created programs, some of which have gone on to critical acclaim. Now, Spotify could follow the same path to success.

If Spotify creates podcasts that attract listeners, SPOT stock will almost certainly benefit. However, with this move, Spotify begins its transition from music streamer to podcast content provider. These podcasts could determine whether Spotify survives long term or if it gets swept aside by big tech.

The Bottom Line on Spotify Stock

Spotify stock investors face a great deal of uncertainty following the purchase of Gimlet and Anchor. To be sure, SPOT defied expectations by reporting a profit at a time when most everyone had expected just another loss. The subsequent selloff likely came about due to its revenue miss and not other factors.

Still, it is the “other factors” that may become important going forward, namely the move into podcast production.

Competition from the biggest names in tech looms over SPOT. As a smaller music streaming company, it will likely struggle to survive. However, as a content creator, it has a chance to offer what its competitors cannot match. The long-term success of Spotify probably stock hinges on that content. While I feel that makes SPOT too uncertain to buy, it at least positions the company to avoid a near-certain failure.

As of this writing, Will Healy did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks. You can follow Will on Twitter at @HealyWriti

How To Buy A 7.6% Yield For 88 Cents On The Dollar

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-462720301&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/462720301/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;620&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g;

The last time we had this Fed setup, these safe 6%+ paying bonds jumped 20% in the year ahead!

The setup? The likelihood that short-term interest rates (as set by the Federal Reserve) will go nowhere over the next 12 months. To see this we&a;rsquo;ll turn to the Fed funds futures, which are contracts that reflect real money being bet on the Fed&a;rsquo;s upcoming action (or lack thereof). Collectively they comprise the smartest crystal ball available this side of Jay Powell.

Right now, the smart money is giving &a;ldquo;no hike&a;rdquo; a 75% probability between now and January 2020. And when we add in the bets on a rate cut or two, we&a;rsquo;re looking at a 92% chance that rates will either be unchanged or lower this time next year!

This is bullish for &a;ndash; you&a;rsquo;ll never guess &a;ndash; &l;i&g;floating rate bond funds&l;/i&g;.

We have a historical parallel we can draw on. In the summer of 2006, then-Fed chair Alan Greenspan capped off three years of rate hikes. &l;i&g;Contrarian Income Report&l;/i&g; favorite &l;b&g;BlackRock Floating Rate Income Strategies Fund &l;/b&g;continued to rally until the following summer, even though rates were going nowhere.

The Fed rate remained unchanged while the 10-year Treasury rate traded in a range (between 4.4% and 5.3%). Interest rates were flat, yet floating rate fund FRA gained 20% in 12 months. Who would have predicted that!

This big year was nothing new for FRA, either. Over the past 10 years, the fund has delivered impressive 11.8% annual returns on its net asset value (NAV), or the value of the bonds in its portfolio.

And which bonds does it own specifically? Corporate bonds, which are issued by firms to fund future growth.

FRA&a;rsquo;s &a;ldquo;secret&a;rdquo; is that it buys bonds that are just below the &a;ldquo;investment grade&a;rdquo; demarcation. Blackrock&a;rsquo;s managers David Delbos, Mitchell Garfin and Josh Tarnow know that it doesn&a;rsquo;t matter what a rating agency says. What matters more is the actual health of the business issuing the bonds, its cash flow, and its ability to service the debt.

There&a;rsquo;s an absence of big buyers in these underappreciated debt pools. Many pension funds aren&a;rsquo;t allowed to buy bonds that don&a;rsquo;t have the investment grade stamp, regardless of any deeper analysis. As a result, the Blackrock team is able to find value in the Bs, and 94% of the fund&a;rsquo;s portfolio in BBB, BB, or B rated debt.

So what&a;rsquo;s &l;i&g;our&l;/i&g; secret as income investors? We want to select excellent funds like FRA and buy and hold them when they trade at discounts to the value of the bargain bonds they hold.

FRA, after all, is a closed-end fund (CEF). And we can be smart about our CEF purchases and buy them:

&l;/p&g;&l;ol&g;&l;li&g;For 6% yields or higher,&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;And at discounts so that you can snare some price upside to boot!&l;/li&g;

&l;/ol&g;

Here&a;rsquo;s why: CEFs (unlike their ETF and mutual fund cousins) have fixed pools of shares. Meanwhile, their prices trade up and down like stocks - which means these funds can sometimes trade at a discount to the value of their underlying assets! You can literally &l;i&g;buy a dollar for less&l;/i&g;.

As I write, FRA pays 6.2% today yet is priced at a 13% discount to its NAV (net asset value). Shares trade for just 87 cents on the dollar, the cheapest they&a;rsquo;ve been in 10 years!

Disclosure: none

Top Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:FLR,CLNS,MIDD,

May 22, 2018: Markets opened higher again Tuesday but it’s been a bumpy day ever since, especially for the blue chips. Trading has been mixed all day with the energy sector the day’s biggest loser while financials and utilities have performed best. The FOMC releases the tea leaves, uh, minutes, of its latest meeting tomorrow. A slightly weakening dollar and still-high 10-year yields pretty much offset each other.

WTI crude oil for June delivery closed at $72.13 a barrel, down about 0.2% for the day. The July contract settled down about 0.2% at $72.20. June gold added about 0.1% on the day to settle at $1,292.00. Equities were headed for lower close about 10 minutes before the bell as the Dow traded down 0.69% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.26%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded down 0.12%.

Bitcoin futures (XBTM8) for June delivery traded at $8,195, down about 2.4% on the CBOE after opening at $8,420 this morning. The trading range today was $8,170 to $8,450.

Top Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In 2019: Fluor Corporation(FLR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Friday was Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR) which traded down about 22% at $45.75. The stock's 52-week range is $37.04 to $62.09. Volume was 12 million compared to the daily average volume of 1.3 million.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Canaccord Genuity upgraded shares of Fluor Co. (NEW) (NYSE:FLR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Rhumbline Advisers reduced its position in shares of Fluor Co. (NYSE:FLR) by 0.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 239,151 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,296 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.17% of Fluor worth $13,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Top Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In 2019: Colony NorthStar, Inc. (CLNS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Colony NorthStar Inc. (NYSE: CLNS) dropped about 2.4% Thursday to post a 52-week low of $10.69 after closing at $10.95 on Wednesday. The 52-week high is $14.92. Volume was around 5.3 million, nearly double the daily average. The company had no specific news.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Colony NorthStar (NYSE:CLNS) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 52,863 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $297,000.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  NorthStar Realty Europe Corp. is a European focused commercial real estate company with predominately prime office properties within key cities in Germany, the United Kingdom and France, organized as a REIT and managed by an affiliate of Colony NorthStar, Inc (NYSE: CLNS), a leading global equity REIT with an embedded investment management platform.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Colony NorthStar Inc. (NYSE: CLNS) dropped about 3.1% Friday to post a 52-week low of $10.36 after closing at $10.69 on Thursday. The 52-week high is $14.92. Volume was around 6.1million, more than double the daily average. The company had no specific news.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Colony NorthStar Inc. (NYSE: CLNS) slipped about 3.1% to post a new 52-week low of $11.02 Wednesday after closing at $11.37 on Tuesday. Volume of about 3.8 million was about 45% above the daily average of around 2.7 million. The REIT completed its sale of an investment management firm to Aon plc on Tuesday for net proceeds of around $379 million.

Top Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In 2019: The Middleby Corporation(MIDD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  History repeated itself. For the second earnings quarter in a row, shares of commercial oven-maker Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) are down 13.7% as of 11 a.m. EDT after the company reported Q1 sales and earnings that fell short of Wall Street estimates.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) has been a big player in the kitchen equipment industry for a long time. Yet despite moves intended to grow its business and expand more aggressively into the consumer appliance space, Middleby hasn't been able to make much progress for shareholders since mid-2015. The moves Middleby initiated back then in response to challenging conditions have taken a lot of effort, but the results haven't been as clear as many would have liked.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Jane Street Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Middleby Corp (NASDAQ:MIDD) by 83.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,578 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 39,022 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC’s holdings in Middleby were worth $938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE: BUD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $13.06 billion. SINA Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $433.32 million. Weibo Corporation (NASDAQ: WB) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.47 per share on revenue of $342.39 million. Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $1.55 billion. Mylan N.V. (NASDAQ: MYL) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.98 per share on revenue of $2.75 billion. Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.31 per share on revenue of $1.51 billion. ADT Inc. (NYSE: ADT) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.24 per share on revenue of $1.11 billion. Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.13 per share on revenue of $2.18 billion. Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: PNK) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.31 per share on revenue of $644.94 million. Conduent Incorporated (NYSE: CNDT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.21 per share on revenue of $1.44 billion. Delphi Technologies PLC (NYSE: DLPH) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.16 per share on revenue of $1.25 billion. Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.08 per share on revenue of $2.72 billion. Global Partners LP (NYSE: GLP) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.13 per share on revenue of $2.33 billion. Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $530.99 million. Performance Food Group Company (NYSE: PFGC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $4.46 billion. Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) is projected to report