Netlist (NLST) Sets New 52-Week Low After Earnings Miss

Netlist, Inc. (NASDAQ:NLST) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $0.13 and last traded at $0.12, with a volume of 3655 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $0.12.

The semiconductor company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $8.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.50 million.

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NLST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1.00 price target on shares of Netlist in a research note on Friday, June 1st. Roth Capital raised shares of Netlist from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 31st. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Netlist from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 18th. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of Netlist from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $1.55.

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of -1.87, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company has a market cap of $14.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.60 and a beta of -0.89.

About Netlist

Netlist, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells modular memory subsystems for the server, high-performance computing, and communications markets worldwide. It offers Hybri dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a storage class memory product, which unifies dynamic random access memory (DRAM)and NAND flash in a plug-and-play module delivering terabyte storage capacities operating at nanosecond memory speeds.

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Analysts Expect Navigant Consulting, Inc. (NCI) to Announce $0.32 EPS

Brokerages forecast that Navigant Consulting, Inc. (NYSE:NCI) will announce earnings per share (EPS) of $0.32 for the current quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Three analysts have issued estimates for Navigant Consulting’s earnings, with the lowest EPS estimate coming in at $0.31 and the highest estimate coming in at $0.32. Navigant Consulting posted earnings of $0.24 per share in the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year-over-year growth rate of 33.3%. The business is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Monday, July 30th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Navigant Consulting will report full year earnings of $1.30 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.28 to $1.31. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the firm will report earnings of $1.41 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.33 to $1.49. Zacks’ earnings per share averages are an average based on a survey of research firms that follow Navigant Consulting.

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Navigant Consulting (NYSE:NCI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, hitting the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.30. Navigant Consulting had a net margin of 7.29% and a return on equity of 7.95%. The firm had revenue of $243.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $233.79 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NCI. ValuEngine cut shares of Navigant Consulting from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 2nd. Barrington Research raised shares of Navigant Consulting from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Navigant Consulting from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.50.

Shares of NYSE:NCI traded up $0.09 on Thursday, hitting $21.44. The company had a trading volume of 13,514 shares, compared to its average volume of 365,522. Navigant Consulting has a 1 year low of $14.62 and a 1 year high of $25.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $953.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.90.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NCI. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in Navigant Consulting in the fourth quarter worth about $311,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in Navigant Consulting by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 173,633 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,370,000 after buying an additional 34,387 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in Navigant Consulting by 218.6% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 77,175 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,498,000 after buying an additional 52,953 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Navigant Consulting by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 111,885 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,172,000 after buying an additional 6,808 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Navigant Consulting by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,963,727 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $115,755,000 after buying an additional 111,461 shares during the last quarter. 92.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Navigant Consulting Company Profile

Navigant Consulting, Inc provides professional services to corporate executives and senior management, corporate counsel, law firms, corporate boards, special committees, and governmental agencies worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare; Energy; Financial Services Advisory and Compliance; and Disputes, Forensics and Legal Technology.

Read More: What does relative strength index mean?

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Navigant Consulting (NCI)

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

Hot Gold Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:ORE,NXG,CME,NGD,

Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GIII) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,728 shares of the textile maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of G-III Apparel Group worth $2,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GIII. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in G-III Apparel Group by 2,669.2% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 502,825 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $18,549,000 after purchasing an additional 484,667 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in G-III Apparel Group by 310.2% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 474,184 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $17,493,000 after purchasing an additional 358,585 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in G-III Apparel Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,400,000. Kennedy Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in G-III Apparel Group by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management Inc. now owns 517,453 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $19,089,000 after purchasing an additional 171,907 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new position in G-III Apparel Group during the first quarter worth approximately $3,936,000. 98.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hot Gold Stocks To Watch For 2019: Orezone Gold Corp (ORE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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 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.��

Hot Gold Stocks To Watch For 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 Watch For 2019: CME Group Inc.(CME)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Sure, I will invest more in certain high-confidence picks than others, but without going overboard. This might limit the impact from a triple-digit winner in my High-Yield Investing portfolio, such as CME Group (Nasdaq: CME), where we are showing a 156% gain at last count, but it will also soften the blow from a laggard.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: “Q1 2018 EPS Estimates for CME Group Lifted by Analyst (CME)” was first reported by Ticker Report and is the property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this report on another publication, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of US and international copyright & trademark law. The correct version of this report can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3350609/q1-2018-eps-estimates-for-cme-group-lifted-by-analyst-cme.html.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 24,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,989,000.

Hot Gold Stocks To Watch For 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. (NYSEAMERICAN: NGD) dropped about 2.9% Monday to post a new 52-week low of $2.35. Shares closed at $2.42 on Friday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. Volume was about 10% below the daily average of around 5.8 million shares. The gold mining company had no news.

• [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.

Investors Sell Shares of Equifax (EFX) on Strength (EFX)

Traders sold shares of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) on strength during trading on Monday. $14.23 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $53.87 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $39.64 million out of the stock. Of all stocks tracked, Equifax had the 30th highest net out-flow for the day. Equifax traded up $1.29 for the day and closed at $128.53

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Equifax from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Equifax in a research report on Tuesday, April 10th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Equifax from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 27th. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded Equifax from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $124.64.

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The firm has a market cap of $15.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.50, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 25th. The credit services provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.06. Equifax had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 15.46%. The business had revenue of $865.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $854.89 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. equities analysts expect that Equifax Inc. will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 25th were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 24th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Equifax’s payout ratio is 26.13%.

In other Equifax news, CEO Mark W. Begor bought 8,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $115.01 per share, with a total value of $1,000,587.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at $5,346,929.91. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.45% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC grew its stake in Equifax by 9,375.0% in the first quarter. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in Equifax by 1,186.4% in the first quarter. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,518 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the period. HPM Partners LLC acquired a new position in Equifax in the fourth quarter valued at about $219,000. IBM Retirement Fund grew its stake in Equifax by 48.2% in the first quarter. IBM Retirement Fund now owns 2,618 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 852 shares during the period. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in Equifax in the first quarter valued at about $320,000. 90.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Equifax

Equifax Inc provides information solutions and human resources business process outsourcing services for businesses, governments, and consumers. The company operates through four segments: U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), International, Workforce Solutions, and Global Consumer Solutions. The USIS segment offers consumer and commercial information services, such as credit information and credit scoring, credit modeling and portfolio analytics, locate, fraud detection and prevention, identity verification, and other consulting; mortgage loan origination information; financial marketing; and identity management services.

Accumulate Dixon Technologies; target of Rs 3430: Dolat Capital

Dolat Capital's research report on Dixon Technologies

Dixon Technologies came up with the IPO in FY18 and got a great response from investors with a 117x subscription. From its IPO proceed of ` 600mn, company spent `.220mn for loan repayment and `75mn for setting up the plant at Tirupati for LED TVs. There is security premium of ` 596mn raised from the IPO issue reflected in the reserves.

Outlook

We expect TV and washing machine volumes to drive growth for Dixon in FY19. We have an Accumulate rating for the stock with a TP of ` 3,430 valuing stock at 33x for FY20 EPS.

For all recommendations report,�click here

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

Read More First Published on Jul 10, 2018 03:33 pm

Why markets may cheer any weakness in jobs report

June hiring is expected to be strong, but markets may find some relief if the Friday employment report contains a softer jobs number and squishy wage growth.

The reason is the so-called yield curve has been quietly worrying the market, raising concerns that the Fed is moving too fast and the economy will not be strong enough for many more rate hikes.

In this case, the yield curve is the spread between the 2-year Treasury yield and 10-year Treasury yield, at just 28 basis points Friday morning, an 11-year low. While mostly the purview of the bond market, the yield curve is being widely watched across markets and is getting more and more attention in the stock market.

The flattening of the curve is viewed by some as a warning about coming economic weakness, but traders also view it as a warning sign the Fed may be moving too quickly and could bring on a recession.

The flattening also is takes the curve ever closer to an inversion �� which occurs when the short term yield, or the 2-year, rises above the longer term security's yield, or the 10-year. That has been a reliable indicator of a recession.

The 2-year yield, at 2.55 percent Friday, has been rising on expectations for Fed interest rate hikes, with the next quarter point raise expected in September. Meanwhile, the 10-year yield is not making much traction and does not reflect the real strength of the economy. Instead it is anchored by lower interest rates globally, but it also reflects worries about things like trade wars or other potential shocks that could harm the economy.

Economists expect 195,000 jobs were created in June, and that unemployment held steady at 3.8 percent, according to Thomson Reuters. Average hourly wages were expected to have gained 0.3 percent in the month, or 2.8 percent annually. Weaker wage growth would signal a lack of pressure on inflation, and that could give the Fed some breathing room.

The job growth may be tough to figure out if it's soft. There could be just too few workers to fill available jobs, or something more concerning - that companies are starting to hold off on hiring plans because trade actions, like the escalating tariff feud between the U.S. and China, are creating uncertainty.

Stock futures were slightly weaker ahead of the jobs report, and bond yields were slightly lower.

What to Do When Your Boss Keeps Denying Your Vacation Requests

If there's one thing Americans on a whole are bad at, it's taking time away from the office. Last year, 21% of U.S. workers left vacation days on the table, and the reasons ran the gamut from having too much to do at the office to not wanting to deal with the aftermath of going away.

But what happens when you try to take vacation, only to have your requests continuously denied? The last thing you want is to not use your paid time off, but how do you take advantage of your vacation days when your manager never lets you take them? If you're stuck in this tricky situation, here are a few tactics that might help.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

1. Ask for time off during slower periods at work

Requesting time off during the busiest periods of the year means putting your manager in a tough spot. Your boss might want to give you that time off, but if doing so puts the business at risk, he or she can't afford to do it. So don't set yourself up for disappointment and put your boss in a position where he or she needs to make you unhappy. Instead, plan your time away from the office during calmer periods. For example, if work tends to slow down during the summer, ask for some vacation time then. Similarly, avoid asking for time off during the winter holidays, when there's a good chance the majority of your colleagues are clamoring for it as well.

2. Request time off after completing major projects

Your boss might hesitate to grant you time off if he or she knows that you're needed for a big project that's still in the works. A better bet, therefore, is to request time off after major initiatives are completed successfully. For example, if you're an IT manager who's tasked with rolling out a new software for the entire company to use, wait until that system is up and running bug-free to ask for a few days out of the office. Not only will your manager be less nervous about saying yes, but he or she will have a harder time denying your request on the heels of a major effort and win.

3. Enlist some backup help before talking to your boss about vacation time

If you're responsible for a number of important tasks, then your boss might hesitate to let you take time off for fear that things will just collapse in your absence. That's why it pays to come to your manager with a backup system of sorts already in place before requesting time off. For example, imagine that a big part of your job is to provide your company with marketing data -- data it needs on a consistent basis. If you train a colleague to pull that data and package it up in a neat report, and then let your boss know that you've taken that step, your manager might loosen the reins and grant that much-needed escape.

Not only do you deserve time off, but you probably need it to maintain your sanity. If your boss keeps saying no every time you ask for vacation, and the above tactics don't help, then you may have no choice but to take the matter to your human resources department. This especially holds true if your company has a use-it-or-lose-it vacation day policy, and you can't carry time off from one calendar year to the next. The last thing you want is to miss out on a key benefit you're entitled to just like everybody else.

There Are Two Market-Crushing Outperformers Hiding in Amazon and Netflix��s Shadow

Chris Johnson

Yesterday, I talked about the incredible strength in consumer-discretionary stocks, as represented by the Consumer Discretionary Select SPDR ETF (NYSE Arca: XLY) �� that��s the best ��one-stop shop�� play on the power of the U.S. economy.

And, even better, I gave you an easy trade to ��juice�� what should be already impressive gains there. �

But I also hinted that I was wrapping up some ��Best in Breed�� analysis on two overlooked stars.

They��ve been eclipsed by XLY heavyweights like Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) and Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX), but only because the companies that put the ��F�� and ��N�� in ��FANG stocks�� get all the attention.

Trust me: The stocks I��m about to name are not shy in the profit-making department. In fact, one of them just threw off a quick 67% profit for my Night Trader subscribers who were following along.

But we��re nowhere near done��

This Is Doing More Than 6x Better Than XLY Itself

TripAdvisor Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP), the online travel review and booking site, is the company that treated my subscribers so well. And I think it��ll do the same for you, too.

Yesterday, I showed a relative-strength chart of XLY blowing away the S&P 500.

MARKETS TANKED but Chris�� readers got the chance to score winning 40.42% gains on CSCO and 32.93% on SKT �� on top of last week��s double- and triple-digit wins. Click here to learn more��

In the same vein, the chart below shows Trip Advisor crushing XLY��s impressive performance in 2018. The stock is up a whopping 65% (much better than Amazon, by the way) so far this year, compared to the XLY��s 10.5%.

Currently, the shares are rebounding after pulling back from an all-time high reached last week. The 20-day moving average is in play as support, while the 50-day moving average is rapidly ascending to lend a hand should the shares weaken.

Interestingly, Trip Advisor experienced a similar pullback in May before racing higher to hit a succession of new highs nearly every day.

The thing I really love about Trip Advisor, though? You guessed it: short interest.

TRIP shares are absolutely coated with (unwarranted, misplaced) skepticism.

Short interest increased 5% last reporting period, raising the stock��s short-interest ratio to 9.0.

Not only is that above my threshold for a short squeeze kicking in, it also is the highest ratio among all XLY stocks. And we��re talking about the second-best performer in XLY in 2018, behind only Netflix.

Negativity is also seen on the Street, as just one of 25 covering analysts rate TRIP a ��Buy�� �� just one.

I don��t know what chart those guys are looking at. Maybe they��ve been on vacation (booked through Trip Advisor). But, whatever the reason, analyst upgrades have to start flowing in at some point, which will give the stock even more of a boost.

It��s an immediate buy.

Trip Advisor reports earnings on Aug. 1, so I��d consider buying the TRIP Sept. 21, 2018 $57.50 call (TRIP180921C00057500) to allow plenty of time for the shorts to unwind and the upgrades to come pouring in.

We��re Playing This Star for Double-Digit Profits

My second play is on a stock that is currently open in Seismic Profits Alert. It��s on apparel manufacturer Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE: HBI). Unlike TRIP, Hanes is lagging XLY in 2018 performance, having gained less than 5% this year.

But I��m not looking at the whole year; I��m focused on the past two months, during which the stock has rallied as much as 38%.

In the process, the shares have raced past all potential moving average support and are now set to challenge their 2018 high above the $23 level. More importantly, the 50-day moving average is now in a strong uptrend, a signal my ��Best in Breed�� system keys on for bullish plays.

Hanes is facing similar skepticism to Trip Advisor, with the short-interest ratio registering a robust 8.0. This clearly makes Hanes vulnerable to a short-covering rally. And fewer than half the covering analysts consider Hanes a ��Buy,�� leaving ample room for upgrades.

Hanes also reports earnings on Aug. 1, so it��s smart to buy before then. But I prefer to go beyond the report with a call option. But Hanes doesn��t have a September series, so we��ll go with the in-the-money HBI Aug. 17, 2018 $21 call (HBI180817C00021000) to leverage the expected upside.

This has been a great week to be a ��Best in Breed�� investor; we��ve seen it identify weak stocks to short and incredibly strong stocks in strong sectors to get long on.

And, even better, the system doesn��t give a damn about the headlines, either, so it��s great at uncovering under-loved and overlooked stocks that do as well (or better) than the marquee names.

Way Too Many People Missed Out on This

U.S. stocks took a vicious beating on Monday �� indices were slammed with the biggest one-day drops for months �� double- and triple-digit losses across the board, as the VIX "fear gauge" rocketed 25%. Of course, this much was on the news��

What didn't make headlines were the two urgent alerts Chris Johnson sent to a small group of subscribers that day, with precise instructions for scoring a winning 40.42% on CSCO and 36.92% on SKT. This is in addition to last week's 50.60% and 560.40% on SPRT and 45.45% on NDLS.

If you got those alerts, there's nothing you need to do. You're set. But�� if you missed out, you'll want to click here to learn more about how Chris' system works��

Follow Money Morning��on��Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Join the conversation. Click here to jump to comments…

Chris Johnson

About the Author

Browse Chris's articles | View Chris's research services

Chris Johnson is a quant - he's obsessed with building and perfecting mathematical models that allow him to predict, with startling accuracy, the direction of the markets, entire sectors, and individual securities. For the last year, he's been researching and building a new system that lets him move swiftly in and out of the hottest stocks in the market for life-changing gains - entirely on his own terms. The results of his newly-minted Night Trader system are nothing short of amazing.

Chris also contributes to Money Morning as the Quant Analysis Specialist.

… Read full bio

Top Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:TSN,FFNW,IRET,SB,

Two recent�marijuana stock news stories show how companies can easily defraud investors. Today, we're going to show you two easy ways to spot these shady companies so your money is never in jeopardy.

VideoMarijuana Business Are Teaming Up with This Billion-Dollar Industry

Here at Money Morning, we've been following two unfolding marijuana penny stock scandals. Back in February, a company called mCig Inc. (OTCMKTS: MCIG) – which sells e-cigarettes used for vaping cannabis – was accused of unreported insider selling.

This was uncovered by Alan Rothstein, the founder of the website�420 Investor. He discovered a discrepancy in the company's 10-K filings, which are annual financial reports submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Two of the filings revealed that mCig CEO Paul Rosenberg had sold personal shares of the company without reporting the transaction. In 2016, Rosenberg owned 23 million shares of MCIG stock, but the 2016 filing showed he owned only 20.9 million.

Top Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Tyson Foods Inc.(TSN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  Here are the 10 stocks that I think are in the most trouble. Below, I'll get into how each of them stacks up against these three metrics.

  Company Ticker Main Brands Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Tide, Pampers, Old Spice, Gillette PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Pepsi, Tostitos, Aquafina, Quaker Oats Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Coke, Sprite, Dasani, Minute Maid Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire, Sara Lee Mondelez (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Oreo, Nabsico, Triscuit, Ritz, Cadbury General Mills (NYSE:GIS) Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Colgate, Speedstick, Palmolive, Softsoap Kellogg (NYSE:K) Mini-Wheats, Pop-Tarts, Eggos Dean Foods (NYSE:DF) Dean, LandOLakes, Organic Valley Hain Celestial (NASDAQ:HAIN) Celestial Teas, Arrowhead Mills

  Data source: Company websites.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:

  Wall Street expects Sysco Corporation (NYSE: SYY) to report quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $14.34 billion before the opening bell. Sysco shares rose 0.18 percent to close at $62.29 on Friday. Analysts expect Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) to report quarterly earnings at $1.32 per share on revenue of $9.89 billion before the opening bell. Tyson shares rose 1.39 percent to close at $66.97 on Friday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE: IFF) reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter and agreed to acquire Frutarom for $7.1 billion. International Flavors shares dropped 5.03 percent to $135.00 in pre-market trading. Before the opening bell, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE: LPX) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.67 per share on revenue of $692.63 million. Louisiana-Pacific shares gained 2.09 percent to close at $28.32 on Friday. Analysts are expecting Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NYSE: WLTW) to have earned $3.01 per share on revenue of $2.23 billion in the latest quarter. Willis Towers Watson will release earnings before the markets open. Willis Towers Watson shares gained 0.98 percent to close at $148.91 on Friday.

  Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.

• [By ]

  Tyson Foods (TSN) CEO Tom Hayes wasn't kidding when he told TheStreet he wanted to make another big acquisition soon. 

  But the argument could be made that Wall Street wasn't expecting his latest food purchase. On Tuesday, Tyson Foods said it will spend $850 million to buy the poultry rendering and blending assets of American Proteins, Inc. and AMPRO Products, Inc.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) in a research report report published on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating on the stock.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.32 per share on revenue of $9.89 billion. Sysco Corporation (NYSE: SYY) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $14.34 billion. Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE: LPX) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.67 per share on revenue of $692.63 million. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ: CTSH) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.06 per share on revenue of 3.90 billion. Manchester United plc (NYSE: MANU) is estimated to report quarterly loss at $1.35 per share on revenue of $193.67 million. Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.66 per share on revenue of $3.24 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NYSE: WLTW) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $3.01 per share on revenue of $2.23 billion. Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRE) is estimated to report quarterly loss at $0.28 per share on revenue of $922.42 million. TravelCenters of America LLC (NASDAQ: TA) is projected to report quarterly loss at $0.16 per share on revenue of $1.59 billion. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.03 per share on revenue of $723.93 million. Welbilt, Inc. (NYSE: WBT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $329.71 million. Horizon Pharma Public Limited Company (NASDAQ: HZNP) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.07 per share on revenue of $234.17 million.

   

• [By Shane Hupp]

  HL Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 61,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,506,000.

Top Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: First Financial Northwest Inc.(FFNW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Financial Northwest (FFNW)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Financial Northwest (FFNW)

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

Top Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Investors Real Estate Trust(IRET)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on INVESTORS REAL ESTATE TRUST REIT Common Stock (IRET)

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

Top Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Safe Bulkers Inc(SB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDGL) shares surged 144.96 percent to close at $265.61 on Thursday in reaction to an encouraging Phase 2 clinical trial update. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company said its liver-directed, thyroid hormone receptor called MGL-3196 showed a statistical significance in the primary endpoint of lowering liver fat at 12 weeks and also 36 weeks. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VKTX) shares rose 101.01 percent to close at $9.99 on Thursday after falling 4.42 percent on Wednesday. Akers Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKER) jumped 45.58 percent to close at $0.474. The developer of rapid health information technologies said Wednesday afternoon it was granted a 180-day extension from the Nasdaq Stock Market to meet the requirement of a minimum $1.00 per share closing bid price for 10 straight days. Kitov Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ: KTOV) gained 40.93 percent to close at $3.03 after the FDA approved Kitov's Consensi for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain and hypertension. China Customer Relations Centers, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCRC) rose 28.21 percent to close at $19.86. J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE: JILL) climbed 26.45 percent to close at $7.84 after the company posted upbeat quarterly earnings. Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) shares climbed 21.93 percent to close at $2.78 in reaction to an encouraging FDA update. The biotechnology company that focuses on therapies for the treatment of cancer said the FDA granted a Fast Track designation for fimepinostat (CUDC-907) in patients with relapsed or refractory. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) gained 21.23 percent to close at $7.48. Kirkland's, Inc. (NASDAQ: KIRK) rose 16.21 percent to close at $12.83 after reporting upbeat Q1 results. The Brink's Company (NYSE: BCO) jumped 16.2 percent to close at $79.25 as the company announced plans to acquire Dunbar Armored for $520 million in cash. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAOI) rose 15.14 percent to c
• [By Rich Smith]

  Ocean-going bulk shipper Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB)�reported its fiscal Q1 2018 earnings results on Tuesday -- an "earnings beat" that nudged the company's shares up 2%. But it took until Thursday for the real good news to arrive. Today, all of the sudden, the stock jumped out of its berth and closed 12.2% higher.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) shares fell 9.6 percent to $37.01 in pre-market trading after the company reported weaker-than-expected results for its first quarter and issued downbeat earnings forecast. Tilly's, Inc. (NYSE: TLYS) fell 5.7 percent to $12.98 in pre-market trading after rising 12.69 percent on Thursday. Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. (NYSE: TKC) fell 4.2 percent to $6.39 in pre-market trading after dropping 4.71 percent on Thursday. Sunlands Online Education Group (NYSE: STG) fell 4.2 percent to $9.13 in pre-market trading. Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE: SB) fell 4.2 percent to $3.42 in pre-market trading after climbing 12.62 percent on Thursday. Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ: ULTA) fell 4.1 percent to $236.80 in pre-market trading. Ulta Beauty reported upbeat results for its first quarter, but issued weak second-quarter earnings and sales guidance. GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) shares fell 3.8 percent to $12.70 in pre-market trading. GameStop reported in-line earnings for its first quarter, while sales missed estimates. Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY) fell 3.2 percent to $126.85 in the pre-market trading session after the company posted Q1 results. Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LITE) shares fell 3 percent to $57.15 in pre-market trading
• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Safe Bulkers (SB)

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

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Companies Reporting After The Bell SpartanNash Company (NASDAQ: SPTN) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.53 per share on revenue of $2.38 billion. HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.48 per share on revenue of $13.57 billion. salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE: CRM) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.47 per share on revenue of $2.94 billion. HEICO Corporation (NYSE: HEI) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.53 per share on revenue of $424.96 million. Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE: SB) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.02 per share on revenue of $41.10 million

Top Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:SIGI,PCRX,IMGN,

Small cap restaurant stock Potbelly Corp (NASDAQ: PBPB) reported�Q2 2017 earnings before the market opened on Friday with the bottom line missing expectations. Total revenues increased 3.0% to $108.1 million as company-operated comparable store sales decreased 4.9%. Sixteen new shops opened, including three franchised shops and thirteen company-operated shops. The GAAP net loss attributable to Potbelly Corporation was $0.1 million versus�net income of $3.4 million (inclusive of a $1.0 million impairment charge). The CFO/interim-CEO commented:

"During the second quarter, we generated revenue of $108 million, an increase of 3%, driven by our new unit growth, offset by the impact of our comparable store sales, which decreased 4.9%. While disappointed with our top-line performance, we are encouraged by our ability to manage costs, drive solid flow-through delivering shop-level profit margin of 19.2%, and generate adjusted EBITDA of $11.8 million."

Top Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2019: Selective Insurance Group, Inc.(SIGI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  BidaskClub downgraded shares of Selective Insurance (NASDAQ:SIGI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Monday.

  A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on SIGI. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Selective Insurance from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods set a $62.00 price target on shares of Selective Insurance and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Selective Insurance from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, March 14th. Sandler O’Neill reaffirmed a hold rating and set a $61.00 price objective on shares of Selective Insurance in a report on Friday, April 6th. Finally, Boenning Scattergood reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Selective Insurance in a report on Thursday, May 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $62.50.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Selective Insurance (NASDAQ:SIGI) – Boenning Scattergood decreased their Q2 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of Selective Insurance in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, May 3rd. Boenning Scattergood analyst R. Farnam now expects that the insurance provider will earn $0.83 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.96. Boenning Scattergood has a “Hold” rating on the stock. Boenning Scattergood also issued estimates for Selective Insurance’s Q4 2018 earnings at $1.04 EPS, Q1 2019 earnings at $0.88 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.98 EPS and Q4 2019 earnings at $1.05 EPS.

Top Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2019: Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(PCRX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCRX) has found itself in the middle of a great opportunity but not being able to make the last mile of the race. Unfortunately, pain management in a non-opioid treatment has become an elusive target. And it’s too bad when you consider how many people have become addicted to opioids in America.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of Pacira Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PCRX) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Thursday morning.

Top Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2019: ImmunoGen, Inc.(IMGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  ImmunoGen (NASDAQ:IMGN) was downgraded by BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Shares of ImmunoGen (NASDAQ:IMGN) fell 9.2% on Thursday after the biotech announced�yesterday after the bell that it was selling 13.7 million shares for $11 per share. The underwriters have an option to purchase an additional 2.055 million shares, potentially further diluting current shareholders.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Trexquant Investment LP raised its stake in shares of ImmunoGen (NASDAQ:IMGN) by 190.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 331,215 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 217,244 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP owned about 0.25% of ImmunoGen worth $3,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) jumped 46.7 percent to $16.1331. The low-float small-cap clinical stage gene therapy company saw its stock rally nearly 150 percent from Monday through Thursday. Formal news hasn't been announced this week that would support a triple-digit percentage rally (including more than 200 percent at one point on Thursday) but the quiet period following its initial public offering will expire on May 8. Celyad SA (NASDAQ: CYAD) shares gained 24.7 percent to $36.17. Celyad reported the publication of THINK study case report of CYAD-01 Induced Complete Remission in relapsed/refractory AML patient in haematologica. DMC Global Inc. (NASDAQ: BOOM) shares jumped 23.2 percent to $39.00 after the company reported upbeat Q1 results and issued upbeat Q2 guidance. eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) gained 21.8 percent to $19.58 as the company posted upbeat Q1 results. Enova International, Inc. (NYSE: ENVA) climbed 20.4 percent to $27.20 following Q1 results. SVB Financial Group (NASDAQ: SIVB) shares jumped 18.2 percent to $304.135 following strong quarterly results. Knowles Corporation (NYSE: KN) gained 13.9 percent to $12.70 as the company reported Q1 results. Zymeworks Inc. (NYSE: ZYME) gained 13.8 percent to $17.36. Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: COCP) rose 11.8 percent to $2.336 after declining 25.09 percent on Thursday. ImmunoGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMGN) shares surged 11.7 percent to $11.75 after the company announced 'successful completion of interim analysis' for FORWARD I Phase 3 mirvetuximab soravtansine trial. Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELOX) gained 9.5 percent to $12.70. Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) shares rose 8.5 percent to $115.3801 after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter on Thursday. Sprint Corporation (NYSE: S) shares rose 8.3 percent to $6.50. The stock moved higher after a Reuters report suggested ongoing merger talks with T-M

Hot Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:PNBK,WRI,KKR,FCCO,VA, &l;p&g;With many Americans reviewing their financial situation after the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, it is important that any life insurance needs are also reviewed at this time. The reality is that many people do not think about life insurance as a financial asset and don&a;rsquo;t review their life insurance needs frequently enough. Individual life insurance policies consist of over $12 trillion in the United States. But many Americans are not well informed about their life insurance needs, policy specifics, or planning options. As your finances change, as your family grows, or when laws change, it is important to review your existing life insurance and to see if you have a heightened need for any more insurance.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made significant changes that impact the use of life insurance as an estate protection vehicle and modified the tax ramifications of selling a life insurance policy on the secondary market as part of a life settlement. From a fundamental life insurance planning standpoint, these changes reduced the need for some individuals to have life insurance to protect an estate from federal estate taxes and improved the tax situation surrounding the sale of a life insurance policy.

Hot Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Patriot National Bancorp Inc.(PNBK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Patriot National Bancorp (NASDAQ: PNBK) and Community Bank, N.A. (NYSE:CBU) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Hot Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Weingarten Realty Investors(WRI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Weingarten Realty (WRI)

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

Hot Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: KKR(KKR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  KKR (NYSE:KKR) Q1 2018 Earnings Conference CallMay. 3, 2018 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  KKR & Co. (NYSE: KKR) will pay $8.3 billion to buy BMC Software, sources said — marking the buyout shop’s biggest acquisition in years: Link

• [By ]

  Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) : "I'm a buyer. I've respected them for generations. "

  Mitek Systems (MITK) : "This one is too speculative for me. I'd buy NVIDIA (NVDA) ."

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Henry McVey, a macroeconomist over at KKR & Co. LP (NYSE: KKR) who's been pretty accurate over the past few years, thinks we'll see six more rate hikes in 2018 and 2019. Guggenheim Partners predicts a whopping seven rate hikes, which would put the federal funds rate at 3.50% by the end of 2019.

Hot Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: First Community Corporation(FCCO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Community (FCCO)

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

  First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The bank reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.04, Fidelity Earnings reports. The business had revenue of $11.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.83 million. First Community had a net margin of 13.91% and a return on equity of 8.23%.

Hot Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: First Capital Bancorp Inc.(VA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  A long term performance chart shows JetBlue Airways Corporation giving a good performance that��s still not as good as that of large cap Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV) while the performance of�Alaska Air Group, Inc (NYSE: ALK), which has acquired Virgin America Inc (NASDAQ: VA), seems to have slipped recently:

Italy's clash with the euro may just be getting started

Relief among investors that two Italian populist parties failed to form a government has quickly given way to concerns that they could turn new elections later this year into a vote on the future of the euro.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Sunday refused to accept the nomination of a euroskeptic finance minister, prompting the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and far-right League party to give up trying to form an administration.

"Mattarella has made it clear that he will not allow any policy that could put Italy on a slippery slope towards a major confrontation with the [European Union] that could potentially jeopardize Italy's euro membership," wrote Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank, in a research note on Monday.

The euro edged higher early Monday along with Italian stocks and government bonds. They had come under heavy pressure in recent weeks because of fears that the populist parties' program of ��100 billion ($118 billion) in tax cuts and spending pledges could trigger a financial crisis in the heavily indebted nation and the wider eurozone.

But those gains evaporated quickly as markets focused on an uncertain future for Italy, a founding member of the euro currency and its third largest economy.

The main Italian stock market index was down by about 2% in early afternoon trading.

"The electoral process is back to square one with a lot of ill will," said Kit Juckes, a currency strategist at Societe Generale. "New elections are now more likely ... and the election itself is in danger of turning into a de facto referendum on euro membership."

Years of stagnation and a lack of reform have pushed Italy's government debt above ��2 trillion euros ($2.3 trillion), equivalent to more than 130% of annual economic output. That's the third highest level of indebtedness in the world after Japan and Greece.

Protecting the 'savings of Italians'

Mattarella said it was his duty to block the finance minister's appointment to protect the "savings of Italians."

"The uncertainty in our position in the euro has alarmed international and Italian investors and savers, who have invested in our government bonds and in our industries," Mattarella said Sunday.

"The surge of the [bond] spread, day after day, increases our public debt and it reduces government spending on social programs. The losses in the the stock market, day after day, burn the resources and savings of our industries and of those who have invested. And they amount to concrete risks for our fellow citizens and for Italian families," he added.

Italy has been without a government since elections in March. Mattarella's plan for a caretaker administration under former International Monetary Fund official Carlo Cottarelli may last only until a new vote can be held in October.

As a country that uses the euro, Italy has agreed to abide by EU budget rules designed to keep the currency stable. During the March election campaign, the populist parties called for those rules to be scrapped and talked about holding a referendum on the euro or leaving the European Union.

Analysts say the future of the euro could take center stage if Italy holds new elections later this year.

Those explosive pledges were missing from their draft government program, but analysts say they could now be revived as the populist parties blame Italy's political establishment for denying them the right to govern.

"It is also likely that the next election campaign will feature significantly stronger anti euro and euroskeptic tones," wrote Wolfango Piccoli, co-founder of Teneo Intelligence, in a research note Sunday.

"The League leader Matteo Salvini has already said that the next vote will be a 'referendum' to free Italy from the 'slavery regime' imposed by the [eurozone], Berlin, the markets and the [bond] spread," he added.

Too big to fail?

There's a huge amount at stake for Italy, and Europe.

Ratings agency Moody's warned Friday it could cut Italy's credit rating -- already just two notches above "junk" status -- because the populists' plans risked weakening its fiscal position and stalling efforts to reform the economy.

A rating downgrade would make it more costly for the Italian government to service its debts and raise the cost of new borrowing. Italy plans to issue about 250 billion euros ($292 billion) in bonds this year, according to Reuters.

Unlike Greece, which is just beginning to emerge from eight years of international bailouts, the Italian economy is big enough to throw the entire eurozone into disarray if it suffers a debt crisis. It accounts for about 15% of eurozone GDP and 23% of the region's government debt. Greece has just over 3% of eurozone public debt.

A louder campaign in Italy against Europe will keep investors on edge.

"Even if the immediate risk of having a euroskeptic finance minister in Italy has now been at least postponed, Italian uncertainties will continue to weigh heavily on sentiment in Italy and -- to a lesser extent -- its eurozone neighbors in coming months," wrote Berenberg's Schmieding.

Italian Markets Jump as President Vetoes Savona as Finance Chief

Italian bonds surged the most since September and stocks rallied after President Sergio Mattarella vetoed populist leaders’ choice of a euro-skeptic candidate for finance minister, fueling investor optimism that there are checks and balances in place that are working.

Ten-year yields slid as much as 12 basis points to 2.35 percent, narrowing the spread over German bunds by 14 basis points to 191. The FTSE MIB rose 1.7 percent in early trading, reversing Friday’s slide and crossing back above its 200-day moving average. The index is still down 7 percent from its peak reached on May 7. Italian banks led the rebound on Monday, with the FTSE All-Italia banks index rising 3.3 percent.

Mattarella became the target of populist rage when he said he rejected the populists’ choice of Paolo Savona for finance minister for the good of the country and the financial “savings of families” that had been endangered by rising bond spreads and market concerns.

“The market seems to cheer the news, but I don’t share the idea that a caretaker government is that reassuring,” Stephane Ekolo, equity strategist at TFS Derivatives, says by phone. “We might be off the cliff, but we are certainly not that far. We may have been witnessing the end of the 2nd republic in Italy.”

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Rounds Report: Crispr Rallied While The FDA Approved Lumivascular

We have a passion for keeping things simple. - Charlie Munger

Trading Analytics

Welcome to this edition of Integrated BioSci Rounds Report for May 24, 2018. As usual, we��ll elucidate notable trading analytics for the day, recent insider transactions, and interesting market developments. Without further ado, let��s take an overall assessment of the bioscience space. As follows, the iShares of NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ:IBB) traded up by $0.53 (+0.50%) at $107.25. Moreover, the SPDR S&P Biotech (NYSE:XBI) exchanged hands $0.28 higher at $92.44 (for +0.30% gains). As witnessed, investors were trading with a positive sentiment for the day. Regardless of the daily inclination, there are substantial prospects in the bioscience sector: one that delivers hope for patients while rewarding supporters with substantial wealth in the long haul.

Figure 1: Notable BioSci movers (Source: Yahoo Finance)

Moving to specific equities, Crispr Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) won the highlight spot of the day. Accordingly, the stock moved $5.89 higher at $69.57 for over 9.1% profits. Headquartered in Zug Switzerland, Crispr is an innovator of gene-editing to potentially treat rare and life-threatening diseases. With strong underlying fundamentals, as reflective in the early preclinical data and other ongoing corporate developments, the stock procured over 255% for subscribers of Integrated BioSci Investing.

Notably, there are two gene-editing systems (zinc finger nuclease and CRISPR/Cas9). While both are excellent mechanisms of tinkering the genes to deliver novel therapeutics, we are most interested in the former (which is employed by Crispr). The main reason is that bacteria have employed CRISPR for millions of years and thereby fine-tuned it directly via evolution. By harnessing the power of CRISPR/Cas9, it��s highly favorable that the lead molecule (CTX-001) will deliver strong results for the beta-thalassemia franchise. Reflective of a company gearing up for its next growth phase, Crispr has been streamlining its management team. Going forward, we expect more fortunes for other gene editing and gene therapy innovators as featured in the Specialty Report.

Figure 2: CRISPR/Cas9 (Source: Crispr Therapeutics)

Bioscience Catalysts

On May 23, 2018, Avinger (NASDAQ:AVGR), announced that the FDA approved the 510(NYSE:K) for its next-generation Pantheris Lumivascular atherectomy system. This is an unprecedented image-guided device that removes the plaque inside the artery (atherectomy), indicated for the treatment of the common condition, peripheral artery disease (��PAD��). In response, the shares of the $10.55M (micro-cap stock) shot up over 73%.

Of note, Lumivascular is the only technology with real-time imaging inside the artery for highly effective catheters treatment of PAD. The aforesaid condition is estimated to occur in more than 21M Americans by 2020. With the approval, this grower is positioned to profit from the highly prevalent condition. Thrilled with the aforesaid development, the Present and CEO (Jeff Soinski) enthused,

We are excited to introduce the next generation Pantheris to our network of physicians here in the US. After extensive testing by our R&D and operations teams, physician design validation, and successful initial case experience in Europe across a variety of different lesion types, we believe this next generation device will significantly improve the user experience in terms of reliability, efficiency, and ease of use across a spectrum of clinical situations.

The approval delivers hopes to countless American suffering from PAD - a condition that tends to occur with heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. And, it��s prevalence is growing as we��re writing this report. Asides from the medical view, this milestone delivers increasing wealth for the shareholders. Hence, it��s not a bad idea to initiate a small pilot position in this company to potentially profit from the further upsides.

Final Remarks

In all, the bioscience market continued to amass further profits for investors. Many companies under our coverage rallied. The most notable is Crispr Therapeutics. As one of the leaders in gene-based therapy, the company revealed the stellar early preclinical data. The future clinical binary for the beta-thalassemia franchise is highly likely to be positive. The company is also streamlining its management. Last but not least, the FDA approval of Lumivascular to deliver hopes for patients suffering from PAD while rewarding shareholders with substantial gains.

Author��s Notes: We��re honored that you took the time to read our market intelligence. Founded by Dr. Hung Tran, MD, MS, CNPR, (in collaborations with Analyst Vu, and other PhDs), Integrated BioSci Investing (��IBI��) is delivering stellar returns. To name a few, Nektar, Spectrum, Atara, and Kite procured over 328%, 148%, 264%, and 83% profits, respectively. Our secret sauce is extreme due diligence with expert data analysis. The service features a once-weekly exclusive Alpha-Intelligence article, daily analysis/consulting, and model portfolios. Of note, there is an IBI version of this article that is a higher-level intelligence with extensive details, in which we published in advanced and exclusively for our subscribers. And, we invite you to subscribe to our marketplace now to lock in the current price and save money for the future.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

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

Additional disclosure: Our research articles are best used as starting points in your own due diligence. We are not registered investment advisors and our articles are not construed as professional investment advice. Many new research are requests from private investors of our services (Integrated BioSci Investing and Dr. Tran BioSci), who either paid or donated us to support our efforts (in assisting investors and bioscience innovators to deliver hopes to patients). That aside, I like to inform readers of Seeking Alpha's recent policy change, in which the company implemented the paywall (not only to our articles but to all articles that are published over 10-day). This is in place, as the company is, after all, a business. And, the revenues from ads are not adequate to support the high-quality research that the company is providing. If you are a REAL TIME FOLLOWER, you will be notified immediately of our new research for you to continue to benefit from our due diligence. You can also gain access to all of my old articles and much more by taking the 2-week FREE trial of my marketplace, Integrated BioSci Investing.

Canada��s ��Unprecedented�� Reliance on Housing Fuels Recession Call

This recession call is coming from inside the house.

The Bank of Canada has highlighted elevated household debt and imbalances within the nation’s real estate market as the two chief vulnerabilities to the financial system in the event of a recession.

But what could trigger such a downturn? Macquarie Capital Markets offers one simple answer: the housing market itself -- highlighting that the share of employment tied to construction as well as finance, insurance and real estate is nearly two standard deviations above its long-term average.

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Tighter mortgage rules and higher interest rates have weighed on activity in formerly high-flying Canadian housing markets, with home sales in Toronto having their worst start to the year since 2009.

“For downside risks to be realized, however, any potential housing-related weakness must spill over into the labor market,” analyst David Doyle wrote in a note to clients Thursday. “While rising rates put pressure on consumer finances, job losses trigger defaults and a tightening in credit conditions that can lead to more severe economic outcomes.”

Roughly half of all economic weakness during recessions since World War II is tied to fluctuations in residential investment, he calculates, and the extent to which Canadian output and employment are currently reliant on this is “unprecedented.”

Macquaire’s best-case scenario is that the fallout, starting in 2020, will be as bad for Canada as the 2008-09 financial crisis. Worst case: The unemployment rate will spike by more than any recession since the Great Depression.

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In terms of employment concentration in housing-linked industries, this dependency is particularly pronounced in Ontario and British Columbia but still prevalent across the rest of the country. Job growth in these sectors has come amid shrinking payrolls in other cyclical areas like manufacturing, making “housing an all the more important driver of the Canadian business cycle,” Doyle said.

The strength in housing starts and consumer spending, however, suggest only a “modest” risk of a housing-led recession in the nearer-term, according to the analyst.

Macquarie sees the U.S. dollar rising to C$1.36 relative to its Canadian counterpart by the end of 2019. Housing-related risks inform the bank’s stance to overweight outward-facing segments of the S&P/TSX Composite (like energy, technology and industrials) while underweighting areas with immense domestic ties (banks, consumer and telecom).

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Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:CIM,XIV,PLUG,COTV,ROG,ICAD,WM,MMM,CYBE,TU,

It was yet another down day for stocks, with the Dow plunging almost 139 points and the big indexes sliding for a second consecutive week.

Traders work on the floor at the closing bell. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 138.6 points, or 0.67%, to end at 20453.25. The S&P 500 Index was down almost 16 points, or 0.68% to 2328.95. The Nasdaq fell more than 31 points, or 0.53%, to 5805.15.

Blame it on flaring geopolitical tensions and light market action ahead of the Easter holiday weekend overshadowing the estimate-beating earnings reports from J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM) and Citigroup (C).

The big news today: the U.S. dropped its biggest non-nuclear bomb on a suspected ISIS tunnel complex in Afghanistan.

The WSJ reported that declines today were across all sectors. Investors dumped financial and industrial companies while retreating to haven investments like Treasuries and gold.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Chimera Investment Corporation(CIM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado trimmed its position in shares of Chimera Investment Co. (NYSE:CIM) by 18.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,307 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 11,267 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Chimera Investment were worth $893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: region(XIV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Money Morning News Team]

  This led some traders to purchase leveraged ETFs that move inverse to the VIX, like the�VelocityShares Daily Inv VIX Short Term�(Nasdaq: XIV).

  The VIX is a derivative of the broad S&P 500, and the XIV is a derivative of that derivative.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Plug Power Inc.(PLUG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Fuel cell manufacturer Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) has done relatively little since going public all the way back in 1999. Then again, maybe it's all about timing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Plug Power (PLUG)

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

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  That much becomes clear after taking a look at fuel cell stocks Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) and Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP). The companies generated just $235 million in revenue combined last year. While that would seem to indicate that the technology has a ways to go, a closer look shows both companies are on an upward trajectory as they position to exploit decarbonization trends. It also reveals two different growth strategies.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Cotiviti Holdings, Inc. (COTV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Cotiviti Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:COTV) – Equities research analysts at Jefferies Group lowered their FY2018 earnings estimates for Cotiviti in a report issued on Wednesday, May 2nd. Jefferies Group analyst S. Dodge now expects that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $1.68 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $1.71. Jefferies Group also issued estimates for Cotiviti’s FY2019 earnings at $1.87 EPS.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Rogers Corporation(ROG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Rogers (NYSE: ROG) and Kraton (NYSE:KRA) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: icad inc.(ICAD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Losers Netshoes (Cayman) Limited (NASDAQ: NETS) shares dipped 43.73 percent to close at $2.87 on Tuesday as the company posted downbeat Q1 results. Cesca Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: KOOL) shares dropped 29.01 percent to close at $0.80 after reporting Q1 results. SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) shares fell 22.2 percent to close at $0.340 after reporting Q1 miss. Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE: VIPS) fell 19.95 percent to close at $12.08 after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its first quarter on Monday. Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISNS) fell 19.68 percent to close at $3.775 after reporting earnings were down year over year. First quarter earnings came in flat, down from 4 cents per share in the same quarter of last year. Sales came in at $3.01 million. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) dropped 18.47 percent to close at $9.62 on Tuesday after surging 77.44 percent on Monday. ENDRA Life Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: NDRA) declined 16.21 percent to close at $2.43. ENDRA Life Sciences is expected to release quarterly earnings today. ALJ Regional Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALJJ) shares fell 16.13 percent to close at $1.79. Switch Inc (NYSE: SWCH) shares dropped 14.93 percent to close at $13.16 following a first-quarter earnings miss. Restoration Robotics Inc (NASDAQ: HAIR) fell 14.42 percent to close at $3.68 after reporting a first-quarter earnings miss. iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICAD) declined 13.01 percent to close at $3.41 following Q1 results. Intersections Inc. (NASDAQ: INTX) fell 12.44 percent to close at $1.97. Histogenics Corporation (NASDAQ: HSGX) declined 12.24 percent to close at $2.15. AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ) fell 12.1 percent to close at $39.60 following Q3 earnings. Hallador Energy Company (NASDAQ: HNRG) fell 11.1 percent to close at $6.49. Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) dropped 10.66 percent to close at $16.93 on Tuesday. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) slipp

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Waste Management, Inc.(WM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  KAMES CAPITAL plc grew its stake in shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM) by 26.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,022 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,215 shares during the period. KAMES CAPITAL plc’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,105,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

  Finding investments that can reward you over such long periods can do miracles for your portfolio -- as long as you can find the right ones. So we asked three Motley Fool investors to highlight a stock they see as a great investment with solid growth prospects over the next 25 years. Here's why they picked W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW), Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN), and Waste Management (NYSE:WM).

• [By ]

  For his "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer spoke with Jim Fish, president and CEO of Waste Management (WM) , which just posted an eight-cents-a-share earnings beat, but saw shares decline as investors worry over the impact of trade wars with China on the company's recycling business.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Becker Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 10,320 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $868,000.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Waste Management (WM)

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

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: 3M Company(MMM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]
  Bulls were stampeded on Tuesday.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average  lost 424 points, or 1.74%, the S&P 500  handed over 1.34% and the Nasdaq Composite   shed 1.68%. For some investors, the losses might have come as a surprise amid solid first-quarter earnings reports from bellwether companies like Caterpillar (CAT) , United Technologies (UTX) , Coca-Cola (KO) and 3M (MMM) . You need to be at TheStreet's May 5 boot-camp for investors. Learn more here.

  But, it was cautious comments by Caterpillar execs on the demand outlook for the rest of 2018 during an earnings call that sent the bears out of hibernation. Not helping market sentiment were 10-year yields topping the 3% mark for the first time in more than four years. 

• [By ]

  The Caterpillar news was followed by 3M (MMM) , which lowered full-year guidance, sending its shares down 6.8%. Lockheed Martin (LMT) then delivered blowout earnings, but mentioned that its cash flow might be challenged. Shares fell 6.1%.

• [By ]

  Selected examples: (AAL) , (CL) , (DRI) , (HAL) , (LUV) , (MCD) , (MMM) , (SBUX) . Darden and 3M are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS.

  What Trade War?

  Notes Goldman: "Firms expressed optimism that trade conflict would be resolved. Commentary emphasized the support for a free trade environment. Company management did not expect the disputes would escalate and affect global economic growth."

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Markets are keeping a close eye on the 10-year bond, which is hovering near 3% – an important psychological level that is likely to influence future price movements. On Monday, Fox Business Network's "Varney & Co." asked Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald if investors should be worried. Here's what Keith had to say about the 10-year Treasury yield… and how it will affect your stocks and bonds in the future. The price of Brent crude oil topped $75.00 and hit its highest level since November 2014. Oil traders were eyeing the ongoing efforts of OPEC and Russia to reduce excessive production around the globe, rising demand ahead of peak driving season, and the possibility that the Trump administration will slap Iran with a new round of sanctions. Three Stocks to Watch Today: KO, GOOGL, SLM Shares of The Coca-Cola Co.�(NYSE: KO) added 1.2% after the firm easily beat earnings and revenue expectations. The firm cited strong demand for its new flavors of Diet Coke and its Coke Zero Sugar. Demand was so strong for the quarter that the firm reported organic sales growth of 5%. The company reported earnings per share of $0.47, topping estimates by a penny. Revenue of $7.6 billion easily beat Wall Street estimates. Shares of Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL) seesawed in pre-market hours. The online search giant topped Wall Street earnings and revenue expectations after the bell Monday. However, shares were off 0.5% after executives announced that its business costs were on the rise. The firm's real estate and computer purchases tripled in one year, to $7.3 billion. About one-third of that total came from its $2.4 billion purchase of the Chelsea Market building in New York City. Good news for SLM Corp.�(NYSE: SLM) investors, but bad news for indebted college students and graduates. The firm – also known as Sallie Mae – topped Wall Street earnings expectations on Monday. The firm said that it increased its loan o

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: CyberOptics Corporation(CYBE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Perceptron (NASDAQ: PRCP) and CyberOptics (NASDAQ:CYBE) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, earnings, dividends and valuation.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: TELUS Corporation(TU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  LSV Asset Management reduced its position in Telus (NYSE:TU) (TSE:T) by 42.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 112,500 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock after selling 83,000 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Telus were worth $3,955,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Starbucks (SBUX) Shares Bought by Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC raised its stake in Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 25.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 559,223 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 112,110 shares during the period. Starbucks accounts for approximately 1.6% of Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $32,373,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in Starbucks by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 72,413 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $4,159,000 after acquiring an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its stake in Starbucks by 8.9% in the first quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 10,863 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $629,000 after acquiring an additional 884 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in Starbucks by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 21,389 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,228,000 after acquiring an additional 912 shares in the last quarter. V Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Starbucks by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. V Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,542 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $680,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Starbucks by 6.6% in the third quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 15,542 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $834,000 after acquiring an additional 960 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

Get Starbucks alerts:

NASDAQ SBUX opened at $57.16 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $78.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.75, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.63. Starbucks has a 52-week low of $52.58 and a 52-week high of $64.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 26th. The coffee company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.53. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.93 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 60.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks will post 2.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, April 26th that authorizes the company to buyback 0 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the coffee company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 9th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.25%.

In other Starbucks news, Director Craig Weatherup sold 59,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.10, for a total transaction of $3,596,263.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,500 shares in the company, valued at $1,592,650. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

SBUX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wedbush reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, January 22nd. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Goldman Sachs cut shares of Starbucks from a “conviction-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $73.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, January 26th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Starbucks to $58.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $64.25.

About Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a roaster, marketer, and retailer of specialty coffee worldwide. The company operates in four segments: Americas; China/Asia Pacific; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; and Channel Development. Its stores offer coffee and tea beverages, roasted whole bean and ground coffees, single-serve and ready-to-drink coffee and tea products, and food and snacks; and various food products, such as pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch items.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SBUX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX).

The Clorox Company (CLX) Stake Lessened by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE lowered its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 1.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 170,734 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,894 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE owned about 0.13% of The Clorox worth $22,726,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Clorox during the first quarter valued at about $106,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $123,000. Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $200,000. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. acquired a new position in shares of The Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Lourd Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $210,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.39% of the company’s stock.

Get The Clorox alerts:

The Clorox opened at $118.33 on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.18. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $117.44 and a 12 month high of $118.56. The company has a market capitalization of $15.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.37.

The Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.06. The Clorox had a return on equity of 107.93% and a net margin of 13.27%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. sell-side analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CLX. Barclays reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of The Clorox in a report on Friday, March 16th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of The Clorox from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 3rd. BMO Capital Markets set a $147.00 price target on shares of The Clorox and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo cut their price target on shares of The Clorox from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 19th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of The Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The Clorox presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $130.98.

About The Clorox

The Clorox Company manufactures and markets consumer and professional products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Cleaning, Household, Lifestyle, and International. The company offers laundry additives, including bleach products under the Clorox brand, as well as Clorox 2 stain fighters and color boosters; home care products primarily under the Clorox, Formula 409, Liquid-Plumr, Pine-Sol, S.O.S, and Tilex brands; naturally derived products under the Green Works brand; and professional cleaning and disinfecting products under the Clorox, Dispatch, Aplicare, HealthLink, and Clorox Healthcare brands.