The Trump Administration Can't Have It All When It Comes To Oil

&l;p&g;Oil prices are rising and the Trump Administration is going to have to decide between its foreign policy goals and low oil prices for consumers.&l;/p&g;&l;figure class=&q;image-embed embed-0&q;&g;&l;div&g;&l;img src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/1131323607/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; alt=&q;AZERBAIJAN-OPEC&q; data-height=&q;3000&q; data-width=&q;4590&q;&g;&l;/div&g;&l;figcaption&g;&l;fbs-accordion&g;&l;p class=&q;color-body light-text&q;&g;Saudi Arabia&s;s Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih chairs the 13th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) of OPEC and non- OPEC countries in Baku on March 18, 2019. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo credit should read&l;small&g;AFP/Getty Images&l;/small&g;&l;/p&g;&l;/fbs-accordion&g;&l;/figcaption&g;&l;/figure&g;&l;p&g;The U.S. oil benchmark, WTI, is near $60 per barrel, and the international benchmark, Brent, is closing in on $70 per barrel. Gasoline prices in the United States are also on the rise. According to GasBuddy, the &l;a href=&q;https://business.gasbuddy.com/march-madness-sets-in-at-gas-pumps-across-the-us/&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;average price&l;/a&g; of gasoline across the country has just seen its fifth straight week of increases and is now $2.54 per gallon.&l;/p&g;&l;p&g;U.S. production is still going strong at 11.9 million barrels per day, &l;a href=&q;https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;according to the EIA&l;/a&g;, but this isn&s;t impacting the oil markets. Right now, the signs are pointing towards tighter oil supplies ahead.&l;/p&g;&l;fbs-ad position=&q;inread&q; progressive&g;&l;/fbs-ad&g;&l;p&g;OPEC and its non-OPEC partners just pledged to pick up the pace on their production cuts. &l;a href=&q;https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-oil-exports/saudi-arabia-to-cut-oil-exports-in-april-saudi-official-idUSKBN1QS0SN&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;Saudi Arabia&l;/a&g; said it will produce only 9.8 million barrels per day in March and April, which is well below its quota of 10.3 million barrels per day. Russia, which has been delinquent on its promised production cuts, pledged to finally follow through this spring and summer. Iraq, which regularly overproduces its quota, also &l;a href=&q;https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/oil/031819-opec-cancels-april-meeting-on-steady-market-outlook&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;committed&l;/a&g; to cutting production by 200,000 to 250,000 barrels per day over the next several months. Another &l;a href=&q;https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/oil/031819-kazakhstan-will-comply-with-with-promised-oil-output-cuts-as-giant-kashagan-field-shuts&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;big cut&l;/a&g; will come from Kazakhstan, which plans to shut its Kashagan oil field for maintenance in April and May. This will remove at least 200,000 barrels per day from the market until production resumes in June.&l;/p&g;&l;p&g;On top of this, the Trump Administration&s;s &l;a href=&q;https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-usa-abrams/u-s-envoy-says-venezuela-oil-production-dropping-steadily-idUSKCN1QW2HM&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;sanctions&l;/a&g; on Venezuela have brought that country&s;s oil production down to just 1 million barrels per day. However, tighter sanctions and electricity outages make further drops likely. The Trump Administration&s;s sanctions on Iran have also cut that country&s;s oil production. Iran&s;s oil exports are now just below 1.5 million barrels per day, according to &l;a href=&q;https://tankertrackers.com/news/crude-oil-exports-report/iran-february-2019&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;TankerTrackers.com&l;/a&g;, but the &l;a href=&q;https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-sanctions-iran-oil-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-aims-to-cut-iran-oil-exports-to-under-1-million-bpd-from-may-sources-idUSKCN1QU35V&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;State Department&l;/a&g; says it wants to bring this number down below 1 million barrels per day in May.&l;/p&g;&l;div class=&q;vestpocket&q; vest-pocket&g;&l;/div&g;&l;p&g;The Trump Administration continues to sing a familiar refrain when asked about restricting Venezuela and Iran&s;s oil exports - that there&s;s room in the oil market to push its oil sanctions more aggressively. Specifically, an administration official, referenced a &l;a href=&q;https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/13/us-thinks-it-can-be-more-aggressive-in-taking-iran-oil-exports-to-zero.html&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;forecast&l;/a&g; that predicted supply would outpace demand by 400,000 barrels per day in 2019. The problem is that between Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kazakhstan and Venezuela, those 400,000 barrels per day will be off the market by April. This leaves the Trump Administration with a choice between pressuring Iran and higher oil prices for American consumers.&l;/p&g;&l;p&g;The President may try to pressure Saudi Arabia to increase its production—a tactic that worked last year. But after oil prices took a nose dive when Trump suddenly granted exemptions for imports of Iranian oil by China, India and others, the President is unlikely to find a sympathetic ear in Saudi Arabia this time. U.S. oil production is strong, but the type of oil produced in the Permian can&s;t be used as a substitute for Venezuela&s;s and Iran&s;s heavy oil exports.&l;/p&g;&l;p&g;Very soon, the Trump administration is going to have to choose between pursuing its foreign policy goals in Iran and Venezuela and ensuring low oil and gasoline prices for American consumers and manufacturers. The administration can&s;t have it both ways in today&s;s oil market.&l;/p&g;&q;,&q;bodyAsDeltas&q;:&q;

Tax refunds are now $4 larger so far

The average tax refund is just $4 higher than a year ago after the sixth week of filing season, the Internal Revenue Service reported Thursday.

The average tax refund issued so far is $3,008 for the week ending March 8, up 0.1 percent from $3,004 at the same time last year. The IRS has issued nearly 53.5 million total refunds, down 1.84 million – or 3.3 percent – from last year.

The agency has processed 65.3 million returns, about 2.8 percent fewer versus last year at this time. The IRS has received 67.7 million returns in total. It expects to get 150 million returns for the year.

There's still a month left of tax filing season. Most taxpayers have until April 15 to file their returns, or file for an extension until October.

 (Photo: GETTY IMAGES)

Refund windfall:: Check your bank account! One state accidentally gave 66,000 taxpayers a double refund

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New law, new withholdings

This marks the first tax-filing season since the new tax law went into effect. The changes should reduce the tax liability for most Americans. About 80 percent of taxpayers are forecast to see lower taxes, while only 5 percent are expected to pay more, according to an analysis from the Tax Policy Center.

If you didn't change your paycheck withholdings during the year, it's likely you saw much of your tax savings during the year in your paychecks – shrinking or eliminating your tax refund this year. In some cases, you may end up owing the government because too little was withheld during the year.

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If you're unhappy with how your taxes turned out this year, request a new W-4 from your employer to adjust your paycheck withholdings and avoid any unpleasant surprises next year.

The IRS offers a calculator to help you determine how much in federal tax should be taken out from each paycheck. Have your most recent pay stub from work and your 2018 tax returns handy to use the tool.

CLOSE

It's tax time again. In your rush to get your taxes done, don't make these six mistakes. Josmar Taveras, USA TODAY

 

 

Q1 2019 Earnings Forecast for Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc Issued By B. Riley (DRNA)

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:DRNA) – Equities research analysts at B. Riley issued their Q1 2019 earnings per share estimates for shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals in a report released on Tuesday, March 12th. B. Riley analyst M. Mamtani anticipates that the biopharmaceutical company will earn ($0.22) per share for the quarter. B. Riley has a “Buy” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley also issued estimates for Dicerna Pharmaceuticals’ Q2 2019 earnings at ($0.23) EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at ($0.24) EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at ($0.26) EPS, FY2019 earnings at ($0.96) EPS, FY2020 earnings at ($1.48) EPS and FY2021 earnings at ($1.51) EPS.

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Dicerna Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:DRNA) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.06). Dicerna Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 65.91% and a negative net margin of 1,438.68%. The business had revenue of $1.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.38 million.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on DRNA. Leerink Swann assumed coverage on shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, November 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. BidaskClub raised shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. SunTrust Banks upped their price objective on shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Chardan Capital raised shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $21.78.

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $12.31 on Thursday. Dicerna Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $8.71 and a 52-week high of $17.98. The firm has a market cap of $720.16 million, a PE ratio of -10.26 and a beta of 2.40.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals by 512.2% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,459 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 2,894 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 9,186 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 2,561 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 10,596 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,465 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $169,000. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 18,234 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 3,024 shares during the period. 92.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Dicerna Pharmaceuticals

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery and development of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi)-based pharmaceuticals. The company develops pharmaceuticals using its GalXC RNAi platform for the treatment of diseases involving the liver, including rare diseases, viral infectious diseases, chronic liver diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.

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-$0.01 Earnings Per Share Expected for Top Image Systems Ltd. (TISA) This Quarter

Equities research analysts forecast that Top Image Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:TISA) will post earnings of ($0.01) per share for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Two analysts have provided estimates for Top Image Systems’ earnings, with estimates ranging from ($0.02) to $0.00. Top Image Systems reported earnings per share of ($0.06) in the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year-over-year growth rate of 83.3%. The company is scheduled to issue its next earnings report on Thursday, May 16th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Top Image Systems will report full year earnings of ($0.13) per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from ($0.16) to ($0.10). For the next financial year, analysts expect that the firm will report earnings of ($0.14) per share. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS averages are an average based on a survey of analysts that cover Top Image Systems.

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TISA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Top Image Systems in a report on Friday, December 14th. ValuEngine lowered shares of Top Image Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 2nd. Finally, HC Wainwright lowered shares of Top Image Systems from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $3.00 to $0.86 in a report on Tuesday, February 5th.

TISA traded up $0.01 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $0.83. 2,800 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 199,282. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.12 million, a PE ratio of -2.24 and a beta of 0.72. Top Image Systems has a 1 year low of $0.46 and a 1 year high of $1.14.

Top Image Systems Company Profile

Top Image Systems Ltd. develops and markets automated data capture solutions for managing and validating content gathered from customers, trading partners, and employees worldwide. Its solutions deliver digital content to the applications that drive an enterprise by using technologies, such as wireless communications, servers, form processing, and information recognition systems.

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Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Top Image Systems (TISA)

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

Hot Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:MNDO,LTRPA,TKC,AMCN,AMGN,JKS,

Something strange happened in the stock market Tuesday as big stocks reversed sharply lower after opening higher.

Thirty stocks in the S&P 500 dropped more than 5 percent from their opening prices with many of the names concentrated in the industrial and technology sectors.

The industrial stocks' decline is likely due to a Caterpillar management comment about its profitability the rest of the year. The company said on a midday conference call that its first-quarter profit will be "the high-water mark for the year" due to higher investment spending.

Caterpillar shares fell by nearly 10 percent from their opening price.

Hot Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: MIND C.T.I. Ltd.(MNDO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  TRADEMARK VIOLATION NOTICE: “MIND C.T.I. Ltd. Declares Annual Dividend of $0.26 (MNDO)” was reported by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this news story on another website, it was stolen and reposted in violation of US & international copyright and trademark legislation. The legal version of this news story can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4210875/mind-c-t-i-ltd-declares-annual-dividend-of-0-26-mndo.html.

Hot Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc.(LTRPA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares shot up 31 percent to $12.10 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat.

  Shares of ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) got a boost, shooting up 34 percent to $15.3628 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares shot up 30 percent to $12.05 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat.

  Shares of ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) got a boost, shooting up 26 percent to $14.48 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares shot up 32 percent to $12.175 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat.

  Shares of ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) got a boost, shooting up 27 percent to $14.60 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings.

Hot Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS(TKC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Shares of Turkish telecom Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri (NYSE:TKC) plummeted 10% to close at $4.42 per share on Thursday -- then proceeded to slide more after-hours. Perhaps worse for investors trying to figure out how to react to this news: There was no obvious reason for the decline.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Turkcell (NYSE:TKC) shares reached a new 52-week high and low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $7.59 and last traded at $7.74, with a volume of 559325 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $8.02.

• [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]

  Shares of Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. (NYSE:TKC) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $5.38, but opened at $5.70. Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. shares last traded at $5.88, with a volume of 88576 shares trading hands.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. (NASDAQ: TKC) was started with an overweight rating at J.P. Morgan. The 52-week trading range for the company’s shares has been $6.33 to $11.29. The consensus price target is $10.94. The shares ended trading on Monday at $6.58.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Turkish telco Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri (NYSE:TKC) became the latest victim of President Donald Trump's favorite foreign policy tool -- the tariff -- this morning, falling 13.1% (as of 11:40 a.m. EDT) after the United States announced it would double the amount of tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum imported to the U.S. from Turkey.

Hot Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: AirMedia Group Inc(AMCN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  AirMedia Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCN) posted a 52-week low of $1.04 after closing down 23% on Wednesday at $1.35. The 52-week high is $3.30. Volume was about 4 million, nearly 20 times the daily average of around 230,000 million shares. The Chinese outdoor advertising company said yesterday that it is terminating a potential go-private transaction.

Hot Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Amgen Inc.(AMGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  It's a big drugmaker with a blockbuster immunology drug as its top-selling product. It pays an attractive dividend. And it faces some uncertainties. This description fits Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), but it applies just as well to Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).

• [By Chris Lange]

  Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) saw its short interest fall slightly to 10.61 million shares from the previous level of 10.72 million. Shares were last seen at $184.59, in a 52-week trading range of $163.31 to $201.23.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Gables Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,023 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $174,000.

Hot Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited(JKS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jason Hall]

  What a difference one year -- and some major government policies -- can make. In 2017, shares of SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR), Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ), JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE:JKS), and First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) investors enjoyed solid gains of 28%, 38%, 58% and 110% respectively. 

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ValuEngine cut shares of JinkoSolar (NYSE:JKS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning.

  A number of other research firms have also issued reports on JKS. Roth Capital upgraded JinkoSolar from a neutral rating to a buy rating and decreased their target price for the company from $20.00 to $11.50 in a report on Monday, February 4th. Goldman Sachs Group upgraded JinkoSolar from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 4th. Williams Capital initiated coverage on JinkoSolar in a report on Wednesday, December 19th. They issued a sell rating and a $1.00 target price for the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded JinkoSolar from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $18.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 6th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reiterated a neutral rating on shares of JinkoSolar in a report on Tuesday, November 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $12.58.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE:JKS) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.80.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Shares of JinkoSolar Holding Co. (NYSE:JKS) plunged as much as 27.5% in trading Monday after announcing second-quarter 2018 results. The stock recovered some of the losses but was still down 13.3% at 11:10 a.m. EDT.

Jefferies Financial Group Weighs in on Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s FY2020 Earnings (ANF)

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) – Equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group increased their FY2020 earnings estimates for Abercrombie & Fitch in a report released on Wednesday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group analyst J. Stichter now expects that the apparel retailer will post earnings per share of $1.48 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $1.09. Jefferies Financial Group also issued estimates for Abercrombie & Fitch’s FY2021 earnings at $1.58 EPS.

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Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The apparel retailer reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.20. Abercrombie & Fitch had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 7.23%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch to $27.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $17.00 to $19.00 in a report on Friday, December 28th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Tuesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $23.36.

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock opened at $26.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Abercrombie & Fitch has a 1 year low of $15.28 and a 1 year high of $29.69. The firm has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.62.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,197 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 101,000 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,025,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 101,000 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,025,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund increased its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund now owns 43,087 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $864,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Bank of Australia increased its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Bank of Australia now owns 20,600 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch Co, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer. The Company operates in two segments, Hollister and Abercrombie. It offers apparel, intimates, personal care products, and accessories for men, women, and kids under the Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, and Gilly Hicks brand names.

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PPDAI Group (PPDF) Trading Down 4.3%

PPDAI Group Inc – (NYSE:PPDF) traded down 4.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $4.70 and last traded at $4.92. 997,098 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 12% from the average session volume of 887,427 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.14.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. ValuEngine lowered PPDAI Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded PPDAI Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $3.75 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on PPDAI Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 11th. They issued a “weight” rating and a $6.00 price objective on the stock.

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Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PPDAI Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $304,000. Greenspring Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PPDAI Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $233,000. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of PPDAI Group by 65.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,151,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,545,000 after buying an additional 2,035,066 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PPDAI Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $327,000. Finally, Massachusetts Institute of Technology acquired a new position in shares of PPDAI Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $871,000. 7.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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PPDAI Group Company Profile (NYSE:PPDF)

PPDAI Group Inc, an investment holding company, operates an online consumer finance marketplace through its platform in the People's Republic of China. It provides services to match borrowers with investors and facilitate loan transactions on its marketplace through the lifecycle of loans. The company offers standard and other loan products; and investment services to investors.

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Constellation Brands Stock Looks Even More Compelling Now

There has been a lot of talk about Canadian cannabis companies over the past several months. Most of that talk has been positive, and a lot of it has centered around Canadian cannabis leader Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC). Consequently, over the past year, CGC stock has rallied more than 75%.

Source: Shutterstock

But, no one ever seems to talk about the company behind Canopy — Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ). To kick-start the entire cannabis craze, Constellation Brands poured $4 billion into Canopy in 2018 to gain ample exposure to the cannabis industry. Despite that big investment, while CGC stock is up 75% over the past year, STZ stock is down 25%.

That’s 100 points of divergent performance. That doesn’t make sense, considering Constellation owns more than 30% of outstanding common CGC shares. It also doesn’t make sense considering that the global alcohol industry will keep growing over the next several years, even as the cannabis market goes global.

As such, CGC looks compelling on this dip. I’m a buyer here and lower, all else equal.

The Alcohol Industry Is Stable

The big reason behind the recent selloff in STZ stock has to do with cannabis. Namely, the consensus thesis out there is that as the recreational cannabis market becomes increasingly legal, convenient and large, it will take share from the alcoholic beverage market. As that happens, STZ’s sales will drop, margins will come under pressure, and profit growth will fall flat. That’s why STZ stock has dropped 25% over the past month, as the cannabis craze has picked up steam.

But, that thesis is flawed.

To be sure, there is an overlap between the pot smoking and beer drinking crowds. And, as weed becomes more easily accessible and legal, there will be a handful of consumers who choose to smoke weed rather than drink beer. But, data suggests that this is a small portion of the market, and that most adult users will both drink beer and smoke pot.

According to detailed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), marijuana usage rates among U.S. adults age 18 or older have climbed from 6% in 2002 to nearly 10% in 2017. During that same stretch, cigarette smoking usage rates among the same cohort have dropped from 27.5% to below 20%. Meanwhile, alcohol consumption rates have actually increased from 54.9% to 55.9%.

There are many things at play here, but the broad takeaway is clear. As marijuana consumption has risen, it has taken share from the tobacco industry, not the alcoholic beverage industry. Instead, alcohol consumption rates have actually slightly risen over the past two decades as marijuana usage has become more prevalent. From this perspective, it shouldn’t be surprising that alcoholic beverage sales are not down in U.S. states that have legalized cannabis.

If you extrapolate this out, it’s easy to see that fears related to a big slowdown at STZ as a result of widespread cannabis legalization and usage are overblown. Constellation’s alcohol sales will be just fine over the next several years. Meanwhile, the company will win big thanks to its 30%-plus ownership stake in Canopy as the cannabis market grows by leaps and bounds. Altogether, then, Constellation actually has healthy growth prospects over the next several years.

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Valuation Is Anemic

The opportunity in STZ stock is that healthy growth is far from priced in today. Thus, as healthy growth materializes over the next several years, it will converge on a discounted valuation, and result in a pop in STZ stock.

At the current moment, STZ stock trades nearly 30% off all-time highs. It’s also well below all of its major moving averages, and trades at just 17X forward earnings, versus a five-year average forward multiple of nearly 23. All other major valuation multiples are also currently at a discount to their five-year averages.

In other words, what you have with STZ is a really beaten up and lowly valued stock with depressed investor sentiment. That is the sort of set up that lends itself to a big rally in the event that fundamentals improve, which they will over the next several quarters and years.

Bottom Line on STZ Stock

Constellation Brands has been unfairly beaten up on irrational concerns that the alcoholic beverage market will be eaten alive by the cannabis market. These irrational concerns won’t last forever, so investors should take advantage of this near-term disconnect between price and reality.

As of this writing, Luke Lango was

Hot Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:SWY,BRK-B,CW,UTSI,RMTI,

In recent months, Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) has been slowly adding e-commerce features to its hugely popular photo/video sharing service, Instagram. For example, Instagram announced partnerships with BigCommerce and Shopify in October, integrating those e-commerce platforms directly into Instagram and allowing merchants to set up shop. The service first introduced e-commerce capabilities in late 2016 and has continued to expand from there.

It's also worth remembering that Facebook added former American Express CEO Ken Chenault to its board of directors earlier this year, hoping Chenault's experience could help Facebook improve at "direct commerce." With that context in mind, Instagram just added yet another e-commerce feature.

Image source: Instagram.

Shopping in Stories

After copying the Stories format from Snap, which also happens to be working on building out e-commerce capabilities, Instagram announced today that it was bringing shopping to Stories, in addition to being able to shop directly in the Instagram Feed. A small shopping bag sticker will show up directly in Stories when a product is available for purchase, and will take users to a page with more details about said product.

Hot Stocks To Buy Right Now: Safeway Inc.(SWY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Robertson]

  Large and small cap junior miners have long been interested in the region due to Goldcorp's Éléonore mine being located in the heart of the territory along with the Troilus mine (which has produced over 2 million ounces of gold from 1997-2010 and is estimated to have another remaining 2 million ounces of reserves). The Otish Mountains area has also attracted attention following the discovery of diamonds by Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX: SWY) at their Renard diamond mine (projected to produce 1.5-2 millions carats per year).

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Stornoway Diamond (TSE:SWY) is scheduled to post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Tuesday, August 14th.

  Stornoway Diamond (TSE:SWY) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 15th. The company reported C($0.01) EPS for the quarter. Stornoway Diamond had a negative net margin of 6.15% and a negative return on equity of 1.78%. The business had revenue of C$55.95 million for the quarter.

• [By Jim Robertson]

  In addition, Goldcorp's (NYSE: GG) Éléonore mine in the heart of the territory along with the Troilus mine (which produced over 2 million ounces of gold from 1997-2010 and is estimated to have another remaining 2 million ounces of reserves) are helping to maintain the interest of junior exploration companies in nearby properties. The same can be said about the Otish Mountains area following the discovery of diamonds by Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX: SWY) at their Renard diamond mine which is projected to produce 1.5-2 millions carats per year.

Hot Stocks To Buy Right Now: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew Frankel]

  When asked about the most important things he looks for in an annual report at a couple of shareholder meetings years ago, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A) (NYSE:BRK-B) CEO Warren Buffett's answers focused around two general themes -- and neither one had to do with analyzing the company's financials.

• [By Natalie Walters]

  Warren Buffett once famously avoided tech stocks because he claimed to not understand them. However, in the past few years, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A)(NYSE:BRK-B) has made an exception by loading up on Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock. 

• [By Jordan Wathen]

  Every company holds an annual meeting, but few compare to Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE:BRK-A)(NYSE:BRK-B). Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger spend hours giving frank answers to questions about topics ranging from Berkshire's many businesses to their views on politics, making it one of the only meetings that even non-shareholders tune into. 

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  While it's true that P&G is less risky than many other stocks, again there are simply better options for investors concerned about wealth preservation or income. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A) (NYSE:BRK-B), for example, is a classic example of a well-diversified company that has successfully weathered many economic downturns. Elsewhere, utility stock Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED) has risen alongside the market over the last 10 years and has offered a better yield than P&G most of that time.

Hot Stocks To Buy Right Now: Curtiss-Wright Corporation(CW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Curtiss-Wright Corp  (NYSE:CW)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 27, 2019, 9:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Curtiss-Wright (CW)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Curtiss-Wright (NYSE:CW) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, May 16th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 21st will be paid a dividend of 0.15 per share by the aerospace company on Thursday, July 5th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Curtiss-Wright (CW)

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• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Curtiss-Wright Corp. (NYSE:CW) by 84.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,994 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,810 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned about 0.09% of Curtiss-Wright worth $4,641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its holdings in Curtiss-Wright Corp. (NYSE:CW) by 86.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,948 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 2,760 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd’s holdings in Curtiss-Wright were worth $708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Hot Stocks To Buy Right Now: UTStarcom Holdings Corp(UTSI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  TheStreet cut shares of UTStarcom (NASDAQ:UTSI) from a c rating to a d+ rating in a report issued on Monday morning.

  UTStarcom opened at $4.93 on Monday, MarketBeat reports. UTStarcom has a 52-week low of $4.95 and a 52-week high of $4.99.

• [By Max Byerly]

  ADVA Optical Networking (OTCMKTS: ADVOF) and UTStarcom (NASDAQ:UTSI) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends and risk.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  ADVA Optical Networking (OTCMKTS: ADVOF) and UTStarcom (NASDAQ:UTSI) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and valuation.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Iteris (NASDAQ: ITI) and UTStarcom (NASDAQ:UTSI) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Hot Stocks To Buy Right Now: Rockwell Medical Technologies Inc.(RMTI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Rockwell Medical (RMTI)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

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

  Get Rockwell Medical alerts: Rockwell Alert: Bernstein Liebhard LLP Announces Investigation Of Rockwell Medical, Inc. – RMTI (finance.yahoo.com) Rockwell Medical countersues former CEO, CFO (modernhealthcare.com) Rockwell Medical sues former execs over alleged self-enriching behavior (seekingalpha.com) Is it time to Follow Now? Rockwell Medical, Inc. (RMTI) (connectinginvestor.com) Insider Buying: Rockwell Medical Inc (RMTI) Insider Purchases 12,561 Shares of Stock (americanbankingnews.com)

  Several research firms have recently issued reports on RMTI. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Rockwell Medical from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 13th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Rockwell Medical from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, May 17th. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded shares of Rockwell Medical from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 27th.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Dynatronics (NASDAQ: DYNT) and Rockwell Medical (NASDAQ:RMTI) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, profitability, dividends and earnings.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Rockwell Medical (RMTI)

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

How Intercept Pharma Shares Could See Blockbuster Drug and See its Shares Double

Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICPT) was last seen trading after the company’s financial reporting. While numbers are always important to see, a more subjective issue is a positive review from Wall Street.

Intercept reported strong OCALIVA net product revenue of $177.8 million in 2018, beating a Bloomberg estimate of $176.2 million. The reason for the beat appears to bet that the company expanded its sales force efforts inside the U.S.

Wedbush Securities has an Outperform rating on Intercept already, but what stands out here is that the firm’s analyst Liana Moussatos has a $251 price target that implies well over 100% in implied upside. Unlike many other speculative companies within biotech and emerging Pharma, Intercept is already generating revenues and it is not usually the case that companies with actual sales happening are called on for upside of more than 100%.

As a reminder, there are no guarantees that any upside at all, let alone more than 100%, will be seen just because an analyst believes that to be the case.

The market is waiting for detailed Phase 3 REGENERATE study results at the European Association for the Study of the Liver: The International Liver Congress as the next catalyst for the stock. That is not until April 10 through April 14 in Vienna, Austria. According to the Wedbush note, Intercept already reported positive top-line results from 18-month analysis of the pivotal Phase 3 REGENERATE trial for obeticholic acid (OCA; 10 mg and 25 mg) in biopsy-proven NASH patients (n=931) with fibrosis in stages F2-F3.

For the primary endpoint, the high dose demonstrated a significant fibrosis improvement with no worsening of NASH after 72 weeks in patients with advanced NASH. Liana Moussatos is projecting a potential blockbuster drug with the $1 billion sales status here, and she said in the call:

Based on positive results from the Phase 2b FLINT trial and interim Phase 3 REGENERATE trial, Intercept plans to file for accelerated approval in the U.S. and Europe in H2:19. We project potential achievement of blockbuster revenue in 2022 for OCA for NASH after a potential U.S. launch in October 2020.

Other analyst calls were bullish on Intercept Pharma as well, but not with such dramatic upside. On March 1, 2019, Intercept was reiterated as Strong Buy and the price target was raised to $187 from $184 at Raymond James and it was reiterated as Buy at B. Riley FBR with that firm lifting its target to $169 from $155. RBC Capital Markets also raised its rating to Outperform From Sector Perform on the same day but with a more geared down target price of $130. On February 28, Intercept’ target price was raised to $191 from $170 at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Intercept Pharmaceuticals shares closed on Tuesday up by 2.9% at $107.72, with a 52-week range of $58.03 to $133.74. Its prior consensus analyst target price had been $159.95 and it has roughly a $3.2 billion market cap.

Farmers National Banc Corp (FMNB) Files 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December 31, 2018

Farmers National Banc Corp (NASDAQ:FMNB) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2018. Farmers National Banc Corp and its subsidiaries operate in the domestic banking, trust, retirement consulting, insurance and financial management industries. Its business consists of owning and supervising its subsidiaries. Farmers National Banc Corp has a market cap of $403.270 million; its shares were traded at around $14.51 with a P/E ratio of 12.41 and P/S ratio of 3.95. The dividend yield of Farmers National Banc Corp stocks is 2.07%.

For the last quarter Farmers National Banc Corp reported a revenue of $26.8 million, compared with the revenue of $25.12 million during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $104.0 million, an increase of 6.5% from last year. For the last five years Farmers National Banc Corp had an average revenue growth rate of 18.3% a year.

The reported diluted earnings per share was $1.16 for the year, an increase of 41.5% from previous year. Over the last five years Farmers National Banc Corp had an EPS growth rate of 24.1% a year. The profitability rank of the company is 4 (out of 10).

At the end of the fiscal year, Farmers National Banc Corp has the cash and cash equivalents of $57.9 million, compared with $17.8 million in the previous year. The long term debt was $250.8 million, compared with $6.99 million in the previous year. Farmers National Banc Corp has a financial strength rank of 4 (out of 10).

At the current stock price of $14.51, Farmers National Banc Corp is traded at 44.7% premium to its historical median P/S valuation band of $10.03. The P/S ratio of the stock is 3.95, while the historical median P/S ratio is 2.74. The stock gained 7.12% during the past 12 months.

CEO Recent Trades:

President & CEO Kevin J Helmick bought 34 shares of FMNB stock on 03/01/2019 at the average price of $14.72. The price of the stock has decreased by 1.43% since.

Directors and Officers Recent Trades:

Director Gregg Strollo bought 68 shares of FMNB stock on 03/01/2019 at the average price of $14.72. The price of the stock has decreased by 1.43% since.Sr VP/Chief Retail/Marketing Amber B Wallace bought 14 shares of FMNB stock on 03/01/2019 at the average price of $14.72. The price of the stock has decreased by 1.43% since.VP/Controller Joseph W Sabat bought 68 shares of FMNB stock on 03/01/2019 at the average price of $14.72. The price of the stock has decreased by 1.43% since.Director Edward Muransky bought 255 shares of FMNB stock on 03/01/2019 at the average price of $14.72. The price of the stock has decreased by 1.43% since.Director Terry A Moore bought 283 shares of FMNB stock on 03/01/2019 at the average price of $14.72. The price of the stock has decreased by 1.43% since.

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

Raytheon (RTN) Stake Lessened by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lessened its stake in shares of Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,391,971 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 57,375 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Raytheon were worth $520,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RTN. Athena Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Raytheon during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Raytheon during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Raytheon by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 223 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Raytheon during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Raytheon by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 264 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.93% of the company’s stock.

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In other news, CAO Michael J. Wood sold 3,501 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.86, for a total value of $643,693.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 19,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,533,237.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Frank R. Jimenez sold 4,094 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.89, for a total value of $752,845.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,797,309.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Raytheon stock opened at $186.19 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $52.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.95. Raytheon has a 12 month low of $144.27 and a 12 month high of $229.75.

Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 31st. The aerospace company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $7.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.50 billion. Raytheon had a return on equity of 25.81% and a net margin of 10.75%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Raytheon will post 11.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on RTN. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Raytheon from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 31st. ValuEngine upgraded Raytheon from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 24th. Argus restated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Raytheon in a research note on Friday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Raytheon from $228.00 to $221.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Raytheon from $239.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.31.

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About Raytheon

Raytheon Company develops integrated products, services, and solutions for defense and other government markets worldwide. It operates through five segments: Integrated Defense Systems (IDS); Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS); Missile Systems (MS); Space and Airborne Systems (SAS); and Forcepoint.

Further Reading: Short Selling – Explanation For Shorting Stocks

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

A Rare Indicator That Forecasts the Timing of Reversals

Retracements are price moves that are opposite to the primary trend. In a bull market, retracements are the short declines that interrupt the long-term trend of rising prices. Bear market retracements are short up moves. 

While traders usually think of retracements in terms of price, the concept can also be applied to time. Prices spend most of the time rising in a bull market, and they will retrace advances over shorter periods of time. The reverse is also true, with shorter bounces in a longer bear market decline.

Market moves are usually measured using both price and time. Traders may say that a stock has gone up 15% over the past three weeks. Since prices move both up and down, we would expect the price advance to be partly retraced, and that decline should last for a short period of time in a bull market. 

Fibonacci ratios can be applied to either price or time to help define retracements. In either case, the key ratios of 38.2% and 61.8% would be expected to have significance on the chart. Those levels serve as resistance to price advances in a bear market and offer price support on a decline in a bull market. 

For example, if prices fell 100 points, traders would look for a retracement to deliver a gain of about 38 points in a subsequent price bounce. From a time perspective, a retracement following a three-week decline should last six to nine days (38.2% of 15 days is 5.73 days and 61.8% is 9.27).

How Traders Use It

When applied to price, Fibonacci retracement levels are expected to forecast support or resistance levels. An example of price retracements is included in the definition of Fibonacci ratios. When applied to the time scale of a chart, Fibonacci retracements are used to forecast the times when a market reversal is likely to occur. 

To apply this idea, traders can measure the amount of time a market takes to move from a low to a high. Fibonacci ratios can then be added to the chart from the time when price peaked, and important trend reversals should be expected to occur on days associated with Fibonacci ratios. If a price advance lasted 100 days, price reversals could be expected to last about 38 and 62 days.

The example below shows the bull market move that pushed crude oil to an all-time high in 2008. The price advance lasted 78 weeks. The initial decline unfolded over 30 weeks (38% of 78 weeks). Prices resumed their decline 48 weeks (62% of 78 weeks) after the peak.

Momentum indicators, including the 26-week rate of change (ROC) and Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD), confirmed the price reversals in crude oil. Traders incorporating Fibonacci retracements based on time would have been able to catch the major market turns.

Why It Matters To Traders

Traders have few tools that project precise time targets, which make Fibonacci retracements a useful addition to the trader's toolbox. Knowing that a trend change is expected at a certain time, the trader can watch other indicators, such as momentum, to capture as much of the trend as possible.

(This article originally appeared on ProfitableTrading.com)

Raymond James Increases VMware (VMW) Price Target to $196.00

VMware (NYSE:VMW) had its price objective boosted by equities research analysts at Raymond James from $163.00 to $196.00 in a research note issued on Friday. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the virtualization software provider’s stock. Raymond James’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 9.02% from the stock’s previous close.

VMW has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered VMware from an “overweight” rating to an “equal” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $175.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 15th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up previously from $172.00) on shares of VMware in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on VMware from $165.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 30th. Deutsche Bank lifted their price objective on VMware from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on VMware in a report on Thursday, January 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.04.

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VMW traded up $7.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $179.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,182,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,432,002. VMware has a 52-week low of $113.30 and a 52-week high of $176.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.14 billion, a PE ratio of 46.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 3.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

VMware (NYSE:VMW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 28th. The virtualization software provider reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.88 by $0.10. VMware had a return on equity of 19.62% and a net margin of 17.03%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.68 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that VMware will post 4.77 EPS for the current year.

In related news, CFO Zane Rowe sold 6,500 shares of VMware stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.08, for a total transaction of $1,073,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,737,682.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Sanjay Poonen sold 16,135 shares of VMware stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.88, for a total value of $2,386,043.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 124,578 shares of company stock valued at $18,885,326. Insiders own 29.90% of the company’s stock.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of VMware by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 106,875 shares of the virtualization software provider’s stock worth $14,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,364 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of VMware by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 14,138 shares of the virtualization software provider’s stock worth $1,939,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of VMware by 398.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 136,053 shares of the virtualization software provider’s stock worth $18,657,000 after purchasing an additional 108,780 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of VMware by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 420,084 shares of the virtualization software provider’s stock worth $57,603,000 after purchasing an additional 103,671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cypress Capital Group raised its position in shares of VMware by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 3,920 shares of the virtualization software provider’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.05% of the company’s stock.

VMware Company Profile

VMware, Inc provides compute, cloud, mobility, networking, and security infrastructure software to businesses in the United States and internationally. The company offers compute products, including VMware vSphere, a data center platform, which enables users to deploy hypervisor, a layer of software that resides between the operating system and system hardware to enable compute virtualization; storage and availability products that provide data storage and protection options; network and security products; and cloud management and automation products to manage and automate overarching IT processes involved in provisioning IT services and resources to users from initial infrastructure deployment to retirement.

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Cramer Remix: GE's CEO has breathed new life into a fallen franchise

General Electric CEO Larry Culp has simplified the company's report techniques and could be on the right path to fix the challenges in its power division, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Wednesday.

Culp, who became chief of GE in September, delivered his first annual letter to shareholders on Tuesday that Cramer said made a significant departure from pages of "incomprehensible" numbers about each of the conglomerate's businesses. The annual report laid out the 2018 performances of all eight segments on one condensed page.

"It's honest, it's forthright, it's straightforward, and short," the "Mad Money" host said. "It's the most un-GE piece of correspondence I've ever seen. The culture shock here is downright stunning."

Click here to find out why Cramer thinks Culp can revive the company's power business.

How to sleep like a baby Scott Mlyn | CNBC Jim Cramer

If investors want to start sleeping better at night, it's time to start thinking about what's going right with this economy, Cramer said.

While many Wall Street watchers have been fixated on what could go wrong on the market, the host explained six reasons he can't stop wiping sleep from his own eyes.

"Now, I know many of you probably think I'm whistling past the graveyard here," Cramer said. "I'm only whistling past the graveyard of underperforming portfolio managers who can't sleep at night because they've been scared away from a terrific rally by the parade of horribles that play like a constant loop inside their heads."

The United States economy is the strongest in the world and benefits from a two-punch combo that the host has never seen before, Cramer said. A "fabulous" employment rate on top of almost non-existent inflation should relive a lot of stock picker's worries, he said.

With the days inching closer to March, the last month of the first quarter in 2019, Cramer is anticipating the jobs report set to come out Friday.

Learn how to sleep free of worry like Cramer here.

It's not what you may think it is Mohamed Azakir | Reuters A farmer in a field of cannabis plants.

GW Pharmaceuticals' stock price shot up less than 14 percent during Wednesday's session coming off of its latest earnings report. In November, the biopharmaceutical company launched its first commercial drug called Epidiolex, which is an FDA-approved plant-derived cannabinoid medicine to treat patients with epilepsy.

The firm wants to introduce another drug called Sativex that contains THC, the chemical found in marijuana, that could be used to help those with multiple sclerosis.

In an interview with Cramer, CEO Justin Gover took the time to clear the confusion surrounding products that contain CBD and THC, which some people tend to get mixed up.

"Epidolex is not marijuana. It is a purified CBD formulation approved by the FDA," Gover said. "Our job has been to assure that we have a clear distinction between this medication and marijuana and in that respect I think we've achieved a great deal of understanding within the medical community. And for those that do understand that, they see this as just an important new treatment addition and they don't confuse it with the wider controversies around marijuana."

Click here to catch the interview in full.

Gatekeeper to the kingdom Scott Mlyn | CNBC Udi Mokady, CEO, Cyberark Software 

As the threat of cyberattacks become more and more widespread, companies are spending more money on defense systems.

As demand grows that has led to growth at Cyberarkdrug, a leading privileged access security provider whose stock has spiked more than 125 percent in the past year.

"I think there's been growing awareness that this is the most irreversible phase of an attack," CEO Udi Mokady said in a one on one with Cramer. "If they go the keys to the kingdom they control the network, they control the cloud, and this growing awareness really led ... this [to be a] top priority."

Hear the entire conversation about Cyberark and cybersecurity here.

Drivers wanted Yoon S. Byun | Boston Globe | Getty Images Alan S. McKim, CEO of Clean Harbors.

Clean Harbors is in the business of cleaning up industrial waste that is deemed hazardous. While President Donald Trump has made it a priority to cut back on regulations, Cramer said he thought the company could be hurt by some of the policy roll back.

CEO Alan McKim told the "Mad Money" host that states continue to enforce guidelines and that there is even more stringent regulations in some places. In fact, the company is looking to add more drivers to its payroll.

"We're always short qualified drivers. It's very difficult to find drivers, as you hear, on a national business," he said. "We're really anxious to expand our fleet and bring more drivers on."

Watch the the full conversation here.

Lightning round:

In Cramer's lightning round, the "Mad Money" host flew through his ideas on viewers' favorite companies:

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.: "No, not a takeover candidate. No, not without the approval because ... [if] it doesn't get the approval it's supposed to have then I tell you this one goes much lower. You wanna do it on approvals and—[CEO Richard] Glickman's good, I'd like to have him on the show but I am not going to endorse it until I know more."

Centene Corp.: "Listen, that group has been real weak all of a sudden. That whole group has been—there's an introduction of a bill that I think that will not pass about universal Medicare. It's driving all these stocks down and I think Centene's going down with it. It's a very inexpensive stock here and we have total faith in [CEO] Michael Neidorff and I say—not tomorrow because there'll be downgrades 'cause everybody's nervous, but on Friday" buy.

Waste Management Inc.: You know, when Mr. [David] Steiner was running that company I said, 'I don't know if it can get better.' Now Mr. [James] Fish is running it and the answer is, 'it's just keeps getting better' and for your daughter's IRA, I want you to stay long even though it just cracked par, which is ... Wall Street gibberish for $100. Stay long, or own Waste Management."

Questions for Cramer?
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Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp (WAB) Files 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December 31,

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp (NYSE:WAB) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2018. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp is a provider of value-added, technology-based products and services for the rail industry. It provides its products and services through two main business segments, the Freight and Transit. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp has a market cap of $12.31 billion; its shares were traded at around $75.80 with a P/E ratio of 24.76 and P/S ratio of 1.69. The dividend yield of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp stocks is 0.64%. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp had annual average EBITDA growth of 11.20% over the past ten years.

For the last quarter Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp reported a revenue of $1.1 billion, compared with the revenue of $1.1 billion during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $4.4 billion, an increase of 12.4% from last year. For the last five years Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp had an average revenue growth rate of 9.8% a year.

The reported diluted earnings per share was $3.05 for the year, an increase of 12.1% from previous year. Over the last five years Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp had an average EPS decline of 2.8% a year. The Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp had a decent operating margin of 10.85%, compared with the operating margin of 10.86% a year before. The 10-year historical median operating margin of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp is 14.70%. The profitability rank of the company is 7 (out of 10).

At the end of the fiscal year, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp has the cash and cash equivalents of $580.9 million, compared with $233.4 million in the previous year. The long term debt was $3.8 billion, compared with $1.8 billion in the previous year. The interest coverage to the debt is at a comfortable level of 15. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp has a financial strength rank of 5 (out of 10).

At the current stock price of $75.80, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp is traded at 14% discount to its historical median P/S valuation band of $88.11. The P/S ratio of the stock is 1.69, while the historical median P/S ratio is 1.95. The stock lost 11.21% during the past 12 months.

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

Following Earnings Beat, Hertz Stock Still Needs One Thing

Hertz Global (NYSE:HTZ) blew away earnings and revenue estimates for both the fourth quarter of 2018 and the full calendar year. The automobile rental company saw its spike higher immediately in after-hours trading. Although this sent Hertz stock initially higher, the equity now trades closer to the top of its long-held range.

Source: Steve Damron via Flickr

Hence, for the Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty brands to move higher, it will need to escape this range before it can sustain a rally.

Hertz Stock Beat Quarterly, Yearly Estimates

Hertz stock opened trading 7% ahead of yesterday’s close following its earnings beat before falling back. For the fourth quarter, the Estero, Florida-based firm reported a loss of 55 cents per share. This showed an unexpected improvement as the company had lost 77 cents per share in the same quarter last year. Analysts had expected a loss of 90 cents per share.

Revenues of $2.29 billion also blew away estimates and rose by 9.6% from the $2.09 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2017. Analysts had expected $2.15 billion in revenue.

For 2018, the company reported revenues of $9.5 billion, beating expectations by $150 million. Earnings also came in ahead of estimates. HTZ lost 17 cents per share, 35 cents per share ahead of the 52-cent per share loss analysts had expected. In 2017, the company lost $1.59 per share and reported revenues of $8.8 billion.

HTZ Stock Still Affected by a Multi-Year Slump

Hertz stock has suffered since it peaked at over $125 per share in late 2014. The rise of rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft have reduced overall demand for rentals. Weak rental pricing and depreciation costs associated with its fleet also contributed to losses. As a result, HTZ stock still trades more than 80% below its 2014 high.

While the massive swoon eventually ended, HTZ has traded in a range for the last two years. Hertz has risen substantially from the $13.05 low it saw in late December. However, the post-earnings spike still leaves it short of the 52-week high HTZ saw last spring.

It Is On the Road to Recovery … Almost

Some degree of optimism has returned to the sector. Avis (NASDAQ:CAR) received an upgrade from Goldman Sachs earlier in the month. Goldman declined to upgrade HTZ at that time on the belief that Hertz stock would miss estimates. Not only did Hertz stock beat estimates, analysts now believe it will return to profitability in 2019.

Thanks to this profit recovery, Wall Street predicts 200% profit growth for 2019. It also forecasts that profits will see an average growth rate of 85.7% per year over the next five years. With those increases in store, I do not see the current forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 37.1.

Still, the range-bound nature of the stock concerns me. Today’s surge takes the Hertz stock price closer to the top of the range. For this reason, I do not think buyers should get in without knowing that HTZ has broken out of this range. If I were to buy, I would want to wait to see the stock maintain a price above the 2017 high of $27.27 per share.

Concluding Thoughts on Hertz Stock

After years of stagnation, Hertz stock may have finally positioned itself for sustained growth. The noticeable beat on earnings for both the fourth quarter and 2018 sent HTZ stock shooting higher in after-hours trading and at the morning open. Though losses remain, analysts predict it will again move to profitability in 2019.

The stock suffered for years amid the rise of ridesharing and the weak pricing in the rental car market. Now, the price of Hertz stock accounts for those factors. Today, it appears HTZ has figured out how to turn a profit in an environment where many have turned to ridesharing.

However, before we can declare recovery, investors must remember that Hertz stock remains range-bound. It has not exceeded $30 per share since 2016 and has rarely traded above $25 per share in that time. If it can return to multi-year highs, I see little else that can stop Hertz stock.

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

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Mattel's Analyst Day Spooks the Bulls: 4 Key Takeaways

Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) held its annual Toy Fair analyst day on Feb. 15, and investors clearly weren't impressed. The toy company's stock, which rallied after its fourth-quarter earnings a week earlier, gave up a large portion of its post-earnings gains. Let's examine the four key issues that spooked the bulls and attracted the bears.

1. Flat sales growth

Mattel's sales fell 8% (7% on a constant currency basis) in fiscal 2018, due to the liquidation of Toys R Us, sluggish sales in China, and weak demand for Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends, and American Girl products.

Image source: Getty Images.

Analysts previously forecast Mattel's revenue to rise about 2% this year. But during the Toy Fair presentation, CFO Joe Euteneuer announced that Mattel would post flat constant currency sales growth in 2019 instead. He also noted that currency headwinds would have a "low single-digit negative impact" on Mattel's gross sales -- so its reported growth will be negative.

Euteneuer also noted that Barbie and Hot Wheels, its two core growth engines last quarter, would post continued growth but not to the extent of the gains in 2018. The outlook for Barbie was particularly disappointing, since the bulls expected the brand's sales to accelerate with the launch of new 60th anniversary products this year.

Mattel expects Fisher-Price sales to stabilize by the end of the year, but Thomas & Friends and American Girl are both expected to continue their declines.

2. Historically weak margins

The bulls cheered last quarter when Mattel's gross margin expanded 540 basis points annually to 46.6% last quarter, marking its first fourth-quarter gross margin expansion since 2013. That expansion boosted Mattel's full-year gross margin to 39.8% -- marking a 250 basis point improvement from 2017.

Euteneuer anticipates Mattel's gross margin to expand again to the low 40s in 2019. That forecast wasn't bad, but it would still remain well below its historical gross margins:

Metric 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Gross margin	63.6%	49.8%	49.2%	46.8%	37.3%	39.8%

Data source: Mattel Toy Fair presentation.

Investors were probably expecting a more meaningful margin expansion, since rival Hasbro's (NASDAQ:HAS) average gross margin remained in the low 50s over the past 12 months.

3. Lower-than-expected adjusted EBITDA

Mattel expects its sluggish sales growth and slow gross margin expansion to throttle its adjusted EBITDA growth. Analysts originally predicted Mattel's adjusted EBITDA to surge 179% this year, but its new forecast calls for just 77%-102% growth.

For the year, Mattel sees its adjusted operating income to be "slightly positive," compared to operating losses of $207 million and $115 million in 2018, respectively.

That outlook seems solid, but it indicates that Mattel's return to profitability following two full-year losses could come in weaker than expected. This means that Mattel's forward P/E of 31 -- which is based on earlier analyst forecasts -- will rise significantly after analysts update their estimates. Hasbro, by comparison, trades at just 17 times forward earnings.

4. Questionable media ambitions

Mattel highlighted four films during its presentation: Hot Wheels and Barbie movies from AT&T's Warner Bros., a Masters of the Universe movie from Sony, and an American Girl film from MGM. It also unveiled a slate of 22 new licensed TV shows.

Image source: Getty Images.

These films and TV shows don't pose major financial risks to Mattel, since it's merely licensing out its brands and offering creative input to studios. However, Mattel is throttling its SG&A spending as it expands those media efforts, which indicates that it wants to supplant traditional ads with TV shows and movies. This strategy mirrors Hasbro's approach with Transformers and G.I. Joe.

That effort might pay off for certain brands, like Barbie or Hot Wheels, but it might not revive interest in weaker brands like American Girl. This strategy, which only kicked into high gear last fall with the launch of the new Mattel Films division, could quickly collapse if its films bomb or its TV shows fail to reach enough viewers.

The bottom line

I recently predicted that Mattel would rally higher this year, based on the strength of its core brands, its expanding margins, rising earnings, and valuation. Its Toy Fair presentation threw some cold water on my thesis, but I think Mattel's overall fundamentals are still improving. I think investors should watch the stock for a few more quarters before making a long-term call.

 

Top Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:FISI,SKT,PSB,NRIM,CPSS,

Equities analysts predict that SunTrust Banks, Inc. (NYSE:STI) will announce $2.31 billion in sales for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Seven analysts have made estimates for SunTrust Banks’ earnings. The lowest sales estimate is $2.29 billion and the highest is $2.34 billion. SunTrust Banks posted sales of $2.23 billion during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year over year growth rate of 3.6%. The firm is scheduled to report its next quarterly earnings report before the market opens on Friday, July 20th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that SunTrust Banks will report full year sales of $9.31 billion for the current year, with estimates ranging from $9.19 billion to $9.47 billion. For the next financial year, analysts anticipate that the company will post sales of $9.70 billion per share, with estimates ranging from $9.46 billion to $9.98 billion. Zacks Investment Research’s sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that follow SunTrust Banks.

Top Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Financial Institutions Inc.(FISI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) and Financial Institutions (NASDAQ:FISI) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends and valuation.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Financial Institutions (FISI)

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

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Financial Institutions Inc  (NASDAQ:FISI)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 01, 2019, 9:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI) – Piper Jaffray Companies upped their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Financial Institutions in a research report issued on Monday, February 4th. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst M. Breese now expects that the bank will earn $0.61 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.60. Piper Jaffray Companies also issued estimates for Financial Institutions’ Q2 2019 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.69 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.70 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $2.62 EPS and Q3 2020 earnings at $0.76 EPS.

Top Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc.(SKT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In this week's installment of "One to Watch," Fool.com contributor Matt Frankel, CFP, explains why retail real estate investment trust Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT) is at the top of his watchlist. And, host Jason Moser suggests that listeners keep an eye on Ellie Mae (NYSE:ELLI) -- just hours before it announced it was being acquired!

• [By Leo Sun]

  Shares of Tanger Factory Outlets (NYSE:SKT) fell 9% to an eight-year low on May 2 after the outlet owner reported its first quarter earnings. Tanger beat estimates on the top and bottom lines, but also reported declines in its core business and cut its full-year guidance.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. (NYSE: SKT) traded down nearly 10% Wednesday and posted a new 52-week low of $21.14 after closing Tuesday at $23.47. The stock’s 52-week high is $34.76. Volume was around 6.9 million, nearly five times the daily average. The companr reported results after markets closed Tuesday.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Shares of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. (NYSE:SKT) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 9,958,404 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 507% from the previous session’s volume of 1,640,557 shares.The stock last traded at $23.92 and had previously closed at $23.26.

• [By Matthew Frankel]

  With that in mind, here are two retail REITs that own the right kind of retail properties -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT) and National Retail Properties (NYSE:NNN) -- both of which pay excellent dividends and have produced some impressive results recently.

Top Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: PS Business Parks Inc.(PSB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  PS Business Parks (NYSE: PSB) and Apollo Commercial Real Est. Finance (NYSE:ARI) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings and risk.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on PS Business Parks (PSB)

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

Top Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Northrim BanCorp Inc(NRIM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Northrim BanCorp Inc (NASDAQ:NRIM)’s share price hit a new 52-week high and low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $40.05 and last traded at $39.85, with a volume of 561 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $40.00.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Northrim BanCorp (NRIM)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Northrim BanCorp (NASDAQ: NRIM) and Hometrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Northrim BanCorp (NRIM)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Kearny Financial (NASDAQ: KRNY) and Northrim BanCorp (NASDAQ:NRIM) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Top Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Consumer Portfolio Services Inc.(CPSS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Consumer Portfolio Services (CPSS)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of Consumer Portfolio Services (NASDAQ:CPSS) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

  Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $5.00 price target on shares of Consumer Portfolio Services in a research note on Thursday, July 26th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Consumer Portfolio Services from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, August 27th. Finally, JMP Securities upgraded Consumer Portfolio Services from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $6.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $5.08.