Top Cheap Stocks For 2019

tags:XPO,USG,KSS,EMR,RCII,

Looking past ousted Intel CEO Brian Krzanich's personal issues, Intel's stock is too cheap at these levels, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Thursday.

Shares of the chipmaker slid 2.38 percent on Thursday after Krzanich resigned, effective immediately, for having what the company called a "consensual relationship with an Intel employee."

The relationship violated Intel's strict non-fraternization policy, which forbids managers from having personal relations with any of their employees.

But the affair didn't matter to Cramer.

"What matters to me is that the stock is now too cheap to be ignored because at the same time they released [the] Krzanich [news], they also told you that business was better than expected thanks to strong growth across all segments," the host of "Mad Money" said Thursday. "The stock looks good to me."

Top Cheap Stocks For 2019: Express-1 Expedited Solutions Inc.(XPO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  TheStreet's founder and Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio Manager Jim Cramer said XPO Logistics (XPO) is a remarkable company.

  Cramer said UPS (UPS) has labor problems and people think FedEx (FDX) is expensive. "XPO has got a lot of things that they can do," Cramer said. "They're in M&A mode."

• [By Logan Wallace]

  XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by research analysts at Bank of America in a research note issued on Friday. They presently have a $105.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock. Bank of America’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 4.86% from the stock’s previous close.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Somebody's got to deliver all of those products that we're ordering online, and increasingly, that somebody is�XPO Logistics�(NYSE:XPO). The freight and logistics company has become the leader in last-mile delivery of heavy goods like furniture and appliances, making it a key partner of retailers like Amazon, IKEA,�Wayfair, and Home Depot.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO) has been a phenomenal growth story: Over the past decade, its shares have returned 2,000% to investors as demand for freight transportation and logistics services skyrocketed.

Top Cheap Stocks For 2019: USG Corporation(USG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jordan Wathen]

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

• [By Jason Hall, George Budwell, and Chuck Saletta]

  And while it may not always work out well to simply copy the moves other investors make, it can pay off to use their buying and selling moves as jumping-off points in your own research. We asked three real-world investors for their insight, and they wrote about two recent Buffett buys of�Apple Inc.�(NASDAQ:AAPL) and�USG Corporation�(NYSE:USG), and a recent Baker Brothers buy of�Heron Therapeutics Inc�(NASDAQ:HRTX).�

• [By Dan Caplinger]

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of USG (NYSE:USG) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday.

  A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of USG from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the company from $35.00 to $24.00 in a research note on Friday, April 27th. Jefferies Group reiterated a hold rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of USG in a research note on Monday, April 23rd. SunTrust Banks boosted their target price on shares of USG from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 17th. Buckingham Research boosted their target price on shares of USG from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 16th. Finally, Nomura boosted their target price on shares of USG from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $39.00.

Top Cheap Stocks For 2019: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) was the target of a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 29,765,891 shares, a growth of 9.9% from the April 13th total of 27,095,285 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,456,427 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.6 days. Approximately 17.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

• [By ]

  Cramer and the AAP team say their favorite part of the Kohl's (KSS) story is its ties with Amazon (AMZN) . Find out what they're telling their investment club members and get in on the conversation with a free trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS. 

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $41.00 to $45.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning. The brokerage currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Investors bought shares of Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) on weakness during trading hours on Thursday following insider selling activity. $108.48 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $91.31 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $17.17 million into the stock. Of all stocks tracked, Kohl’s had the 23rd highest net in-flow for the day. Kohl’s traded down ($2.44) for the day and closed at $73.28Specifically, Director Steven A. Burd sold 4,945 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.67, for a total transaction of $379,133.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Richard D. Schepp sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.52, for a total value of $1,177,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 161,050 shares in the company, valued at $12,645,646. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 345,311 shares of company stock worth $22,677,767. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) insider Richard D. Schepp sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.52, for a total transaction of $1,177,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 161,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,645,646. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Top Cheap Stocks For 2019: Emerson Electric Company(EMR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Former President George H.W. Bush has been hospitalized in Houston with an infection, just after attending the funeral of his wife, Barbara, a spokesman said Monday: Link

  ECONOMIC DATA Redbook Reports US Retail Sales During First 2 Weeks Of Apr. Up 0.3% MoM, Up 2.8% YoY USA S&P/CaseShiller House Price Index (MoM) for Feb Up 0.7% MoM New home sales report for March will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Conference Board’s consumer sentiment index for April is schedule for release at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Richmond Fed manufacturing index for April will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Treasury is set to auction 4-and 52-week bills at 11:30 a.m. ET. The Treasury will auction 2-year notes at 1:00 p.m. ET. ANALYST RATINGS Leerink upgraded Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) from Market Perform to Outperform Berenberg upgraded Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR) from Sell to Hold Mizuho downgraded Skyworks (NASDAQ: SWKS) from Buy to Neutral BMO downgraded Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ: TXRH) from Outperform to Market Perform

  This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. To get the full version of this note every morning, click here.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Analysts at Berenberg upgraded Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) from Sell to Hold.

  Emerson Electric shares fell 0.43 percent to close at $69.90 on Monday.

• [By Neha Chamaria]

  The first list of Dividend Aristocrats published in 1989 comprised 26 stocks. Remarkably, nine of the 26 stocks are still part of the Dividend Aristocrat group.

  Dividend Aristocrat No. of Years of Consecutive Dividend Increases Payout Ratio (Last 12 Months) Current Dividend Yield Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) 55 67.6% 2.7% Dover Corp. (NYSE: DOV) 62 37.4% 2% Emerson Electric�(NYSE: EMR) 60 69% 2.62% Genuine Parts Company�(NYSE: GPC) 62 62.7% 3.12% Johnson & Johnson�(NYSE: JNJ) 55 724.9% 2.57% Coca-Cola�(NYSE: KO) 55 440.7% 3.5% Lowe's Companies�(NYSE: LOW) 55 37.4% 1.97% 3M Company�(NYSE: MMM) 60 70.4% 2.65% Procter & Gamble�(NYSE: PG) 62 72.2% 3.94%

  Data source: S&P Global Market Intelligence, company financials, Yahoo Finance. Table by author.�

Top Cheap Stocks For 2019: Rent-A-Center Inc.(RCII)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Timothy Green]

  Shares of rent-to-own retailer Rent-A-Center Inc. (NASDAQ:RCII) soared on Monday after the company agreed to be acquired for $15 per share. This comes less than a week after Rent-A-Center received a lower buyout offer following the completion of its strategic review. The stock was up about 22.2% at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $9.36, but opened at $9.43. Rent-A-Center shares last traded at $9.54, with a volume of 375675 shares changing hands.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ:RCII) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and six have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.75.

• [By ]

  Engaged Capital maintained large positions in Rent-A-Center (RCII) , TiVo (TIVO) , Hain Celestial (HAIN) , SunOpta and Jamba Inc. (JMBA) , all companies that have either previously been targeted by Welling or currently are in his cross-hairs.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ:RCII) by 52.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 79,200 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp owned about 0.14% of Rent-A-Center worth $623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  An issue of Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ:RCII) bonds fell 1% against their face value during trading on Thursday. The high-yield issue of debt has a 6.625% coupon and will mature on November 15, 2020. The debt is now trading at $99.07 and was trading at $100.50 one week ago. Price moves in a company’s bonds in credit markets often predict parallel moves in its stock price.

ContentBox (BOX) Reaches Market Cap of $0.00

ContentBox (CURRENCY:BOX) traded down 1.7% against the dollar during the one day period ending at 17:00 PM E.T. on July 22nd. ContentBox has a total market capitalization of $0.00 and approximately $5.04 million worth of ContentBox was traded on exchanges in the last day. Over the last seven days, ContentBox has traded flat against the dollar. One ContentBox token can currently be bought for approximately $0.0347 or 0.00000462 BTC on popular exchanges including Huobi and DDEX.

Here is how other cryptocurrencies have performed over the last day:

Get ContentBox alerts: XRP (XRP) traded 0.9% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.46 or 0.00006122 BTC. Stellar (XLM) traded down 0.2% against the dollar and now trades at $0.29 or 0.00003881 BTC. IOTA (MIOTA) traded 2.2% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.99 or 0.00013217 BTC. Tether (USDT) traded 0.2% lower against the dollar and now trades at $1.00 or 0.00013276 BTC. TRON (TRX) traded up 0.6% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0362 or 0.00000482 BTC. NEO (NEO) traded down 1.3% against the dollar and now trades at $34.14 or 0.00454382 BTC. Binance Coin (BNB) traded 1.7% lower against the dollar and now trades at $12.18 or 0.00162083 BTC. VeChain (VET) traded down 2% against the dollar and now trades at $1.80 or 0.00024001 BTC. 0x (ZRX) traded up 1.2% against the dollar and now trades at $1.18 or 0.00015708 BTC. Zilliqa (ZIL) traded down 0.4% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0738 or 0.00000982 BTC.

About ContentBox

ContentBox’s total supply is 3,000,000,000 tokens. The official message board for ContentBox is medium.com/contentbox. The Reddit community for ContentBox is /r/ContentBoxOfficial and the currency’s Github account can be viewed here. ContentBox’s official Twitter account is @Contentbox_one. The official website for ContentBox is contentbox.one.

Buying and Selling ContentBox

ContentBox can be traded on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: Huobi and DDEX. It is usually not possible to purchase alternative cryptocurrencies such as ContentBox directly using US dollars. Investors seeking to trade ContentBox should first purchase Bitcoin or Ethereum using an exchange that deals in US dollars such as GDAX, Gemini or Changelly. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Bitcoin or Ethereum to purchase ContentBox using one of the aforementioned exchanges.

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Biechele Royce Advisors Buys Procter & Gamble Co, Franklin Resources Inc, Sanofi SA, Sells Schlumber

Investment company Biechele Royce Advisors buys Procter & Gamble Co, Franklin Resources Inc, Sanofi SA, Union Pacific Corp, Starbucks Corp, SPDR Gold Trust, United Parcel Service Inc, Enterprise Products Partners LP, sells Schlumberger, Total SA, Patterson Inc, ON Semiconductor Corp, Qualcomm Inc during the 3-months ended 2018-06-30, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, Biechele Royce Advisors. As of 2018-06-30, Biechele Royce Advisors owns 47 stocks with a total value of $145 million. These are the details of the buys and sells.

New Purchases: BEN, EPD, Added Positions: PG, SNY, UNP, SBUX, GLD, CVS, UPS, AMGN, BMY, DISCA, Reduced Positions: SLB, TOT, PDCO, ON, QCOM, RHI, AMX, KORS, AVY, KMI, Sold Out: MOS,

For the details of Biechele Royce Advisors's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Biechele+Royce+Advisors

These are the top 5 holdings of Biechele Royce AdvisorsDiscovery Inc (DISCA) - 403,907 shares, 7.67% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 2.69%Apple Inc (AAPL) - 46,878 shares, 5.99% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 2.28%CVS Health Corp (CVS) - 107,271 shares, 4.77% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 19.31%Sanofi SA (SNY) - 102,432 shares, 4.74% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 204.96%Procter & Gamble Co (PG) - 120,824 shares, 4.68% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 1682.33%New Purchase: Franklin Resources Inc (BEN)

Biechele Royce Advisors initiated holding in Franklin Resources Inc. The purchase prices were between $31.8 and $34.5, with an estimated average price of $33.5. The stock is now traded at around $31.98. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 3.6%. The holding were 162,423 shares as of 2018-06-30.

New Purchase: Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD)

Biechele Royce Advisors initiated holding in Enterprise Products Partners LP. The purchase prices were between $24.22 and $29.52, with an estimated average price of $27.32. The stock is now traded at around $28.71. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.15%. The holding were 8,083 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Added: Procter & Gamble Co (PG)

Biechele Royce Advisors added to a holding in Procter & Gamble Co by 1682.33%. The purchase prices were between $70.94 and $79.05, with an estimated average price of $75.29. The stock is now traded at around $78.68. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 4.42%. The holding were 120,824 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Added: Sanofi SA (SNY)

Biechele Royce Advisors added to a holding in Sanofi SA by 204.96%. The purchase prices were between $37.63 and $41.22, with an estimated average price of $39.39. The stock is now traded at around $42.35. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 3.19%. The holding were 102,432 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Added: Union Pacific Corp (UNP)

Biechele Royce Advisors added to a holding in Union Pacific Corp by 632.40%. The purchase prices were between $130.02 and $147.02, with an estimated average price of $139.34. The stock is now traded at around $141.41. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 2.18%. The holding were 34,423 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Added: Starbucks Corp (SBUX)

Biechele Royce Advisors added to a holding in Starbucks Corp by 87.01%. The purchase prices were between $48.54 and $59.83, with an estimated average price of $56.76. The stock is now traded at around $50.91. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 1.74%. The holding were 89,052 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Added: SPDR Gold Trust (GLD)

Biechele Royce Advisors added to a holding in SPDR Gold Trust by 1706.94%. The purchase prices were between $118.22 and $128.11, with an estimated average price of $123.8. The stock is now traded at around $116.56. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 1.55%. The holding were 48,697 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Added: United Parcel Service Inc (UPS)

Biechele Royce Advisors added to a holding in United Parcel Service Inc by 85.08%. The purchase prices were between $103.84 and $118.34, with an estimated average price of $112.26. The stock is now traded at around $112.07. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.54%. The holding were 46,455 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Sold Out: The Mosaic Co (MOS)

Biechele Royce Advisors sold out a holding in The Mosaic Co. The sale prices were between $23.67 and $29.68, with an estimated average price of $27.14.

Reduced: Schlumberger Ltd (SLB)

Biechele Royce Advisors reduced to a holding in Schlumberger Ltd by 97.99%. The sale prices were between $63.48 and $75.03, with an estimated average price of $68.66. The stock is now traded at around $66.09. The impact to a portfolio due to this sale was -4.46%. Biechele Royce Advisors still held 1,974 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Reduced: Total SA (TOT)

Biechele Royce Advisors reduced to a holding in Total SA by 94.63%. The sale prices were between $56.24 and $63.6, with an estimated average price of $60.8. The stock is now traded at around $61.49. The impact to a portfolio due to this sale was -3.54%. Biechele Royce Advisors still held 4,874 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Reduced: Patterson Companies Inc (PDCO)

Biechele Royce Advisors reduced to a holding in Patterson Companies Inc by 96.28%. The sale prices were between $20.98 and $24.62, with an estimated average price of $22.55. The stock is now traded at around $23.64. The impact to a portfolio due to this sale was -2.78%. Biechele Royce Advisors still held 6,779 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Here is the complete portfolio of Biechele Royce Advisors. Also check out:

1. Biechele Royce Advisors's Undervalued Stocks
2. Biechele Royce Advisors's Top Growth Companies, and
3. Biechele Royce Advisors's High Yield stocks
4. Stocks that Biechele Royce Advisors keeps buying

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:NRG,NGD,PBH,COP,

TransCanada (NYSE:TRP) has almost everything an investor could want in a stock. With a dividend yield of around 4.8%, the Canadian pipeline giant supplies investors with a lucrative income stream. Meanwhile, with 21 billion Canadian dollars ($16 billion) of expansion projects underway, the company has the fuel to grow earnings at a 10% compound annual rate through 2020, which should enable it to increase its dividend�8% to 10% per year through 2021. Finally, after selling off 11% this year, shares trade at an attractive value. Add everything up, and TransCanada has the potential to generate market-beating total returns in the coming years, which makes it an excellent stock to consider buying.

A rock-solid dividend

TransCanada has all the characteristics an investor would want to see in a high-yield dividend stock. The company generates very stable cash flow since predictable sources like long-term contracts and regulated assets supply 95% of its earnings. In the meantime, the company expects to make enough money to cover its dividend by a comfortable 1.6 times this year, which is a conservative level for a pipeline company. Finally, TransCanada has a strong balance sheet backed by an investment-grade credit rating and solid leverage metrics for a pipeline company. These factors put the company's dividend on a firm foundation.

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In 2019: NRG Energy Inc.(NRG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE: NRG) was started with a Buy rating and�assigned a $37 price objective (versus a $33.15 close) at Merrill Lynch.

  Oasis Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OAS) was reiterated as Overweight and the target price was raised to $17 from $13 at Morgan Stanley.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) and NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, risk, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In 2019: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers ARMO BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARMO) shares rose 67.5 percent to $49.96 in pre-market trading after Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced plans to acquire ARMO BioSciences for $50 per share. Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR) rose 62.8 percent to $11.30 in pre-market trading after the company reported Q1 results and raised its FY18 outlook. vTv Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VTVT) rose 23.4 percent to $2.11 in pre-market trading following announcement that the company will pre-specify new subgroup with the FDA and report Phase 3 Part B results in June. Resonant Inc. (NASDAQ: RESN) rose 19.1 percent to $5.00 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NASDAQ: RXII) rose 17.7 percent to $2.39 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) rose 15.2 percent to $2.20 in pre-market trading after French company Total announced plans to acquire 25 percent stake in Clean Energy Fuels for $83.4 million. Everspin Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRAM) rose 14.6 percent to $8.50 in pre-market trading after the company reported strong results for its first quarter. Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) shares rose 11 percent to $27.50 in pre-market trading after reporting upbeat Q1 sales. Sunrun Inc. (NASDAQ: RUN) rose 8.9 percent to $10.70 in pre-market trading following upbeat quarterly earnings. MediciNova, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNOV) rose 8.1 percent to $11.35 in pre-market trading after the company announced opening of Investigational New Drug Application for MN-166 (ibudilast) in glioblastoma. New Gold Inc. (NYSE: NGD) shares rose 7.7 percent to $2.65 in pre-market trading after the company reported that its President and CEO Hannes Portmann left the company. The company named Raymond Threlkeld as successor. Otter Tail Corporation (NASDAQ: OTTR) shares rose 7.4 percent to $46.60 in the pre-market trading session. Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMX) shares rose
• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Teradyne, Inc. (NYSE: TER) fell 10.8 percent to $37.02 in pre-market trading after the company issued downbeat Q2 guidance. Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW) fell 9.2 percent to $122.29 in pre-market trading. Edwards Lifesciences reported better-than-expected results for its first quarter, but issued weak earnings guidance for the second quarter. New Gold Inc. (NYSE: NGD) fell 8.8 percent to $2.30 in pre-market trading after rising 4.13 percent on Tuesday. Gold Fields Limited (ADR) (NYSE: GFI) fell 8.6 percent to $3.61 in pre-market trading. Natus Medical Incorporated (NASDAQ: BABY) fell 8.2 percent to $32.95 in pre-market trading after the company issued weak forecast for the second quarter. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) shares fell 7.9 percent to $3.50 in pre-market trading after climbing 27.09 percent on Tuesday. Bright Scholar Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: BEDU) shares fell 6.7 percent to $13.58 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Sangamo Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: SGMO) fell 5.9 percent to $16.75 in pre-market trading following announcement of a $200 million common stock offering. Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ: FRSX) shares fell 5.7 percent to $3.29 in pre-market trading after declining 3.32 percent on Tuesday. Euronav NV (NYSE: EURN) fell 4.8 percent to $8.40 in pre-market trading. Limelight Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: LLNW) shares fell 4.3 percent to $4.69 in pre-market trading. Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc (NASDAQ: GLPI) shares fell 4.1 percent to $32.92 in pre-market trading after the company issued downbeat quarterly results and reported the retirement of CFO William Clifford
• [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 1.9% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $2.09. Shares closed at $2.13 on Monday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. The junior gold miner had no specific 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.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: NGD) dropped about 3.8% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $2.28. Shares closed at $2.37 on Wednesday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 5.9 million shares. The company had no specific news.

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In 2019: Prestige Brand Holdings Inc.(PBH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Premium Brands Holdings Corp (TSE:PBH) Director Stephen Sposari sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$117.01, for a total transaction of C$351,030.00.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Nomad Foods Limited (NYSE: NOMD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $656.43 million. AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.2 per share on revenue of $720.14 million. Magna International Inc. (NYSE: MGA) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.7 per share on revenue of $10.11 billion. Univar Inc. (NYSE: UNVR) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $2.12 billion. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.14 per share on revenue of $5.78 billion. Owens & Minor, Inc. (NYSE: OMI) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.47 per share on revenue of $2.40 billion. Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PBH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.61 per share on revenue of $255.60 million. Tribune Media Company (NYSE: TRCO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $457.67 million. ArcBest Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCB) is estimated to report quarterly loss at $0.07 per share on revenue of $691.18 million. Genesis Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: GEN) is projected to report quarterly loss at $0.34 per share on revenue of $1.32 billion. Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.55 per share on revenue of $10.14 billion. Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $1.34 billion. NICE Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.01 per share on revenue of $332.93 million. World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: WRLD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $3.94 per share on revenue of $147.32 million. MAXIMUS, Inc. (NYSE: MMS) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.84 per share on revenue of $616.04 million. Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CH
• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PBH) – Equities researchers at DA Davidson cut their Q2 2019 earnings estimates for shares of Prestige Brands in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 3rd. DA Davidson analyst L. Weiser now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.60 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.64. DA Davidson currently has a “Neutral” rating and a $33.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Prestige Brands’ FY2019 earnings at $2.83 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $2.97 EPS.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Premium Brands Holdings Corp (TSE:PBH) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$132.14.

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In 2019: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

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

• [By Chris Lange]

  The number of ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) shares short rose slightly to 21.33 million from the previous level of 21.01 million. Shares were trading at $64.79, within a 52-week range of $42.27 to $71.71.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips' (NYSE:COP) management team has worked tirelessly in recent years to transform the oil company into one that could thrive on lower prices. As a result, it�cashed in during the first quarter�when crude was well above its baseline plan. That strong showing sets the company up for continued success in the coming year -- a key theme running through management's comments on the accompanying conference call, which detailed recent achievements and how they frame what lies ahead.�

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.24 per share on revenue of $34.66 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.85 per share on revenue of $5.24 billion. United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.55 per share on revenue of $16.44 billion. Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.74 per share on revenue of $7.91 billion. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $8.81 billion. PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.93 per share on revenue of $12.4 billion. American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.72 per share on revenue of $10.42 billion. Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $5.01 billion. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.8 per share on revenue of $34.52 billion. Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.66 per share on revenue of $5.38 billion. D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.85 per share on revenue of $3.76 billion. The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.4 per share on revenue of $1.94 billion. Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.56 per share on revenue of $2.94 billion. Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.92 per share on revenue of $4.63 billion. Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $3.54 per share on revenue of $3.72 billion. Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) is projected to report quarter
• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has worked hard to differentiate itself from other oil companies by focusing on creating value for investors as opposed to growing at all costs. That plan continued paying dividends during the first quarter, as the company blew past expectations. That strong showing sets the U.S. oil giant up for an exceptional year.

1,829 Shares in Ecolab Inc. (ECL) Acquired by Argus Investors Counsel Inc.

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wagner Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $112,000. Signaturefd LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter worth approximately $131,000. Ashburton Jersey Ltd raised its position in Ecolab by 302.9% in the fourth quarter. Ashburton Jersey Ltd now owns 1,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Retirement Income Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter worth approximately $216,000. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its position in Ecolab by 540.7% in the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,460 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.95% of the company’s stock.

Get Ecolab alerts:

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Nomura increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $136.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 28th. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $137.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Ecolab from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank increased their price target on shares of Ecolab to $140.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.44.

Shares of ECL stock traded down $2.10 on Thursday, hitting $141.90. 1,148,900 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,276,900. The company has a market capitalization of $41.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.74 and a 52 week high of $150.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.62% and a return on equity of 19.01%. The company’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 19th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 18th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 34.97%.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and energy technologies and services for customers worldwide. The company operates through Global Industrial, Global Institutional, and Global Energy segments. The Global Industrial segment provides water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions primarily to large industrial customers within the manufacturing, food and beverage processing, chemical, mining and primary metals, power generation, pulp and paper, and commercial laundry industries.

Featured Article: Short Selling Stocks, A Beginner��s Guide

Top 10 Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:WRB,AON,TOP,PRU,AIG,PFG,

5 More ��One Liners�� for Asking Friends to Do Business With You

Brighthouse Leaps Into the Annuity Future

20 Top Places for Babies Who May Fertilize Sales

The Census Bureau has just released a new batch of 2016 survey results on a topic drives many life insurance, long-term care insurance and retirement planning sales: births.

(Related: Census Table Shows 37-Year-Olds Are Great Prospects)

The agency posted a big file of birth data along with files on other topics, such as income, health insurance ownership and disability status.

The birth numbers file might be one of the most useful ones for marketers, because having a baby creates an obvious need for personal protection insurance products.

One problem: The file classifies people in households that earn just 200% of the federal poverty level, or $32,480 for a family of two in most of the country, as high-income.

For financial professionals, looking at the columns showing birth numbers broken out by the mom's education level may be a better way to identify communities with a large number of new parents who can afford more insurance.

Top 10 Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: W.R. Berkley Corporation(WRB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on W. R. Berkley (WRB)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  W. R. Berkley (NYSE: WRB) and State Auto Financial (NASDAQ:STFC) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations and risk.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ValuEngine cut shares of W. R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday morning.

  WRB has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America cut shares of W. R. Berkley from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and set a $74.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, June 14th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of W. R. Berkley from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Boenning Scattergood restated a hold rating on shares of W. R. Berkley in a report on Wednesday, April 25th. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of W. R. Berkley in a report on Monday. They set a sell rating and a $74.00 target price on the stock. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. W. R. Berkley currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $70.78.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on W. R. Berkley (WRB)

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

Top 10 Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: Aon Corporation(AON)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

Top 10 Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: Topdanmark A/S (TOP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  TopCoin (CURRENCY:TOP) traded down 15.4% against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 7:00 AM E.T. on June 21st. During the last seven days, TopCoin has traded up 4% against the dollar. TopCoin has a market cap of $0.00 and approximately $123.00 worth of TopCoin was traded on exchanges in the last day. One TopCoin coin can currently be bought for about $0.0010 or 0.00000015 BTC on popular exchanges.

Top 10 Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: Prudential Financial Inc.(PRU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Flippin Bruce & Porter Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Flippin Bruce & Porter Inc.’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $6,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  American Equity Investment Life (NYSE: AEL) and Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends and valuation.

• [By Jason Hall, Chuck Saletta, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  But that doesn't mean you need to make risky bets to capture solid returns, either, and buying solid companies at reasonable prices can help create a margin of safety and improve your returns, while also decreasing your risk of permanent losses. Three stocks that meet these criteria are small healthcare real-estate specialist�Caretrust REIT Inc�(NASDAQ:CTRE), financial services giant�Prudential Financial Inc�(NYSE:PRU), and energy behemoth�ExxonMobil Corporation�(NYSE:XOM).�

Top 10 Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: American International Group Inc.(AIG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Gifford Fong Associates acquired a new position in shares of American International Group (NYSE:AIG) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 44,100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,400,000.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Suntrust Banks Inc. boosted its position in shares of American International Group Inc (NYSE:AIG) by 12.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,736 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,048 shares during the period. Suntrust Banks Inc.’s holdings in American International Group were worth $1,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By ]

  Insurance company American International Group Inc. (AIG) stock fell 5.3% as harsh winter weather weighed on profits. But the company's long-term care exposure is relatively minimal.

Top 10 Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: Principal Financial Group Inc(PFG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shore Capital reissued their hold rating on shares of Provident Financial (LON:PFG) in a report issued on Thursday.

  PFG has been the subject of several other reports. Liberum Capital reissued a sell rating and set a GBX 483 ($6.48) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Peel Hunt reissued a hold rating and set a GBX 870 ($11.67) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Provident Financial from GBX 1,100 ($14.76) to GBX 750 ($10.06) and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 10th. Barclays reissued an underweight rating and set a GBX 584 ($7.84) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Societe Generale lowered Provident Financial to a hold rating and set a GBX 1,050 ($14.09) price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Provident Financial presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of GBX 1,190.14 ($15.97).

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  KBC Group NV lowered its position in shares of Principal Financial Group Inc (NYSE:PFG) by 41.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 201,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 142,313 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $12,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

  Get Principal Financial Group alerts: Principal Financial Group (PFG) Approves New $300M Buyback (streetinsider.com) Principal Financial Group (PFG) Announces Share Repurchase Plan (americanbankingnews.com) Is Principal Large Cap Growth I Institutional (PLGIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? (finance.yahoo.com) Principal Financial Group is Oversold (nasdaq.com) Principal Names New Chief Human Resources Officer (finance.yahoo.com)

  Several equities analysts have recently commented on PFG shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. Wells Fargo reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Credit Suisse Group started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, March 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Friday, March 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $69.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Principal Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $71.18.

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of Stilwell Value LLC's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Stilwell+Value+LLC

  These are the top 5 holdings of Stilwell Value LLCOFG Bancorp (OFG) - 1,614,868 shares, 14.1% of the total portfolio. Kingsway Financial Services Inc (KFS) - 3,780,889 shares, 12.63% of the total portfolio. HopFed Bancorp Inc (HFBC) - 627,128 shares, 7.62% of the total portfolio. Alcentra Capital Corp (ABDC) - 1,251,324 shares, 7.27% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 20.66%Sound Financial Bancorp Inc (SFBC) - 228,600 shares, 7.02% of th
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Principal Financial Group (PFG)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  ING Groep NV boosted its stake in Principal Financial Group Inc (NYSE:PFG) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 27,524 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,991 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $1,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

3 Situations When It's OK to Say No to Your Boss

Whether you have a great boss or an overly demanding one, you'll most likely land in a scenario where you're asked to do something you don't want to do. Maybe your manager will ask you to tackle a lowly administrative task you feel is beneath you. Or maybe you'll be summoned to a meeting you have no desire to attend.

Saying no to your boss is hardly easy, and often, it actually isn't warranted. After all, just because you loathe doing paperwork doesn't give you the right to avoid it. And while you might consider meetings a drag, that doesn't let you off the hook, attendance-wise. But there are some situations where saying no is perfectly reasonable. Here are just a few.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

1. You're asked to work late -- again

We all work late from time to time, and many of us work late more often than not. If the latter is a common practice at your company, you'll probably have a hard time saying no most of the time. But that doesn't mean you can't ever push back.

At some point, your manager has to realize that you're a person with responsibilities, obligations, and interests outside of the office. And if you're never given a chance to be a person, you're going to burn out very quickly. So if your boss requests that you stay late for what will end up being the fourth or fifth night in a row, politely but firmly explain that you have personal items to tend to that you can no longer put off, and since you've spent the better part of the week working late, you need a night to yourself. Any reasonable manager will understand where you're coming from. And if yours doesn't, it may be a sign that it's time to find a new job.

2. You're asked to take on a new project -- but already have an overloaded plate

It's a good thing to be busy at work, because it means that your company clearly needs you around. But there comes a point when you can only handle so much of a load, so if your manager asks you to tackle a new project and you're already clocking in 50 hours a week or more, you shouldn't hesitate to respectfully decline.

If you explain to your boss that your overall performance will suffer if you're forced to spread yourself too thin, with any luck, he or she will understand. And if not, try masking a no with an alternate proposal along the lines of "Which of my current tasks would you like me to unload to take on this new one?"

3. You're asked to work during vacation

There's a difference between checking your email every so often while away and spending hours at your laptop during what's supposed to be a vacation week. If your boss requests that you do the latter, you have every right to refuse -- politely, of course. Chances are, you've paid quite the premium to get away, and as long as you made a point to tackle your pressing projects and train a backup before heading out of the office, you have every right to enjoy that trip to the fullest, without interruptions.

If your boss isn't the respectful type and insists that you jump in on a given task, you can always play the spotty internet card. Just make sure to stay off social media so your manager doesn't find out and call your bluff.

It's natural to want to please your boss, but the last thing you want to do is risk your personal life and sanity in an effort to boost your reputation. So if you happen to land in any of the above scenarios, don't be shy about speaking up for yourself. You may come to find that it actually helps your career in the long run.

MaxLinear, Inc. (MXL) Expected to Post Quarterly Sales of $104.70 Million

Equities research analysts expect MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL) to announce sales of $104.70 million for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Three analysts have made estimates for MaxLinear’s earnings. The lowest sales estimate is $104.10 million and the highest is $105.00 million. MaxLinear posted sales of $104.18 million during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year over year growth rate of 0.5%. The business is scheduled to report its next earnings report on Tuesday, August 14th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that MaxLinear will report full year sales of $444.43 million for the current financial year, with estimates ranging from $428.90 million to $480.20 million. For the next fiscal year, analysts forecast that the firm will report sales of $504.03 million per share, with estimates ranging from $476.50 million to $559.92 million. Zacks’ sales averages are an average based on a survey of research firms that cover MaxLinear.

Get MaxLinear alerts:

MaxLinear (NYSE:MXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 8th. The semiconductor company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.01. MaxLinear had a negative net margin of 3.57% and a positive return on equity of 19.99%. The firm had revenue of $110.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.91 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 24.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank lowered shares of MaxLinear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of MaxLinear from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 9th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of MaxLinear from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 18th. Roth Capital reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $20.00 target price (down previously from $27.00) on shares of MaxLinear in a research report on Monday, June 11th. Finally, William Blair assumed coverage on shares of MaxLinear in a research report on Monday, June 4th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.60.

In other news, insider Connie H. Kwong sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.30, for a total value of $28,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,253.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 11.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of MaxLinear by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 467,041 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $10,625,000 after buying an additional 11,080 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of MaxLinear during the 1st quarter valued at about $394,000. Harvest Capital Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of MaxLinear during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,138,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of MaxLinear by 78.7% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 83,297 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after buying an additional 36,685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avalon Global Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of MaxLinear by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Avalon Global Asset Management LLC now owns 171,500 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,902,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. 91.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MaxLinear traded down $0.01, reaching $17.00, during trading on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The stock had a trading volume of 555,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 694,013. MaxLinear has a 1-year low of $15.39 and a 1-year high of $28.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.57.

About MaxLinear

MaxLinear, Inc provides radio-frequency (RF), high-performance analog, and mixed-signal communications systems-on-chip solutions (SoCs) for the connected home, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multi-market applications worldwide. The company offers range of semiconductor products, such as RF receivers and RF receiver SoCs, wireless infrastructure backhaul RF receivers and modem SoCs, laser modulator drivers, transimpedance amplifiers, clock and data recovery circuits, interface solutions, power management products, and data encryption and compression products.

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

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Brokerages Set Veeco Instruments Inc. (VECO) PT at $24.20

Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ:VECO) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.20.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. ValuEngine cut Veeco Instruments from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, May 18th. TheStreet raised Veeco Instruments from a “d+” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Monday, March 12th. Northland Securities assumed coverage on Veeco Instruments in a research report on Thursday, April 19th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised Veeco Instruments from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Saturday, May 12th.

Get Veeco Instruments alerts:

Shares of Veeco Instruments traded up $0.55, reaching $15.40, during trading hours on Friday, according to MarketBeat.com. The stock had a trading volume of 264,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 550,764. The stock has a market cap of $710.90 million, a PE ratio of -770.00 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 2.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Veeco Instruments has a fifty-two week low of $10.85 and a fifty-two week high of $33.40.

Veeco Instruments (NASDAQ:VECO) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 7th. The semiconductor company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $158.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $151.62 million. Veeco Instruments had a positive return on equity of 0.51% and a negative net margin of 11.24%. The business’s revenue was up 67.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.09 EPS. sell-side analysts anticipate that Veeco Instruments will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. OppenheimerFunds Inc. lifted its position in Veeco Instruments by 98.8% during the 1st quarter. OppenheimerFunds Inc. now owns 4,015,028 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $68,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,995,804 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Veeco Instruments by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,147,480 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $53,507,000 after buying an additional 185,322 shares in the last quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Veeco Instruments by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 2,657,274 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $45,174,000 after buying an additional 42,899 shares in the last quarter. River & Mercantile Asset Management LLP raised its stake in shares of Veeco Instruments by 163.8% during the 1st quarter. River & Mercantile Asset Management LLP now owns 1,434,788 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $24,356,000 after buying an additional 890,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Veeco Instruments by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 1,254,340 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $21,321,000 after buying an additional 16,293 shares in the last quarter. 99.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Veeco Instruments Company Profile

Veeco Instruments Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, sells, and supports semiconductor process equipment worldwide. It offers metal organic chemical vapor deposition systems; packaging lithography equipment; precision surface processing systems; laser annealing systems; ion beam etch and deposition systems; molecular beam epitaxy systems; 3D wafer inspection systems; and atomic layer deposition and other deposition systems.

Struggling to Save Money? 3 Tips to Help

If saving money were easy, perhaps more of us would do it. But there's a reason 23% of Americans have no emergency savings whatsoever. When the bills keep piling up and our earnings don't increase, finding even a small amount of cash to stick in the bank each month can seem next to impossible.

If you're having a hard time saving money, you should know that you're in good company. But you should also follow these tips to make socking cash away just a bit more feasible.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

1. Automate your savings

Maybe you kick off each month with the best of intentions: You'll keep your spending to a minimum and stick your leftover cash in the bank after all of your bills are paid. But we all know how that one goes. Things creep up, temptation strikes, and before you know it, you've spent your entire paycheck.

Rather than getting stuck in that trap, arrange for a portion of your earnings to go directly into a savings account so that it's not actually available for you to spend. You can do this a couple of ways. If your emergency fund needs reinforcement, set up an automatic transfer with your bank and have a small amount of your paycheck filter directly into your savings account. If you're OK on emergency savings but need to focus on your nest egg, sign up for your employer's 401(k) so that part of each paycheck gets allocated directly to retirement. The benefit of automatic savings is that it tricks you into thinking the money you're putting away isn't there in the first place, which means that after a while, you won't even miss it.

2. Reward yourself along the way

The problem with saving money is that it just doesn't provide the instant gratification you get from life's many luxuries. That's why it pays to establish some sort of rewards system wherein you grant yourself an indulgence for meeting savings goals.

Imagine you're looking to save $5,000 over the course of a given year. You might decide that for every $100 you put in your bank account, $10 goes into your vacation fund. Achieve that goal and you'll have $500 for your getaway of choice. Similarly, you might decide that for every $150 you save, you get to treat yourself to takeout from your favorite restaurant. The choice is yours, but the key is to create an incentive for yourself to keep saving.

3. Get a side job

Sometimes, despite our best efforts to stretch our earnings, our paychecks can only go so far. And that's where a side hustle comes in. Whether you earn $20, $50, or $200 per week, getting a second gig is a good way to help your savings efforts, especially since the extra cash you bring in is money that isn't already earmarked for other bills.

Another benefit of working a side hustle is that it might spare you the agony of having to cut other expenses to make room for savings. Say you're hoping to set aside $200 a month, but the only expense category with wiggle room in your budget is leisure and entertainment. In the absence of extra cash, you may need to deprive yourself of concerts with friends and happy hours with your colleagues. But if you get a side gig that allows you to earn that $200 per month, you can meet your savings goal without having to cut back on the things that allow you to enjoy life.

Saving money takes dedication, effort, and self-control. The payoff? A degree of financial security that many of your peers are still struggling to achieve. And that's reason enough to push yourself to save money, even if it does mean making some sacrifices along the way.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:UTMD,CS,GD,CXO,ITRI,

Source: ThinkstockMarch 26 2018: The S&P 500 closed up 2.7% at 2,658.59. The DJIA closed up 2.9% at 24,203.50. Separately, the Nasdaq was up 3.3% at 7,220.54.

Monday was an incredible day for the broad U.S. markets, with the Dow posting one of its top 3 performances, in terms of points, in the history of the average. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq had exceptional days as well, with the Nasdaq closing up over 3%. The S&P 500 sectors were all positive. The most positive sectors were technology, financials, and consumer discretionary up 3.9%, 3.4%, and 3.0%. The ��worst�� performing sector was utilities up only 1.1%.

Crude oil was down 0.6% at $65.51.

Gold was up 0.3% at $1,353.40.

The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Monday was AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) which traded down about 2% at $95.21. The stock��s 52-week range is $63.12 to $125.86. Volume was nearly 14 million compared to the daily average volume of 6.8 million.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Utah Medical Products, Inc.(UTMD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Utah Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UTMD) CEO Kevin L. Cornwell sold 8,080 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.07, for a total value of $865,125.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Utah Medical Products (NASDAQ:UTMD) was upgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Utah Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UTMD) Director Ernst G. Hoyer sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $168,517.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Credit Suisse Group(CS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  AXA (EPA:CS) has been given a €27.50 ($32.74) target price by research analysts at Kepler Capital Markets in a report released on Thursday. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Kepler Capital Markets’ price target indicates a potential upside of 20.61% from the company’s current price.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of AXA (EPA:CS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is €27.18 ($32.35).

• [By Logan Wallace]

  News stories about Credit Suisse Group (NYSE:CS) have been trending positive on Monday, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group identifies negative and positive media coverage by monitoring more than 20 million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Credit Suisse Group earned a daily sentiment score of 0.45 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news stories about the financial services provider an impact score of 45.3414119516367 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the immediate future.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Credits (CS) is a distributed proof-of-stake (dPOS) token that uses the DPoS hashing algorithm. It was first traded on February 28th, 2015. Credits’ total supply is 249,471,071 tokens and its circulating supply is 137,958,656 tokens. Credits’ official message board is medium.com/@credits. The official website for Credits is credits.com/en. Credits’ official Twitter account is @creditscom and its Facebook page is accessible here. The Reddit community for Credits is /r/CreditsOfficial and the currency’s Github account can be viewed here.

• [By Max Byerly]

  HSBC set a €27.00 ($32.14) price objective on AXA (EPA:CS) in a research report released on Wednesday. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Credit Suisse Group (NYSE: CS) and Nomura (NYSE:NMR) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends and risk.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: S&P GSCI(GD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lou Whiteman]

  Two of the biggest laggards have been General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) and Huntington Ingalls (NYSE:HII), each down by more than 10% in the past three months. The similarities go well beyond stock performance. The companies have two of the more interesting outlooks for growth among defense players, but each seemed to catch investors off guard over how long it will take that increased business to materialize.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Shipbuilding and services specialist�Huntington Ingalls (NYSE:HII) was spun off from Northup Grumman in early 2011. General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) is roughly six times larger and offers a far more diversified list of products and services that includes submarines, aircraft, and armored vehicles, among other things. Both, however, provide key products and services to the U.S. military. That's normally a fairly consistent business driven by large and often very long contracts. With a supportive administration in the White House, it would seem like now is a good time to take a look at this pair of stocks. But which of these two military-industrial companies is a better buy? Using a Benjamin Graham�lens, the answer may not be what you want to hear.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on General Dynamics (GD)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Riverhead Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) by 223.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,328 shares during the period. Riverhead Capital Management LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on General Dynamics (GD)

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

• [By ]

  Finally, General Dynamics Corp. (GD) , along with Lockheed and BAE Systems, could possibly profit from heightened demand ships and other vehicles. 

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Concho Resources Inc.(CXO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Crude prices in the U.S. continued their ascent today, rising nearly 3% to about $72.50 a barrel -- the highest level since late 2014 -- after the U.S. government reported a massive drawdown of oil storage levels. This news sent most oil stocks soaring, including Sanchez Energy (NYSE:SN) -- up 12% at one point -- and Concho Resources (NYSE:CXO), which rallied nearly 6% by the mid-afternoon and was one of the biggest gainers in the S&P 500. However, that rally in the oil market didn't drive up the entire sector as CNX Midstream (NYSE:CNXM) and Mammoth Energy Services (NASDAQ:TUSK) both tumbled double-digits on the day.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Tredje AP fonden grew its stake in Concho Resources (NYSE:CXO) by 4.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,417 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Concho Resources were worth $2,017,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By ]

  The hot list:

  Align Technology (ALGN) (+22% revenue growth estimate) Amazon (AMZN) (+22%) Autodesk (ADSK) (+27%) Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) (+34%) Concho Resources (CXO) (+30%) Facebook (FB) (+27%) Netflix (NFLX) (+25%) Pentair (PNR) (+22%) Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) (+22)

  "Firms with high revenue growth should outperform the S&P 500 during the next 12 months as the index climbs by 6% to our target of 2875," says Kostin. 

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips' global portfolio is proving to be a big competitive advantage because 70% of its oil production sells at Brent pricing, which is the global oil benchmark. Currently, Brent fetches more than $75 per barrel, while WTI, the U.S. benchmark, sells for $10 less a barrel. In the meantime, due to the lack of adequate pipeline takeaway capacity in the Permian, oil in that region currently sells for less than $60 a barrel, thereby pinching producer profits. That lower oil price�is much less of a concern for ConocoPhillips, according to Bernstein, since it only gets 4% to 5% of its production from the Permian whereas pure-play Permian producers like Concho Resources (NYSE:CXO) only produce from that region. That's why Bernstein downgraded Concho's stock from outperform to market perform while slashing its price target from $180 a share all the way down to $130.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Several well-respected oil CEOs have made it clear that they have no appetite for making a big acquisition, even though oil prices have improved dramatically. However, not all companies are against mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Concho Resources (NYSE:CXO) made waves earlier this year when it acquired RSP Permian (NYSE:RSPP) in a $9.5 billion deal. Concho CEO Tim Leach even saw his company's transaction as a "roadmap for in-basin consolidation" in the Permian. While it has yet to set off an M&A boom, that doesn't mean transaction activity won't heat up.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Itron Inc.(ITRI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) major shareholder Scopia Capital Management Lp purchased 114,129 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $59.34 per share, for a total transaction of $6,772,414.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) and Data I/O (NASDAQ:DAIO) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and profitability.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Eight Seconds… $1,260 Richer: Words can't describe what you'll see in this shocking footage – because you'll witness, live on camera, one man become $4,238 richer with just three clicks of a mouse. And if you follow the simple instructions in this video, you'll learn how to set yourself up for an instant $2,918 payday opportunity. You need to see this to believe it…

  Three Stocks to Watch Today: COP, HD, HSBC ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) has seized assets from the Venezuelan-owned firm PDVSA in the Caribbean. The company won a court case that will allow it to take over assets owned by the Venezuelan government. The court enabled the seizures as part of a broader plan to allow the firm to recoup roughly $2 billion following the 2007 nationalization of its assets in Venezuela by the huge Castro-led government. Monday will be a quiet day on the earnings front. Investors are looking to Tuesday's calendar, when The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) reports earnings. Tomorrow, Wall Street analysts expect that Home Depot will report earnings per share of $2.07 on top of $25.2 billion in revenue. Investors will be hoping that the company reports strong profits thanks to an improving U.S. economy and the recent tax reform law. Expect a lot of chatter today about blockchain technology. That's because ING Bank and HSBC Holdings Plc.�(NYSE: HSBC) announced over the weekend that they engaged in their first trade ever using blockchain technology. The two engaged in a trade on behalf of Cargill to finance a shipment of soybeans from Argentina to Malaysia. Today, look for earnings reports from Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A), Itron Inc.�(Nasdaq: ITRI), Vipshop Holdings Ltd.�(Nasdaq: VIPS), Amyris Biotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), Sky Solar Holdings Ltd.�(Nasdaq: SKYS), Mazor Robotics Ltd.�(Nasdaq: MZOR), China Lodging Group Ltd. (Nasdaq: HTHT), and Mimecast Ltd.�(Nasdaq: MIME).

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) – Analysts at Oppenheimer cut their Q2 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of Itron in a research note issued on Tuesday, May 15th. Oppenheimer analyst N. Kaye now anticipates that the scientific and technical instruments company will earn $0.55 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.86. Oppenheimer currently has a “Buy” rating and a $78.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer also issued estimates for Itron’s Q4 2018 earnings at $1.46 EPS.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:ECA,MRO,HAL,RIG,WPZ,MMP,RRC,WLL,COP,APA,

Northern Oil & Gas, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:NOG) – Seaport Global Securities lowered their Q3 2019 earnings per share estimates for shares of Northern Oil & Gas in a research report issued on Thursday, June 28th. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Kelly now forecasts that the energy company will earn $0.12 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.13. Seaport Global Securities currently has a “Buy” rating and a $4.00 target price on the stock. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Northern Oil & Gas’ FY2019 earnings at $0.51 EPS.

Get Northern Oil & Gas alerts:

Northern Oil & Gas (NYSEAMERICAN:NOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 7th. The energy company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $66.61 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.25 million.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Encana (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) had its target price raised by Morgan Stanley from $16.00 to $20.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning. Morgan Stanley currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Today, however, many drillers are setting a high bar for new wells. EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG) has been one of the leaders in disrupting the former way of thinking by establishing a high return hurdle rate for new wells of 30% after-tax at $40 oil. Others followed with similar return-focused approaches, including Encana (NYSE:ECA), which needs locations to achieve a 35% after-tax return at $50 oil to meet its premium hurdle rate.�

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) is another oil company built to thrive at lower oil prices. At $50 oil, Marathon can generate enough cash to grow production at a 10% to 14% annual pace for the next several years while living within cash flow. At $60 oil, Marathon's plan would generate about $500 million in free cash flow. With oil above that level even after the recent OPEC chatter, Marathon is on pace to produce a windfall of excess cash this year.�

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $22.09, but opened at $21.63. Marathon Oil shares last traded at $21.47, with a volume of 12430818 shares traded.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Melrose Industries (LON:MRO) had its price target upped by Numis Securities from GBX 250 ($3.39) to GBX 280 ($3.80) in a research report report published on Monday morning. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

• [By ]

  Energy sector earnings season starts rolling later this week, and as always, the party will kick off with the so-called big three oilfield services providers: Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB) , General Electric Co.'s (GE) Baker Hughes (BHGE) , and Halliburton Co. (HAL) . 

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  SemGroup (NYSE: SEMG) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and risk.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

• [By Jason Hall]

  On June 27, shares of Seadrill Ltd�(NYSE:SDRL),�Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc (NYSE:DO), and�Ensco PLC�(NYSE:ESV) traded up more than 10% at various points. And while they've cooled off a bit -- up 9.9%, 10.3%, and 8.9%, respectively, at recent prices -- they continue to march toward today's close with big gains. And while not quite as much as the three aforementioned companies, shares of�Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG)�and Noble Corporation PLC�(NYSE:NE) are showing big days as well, up 6.4% and 7.2% in late-afternoon trading.�

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Quantitative Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 13,609 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $135,000.

• [By John Bromels]

  Unless it's not. Which it may not be. There's a big cloud of uncertainty hanging over the company, in part thanks to its status as a very small fish in a very big deepwater ocean that's full of huge, hungry competitors like�Transocean�(NYSE:RIG) and�Ensco�(NYSE:ESV). Questions also abound about its parent company,�Seadrill�(NYSE:SDRL).

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Williams Partners L.P.(WPZ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Natural gas pipeline giant Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) announced today that it agreed to acquire the rest of its master limited partnership (MLP) Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) that it didn't already own in a $10.5 billion deal. Not to be outdone, Canadian energy infrastructure giant Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) made an offer to acquire its namesake MLP Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE:EEP), along with the rest of its publicly traded entities, including Spectra Energy Partners (NYSE:SEP). These transactions have big implications not only for investors in these entities but for those who own other pipeline companies, too.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) from Buy to Hold..

  Williams Partners shares fell 0.63 percent to close at $41.23 on Friday.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Williams Partners (NYSE: WPZ) and Targa Resources (NYSE:TRGP) are both large-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and valuation.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Williams Pipeline Partners (WPZ)

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Williams Companies is in the midst of a major transition. It recently agreed to acquire the rest of its MLP, Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ), in a $10.4 billion deal. The pipeline giant is making this acquisition so that it can more easily finance the expansion projects Williams Partners has under development. The transaction would allow it to free up some cash flow and improve its credit metrics, giving it more financial flexibility.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Magellan Midstream Partners L.P.(MMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Danny Vena, Timothy Green, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  With that in mind, we asked three Motley Fool investors to choose companies they believed would help baby boomers reach their goals. They offered convincing arguments for Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE:MMP), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE:MMP) by 35.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,614 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,235 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Magellan Midstream Partners were worth $1,378,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE: MMP) and Noble Midstream Partners (NYSE:NBLX) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and earnings.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Oil and gas investors have been through the wringer over the past few years. Even the most stable investments in this industry -- pipelines, processing, and logistics -- haven't been spared. Case in point: Shares of Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) have declined 18% over the past three years despite the company posting consistent revenue and cash flow growth. To top it off, there has been a slew of regulatory and tax changes in recent months that will have a significant impact on this particular industry.

• [By ]

  Cramer and the AAP team are looking for opportunities to trim stocks into strength based out of discipline. That means trimming Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) . Find out what they're telling their investment club members and get in on the conversation with a free trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Global Securities raised their Q4 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Range Resources in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 23rd. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Kelly now anticipates that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings per share of $0.12 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.11. Seaport Global Securities has a “Neutral” rating on the stock. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Range Resources’ Q1 2019 earnings at $0.36 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.26 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $0.98 EPS.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) fell about 4.4% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $14.43 after closing at $15.09 on Monday. The 52-week high is $34.93. Volume of about 15 million was nearly double the daily average of around 7.7 million shares traded. The company had no specific news.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Whiting Petroleum Corporation(WLL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Whiting Petroleum (WLL)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 108,476 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,671,000. Foundry Partners LLC owned about 0.12% of Whiting Petroleum at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) – Seaport Global Securities increased their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Whiting Petroleum in a report issued on Wednesday, May 23rd. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Kelly now expects that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings of $0.98 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.55. Seaport Global Securities has a “Buy” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Whiting Petroleum’s Q2 2019 earnings at $0.87 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.89 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $3.58 EPS.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Whiting Petroleum (NYSE:WLL) bounded upward more than 55% for the quarter, fueled by rising crude prices and its strong first-quarter results. After struggling to scrape by on lower oil prices, Whiting's cash flow has surged this year, providing it enough money to fund its drilling program with more than $100 million to spare during the first quarter.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Whiting Petroleum Co. (NYSE:WLL) – Equities research analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies lifted their Q2 2018 earnings estimates for Whiting Petroleum in a research note issued on Sunday, May 20th. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst K. Harrison now forecasts that the oil and gas exploration company will earn $0.85 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.33. Piper Jaffray Companies currently has a “Hold” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies also issued estimates for Whiting Petroleum’s Q3 2018 earnings at $0.97 EPS, Q4 2018 earnings at $1.16 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $3.90 EPS, Q1 2019 earnings at $1.70 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $1.48 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $1.47 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $1.59 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $6.24 EPS.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is one of these leaders. The U.S. oil giant announced a multi-billion-dollar buyback in late 2016, which has helped catapult its stock 55% higher since then, vastly outperforming the nearly 23% gain from the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT:IEO), which holds more than 60 U.S.-focused oil and gas stocks. Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), meanwhile, has rallied almost 60% since unveiling a multi-billion-dollar buyback last fall, doubling the return of the iShares E&P ETF.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Investors in search of dividend income will quickly notice that ExxonMobil Corporation's (NYSE:XOM) 3.9% yield dwarfs the 1.8% dividend yield offered by ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP). That, however, isn't the biggest reason dividend investors should prefer Exxon stock. Here's what you need to know to understand why Exxon is a better dividend stock than ConocoPhillips.�

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  With the mixed signals coming out of OPEC, oil prices could be quite volatile until the organization makes it clear what it intends to do. That could have an effect on financially weaker oil companies that desperately need higher oil prices to provide them with extra cash to firm up their financial foundations. Stronger producers, on the other hand, should continue to do well no matter what OPEC decides since they built their businesses to thrive at much lower oil prices. Three that stand out are ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), and EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG).

• [By Chris Lange]

  The number of ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) shares short rose slightly to 21.33 million from the previous level of 21.01 million. Shares were trading at $64.79, within a 52-week range of $42.27 to $71.71.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Traders purchased shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) on weakness during trading on Friday. $447.22 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $180.32 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $266.90 million into the stock. Of all stocks tracked, ConocoPhillips had the 11th highest net in-flow for the day. ConocoPhillips traded down ($2.77) for the day and closed at $65.36

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch For 2019: Apache Corporation(APA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close was Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) which rose over 5% to $41.75. The stock��s 52-week range is $33.60 to $51.21. Volume was 4.8 million compared to the daily average volume of 4.4 million.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its stake in Apache Co. (NYSE:APA) by 17.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 84,391 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 17,824 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Apache were worth $3,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By VantagePoint]

  Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA) has been ripping since March 2nd, when it hit a two-year low of $33.60. Since then it's up 25 percent. 

  The three-month chart below shows that this trend is likely to continue. The blue line is generated via VantagePoint's intermarket analysis, and represents a prediction of what APA's moving average will be in three days. The black line is a simple 10-day moving average. Note the bullish crossover that occurred in early March. That was a signal that the stock was entering an uptrend.