Here are the winners and losers from the stock market's first quarter of 2019

The first quarter has been a banner period for Wall Street.

The S&P 500 is up more than 12 percent this quarter and is on pace to notch its best start to a year since 1998. The broad index is also set to post its biggest one-quarter gain since 2009.

Accompanying the S&P 500 in its ride high to start off 2019 are the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite and the Russell 2000, which tracks small-cap stocks. The 30-stock Dow is up over 10 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq has rallied more than 15 percent. The small-caps Russell is up nearly 14 percent.

Leading the way higher for U.S. stocks this quarter was the tech sector, which is up nearly 20 percent in the period. Tech giants Apple and Microsoft — two of the biggest publicly traded U.S. companies — rose more than 15 percent each for the quarter, but the sector's best performer is an unlikely stock: Xerox. Shares of the copy and fax machine maker are up more than 60 percent to start off the year. They are also among the best-performing stocks in the entire S&P 500.

Other top-performing sectors include real estate, energy and industrials. Real estate got a boost from lower interest rates, while higher oil prices boosted energy. Meanwhile, optimism around U.S.-China trade negotiations lifted industrials.

Not every sector performed as well, however. Health care and financials are the biggest laggards among S&P 500 sectors, rising around 5 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

At the individual stock level, cosmetics giant Coty and fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill are the best-performers, followed by Xerox, Hess and Xilinx. Kraft Heinz, Biogen and CenturyLink rang up the rear, as they all fell around 20 percent.

Global stocks also performed well this quarter, with Irish shares surging more than 26 percent, more than doubling the S&P 500's performance year to date. Stocks in Greece, Italy and Canada also rose more than 12 percent each. Japan's Nikkei index is up more than 5 percent along with Indian stocks, lagging their global counterparts.

Stocks weren't the only assets to do well in the first quarter, however.

Lean hog futures surged around 50 percent this quarter, while gasoline and U.S. crude oil futures are both up more than 25 percent. Coffee, wheat and cocoa futures fell sharply this quarter, sliding at least 6 percent.

—CNBC's Gina Francolla, Chris Hayes and John Schoen contributed to this report.

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Passive investing now controls nearly half the US stock market

Passive investing has now taken over nearly half the stock market as more investors shun stock-pickers and flock to index funds.

Market share for passively managed funds has risen to 45 percent, up a full point from June 2018, according to data this week from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. That continues a trend over the past decade in which investors have moved to indexing, particularly through exchange-traded funds.

At the beginning of the bull run, active had a nearly 3 to 1 advantage over passive in U.S. equity funds, according to Morningstar. That gap began to narrow significantly in 2012 and has come down sharply since.

ETFs generally charge much lower management fees than mutual funds, many of which employ managers to move in and out of stocks in an attempt to outperform the major indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500. ETFs mostly follow the indexes themselves and trade during the day like stocks.

Critics of the index funds say they are too susceptible to the changes in a few market-moving stocks, virtually guaranteeing that investors won't generate alpha, while also potentially posing liquidity risks in times of market stress.

Despite the naysayers, it's not just stocks where passive investing is making inroads.

Indexing has gained market share in fixed income broadly including both high-grade and high-yield funds, according to the BofAML data.

Passive funds now have 25.3 percent of the market in total bond funds, also up a full percentage point from June 2018. High-grade index funds now have a 29.9 percent share, compared to 29.7 percent, while high-yield has increased to 13 percent from 12.9 percent.

Equity funds, though, have shown the biggest gains during a period where the stock market has risen more than 320 percent from its financial crisis lows. Stock pickers have struggled to top basic index returns throughout the bull run. Some 43 percent outperformed in 2018, according to BofAML, in one of the best years since the rally began in 2009.

You Should Pay Attention To This Ignored Trend...

Many traders ignore seasonal patterns, simply because they're based on the calendar. 

But I'm here to tell you that seasonal trends are important, and there's a particular one that I want to highlight this week. 

To find a seasonal trend, an analyst calculates how prices performed on a certain day in the past. For example, we know that since 1950, March has been an "up" month for the S&P 500 64% of the time. Since there's normally about a 59% chance of an "up" month, that's a slight seasonal bias to the "up" side. 

However, that's not really a tradable seasonal pattern because it doesn't offer a very strong signal. An example of a strong signal would be one that tells us there is a 75% chance for a market gain in the next week, or if the probability of a gain in the next week is significantly below average. 

...which is exactly what the charts are showing us right now. 

For the next two weeks, seasonals are weak and that tells us to expect a pullback in the broad stock market. 

There are several ways to look at seasonals. Two of the more popular techniques are shown below in the chart of the S&P 500. 

The solid blue line on the chart shows the seasonal trend based on how the index has performed each day. This is based on the percentage change in the price of the index. At the bottom of the chart, each bar shows how often the index delivered a gain on any particular day. The size of the price moves is ignored. Red bars indicate the index moved higher less than 50% of the time on that particular day. 

According to both techniques, seasonals are bearish into the end of the month. 

Now, many traders will likely ignore these patterns because they believe there is no relationship between the stock market and the calendar. They're wrong. 

One example of the relationship is the fact that companies deliver earnings reports at about the same time of the year each quarter. That's one reason why we see a seasonal pattern in individual stocks. That pattern can be less pronounced in broad indexes, but the current pattern is easily explained. Many investors are preparing for taxes and could be taking money out of the stock market to pay their upcoming bills. 

Based on the chart above, there is a bearish seasonal bias for the next few weeks. But, while seasonal patterns can be useful, I don't believe they are enough to drive trading decisions. They could be considered as just one factor in the trading process. 

Other Bearish Factors I'm Watching
I believe momentum is confirming a short-term bearish outlook for the market. The next chart shows the S&P 500 with my Profit Amplifier Momentum (PAM) indicator at the bottom. The 200-day moving average (MA) is also shown. 

PAM did not confirm the price action and remains below the level seen at the February highs. This is a small divergence, but, coupled with seasonals, it is enough for me to continue being cautious. 

Looking beyond technical indicators, a cautious outlook is reinforced by fundamentals and economic data. 

By almost every standard fundamental measure, the stock market is overvalued. That's not a "sell" signal by any means, but it does suggest that the decline will be deeper than average when selling does begin. If there is a recession, the average decline in the S&P 500 is more than 35%. 

Economic data is concerning, the latest example being last week's report that the core trend in industrial output remains weak. Economists with Well Fargo noted: 

Industrial production rose a modest 0.1% in February. This followed a decline in January, which was entirely due to weakness in manufacturing. This core weakness remained in February, as manufacturing output fell 0.4%. 

The Fed is no doubt watching the two consecutive declines in manufacturing. At the very least, this release reaffirms their patient stance on further policy tightening. 

In a separate release this morning, we learned that the NY Fed's Empire Index fell to 3.7 in March, suggesting a near-term rebound in manufacturing activity remains limited. 

Many analysts like to attribute weaker-than-expected economic reports to unique factors, and the government shutdown is proving to be a convenient scapegoat. Bullish analysts claim that the data collection process was affected by the shutdown and numbers just aren't reliable right now. 

However, last week, Austan Goolsbee -- a professor of economics at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business (also a former adviser to President Barack Obama) published an article in The New York Times that gave me pause. 

Goolsbee noted: 

...recessions are hard to recognize at the start. Looking back, for example, we know that a recession officially began in April 2001, yet scarcely anyone understood that then. In June 2001, only 7 percent of economists in the monthly Blue Chip survey believed a recession was underway. In the months before that 2001 recession began, only 16 percent of economists expected that a recession would start within the next year. 

Action To Take
As I mentioned earlier, you shouldn't trade based on seasonal alone. But the weak economic data I'm seeing shouldn't be ignored either. 

Bottom line, we are at a perilous point in the stock market, and I believe we will see a decline that scares many investors before the end of the month. 

Investors would be wise to protect themselves in this market. My Profit Amplifier readers are doing just that, of course, but we're not holding back, either. Thanks to our proven strategy of using a conservative options technique to make outsized gains from bullish and bearish moves in stocks, we're placing carefully targeted trades on a weekly basis -- earning double-digit (and sometimes triple-digit) gains in the process. If you'd like to learn more, go here now.

Buy Ajanta Pharma; target of Rs 1080: Keynotes Financial Opiniery

Keynotes Financial Opiniery's research report on Ajanta Pharma

Established in 1973 and headquartered in Mumbai India, we are committed to 'Serve Health care needs worldwide.' Ajanta pharma is a speciality pharmaceutical formulation company engaged in the development manufacture and marketing of quality finished dosages. The company is focused on the branded generics market in India, Asia and Africa, generics market in USA besides Institutional segment in Africa. With revenue being generated from a wide range of products and more than 30 countries, the company's business is well diversified and de-risked. The company has six formulation manufacturing facilities (two are USFDA approved) and a state of the art Research & Development Centre spread over 1,00,000 sq.ft. Over 6500 employees are engaged worldwide to ensure efficient seamless business functioning. Ajanta Pharma is committed to providing access to quality education to underprivileged children to India.

Outlook

On the basis of Discount Cash Flow Valuation Method, we are recommending 'Buy' for the stock. Since the stock offers good opportunity, we initiate a 'BUY' signal on the stock with 12-month price target of Rs 1080/- share an upside of 20% from current levels.

For all recommendations report, click here

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

Read More First Published on Mar 19, 2019 03:46 pm

The Numbers Say Eli Lilly Stock Has Still More Upside For Investors

Shares of global pharma giant Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) have performed incredibly well over the past decade, rising more than 350% as the market gained 300%. But, the LLY stock rally has kicked into overdrive during the past year. Shares are up more than 60% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is pretty much flat over that same stretch.

This big rally against the backdrop of a flat market has some investors concerned. Are these gains sustainable? Or is LLY stock out over its skis here?

As we head into the close of the first quarter, the numbers support the bull thesis. Eli Lilly stock is a powered by healthy tailwinds from pharma product portfolio expansion and increased global healthcare spend. Rounding out this story are steady positive revenue growth, margin expansion and healthy profit growth. Assuming this persists — and it should — LLY stock has upside to prices above $135 in 2019.

Eli Lilly stock currently trades around $125, so the shares should reasonably head 8% higher into the end of the year. Coupled with a 2%+ yield, LLY stock should produce about 10% return from here over the next 12 months. That is fairly good return from of a low-risk, stable-growth company like Lilly. As such, the bull thesis here looks pretty good.

Stable Growth Story

In the big picture, Eli Lilly has a large and growing portfolio of drugs and treatments that span a wide range of illnesses and conditions. It has broad exposure to the global healthcare market. That market is largely characterized by competitive stability, enduring demand, and mild growth.

Zooming in, Eli Lilly has a heavy focus on the oncology and diabetes markets, including a distinguished leadership in the diabetes market with a robust pipeline of insulin-related products. These sub-sectors of the global healthcare are likewise characterized by competitive stability, enduring demand, and mild growth.

As such, so long as Eli Lilly management continues to execute on its product road-map and maintain the company’s competitive positioning in the global healthcare market, this company will benefit from stable and steady revenue and profit growth.

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This should happen. Management has successfully navigated the healthcare market over the past decade. During that time, they’ve not just maintained Eli Lilly’s competitive positioning. They’ve actually improved it. There’s no reason to believe that this won’t continue. Also, the company has a promising pipeline of forthcoming products. Gross margins are guided to head higher, while opex rates have room to fall.

Overall, the growth story underlying Eli Lilly stock is stable and solid. That stable and solid narrative should be enough to keep the shares on a winning track.

Numbers Confirm Further Upside Potential

Given reasonable long-term growth assumptions, it is reasonable to conclude that LLY stock is slightly undervalued at the current moment.

The math here is very simple: U.S. healthcare spend is expected to rise by 5.5% per year over the next several years, and global healthcare spend will likely rise at a similar, if not higher, rate. Allowing for competitive slippage but also accounting for management’s strong track record and the healthy product pipeline, that should flow into roughly 5% revenue growth per year for Eli Lilly. Meanwhile, margins should track higher as the company leverages acquisitions and the current pipeline — not internal R&D — to grow. Long term, operating margins have the potential to stabilize in the mid-30’s range.

Given those assumptions, I think Eli Lilly can do about $10 in EPS by 2025. Based on a historically average 20x forward multiple, that equates to a fiscal 2024 price target of $200. Discounted back by 8% per year (two points below my normal 10% discount rate to account for the yield), that results in a fiscal 2019 price target of over $135.

Bottom Line on LLY Stock

It increasingly appears that Eli Lilly is on a long term winning trajectory defined by stable mid-single-digit revenue growth and steady margin expansion. If so, LLY stock has the potential to hit $200 in the long run, implying healthy multi-year upside from current levels.

As of this writing, Luke Lango did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned

The Long Overdue Pullback In Roku Stock Is Here, But It Won’t Stay For Long

A week ago, I put out a piece on InvestorPlace which broadly said that after a 160%-plus rally in under three months, shares of streaming company Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) were due for a pullback. The thesis: ROKU stock is a long-term winner, but stocks don’t go up in straight lines forever, and Roku shares are nearing big technical resistance levels in the mid-$70’s after coming very far, very fast.

Fast forward a few days. We are getting that big pullback in Roku stock. Yesterday, shares dropped big on a pair of Wall Street downgrades which cited valuation and competition concerns. Naturally, following this big pullback, the question surrounding ROKU shares becomes: what now?

For starters, I wouldn’t pay much attention to the analyst downgrades. Competition concerns don’t hold water in the big picture. Valuation concerns are legitimate but they’ve been largely fixed by the recent 15% haircut investors gave to Roku stock.

Meanwhile, I would pay attention to two things: the big picture fundamentals and the technicals. Broadly speaking, the big picture fundamentals remain healthy, and support huge long-term upside in ROKU stock. Meanwhile, the technicals imply that the shares could bottom around $60. But, if they fall through the $60 floor, the next big level to watch for is $50.

As such, I think now is a good time to start adding exposure to Roku stock again. Dip in your toes here. See if the $60 level holds. If it does, stick with the rally. If not, trim, and wait for $50. Long term, this stock is only going higher.

Big Picture Fundamentals Remain Healthy

Both Loup Capital and Macquarie downgraded Roku stock on March 13, and that pair of downgrades sparked the big selloff. The tone of each analyst team was largely similar and went something like this: the stock has come very far, very fast, and is overvalued considering the plethora of competition risks on the horizon in the ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) space, including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).

Although those downgrades have some merit, they lack credibility in the big picture.

In that big picture, Roku is over-the-top (OTT) video access aggregation and curation. This has more and more value as the number of OTT video consumers and suppliers increases. Suppliers need Roku to reach an increasingly large and diverse consumer base; consumers need the platform to access an increasingly large and diverse supply of streaming services.

In this sense, while some analysts think that new streaming services from Apple and Disney (NYSE:DIS) are a negative for Roku stock, they aren’t. Sure, they create greater competition in the AVOD space. But, those services will also have to be streamed through Roku if Disney and Apple want to maximize reach. With a nearly 30 million — and rapidly growing — OTT video watcher base, Roku has unprecedented reach in this space. In fact, ahead of Apple’s big streaming service launch, Apple and Roku have “nearly finalized” a deal to extend Airplay capability to Roku devices.

Any dollars Roku loses in the AVOD space, it will win back in revenue sharing AVOD, TVOD (transaction video on demand), and SVOD (streaming video on demand) dollars. That is the inherent value of an aggregation and curator. Roku doesn’t need to win every market. They just need to win the reach battle, become an irreplaceable centralized access point, and monetize through revenue sharing.

That’s exactly what Roku is doing. As such, the big picture fundamentals underlying Roku stock remain favorable.

Pay Attention to the Technicals

Because the big picture fundamentals remain favorable, investors should pay attention to the technicals for clues as to when to buy the dip in Roku stock.

Long story short, $60 could be a good entry point. During the big early 2019 rally, Roku stock blew way ahead of its moving averages. Now, it’s retreating back to those levels, the closest of which is the 20-day moving average at $60. Roku stock appears to have held this technical level in the short term. If it can hold this level for the next several trading days, then it looks like the worst of this selloff is already over.

That may not happen. ROKU stock may continue to fall, evening dropping below the 20-day level. If so, the next line of defense comes in at $50, which is where both the 50- and 200-day moving averages currently sit.

The game-plan here is simple. Test the waters at $60. See if that level holds. If so, buy into the rally. If not, trim, and wait for support at $50.

Bottom Line on ROKU Stock

Roku stock is a long-term winner supported by the thesis that the company is turning into a dominant OTT video service aggregator and curator. So long as those fundamentals remain healthy, ROKU stock will be a buy-the-dip stock at critical technical levels. We are closing in on one such key technical level at $60. As such, now seems like a good time to cautiously and slowly buy the dip in these shares

As of this writing, Luke Lango was long ROKU. 

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Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now

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

The cloud hovering over the euro may turn out to have a silver lining.

Monetary policy looks set to return to being a catalyst for the shared currency after European Central Bank officials, including Peter Praet and Jens Weidmann, dropped the biggest hint yet that next week’s meeting could be a pivotal one. In the past week, money markets brought forward the pricing of the first 10-basis-point increase in the ECB’s deposit rate by one month to September 2019.

ECB officials are anticipating a fully fledged discussion that could conclude with a public announcement on when they intend to terminate the central bank’s quantitative-easing program. The central bank’s policy meeting ends on June 14.

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The euro’s fortunes have revived since it slumped to a 10-month low last week as political turmoil in Italy, the region’s third-biggest economy, roiled financial markets. Standard Chartered Plc forecasts the euro will rise about 9 percent by year-end, while Societe Generale SA sees German 10-year bund yields almost doubling to 0.85 percent.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Apache Corporation(APA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Bromels]

  Three companies that the market has walloped are Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA), Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), and General Motors (NYSE:GM). Here's why these stocks look like bargains, and why today might be a good time to scoop up some shares. 

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  In addition, the company continues to find needle-moving expansion projects, having recently unveiled the development of the Permian Highway Pipeline Project. Kinder Morgan is developing the $2 billion natural gas pipeline with private equity-backed EagleClaw Midstream and Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA). It's a follow-up to the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline (CGX), which is a $1.75 billion gas pipeline it's building with two other midstream companies and Apache. Kinder Morgan has already started work on GCX, which should be in service by October 2019, while PHP could follow a year later if the company gives it the green light. These projects will help offset some of the growth it will lose by selling Trans Mountain.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribing]

  Apache (NYSE:APA) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 28, 2019 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator 

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Back in 2011, Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) elected to spin off Marathon Petroleum. At the time, much of the reasoning for the split was that both entities would garner higher valuations than as an integrated company. Also, by separating them, both could best allocate capital to grow shareholder value. 

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  The second expansion track the company took was the acquisition of a 70% interest in the Athabasca Oil Sands Project from Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A)(NYSE:RDS-B) and Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO). The company paid CA$12.74 billion ($9.9 billion) in cash and stock for this world-class oil sands mining asset, which was less than the cost of building a similar project. The sale enabled Shell and Marathon to get some cash to pay down debt, while the transaction added two mines to Canadian Natural Resources' portfolio that have the capacity to produce 280,000 BPD. In addition, the company picked up a stake in a 100,000 BPD expansion project and acquired several other oil sands leases from Shell and Marathon, two of which were producing an average of 13,800 BPD.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Thursday was a volatile day on Wall Street, as major stock indexes lost a lot of ground early in the day but then rebounded to finished mixed. Gains for the Nasdaq Composite came even as Dow Jones Industrial Average fell modestly, and although investors spent much of the session trying to parse through the implications of the latest economic report on retail sales, earnings played a key role in moving many well-known stocks. Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO), AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), and Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) were among the top performers. Here's why they did so well.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Melrose Industries (LON:MRO) had its price target upped by Barclays to GBX 260 ($3.39) in a research report report published on Monday. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  That's why several oil companies have authorized share buyback programs to take advantage of the disconnect. Three of the latest entrants are Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO), Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY), and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A)(NYSE:RDS-B). Here's why they think their stocks are great buys. 

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Williams Partners L.P.(WPZ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Williams Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE:WPZ) – US Capital Advisors decreased their Q3 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Williams Pipeline Partners in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 14th. US Capital Advisors analyst B. Followill now forecasts that the pipeline company will post earnings per share of $0.39 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.41. US Capital Advisors also issued estimates for Williams Pipeline Partners’ Q4 2018 earnings at $0.45 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $1.87 EPS.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Natural gas pipeline giant Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) and its MLP Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) reported mixed second-quarter results after the close Wednesday. Earnings declined fractionally due to asset sales and some higher costs. Cash flow, on the other hand, moved slightly higher thanks in part to lower interest expenses as a result of  debt reduction. However, while both numbers underwhelmed in Q2, they should head much higher in the coming year because Williams has several expansion projects under way that should boost its bottom line.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Carver Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: CARV) shares jumped 92.1 percent to $7.01. iPic Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: IPIC) gained 21.6 percent to $9.73. Baozun Inc. (NASDAQ: BZUN) shares jumped 18.7 percent to $53.49 after reporting Q1 results. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) shares jumped 15.9 percent to $50.50. The company's "Smackdown Live" may not be renewed at NBCUniversal network and the company's "Monday Night Raw" program could be worth three times its current value elsewhere, according to a report for The Hollywood Reporter. Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPPI) gained 14.7 percent to $ 20.46 after the company issued further details on Phase 3 ADVANCE study of ROLONTIS. Motus GI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOTS) climbed 13.4 percent to $5.5009. Endocyte, Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) rose 13.3 percent to $ 14.23 after the company announced presentation of Phase 2 data from prostate cancer trial of 177Lu-PSMA-617 at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. Diana Containerships Inc. (NASDAQ: DCIX) gained 12.9 percent to $1.7499 after the company announced the sale of Post-Panamax Container Vessel for $21 million. Essendant Inc. (NASDAQ: ESND) gained 12.7 percent to $12.43. Essendant confirmed receipt of unsolicited proposal from Staples of $11.50 per share in cash. Blink Charging Co (NASDAQ: BLNK) rose 11.8 percent to $8.04 after surging 31.68 percent on Wednesday. OptimumBank Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPHC) gained 11.5 percent to $5.15. Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE: FTK) shares climbed 10.7 percent to $3.74. Farmer Bros. Co. (NASDAQ: FARM) rose 7.9 percent to $25.95 after climbing 7.90 percent on Wednesday. Minerva Neurosciences Inc (NASDAQ: NERV) rose 6.5 percent to $6.93 after Journal of Clinical Psychiatry published positive results of cognitive performance from Phase 2B trial of roluperidone in schizophrenia patients. Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) rose 5.6 percent to $40
• [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 Matthew DiLallo]

  Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) was off to a great start in 2018 thanks to the growth of its majority-owned master limited partnership, Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ). There's plenty more where that came from, which was clear from the comments of CEO Alan Armstrong on the accompanying quarterly conference call. While he didn't fill in every detail about what lies ahead, he made sure investors knew that the company's future looks bright.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The stock market was mixed on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing to record heights even as the Nasdaq Composite gave back some of its recent gains. Investors largely continued to play a waiting game, as little in the way of new economic data or readings on the geopolitical environment impeded generally bullish sentiment. Whenever stocks reach lofty heights, pauses are inevitable, but some were nevertheless able to climb higher. Transocean (NYSE:RIG), Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX), and Steelcase (NYSE:SCS) were among the best performers on the day. Here's why they did so well.

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

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $13.41, but opened at $13.13. Transocean shares last traded at $12.81, with a volume of 16922465 shares trading hands.

• [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).

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

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,527,006 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock after selling 44,063 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.76% of Transocean worth $47,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  The sheer size of Devon's buyback has the potential to move the stock meaningfully higher over the next year, given what similar repurchase programs have done for rivals in the recent past. In late 2016, ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) announced plans to repurchase $3 billion in shares that it would fund by selling assets. The company completed that authorization last year and added another $2 billion to the program for 2018.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 285.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 652,900 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 483,700 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned 0.06% of ConocoPhillips worth $38,710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  In 2012, ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) enacted a major corporate overhaul. It spun off its downstream assets (which is what refining and chemicals businesses are called in industry lingo) so it could focus on its upstream (or drilling) business. This shift meant oil and natural gas prices were the main factor driving the company's top and bottom lines. When oil prices plummeted in mid-2014, going from over $100 a barrel to the $30 range, it wasn't long before ConocoPhillips was forced to cut its dividend.

• [By Zacks]

  Moreover, BP opened 100 retail sites in the country in 2017 and plans to open 1,400 more by 2021. The largest publicly traded oil company, ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) opened its gas stations in Mexico in December, while one of the world's biggest independent oil producers – ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) – showed interest in Mexico, post-reform.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  While those issues led many oil companies to abandon Alaska over the years, ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) was one of a handful that remained committed to the state's oil potential. That commitment is starting to pay off as changes in the state's tax code alongside some technological advancements have given the company the incentive and the tools to explore for new oil resources. Those exploration efforts are starting to get results, so much so that now ConocoPhillips is making plans to increase its wager on Alaska's oil future.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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 Ethan Ryder]

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

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) reported first-quarter 2018 results before markets opened Monday. The oil and gas services company posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.41 on revenues of $5.74 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $0.04 on revenues of $4.28 billion. First-quarter results also compare to consensus estimates for EPS of $0.41 per share and $5.75 billion in revenues.

• [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.

• [By Taylor Muckerman]

  In this week's episode of Industry Focus: Energy, host Sarah Priestley and analyst Taylor Muckerman go through a grab bag of questions from listeners. They explain the issues surrounding Permian Basin production, why investors might want to check out midstream company Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD), a few important things to know about oil services companies Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) and Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB), and what might become of the beleaguered offshore industry.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Media headlines about Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) have been trending somewhat positive on Saturday, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group identifies positive and negative press coverage by monitoring more than twenty million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Range Resources earned a daily sentiment score of 0.07 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media headlines about the oil and gas exploration company an impact score of 46.3371462950661 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near future.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) fell about 3.6% Monday to post a new 52-week low of $14.77 after closing at $15.30 on Friday. The 52-week high is $35.64. Volume of about 9.4 million was about 20% higher than the daily average of around 7.7 million shares traded. The company had no specific news.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) rose more than 10% by 2:30 p.m. EST on Monday after the top-10 natural gas producer reported strong reserve numbers for 2018.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.11.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Whiting Petroleum Corporation(WLL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

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

  These are the top 5 holdings of DFT Energy LPWhiting Petroleum Corp (WLL) - 400,000 shares, 18.19% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 2.56%Hess Corp (HES) - 170,000 shares, 11.57% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 30.77%Noble Energy Inc (NBL) - 200,000 shares, 8.15% of the total portfolio. Southwestern Energy Co (SWN) - 1,360,000 shares, 7.92% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 4.62%Anadarko Petroleum Corp (APC)
• [By Max Byerly]

  TCW Group Inc. raised its stake in Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) by 21.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,733 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,618 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Whiting Petroleum were worth $871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Whiting Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: WLL) was reiterated as Overweight and the target price was raised to $56 from $45 (versus a $50.78 close) at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Magellan Midstream Partners L.P.(MMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

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

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Another wave of pipelines is already underway for 2020 and beyond. A joint venture between Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE:ETP), Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), and two other companies recently approved the construction of the Permian Gulf Coast pipeline. The 600-mile line should be operational by the middle of 2020 and transport crude to Energy Transfer's Nederland terminal as well as Magellan's East Houston terminal. Meanwhile, Plains All American Pipeline and oil giant ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) are teaming up on a joint venture to build a new oil pipeline in the Permian. The partners are planning a more-than-1 million-BPD pipeline that would ship oil produced by Exxon and others to the coast. The project is part of Exxon's long-range planning to ensure that nothing derails its ambitious strategy to grow its Permian output fivefold by 2025.

• [By ]

  Crude prices recovered sharply from the profit-taking that we saw ahead of yesterday's news events, and it is in the Saudis' best interest to maintain higher market prices as long as the Saudi Aramco deal remains in the future. That said, the U.S. dollar continues to strengthen versus the greenback's peers, and that could act as a weight upon all commodity prices if that condition were to persist.

  Trade Idea: Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP)

  You've heard all about the bottlenecks in domestic distribution. Now, you've heard Secretary Mnuchin talk about production. Still, we have to get this stuff to market. When it comes to energy, I have focused on oil services, hence my well-known long positions in both Action Alerts PLUS holding Schlumberger (SLB) , and Halliburton (HAL) .

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

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

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) is right up there with Enterprise for having one of the best balance sheets among MLPs. That top-tier financial profile increases the company's ability to sustain and grow its attractive 6.6%-yielding distribution. Magellan Midstream currently anticipates that it can increase that payout by another 5% this year and at a 5% to 8% rate in 2020 as it completes its current slate of expansion projects. That combination of healthy income, steady growth, and a top-notch financial profile makes Magellan Midstream an excellent option for risk-averse investors.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  These are some of the media stories that may have effected Accern’s scoring:

  Get Encana alerts: Should You Listen to This Stock? Encana Corporation (ECA) moves 51.44% away from One Year Low (nasdaqchronicle.com) Hot Mover of the Day – Encana Corporation (NYSE:ECA) (thestockgem.com) Enrapturing Stocks: Encana Corporation, (NYSE: ECA), AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., (NASDAQ: AFSI) (globalexportlines.com) Analysts, Options Traders Love This Lesser-Known Energy Stock (schaeffersresearch.com) Encana Corp (ECA) Expected to Announce Quarterly Sales of $1.12 Billion (americanbankingnews.com)

  ECA traded up $0.27 on Thursday, hitting $12.47. 9,071,326 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,380,907. Encana has a 12 month low of $8.01 and a 12 month high of $14.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 2.00.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Encana Corp (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) – National Bank Financial issued their FY2019 EPS estimates for shares of Encana in a report released on Tuesday, February 12th. National Bank Financial analyst T. Wood expects that the oil and gas company will post earnings of $0.61 per share for the year. National Bank Financial has a “Outperform” rating and a $18.50 price objective on the stock.

• [By Max Byerly]

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

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Canada's Montney Shale doesn't currently capture investors' attention like the Permian Basin. However, that doesn't mean it's a second-tier play. Quite the contrary since, like the Permian, it's a resource-rich region with as many as six drillable formations that produce highly economic liquids-rich natural gas. Because of those features, it has become an important growth driver for companies like Encana (NYSE:ECA).

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

• [By 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.

Why Sea Limited Stock Jumped 53.5% in February

What happened

Sea Limited (NYSE:SE) stock gained 53.5% in February, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Shares jumped after the company's fourth-quarter earnings release arrived with results that were significantly better than anticipated. 

SE data by YCharts.

Sea reported fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 27, with sales for the period climbing 136.6% year over year to reach $389.3 million. The company posted a sizable loss of $0.81 per share, but overall performance trounced the average analyst estimate's call for a loss of $0.85 per share on sales of $296.4 million, and the company's stock has now gained roughly 114% over the last year.

Image source: Sea Ltd. 

So what

Sea's two main segments, digital entertainment and e-commerce, each posted encouraging results in the fourth quarter. The company's digital entertainment segment saw revenues climb roughly 63% to reach $241.3 million thanks to strong performance from its software lineup. Sea's internally developed game Free Fire was the fourth-most-downloaded game of 2018 on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, powering the company's gaming segment to better-than-expected performance. 

Growth for the company's online retail business was even more impressive. E-commerce revenue rose a staggering 1,262% to reach $126.9 million as the company's Shopee platform continued to expand and saw the benefits of partnerships with new buyers and sellers and strong momentum in Indonesia -- the app's top market. 

Now what

Sea stock has continued to climb in March, with shares trading up roughly 11.4% in the month so far. 

SE data by YCharts.

Sea published a press release on March 11 stating that it had completed its offering of 60 million new American depositary shares at a share price of $22.50 and raised $1.5 billion through the offering that it plans to use to further expand its business. The stock looks to be a high-risk investment, but it has growth engines that give it high reward potential as well.

Free Fire is a well-received entry in the "battle royale" genre that has been all the rage in the gaming world lately, and it could continue putting up strong numbers this year. Sea also has a distribution deal for international game publishing with Tencent Holdings. Shopee's operating cost as a percentage of revenue has also been falling, which suggests that the platform could begin narrowing its losses. That could be big for the stock, as expenses from the e-commerce business have been a big drag on the company's profitability. 

3 Under-the-Radar Artificial Intelligence Stocks

Artificial intelligence is one of the hottest tech trends right now, and most investors who have considered riding the AI wave have probably gotten their fill of suggestions to buy Alphabet, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and a host of other major tech players. There's no doubt these companies will benefit from AI, but they won't be the only ones.

If you're looking for a few companies that are using AI to boost their businesses -- but are off the well-worn AI path -- you may want to consider what Splunk (NASDAQ:SPLK), Nutanix (NASDAQ:NTNX), and Zillow (NASDAQ:Z)(NASDAQ:ZG) are doing with AI.

Image source: Getty Images.

Splunk's machine-learning angle

Splunk is a hybrid cloud-computing platform company that helps businesses collect and categorize their data so they can better understand how to use it. Think of it this way: Companies are generating so much data from their customers that they're having a hard time making sense of it all. And Splunk's AI-powered platform helps address that.

Splunk has used machine-learning data -- a type of AI -- to make sense of businesses's big data for several years. The company's CEO said back in 2016:

Digital transformation has changed the way organizations work. The big secret is that all of the change is underpinned by machine data. Machine learning enables organizations to get deeper insights from their machine data and ultimately increases the opportunity our customers can gain from digital transformation.

To stay ahead of its competition, Splunk has frequently snatched up smaller companies, including machine-learning company SignalSense late in 2017 and VictorOps last year. So far, the company's moves have paid off: In the most recent quarter, its software sales were up 42% from the year-ago quarter, and total revenue jumped 35%.

Splunk's shares are up about 24% over the past 12 months -- with the most recent jump coming when the company's management raised its full-year revenue guidance -- but investors know there's likely some volatility ahead for the company as it continues to carve out its niche in the hybrid AI/cloud-computing space. 

Nutanix's AI hybridization 

Like Splunk, Nutanix offers its customer a hybridization of cloud-computing service that can be controlled by a company's own hardware. This mix allows Nutanix to provide a unique way to tap into artificial intelligence that sifts through data at its source (a business's private cloud) and in the public cloud at the same time.

This type of approach to processing data is likely to become more important as businesses generate gobs of data on their own and require a robust AI system to help them effectively use it.

Nutanix has been focused on earning more revenue from recurring subscription sales, and in the most recent quarter, the enterprise cloud-computing company made huge progress on that front, with subscription revenue up 112%. The company says 57% of its billings now come from subscriptions.

Nutanix's stock is pretty volatile right now, and its share price is down about 20% over the past 12 months, following a decline after the company released its second-quarter results. But investors should know that the company is continually gaining customers, increasing its subscription revenue, and improving its gross margins to boot. In the second quarter, gross margins reached an impressive 76.8%, up from 63.5% in the year-ago quarter. And Nutanix now has 12,410 customers, with 920 additions in the most recent quarter.

Zillow's AI-fueled house values

Zillow may seem like the odd man out in this group of AI tech stocks, but one of the reasons Zillow is the premier online source for homeowners and sellers is because of the company's use of AI.

For years, the company has incorporated machine-learning algorithms into nearly every part of its platform, particularly for its Zestimate calculator -- which gives an estimated value for each home on its site.

While the company has made improvements to Zestimate calculations for years, Zillow launched an artificial intelligence competition two years ago with a $1 million prize to anyone who could improve its algorithm. In January, it announced a winner. The company said the winning team used "sophisticated machine learning techniques, including using deep neural networks to directly estimate home values and remove outlier data points that fed into their algorithm" that improved on Zillow's current Zestimates by 13%.

Aside from its Zestimate, the company also uses AI to find homes an online user may want to see, based on other houses they've looked at already, even if they fall outside of the users' initial search filters.

Zillow doesn't make money from AI, of course, but it is a foundation of the company's technology across its growing brands. The company now has 157 million unique monthly users across all of its companies, and it brought in $365.3 million in sales in the most recent quarter, up 29% year over year. With AI already at the core of how the company runs its business, investors can expect Zillow to continue tapping more sophisticated machine-learning and neural networks to improve its home listings.

Final thoughts

These stocks are just a snapshot of how companies are using AI to make their businesses better for their customers and more efficient overall. As artificial intelligence grows, investors can expect even more off-the-beaten-path companies to look to AI for more growth. In fact, Gartner estimates that AI will create $3.9 trillion in business-related value for companies by 2022. All of this means investors would be wise to take notice of this trend now.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (VNDA) – Analysts’ Recent Ratings Changes

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VNDA) has recently received a number of price target changes and ratings updates:

2/14/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals had its “reduce” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald. They now have a $26.00 price target on the stock. They wrote, “. We reiterate our Neutral rating and reduce our PT to $26 from $30 for VNDA based on lowered 2019 revenue projections. On Wednesday, Vanda reported 4Q18 revenues of $32.4M for HETLIOZ and $20.6M for Fanapt, which were in line with our estimates. Vanda ended 4Q18 with cash of ~$257M, sufficient to fund operations through clinical milestones such as the first P3 study of tradi' in atopic dermatitis. Although we project YoY growth for HETLIOZ in 2019, we do not view it as a source of underappreciated value. However if label expansion into SMS is achieved (pending FDA input on capital efficient next steps), this could prove to be a tractable, growth driving opportunity.”” 2/14/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals was upgraded by analysts at ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. 2/14/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus. They now have a $40.00 price target on the stock. They wrote, “We believe shares of VNDA should find some relief after the recent volatility (shares down -26% since 2/5 vs. S&P 500 which is up +1%) which has largely been driven by the news of the partial clinical hold (PCH) on tradipitant and the unsealed whistleblower lawsuit, but also the fact VNDA didn’t issue preliminary results at the JP Morgan conference in January which it had normally done in years past. We think the 4Q results and 2019 guidance should get investors more comfortable that VNDA’s base business (Hetlioz and Fanapt) continues to be generally healthy with a decent growth profile.”” 2/14/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals had its price target lowered by analysts at Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. from $29.00 to $21.00. 2/10/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals was downgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating. 2/7/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals was downgraded by analysts at TheStreet from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating. 2/6/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals was downgraded by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating. They now have a $30.00 price target on the stock, down previously from $38.00. 2/6/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus. They wrote, “We believe VNDA’s decision to sue the FDA for what it feels are unnecessary animal studies” and due to the company’s current refusal to run these studies having resulted in a partial clinical hold on tradipitant, this will certainly raise questions among investors about the clinical timelines for this program and whether or not management is really focused on creating value for its shareholders.”” 2/4/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals was downgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. 2/4/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals was downgraded by analysts at ValuEngine from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating. 1/24/2019 – Vanda Pharmaceuticals was downgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $0.40 during trading on Thursday, hitting $18.75. The stock had a trading volume of 479,275 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,024,128. Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 1 year low of $13.88 and a 1 year high of $33.44. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.06, a PEG ratio of 6.30 and a beta of 0.70.

Get Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc alerts:

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.22. Vanda Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 9.80% and a net margin of 13.05%. The business had revenue of $53.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.04) earnings per share. Vanda Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current year.

In other Vanda Pharmaceuticals news, SVP Gian Piero Reverberi sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.59, for a total transaction of $30,046.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 136,569 shares in the company, valued at $3,631,369.71. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mihael Hristos Polymeropoulos sold 38,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.41, for a total value of $740,802.06. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,217,136 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,624,609.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 81,701 shares of company stock worth $1,755,624. 7.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisor Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Advisor Group Inc. now owns 2,916 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 1,161 shares in the last quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 109.3% during the fourth quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,662 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 1,912 shares in the last quarter. Neuburgh Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $132,000. South Dakota Investment Council purchased a new stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $167,000. Finally, Amalgamated Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $214,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.33% of the company’s stock.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of products for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. The company's marketed products include HETLIOZ (tasimelteon), a product for the treatment of non-24-hour sleep-wake disorders; and Fanapt (iloperidone), a product for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Further Reading: Google Finance

Elevate Credit Inc (ELVT) Files 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December 31, 2018

Elevate Credit Inc (NYSE:ELVT) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2018. Elevate Credit Inc provides technology-driven, progressive online credit solutions to non-prime consumers. It uses advanced technology & proprietary risk analytics to provide convenient & responsible financial options to its customers. Elevate Credit Inc has a market cap of $183.600 million; its shares were traded at around $4.25 with a P/E ratio of 15.18 and P/S ratio of 0.28.

For the last quarter Elevate Credit Inc reported a revenue of $207.3 million, compared with the revenue of $193.4 million during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $786.7 million, an increase of 16.9% from last year. For the last five years Elevate Credit Inc had an average revenue growth rate of 53.2% a year.

The reported diluted earnings per share was 28 cents for the year, compared with the loss per share of $1.797 in the previous year. The Elevate Credit Inc had a decent operating margin of 12.06%, compared with the operating margin of 10.53% a year before. The 10-year historical median operating margin of Elevate Credit Inc is 2.07%. The profitability rank of the company is 4 (out of 10).

At the end of the fiscal year, Elevate Credit Inc has the cash and cash equivalents of $58.3 million, compared with $41.1 million in the previous year. The long term debt was $562.6 million. Elevate Credit Inc has a financial strength rank of 4 (out of 10).

At the current stock price of $4.25, Elevate Credit Inc is traded at 45.9% discount to its historical median P/S valuation band of $7.86. The P/S ratio of the stock is 0.28, while the historical median P/S ratio is 0.44. The stock lost 44.11% during the past 12 months.

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

Hanesbrands Inc. (HBI) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 35,423,025 shares, a drop of 9.0% from the January 31st total of 38,921,025 shares. Currently, 10.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 8,716,523 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.1 days.

HBI opened at $18.27 on Thursday. Hanesbrands has a 1 year low of $11.57 and a 1 year high of $22.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.68, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.73.

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Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 7th. The textile maker reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. Hanesbrands had a return on equity of 76.43% and a net margin of 8.13%. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Hanesbrands will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 19th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 15th. Hanesbrands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.09%.

In other news, Director Jessica Tuchman Mathews sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.57, for a total value of $203,550.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 139,693 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,895,634.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider W Howard Upchurch, Jr. sold 40,688 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.81, for a total value of $602,589.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 453,282 shares in the company, valued at $6,713,106.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hanesbrands by 1.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,210,795 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $704,224,000 after acquiring an additional 437,526 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc increased its position in shares of Hanesbrands by 1.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 38,210,795 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $704,224,000 after acquiring an additional 437,526 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Hanesbrands by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 24,750,735 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $310,126,000 after acquiring an additional 887,593 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments CA increased its position in shares of Hanesbrands by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments CA now owns 17,136,129 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $214,716,000 after acquiring an additional 80,397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Shapiro Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hanesbrands by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC now owns 14,487,327 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $181,526,000 after acquiring an additional 786,671 shares during the last quarter. 98.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HBI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Hanesbrands from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Co reduced their target price on Hanesbrands from $18.00 to $14.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 2nd. Zacks Investment Research lowered Hanesbrands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank lowered Hanesbrands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $24.00 to $16.00 in a report on Friday, January 11th. Finally, Barclays set a $16.00 target price on Hanesbrands and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.53.

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About Hanesbrands

Hanesbrands Inc, a consumer goods company, designs, manufactures, sources, and sells a range of basic apparel for men, women, and children in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Innerwear, Activewear, and International. It sells bras, panties, men's underwear, children's underwear, activewear, socks, hosiery, intimate apparel, shapewears, and home goods; and T-shirts, fleece, sport shirts, performance T-shirts and shorts, sports bras, and thermals, as well as licensed logo apparel in collegiate bookstores, mass retailers, and other channels.

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SunTrust Banks Comments on VERONA PHARMA P/S’s Q1 2019 Earnings (VRNA)

VERONA PHARMA P/S (NASDAQ:VRNA) – Equities research analysts at SunTrust Banks issued their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for VERONA PHARMA P/S in a research note issued on Wednesday, February 27th. SunTrust Banks analyst J. Lee anticipates that the company will post earnings of ($0.76) per share for the quarter. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for VERONA PHARMA P/S’s Q2 2019 earnings at ($0.89) EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at ($0.66) EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at ($0.64) EPS, FY2019 earnings at ($2.86) EPS and FY2020 earnings at ($2.40) EPS.

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A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush reissued a “buy” rating on shares of VERONA PHARMA P/S in a report on Monday, January 14th. ValuEngine raised shares of VERONA PHARMA P/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 21st. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised shares of VERONA PHARMA P/S from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $14.00 price target on the stock in a report on Saturday, November 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. VERONA PHARMA P/S currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $33.25.

Shares of NASDAQ:VRNA opened at $5.83 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.75 million, a P/E ratio of -2.89 and a beta of -1.26. VERONA PHARMA P/S has a fifty-two week low of $5.52 and a fifty-two week high of $25.55.

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Foresite Capital Management IV LLC purchased a new position in shares of VERONA PHARMA P/S in the 3rd quarter worth about $104,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of VERONA PHARMA P/S in the 4th quarter worth about $127,000. Finally, Aisling Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of VERONA PHARMA P/S in the 4th quarter worth about $4,281,000. 59.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

VERONA PHARMA P/S Company Profile

Verona Pharma plc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes therapeutics to treat respiratory diseases. The company's product candidate is RPL554, an inhaled dual inhibitor of the enzymes phosphodiesterase 3 and 4, which has completed Phase I and IIa clinical trials that acts as a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis.

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Costco Earnings: 3 Things to Watch

Investors are expecting to hear mostly good news from Costco (NASDAQ:COST) in its upcoming earnings report. The warehouse retailer posted some of its best growth metrics in years over the past few quarters, after all, and the latest announcement from chief rival Walmart (NYSE:WMT) pointed to continued healthy customer traffic in the industry over the last few months.

Yet Costco is facing a few challenges in 2019 that might pressure its earnings. Investors will get important updates on those issues, and more, when the company announces its fiscal second-quarter results on March 7. Let's take a closer look.

Image source: Getty Images.

Market share

Costco releases monthly sales updates, and so there's little doubt that this past quarter included robust revenue gains. The company said in early February that sales at existing locations rose 7% in the prior month and were up nearly 8% over the past 22 weeks after stripping out the impact of gasoline price shifts and changes in foreign exchange rates. The e-commerce channel is expanding at a healthy 24% clip lately. The core comps number implies market share gains over Walmart, which grew at a 4% rate in the past quarter. The retailing titan is seeing better online growth, though.

Investors will find out on Thursday which direction Costco's sales rate moved in the month of February. They'll also receive key updates on customer traffic growth. That metric was a market-thumping 5% in the most recent quarter but likely slowed slightly over the last few months.

Cost updates

Costco's price-leadership approach results in some of the lowest profit margins in the business when it comes to merchandise markups. Gross profit margin hovers around 13% of sales, in fact, or nearly half of Walmart's rate. The chain more than makes up for that weakness through its membership fees, though.

Yet overall profitability might take a step lower this year as Costco deals with several financial challenges. First, there's the price inflation that's lifting costs for most everyday essentials. Second, the retailer is spending aggressively on building out its e-commerce capabilities. And third, the benefit from its recent subscriber fee boost is wearing off. Investors will be eager to hear whether management sees these issues slowing or reversing Costco's impressive earnings growth momentum.

Membership metrics

Costco makes most of its money from membership fees, which means its subscriber metrics are more important to its long-term health than traditional retailing trends like sales growth and gross profit margin. The chain's renewal rate has been inching up toward a record 91% over the past year, and that gain is the best evidence investors have so far to suggest that Costco can continue to thrive as more purchasing moves online. So long as members continue to find plenty of value from their annual subscriptions, the chain is in no danger of losing market share to e-commerce giants.

Yet rivals including Kroger and Walmart see that channel as critical to their long-term ambitions, and so they are pouring billions into adding distribution centers that enable things like same-day grocery delivery. Costco isn't ignoring these ideas, but it is taking a more measured approach to them. So far, the chain's healthy subscriber trends and rising operating profits show that this is the right path for the warehouse giant to take.

Best Medical Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:MNTX,MCF,CBL,UAA,PER, What happened

In response to the company announcing the FDA approval of a few new instruments, shares of TransEnterix (NYSEMKT:TRXC), a medical device company focused on robotic surgery, jumped 10% as of 2:45 p.m. EDT on Thursday.

So what

TransEnterix stated that it has won FDA approval for its 3-millimeter instrument set as well as some additional 5-millimeter instruments. These new products will be used in conjunction with the company's Senhance system in digital laparoscopy procedures.

Image source: Getty Images.

The company believes that these tiny products will enable surgeons to operate through incisions that are so small that they will be considered "virtually scarless" for patients.

TransEnterix's CEO Todd Pope was thrilled with the news:

Best Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Manitex International Inc.(MNTX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Manitex International Inc (NASDAQ:MNTX) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $12.95 and last traded at $12.61, with a volume of 655 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.94.

• [By Shane Hupp]

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• [By Joseph Griffin]

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• [By Logan Wallace]

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Best Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Contango Oil & Gas Company(MCF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “Contango Oil & Gas (MCF) Short Interest Update” was originally published by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are reading this article on another site, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of US and international copyright & trademark laws. The correct version of this article can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3346537/contango-oil-gas-mcf-short-interest-update.html.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Fondren Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Contango Oil & Gas (NYSEAMERICAN:MCF) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 60,000 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $341,000. Fondren Management LP owned 0.23% of Contango Oil & Gas as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Contango Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:MCF) was downgraded by equities researchers at Seaport Global Securities from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Fmr LLC increased its position in shares of Contango Oil & Gas (NYSEAMERICAN:MCF) by 33.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,583,039 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock after buying an additional 899,900 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC owned 13.93% of Contango Oil & Gas worth $20,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Best Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: CBL & Associates Properties, Inc.(CBL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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• [By Joseph Griffin]

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• [By Matthew Frankel]

  Mall REIT CBL & Associates (NYSE:CBL) reported its second-quarter earnings on Wednesday evening, and the results weren't pretty. As of 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday, the stock has fallen by more than 11%.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL) by 19.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,853,945 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 638,513 shares during the quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. owned about 2.23% of CBL & Associates Properties worth $21,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL) have received a consensus rating of “Sell” from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $4.44.

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  CBL & Associates Properties (NYSE:CBL) stock trailed the market by shedding 18% last month compared to a 3% increase in the S&P 500, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Best Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Just Hold Your Nose and Dive Into Under Armour Inc (UAA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Over the past five years, Nike has been the clear winner as Disney has struggled with the transition to streaming. Nike separated itself from Disney recently when it returned to steady growth in key markets and rival Under Armour (NYSE:UA) (NYSE:UAA) began falling apart.

• [By ]

  1. Under Armour (NYSE: UAA)
  This nearly $9 billion market cap athletic performance apparel, footwear, and accessories company has roared higher during the first half of January 2019. Rocketing over 11% in several weeks, Under Armour boasts both the fundamentals and technicals to continue higher into 2019.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Nike's recent move draws a sharp contrast with statements by Under Armour (NYSE:UA) (NYSE:UAA) CEO Kevin Plank last year, when he aligned himself with President Trump shortly after the inauguration. At a time when Trump was immersed in controversy following the chaotic implementation of the administration's travel ban, Plank called Trump a "real asset for the country," citing his business experience and business-friendly policies. Plank was immediately confronted with a backlash of his own making as fans threatened to boycott the brand. NBA star point guard Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Under Armour's marquee star, pushed back against Plank, saying that Trump was an asset if you take off the last two letters from the word. Actor and retired professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson expressed a similar sentiment. 

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UAA) was maintained as Neutral with a $20 price target (versus a $22.21 close, after a 6.9% post-earnings gain) at Wedbush, with the firm noting that there is no need to rush into the shares at the current level after earnings. Credit Suisse also stuck with a Neutral rating.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its holdings in shares of Under Armour Inc Class A (NYSE:UAA) by 20.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 40,961 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,467 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Under Armour Inc Class A were worth $670,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Best Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: SandRidge Permian Trust(PER)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Media coverage about SandRidge Permian Trust (NYSE:PER) has been trending somewhat positive this week, according to Accern. Accern rates the sentiment of news coverage by reviewing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. SandRidge Permian Trust earned a coverage optimism score of 0.04 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news headlines about the oil and gas producer an impact score of 46.3601951962152 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near future.

Top Value Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:WRE,PNW,ALL,

Sun Communities (NYSE:SUI) had its price target hoisted by Royal Bank of Canada to $105.00 in a research report released on Thursday, The Fly reports. They currently have an above average rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. ValuEngine raised shares of Sun Communities from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 29th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Sun Communities from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Sun Communities from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Sun Communities from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, June 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Co raised their target price on shares of Sun Communities from $94.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Sun Communities has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $100.00.

Top Value Stocks To Own Right Now: Washington Real Estate Investment Trust(WRE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

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• [By Max Byerly]

  Colony Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE:WRE) by 8.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,266 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,410 shares during the period. Colony Group LLC’s holdings in Washington Real Estate Investment Trust were worth $797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shares of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE:WRE) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.33.

Top Value Stocks To Own Right Now: Pinnacle West Capital Corporation(PNW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Atria Investments LLC cut its stake in shares of Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW) by 49.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,560 shares during the period. Atria Investments LLC’s holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $371,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Profund Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW) by 26.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,622 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,423 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW) was raised to Outperform from Neutral and the price target was raised to $87 from $85 at Credit Suisse.

  Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) was reiterated as Outperform and the price target was raised to $140 from $125 at JMP Securities.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW) by 15.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 148,258 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 27,229 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.13% of Pinnacle West Capital worth $11,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Top Value Stocks To Own Right Now: Allstate Corporation (ALL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  DF Dent & Co. Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Allstate Corp (NYSE:ALL) by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 40,677 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 868 shares during the period. DF Dent & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Allstate were worth $3,713,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

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• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Allstate Corp. (NYSE: ALL) was last seen down 2.1% at $97.95, in a 52-week trading range of $88.29 to $105.36. Its market cap is $34 billion.

  Chubb Ltd. (NYSE: CB) traded down 1.1% at $135.14, and it has a 52-week range of $123.96 to $157.50 and a market cap of almost $63 billion.