Wagner Bowman Management Corp Grows Position in Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI)

Wagner Bowman Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEARCA:VTI) by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 128,305 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF makes up approximately 4.7% of Wagner Bowman Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Wagner Bowman Management Corp’s holdings in Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF were worth $18,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF by 20.6% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Benchmark Capital Advisors increased its position in shares of Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF by 14.9% in the second quarter. Benchmark Capital Advisors now owns 2,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Mathes Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF by 1.9% in the second quarter. Mathes Company Inc. now owns 18,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,608,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF by 4.3% in the second quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 8,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after buying an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Advisors increased its position in shares of Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF by 3.7% in the second quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 10,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,437,000 after buying an additional 366 shares in the last quarter.

Get Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF alerts:

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF opened at $144.92 on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF has a 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $146.87.

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF Company Profile

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund, which employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the of the MSCI US Broad Market Index, which represents 99.5% or more of the total market capitalization of all of the United States common stocks traded on the New York and American Stock Exchanges and the Nasdaq over-the-counter market.

Further Reading: What is a Leveraged Buyout (LBO)?

E*TRADE (ETFC) Tops Q2 Estimates

E*TRADE Financial (ETFC ) just released its second quarter financial results, posting adjusted earnings of $0.95 per share and revenues of $710 million.

E*TRADE is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which is subject to change based on today’s results. Shares of E*TRADE are up 59% over the last year but have dipped 3% during the last four weeks. ETFC saw its stock price slip 3.04% on Thursday to hit $61.21 per share prior to the release of its quarterly earnings results.

E*TRADE stock is currently down 0.64% to $61.60 per share in after-hours trading shortly after its earnings report was released.

ETFC:

Beat earnings estimates. The company posted earnings of $0.95 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.89 per share. Investors should note that this consensus projection has trended upward during the quarter.

Beat revenue estimates. The company saw revenue figures of $710 million, topping our consensus estimate of $704.95 million.

E*TRADE’s quarterly revenues jumped roughly 23% from $577 million in the year-ago period. The financial services company’s operating margin for the quarter was 49%. “Our Corporate Services team onboarded nearly $11 billion in new plan assets during the quarter, while replenishing a strong pipeline,” CEO Karl Roessner said in a statement.

“We completed the acquisition of Trust Company of America, and our initiatives to generate value from this powerful combination are well underway. Our strong operational execution translated to stellar financial performance, as E*TRADE once again delivered solid revenue, while expanding our adjusted operating margin for the seventh consecutive quarter to 46%.”

Here’s a graph that looks at ETFC’s Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise history:

E*TRADE Financial Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

E*TRADE Financial Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | E*TRADE Financial Corporation Quote

Check back later for our full analysis on ETFC’s earnings report!

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Why Wynn Resorts Will Be the Biggest Winner in Macau

Macau is the biggest gaming market in the world, generating $33 billion in annual revenue, about five times the gaming revenue of the Las Vegas Strip. The companies that have a presence there are likely to be big winners thanks to the scale of the market alone, but some companies will take more of the gains than others.�

One company that I think is starting to show its power in Macau is Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN). Wynn only has two resorts in Macau, but it serves the very top end of the gaming market, and as high rollers gamble more in Macau, it's set for better growth than rivals.�

Image source: Getty Images.

The players in Macau

There are six concessionaires in Macau: Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS), MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM), Melco Resorts (NASDAQ:MLCO), SJM, and Galaxy. The last two aren't publicly traded in the U.S., so for the sake of this discussion, I'll leave them out of a comparison of gaming company growth.�

Of the other four, MGM Resorts gets the lowest percentage of its revenue from Macau at less than 20%, so it's not as useful for investors looking for exposure to Macau. Las Vegas Sands, Wynn, and Melco Resorts all get over half of their revenue from Macau and are highly dependent on the region. What separates them is where they're located, the markets they serve, and the age of their resorts.�

Why Wynn is best positioned in Macau

Like Las Vegas, location is everything in Macau. There are two main gaming regions in Macau: the Macau Peninsula, where older resorts are located (think Downtown Las Vegas) and the new Cotai region (similar to the Las Vegas Strip). Cotai is where the newest mega resorts are being built, and it's the new center of gravity for gaming in Macau.�

Las Vegas Sands has traditionally been the biggest player in Cotai with four major resorts there, and Melco Resorts follows with two properties. Wynn Resorts is the newest player in Cotai, but it's come in with a bang, generating $665.8 million in revenue and $211.9 million of EBITDA, a proxy for cash flow, from Wynn Cotai in the first quarter alone. You can see below that the resort has sucked market share from its biggest rivals on Cotai.�

Company	Q1 2018 Macau Revenue	Change Y/Y
Las Vegas Sands Macau	$2.16 billion	16.8%
Wynn Resorts Macau	$1.28 billion	27.8%
Melco Resorts City of Dreams	$1.16 billion	4.4%

Source: Company first-quarter earnings releases.�

You can see that Wynn is out-growing rivals in Macau, and Wynn Cotai is the biggest reason why. Not only is it riding Macau's 20.5% growth in the first quarter, it's also gaining market share, which is a trend I don't see stopping anytime soon. Wynn Resorts has a long history of generating disproportionately more revenue than neighbors, and Wynn Cotai is continuing that trend.�

Wynn's stock is set up for success

From an investment standpoint, Wynn Resorts also has leverage working in its favor (as long as results are improving). You can see below that Wynn has increased debt to build resorts like Wynn Cotai and Wynn Boston Harbor (set to open mid-2019), which adds leverage to the balance sheet and therefore the stock. At the same time, Las Vegas Sands and Melco Resorts have been reducing leverage.�

Wynn Resorts, Melco Resorts, and Las Vegas Sands Leverage, data by YCharts.

If Macau continues to grow and Wynn Cotai continues to take market share, Wynn Resorts is primed to outperform rivals by a wide margin. It's a riskier stock because of the leverage you see above. But in the world's biggest gaming market, this is leverage investors should be willing to accept.�

Analyzing National Research (NRCIA) & EXACT Sciences (EXAS)

National Research (NASDAQ: NRCIA) and EXACT Sciences (NASDAQ:EXAS) are both business services companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, valuation, risk and earnings.

Volatility and Risk

Get National Research alerts:

National Research has a beta of 1.68, suggesting that its share price is 68% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, EXACT Sciences has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares National Research and EXACT Sciences’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
National Research	$117.56 million	6.99	$22.94 million	$0.58	57.84
EXACT Sciences	$265.99 million	30.58	-$114.39 million	($0.99)	-67.40

National Research has higher earnings, but lower revenue than EXACT Sciences. EXACT Sciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than National Research, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for National Research and EXACT Sciences, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
National Research	0	0	0	0	N/A
EXACT Sciences	0	3	10	0	2.77

EXACT Sciences has a consensus price target of $63.17, suggesting a potential downside of 5.34%. Given EXACT Sciences’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe EXACT Sciences is more favorable than National Research.

Profitability

This table compares National Research and EXACT Sciences’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
National Research	19.52%	27.45%	19.09%
EXACT Sciences	-38.61%	-20.92%	-15.73%

Dividends

National Research pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. EXACT Sciences does not pay a dividend. National Research pays out 69.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

33.6% of National Research shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.1% of EXACT Sciences shares are held by institutional investors. 5.7% of National Research shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.2% of EXACT Sciences shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

National Research beats EXACT Sciences on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

National Research Company Profile

National Research Corporation provides analytics and insights that facilitate measurement and enhancement of the patient and employee experience in the United States and Canada. Its portfolio of subscription-based solutions provide actionable information and analysis to healthcare organizations and payers across a range of mission-critical, constituent-related elements, including patient experience, satisfaction, community population health risks, workforce engagement, community perceptions, and physician engagement. The company offers market insights solutions that allow the tracking of awareness, perception, and consistency of healthcare brands; assessment of competitive differentiators; and enhanced segmentation tools to evaluate needs, wants, and behaviors of communities through real-time competitive assessments and enhanced segmentation tools. It also provides experience solutions, such as patient and resident experience, workforce engagement, health risk assessments, transitions, and improvement tools. The company offers transitions solutions, which enable organizations to identify and manage high-risk patients to reduce readmissions, increase patient satisfaction and support safe care transitions; and risk assessment solutions that enable clients to segment populations and manage care for those who are most at risk, engage individuals, enhance preventative care, and manage wellness programs. It provides transparency solutions that allow healthcare organizations to share picture of their organization and ensure content informs in consumer decision-making; and governance solutions for not-for-profit hospital and health system boards of directors, executives, and physician leadership. The company serves integrated health systems and post-acute providers, such as home health, long term care, hospice, and payer organizations. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska.

EXACT Sciences Company Profile

Exact Sciences Corporation, a molecular diagnostics company, focuses on developing products for the early detection and prevention of various cancers in the United States. The company offers Cologuard, a non-invasive stool-based DNA screening test for the early detection of colorectal cancer and pre-cancer. It has license agreements with MAYO Foundation for Medical Education and Research; and Hologic, Inc. Exact Sciences Corporation was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.

Hot Tech Stocks For 2019

tags:CYBR,EBIX,ATU,MDCA,

FIL Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) by 70.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 282,719 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock after selling 688,612 shares during the quarter. FIL Ltd’s holdings in NXP Semiconductors were worth $33,078,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NXP Semiconductors by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 19,595,554 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $2,294,444,000 after buying an additional 366,810 shares during the period. HBK Investments L P lifted its holdings in shares of NXP Semiconductors by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 14,858,400 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $1,739,770,000 after buying an additional 524,967 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of NXP Semiconductors by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 7,815,000 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $915,058,000 after buying an additional 90,000 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of NXP Semiconductors by 71.7% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 7,508,068 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $878,444,000 after buying an additional 3,135,818 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of NXP Semiconductors by 35.5% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,251,504 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $380,719,000 after acquiring an additional 852,289 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.01% of the company’s stock.

Hot Tech Stocks For 2019: CyberArk Software Ltd.(CYBR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The short interest at CyberArk Software Ltd. (NASDAQ: CYBR) increased to 1.10 million shares from the previous level of 861,800. Shares were trading at $53.34, within a 52-week range of $39.34 to $55.63.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Short interest at CyberArk Software Ltd. (NASDAQ: CYBR) decreased to 827,000 shares from the previous level of 1.04 million. Shares were trading at $63.21, within a 52-week range of $39.34 to $67.65.

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

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

Hot Tech Stocks For 2019: Ebix, Inc.(EBIX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Ebix (NASDAQ: EBIX) and Mattersight (NASDAQ:MATR) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and valuation.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of Ebix Inc (NASDAQ:EBIX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $100.00.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Ebix (NASDAQ:EBIX) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The technology company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.01), MarketWatch Earnings reports. The business had revenue of $108.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $106.81 million. Ebix had a return on equity of 20.67% and a net margin of 27.65%. Ebix’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.8% on a year-over-year basis.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  ARS Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ebix Inc (NASDAQ:EBIX) by 62.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 92,910 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,681 shares during the quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC owned 0.30% of Ebix worth $6,922,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Ebix (NASDAQ: EBIX) and Godaddy (NYSE:GDDY) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends and earnings.

Hot Tech Stocks For 2019: Actuant Corporation(ATU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

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

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

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  After 111 years as a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) has been replaced on the index by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.�(NYSE: WBA). According to David Blitzer, managing director and chair of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, the change is part of an effort to increase value and prominence of consumer goods, finance, healthcare, and technology firms on the U.S. economy. GE is the last original member to be removed from the index. Shares of Boeing Co.�(NYSE BA), DowDuPont Inc. (NYSE: DOW), and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) are getting pounded on concerns that a full-blown trade war may accelerate and hurt major exporters to China. Yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he may seek tariffs on another $200 billion in Chinese goods. Trump has asked U.S. trade representatives to identify potential products on which the United States could implement a 10% tariff. Recent trade volatility has erased all gains in the Dow Jones in 2018. Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) has raised its bid for�Twenty-First�Century Fox Inc.�(NYSE: FOXA) assets to $71.3 billion in cash and stock. The new offer tops the $35 all-cash offer proposed last week by cable and telecom giant Comcast Corp.�(Nasdaq: CMCSA). Three Stocks to Watch Today: MU, ORCL, SBUX Micron Technology Inc.�(Nasdaq: MU) will lead a light day of earnings reports Wednesday. The Chinese semiconductor giant is expected to report earnings per share (EPS) of $3.14 on top of $7.75 billion in revenue. While markets will be interested in this report, the greater focus will likely center on the impact of U.S. tariffs on the company's forward guidance. Oracle Corp.�(NYSE: ORCL) stock was off 3.7% despite news that the cloud computing giant topped Wall Street earnings expectations yesterday. The firm reported adjusted EPS of $0.99 on top of $11.25 billion in revenue. Those numbers beat average expectations of $0.94 on $11.18 billion. The stock slumped after
• [By Shane Hupp]

  Actuant Co. (NYSE:ATU) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $23.63.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Champlain Investment Partners LLC lowered its position in Actuant (NYSE:ATU) by 3.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,975,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 71,860 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Actuant were worth $45,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Actuant Corporation (NYSE:ATU)Q3 2018 Earnings Conference CallJune 20, 2018, 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

Hot Tech Stocks For 2019: MDC Partners Inc.(MDCA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Shares of MDC Partners (NASDAQ:MDCA) have gotten crushed today, down by a whopping 36% as of 11:45 a.m. EDT, after the company reported�first-quarter earnings results and lowered its outlook for organic revenue growth this year.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of MDC Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: MDCA) were down 30 percent to $4.78 after a first-quarter earnings miss.

  Hudson Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: HDSN) was down, falling around 25 percent to $3.07 after the company reported downbeat Q1 earnings.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of MDC Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: MDCA) were down 33 percent to $ 4.575 after a first-quarter earnings miss.

  Hudson Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: HDSN) was down, falling around 32 percent to $2.7799 after the company reported downbeat Q1 earnings.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers MDC Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: MDCA) fell 23.4 percent to $5.25 in pre-market trading after a first-quarter earnings miss. Hudson Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: HDSN) shares fell 15.1 percent to $3.48 in pre-market trading after the company reported downbeat Q1 earnings. Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) fell 14 percent to $13.15 in pre-market trading after the company posted downbeat Q2 earnings and lowered FY18 organic growth guidance. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) fell 13.2 percent to $3.10 in pre-market trading after reporting downbeat quarterly results. Rowan Companies plc (NYSE: RDC) shares fell 10.7 percent to $14.13 in pre-market trading after climbing 8.50 percent on Wednesday. BT Group plc (NYSE: BT) fell 9 percent to $14.80 in pre-market trading after the company reported Q4 results and announced plans to cut 13,000 jobs over the next three years. Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXEL) fell 8.3 percent to $19.90 in pre-market trading after the company disclosed that IMblaze370 Phase 3 pivotal trial of atezolizumab and cobimetinib in patients with heavily pretreated locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer did not meet primary endpoint. Infinera Corporation (NASDAQ: INFN) fell 8.2 percent to $10.80 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Synaptics, Incorporated (NASDAQ: SYNA) shares fell 7.4 percent to $43.00 in pre-market trading. Synaptics reported better-than-expected earnings for its third quarter, while sales missed estimates. Randgold Resources Limited (NASDAQ: GOLD) shares fell 7.4 percent to $76.23 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 earnings. Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: IART) shares fell 7 percent to $59.36 in pre-market trading. Integra LifeSciences priced its 5.25 million share public offering of common stock at $58.50 per share. Array BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRY) shares fell 6.9 percent to $12.75 in pre-m
• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Here are some of the news stories that may have effected Accern’s analysis:

  Get MDC Partners alerts: $0.09 Earnings Per Share Expected for MDC Partners Inc (MDCA) This Quarter (americanbankingnews.com) Head-To-Head Review: MDC Partners (MDCA) vs. HAVAS (HAVSF) (americanbankingnews.com) Telaria (TLRA) & MDC Partners (MDCA) Head to Head Survey (americanbankingnews.com) Comparing WPP (WPP) & MDC Partners (MDCA) (americanbankingnews.com)

  Shares of MDC Partners traded up $0.15, reaching $4.80, during midday trading on Monday, according to Marketbeat.com. 391,100 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 478,690. The stock has a market cap of $278.13 million, a PE ratio of 7.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.13. MDC Partners has a 1-year low of $3.80 and a 1-year high of $12.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of -3.37, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

How To Make Your 401(k) Plan One Of The Best

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image shutterstock size-large wp-image-1123967666&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/1123967666/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;639&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Shutterstock

I recently read &l;a href=&q;https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertlawton/2018/07/01/is-your-401k-plan-one-of-the-best-heres-how-to-tell/#7400269f7e2c&q;&g;this article&l;/a&g; about how to know if your 401(k) plan is one of the &a;ldquo;best.&a;rdquo; It suggests the key things to look for are index fund options, cost-efficient target date funds, investment advice, feedback on how you&a;rsquo;re doing, retirement plan calculators, an understanding of your plan among employees, and support from company management. That makes a lot of sense to me, but what if your plan is missing one, several, or even all of those elements?

First, don&a;rsquo;t make the perfect the enemy of the good. If your 401(k) lacks a lot of the features of the &a;ldquo;best&a;rdquo; plans, keep in mind all the benefits that it does have such as tax deferral or tax-free growth, the convenience of payroll deduction, and protection from creditors. Your plan may also offer free money in the form of a match. You probably don&a;rsquo;t want to give up those benefits by investing in a taxable account or even worse, not saving for retirement at all. Second, there are ways of turning a sub-optimal plan into one of the best.

&l;strong&g;1. Understand ALL the options available to you.&l;/strong&g;

If you have a self-directed brokerage account option, you&a;rsquo;re in luck. This feature allows you to invest in funds and in some cases, even ETFs and individual stocks, that aren&a;rsquo;t part of the core investment options in your plan. If your plan doesn&a;rsquo;t offer index funds or low cost target date funds, you can probably find them here. In fact, companies like Vanguard, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and BlackRock all offer low cost target date funds that are composed of index funds. This is important since low fees have been &l;a href=&q;https://www.morningstar.com/articles/752485/fund-fees-predict-future-success-or-failure.html&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;found&l;/a&g; to be the &a;ldquo;most proven predictor of future fund returns.&a;rdquo;

If you don&a;rsquo;t have a brokerage option, see what the funds in your plan cost. You&a;rsquo;ll want to look for the fund&a;rsquo;s expense ratio, which can generally be found on the plan website or at least in the fund prospectus. An expense ratio of 1.4 means that the fund charges about 1.4% per year so the lower the number, the better. Even if none of your funds are index funds, they may still be relatively low cost since 401(k) plans often offer institutional funds with below average fees.

If most of your fund options have high fees, it doesn&a;rsquo;t mean you should abandon your 401(k). The tax breaks can still outweigh the advantage of lower cost funds in a taxable account. At the very least, you&a;rsquo;ll probably want to contribute enough to get your employer&a;rsquo;s match. After that, you can choose low cost funds in an IRA and an &l;a href=&q;https://www.forbes.com/sites/financialfinesse/2016/11/17/why-you-should-max-out-your-hsa-before-your-401k/#56a6a7d175ac&q;&g;HSA&l;/a&g; (if eligible) before investing more in your 401(k).

If you have investments outside the 401(k), you can use your 401(k) for the investments where you have low cost options and use your outside account(s) for the rest. Just make sure that you&a;rsquo;re comparing the cost of similar funds to each other since being diversified is more important than always picking the lowest cost funds. This brings us to&a;hellip;

&l;!--nextpage--&g;

&l;strong&g;2. Follow a model portfolio.&l;/strong&g;

There&a;rsquo;s nothing magical or even scientific about the investment recommendations offered in many 401(k) plans or anywhere else. No one knows exactly what mix of investments will do the best for a given level of risk. In fact, a &l;a href=&q;http://mebfaber.com/2016/05/18/institutional-asset-allocation-models/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;comparison&l;/a&g; of investment models from 40 different top money managers from 1973-2015 found that the difference between the best and the worst performer was just a little over half a percent per year. Another &l;a href=&q;http://mebfaber.com/2013/07/31/asset-allocation-strategies-2/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;comparison&l;/a&g; of model portfolios from various popular investment &a;ldquo;gurus&a;rdquo; found similar results.

Go ahead and pick one that you can implement using the options in your plan or use &l;a href=&q;https://secure.financialfinesse.com/go/2997&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;our guidelines&l;/a&g; based on your risk tolerance. There is no perfect or even best portfolio. The important thing is that you&a;rsquo;re reasonably diversified, stick to your plan through thick and thin, and keep your costs to a minimum since a slightly higher fee could easily turn the best performing portfolio into the worst one. (See #1 above.)

&l;strong&g;3. Use a standalone retirement calculator. &l;/strong&g;

While it&a;rsquo;s convenient to have a retirement tracking tool or calculator in your 401(k) web site pre-populated with your information, these are rarely complete and hence are often inaccurate. They may miscalculate your expected Social Security benefits, will not automatically include any outside investments you and your spouse may have, and may not correctly assume your retirement goals. Instead, you can use a similarly free retirement calculator like &l;a href=&q;https://ffcalcs.com/retirement_estimator&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;this one&l;/a&g; that allows you to include your entire picture. This can help you figure out how much you need to save to hit your goals and keep your focus on the long term rather than the daily fluctuations in your portfolio value.

&l;strong&g;4. Understand and support your 401(k) yourself.&l;/strong&g;

In a perfect world, every employee would understand their 401(k) and every employer would be supportive of it. Fortunately, you don&a;rsquo;t need to live in a perfect world. You just need to understand and support it yourself. You can find information on your plan from the 401(k) web site and by calling the plan provider. See if your employer offers access to a financial wellness program with unbiased financial planners who are familiar with your particular retirement plan.

For better or worse, 401(k) plans are all about personal responsibility. You decide how much you contribute, how the money is invested, and how you withdraw it. Whether your plans is one of the best depends on what you make of it.&l;/p&g;

$0.18 EPS Expected for Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP) This Quarter

Brokerages forecast that Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE:ETP) will report $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Three analysts have issued estimates for Energy Transfer Partners’ earnings, with the lowest EPS estimate coming in at ($0.08) and the highest estimate coming in at $0.30. Energy Transfer Partners reported earnings of ($0.04) per share in the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year-over-year growth rate of 550%. The business is expected to issue its next earnings report on Tuesday, August 14th.

On average, analysts expect that Energy Transfer Partners will report full year earnings of $1.07 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $0.66 to $1.43. For the next year, analysts expect that the company will post earnings of $1.32 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.02 to $1.74. Zacks Investment Research’s earnings per share calculations are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that that provide coverage for Energy Transfer Partners.

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Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE:ETP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 9th. The pipeline company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.84 billion. Energy Transfer Partners had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 7.22%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.03 earnings per share.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ETP shares. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Energy Transfer Partners in a research report on Monday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Energy Transfer Partners and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 6th. ValuEngine raised shares of Energy Transfer Partners from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, June 15th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Energy Transfer Partners from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Energy Transfer Partners currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.77.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Energy Transfer Partners by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 511,719 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $9,170,000 after purchasing an additional 63,620 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Energy Transfer Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $823,000. Haverford Trust Co. grew its position in Energy Transfer Partners by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co. now owns 58,488 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 4,519 shares during the last quarter. Edge Advisors LLC grew its position in Energy Transfer Partners by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Edge Advisors LLC now owns 173,502 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $3,109,000 after purchasing an additional 28,369 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Koch Industries Inc. purchased a new stake in Energy Transfer Partners during the 4th quarter valued at about $488,000. 62.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Energy Transfer Partners stock traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $19.19. 115,519 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,866,193. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $22.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.47, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.03. Energy Transfer Partners has a 52-week low of $15.06 and a 52-week high of $21.68.

Energy Transfer Partners Company Profile

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. engages in the natural gas midstream, and intrastate transportation and storage businesses in the United States. The company's Intrastate Transportation and Storage segment transports natural gas from various natural gas producing areas through connections with other pipeline systems, as well as through its ET Fuel System and HPL System.

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

Qiagen (QGEN) Upgraded to “Buy” at ValuEngine

ValuEngine upgraded shares of Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on QGEN. DZ Bank reissued a neutral rating on shares of Qiagen in a report on Thursday, April 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Qiagen from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 11th. Deutsche Bank reissued a buy rating and set a $40.00 price target (up from $38.00) on shares of Qiagen in a report on Tuesday, April 24th. Commerzbank reissued a buy rating on shares of Qiagen in a report on Thursday, May 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a neutral rating on shares of Qiagen in a report on Thursday, May 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $38.50.

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Shares of Qiagen stock opened at $36.13 on Monday. Qiagen has a one year low of $30.20 and a one year high of $37.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Qiagen (NYSE:QGEN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $343.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $340.10 million. Qiagen had a return on equity of 11.91% and a net margin of 3.79%. analysts forecast that Qiagen will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current year.

About Qiagen

QIAGEN N.V. provides sample to insight solutions that transform biological materials into molecular insights worldwide. The company offers sample technologies for plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) purification, ribonucleic acid purification and stabilization, genomic and viral nucleic acid purification, DNA cleanup after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing, target enrichment, and library preparation for sequencing applications; and assay technology solutions.

To view ValuEngine’s full report, visit ValuEngine’s official website.

Nestl茅 (NESN) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Nestl茅 (VTX:NESN) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is CHF 86.28.

NESN has been the topic of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a CHF 81 price objective on shares of Nestl茅 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a CHF 95 price objective on shares of Nestl茅 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 19th. BNP Paribas set a CHF 78 price objective on shares of Nestl茅 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Baader Bank set a CHF 86 price objective on shares of Nestl茅 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays set a CHF 83 price objective on shares of Nestl茅 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th.

Shares of Nestl茅 traded up CHF 0.06, hitting CHF 76.50, on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The stock had a trading volume of 15,650,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,940,000. Nestl茅 has a twelve month low of CHF 73.34 and a twelve month high of CHF 86.40.

Nestl茅 Company Profile

Nestle SA is a nutrition, health and wellness company. The Company’s segments are Zone Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EMENA); Zone Americas (AMS); Zone Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa (AOA); Nestle Waters; Nestle Nutrition, and Other Businesses. The Company operates in the United States, Greater China Region, Switzerland and Rest of the World.

Syros Pharmaceuticals (SYRS) Trading 5.4% Higher

Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SYRS) shares traded up 5.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $11.26 and last traded at $11.10. 1,391,833 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 505% from the average session volume of 229,979 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.53.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. ValuEngine raised shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 6th. BidaskClub raised shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 22nd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective (up from $11.00) on shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, March 13th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 16th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $10.00 price objective on shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, March 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.13.

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The company has a market capitalization of $416.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.21 and a beta of -2.69.

Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SYRS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 10th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.34) by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $0.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.41 million. analysts expect that Syros Pharmaceuticals will post -2.2 EPS for the current year.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SYRS. Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new stake in shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $105,000. Adalta Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $111,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals by 299.9% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 12,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 9,691 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $191,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in shares of Syros Pharmaceuticals by 80.3% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 21,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 9,439 shares during the last quarter. 56.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Syros Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of treatment for cancer and monogenic diseases, and building a pipeline of gene control medicines. Its lead product candidates include SY-1425, a selective retinoic acid receptor alpha agonist, which is in a Phase II clinical trial for genomically defined subsets of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome; and SY-1365, a selective CDK7 inhibitor, which is in a Phase I clinical trial that is used for treating patients with solid tumors and blood cancers, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and AML.

Ghana Stocks Fall for First Month in Eight as Investors Eye MTN

Ghana stocks are feeling the MTN effect.

The country’s benchmark index has tumbled more than 8 percent in May, set for its first monthly decline since September, as investors sell shares to participate in the West African country’s biggest-ever initial public offering, the listing of MTN Group Ltd.’s local unit.

May Retreat

Ghana stocks are ending a seven-month winning streak

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The Ghana Stock Exchange Composite Index has dropped for nine days, its longest losing streak since 2015. Africa’s biggest mobile-phone company by subscribers plans to sell a 35 percent stake in its local unit and opened bidding on May 29 for 4.64 billion shares.

“From the way offers to sell are increasing as the days go by, it suggests that people are selling to buy MTN shares -- the IPO is fairly priced and the company’s dividend policy puts it in the category of high-cap stocks already on the market,” Eli Keledorme, a stock analyst at SAS Finance Group in Accra, said by phone.

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Weekly Analysts’ Ratings Updates for W&T Offshore (WTI)

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of W&T Offshore (NYSE: WTI) recently:

5/23/2018 – W&T Offshore is now covered by analysts at Roth Capital. They set a “neutral” rating and a $8.75 price target on the stock. 5/19/2018 – W&T Offshore was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. According to Zacks, “W&T Offshore is an independent oil and natural gas company focused primarily in the Gulf of Mexico area, including the deep water. They have grown through acquisition, exploitation and exploration. W&T has grown through acquisition, exploitation and exploration and now holds working interests in over two hundred fields in federal and state waters and a majority of its daily production is derived from wells it operates. “ 5/16/2018 – W&T Offshore was downgraded by analysts at Capital One from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating. 5/15/2018 – W&T Offshore was downgraded by analysts at KLR Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating. They now have a $6.00 price target on the stock. 5/5/2018 – W&T Offshore was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating. They now have a $7.25 price target on the stock. According to Zacks, “W&T Offshore is an independent oil and natural gas company focused primarily in the Gulf of Mexico area, including the deep water. They have grown through acquisition, exploitation and exploration. W&T has grown through acquisition, exploitation and exploration and now holds working interests in over two hundred fields in federal and state waters and a majority of its daily production is derived from wells it operates. “ 4/14/2018 – W&T Offshore was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “sell” rating. According to Zacks, “W&T Offshore is an independent oil and natural gas company focused primarily in the Gulf of Mexico area, including the deep water. They have grown through acquisition, exploitation and exploration. W&T has grown through acquisition, exploitation and exploration and now holds working interests in over two hundred fields in federal and state waters and a majority of its daily production is derived from wells it operates. “

WTI traded down $0.84 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $6.59. 5,657,179 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,683,904. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of -1.78, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $916.61 million, a P/E ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 2.76. W&T Offshore, Inc. has a one year low of $1.81 and a one year high of $8.92.

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W&T Offshore (NYSE:WTI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 2nd. The oil and gas company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19. The firm had revenue of $134.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $137.80 million. W&T Offshore had a negative return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 16.71%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. equities analysts forecast that W&T Offshore, Inc. will post 0.66 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WTI. Jefferies Group LLC bought a new stake in W&T Offshore during the 4th quarter worth approximately $191,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its holdings in W&T Offshore by 103.1% during the 1st quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 45,271 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 22,977 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in W&T Offshore by 183.5% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,382 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 32,613 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in W&T Offshore during the 4th quarter worth approximately $228,000. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of W&T Offshore by 99.5% in the first quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 54,373 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 27,120 shares in the last quarter. 50.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W&T Offshore, Inc, an independent oil and natural gas producer, acquires, explores for, and develops oil and natural gas properties in the Gulf of Mexico. The company sells crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas. It holds working interests in approximately 49 offshore fields in federal and state waters.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories up 1% on lawsuit files in US District Court

Shares of Dr Reddy's Laboratories rose 1.3 percent intraday Monday as company filed lawsuit in the United States District Court.

The company��s wholly-owned subsidiary Promius Pharma LLC has filed a lawsuit for patent infringement in the United States District Court for Eastern District of Texas against Perrigo UK FINCO Limited Partnership, Perrigo Israel Pharmaceuticals and Taro Pharmaceuticals Inc, in response to two paragraph-IV notice letters received for its twice daily topical spray Sernivo product.

Promius anticipates this lawsuit will trigger a 30 month stay of FDA approval of Perrigo's and Taro's ANDAs.

Sernivo spray, 0.05% is protected by six Orange Book patents that expire in 2030.

Promius will continue to vigorously defend its Sernivo intellectual property rights against infringement wherever they are challenged.

At 10:33 hrs Dr Reddy's Laboratories was quoting at Rs 1,993.15, up Rs 21.25, or 1.08 percent on the BSE.

The share touched its 52-week high Rs 2,788.00 and 52-week low Rs 1,888.00 on 24 July, 2017 and 21 May, 2018, respectively.

Currently, it is trading 28.53 percent below its 52-week high and 5.54 percent above its 52-week low.

Posted by Rakesh Patil

Victory Capital Management Inc. Raises Position in McKesson (MCK)

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in McKesson (NYSE:MCK) by 39.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,090 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,688 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in McKesson were worth $2,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its stake in McKesson by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 85,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,287,000 after purchasing an additional 1,537 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Partners Inc. increased its position in McKesson by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Partners Inc. now owns 3,303 shares of the company’s stock valued at $515,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in McKesson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $311,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in McKesson by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 39,623 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,179,000 after acquiring an additional 2,795 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in McKesson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 405,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,174,000 after acquiring an additional 5,389 shares during the period. 88.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Several equities analysts have issued reports on MCK shares. Credit Suisse Group restated a “sell” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of McKesson in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of McKesson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $189.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of McKesson from $179.00 to $172.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 11th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of McKesson from $186.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of McKesson in a research report on Thursday, March 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. McKesson has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $175.53.

In other news, SVP Erin M. Lampert sold 1,413 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.38, for a total transaction of $211,073.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

MCK opened at $145.81 on Friday. McKesson has a twelve month low of $134.25 and a twelve month high of $178.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $30.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.31.

McKesson (NYSE:MCK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 24th. The company reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($0.07). McKesson had a return on equity of 23.55% and a net margin of 0.03%. The firm had revenue of $51.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.41 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. research analysts anticipate that McKesson will post 13.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 31st. McKesson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.78%.

McKesson Company Profile

McKesson Corporation provides pharmaceuticals and medical supplies in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, McKesson Distribution Solutions and McKesson Technology Solutions. The McKesson Distribution Solutions segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical drugs, and other healthcare-related products; and provides practice management, technology, clinical support, and business solutions to community-based oncology and other specialty practices.

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

iQIYI: Kicking Things Into Gear

It has been a little while since my last article on entertainment streaming platform iQIYI (NASDAQ:IQ). My last article focused on the one-week performance of the stock��s IPO. For most of April, the month of the IPO, the stock was bouncing around within the $15 - $20 range. Just recently, within the month of May, the stock managed too break out into the low $20s.

Source: Google

There's valid reasoning behind this recent breakout, and the future for the company is evolving quickly. There may be some risk at the current price levels, and in the short term there may be a better entry level. With a recent opening of a movie theatre, a future app release, and investment into a separate company, the company is firing on all cylinders and the future is positioned for strong growth.

Movie Theatre

IQ is expanding its platform from a purely online-only to include offline options as well. The company has opened a new physical movie theatre, known as ��Yuke,�� in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China. There are plans for additional theatres but at the moment this is the only location.

Source: PR Newswire

Yuke is an on-demand style theatre, just like the iQIYI platform itself, but it combines this with the experience of going to the movies. This may seem pointless to American readers, where cinema sales were at 25-year lows as of 2017. However, the exact opposite is true in China.

In 2018, China is poised to overtake North American (US and Canada) ticket sales, and become the largest movie market in the world. In 2017, world cinema sales reached a record $40 billion. China accounted for 19.75% ($7.9 billion) of the total. To satisfy this demand, China is reportedly constructing 25 theatres a day. On top of this, in 2017, China produced 970 movies, of which 487 were played in theatres. With an almost perfect 50/50 ratio of online-only and theatre-release films, it makes sense and is a big step forward to open theatres.

The non-conventional theatre does provide multiple revenue-stream opportunities. The company can now sell merchandise related to its original content, sell snacks and popcorn, and also generating revenue from renting rooms (there are no upfront ticket charge, rather a per-hour rent charge). This does add some complexity to the financials of the company, as now there will be a new set of margins and cost structures to look through. But the opportunity is large, very large.

New, Future App

Another new announcement has come from iQIYI, and that's the debut of the new ��Nadou�� app. This app will specialize in the short-video craze that is becoming popular in China. The area is highly fragmented among news clips, networking, and entertainment, but management aims to have the app focused on entertainment. It also stated that it aims to be the one of the leaders within the next three years, indicating serious investment to come.

Source: China Daily

Shown above are a variety of statistics on the short-video market. This market has become increasingly popular over recent years, with usage metrics rocketing in 2016. The main point is the competitors section, which shows Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY) backed ��Kuaishou�� in the lead. Reports state that Kuaishou experiences 100 million DAU. This would be a major win for iQIYI if it is able to compete against a well-established app such as Kuaishou.

While the company wants to focus on the short-video market, it is not a large market. Estimates show that by 2020 the market will be worth $4.7 billion, just a tenth of the cinema market mentioned earlier. However, the revenue stream is different. Nadou is expected to earn its revenue through advertisements, like the free, ad-based iQIYI platform.

A big question is why expand into this market? Management attributes it to attention span. Long-video companies, such as iQIYI, have been experiencing trouble recently thanks to the decreasing attention span of their users. This would explain the increasing popularity of the short-video market.

Whether the goal of this project is to make money or to purely advertise iQIYI indirectly, it is an exciting development. We will need to keep track of the performance of the app and see what guidance management provides with regard to the three-year time frame.

Movie Platform Investment

The last exciting development is the potential investment in foreign streamer iflix. The company is a movie streamer that models itself on Netflix��s (NASDAQ:NFLX) platform, but focuses on emerging markets.

This is a big deal. While there have not been any details of the deal yet, involvement is a big plus. Iflix has a huge audience and is not valued accordingly. Based on its last funding rounds, the company was valued at $700 million. That is absurd based on the stats shown below.

Source: Unbox PH

The company does not release its raw financial/user data, but did report ��tremendous growth.�� As of March 2017, the company reported 5 million users on the platform from 24 countries of operation. By August, subscriber growth was reported to have increased 3x and revenue increased 230% y/y.

Iflix has stated that it wants to be the ��Android�� of streaming. While Netflix focuses on higher "elites" that generally have tablets or laptops for viewing, the majority of the world relies upon mobile devices which is where iflix will focus. The company also produces original content and also shows more local/regional content (Africa, Middle East, and Asia) than western content.

A major investment by iQIYI would be an incredible move that highly benefits shareholders. Iflix is the only company that's purely focusing on the emerging markets and is actually affordable ($2 per month) to residents. With its last funding round valued at $700 million and the company potentially reaching 1.3 billion people, there is a strong possibility for high returns.

Conclusion

I have been a proponent of iQIYI since I began on Seeking Alpha, and I'm an even bigger proponent today. The moves being made by management are exciting and show investments being made in growing areas that the company knows.

With increasing popularity of the iQIYI platform itself, adding theatres and a new app at this time seems smart. With Netflix recently passing Disney (NYSE:DIS) in market cap, iQIYI has plenty of room to grow.

Disclosure: I am/we are long IQ.

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

Analysts Expect Heritage Commerce Corp (HTBK) to Post $0.21 EPS

Equities analysts expect that Heritage Commerce Corp (NASDAQ:HTBK) will report $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Two analysts have made estimates for Heritage Commerce’s earnings, with estimates ranging from $0.15 to $0.26. Heritage Commerce reported earnings of $0.19 per share during the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year over year growth rate of 10.5%. The firm is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Thursday, July 26th.

On average, analysts expect that Heritage Commerce will report full year earnings of $1.01 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $0.95 to $1.06. For the next year, analysts expect that the company will report earnings of $1.32 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.27 to $1.36. Zacks’ EPS averages are an average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that follow Heritage Commerce.

Get Heritage Commerce alerts:

Heritage Commerce (NASDAQ:HTBK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $28.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $29.45 million. Heritage Commerce had a return on equity of 12.22% and a net margin of 21.93%.

HTBK has been the topic of several research reports. BidaskClub raised shares of Heritage Commerce from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 24th. Brean Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Heritage Commerce in a research report on Thursday, May 3rd. DA Davidson raised shares of Heritage Commerce from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Heritage Commerce from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Heritage Commerce from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Heritage Commerce has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.50.

In other news, Director Jack W. Conner sold 23,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.98, for a total value of $390,540.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 61,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,049,567.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Heritage Commerce by 471.6% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 6,683 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heritage Commerce in the first quarter valued at approximately $165,000. A.R.T. Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heritage Commerce in the first quarter valued at approximately $182,000. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Heritage Commerce in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $172,000. Finally, First Allied Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Heritage Commerce in the first quarter valued at approximately $189,000. 69.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HTBK stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $17.09. The company had a trading volume of 160,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 141,149. The firm has a market cap of $691.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.66. Heritage Commerce has a 12 month low of $12.76 and a 12 month high of $17.43.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 10th will be given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 9th. Heritage Commerce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.00%.

Heritage Commerce Company Profile

Heritage Commerce Corp operates as the bank holding company for Heritage Bank of Commerce that provides various commercial and personal banking services to residents and the business/professional community in California. It offers a range of deposit products for business banking and retail markets, including interest and non-interest bearing demand, savings accounts, certificate of deposit, money market accounts, and time deposits.

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Heritage Commerce (HTBK)

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

If the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup, Vegas loses money

The Vegas Golden Knights have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

It's been an improbable first season for the expansion hockey team. While Las Vegas residents are cheering on the home team, a win in the finals will cost Las Vegas sportsbooks big time. The Knights will face the Washington Capitals in the finals, which start Monday, May 28.

The sports betting establishments, which are legal in Nevada, would have to pay out hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars in bets, according to Jay Kornegay, vice president of the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino SuperBook.

That's because the books, which take bets and determine odds, didn't initially think the Knights would do well. It seemed like a safe assumption -- most expansion teams don't do well in their inaugural seasons. And bettors seemed to agree.

"No one really bet them so we raised the odds," Kornegay said.

Sportsbooks set the odds that the Knights would win the Stanley Cup Finals at 500-to-1, meaning that if someone bet $1 and the Knights won, that bettor would win $500.

"We took 13 tickets on 500-to-1. The biggest bet was $60," he said.

As the season opened and the team started winning, more people started betting on the Knights, and the odds got lower. But by that point it was too late -- the damage was done.

Kornegay said that it's not big bets that will cost the sportsbooks. Expert bettors mostly stayed away from the Knights because they weren't betting based on loyalty to the home team. What's going to hurt is the incredibly high volume of small bets placed by Knights fans.

While Kornegay said "the lights might be a little dimmer and we might have to raise the price of our chicken fingers," there's no real risk of a sportsbook going bankrupt.

While sportsbooks will suffer with a Knights win in the finals, the people who run the books are experiencing a personal conflict of interest: Many of them are actually rooting for their new home team.

"They're our team: The Vegas-born Knights," said Kornegay, who, like many of his colleagues, has season tickets.

Kornegay said the team has been embraced because of how it inspired the community.

The Knights' home opener took place after the October 1 massacre in Vegas in which 58 people were shot and killed and hundreds were injured. The team, which had planned an elaborate show to open its season at home, shifted the focus of the night to honor the fallen and the first responders.

"They mean the world to this community right now. They brought this community together to help it heal," said Kornegay, who attended the first home game. "It became more of a somber game ... and from that moment they captured this community."

Kornegay said the team's history was also a natural fit for the Las Vegas spirit.

A large part of the team is made up of players, coaches and managers who came from other teams in the league. They dubbed themselves the "Golden Misfits," which resonated with Vegas residents.

"They play with a chip on their shoulders," Kornegay said. "I always felt that the city of Las Vegas had a chip because it was never recognized as a community. It was just a strip, resorts and bars. We are a community."

The Knights are a good reminder about home-team loyalty and the unpredictability of sports, especially now that the Supreme Court has cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting.

"Vegas had all those people in Vegas backing their home team," said Dave Mason of BetOnline.ag.

His sportsbook was exposed early on when the odds were really long, but they had bets coming in from other countries and sources so they eventually got out of the red.

Mason said that with local sportsbooks, there's less coming in from overseas, which means it takes longer to bounce back from a miscalculation.

"The local books are exposed on their teams," he said. "For example, if the Patriots are covering the point spread every week, a sportsbook in Massachusetts would be getting creamed."

As states decide whether to legalize sports betting, it'll be important to remember how small bets from enough loyal fans can take a toll on a local casino or sportsbook.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019

tags:ASIX,EQT,CTRP,AUO,SHAK,STI,SUP,SNN,TRIL,AME,

Markets are reeling today in response to the mere suggestion by one Fed governor that a rate hike might be in the offing when the Fed meets next week. Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said that there is a "reasonable case" for a rate hike. Stocks, bonds and commodities are all getting bludgeoned in response.

There is nowhere for investors to hide. The hunt for yield has abruptly turned into a panic for cash. Now this is just one day, and it may reverse course in short order, but it is a reminder of how vicious the market decline was in January following the Fed's initial rate increase. Can you imagine how much turmoil two interest rate hikes might cause?

The reasons for the market decline are obvious. Investors begin to take profits in longer-term debt securities (NYSEARCA:TLT) where the greatest capital gains can be realized. Higher interest rates will erode these gains.

What begins as a ripple grows into a wave. Investors sell closed-end funds, fixed-income ETFs and other individual fixed-income securities in concert over fear of loss of principal. Understand that in many cases fixed-income securities are losing as much value just today in percentage terms as they provide in income for an entire year.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: AdvanSix Inc. (ASIX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  AdvanSix (NYSE:ASIX) Director Michael Marberry bought 1,398 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $35.74 per share, for a total transaction of $49,964.52. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: EQT Corporation(EQT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  In addition, Elliott Management, which often pushes for M&A and other strategic transactions at targeted companies, made investments in EQT Corp. (EQT) , CommVault Systems Inc. (CVLT) , Sabre Corp. (SABR) , Teradyne Inc. (TER)  and Windstream Holdings Inc. (WIN)

• [By Max Byerly]

  DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in shares of EQT (NYSE:EQT) by 85.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,281 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,000 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in EQT were worth $3,219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Chris Lange]

  The stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close Thursday was EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT) which rose about 10% to $53.35. The stock��s 52-week range is $43.70 to $67.84. Volume was nearly 11 million compared to the daily average volume of 3.6 million.

• [By Chris Lange]

  The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Thursday was EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT) which traded down over 5% at $49.72. The stock��s 52-week range is $43.70 to $67.84. Volume was 7.6 million compared to the daily average volume of nearly 4 million.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: Ctrip.com International, Ltd.(CTRP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Here are some of the media headlines that may have impacted Accern Sentiment’s rankings:

  Get Ctrip alerts: Let Analyse Simple Moving Averages �� Ctrip.com International Ltd (NASDAQ: CTRP) (stockspen.com) Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (CTRP) year to date performance remained at -3.24% (nasdaqfortune.com) Ctrip opens Oasis Lab, welcomes external startups to incubation program (tnooz.com) Ctrip.com International, Ltd. to Report First Quarter 2018 Financial Results on May 22, 2018 US Time (prnewswire.com) Ctrip.com International, Ltd. to Report First Quarter 2018 Financial Results on May 22, 2018 U.S. Time (finance.yahoo.com)

  Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. BidaskClub cut shares of Ctrip from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. TheStreet raised shares of Ctrip from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank assumed coverage on shares of Ctrip in a report on Monday, February 5th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. TH Capital cut shares of Ctrip from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo assumed coverage on shares of Ctrip in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.79.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Gramercy Property Trust (NYSE: GPT) rose 13.4 percent to $27.01 in pre-market trading after the company agreed to be acquired by Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) for $27.50 per share. Warrior Met Coal, Inc. (NYSE: HCC) rose 9.1 percent to $30 in pre-market trading after climbing 5.61 percent on Friday. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) rose 6.2 percent to $4.83 in pre-market trading after falling 48.35 percent on Friday. Ceragon Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: CRNT) rose 6 percent to $2.85 in pre-market trading after climbing 1.89 percent on Friday. Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (NASDAQ: CTRP) rose 4.8 percent to $43.15 in pre-market trading. G1 Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GTHX) rose 3.2 percent to $44.00 in pre-market trading after climbing 6.92 percent on Friday. Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) rose 3.2 percent to $33.68 in pre-market trading after gaining 2.03 percent on Friday. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) rose 3.1 percent to $59.45 in pre-market trading. Nestle announced plans to acquire rights to market, sell and distribute Starbucks Brands.

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

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Ctrip.com International Ltd. (Nasdaq: CTRP) traded down about 3.5% Monday and posted a new 52-week low of $42.36 after closing Friday at $43.91. The stock’s 52-week high is $60.65. Volume totaled around 4.8 million, about equal to the daily average. The company had no specific news.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Markets have been under pressure once again by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Inflation levels are going through the roof… but the people in charge of managing it have been lying to Americans for years. Now it's time to get even.�Money Morning�Liquidity Specialist Lee Adler has the perfect way to make a lot of money when no one is looking.�Read it here.

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Tuesday Despite all of the political noise, both China and the United States have agreed to take a step back and seriously pursue talks that may prevent further tariff impositions. The biggest development on the trade front is that the Trump administration is considering a plan to lift a sales ban on Chinese mobile giant ZTE. Shares of Micron Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) are pushing higher after the company announced a $10 billion plan to buy back stock. Micron reported earnings on Monday, and the Boise-based firm easily topped Wall Street expectations. Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) was pushing a bit higher on Tuesday as the firm prepared to address data privacy issues in Europe. The social media giant's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is set to speak before European lawmakers this morning. Zuckerberg will testify this morning, just three days after the European Union enforced more stringent laws on consumer data protection. Three Stocks to Watch Today: GM, KSS, TSLA Shares of General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) were pushing higher after the auto giant reported that China will be lifting restrictions on U.S. automotive parts and cars. But GM isn't the only beneficiary. Look for shares of Ford Motor Co.�(NYSE: F) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV�(Nasdaq: FCAU) to also get a boost out of the Chinese economy. Shares of Kohl's Corp.�(NYSE: KSS) popped 5% after the firm beat earnings expectations and easily topped same-store sales during the first quarter. The company also raised its 2019 earnings numbers, which helped fuel investor sentiment. Shares of Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) are in focus
• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  While that is happening in the Middle East, trouble is brewing in Washington. In addition to reports that a Russian Oligarch paid Trump's lawyer $500,000, a U.S. telecom giant is now caught up with the same lawyer. AT&T Corporation (NYSE: T) confirmed Tuesday night that it paid Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for information on the administration. AT&T stock is up 0.6% in premarket hours. Four Stocks to Watch Today: TRIP, MTCH, FOXA, DIS Shares of TripAdvisor (Nasdaq: TRIP) popped nearly 20% after the company crushed earnings after the bell. In addition, the CFO Ernst Teunissen projected strong guidance for the rest of the year. The firm reported EPS of $0.30 on top of $378.0 million in revenue. Wall Street expected $0.16 per share on $360.84 million in revenue. Shares of Match Group (Nasdaq: MTCH) popped 3% after the company reported earnings after the bell. The dating site operator reported stronger than expected earnings and revenue figures on Tuesday. Overall, revenue jumped 36% compared to the same period in 2017. The firm also reported stronger than expected guidance. Of course, all anyone is talking about how Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) could impact the dating industry with its new plugin. Shares of 21st Century Fox (NYSE FOXA) are in focus as the firm prepares to report earnings before the bell. However, investors are more likely focused today on the expected bidding war between the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) and Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) to purchase key assets of the company. Fox is also tied up in a bidding war with Comcast to purchase British television provider Sky (OTC MKTS: SKYAY). Look for additional earnings reports from Booking Holdings (Nasdaq: BKNG), com International (Nasdaq: CTRP), Sina Corp. (Nasdaq: SINA), Albermarle Corp. (NYSE: ALB), Mylan Inc. (NYSE: MYL), SolarEdge Technologies (Nasdaq: SEDG), Wolverine World Wide (NYSE: WWW), IAC Interactive Corp. (NYSE: IAC), and Cavium Inc. (Nasdaq: CAVM).

  Eight Seconds

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: AU Optronics Corp(AUO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  A long term performance chart shows shares of Corning Incorporated in a largely steady uptrend since we recommended the stock while Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ: OLED) skyrocketed last year�and LG Display Co Ltd (NYSE: LPL) and AU Optronics Corp (NYSE: AUO) have not done much:

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: Shake Shack, Inc.(SHAK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Yesterday, the Fed Open Market Committee announced it would not raise interest rates this session. The central bank committee, which is in charge of monetary policy, said that inflation is rising and that the U.S. economy is getting better. Markets are now looking forward to the next meeting on June 12 for the U.S. Federal Reserve to bump rates higher for the second time in 2018. Shares of Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) slumped more than 4.5% after Tesla CEO Elon Musk held an highly unusual earnings call. After announcing that his firm burned through $700 million in cash during the quarter of 2018, Musk refused to take any more questions on the company's fiscal health, dismissing analysts' questions as "boring." Musk instead spent the rest of the quarterly call taking questions from a YouTuber named Gali Russell who had lobbied Musk on Twitter to let him partake in the earnings call. This morning, the U.S. Labor Department reported initial jobless claims rose by 2,000, to 211,000. Analysts had projected 225,000 for the week. The tightening U.S. labor market has now seen the total number of Americans receiving benefits fall to the lowest level since 1973. America's unemployment rate is sitting at 4.1%, the lowest figure in 17 years. Tomorrow, the Labor Department will release the April jobs report. Four Stocks to Watch Today: GPRO, SPOT, CI GoPro Inc. (Nasdaq: GPRO) will lead another busy day of earnings reports on Wall Street. The firm will report earnings after the bell Thursday. Wall Street expects that the tech firm is about to report a loss of -$0.40 per share on top of $175.40 billion in revenue. Here's a way to make a lot of money in a short time during earnings season. Spotify Technology SA�(NYSE: SPOT) did not have a very good first earnings report. Shares plunged more than 8% after the firm's music-streaming forecasts fell well short of expectations. During its earnings report, signals indicated that the firm's growth could slow despite news that its
• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In this segment of the Motley Fool Money podcast, host Chris Hill is joined by Fool analysts Jason Moser, Andy Cross, and Ron Gross to consider the progress of Shake Shack�(NYSE:SHAK), which is making headway in its multiyear expansion plan. First-quarter revenue was up 29%, and more importantly, same-Shack sales were up 1.7%, and share prices shot upward in response. Even so, at least one Fool says the stock is still not for him.

• [By ]

  TheStreet's founder and Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio Manager Jim Cramer said investors should be careful with Shake Shack (SHAK) shares. 

  "There was a very big short position - the shorts got busted and now you're dealing with the idea that the shorts are cleaned out and here we go again - now you're stuck with the numbers," Cramer said. "And the numbers are good, but not as great as the stock would indicate."

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Two stocks made big moves after reporting earnings:�Pandora Media (NYSE:P) and Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK) gave their investors reasons to celebrate this weekend.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: SunTrust Banks, Inc.(STI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Shares of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) are in focus after the company reported earnings before the bell. GE stock popped 5.6% after the firm topped earnings per share (EPS) estimates by $0.05 and backed its 2018 outlook. The firm reported EPS of $0.16 on top of $28.66 billion in revenue. GE stock had been off nearly 18% from its last earnings report on January 24 due to ongoing financial and legal problems. Crude oil prices dipped Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at OPEC. Trump accused the cartel of keeping oil prices "artificially high" despite "record amounts of oil all over the place." Brent crude and WTI crude oil both hit three-year highs this week after Saudi Arabia suggested that it was working to press oil prices back above $100 per barrel. Three Stocks to Watch Today: PM, MO, WFC Shares of Philip Morris International Inc.�(NYSE: PM) fell this morning after the firm experienced its worst trading day since its spin-off from Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO). Shares of PM fell as much as 16% after the firm fell short of revenue expectations after the bell. MO stock fell roughly 6% on the day. Shares of Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) are under pressure after The New York Times reported that the firm may be facing a $1 billion fine. The fines would cover a variety of "alleged" misdeeds that include the firm's push on customers to purchase auto insurance they didn't need and charging mortgage customers fees for services that they were not using. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will most likely announce the fine today. Money Morning�Capital Wave Strategist�Shah Gilani weighed in on the topic this week, and he offers a scorching indictment. Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) is on the move today after the semiconductor giant announced plans to lay off 1,500 employees. The cuts are expected to hit employees in California and cities around the globe. The cuts are part of the fi
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Shares of SunTrust Banks (NYSE:STI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $70.40.

• [By Matthew Frankel]

  Michael Douglass:�Welcome to Industry Focus, the podcast that dives into a different sector of the stock market every day.�It's�Monday, April 23rd,�and we have a round-up of financials news: yet�another Wells Fargo�fine, Morgan Stanley�(NYSE:MS) and Goldman Sachs�(NYSE:GS) earnings, and a data breach at�SunTrust (NYSE:STI). I'm your host,�Michael Douglass, and I'm joined by Matt Frankel. Matt,�welcome back! Let's hop right in,�because really, quite a bit of interesting news�for us to talk about today. First off,�Wells Fargo was fined $1 billion from the�Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  SunTrust Banks (NYSE:STI) Director Frank P. Scruggs, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $69.01 per share, with a total value of $69,010.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,501 shares in the company, valued at $586,654.01. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  It seems like we're hearing about new data breaches on a regular basis, and SunTrust's (NYSE:STI) recent one affecting 1.5 million customers could seem alarming. Here's what investors -- and consumers -- need to know about it and how this one is different from some of the other high-profile data breaches we've heard about.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: Superior Industries International Inc.(SUP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares jumped 31.6 percent to $12.18 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat. ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) rose 26.5 percent to $14.55 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings. OPKO Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPK) shares gained 25 percent to $4.0234 following Q1 beat. Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAXN) jumped 23.5 percent to $55.12 following a big Q1 beat. The company raised its fiscal 2018 sales growth guidance from 16-18 percent to 18-20 percent. Penn Virginia Corporation (NASDAQ: PVAC) gained 23.3 percent to $59.00 after reporting Q1 results. TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) rose 22.5 percent to $47.51 after the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Tuesday. Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) shares surged 21.7 percent to $3.36. Amazon.com's partnership with Sears started in 2017 with an agreement to sell Kenmore-branded appliances online. On Wednesday, the companies announced an extension of their relationship to now include tire delivery and installations. EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE) jumped 21.3 percent to $2.68 following Q1 results. LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC) surged 20.4 percent to $3.395 following better-than-expected Q1 earnings. Superior Industries International, Inc. (NYSE: SUP) gained 19 percent to $15.82 after reporting Q1 results. Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLCM) shares rose 18.5 percent to $8.13 following Q1 results. Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO) rose 18.3 percent to $52.47 after the company posted strong quarterly results. Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ: CERS) shares jumped 18.3 percent to $6.47 following quarterly results. IEC Electronics Corp. (NYSE: IEC) shares climbed 17 percent to $4.68 after reporting better-than-expected quarterly earnings. New Relic, Inc. (NYSE: NEWR) rose 16.8 percent to $90.10 following Q4 results. Gulfport Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: GPOR)
• [By Shane Hupp]

  Here are some of the news articles that may have impacted Accern Sentiment Analysis’s rankings:

  Get Superior Industries International alerts: Brokerages Anticipate Superior Industries International, Inc. (SUP) to Post $0.18 EPS (americanbankingnews.com) Superior and Mimico create NZ partnership (khl.com) Superior Industries Rides On Volumes & UNIWHEELS Buyout (zacks.com) Superior Industries International (SUP) Upgraded to Buy by Zacks Investment Research (americanbankingnews.com) B. Riley Research Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for Superior Industries International, Inc. (SUP) (americanbankingnews.com)

  Superior Industries International stock opened at $17.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.15. Superior Industries International has a 12 month low of $16.90 and a 12 month high of $17.30. The firm has a market cap of $425.10 million, a PE ratio of 15.68 and a beta of 1.16.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: Smith & Nephew SNATS, Inc.(SNN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Losers Heat Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTBX) shares tumbled 48.59 percent to close at $1.275 on Thursday after the company priced its $18,000,000 public offering. InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: NVIV) fell 38.77 percent to close at $8.26 on Thursday. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) shares tumbled 27.43 percent to close at $8.81. Achaogen, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAO) dropped 24.76 percent to close at $11.06 in reaction to a disappointing update from an FDA AdCom panel. The FDA panel voted favorably for the company's Plazcomicin for treatment of adults with complicated urinary tract infections, but also voted against the therapy to be used as a treatment for bloodstream infections. Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANIK) shares declined 24.68 percent to close at $34.80 after the company posted downbeat quarterly results. LSC Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LKSD) shares fell 24.22 percent to close at $12.64 following wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) fell 21.42 percent to close at $50.80 following downbeat quarterly profit. Horizon Global Corporation (NYSE: HZN) dropped 20.42 percent to close at $6.00 following downbeat quarterly earnings. Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. (NYSE: HOS) slipped 20.11 percent to close at $2.90 following wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESPR) fell 19.28 percent to close at $36.93. Esperion Therapeutics stock lost roughly a third of its value Wednesday after the company reported mixed Phase III results for its leading drug candidate, bempedoic acid. JP Morgan downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from Neutral to Underweight. Laredo Petroleum, Inc. (NYSE: LPI) declined 17.77 percent to close at $8.98 after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q1 earnings. The Habit Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ: HABT) dipped 16.1 percent to close at $8.60 after the company reported downbeat quarterly results. Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. (N
• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Weight Watchers (NYSE: WTW) is tipping the scales on Wall Street: Link

  ECONOMIC DATA USA Nonfarm Payrolls for Apr 164.0K vs 189.0K Est; Prior 103.0K. Private Payrolls for Apr 168.0K vs 194.0K Est; Prior 102.0K Unemployment Rate for Apr 3.90% vs 4.00% Est; Prior 4.10% New York Fed President William Dudley is set to speak at 12:45 p.m. ET. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is schedule for release at 1:00 p.m. ET. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John Williams will speak at 3:00 p.m. ET. Randal Quarles, Vice Chairman for Supervision, is set to speak at 5:30 p.m. ET. Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan will speak at 8:00 p.m. ET. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic is set to speak at 8:00 p.m. ET. Kansas City Fed President Esther George will speak at 8:00 p.m. ET. ANALYST RATINGS RBC upgraded Benefitfocus (NASDAQ: BNFT) from Sector Perform to Outperform Stephens upgraded FMC (NYSE: FMC) from Equal-Weight to Overweight RBC downgraded Colfax (NYSE: CFX) from Outperform to Sector Perform Deutsche Bank downgraded Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) from Hold to Sell

  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.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: Trillium Therapeutics Inc.(TRIL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of Trillium Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIL) (TSE:TR) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $10.94.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks For 2019: AMTEK, Inc.(AME)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID trimmed its stake in shares of AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) by 1.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 533,274 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 5,917 shares during the quarter. AMETEK accounts for 4.2% of Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers Inc. ID’s holdings in AMETEK were worth $40,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 3,125 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $237,000.

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

  Get AMETEK alerts: Ac Power Source Supply Market 2018 Global Share- AMETEK Programmable Power, Pacific Power Source and … (theexpertconsulting.com) The Whispers about AMETEK, Inc. (AME) and Omeros Corporation (OMER) (nmsunews.com) Global Neutron Generators Market Analysis 2018 Del Mar Photonics, VNIIA, AMETEK ORTEC, Adelphi Technology … (theexpertconsulting.com) AMETEK, Inc. (AME): Most Popular stock: (stockquote.review) Ametek granted partial judgment in alleged ground contamination cased filed by mobile home parks’ owners (norcalrecord.com)

  Several research firms have recently commented on AME. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of AMETEK from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of AMETEK from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 3rd. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of AMETEK from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 12th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of AMETEK in a research report on Thursday, April 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of AMETEK from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.00.