Viewray (VRAY) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Friday

Viewray (NASDAQ:VRAY) is scheduled to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Friday, August 3rd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of ($0.21) per share for the quarter.

Viewray (NASDAQ:VRAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 10th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of ($0.20) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $26.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.50 million. Viewray had a negative net margin of 83.09% and a negative return on equity of 1,375.57%. Viewray’s revenue for the quarter was up 2029.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.54) earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Viewray to post $-1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $0 EPS for the next fiscal year.

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Shares of Viewray traded up $0.04, hitting $11.96, during trading on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The company had a trading volume of 41,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,759,789. The company has a current ratio of 3.79, a quick ratio of 3.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $855.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.52 and a beta of 1.21. Viewray has a 52 week low of $4.83 and a 52 week high of $13.21.

VRAY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Viewray from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 4th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Viewray in a research report on Tuesday, July 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $12.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective on shares of Viewray in a research report on Thursday, April 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “buy” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Viewray in a research report on Friday, May 11th. Finally, BidaskClub upgraded shares of Viewray from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $12.10.

In other Viewray news, insider Fmr Llc sold 295,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.08, for a total value of $3,573,868.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 43.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Viewray Company Profile

ViewRay, Inc designs, manufactures and markets MRIdian, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided radiation therapy system to image and treat cancer patients simultaneously. The Company offers radiation therapy technology combined with magnetic resonance imaging. MRIdian integrates MRI technology, radiation delivery and the Company’s software to locate, target and track the position and shape of soft-tissue tumors while radiation is delivered.

Featured Story: Diversification

Contrasting CNX Midstream Partners (CNXM) & National Grid (NGG)

CNX Midstream Partners (NYSE: CNXM) and National Grid (NYSE:NGG) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Earnings & Valuation

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This table compares CNX Midstream Partners and National Grid’s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
CNX Midstream Partners	$233.85 million	5.22	$114.99 million	$1.72	11.15
National Grid	$20.22 billion	1.86	$4.71 billion	$3.93	14.25

National Grid has higher revenue and earnings than CNX Midstream Partners. CNX Midstream Partners is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than National Grid, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

21.4% of CNX Midstream Partners shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 5.4% of National Grid shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares CNX Midstream Partners and National Grid’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CNX Midstream Partners	46.60%	16.46%	12.10%
National Grid	N/A	N/A	N/A

Dividends

CNX Midstream Partners pays an annual dividend of $1.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.8%. National Grid pays an annual dividend of $4.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.3%. CNX Midstream Partners pays out 75.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. National Grid pays out 103.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Volatility & Risk

CNX Midstream Partners has a beta of 1.74, meaning that its share price is 74% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, National Grid has a beta of 0.43, meaning that its share price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for CNX Midstream Partners and National Grid, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CNX Midstream Partners	0	3	4	0	2.57
National Grid	0	4	5	0	2.56

CNX Midstream Partners currently has a consensus target price of $23.57, indicating a potential upside of 22.96%. Given CNX Midstream Partners’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe CNX Midstream Partners is more favorable than National Grid.

Summary

CNX Midstream Partners beats National Grid on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CNX Midstream Partners

CNX Midstream Partners LP owns, operates, develops, and acquires natural gas gathering and other midstream energy assets in the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. As of December 31, 2017, the company operates 18 compression and dehydration facilities. It also operates condensate handling facilities with handling capacities of 2,500 Bbl/d each in Majorsville, Pennsylvania, as well as Moundsville, West Virginia that provide condensate gathering, collection, separation, and stabilization services. CNX Midstream GP LLC serves as a general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as CONE Midstream Partners LP and changed its name to CNX Midstream Partners LP in January 2018. CNX Midstream Partners LP was founded in 2014 and is based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

About National Grid

National Grid plc transmits and distributes electricity and natural gas. It operates through UK Electricity Transmission, UK Gas Transmission, and US Regulated segments. The UK Electricity Transmission segment owns and operates electricity transmission networks, which comprise approximately 7,200 kilometers of overhead lines; 1,500 kilometers of underground cables; and 346 substations located in England and Wales. It also operates the Scottish networks. The UK Gas Transmission segment owns and operates gas transmission systems that include approximately 7,660 kilometers of high pressure pipes and 24 compressor stations connecting 8 distribution networks in Great Britain. The US Regulated segment owns and operates transmission facilities across upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; and electricity distribution networks in upstate New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Its assets comprise 14,293 kilometers of overhead lines; 168 kilometers of underground cables; 387 transmission substations; and 740 distribution substations. This segment also engages in owning and operating gas distribution networks in upstate New York, New York City, Long Island, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The company is also involved in gas metering, property management, liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation terminal, and LNG operations, as well as the operation of Great Britain-France interconnector. National Grid plc was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:MJNA,MDT,CCMP,ARTW,CFI,

Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE:KMB) has provided investors with reliable income increases for decades.

In fact, the company is one of the 51 Dividend Aristocrats, which can all be seen here.

Kimberly-Clark pays one of the safest dividends in the market, yields close to 3%, offers mid-single-digit payout growth and sells recession-resistant products.

All of these investment qualities are appealing for retired investors living on dividends.

Like many other large consumer brand multinationals however, Kimberly-Clark is battling foreign currency headwinds, slower growth in developed markets and an evolving competitive landscape.

Let’s take a closer look at Kimberly-Clark to see why it deserves to be a core position in our Top 20 Dividend Stocks portfolio.

Business overview

Kimberly-Clark has been in business since 1928 and has grown into one of the largest global manufacturers of various tissue and hygiene products.

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2019: Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  If I were to choose two marijuana stocks right off the bat that I'd rather watch from the sidelines and never buy, it'd be medical cannabis company Medical Marijuana Inc. (NASDAQOTH:MJNA) and cannabinoid-based drug developer AXIM Biotechnologies (NASDAQOTH:AXIM). The reason they're listed together is because Medical Marijuana Inc. owns 22.67 million shares of AXIM, which is about 40% of its outstanding share count. Their futures really are tied together.

• [By ]

  Cronos was the first cannabis company to trade on NASDAQ, but the first American cannabis company to do it was Medical Marijuana Inc. (MJNA) . Developing legal cannabidiol (CBD) products made from hemp, Medical Marijuana Inc. had a major increase in sales from 2016 to 2017 and has begun looking into an expansion into international markets. Like with Aurora, these expenses have meant that it's not making much of a profit. With encouraging signs and warning signs each abounding, it comes down to whether you think this could be worth the risk.

• [By Javier Hasse]

  Medical Marijuana Inc (OTC: MJNA) announced Q1 2018 as its largest sales revenue quarter in company history with a year-over-year gross revenue increase of 191 percent. Revenue exceeded $10.5 million. The company also announced its subsidiary Kannaway has partnered with Christian Okoye, former all-time rushing leader for the Kansas City Chiefs, to speak out on why the NFL should consider allowing its players to take cannabidiol (CBD). He’s stopped taking all pain medications and is now only taking CBD.

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2019: Medtronic plc(MDT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and Abbott Labs (NYSE:ABT) are massive companies with their corporate fingers in many different markets. However, each has recently launched revolutionary diabetes devices that are changing how doctors care for their patients. Are these two stocks buys?

• [By Max Byerly]

  Medtronic PLC (NYSE:MDT) SVP Bradley E. Lerman sold 8,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.82, for a total transaction of $773,566.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

• [By Max Byerly]

  KBC Group NV boosted its position in Medtronic PLC (NYSE:MDT) by 2.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 655,442 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,628 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Medtronic were worth $52,580,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  IBM Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of Medtronic PLC (NYSE:MDT) by 9.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,446 shares of the medical technology company’s stock after selling 3,523 shares during the quarter. IBM Retirement Fund’s holdings in Medtronic were worth $2,603,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  That's the basic business model behind the two companies in today's match-up: surgical robot maker�Intuitive Surgical�(NASDAQ:ISRG) and medical device maker�Medtronic�(NYSE:MDT). If you're interested in investing in this field, the question becomes: Which is the better stock to buy at today's prices?

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2019: Cabot Microelectronics Corporation(CCMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  News coverage about Cabot Microelectronics (NASDAQ:CCMP) has been trending somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment. Accern identifies positive and negative press coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Cabot Microelectronics earned a daily sentiment score of 0.03 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news stories about the semiconductor company an impact score of 46.640513544039 out of 100, meaning that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near term.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Shares of Cabot Microelectronics Co. (NASDAQ:CCMP) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $112.25.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Cabot Microelectronics Co. (NASDAQ:CCMP) have received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $114.80.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Cabot Microelectronics (NASDAQ: CCMP) and Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings and dividends.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Cabot Microelectronics (CCMP)

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

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2019: Art's-Way Manufacturing Co., Inc.(ARTW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) shares jumped 113.5 percent to $0.6737 after the California Department of Pesticide Regulation proposed to register the company's ContraPest for sale and use in California. AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: UAVS) shares rose 35.34 percent to close at $3.32. Art's-Way Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: ARTW) shares gained 30.36 percent to $3.65. Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: XTNT) shares jumped 25.6 percent to $7.4701 after the company disclosed that it has received the FDA clearance for InTice™-C Porous Titanium Cervical Interbody System. VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY) shares surged 20 percent to $2.495. TransGlobe Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: TGA) surged 17.04 percent to $2.61. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) gained 15 percent to $8.32 after the company announced an exclusive partnership with Multi Touch Interactives to strengthen the development of next generation interactive educational activities. Arcimoto, Inc. (NASDAQ: FUV) gained 15 percent to $3.39. MB Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBFI) rose 13.7 percent to $49.64. Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) agreed to acquire MB Financial for $54.70 per share in cash and stock. FRONTEO, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTEO) shares rose 11.8 percent to $20.956. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) shares jumped 11.1 percent to $3.38. 21Vianet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNET) rose 10.6 percent to $7.41. NII Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NIHD) shares gained 9 percent to $2.32. Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) rose 7.6 percent to $24.19. Northcoast Research upgraded Kelly Services from Neutral to Buy. LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) shares climbed 5.6 percent to $33.70. Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) will buy LaSalle Hotel Properties in a $4.8 billion deal, Bloomberg reported. Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE: AYX) gained 5.5 percent to $32.56. KeyBanc upgraded Alteryx from Sector Weight to Overweight. Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) shares surged 296.07 percent to close at $1.25 on Monday after the California Department of Pesticide Regulation proposed to register the company's ContraPest for sale and use in California. AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: UAVS) shares gained 19.59 percent to close at $2.93. TransGlobe Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: TGA) rose 18.39 percent to close at $2.64 on Monday. Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOS) shares gained 15.91 percent to close at $2.55. VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY) shares jumped 14.9 percent to close at $2.39. Resonant Inc. (NASDAQ: RESN) climbed 13.96 percent to close at $4.49. Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) shares rose 13.55 percent to close at $4.61 on Monday. Lilis Energy, Inc. (NYSE: LLEX) surged 13.09 percent to close at $5.01. MB Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBFI) gained 12.9 percent to close at $49.28. Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) agreed to acquire MB Financial for $54.70 per share in cash and stock. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) shares rose 12.83 percent to close at $3.43. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) jumped 12.52 percent to close at $57.86 on Reports that it has reached a deal with Fox for Its 'Smackdown Live' program. Eastman Kodak Company (NASDAQ: KODK) rose 12.38 percent to close at $5.90. NuCana plc (NASDAQ: NCNA) climbed 11.94 percent to close at $26.44. NuCana appointed Dr. Cyrille Leperlier to its Board as an independent non-executive Director. Aqua Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AQMS) rose 11.83 percent to close at $3.97 on Monday. Huami Corporation (NYSE: HMI) shares jumped 11.27 percent to close at $10.17 following Q1 results. 21Vianet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNET) gained 9.55 percent to close at $7.34. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) rose 8.56 percent to close at $7.86 after the company announced an exclusive partnership with Multi Touch Interactives to strengthen the de

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2019: Culp, Inc.(CFI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Cofound.it (CURRENCY:CFI) traded down 2.1% against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 21:00 PM Eastern on May 12th. In the last week, Cofound.it has traded down 21% against the U.S. dollar. One Cofound.it token can currently be purchased for about $0.0769 or 0.00000911 BTC on major exchanges including Liqui, IDEX, HitBTC and Upbit. Cofound.it has a total market capitalization of $25.01 million and approximately $314,252.00 worth of Cofound.it was traded on exchanges in the last day.

eBay Stock Dips On Q2 Revenue Miss, Low Top-Line Guidance

eBay (EBAY ) just released its second-quarter financial results, posting adjusted earnings of $0.53 per share and revenues of $2.64 billion.

EBay is currently a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), which is subject to change based on today’s results. Shares of eBay are up just 2.7% over the last year and have sunk over 8% in the last 12 weeks. EBay stock popped 0.37% on Wednesday to hit $37.95 per share prior to the release of its Q2 earnings results.

EBay stock is currently down 2.16% to $37.13 per share in after-hours trading shortly after its earnings report was released.

EBAY:

Beat earnings estimates. The company posted adjusted earnings of $0.53 per share, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.51 per share. Investors should note that this consensus projection has trended downward over the duration of the quarter.

Missed revenue estimates. The company saw revenue figures of $2.64 billion, missing our consensus estimate of $2.67 billion.

EBay’s Q1 revenues jumped roughly 9% from the year-ago period. The company’s active buyers popped by 4%, to close the quarter with a total of 175 million global active buyers. Meanwhile, the online seller’s quarterly earnings climbed 17% from $0.45 per share.

Looking ahead to the third quarter, eBay expects to post adjusted earnings in the range of $0.54 to $0.56 per share, which falls in line with our current estimate of $0.56 per share. The company said it expects Q3 revenue between $2.64 billion and $2.69 billion, falling below our $2.73 billion estimate.

For the full-year, eBay now expects to post adjusted earnings between $2.28 and $2.32 per share, with the high side coming in above out current $2.28 estimate. Meanwhile, eBay expects full-year revenue ranging from $10.75 billion to $10.85 billion, which comes in below our $10.97 billion estimate.

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

eBay Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

eBay Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | eBay Inc. Quote

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

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Hot Medical Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:CCU,MHF,LSI,KTOV,HCOM,HMTV, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced the leader of their new health care company.

Dr. Atul Gawande, a renowned surgeon and writer, has been named CEO of the new health care venture.

Gawande practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and is a professor at Harvard Medical School. He's a staff writer for The New Yorker and has written four New York Times bestsellers.

Amazon's (AMZN) Jeff Bezos, Berkshire's (BRKA) Warren Buffett and JPMorgan's (JPM) Jamie Dimon announced the venture earlier this year to give their employees better options on health care.

Dr. Atul Gawande will lead Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase's new health care venture.

"Jamie, Jeff and I are confident that we have found in Atul the leader who will get this important job done," Buffett said in an announcement Tuesday.

Hot Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Compania Cervecerias Unidas, S.A.(CCU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Beverage stocks have been a hit-or-miss proposition in the U.S., both for megabrewers and for smaller players in the craft beer, spirits, and soft drink industries. But there are plenty of opportunities internationally to invest in the companies that produce drinks. In Chile, Compania Cervecerias Unidas (NYSE:CCU) produces beer, wine, and soft drinks for several South American countries, and after having seen a slow period to finish 2017, CCU had hoped to find ways to bounce back to start the new year.

• [By Max Byerly]

  News coverage about Compania Cervecerias Unidas, S.A. Common Stock (NYSE:CCU) has trended somewhat positive this week, according to Accern. The research group identifies negative and positive media coverage by monitoring more than 20 million news and blog sources. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Compania Cervecerias Unidas, S.A. Common Stock earned a news sentiment score of 0.06 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media stories about the company an impact score of 45.6257635339829 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.

Hot Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Western Asset Municipal High Income Fund, Inc.(MHF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Vivaldi Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Western Asset Municipal (NYSE:MHF) by 64.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,646 shares during the quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LLC owned about 0.15% of Western Asset Municipal worth $231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Hot Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Life Storage, Inc. (LSI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Life Storage Inc (NYSE:LSI) – Investment analysts at Jefferies Group lifted their FY2018 EPS estimates for shares of Life Storage in a note issued to investors on Monday, June 4th. Jefferies Group analyst G. Hoglund now anticipates that the real estate investment trust will earn $5.38 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $5.34. Jefferies Group has a “Hold” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Group also issued estimates for Life Storage’s FY2019 earnings at $5.57 EPS.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Life Storage, Inc. (NYSE:LSI) President Kenneth F. Myszka sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.02, for a total value of $910,200.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Life Storage (NYSE: LSI) is one of 233 public companies in the “Real estate investment trusts” industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare Life Storage to similar businesses based on the strength of its profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk and earnings.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Life Storage (LSI)

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

Hot Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Kitov Pharamceuticals Holdings Ltd.(KTOV)

Advisors' Opinion:

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

  Ardelyx (NASDAQ: ARDX) and KITOV PHARMA LT/S (NASDAQ:KTOV) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and dividends.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Nevro Corp. (NASDAQ: NVRO) fell 11.6 percent to $81.58 in pre-market trading after reporting wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) shares fell 8.3 percent to $20.33 in pre-market trading after the company reported a wider-than-expected loss for its first quarter. Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) fell 7.5 percent to $51.74 in pre-market trading. Zillow reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter, but issued weak sales guidance for the second quarter. Sanchez Energy Corporation (NYSE: SN) fell 7.2 percent to $3.11 in pre-market trading after reporting wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) shares fell 5.5 percent to $4.14 in pre-market trading after rising 11.17 percent on Monday. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) fell 5.1 percent to $95.00 in pre-market trading. Albemarle declared a quarterly dividend of $0.335 per share. Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM) fell 4.8 percent to $23.80 in pre-market trading. Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA) fell 4.5 percent to $57.14 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Kitov Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ: KTOV) shares fell 4.3 percent to $2.25 in pre-market trading after gaining 1.73 percent on Monday. 51job, Inc. (NASDAQ: JOBS) shares fell 4.2 percent to $93 in pre-market trading after rising 3.55 percent on Monday
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) rose 28.8 percent to $4.03 in pre-market trading after the company disclosed that it has received the FDA clearance for expanded indications for its Senhance Surgical System. Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: ENT) rose 15.6 percent to $2.30 in pre-market trading. Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição (NYSE: CBD) rose 13.2 percent to $24.20 in pre-market trading. ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO) rose 12.2 percent to $21.65 in pre-market trading. Alibaba and Cainiao agreed to make strategic investment in ZTO Express of $1.38 billion. DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX) rose 10.8 percent to $2.05 in pre-market trading. Momo Inc. (NASDAQ: MOMO) shares rose 9.6 percent to $42.68 in pre-market trading after the company reported better-than-expected results for its first quarter and issued strong sales forecast for the second quarter. Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: XENE) shares rose 9.1 percent to $6.00 in pre-market trading. Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ: OLED) rose 8.4 percent to $108.00 in pre-market trading. Jupai Holdings Limited (NYSE: JP) shares rose 7 percent to $24.50 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: UEPS) rose 5.9 percent to $10.61 in pre-market trading. Frontline Ltd. (NYSE: FRO) rose 5.9 percent to $5.04 in pre-market trading. Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ: EVGN) rose 5.5 percent to $3.27 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) rose 5.5 percent to $3.68 in pre-market trading after gaining 5.44 percent on Friday. Kitov Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ: KTOV) shares rose 5.4 percent to $2.16 in pre-market trading.

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

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Acacia Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACIA) shares rose 18.3 percent to $37.25 in pre-market trading after gaining 1.74 percent on Friday. Kitov Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ: KTOV) rose 12.1 percent to $2.69 in pre-market trading after surging 4.80 percent on Friday. NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) rose 10.9 percent to $109.75 in pre-market trading after Bloomberg reported that the China’s Commerce Ministry has restarted its review of QUALCOMM Incorporated’s (NASDAQ: QCOM) proposed takeover of NXP Semiconductors. Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGI) rose 10.6 percent to $15.20 in pre-market trading. Renewable Energy will replace Synchronoss Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR) in the S&P SmallCap 600 on Tuesday, May 15. NeoPhotonics Corporation (NYSE: NPTN) rose 10 percent to $6.40 in pre-market trading. Vaxart, Inc. (NASDAQ: VXRT) shares rose 8 percent to $5.54 in pre-market trading after gaining 2.19 percent on Friday. Profire Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: PFIE) rose 7.3 percent to $4.58 in pre-market trading after gaining 6.22 percent on Friday. Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) rose 7 percent to $22.49 in pre-market trading after falling 1.96 percent on Friday. Oclaro, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR) shares rose 6.9 percent to $9.16 in pre-market trading. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) rose 5.7 percent to $2.24 in pre-market trading after gaining 3.92 percent on Friday. CVR Refining, LP (NYSE: CVRR) rose 5.4 percent to $19.70 in pre-market trading. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (NYSE: AGM) rose 5.2 percent to $92.95 in pre-market trading. International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT) rose 5.2 percent to $29.94 in pre-market trading. Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LITE) shares rose 5.1 percent to $66.30 in the pre-market trading session. Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: UEPS) shares rose 5 percent to $10.70 in pre-market trading after climbing 15.66 percent on Friday. Finisar

Hot Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc.(HCOM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  News coverage about Hawaiian Telcom HoldCo (NASDAQ:HCOM) has been trending somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group identifies positive and negative news coverage by monitoring more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Hawaiian Telcom HoldCo earned a news impact score of 0.06 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media coverage about the utilities provider an impact score of 46.776618457707 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the near future.

Hot Medical Stocks To Own For 2019: Hemisphere Media Group, Inc.(HMTV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  BidaskClub downgraded shares of Hemisphere Media Group (NASDAQ:HMTV) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  News headlines about Hemisphere Media Group (NASDAQ:HMTV) have trended somewhat positive on Sunday, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group ranks the sentiment of news coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Hemisphere Media Group earned a news sentiment score of 0.14 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned headlines about the company an impact score of 46.3165791270916 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the immediate future.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Media stories about Hemisphere Media Group (NASDAQ:HMTV) have trended somewhat positive recently, Accern reports. The research firm ranks the sentiment of news coverage by reviewing more than twenty million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Hemisphere Media Group earned a daily sentiment score of 0.16 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media coverage about the company an impact score of 46.2580984034566 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the next few days.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Hemisphere Media Group Inc (NASDAQ:HMTV) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $13.45 and last traded at $13.40, with a volume of 2506 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.10.

Zacks: Analysts Anticipate Lennox International Inc. (LII) to Announce $3.54 EPS

Brokerages predict that Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII) will report earnings of $3.54 per share for the current quarter, Zacks reports. Sixteen analysts have made estimates for Lennox International’s earnings. The lowest EPS estimate is $3.42 and the highest is $3.63. Lennox International reported earnings per share of $2.83 during the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year over year growth rate of 25.1%. The company is expected to issue its next earnings report before the market opens on Monday, July 23rd.

On average, analysts expect that Lennox International will report full-year earnings of $10.12 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $9.85 to $10.26. For the next fiscal year, analysts forecast that the firm will report earnings of $11.45 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $10.87 to $11.75. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that that provide coverage for Lennox International.

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Lennox International (NYSE:LII) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.05. Lennox International had a negative return on equity of 14,731.92% and a net margin of 7.73%. The firm had revenue of $834.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $805.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. TheStreet cut Lennox International from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Co raised their price target on Lennox International from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $210.00 price target (down previously from $218.00) on shares of Lennox International in a report on Tuesday, April 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Lennox International in a research report on Wednesday, June 27th. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Lennox International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $209.38.

In other news, Director John E. Major sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,145 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Todd M. Bluedorn sold 48,340 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.71, for a total value of $9,895,681.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 125,320 shares in the company, valued at $25,654,257.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 55,408 shares of company stock worth $11,357,922 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LII. Riverbridge Partners LLC bought a new position in Lennox International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,017,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Lennox International by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,641,718 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $744,259,000 after acquiring an additional 103,287 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management Inc. grew its position in Lennox International by 64.1% during the 4th quarter. Fred Alger Management Inc. now owns 189,182 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,399,000 after acquiring an additional 73,865 shares during the last quarter. OppenheimerFunds Inc. grew its position in Lennox International by 41.0% during the 1st quarter. OppenheimerFunds Inc. now owns 190,910 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,016,000 after acquiring an additional 55,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interval Partners LP bought a new position in Lennox International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,219,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.16% of the company’s stock.

Shares of NYSE:LII traded up $3.04 on Friday, hitting $214.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 307,668. Lennox International has a 1 year low of $160.18 and a 1 year high of $223.05. The stock has a market cap of $8.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.09, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of -12.26.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 29th will be given a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 28th. This is a positive change from Lennox International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Lennox International’s dividend payout ratio is 32.32%.

Lennox International Company Profile

Lennox International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides climate control solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It designs, manufactures, and markets a range of products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets. The company operates in three segments: Residential Heating & Cooling, Commercial Heating & Cooling, and Refrigeration.

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Lennox International (LII)

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

TCS' shares trade higher ahead of Q1 earnings

Shares of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) were higher around a percent ahead of its results which will be declared in the day.

The stock has touched an intraday high of Rs 1,900.00 and an intraday low of Rs 1,872.60.

In the quarter ended March 31, TCS reported above company-average growth in all its verticals except BFSI, but CEO Rajesh Gopinathan had said the company was more ��optimistic�� about the vertical in this financial year.

Analysts will watch for commentary on the demand outlook for calendar 2018 budgets, especially for BFS.

��However, keenly watched will be the commentary on BFS recovery, green shoots of which were cited in the previous quarter,�� said analysts at Motilal Oswal in a note to clients.

Kotak Institutional Equities also expects ��all verticals, barring banking, will report healthy growth��.

The company also said that in last quarter margin could remain at 26-28 percent, but given increasing protectionism, onsite investments, wage hikes and visa costs, analysts will also look for commentary on how the company plans to maintain its forecast. Most brokerages expect the margin impact to be partially offset by rupee depreciation.

At 10:08 hrs Tata Consultancy Services was quoting at Rs 1,889.05, up Rs 1.40, or 0.07 percent. First Published on Jul 10, 2018 10:14 am

Forbes - Investing Information and Investing News - Forbes.com","description":"Forbes is a leading s

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image shutterstock size-large wp-image-701045749&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/701045749/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;576&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Shutterstock

When you don&s;t have clear disclosure of buyers and sellers, this is a perennial problem. Who is behind big gains and losses when you don&s;t know all of the players and what they&s;re up to?

That&s;s been a nagging question in the cryptocurrency markets. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has &l;a href=&q;https://www.coindesk.com/cftc-demands-crypto-exchange-data-in-market-investigation/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;opened an investigation&l;/a&g; into whether some of the &l;a href=&q;https://cointelegraph.com/news/all-of-top-100-cryptocurrencies-see-red-amidst-cftc-price-manipulation-probe&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;largest crypto exchanges&l;/a&g; are being manipulated.&a;nbsp; According to &l;a href=&q;https://www.coindesk.com/cftc-demands-crypto-exchange-data-in-market-investigation/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Coindesk&l;/a&g;:

&q;According to that report, the government agencies are investigating traders that may have influenced the bitcoin market through old-school tactics such as sending large numbers of fake orders.&q;

Market manipulators have always been present as long as there have been markets. Decades ago the Hunt brothers attempted to corner the &l;a href=&q;https://www.investopedia.com/articles/optioninvestor/09/silver-thursday-hunt-brothers.asp&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;silver market&l;/a&g; (but failed). In the late 19th Century, various &q;plungers&q; tried to control railroad stock prices.

Not only are there shenanigans with crypto buyers and sellers, hackers are in on the game. The&l;a href=&q;https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-price-dips-two-month-low-7k/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g; price of Bitcoin dropped $500&l;/a&g; in a single hour last month as the South Korean government announced a possible breach in the crypto exchange Coinrail. That translated into a $46 billion loss in market value for the digital currency.

Although cryptos are designed to allow anyone access to decentralized currencies, they have been attracting hackers from across the world. Hackers stole some $500 million from the Japanese exchange &l;a href=&q;https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/1482833/cryptocurrencies-lose-46-billion-after-s-korean-bourse-hack&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Coincheck&l;/a&g; in January.

It will be some time before regulators can figure out the best way to address market mischief. Several agencies across the world are working on this problem now.

&l;!--nextpage--&g; In the interim, cast a gimlet eye on cryptos, but keep a close watch on the &l;a href=&q;https://hackernoon.com/top-10-blockchain-technology-companies-cc1666c9da7e&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;major blockchain developers&l;/a&g;. The underlying technology behind cryptos may be the big winner, but, like most investments, it may take some time to achieve a solid, sustainable return.

Which companies will be the next Google, Apple or Facebook in blockchain? It&s;s hard to say since the industry is so young. Just keep your powder dry and don&s;t load up on cryptos. The real investments are still out there.

&a;nbsp;&l;/p&g;

Gladstone Investment (GAIN) Given News Sentiment Score of 0.18

Media stories about Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ:GAIN) have been trending somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment. The research firm ranks the sentiment of news coverage by analyzing more than twenty million news and blog sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Gladstone Investment earned a daily sentiment score of 0.18 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news stories about the investment management company an impact score of 45.8551696568279 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the immediate future.

Several research analysts have weighed in on GAIN shares. BidaskClub raised shares of Gladstone Investment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 23rd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Gladstone Investment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, May 18th. Finally, ValuEngine cut shares of Gladstone Investment from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $11.33.

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Shares of Gladstone Investment traded down $0.13, hitting $11.92, during mid-day trading on Friday, according to MarketBeat.com. 117,477 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 189,390. Gladstone Investment has a 52 week low of $9.00 and a 52 week high of $12.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $390.26 million, a PE ratio of 14.54 and a beta of 0.53.

Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ:GAIN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 15th. The investment management company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.02. Gladstone Investment had a net margin of 104.00% and a return on equity of 7.64%. The company had revenue of $15.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.88 million. sell-side analysts forecast that Gladstone Investment will post 0.79 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 6th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 5th. This represents a dividend yield of 7.69%. Gladstone Investment’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.56%.

About Gladstone Investment

Gladstone Investment Corporation is a business development company specializing in buyouts; recapitalizations; refinancing existing debt; senior debt securities such as senior loans, senior term loans, lines of credit, and senior notes; senior subordinated debt securities such as senior subordinated loans and senior subordinated notes; junior subordinated debt securities such as subordinated notes and mezzanine loans; limited liability company interests, and warrants or options.

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Takes Position in Orbital ATK (OA)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Orbital ATK (NYSE:OA) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,344 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $178,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its position in Orbital ATK by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 64,338 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,460,000 after purchasing an additional 28,289 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Orbital ATK by 157.2% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 779,120 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $102,451,000 after purchasing an additional 476,167 shares during the period. Ascend Capital LLC acquired a new position in Orbital ATK during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,261,000. Profund Advisors LLC lifted its position in Orbital ATK by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 7,154 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $941,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares during the period. Finally, Koch Industries Inc. lifted its position in Orbital ATK by 195.9% during the 4th quarter. Koch Industries Inc. now owns 145,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $19,068,000 after purchasing an additional 96,000 shares during the period. 80.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Get Orbital ATK alerts:

Shares of NYSE:OA opened at $134.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of -0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.68. Orbital ATK has a fifty-two week low of $95.84 and a fifty-two week high of $134.59.

Orbital ATK (NYSE:OA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The aerospace company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. Orbital ATK had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 19.90%. Orbital ATK’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. analysts forecast that Orbital ATK will post 6.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on OA. ValuEngine downgraded shares of Orbital ATK from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 2nd. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Orbital ATK in a research report on Thursday, June 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $129.58.

About Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK, Inc develops and produces aerospace and defense related products to the U.S. Government, allied nations, prime contractors, and other customers in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Flight Systems Group, Defense Systems Group, and Space Systems Group.

Boeing Grabs Another Big Widebody Order

In 2017, Boeing (NYSE:BA) saw a somewhat surprising uptick in order activity�after entering the year with modest expectations. The Boeing sales team is off to a great start in 2018, as well. By the end of May, the company had received 306 net orders for commercial jets�compared to 205 during the same period in 2017.

Recently, Boeing has been particularly successful in selling widebodies -- the larger dual-aisle aircraft that typically serve longer international routes. This is a market segment that Boeing had expected to remain weak until around 2020.

Widebody order activity has bounced back for Boeing this year. Image source: Boeing.

Last week, Boeing continued its impressive run of success in the widebody market. This time, it secured orders for 24 widebody freighters from package-delivery giant FedEx (NYSE:FDX).

Turning things around in the widebody market

Boeing currently builds four different widebody aircraft types: the four-engine 747 jumbo jet, the small 767 (mainly used as a freighter today), the large twin-engine 777, and the popular 787 Dreamliner. Across these four aircraft families, Boeing brought in more than 300 net firm orders in both 2013 and 2014, driven by new versions of the 777 and 787.

However, a combination of factors caused sales to slump after 2014. Boeing captured 180 net firm orders for widebodies in 2015 and just 118 in 2016. Sales started to pick up again in 2017, but widebody order activity remained quite low compared to the 2013-2014 boom years, with 167 net firm orders.

Boeing's widebody sales momentum has accelerated in 2018. In the first five months of the year, the company locked down 113 net firm widebody orders, including major deals with the likes of American Airlines, United Parcel Service, and Turkish Airlines. Considering that aircraft orders tend to be weighted toward the second half of the year, this puts Boeing on track for a spectacular performance in 2018.

FedEx orders up even more new planes

On Tuesday, Boeing announced an order for 24 widebody freighters from FedEx consisting of 12 767s and 12 777s. These aircraft will help FedEx replace older, less-efficient aircraft and accommodate future growth.

FedEx agreed to buy another 24 widebody freighters last week. Image source: Boeing.

FedEx already operates both of these aircraft types, with 57 767Fs and 34 777Fs in its fleet as of the end of May. Additionally, prior to placing this new order, FedEx already had another 70 Boeing widebody freighters scheduled for delivery in the coming years.

The additional 767s that FedEx ordered all will be delivered by May 2022. FedEx has become a big fan of the 767 over the past few years, so it's taking advantage of Boeing's decision to increase production of that aircraft type from 2.5 per month to three per month in 2020.

With the exception of two incremental 777s scheduled for delivery in fiscal 2021, all of the 777 freighters ordered last week will be delivered in fiscal 2023 and thereafter. Thus, the FedEx deal will have a limited impact on keeping the 777 line busy until production of the next-generation 777X ramps up. That said, Boeing and FedEx have routinely moved orders around in recent years. The two companies might strike a deal to accelerate some 777 deliveries, if needed.

More widebody orders could come soon

After Boeing adds the FedEx deal to its firm order book, it will have picked up 137 net firm orders in 2018 (assuming no further cancellations). That would already be more than it received in all of 2016.

Furthermore, Boeing is likely to win more widebody orders next month at the Farnborough Airshow, the largest industry trade show of the year. It already has some sizable commitments that could soon be converted into firm orders, including a deal for 40 787-10s with Emirates and a commitment for 10 787-9s from Hawaiian Holdings.

Several other airlines are mulling 787 Dreamliner orders, as well. That includes major customers such as United Continental and British Airways parent International Airlines Group, along with Saudi discount airline flynas.

Considering all of these potential deals -- plus others that may not have been reported -- Boeing could conceivably have around 250 net widebody orders for the year by the end of July. This surge in orders should give investors confidence that Boeing will be able to stick to its current production plans and continue to grow free cash flow over the next five years and beyond.

Buy Century Plyboards; target of Rs 341: Edelweiss

Edelweiss' research report on Century Plyboards

Century Plyboards (CPBI) reported a dismal Q4FY18. Muted volume growth in plywood (8% YoY) and margin pressure in non-plywood categories, primarily due to forex loss, led to EBITDA and PAT missing estimates 16% and 33%, respectively. The quarter��s numbers were dented by forex loss (INR70mn) and the unorganised sector gaining market share in the absence of E-way bill.

Outlook

We believe, CPBI will be key beneficiary of demand shift from unorganised to organised players riding strong branding, widening distribution reach, growing share of mid-end plywood brand Sainik and ensured raw material security. However, to factor in the near-term weak environment, we revise our FY19/20E EPS down 24%/23%, respectively. We reiterate ��BUY�� with revised TP of INR341 (INR442 earlier) based on 27x FY20E EPS.

For all recommendations report,�click here

related news Buy Balkrishna Industries; target of Rs 1313: Edelweiss Buy Orient Refractories; target of Rs 208: Edelweiss Buy Quess Corp; target of Rs 1315: Edelweiss

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

Read More First Published on May 29, 2018 06:05 pm

Maxar Technologies (MAXR) Expected to Post Quarterly Sales of $556.15 Million

Equities analysts expect that Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) will post $556.15 million in sales for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Two analysts have provided estimates for Maxar Technologies’ earnings. The lowest sales estimate is $548.30 million and the highest is $564.00 million. Maxar Technologies posted sales of $374.45 million during the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year-over-year growth rate of 48.5%. The business is expected to report its next earnings results on Thursday, July 26th.

On average, analysts expect that Maxar Technologies will report full-year sales of $2.23 billion for the current year, with estimates ranging from $2.22 billion to $2.25 billion. For the next financial year, analysts forecast that the business will report sales of $2.32 billion per share. Zacks Investment Research’s sales calculations are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that follow Maxar Technologies.

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Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 9th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $557.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $544.40 million. Maxar Technologies had a net margin of 6.65% and a return on equity of 10.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 49.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share.

Several research analysts have commented on MAXR shares. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Maxar Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Maxar Technologies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Canaccord Genuity reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Maxar Technologies in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Maxar Technologies from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, National Bank Financial decreased their price target on shares of Maxar Technologies from $70.85 to $60.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Maxar Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $64.00.

NYSE MAXR traded up $0.44 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $48.80. The company had a trading volume of 137,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 207,755. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. Maxar Technologies has a one year low of $42.11 and a one year high of $67.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion and a PE ratio of 22.91.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.288 per share. This represents a $1.15 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 14th. Maxar Technologies’s payout ratio is 54.93%.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MAXR. CIBC World Markets Inc. boosted its position in Maxar Technologies by 72.4% during the first quarter. CIBC World Markets Inc. now owns 358,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,601,000 after purchasing an additional 150,703 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Maxar Technologies by 52.6% during the first quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 5,095 shares during the last quarter. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its position in Maxar Technologies by 35.5% during the first quarter. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 45,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,681,000 after purchasing an additional 11,800 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Maxar Technologies by 688.6% during the first quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 15,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 13,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elk Creek Partners LLC boosted its position in Maxar Technologies by 48.1% during the first quarter. Elk Creek Partners LLC now owns 298,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,806,000 after purchasing an additional 96,931 shares during the last quarter. 74.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Maxar Technologies

Maxar Technologies Ltd., a space and geospatial intelligence company, provides satellites, earth imagery, geospatial data, and analytics for the commercial and government customers worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Space Systems, Imagery, and Services. The Space Systems segment supplies space and ground based infrastructure and information solutions, including communication and imaging satellites, payloads and antenna subsystems, space-based and airborne surveillance solutions, and associated ground infrastructure and support services for communications and surveillance and intelligence applications.

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$1.16 EPS Expected for Dell Technologies (DVMT) This Quarter

Brokerages forecast that Dell Technologies (NYSE:DVMT) will post earnings of $1.16 per share for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks reports. Zero analysts have issued estimates for Dell Technologies’ earnings. Dell Technologies reported earnings of $1.12 per share during the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year over year growth rate of 3.6%. The business is expected to report its next quarterly earnings report before the market opens on Monday, June 4th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Dell Technologies will report full year earnings of $5.76 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $5.40 to $6.11. For the next fiscal year, analysts forecast that the firm will post earnings of $6.39 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $5.90 to $6.87. Zacks’ EPS calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that follow Dell Technologies.

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Dell Technologies (NYSE:DVMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 8th. The company reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.75. The firm had revenue of $21.94 billion during the quarter. Dell Technologies had a positive return on equity of 23.17% and a negative net margin of 4.74%.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DVMT. Zacks Investment Research cut Dell Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 14th. ValuEngine cut Dell Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut Dell Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Co began coverage on Dell Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank began coverage on Dell Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $101.00.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Accident Compensation Corp boosted its holdings in Dell Technologies by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. Accident Compensation Corp now owns 44,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,639,000 after buying an additional 6,805 shares during the last quarter. BBT Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Dell Technologies by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. BBT Capital Management LLC now owns 195,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,857,000 after buying an additional 48,902 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in Dell Technologies by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 68,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,596,000 after buying an additional 3,466 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Dell Technologies by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 432,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,141,000 after buying an additional 13,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dalton Investments LLC bought a new position in Dell Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $3,081,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 22.55% of the company’s stock.

Shares of DVMT stock opened at $82.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.94, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.40, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of -0.45. Dell Technologies has a 12 month low of $59.92 and a 12 month high of $92.40.

About Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies Inc designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. It operates through three segments: Client Solutions Group (CSG), Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), and VMware. The CSG segment offers hardware, such as desktop personal computers, notebooks, and workstations; and branded peripherals, including monitors and projectors; third-party software and peripherals; and attached software, peripherals, and services comprising support and deployment, configuration, and extended warranty services.

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Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:TIVO,MKSI,SJW,SYKE,CDE,LFC,

It would be fair to say biotech has had an interesting time of it over the course of the past 15 months. Except, of course, that biotech always has an interesting time of it. The go big or go home sector of the market attracts speculators, scientists, and unsavory characters, but also attracts people hoping for critical improvements to their healthcare options.

With a lot of sentiment and sometimes too little information, it can be hard to find an edge. Throw in the political questions stemming from stories like Valeant (NYSE:VRX), Sarepta (NASDAQ:SRPT), and Mylan (NASDAQ:MYL), and the interesting times don't appear likely to go away.

With an assist from SA Managing Editor (and CFA) Mike Taylor, we asked a few authors who focus on the biotech sector to tell us which way they think the winds might blow.

Our panel:

Bret Jensen, author of The Biotech Forum ONeil Trader, author of Growth Stock Forum Bhavneesh Sharma, author of Vasuda Healthcare Analytics Chris Lau, author of Value Stocks for DIY Investors Alexander J. Poulos, author of Undervalued Gems Wall Street Titan, author of Stem Cell Sector News and Analysis

Seeking Alpha: Investors are aware of headline political risk this year, but there's also some regulator level confusion. On one hand, we have a recent approval decision on a six-figure drug from Sarepta with controversy over efficacy, to put it mildly. On the other hand, there's uproar over the EpiPen, which some argue is expensive but at least is acknowledged to work. How are you evaluating the FDA's and regulators' posture relative to industry?

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: TiVo Inc.(TIVO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

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

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Companies Reporting After The Bell NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $1.45 per share on revenue of $2.89 billion. News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWSA) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.07 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion. Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.39 per share on revenue of $1.19 billion. Pilgrim's Pride Corporation (NASDAQ: PPC) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $2.65 billion. Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.38 per share on revenue of $556.81 million. Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $1.01 per share on revenue of $383.37 million. Flowserve Corporation (NYSE: FLS) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.27 per share on revenue of $880.89 million. Civitas Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CIVI) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.12 per share on revenue of $396.25 million. The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTD) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.1 per share on revenue of $73.23 million. Amdocs Limited (NYSE: DOX) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.95 per share on revenue of $980.50 million. Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP) is estimated to post quarterly loss at $0.04 per share on revenue of $220.14 million. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: KLIC) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.43 per share on revenue of $210.01 million. TiVo Corporation (NASDAQ: TIVO) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $198.62 million. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE: RBA) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.17 per share on revenue of $153.87 million. Uniti Group Inc. (NASDAQ: UNIT) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.01 per share on revenue of $247.16 million. Jagged Peak En

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: MKS Instruments, Inc.(MKSI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Peter Hanley sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.70, for a total transaction of $28,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,241 shares in the company, valued at $368,501.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Director Richard S. Chute sold 1,988 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.75, for a total value of $220,171.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,118,907.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: SJW Corporation(SJW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) shares gained 86.76 percent to close at $11.00 on Thursday. Comstock Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CRK) shares climbed 47.06 percent to close at $7.00 after the company disclosed a deal with Arkoma Drilling L.P. and Williston Drilling, L.P. to buy oil & gas properties in North Dakota. Comstock announced withdrawal of tender offers for outstanding secured notes. Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: CDAY) gained 41.86 percent to close at $31.21. MarineMax, Inc. (NYSE: HZO) shares rose 26.5 percent to close at $22.20 as the company posted upbeat Q2 results and raised its FY18 outlook. Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited (NYSE: CCM) jumped 24.92 percent to close at $4.06. Mattersight Corporation (NASDAQ: MATR) shares climbed 23.26 percent to close at $2.65 after the company agreed to be purchased by NICE Ltd. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) rose 24.44 percent to close at $422.50 as the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Wednesday. Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UCTT) gained 17.75 percent to close at $18.64 following upbeat Q1 earnings. PCM, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCMI) rose 16.59 percent to close at $12.30 following Q1 results. Zymeworks Inc. (NASDAQ: ZYME) rose 16.06 percent to close at $15.25. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALXN) shares climbed 14.5 percent to close at $121.42 as the company posted reported Q1 beat And raised FY18 outlook. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) shares gained 13.7 percent to close at $11.04 as the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter. Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXSM) rose 13.21 percent to close at $3.00 after the company disclosed a positive outcome of the interim analysis of STRIDE-1 Phase 3 trial of AXS-05 in treatment resistant depression. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY) jumped 13.06 percent to close at $257.40 following upbeat Q1 profit. BioTelemetry,
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Comstock Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CRK) shares shot up 52 percent to $7.235 after the company disclosed a deal with Arkoma Drilling L.P. and Williston Drilling, L.P. to buy oil & gas properties in North Dakota. Comstock announced withdrawal of tender offers for outstanding secured notes. MarineMax, Inc. (NYSE: HZO) shares gained 24.2 percent to $21.80 as the company posted upbeat Q2 results and raised its FY18 outlook. Mattersight Corporation (NASDAQ: MATR) shares rose 22 percent to $2.625 after the company agreed to be purchased by NICE Ltd. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) jumped 21.3 percent to $411.871 as the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Wednesday. Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXSM) rose 17 percent to $3.10 after the company disclosed a positive outcome of the interim analysis of STRIDE-1 Phase 3 trial of AXS-05 in treatment resistant depression. Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UCTT) rose 15.9 percent to $18.34 following upbeat Q1 earnings. PCM, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCMI) gained 15.6 percent to $12.20 following Q1 results. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY) surged 14.4 percent to $260.3901 following upbeat Q1 profit. Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited (NYSE: CCM) gained 13.8 percent to $3.70. Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) rose 13.5 percent to $29.815 after reporting strong Q1 results. BioTelemetry, Inc. (NASDAQ: BEAT) rose 13.5 percent to $38.30 as the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) shares rose 13.1 percent to $10.985 as the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter. SJW Group (NYSE: SJW) shares gained 11.8 percent to $63.59 following Q1 results. California Water Service Group made an offer for SJW. Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) climbed 9.8 percent to $278.40 following Q1 results. CYS Investments, Inc. (NYSE: CYS)
• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Aqua America (NYSE: WTR) and SJW Group (NYSE:SJW) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation and risk.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated(SYKE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Companies Reporting After The Bell Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) is projected to post quarterly loss at $1.31 per share on revenue of $1.97 billion. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE: IFF) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $1.59 per share on revenue of $909.36 million. Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZG) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $294.79 million. General Cable Corporation (NYSE: BGC) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.15 per share on revenue of $980.61 million. Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.84 per share on revenue of $598.45 million. Cabot Corporation (NYSE: CBT) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $1 per share on revenue of $746.42 million. Fabrinet (NYSE: FN) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.71 per share on revenue of $319.71 million. National General Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: NGHC) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.55 per share on revenue of $1.08 billion. The Navigators Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NAVG) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.75 per share on revenue of $320.92 million. Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (NYSE: DPLO) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.22 per share on revenue of $1.29 billion. Trex Company, Inc. (NYSE: TREX) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $1.19 per share on revenue of $172.22 million. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMC) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.09 per share on revenue of $1.35 billion. Envision Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: EVHC) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $2.02 billion. Regal Beloit Corporation (NYSE: RBC) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $1.23 per share on revenue of $869.64 million. Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.67 per share on revenue of $39
• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Barrington Research reiterated their hold rating on shares of Sykes Enterprises (NASDAQ:SYKE) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation(CDE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  There's no way to sugarcoat it:�2017 was not a particularly good year for shareholders of silver and gold miner Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE:CDE). When it comes to investing, though, you need to balance the past with the future, and this miner's efforts in 2017 look like they will set up a much better long-term future. Here's why precious metals investors should be taking a closer look at Coeur Mining, but probably shouldn't rush to pull the trigger.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: China Life Insurance Company Limited(LFC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

  Get China Life Insurance alerts: Critical Comparison: AXA (AXAHY) & China Life Insurance (LFC) (americanbankingnews.com) Zacks Value Investor Highlights: Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, China Life Insurance and Jacobs Engineering (finance.yahoo.com) China Life Insurance (LFC) Rating Lowered to Sell at Goldman Sachs (americanbankingnews.com) Head to Head Comparison: China Life Insurance (LFC) & The Competition (americanbankingnews.com) Contrasting China Life Insurance (LFC) and Its Competitors (americanbankingnews.com)

  China Life Insurance traded up $0.23, hitting $14.32, during midday trading on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 454,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 692,520. The company has a current ratio of 8.45, a quick ratio of 8.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. China Life Insurance has a 12 month low of $13.48 and a 12 month high of $17.85. The stock has a market cap of $81.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.57.

Prudent Picks From Three Top Value Experts

&l;div&g; &l;img class=&q;dam-image getty wp-image-904629762 size-large&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/904629762/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; General Motors North America President Alan Batey unveils the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on January 13, 2018. GM is a value stock pick with impressive Q1 earnings. (Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images) &l;em&g;T&l;/em&g;&l;em&g;he editorial team at &l;span&g;&l;strong&g;&l;a href=&q;https://theprudentspeculator.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;The Prudent Speculator&l;/a&g;&l;/strong&g;&l;/span&g; focuses on long-term value investing; their successful strategy is evidenced by the newsletter&a;rsquo;s rank as the top performing model portfolio over the past four decades. Here, senior editor &l;strong&g;John Buckingham&l;/strong&g; along with &l;strong&g;Chris Quigley&l;/strong&g; and &l;strong&g;Jason Clark&l;/strong&g; &a;mdash; all occasional contributors to&l;strong&g; &l;span&g;&l;a href=&q;https://www.moneyshow.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;MoneyShow.com&l;/a&g;&l;/span&g;&l;/strong&g; &a;mdash; share some of their latest value investment ideas.&l;/em&g; &a;nbsp; &l;strong&g;John Buckingham, &l;span&g;&l;a href=&q;https://theprudentspeculator.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;The Prudent Speculator&l;/a&g;&l;/span&g;&l;/strong&g; Despite all of the ups and downs, rallies and corrections, and bull and bear markets, the S&a;amp;P 500 has enjoyed a return over the past 92 years of 10.1% per annum, illustrating the rewards available to investors able to stick with stocks for the long term. Of course, keeping the faith is easier said than done, especially in today&a;rsquo;s sensationalistic media environment where breathless talking heads warn almost daily that doom is imminent. Indeed, just this year, investors have had to contend with &l;em&g;White House Drama&l;/em&g;, &l;em&g;Rich Valuations&l;/em&g;, &l;em&g;Volatility Spike&l;/em&g;, &l;em&g;North Korea&l;/em&g;, &l;em&g;Trade Wars&l;/em&g;, &l;em&g;Increasing Inflation&l;/em&g;, &l;em&g;Rising Treasury Yields&l;/em&g;, &l;em&g;Fear of an Overheating Economy&l;/em&g;, &l;em&g;Fear of the Next Recession &l;/em&g;and &l;em&g;Fed Rate Hikes &l;/em&g;to name just a few of the headlines that have undoubtedly caused consternation. To be sure, all of these issues remain outstanding, but that is nothing new as there are always disconcerting events that equities must overcome and the old adage that stocks often climb a wall of worry is hardly a myth. It is very much steeped in historical fact, given that despite all of the headwinds, value stocks have posted annualized returns of 13.4% and dividend payers have gained 10.6%, dating back to 1927. We also can&a;rsquo;t forget that stocks are not simply vehicles for day traders to push up and down. Equities ultimately represent ownership in corporations that generally become more valuable as their earnings grow. Meanwhile, our latest recommendations include &l;strong&g;General Motors&l;/strong&g;. The auto and truck maker turned in an impressive Q1, including record earnings in China and from GM Financial. While the competition is always fierce in the auto industry, and there is definitely some increased input costs to battle, we continue to believe that GM is executing on its core business incredibly well despite ongoing macroeconomic volatility. We still like its solid balance sheet ($21 billion in cash and marketable securities), cost controls initiative, ability to generate free cash flow and generous capital return programs. The stock now trades for 6 times NTM earnings projections and yields 4.1%. Real estate investment trust &l;strong&g;Kimco Realty&l;/strong&g; has interests in 475 U.S. open-air shopping centers, comprising 81 million square feet of leasable space concentrated mostly in top major metropolitan markets and housing a diversified stable of tenants. Shares have been on a roller coaster ride thus far in 2018 (down 20% YTD), but the stock did bounce back on the announcement of solid Q1 financial results. We are positive on Kimco&a;rsquo;s continued progression of selling lower quality assets, mainly in the Midwest, and focusing on redevelopment and improving leasing volumes. While the retail environment is still evolving, it may be stabilizing for strip shopping centers, given vacancies were less than anticipated. Kimco Realty currently yields a hefty 7.7%. &l;img class=&q;dam-image bloomberg wp-image-41876936 size-large&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/41876936/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; A VerizonUp rewards program sign at a Verizon Communications Inc. store in Brea, California, in 2018. Verizon&s;s earnings beat estimates for Q1. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg) &l;strong&g;Verizon&l;/strong&g; stumbled out of the gate this year, but reclaimed some lost ground after the company reported Q1 2018 earnings per share of $1.17 (vs. $1.11 est.) on revenue of $31.8 billion (vs. $31.3 billion est.). Verizon reported 260,000 wireless and 66,000 Fios internet subscriber net additions. Verizon also reported that it has realized $200 million of the $10 billion, four-year goal for cumulative cash savings. We think that the tough competitive landscape concerns are largely priced in and that the just-announced Sprint/T-Mobile merger (which would create more pricing pressure) is unlikely to succeed due to regulatory concerns, and believe that Verizon can continue to leverage its vast network to remain competitive over the long term in the wireless market. Verizon also boasts a forward P/E of 10.8 and a yield of 4.8%. &a;nbsp; &l;strong&g;Chris Quigley, &l;span&g;&l;a href=&q;https://theprudentspeculator.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;The Prudent Speculator&l;/a&g;&l;/span&g;&l;/strong&g; Shares of &l;strong&g;Bank of New York Mellon&l;/strong&g; enjoyed a great week, rising 7.5% following the financial giant&a;rsquo;s release of Q1 results. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.15, which was 19% better than investor expectations. Assets under custody/administration reached a record $33.5 trillion, which benefited from net new business and the favorable impact of a weaker U.S. dollar. The company had $1.9 trillion directly under management at the end of Q1. During Q1, Bank of New York Mellon repurchased 11 million of its common shares for $644 million and paid $246 million in dividends. We continue to like that the bank is well capitalized and has a management team that is committed to cost containment and driving growth for the future. The shares are currently trading at 13.0 times NTM adjusted earnings expectations. Our target price has been adjusted upward to $65. Shares of &l;strong&g;Bank of America&l;/strong&g; were higher following a solid Q1 earnings release. The financial giant said that adjusted EPS came in at $0.62 versus analyst forecasts that called for $0.59. Q1 results saw modest growth in net interest income and moderate growth in average loans. We were constructive on the firm&a;rsquo;s non-interest income growth and controlled expenses during the period. Bank of America also showed continued good credit quality and further loan loss reserve release. The bank&a;rsquo;s efficiency ratio improved to 60%, and capital ratios remain strong. With many of the problems of the past decade seemingly in the rear-view mirror, Bank of America has numerous opportunities to capitalize, from its large deposit base and consumer lending franchise to its &a;ldquo;thundering herd&a;rdquo; of Merrill Lynch&a;rsquo;s financial advisors and wealth managers. We like that credit quality continues to improve, and while expenses are being controlled, the company is investing in digital capabilities and enhancing the overall client experience. With the shares trading for just 11.4 times NTM estimated earnings, and the bottom line likely to benefit from higher interest rates, we think the stock is very attractive. While shares currently yield just 1.6%, we expect the dividend rate to increase in the near term and for Bank of America to continue to buy back its common stock in the open market. Our target price for the stock has been lifted to $38. Shares of regional bank &l;strong&g;Keycorp&l;/strong&g; ended the week up over 3% as interest rates started to inch up again and the company reported well-received Q1 financial results. Keycorp announced adjusted EPS of $0.38, which was in-line with consensus analyst estimates. The bank benefited from a lower tax rate and growth in both non-interest income and net-interest income. Return on tangible common equity improved to 14.9% from 13.6% during the previous quarter. We continue to like Keycorp and think that the Q1 results show directionally what we want to see, except for a bit higher expenses. We were pleased to hear management say it was committed to hitting full-year 2018 expense targets. We also believe that the bank&a;rsquo;s efficiency can continue to improve as it benefits from the full integration of its recent acquisitions. Shares currently trade at 11.5 times NTM adjusted earnings expectations and carry a 2.1% dividend yield. Our target price has been bumped up to $27. Shares of regional banking powerhouse &l;strong&g;BB&a;amp;T Corp&l;/strong&g; rose, supported by what looked to be a breakout quarterly report and rising interest rates. Core Q1 EPS came in at $0.97, versus consensus Street estimates of $0.92. While forward-looking loan growth remains challenged, we liked that the company delivered lower-than-expected expenses and management believes overall total revenue is promising for full-year 2018. We like that BB&a;amp;T continues to experience a strong adoption rate of its customizable digital banking platform and we remain fans of the company&a;rsquo;s relatively conservative loan underwriting and its efforts to diversify its revenue stream. While shares are off to a good start (up more than 6%) in 2018, we see additional upside potential on the back of a solid economy, rising interest rates, cost controls and benefits from tax reform. BB&a;amp;T yields 2.5% and trades at 13 times NTM consensus earnings estimates. Our target price for BBT has been boosted to $64. Shares of &l;strong&g;Fifth Third Bancorp&l;/strong&g; rallied more than 7% after reporting a solid Q1 earnings release. The Ohio-based bank posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.57, beating the average analyst estimate of $0.48 and the $0.37 of net income in the year-ago period. Not shown in the adjusted numbers, the stock&a;rsquo;s Q1 financials benefited from a revaluation of its Vantiv stake after it merged with Worldpay. Adjusted return on tangible equity and return on assets both improved during the quarter, climbing to 13.4% and 1.23%, respectively. Additionally, net-interest margin was 16 basis points higher than Q4 2017. We believe Fifth Third is a good regional banking name to own in a diversified equity portfolio. Shares are trading at less than 14 times forward earnings estimates and carry a dividend yield of 1.9% (though we expect the company to boost its payout in the next few quarters). Our target price has been boosted to $41. Regional bank &l;strong&g;Old National Bancorp&l;/strong&g; saw its shares jump more than 4% after reporting Q1 financial results that saw EPS set a first quarter record and beat consensus analyst estimates by more than 16% ($0.34 versus $0.29). The company saw strength in commercial loans and cut non-interest expenses much more than investors were expecting. We continue to like Old National Bancorp and its regional focus on Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Michigan. While non-interest income compression was a drag in Q1, the company is working to improve this area as it efforts to diversify its revenue stream. We view Old National as a quality bank whose management balances a conservative culture with aspirations for growth. ONB remains well capitalized and its shares currently yield 3%, while the forward P/E ratio is a very reasonable 13.5. Our target price for Old National has been increased to $23. &a;nbsp; &l;strong&g;Jason Clark, &l;span&g;&l;a href=&q;https://theprudentspeculator.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;The Prudent Speculator&l;/a&g;&l;/span&g;&l;/strong&g; &l;strong&g;&a;nbsp;&l;/strong&g;&l;strong&g;Symantec&l;/strong&g;, the security, storage and systems solution company, cratered more than 33% May 11, even as the company reported fiscal Q4 financial results that exceeded expectations. Symantec posted adjusted EPS for the period of $0.46 on revenue of $1.23 billion, versus analyst expectations of $0.39 and $1.19 billion, respectively. The problems arose when management offered fiscal 2019 full-year guidance that was below expectations and, more importantly, disclosed that the company was conducting an internal investigation that would delay the filing of its annual report and could potentially lead to a restatement of earnings. Probably even worse was the lack of detail, with executives refusing to take questions of any kind on the company&a;rsquo;s earnings call, which left the analyst community scrambling to downgrade the stock. Obviously, there isn&a;rsquo;t much we can say about the internal audit, as like everyone else, we are not privy to any information. No doubt, Symantec is under our close scrutiny, and we won&a;rsquo;t hesitate to part with the shares if our thesis changes, but at this point we remain long-term fans of the businesses in which the company operates. We continue to like the additional emphasis on enterprise security and we suspect that cybercrime and cyberterrorism will, unfortunately, remain big problems that will constantly remind both enterprise customers and consumers why it&a;rsquo;s important to have Symantec&a;rsquo;s cyber protection. Of course, given that we focus heavily on the financials associated with our companies, we are not yet willing to average down on our position until we gain a greater understanding of the accounting issues and until we can again trust the numbers. &l;img class=&q;dam-image bloomberg wp-image-41730982 size-large&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/41730982/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Co., and mascot Mickey Mouse ring the opening bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Nov. 27, 2017. Iger is piloting the merger with Fox media assets. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Bloomberg). Movies, entertainment and theme park company &l;strong&g;Walt Disney&l;/strong&g; posted terrific fiscal Q2 financial results; the firm earned $1.84 per share in the quarter, versus consensus estimates of $1.70, on sales of $14.55 billion (vs. $14.13 billion estimate). It is important to note that while management did not discuss &l;strong&g;Comcast&a;rsquo;s&l;/strong&g; continued desire to acquire Fox and/or Sky on the call, &l;a href=&s;http://www.forbes.com/profile/bob-iger/&s;&g;Bob Iger&l;/a&g; reiterated the importance of the assets and the firm&a;rsquo;s desire to buy both the Fox media assets and Sky. Assuming Disney lands the Fox assets, we would see the acquisition strengthening an already best-in-class content portfolio. Also, Disney should enjoy increased production and marketing scale. Further, we like that this combination affords Disney the chance to meaningfully enhance its global reach and should spur growth because of greater access to emerging market regions. We also like that the acquisition of Fox&a;rsquo;s sports assets should significantly enhance ESPN&a;rsquo;s sports leadership position in the U.S., while all offerings could be leveraged direct to the consumer via BAMtech Media. That said, we also are very fond of the stand-alone Disney, especially as we see the movie biz continuing to do well. &l;em&g;Black Panther&l;/em&g; has grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide and &l;em&g;Avengers: Infinity War&l;/em&g; has already exceeded $1.6 billion in global box office after just opening in China. And there are many more high potential films coming out this year, including &l;em&g;Solo, a Star Wars Story&l;/em&g; (which already has more ticket pre-sales than &l;em&g;Black Panther&l;/em&g; enjoyed) and &l;em&g;Incredibles 2&l;/em&g;. Shares are trading at a bit less than 14 times NTM earnings expectations and carry a 1.7% dividend yield. Our target price for the stock has been raised to $146. &a;nbsp; &l;/div&g;