Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:MCHP,UMH,GD,NDSN,RBC,OKE,CEL,ATAX,SCG,LH,

Corporate America is set to shower investors with a record surge of cash.

Between buybacks, dividends, and merger activities, companies are poised to plow $2.5 trillion into the stock market this year, according to UBS Group AG. The buying spree is equivalent to 10 percent of the S&P 500’s market capitalization, easily outstripping prior records.

The projection helps revive the bull case for stocks, which have flat-lined so far in 2018 amid trade tensions and higher bond yields. And it’s no wonder U.S. equity leadership has remained so narrow: the corporate flow comes largely from momentum shares such as technology companies, which have enjoyed the largest gains over the past year.

#lazy-img-328326705:before{padding-top:61.24999999999999%;}Source: UBS Group AG

“The backdrop supports our overweights in healthcare and tech, as well as continued outperformance of growth and momentum strategies given such massive "flow" to growth firms/funds and investors’ reinvesting the proceeds into stocks with strong fundamental momentum,” UBS’s equity strategists, headed by Keith Parker, wrote in a Monday note.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Microchip Technology Incorporated(MCHP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By VantagePoint]

  Microchip Technology Incorporated (NASDAQ: MCHP) had a clear crossover to the upside on May 3, when the blue predicted moving average crossed above the black simple 10-day moving average. Since then the stock is up 17 percent, while the gray candle predicting Thursday's range shows continued upside. As long as the two lines don't crossover, look for this uptrend to continue. 

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $1.85 billion. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $3.63 billion. Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.92 per share on revenue of $3.17 billion. Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $926.18 million. The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.24 per share on revenue of $2.98 billion. Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPD) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $1.71 billion. US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $5.98 billion. DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.7 per share on revenue of $3.50 billion. Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.06 per share on revenue of $936.98 million. Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $1.06 billion. Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.14 per share on revenue of $1.21 billion. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.28 per share on revenue of $23.80 billion. JD.com, Inc. (NYSE: JD) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.18 per share on revenue of $15.65 billion. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.6 per share o
• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Microchip Technology (NASDAQ:MCHP) had its price objective increased by Morgan Stanley from $96.00 to $97.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Microchip Technology (MCHP)

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

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: UMH Properties Inc.(UMH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in UMH PROPERTIES/SH SH (NYSE:UMH) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 86,705 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,163,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned about 0.24% of UMH PROPERTIES/SH SH as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Wednesday afternoon, the real estate shares surged 0.56 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (NYSE: AHH), up 3 percent, and UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE: UMH) up 3 percent.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: S&P GSCI(GD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) is diversified across the Aerospace & Defense sector with 25% of sales in information technology, followed by aerospace orders (24%), marine systems (23%), combat systems (16%), and mission systems (12%). The acquisition of CSRA makes it one of the largest IT contractors to the U.S. government.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

• [By ]

  In addition to increasing the dividend, Action Alerts PLUS holding Raytheon announced in late March that under the Department of Defense's DARPA program, it was developing technology that could control swarms of both air-based, and ground-based drone vehicles that might be launched using a "drag and drop" visual interface. My price target: $245.

  General Dynamics (GD)

  This is one firm where we have already seen cash flows and margins improving. GD is also another defense name that increased their dividend in March. Think the Navy gets some love in the 2018 federal budget that earmarked $654 billion for the Pentagon? Me too. Know who runs the Virginia class submarine program? General Dynamics. In fact, the Navy just awarded a $696 million modification to that program for 2019.

• [By ]

  Cramer and Moreno also looked at General Dynamics (GD) which peaked in early March, before starting a downtrend until Tuesday. Last week, General Dynamics fell to the lower end of its channel, but then it bounced right to the high end, and Wednesday it firmly broke out above the high end of this channel. The stochastic oscillator, which is a powerful momentum indicator is making a bullish crossover, and based on today's move, Moreno thinks General Dynamics can return to its old highs at $230.

• [By Max Byerly]

  General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) had its price objective reduced by stock analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $232.00 to $12.39 in a research report issued on Friday, The Fly reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target indicates a potential downside of 93.65% from the stock’s current price.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nordson Corporation(NDSN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) Q2 2018 Earnings Conference CallMay. 22, 2018 8:30 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 10.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,868 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Nordson were worth $2,300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Nordson (NDSN)

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

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

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

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Monday Markets are cheering news that the supposed trade war between the United States and China is "on hold," according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Mnuchin and U.S. President Donald Trump's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, announced that both nations have reached an agreement, one that established a framework to help address ongoing trade imbalances between the two countries. The prices of crude oil is in focus after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro won reelection over the weekend. The election featured a very low turnout and a very large outcry that the vote was rigged. Maduro has a 75% disapproval rating and has been the face of the OPEC member's widespread mismanagement and economic collapse. Prior to the election, a member of the Trump administration said that the United States would not recognize the authenticity of the election. The United States is considering additional sanctions on Venezuela. Today is a major day for mergers and acquisition activity. Today, Blackstone Group LP�(NYSE: BX) announced plans to purchase U.S. hotel operator LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) for a whopping $3.7 billion. The deal comes at a time that the travel industry is experiencing one of the best periods in a decade. If you're looking for a way to make money ahead of Memorial Day weekend, we show you how here. Four Stocks to Watch Today: GOOGL, GE, MBFI, FITB Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL) is under pressure this morning after a harsh piece aired last night on "60 Minutes." The segment discussed the organization's power and influence. It also featured inter
• [By Steve Symington]

  Nordson Corporation�(NASDAQ:NDSN)�announced solid fiscal second-quarter 2018 results on Monday after the market closed, including an expected decline in organic volume that was more than offset by acquisitive growth.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Regal Beloit Corporation(RBC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Generac (NYSE: GNRC) and Regal Beloit (NYSE:RBC) are both mid-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, earnings and dividends.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $1.85 billion. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $3.63 billion. Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.92 per share on revenue of $3.17 billion. Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $926.18 million. The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.24 per share on revenue of $2.98 billion. Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPD) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $1.71 billion. US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $5.98 billion. DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.7 per share on revenue of $3.50 billion. Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.06 per share on revenue of $936.98 million. Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $1.06 billion. Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.14 per share on revenue of $1.21 billion. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.28 per share on revenue of $23.80 billion. JD.com, Inc. (NYSE: JD) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.18 per share on revenue of $15.65 billion. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.6 per share o
• [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 Logan Wallace]

  Foundry Partners LLC raised its holdings in Regal Beloit Corp (NYSE:RBC) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 183,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,534 shares during the quarter. Foundry Partners LLC owned 0.42% of Regal Beloit worth $13,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: ONEOK Inc.(OKE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) is one of the largest midstream companies in North America, and it has major dividend plans between 2018 and 2020. By the end of that period, it expects to increase its dividend from $0.50 per share per year (in 2017) to $1.25. That's huge dividend growth in a short period of time. But don't get too enamored by that news; the dividend will still be lower than it was before the midstream oil and gas company's 75% dividend cut in 2016. If you're looking for dividend income in the midstream space, take a look at longtime dividend payers ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE) and Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE:MMP) instead.� �

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE)’s share price reached a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $68.88 and last traded at $68.33, with a volume of 81549 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $67.81.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lowered its position in ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE) by 39.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 191,644 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 123,100 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in ONEOK were worth $10,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Several pipeline stocks have produced market-beating returns since their formation. Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) and ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) stand out because they have turned a relatively small up-front investment into a massive windfall over the past two decades.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cellcom Israel Ltd.(CEL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Partner Communications (NASDAQ: PTNR) and Cellcom Israel (NYSE:CEL) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, profitability and dividends.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Millicom (OTCMKTS: MIICF) and Cellcom Israel (NYSE:CEL) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings and profitability.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Thursday afternoon, the health care shares rose 1.79 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Partner Communications Company Ltd. (NASDAQ: PTNR), up 8 percent, and Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE: CEL) up 7 percent.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Thursday afternoon, the telecommunication services shares surged 0.58 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), up 5 percent, and Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE: CEL) up 2.5 percent.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Natural Health Trends Corp (NASDAQ: NHTC) fell 7.8 percent to $19.80 in pre-market trading after rising 1.46 percent on Friday. Endocyte, Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) shares fell 6.6 percent to $11.41 in pre-market trading after climbing 4.18 percent on Friday. Quorum Health Corporation (NYSE: QHC) shares fell 6.2 percent to $5.15 in pre-market trading after tumbling 11.45 percent on Friday. Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKDA) fell 6.1 percent to $7.31 in pre-market trading after declining 3.35 percent on Friday. Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) fell 5.6 percent to $28.30 in pre-market trading. Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVFM) fell 5.3 percent to $6.06 in pre-market trading after gaining 2.73 percent on Friday. Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) shares fell 5.2 percent to $28.60 in pre-market trading. Xerox terminated its transaction agreement with Fujifilm and entered into a new agreement with Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason. JP Morgan downgraded Xerox from Overweight to Neutral. Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE: CEL) fell 5.2 percent to $7.02 in pre-market trading. Cellcom is expected to release Q1 results on May 30, 2018. Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO) fell 4.5 percent to $74 in pre-market trading. Nabriva Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: NBRV) shares fell 4 percent to $4.66 in pre-market trading

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: America First Tax Exempt Investors L.P.(ATAX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on America First Multifamily Investors (ATAX)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on America First Multifamily Investors (ATAX)

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of America First Tax Exempt Investors, L.P. (NASDAQ:ATAX) hit a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $6.47 and last traded at $6.43, with a volume of 54800 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.43.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Scana Corporation(SCG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  While all of this is going on, Dominion has also announced plans to buy financially struggling peer SCANA Corp.�(NYSE:SCG). This utility got into trouble when it canceled a nuclear construction project midstream after its contractor declared bankruptcy. Regulators, customers, and politicians have been less than pleased, with demands for rate and dividend cuts (a dividend cut was just announced).

• [By Chris Lange]

  The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Tuesday was SCANA Corp. (NYSE: SCG) which traded down roughly 5% at $41.13. The stock��s 52-week range is $37.10 to $71.28. Volume was 3.5 million, compared with the daily average of 3 million shares.

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

  These are some of the media stories that may have impacted Accern Sentiment’s analysis:

  Get NetEase alerts: Top 50 most innovative Chinese companies (ecns.cn) Keep an eye on Active stock of Yesterday�� NetEase, Inc. (NTES) (stockmarketstop.com) Varying Stocks: DowDuPont Inc., (NYSE: DWDP), NetEase, Inc., (NASDAQ: NTES) (globalexportlines.com) Be Ready for Active Stock: NetEase, Inc. (NTES) (bitcoinpriceupdate.review) Tossing Stocks: NetEase, Inc., (NYSE: NTES), SCANA Corporation, (NYSE: SCG) (nysetradingnews.com)

  Shares of NTES opened at $267.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.80. NetEase has a fifty-two week low of $222.32 and a fifty-two week high of $377.64.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on SCANA (SCG)

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

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Triangle Securities Wealth Management lifted its stake in Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) by 34.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,339 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Triangle Securities Wealth Management’s holdings in Laboratory Corp. of America were worth $420,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Envestnet Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of LabCorp (NYSE:LH) by 45.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 19,179 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 15,727 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in LabCorp were worth $3,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  These are some of the headlines that may have impacted Accern’s analysis:

  Get LabCorp alerts: $2.92 Earnings Per Share Expected for LabCorp (LH) This Quarter (americanbankingnews.com) Global Contract Research Organization Market 2018 Pioneers by 2023: Parexel, LabCorp (Covance), PRA, PPD … (theexpertconsulting.com) OmniSeq and LabCorp Launch OmniSeq Advance? Assay (nasdaq.com) LabCorp’s latest collaboration aims to accelerate personalized, genomic medicine (bizjournals.com) Can Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Continue To Outperform Its Industry? (finance.yahoo.com)

  LH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of LabCorp from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of LabCorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Jefferies Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $176.00 target price on shares of LabCorp in a research note on Tuesday, March 6th. ValuEngine raised shares of LabCorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of LabCorp from $182.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. LabCorp has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $191.06.

• [By Max Byerly]

  MUFG Americas Holdings Corp trimmed its stake in LabCorp (NYSE:LH) by 55.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,683 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 13,073 shares during the quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp’s holdings in LabCorp were worth $1,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A long-time bull debunks 'peak earnings' fears, sees strong year-end rally

Long-time bull Art Hogan sees holes in the "peak earnings" argument.

According to the B. Riley FBR chief market strategist, earnings growth on a year-over-year basis will crest this year �� but that doesn't mean it's as good as it gets for investors. He believes the economic picture supports the case for a fresh round of strong numbers that will drive stocks to record highs.

"Earnings growth is going to continue. It's just difficult comps versus 2018," Hogan said Wednesday on CNBC's "Trading Nation."

As of Wednesday's market close, Thomson Reuters reports 81 percent of second-quarter earnings reports have come in above estimates. Since 1994, an average of 64 percent of companies beat estimates.

The long-time bull acknowledges the latest earnings have vastly benefited from the 2017 one-time corporate tax cut. But that's no reason to second-guess the bull market, he said.

"Obviously, we've had great earnings in 2018 thus far," Hogan said.

His year-end S&P 500 target is 3,000, up more than 6 percent from current levels or 4 percent from its all-time high hit on Jan. 26.

Hogan is citing more than just strong earnings as his a chief catalyst. He believes the Trump administration will use midterm elections as a reason to end the trade war, in turn easing uncertainty on Wall Street.

"Right now, we're just pricing in bad news, and that continues to escalate with China. We're starting to see some cracks and some olive branches being brought forward," Hogan said. "That will start to ease some of the concerns corporate America has about trade and tariffs."

Vote Vote to see results Total Votes:

Not a Scientific Survey. Results may not total 100% due to rounding.

show chapters 'Peak earnings' fears are overblown, says market strategist Art Hogan    16 Hours Ago | 04:24 Disclaimer

Moneywise Inc. Has $11.20 Million Position in Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM)

Moneywise Inc. cut its holdings in Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHM) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 204,021 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,198 shares during the quarter. Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF makes up approximately 9.6% of Moneywise Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Moneywise Inc.’s holdings in Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF were worth $11,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 6,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 2,924 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 195,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,426,000 after acquiring an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE boosted its position in Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE now owns 56,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,128,000 after acquiring an additional 1,315 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 21,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management bought a new stake in Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $321,000.

Get Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF alerts:

Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF traded up $0.11, hitting $56.64, during trading hours on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. 277,997 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 327,007. Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF has a one year low of $47.42 and a one year high of $56.76.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 27th were given a dividend of $0.1345 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 26th. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%.

Recommended Story: Book Value Of Equity Per Share �� BVPS Explained

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCHM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHM).

James Investment Research Inc. Has $22.25 Million Position in ConocoPhillips (COP)

James Investment Research Inc. boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 8.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 319,545 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,087 shares during the period. ConocoPhillips accounts for 0.9% of James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $22,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COP. Augustine Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.9% in the second quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 38,754 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,698,000 after buying an additional 726 shares during the last quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 8.1% in the first quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC now owns 10,650 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $631,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. SVA Plumb Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 14.6% in the first quarter. SVA Plumb Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,391 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 29.0% in the first quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 3,635 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 9.8% in the first quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,228 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $641,000 after buying an additional 824 shares during the last quarter. 71.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Get ConocoPhillips alerts:

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $74.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, April 19th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of ConocoPhillips from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $66.42 to $68.00 in a report on Thursday, April 19th. Argus set a $76.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 4th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 27th. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. ConocoPhillips presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.05.

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock opened at $70.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.71. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $42.26 and a 1 year high of $72.57. The firm has a market cap of $81.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 116.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.22.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 26th. The energy producer reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.22. ConocoPhillips had a negative net margin of 1.64% and a positive return on equity of 6.69%. The firm had revenue of $8.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.02) earnings per share. equities analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 20th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 190.00%.

ConocoPhillips announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, July 12th that permits the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy producer to buy up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

In related news, SVP Janet Langford Kelly sold 59,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.95, for a total transaction of $3,916,704.55. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 100,600 shares in the company, valued at $6,634,570. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Glenda Mae Schwarz sold 6,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.04, for a total transaction of $439,865.52. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $662,237.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 284,052 shares of company stock valued at $19,491,534. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

ConocoPhillips explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas liquids worldwide. Its portfolio includes North American tight oil and oil sands assets in Canada; conventional assets in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; various LNG developments; and an inventory of conventional and unconventional exploration prospects.

See Also: Understanding Price to Earnings Ratio (PE)

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

Hold Hindustan Unilever; target of Rs 1550: JM Financial

JM Financial's research report on Hindustan Unilever

HUL delivered another strong quarter but that is somewhat par for the course now, considering its recent results delivery plus the stock��s heady valuation (59x NTM EPS). There was no massive surprise element this time round, though, to drive another leg of decisive upmove from an already elevated level, in our view. The stock had rallied 8-10% each after 2Q-3QFY18 results and up a massive 16% between 4QFY18 report and now - we expect reaction to be more lukewarm this time round, given that there was nothing in 1QFY19 report to prompt another round of earnings-upgrade. Key numbers: 12% volume growth (base volume was flat implying 2-year volume CAGR of 5.8% vs 7.4% for 4QFY18; 3QFY18 was 3.2%), 16% comparable sales growth and 100bps of ��comparable�� margin expansion.

Outlook

Growth was more broad-based this time round with double-digit volume growth across divisions but Home-care was again the key performance driver (6th consecutive quarters of >25% EBIT growth) while Personal Care underperformed relatively (LTL margin down for the 4th quarter running). Delivery-engine remains well-oiled but stock is priced for perfection.

For all recommendations report, click here

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

Read More First Published on Jul 18, 2018 05:02 pm

NuStar Energy (NS) Given New $25.00 Price Target at Barclays

NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS) had its price target upped by Barclays from $23.00 to $25.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning. They currently have an equal weight rating on the pipeline company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on NS. ValuEngine lowered NuStar Energy from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Monday, July 2nd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded NuStar Energy from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, April 24th. Mizuho restated a hold rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of NuStar Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 11th. Citigroup cut their price target on NuStar Energy from $27.00 to $22.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a neutral rating and set a $25.00 price target (down from $27.00) on shares of NuStar Energy in a report on Tuesday, March 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $28.00.

Get NuStar Energy alerts:

NuStar Energy opened at $23.59 on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.35. NuStar Energy has a fifty-two week low of $19.22 and a fifty-two week high of $47.60. The stock has a market cap of $2.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.86 and a beta of 1.54.

NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 26th. The pipeline company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $475.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.15 million. NuStar Energy had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. equities analysts forecast that NuStar Energy will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In other news, Director William E. Greehey acquired 413,736 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.17 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,999.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,486,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,277,623.73. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Catawba Capital Management VA bought a new stake in NuStar Energy in the second quarter valued at $214,000. RMB Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of NuStar Energy during the first quarter worth $201,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of NuStar Energy during the fourth quarter worth $317,000. Kovack Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of NuStar Energy by 74.0% during the first quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 11,974 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 5,094 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of NuStar Energy during the fourth quarter worth $373,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.32% of the company’s stock.

About NuStar Energy

NuStar Energy L.P. engages in the terminalling, storage, and marketing of petroleum products in Texas. The company also engages in the transportation of petroleum products and anhydrous ammonia. It operates through three segments: Pipeline, Storage, and Fuels Marketing. The Pipeline segment transports refined petroleum products, crude oil, and anhydrous ammonia.

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Invests $214,000 in Stoneridge, Inc. (SRI)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Stoneridge, Inc. (NYSE:SRI) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 7,757 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Stoneridge by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,033,351 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $46,481,000 after buying an additional 54,287 shares in the last quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Stoneridge by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 123,070 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,814,000 after buying an additional 4,901 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Stoneridge by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 797,800 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $18,238,000 after buying an additional 39,700 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Stoneridge by 184.8% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 83,414 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after buying an additional 54,126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stone Ridge Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stoneridge in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $713,000. Institutional investors own 86.83% of the company’s stock.

Get Stoneridge alerts:

Several brokerages have commented on SRI. Buckingham Research began coverage on shares of Stoneridge in a research report on Wednesday, June 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Barrington Research set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Stoneridge and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 1st. CL King began coverage on shares of Stoneridge in a research report on Monday, April 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $34.00 price objective for the company. ValuEngine downgraded shares of Stoneridge from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Stoneridge from an “equal” rating to a “weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $31.40.

In other Stoneridge news, CAO Robert J. Jr. Hartman sold 6,393 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.86, for a total transaction of $178,108.98. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 37,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,038,648.66. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan B. Degaynor sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.90, for a total transaction of $897,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 79,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,365,747.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Shares of Stoneridge opened at $34.42 on Thursday, according to Marketbeat. Stoneridge, Inc. has a one year low of $15.05 and a one year high of $37.69. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.92, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Stoneridge (NYSE:SRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 2nd. The auto parts company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Stoneridge had a net margin of 5.89% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The business had revenue of $225.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $213.94 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. sell-side analysts anticipate that Stoneridge, Inc. will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Stoneridge

Stoneridge, Inc designs and manufactures engineered electrical and electronic components, modules, and systems for the automotive, commercial, motorcycle, off-highway, and agricultural vehicle markets. It operates through three segments: Control Devices, Electronics, and PST. The Control Devices segment provides sensors, switches, valves, and actuators that monitor, measure, or activate specific functions within a vehicle.

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

Gaia Inc (GAIA) Expected to Announce Earnings of -$0.42 Per Share

Wall Street analysts expect that Gaia Inc (NASDAQ:GAIA) will announce earnings per share (EPS) of ($0.42) for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Two analysts have issued estimates for Gaia’s earnings. Gaia also reported earnings of ($0.42) per share during the same quarter last year. The business is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 6th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Gaia will report full year earnings of ($1.65) per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from ($1.75) to ($1.58). For the next year, analysts anticipate that the firm will post earnings of ($1.21) per share, with EPS estimates ranging from ($1.37) to ($1.13). Zacks’ EPS calculations are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that follow Gaia.

Get Gaia alerts:

Gaia (NASDAQ:GAIA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.39) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.53) by $0.14. Gaia had a negative return on equity of 26.84% and a negative net margin of 72.00%. The firm had revenue of $9.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.41 million.

Several research firms recently issued reports on GAIA. B. Riley upped their target price on Gaia to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 7th. Dougherty & Co began coverage on Gaia in a research report on Wednesday, March 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Roth Capital upped their target price on Gaia from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 22nd. BidaskClub downgraded Gaia from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 28th. Finally, ValuEngine raised Gaia from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Gaia has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $23.25.

Shares of GAIA opened at $20.45 on Friday. Gaia has a 12 month low of $10.35 and a 12 month high of $22.75.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Gaia by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 776,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,623,000 after purchasing an additional 6,882 shares during the period. Suntrust Banks Inc. acquired a new stake in Gaia during the 4th quarter worth about $136,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Gaia by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 138,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,720,000 after purchasing an additional 36,047 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Gaia by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 91,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,134,000 after purchasing an additional 11,343 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Gaia by 82.8% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 55,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 25,202 shares during the period. 41.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gaia Company Profile

Gaia, Inc operates a digital video subscription service and online community that caters underserved subscribers worldwide. The company has a digital content library of approximately 8,000 titles available to its subscribers on Internet-connected devices. Its subscribers have access to a library of films, documentaries, interviews, yoga classes, transformation related content, and others for digital streaming.

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Gaia (GAIA)

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

One Big Retirement Lie... And What You Need To Know About It

&l;p&g;Over the last few decades, retirement planning, and even the very essence of what it means to be &a;ldquo;retired,&a;rdquo; has dramatically changed. And while some of the &a;ldquo;old&a;rdquo; rules of retirement still apply, those looking to enjoy a comfortable retirement in today&a;rsquo;s world often need to buck old trends .

Case in point... in the past, the old adage was that, in general, during your working years you should put as much money as possible into your 401(k) and tax-deductible IRA to save for retirement and lower your tax bill. The idea was to get a deduction during your working years, when your tax rate was higher, and to later take that money out of your tax-deferred accounts in retirement, when your tax rate was lower. For some, that&a;rsquo;s certainly still true today, but for many others, the reality is that retirement will bring with it a &l;em&g;higher &l;/em&g;tax rate. In such situations, old-school tax-deferral strategies are less effective, and may even be detrimental to your long-term retirement success.

There are a number of reasons your tax rate might be higher in retirement than it is today. Take, for instance, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed last December, which temporarily lowers taxes for most Americans through 2025. If no changes occur before then, however, we&a;rsquo;ll see a reversal of that trend, and many Americans will see higher taxes in 2026, even if their income remains the same.

Another reason you might see your taxes increase in retirement is that there are certain &a;ldquo;taxes&a;rdquo; in retirement that don&a;rsquo;t exist earlier in life. The word &a;ldquo;taxes&a;rdquo; is in quotations there, because not all of the income-related costs you might incur in retirement are technically &a;ldquo;taxes&a;rdquo;. But who cares what it&a;rsquo;s called? If the cost goes up as your income does, it goes down as a tax in my book!

One example of this is the Medicare Part B (and D) premiums you typically begin paying at 65. If your income is high enough, you&a;rsquo;ll be assessed with something called an income-related monthly adjustment amount, or IRMAA for short. This is just a complicated way of saying you pay a higher premium because of your income. In 2018, married couples filing a joint return begin to be impacted by the IRMAA at $170,000 of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), and single filers are impacted with MAGI half that amount. The top IRMAA level for 2018 takes effect at $320,000 of MAGI for joint filers (half that amount for single filers), and can increase a married couple&s;s combined Medicare costs by nearly a whopping $9,000!

Other income-related costs (taxes) that you might be subject to in retirement, and aren&a;rsquo;t applicable earlier, include taxes on Social Security benefits, which generally can&a;rsquo;t be claimed until as early as 62. The formula to determine the taxation of Social Security benefits is particularly complex and failing to understand those complexities could be costly. For instance, thanks to an oddity that&a;rsquo;s been nicknamed the &a;ldquo;tax torpedo&a;rdquo; by some, it&a;rsquo;s often &l;em&g;less&l;/em&g; tax efficient to pay tax on IRA distributions at a 10% rate &l;em&g;after&l;/em&g; beginning to receive Social Security benefits than it is to pay tax on IRA distributions at the higher 12% rate &l;em&g;before&l;/em&g; beginning to receive Social Security benefits. If that doesn&a;rsquo;t make any sense, don&a;rsquo;t worry. It&a;rsquo;s not supposed to. We&a;rsquo;re talking taxes here, after all.

There are plenty of other reasons to believe that both your &a;ldquo;taxes&a;rdquo; and your taxes might be higher in retirement too. Consider the potential cost of losing out on lower property tax rates that are sometimes available to seniors with more modest incomes in some jurisdictions. And remember that at 70 &a;frac12; you must generally begin to take distributions from your pre-tax retirement accounts &a;ndash; whether you want to or not - which can quickly drive up your taxable income. And what tax rate will you pay then? Who knows?! It could depend on which way the political winds are blowing at the time.

All of this, again, is to make the point that just because you&a;rsquo;ve always been told you&a;rsquo;ll be in a lower tax bracket in retirement doesn&a;rsquo;t necessarily make it so . This trap has caught many off-guard over the years, leading to needless taxation. Don&a;rsquo;t let it happen to you. By looking ahead and planning now, you can take proactive steps to maximize the efficiency of your income in retirement, such adjusting deferrals to 401(k) and similar plans to utilize (at least in part) the Roth options, when available, exploring Roth IRA conversions, considering the built-in tax efficiency of Social Security benefits relative to most other income streams, and re-evaluating asset location plans.&l;/p&g;

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:EXP,TSN,PF,OSUR,PRMW,PHH,EXTR,EBSB,NTWK,LH,

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) was worried about this, and so was traditional media. Bogus news sites had more traffic than legitimate ones late in the election cycle, according to a survey done by BuzzFeed:

A BuzzFeed News analysis found that top fake election news stories generated more total engagement on Facebook than top election stories from 19 major news outlets combined.

The sites examined were among the most traditionally trusted news sites in the world:

To examine the performance of election content from mainstream sites, we created a list that included the websites of the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News, USA Today, Politico, CNN, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, ABC News, New York Daily News, New York Post, BuzzFeed, Los Angeles Times, NPR, The Guardian, Vox, Business Insider, Huffington Post, and Fox News. We then searched for their top-performing election content in the same three-month segments as above.

It is frightening to examine the extent to which false stories did well, and the fact that many came from virtually unknown sources:

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: Eagle Materials Inc(EXP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Eagle Materials (EXP)

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

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Eagle Materials Inc (NYSE: EXP) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.08 per share on revenue of $306.04 million.

  AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $231.53 million.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) – Analysts at Northcoast Research issued their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Eagle Materials in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, May 17th. Northcoast Research analyst K. Hocevar anticipates that the construction company will post earnings of $1.53 per share for the quarter. Northcoast Research also issued estimates for Eagle Materials’ Q2 2019 earnings at $1.80 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $1.70 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $1.17 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $7.40 EPS.

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: Tyson Foods Inc.(TSN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) by 3.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,012 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,799 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Tyson Foods were worth $3,661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Media headlines about Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) have been trending somewhat positive this week, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group rates the sentiment of news coverage by monitoring more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Tyson Foods earned a media sentiment score of 0.19 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned headlines about the company an impact score of 46.975937339582 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the next several days.

• [By ]

  Tyson Foods (TSN) CEO Tom Hayes wasn't kidding when he told TheStreet he wanted to make another big acquisition soon. 

  But the argument could be made that Wall Street wasn't expecting his latest food purchase. On Tuesday, Tyson Foods said it will spend $850 million to buy the poultry rendering and blending assets of American Proteins, Inc. and AMPRO Products, Inc.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  HL Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 61,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,506,000.

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: Pinnacle Foods, Inc.(PF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Shares of�Pinnacle Foods Inc.�(NYSE:PF) were moving higher in April after the packaged-foods company became a target of activist investor Jana Partners. As a result the stock finished the month up 12%, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.�

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Pinnacle Foods (NYSE:PF) – Research analysts at Jefferies Group dropped their Q2 2018 EPS estimates for Pinnacle Foods in a research report issued on Tuesday, May 8th. Jefferies Group analyst A. Jagdale now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.56 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.58. Jefferies Group currently has a “Buy” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Group also issued estimates for Pinnacle Foods’ Q1 2019 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.76 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $1.15 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $3.16 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $3.44 EPS.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers AGM Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AGMH) shares climbed 30.3 percent to $11.05 after climbing 34.60 percent on Thursday. Limelight Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: LLNW) jumped 21.2 percent to $4.9699 following a first-quarter earnings beat. The company also raised its fiscal 2018 estimates. Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) shares climbed 18.8 percent to $7.89 after reporting strong Q1 earnings. Farmers Capital Bank Corp (NASDAQ: FFKT) gained 15.4 percent to $48.75. WesBanco Inc (NASDAQ: WSBC) announced an agreement and plan of merger with Farmers Capital Bank Corporation. TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) climbed 10.2 percent to $66.76 after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and issued a strong forecast for the second quarter. TransUnion announced plans to acquire Callcredit. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) shares gained 9.2 percent to $3.9299 after rising 8.11 percent on Thursday. Pinnacle Foods Inc (NYSE: PF) gained 8.8 percent to $60.04 after a 13-D filing from Jana Partners showed an increased stake in the comapny, from 1.42 million shares at the end of last quarter to 10.83 million shares, or a 9.3-percent stake. Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) shares climbed 8.8 percent to $26.70 following upbeat Q1 earnings. OFG Bancorp (NYSE: OFG) gained 8.5 percent to $12.80 after reporting Q1 results. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) climbed 7.5 percent to $7.73 following Q1 results. Seaspan Corporation (NYSE: SSW) shares climbed 6.7 percent to $7.50. Deutsche Bank upgraded Seaspan from Hold to Buy. General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) shares rose 4.6 percent to $14.63 after the company reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IONS) rose 4.3 percent to $47.80. Biogen and Ionis have expanded their strategic collaboration to develop drug candidates for a broad range of neurological diseases.

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: OraSure Technologies, Inc.(OSUR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on OraSure Technologies (OSUR)

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

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

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

  OraSure Technologies (NASDAQ:OSUR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $20.00.

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: Primo Water Corporation(PRMW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Primo Water (PRMW)

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

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Primo Water Corp. (NASDAQ: PRMW) was started with an Outperform rating at William Blair.�BMO Capital Markets maintained its Market Perform rating but the price target was raised to $16 from $15.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Primo Water (NASDAQ:PRMW) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $15.00 to $16.00 in a research note issued on Thursday. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target points to a potential upside of 0.88% from the company’s current price.

• [By Andy Pai]

  Primo Water Corporation (Nasdaq: PRMW) appears to be the most undervalued stock in the fund. The company has a blended upside of 31.1 percent relative to its current trading price.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Primo Water (NASDAQ:PRMW) CFO David J. Mills sold 5,934 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.50, for a total value of $80,109.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 79,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,074,924. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: PHH Corp(PHH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Media headlines about PHH (NYSE:PHH) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment reports. Accern rates the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. PHH earned a news impact score of 0.17 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news coverage about the credit services provider an impact score of 45.9794154743809 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the next few days.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Orix (NYSE: IX) and PHH (NYSE:PHH) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  PHH (NYSE: PHH) and Orix (NYSE:IX) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and profitability.

• [By Max Byerly]

  PHH (NYSE:PHH) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results after the market closes on Tuesday, May 8th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of ($0.94) per share for the quarter.

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: Extreme Networks Inc.(EXTR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Extreme Networks (NASDAQ:EXTR) Director Edward H. Kennedy bought 50,000 shares of Extreme Networks stock in a transaction on Friday, May 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $9.03 per share, for a total transaction of $451,500.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXTR) shares dropped 24 percent to $8.95 after the company reported downbeat earnings for its third quarter and issued weak Q4 guidance.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Shares of Extreme Networks (NASDAQ:EXTR) fell 19.5% in May 2018, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The maker of data center networking equipment delivered a weak third-quarter report and modest guidance on May 8. The stock crashed hard�and hasn't recovered yet.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:

  Wall Street expects Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG) to post quarterly earnings at $10.67 per share on revenue of $2.87 billion after the closing bell. Booking Holdings shares gained 0.99 percent to $2,183.00 in after-hours trading. Tripadvisor Inc (NASDAQ: TRIP) reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Tuesday. Tripadvisor shares climbed 20.55 percent to $46.75 in the after-hours trading session. Analysts are expecting Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE: BUD) to have earned $0.89 per share on revenue of $13.06 billion in the latest quarter. Anheuser-Busch will release earnings before the markets open. Anheuser-Busch shares gained 0.77 percent to $99.00 in after-hours trading. Extreme Networks, Inc (NASDAQ: EXTR) reported downbeat earnings for its third quarter and issued weak Q4 guidance. Extreme Networks shares fell 28.51 percent to $8.40 in the after-hours trading session. Before the opening bell, Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $1.55 billion. Ameren shares dropped 2.78 percent to close at $56.91 on Tuesday.

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Extreme Networks (NASDAQ:EXTR) insider Edward Meyercord acquired 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.42 per share, with a total value of $168,400.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Shares of network equipment maker Extreme Networks (NASDAQ:EXTR) are having a rough Wednesday. The stock opened 26.8% lower today, following last night's release of disappointing third-quarter results.

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: Meridian Interstate Bancorp Inc.(EBSB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  BidaskClub upgraded shares of Meridian Bancorp (NASDAQ:EBSB) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: NetSol Technologies Inc.(NTWK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  NetSol Technologies (NASDAQ:NTWK) CEO Najeeb Ghauri purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.20 per share, with a total value of $15,500.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Precipio, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPO) jumped 43.3 percent to $0.5447 after the micro-cap specialty diagnostics company reported preliminary first-quarter results. The company said its first quarter revenue rose 286 percent from the same quarter a year ago to $712,000. Galectin Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GALT) gained 34.5 percent to $4.52 after the company announced it would proceed with Phase 3 development of GR-MD-02 for NASH Cirrhosis following the FDA meeting. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) shares rose 21.9 percent to $8.1063. Evolus, Inc. (NASDAQ: EOLS) shares surged 16 percent to $15.65. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) shares jumped 15.5 percent to $3.6263 after the company disclosed that its application for Medicare codes received favorable preliminary decision. Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. (NASDAQ: TNDM) rose 13.7 percent to $10.12. ProPhase Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPH) gained 13.7 percent to $4.6743. Acacia Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACIA) shares gained 12.2 percent to $35.34 as optical sector is seeing strength following President Trump's announcement that he would work with China related to ZTE Corp. Tailored Brands, Inc. (NYSE: TLRD) shares rose 11.3 percent to $35.17. Jefferies upgraded Tailored Brands from Hold to Buy. Kona Grill, Inc. (NASDAQ: KONA) jumped 10.6 percent to $2.875. Federated National Holding Company (NASDAQ: FNHC) shares rose 10.6 percent to $20.29. Raymond James upgraded Federated National Holding from Outperform to Strong Buy. Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGI) climbed 10.2 percent to $15.15. Renewable Energy will replace Synchronoss Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR) in the S&P SmallCap 600 on Tuesday, May 15. Stein Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) shares climbed 10.1 percent to $3.16. Stein Mart is expected to release Q1 earnings on May 23. NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) rose 9.7 percent to $108.60 after Bloomberg reported that the China’s Commerce Ministry has restar
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Sapiens International (NASDAQ: SPNS) and NetSol Technologies (NASDAQ:NTWK) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends and risk.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  TheStreet upgraded shares of NetSol Technologies (NASDAQ:NTWK) from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

  Separately, ValuEngine raised shares of NetSol Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, May 17th.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  NetSol Technologies (NASDAQ:NTWK) CEO Najeeb Ghauri acquired 2,500 shares of NetSol Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.50 per share, with a total value of $16,250.00. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  These are some of the headlines that may have impacted Accern’s analysis:

  Get LabCorp alerts: $2.92 Earnings Per Share Expected for LabCorp (LH) This Quarter (americanbankingnews.com) Global Contract Research Organization Market 2018 Pioneers by 2023: Parexel, LabCorp (Covance), PRA, PPD … (theexpertconsulting.com) OmniSeq and LabCorp Launch OmniSeq Advance? Assay (nasdaq.com) LabCorp’s latest collaboration aims to accelerate personalized, genomic medicine (bizjournals.com) Can Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) Continue To Outperform Its Industry? (finance.yahoo.com)

  LH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of LabCorp from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of LabCorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Jefferies Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $176.00 target price on shares of LabCorp in a research note on Tuesday, March 6th. ValuEngine raised shares of LabCorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of LabCorp from $182.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. LabCorp has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $191.06.

• [By Max Byerly]

  MUFG Americas Holdings Corp trimmed its stake in LabCorp (NYSE:LH) by 55.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,683 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 13,073 shares during the quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp’s holdings in LabCorp were worth $1,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

  Get Laboratory Corp. of America alerts: Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Laboratory Corp. of America Put Options (LH) (americanbankingnews.com) Credit Suisse Group Lowers Laboratory Corp. of America (LH) to Hold (americanbankingnews.com) Laboratory Corp. of America (LH) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday (americanbankingnews.com) Can LaunchPad Aid LabCorp's (LH) Covance Arm in Q1 Earnings? (finance.yahoo.com) As Laboratory Corp Of America Holdings (LH) Shares Rose, Shareholder Veritas Investment Management Llp … (djzplanet.com)

  LH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and set a $204.00 price target (up from $180.00) on shares of Laboratory Corp. of America in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Laboratory Corp. of America from $182.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Laboratory Corp. of America from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Mizuho set a $178.00 target price on Laboratory Corp. of America and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $183.00 target price on Laboratory Corp. of America and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.19.

Treasure Hunting In The OTC Market

Background

Even after the recent sell-off in US stocks, the market still looks expensive by many metrics, including the Warren Buffett Indicator now telling you not to bet on America... well, at least not to bet solely on America. Even currently overpriced, the US stocks account for just nearly half of the world's total stock market value. American investors should consider shopping overseas.

Additionally, it is widely believed that markets are efficient, meaning that information is readily reflected in stock prices. Hence, investors may have to find the oasis in the desert.

For both reasons above, I recommend long-term investors turn to the less liquid OTC market, where many high-quality foreign businesses are listed.

Foreign Stocks on the US OTC

The OTC market often earns its shady reputation of exposing investors to the risk of fraud through many Pink Sheet companies due to lack of transparency. But these stereotypical penny stocks are not the only companies trading OTC.

Big foreign brands like Samsung (OTC:SSNLF), Nestle (OTCPK:NSRGY), BMW (OTCPK:BMWYY), or Nintendo (OTCPK:NTDOY) should sound familiar to many Americans. While you would not see any of those popular names on NYSE or any other major exchange in the US, the OTC market does offer the access for US investors to own a piece of those foreign businesses that are large-scale, well-established and hopefully wonderful.

Risks

According to Investopedia, around 15,000 companies trade OTC in the States, and they can roughly divide into the following four categories:

Companies that fail to meet the listing requirements for the major stock exchanges; Companies that are de-listed from the major exchanges, often for lack of financial information; Companies that fall off after their stock drops under $1.00; Foreign companies that do not want to meet the filing and listing requirements of the major U.S. exchanges.

Obviously, large foreign companies, such as Samsung, would belong to the 4th category and should not have the issues described in the other three categories.

In order for any stock to list on a major American exchange, the company it represents must meet all the typical NYSE or Nasdaq SEC disclosure requirements. This is still the case for foreign companies even when they already meet the requirements of their home country. Therefore, getting "officially" listed here is often considered expensive and unnecessary.

For the instance of Nestle, costs associated with hiring a legal team specializing in U.S. market regulations would be quite large. However, since the company already meets the regulatory listings of the SIX Swiss Exchange, the Euronext, the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, Nestle simply chooses not to officially list in the U.S. Instead, US investors have the option to buy its ADRs over-the-counter.

The risk associated with lack of regulation is almost nonexistent for those foreign companies trading OTC in the US, as investors have access to and should carefully examine their public information (e.g., financial statements, annual reports) per requirements of their primary listing exchanges. I always go through all relevant info on the company's website (especially the "Investors" section) and research based on the primarily-listed stock ticker through sources like Morningstar, GuruFocus, Investing.com (all these websites provide analysis, data, research on overseas-listed stocks) before buying their corresponding ADRs on the OTC market.

However, OTC stocks lack liquidity in general and are often thinly traded, which can make them volatile with wide bid-ask spreads.

My Top Quality Investing Picks

I was trying to screen out top quality stocks based on the following rigorous criteria:

Return on invested capital and on equity both above 15% each year for the past 10 years; Return on assets above 10% each year for the past 10 years; Earning-before-tax margin above 10% each year for the past 10 years; Positive free cash flow each year for the past 10 years.

To my surprise, I landed on a dozen companies - more than I could have imagined, as a majority of Corporate America cannot even get close to meeting all of the above criteria, including from tech giant Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT) to iconic American brands Walmart (WMT) and Coca-Cola (KO).

I admire the business fundamentals of all the below companies, while the current valuation for each stock varies and investors should decide their own entry point based on respective time horizons.

Rightmove PLC

Created in 2000 as a joint venture between some property agents, Rightmove is now the UK's No. 1 online real estate portal and property website. The company is primarily listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker RMV, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:RTMVY and OTCPK:RTMVF.

Rightmove has achieved tremendous successes in growing its business and delivering value to shareholders for the past decade. It also recently tops my stock quality ranking with a skyrocketing return on assets currently at over 200% (see below).

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

RTMVY (the ADR of the stock) is currently valued in line with its historical levels in terms of P/E and slightly overvalued in terms of P/S and P/CF (see below). Consider the high return on capital, I recommend long-term investors initiate a position and accumulate more shares over time.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Hargreaves Lansdown PLC

Founded in 1981 by its two founders who had initially traded from a bedroom, Hargreaves Lansdown now claims to be the UK's No. 1 investment platform for private investors. The company is primarily listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker HL while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:HRGLY and OTCPK:HRGLF.

The revenue growth has slowed down in recent years, but this cannot stop the company from earning an astonishingly high return on capital as it did for the past 10 years (see below).

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

According to Morningstar, HRGLY (the ADR of the stock) looks overpriced based on all metrics (see below). Investors may want to wait for a pull-back to initiate a position.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Swedish Match

With the vision of "a world without cigarettes" (which I personally like a lot), Swedish Match is the market leader in snus in Sweden and Norway and chewing tobacco in the US.

Source: www.swedishmatch.com; data as of 6/21/2018.

The company is primarily listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange under ticker SWMA, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:SWMAY and OTCPK:SWMAF.

The company has remarkably increased its returns on assets from 12.99% to 21.29% (see below) over the past 10 years, demonstrating increasing efficiencies of allocating capitals.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

SWMAY (the ADR of the stock) is currently overvalued in terms of P/E, P/S, and P/CF compared with their historical averages (see below). Hence, investors may want to wait for a pull-back to initiate a position.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Domino's Pizza Group PLC

Domino's Pizza Group PLC is a UK-based pizza delivery company, holding the exclusive franchise rights (through two Master Franchise Agreements in place with Domino's Pizza International Franchising Inc.) for the Domino's brand in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg. In addition, the company has associate investments in Germany, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Source: Domino's Pizza Group PLC 2016 Annual Report.

The company is primarily listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker DOM, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:DPUKY and OTC:DPUKF.

Earlier this year, I wrote this article, praising the company's capital-light franchise model in a recession-proof market segment. For the past 10 years, Domino's UK master franchise has achieved consistently high ROIC (see below), uninterrupted strong growth, and a track record of paying back its owners.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

DOM (the primarily-listed share) is looking slightly cheap and traded at discount to its historical average in terms of P/E, P/S, and P/CF at the moment (see below). I suggest investors initiate a position and accumulate more shares over time.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Novozymes AS

Founded in 2000 as a spinout from pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk (NVO), Novozymes is now the world leader in industrial enzymes with almost 50% market share globally.

Novozymes' B shares (the A share, which carries 10 times as many votes as the B share, is held by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and not publicly traded) are listed on NASDAQ Copenhagen under ticker NZYMB, while US investors can get access to its stocks OTC under tickers OTCPK:NVZMY and OTCPK:NVZMF.

For the past decade, the management has done an excellent job of expanding the margins from all levels (i.e., gross margin, operating margin and pre-tax margin). In the meantime, the annual free cash flow tripled (from 738 million DKK in 2008 to 2,371 million in 2017).

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

NVZMY (the ADR of the stock) appears to trade at discount in terms of P/E and P/CF compared to their historical averages and slightly overvalued in terms of P/S (see below). To avoid missing out, I recommend investors with long-term time horizons initiate a position and accumulate more shares over time. Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Industria De Diseno Textil SA

As the biggest fashion group in the world, Industria De Diseno Textil SA (or Inditex) operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide. The company's flagship store is Zara, but it also owns the chains Zara Home, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius and Uterq眉e. The majority of its stores are corporate-owned, while franchises are mainly conceded in countries where corporate properties cannot be foreign-owned.

The company is primarily listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange under ticker ITX, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:IDEXF and OTCPK:IDEXY.

Inditex operates a unique business model: instead of committing a large percentage of production for the next fashion season, the company commits a small amount and uses customer feedback and an efficient production network to replenish stores with new and different products weekly. As a result, the company keeps customers coming back often, earning consistently high returns on capital (e.g., 25%+ ROE, 25%+ ROIC, 15%+ ROA, each year for the past 10 years), demonstrating strong and durable competitive advantages (see below).

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

At the moment, IDEXY (the ADR of the stock) looks cheap in terms of P/E, P/S and P/CF compared to their historical averages (see below). I think IDEXY is a buy here.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Pandora AS

Founded in 1982 by a Danish couple, Pandora has become the world's third-largest jewelry company in terms of sales, after Cartier and Tiffany (TIF), and is the world's largest player in the affordable jewelry market segment.

The company is primarily listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange under ticker PNDORA, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:PNDZF, OTCPK:PNDZY and OTCPK:PANDY.

Pandora builds its moat through strong branding and economies of scale, and as a result, has earned high returns on capital over the past decade. Even during the time when the silver price spiked in 2011/2012, pressuring the margins, the company managed to generate over 20% returns on equity and invested capital (see below).

Pandora shares fell nearly 80% in 2011 after a shift in focus to higher-end designs alienated core customers, but performance has recovered after a return to the more affordable mass market. The management is able to achieve a healthy net margin of 25% and asset turnover of 1.4.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

According to Morningstar, the OTC share is currently traded at a deep discount to its historical average in terms of P/E, P/S, and P/CF (see below). At this level, Pandora is a buy.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Unilever Indonesia

Established in1933, Unilever Indonesia, a publicly-traded subsidiary of the Unilever Group (UN) (UL), has now grown to become one of Indonesia's leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies. The company has been accompanying Indonesian societies through world-renowned brands, including Pepsodent, Lux, Lifebuoy, Dove, Sunsilk, Clear, Rexona, Vaseline, Rinso, Molto, Sunlight, Wall's, Blue Band, Royco, Bango and more.

The company is primarily listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange under ticker UNVR, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:UNLRY and OTCPK:UNLRF.

The management has been able to maintain the EBT margin above 20% for the past decade, while the asset turnover has been trending down. Even so, the return on assets stands well above our 10% threshold (see below).

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

UNLRY (the ADR of the stock) is currently traded in line with its historical valuation level in terms of P/E, P/S, and P/CF (see below). Considering the high quality of the business, I recommend long-term investors start a position in UNLRY and accumulate more shares over time.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Hermes International SA

This is the stock topping my quality ranking earlier this year. Established in 1837, Hermes is the designer, manufacturer, and marketer of high fashion luxury goods, with specialization in leather, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. The company is primarily listed on the Euronext Paris under ticker RMS, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:HESAY and OTCPK:HESAF.

The business targets at the ultra-rich, and is therefore recession-proof on the downside. With ongoing consumption upgrade in China, Hermes is positioned well for tremendous growth opportunities ahead.

The inherent uniqueness and scarcity reflected by the Hermes brand help the company build a wide moat through high customer loyalty. The returns on capital and margins at Hermes are not so sexy but quite stable (see below).

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

HESAY (the ADR of the stock) is currently looking expensive in terms of its P/E, P/S, P/CF compared to historical averages (see below). Investors may want to look for a pull-back before buying HESAY. Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Roche Holding AG

Founded in Europe in 1896, Roche was first known for producing various vitamin preparations and derivatives. Since then, Roche has grown into one of the world's leading healthcare companies with focuses on pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.

The company is primarily listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under ticker ROG, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCQX:RHHBY and OTCQX:RHHBF.

Roche is one of the very few foreign companies increasing their dividend every year for over 30 years. This track record is likely to continue, given the current free cash flow dividend coverage of around 50% and a stable free cash flow margin at Roche (see below).

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

RHHBY (the ADR of the stock) appears to be undervalued in terms of P/E, P/S, and P/CF compared to their historical averages (see below). The stock is a buy at this level in my view.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Fuchs Petrolub SE

Founded in 1931 and headquartered in Germany, Fuchs Petrolub SE is the world's largest independent manufacturer of lubricants and related specialty products.

The company is primarily listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under ticker FPE, while US investors can get access to its shares OTC under tickers OTCPK:FUPBY, OTC:FUPEY, and OTCPK:FUPEF.

The management has shown great capital allocation skills with the focus on Fuchs Value Added (i.e., EBIT - cost of capital), which is the central KPI. The return on invested capital stood above 20% over the past 10 years (see below), although it has been trending down during the recent years.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

At the moment, FPE (the primarily-listed share) is trading at a premium to its historical average in terms of P/E and P/CF but at a discount in terms of P/S (see below). Therefore, investors may want to look for a pull-back on this stock.

Source: Morningstar; data as of 6/21/2018.

Summary

Investors should not ignore the OTC market, where many high-quality foreign stocks are traded. Those who believe in Quality Investing may want to follow my above picks, all of which have demonstrated consistently high returns on capital and margins. Even for value-sensitive investors, I believe that Rightmove, Domino's UK, Roche, Novozymes, Unilever Indonesia, Inditex, and Pandora are great candidates being wonderful businesses at fair prices to diversify US-concentrated portfolios. For the other companies mentioned above (i.e., Swedish Match, Hargreaves Lansdown, Fuchs Petrolub, Herme), investors may want to be a little patient, waiting for a more attractive entry point.

If you have any thought regarding the OTC market or any of the companies mentioned here, feel free to comment below.

Disclosure: I am/we are long RTMVY.

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

Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.