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Bitcoin’s ‘Kimchi Premium’ Returns With $1K Price Spreads on Crypto Exchanges Bitcoin may be back over $10,000, but the price increase is bringing with it similar market inconsistencies as seen in the cryptocurrency’s meteoric 2017 ascent. At press time, bitcoin prices in South Korea are once again trading at a notable premium to Western exchanges. The spread, popularly known as the “Kimchi Premium” after a Korean preserved food dish, rose to $1,048 on Sunday, the highest level since Feb. 24, 2018, according to data from cryptocurrency exchanges Bithumb and Coinbase. Bithumb is South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange while Coinbase, headquartered in San Francisco, California, is the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange. Related:Bitcoin Charts Hint At Price Pullback to Below $10K As of writing, the price differential on two exchanges is seen at $520. As seen can be seen, the spread alternated between positive (premium) to negative (discount) in the range of +200 to -200 for nearly 15-months before rising sharply from $80 to $1,048 in the seven days to June 30. Interestingly, the kimchi premium has spiked with bitcoin’s break above $10,000. While the spread is on the rise, it is still down 90 percent from the record high of $7,484 registered on Jan. 8, 2018. Related:Bitcoin, Facebook and the End of 20th Century Money Back then, a bull frenzy had gripped South Korea with the cryptocurrency reportedly drawing demand from many demographics, including college students and housewives. After all, BTC had rallied from $6,000 to $20,000 in the preceding two months. With Korean’s paying nearly 25 percent premium, the government decided to clamp down on speculation in January 2018. As a result, the kimchi premium was all but evaporated by the end of February 2018. Other markets also witnessed a rise in the Kimchi premium last week. For instance, the spread between the price of ethereum’s ether (TH) token on South Korea exchanges and Western exchanges rose to $28.57 on Sunday, the highest level since May 2018. As of writing, the spread is seen at $14.40. The kimchi premium in both bitcoin and the ethereum markets is falling back along with the correction in prices. While bitcoin is now trading at $10,500 representing a 24 percent drop from the recent high of $13,880, ether is changing hands at $286 – also down more than 20 percent from last week’s high of $365. Disclosure:The author holds no cryptocurrency at the time of writing Korean wonimage via Shutterstock; charts byTradingView • Bitcoin Heading for Fifth Month of Gains Despite Price Correction • Down $1.7K: Bitcoin’s Price Dives Amid Crypto Market Boost
Ahead of Prime Day, Amazon launches back-to-school store Amazonis targeting back-to-school shoppers at this year’sPrime Dayevent. In gearing up for the event, the onlineretailgiant on Monday launched a “Happy School Year”storefor parents, students and educators to find classroom supplies, laptops and other electronics, backpacks and back-to-school clothes in one place. Prime Day is scheduled for July 15-16. This year’s 48-hour event will be Amazon’s longest to date. The annual shopping event for Prime members has grown since it launched in 2015, according to the company. More than half of back-to-school consumers plan their shopping around big sales events like Prime Day, according to theNational Retail Federation. Amazon said it sold millions of pencils and pens on Prime Day last year. And more than half a million teachers and school staff use Amazon Business to purchase supplies, according to the company. Prime Day 2018 included more than 1 million deals and this year’s event is shaping up to be another big one. Amazon has already announced early offers on some items, exclusive “Prime Day Launches” and a Taylor Swift-headlined concert. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP Back-to-school shopping can be big money for retailers. In 2017, spending for K-12 schools and colleges combined hit $83.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Stores are gearing up to compete with Amazon during the shopping period around Prime Day.Targetis promoting its Deal Days event as being “no membership required” for deals on items that it says “rarely” go on sale. And eBay is preparing for a “Crash Sale day,” a jab at last year’stechnical problemsthat hit Amazon during part of its Prime Day sale. Related Articles • Ryan Lochte's Brand Value Sinks Amid Rio Scandal • Here's How You Get a Body Like An Olympian • The Controversial Way Wealthy Americans Are Lowering Estate Taxes
Standex International Corporation (NYSE:SXI): The Best Of Both Worlds Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! I've been keeping an eye on Standex International Corporation (NYSE:SXI) because I'm attracted to its fundamentals. Looking at the company as a whole, as a potential stock investment, I believe SXI has a lot to offer. Basically, it is a company that has been able to sustain great financial health, trading at an attractive share price. In the following section, I expand a bit more on these key aspects. If you're interested in understanding beyond my broad commentary, read the fullreport on Standex International here. SXI's ability to maintain an adequate level of cash to meet upcoming liabilities is a good sign for its financial health. This indicates that SXI has sufficient cash flows and proper cash management in place, which is a crucial insight into the health of the company. SXI seems to have put its debt to good use, generating operating cash levels of 0.21x total debt in the most recent year. This is also a good indication as to whether debt is properly covered by the company’s cash flows. SXI's share price is trading at below its true value, meaning that the market sentiment for the stock is currently bearish. According to my intrinsic value of the stock, which is driven by analyst consensus forecast of SXI's earnings, investors now have the opportunity to buy into the stock to reap capital gains. Also, relative to the rest of its peers with similar levels of earnings, SXI's share price is trading below the group's average. This supports the theory that SXI is potentially underpriced. For Standex International, I've put together three key aspects you should further research: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for SXI’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor SXI’s outlook. 2. Historical Performance: What has SXI's returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look atthe free visual representations of our analysisfor more clarity. 3. Other Attractive Alternatives: Are there other well-rounded stocks you could be holding instead of SXI? Exploreour interactive list of stocks with large potentialto get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
U.S. And China To Resume Trade Talks The United States and China have agreed to restart trade talks, President Trump said Saturday at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan. At a news conference Saturday, Trump said the U.S. would not impose any new tariffs on Chinese exports as the talks begin. After trade talks broke down on May 10, the Trump administration said it would impose 25 percent tariffs on an additional $300 billion a year of Chinese goods on top of the 25 percent tariffs already levied on $250 billion a year of Chinese imports in 2018 and earlier this year. China retaliated on May 13 by imposing new tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods. Should the White House follow through on its latest threat, 25 percent tariffs would apply to the value of all Chinese imports to the U.S., which totaled $540 billion in 2018. The original 25 percent tariffs will remain in effect as talks resume, Trump said. Trump said China agreed to resume broad purchases of American agricultural products and other goods, telling reporters that the U.S. would provide China with a list of what should be purchased. In a surprising move, Trump said U.S. companies could resume selling some equipment to Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., one of China's most prominent companies and a leader in the development of equipment supporting next-generation 5G telecom networks. Trump said he wanted to aid U.S. companies that had been hurt by the ban. Trump's announcement on Huawei came less than two months after the Commerce Department put the company on a blacklist prohibiting American firms from selling equipment to Huawei. The move threatened to badly damage Huawei's business because it relies heavily on American-made components. The U.S. government has long accused Huawei of being an untrustworthy agent of Beijing's repressive regime. "We discussed a lot of things and we're right back on track, Trump said, referring to his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit. Most observers had said the meeting in Osaka between the two leaders was the last best hope to avert the additional tariff levies on Chinese exports to the U.S. China's export activity to the U.S. has suffered greatly since the start of the year. Through April, the value of Chinese exports to the U.S. had dropped by $106 billion from the same period in 2018, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Though seen as more of a truce than a full-fledged breakthrough, the restart of trade talks at least provides a ray of hope for businesses struggling with the uncertainty of trade relations, and specifically how far Trump would go in punishing China through higher tariffs on all of its U.S. imports.FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX), a major global transport and logistics provider with a hub in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, said earlier this week that its fiscal 2019 fourth-quarter results, which covered the period from the beginning of March through the end of May, were affected by concerns over the trade outlook. Alan B. Graf, Jr., FedEx's CFO, told analysts that the macro environment, which includes the murky bilateral trade outlook, remains the company's biggest challenge. FedEx is not alone. Since the beginning of the year, more than a quarter of Fortune 500 companies have mentioned the impact of tariffs on their earnings calls, according to an analysis conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In addition, an increasing number of comments embedded in the Institute of Supply Management's closely watched monthly report on U.S. manufacturing activity have focused on tariff-related concerns. At the same time, FedEx executives said on their call that a resolution of the dispute would go far in improving the performance of its FedEx Express air and international unit, which has borne the brunt of the fallout from the trade dispute. Ibrahiim Bayaan, FreightWaves' chief economist, shares that view. Bayaan told the SMC3 annual summer meeting last Tuesday that he could change his current gloomy view of economic and freight trends should the U.S. and China reach a trade agreement and avoid escalating their tariff war. Bayaan said he expects freight volumes to be essentially flat and truckload rates to decline year-over-year as carriers struggle with lingering overcapacity stemming from a response to strong freight demand during 2018. Image Sourced From Pixabay See more from Benzinga • "Brawny" Georgia-Pacific Muscles Way To "Shipper Of Choice" Honor • DOWN UNDER TRUCKING: Massive Multi-Vehicle Truck Crash Leaves Two Dead • FreightWaves Oil Report: OPEC Has Done What It Planned But It Has More Work To Do © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
2019 Mazda 3 Recalled for Faulty Lug Nuts That Could Cause Wheels to Fall Off Photo credit: Michael Simari - Car and Driver From Car and Driver Almost 25,000 Mazda 3 cars are being recalled in the United States because of wheel lug nuts that could potentially loosen while driving. The recall affects 3s built at both Mazda 's Japan and Mexico factories. Dealers will complete the recall free of charge. Mazda is recalling 25,003 new Mazda 3s due to defective wheel lug nuts, with 24,865 of those cars being in the United States. Of the affected cars, 16,555 are still on dealer lots, and all dealers have been told to halt deliveries until the recall has been completed. The recall affects cars built between September 25, 2018, and May 3, 2019. The issue is a manufacturing defect that created a partial gap between the hub bolts and the hub flange. Because of the potential gap, the lug nuts can come loose and fall off during normal driving, with continued driving possibly causing the wheel itself to come off, leading to a loss of control. A rattling noise would occur before any wheel detachment happens. So far, no incidents have been recorded, and there have been no reported accidents or injuries related to the issue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Mazda don't say which of the various versions of the 3 are being affected-be it sedan or hatchback, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive , automatic or manual -but it affects cars built both at Mazda's Hiroshima, Japan, and Salamanca, Mexico, factories. Owners have already begun to be notified of the recall, with Mazda saying recall notices will be sent out no later than August 6. Dealers will tighten the lug nuts at all four corners free of charge. ('You Might Also Like',) Unclogging Streets Could Help City Dwellers Save 125 Hours a Year The 10 Cheapest New Cars of 2018 Get Out Early, Get In Late: What to Know About Auto Lease Transfers
Investors In Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO) Should Consider This, First Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Is Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. Yet sometimes, investors buy a stock for its dividend and lose money because the share price falls by more than they earned in dividend payments. With a 2.9% yield and a five-year payment history, investors probably think Melco Resorts & Entertainment looks like a reliable dividend stock. A low yield is generally a turn-off, but if the prospects for earnings growth were strong, investors might be pleasantly surprised by the long-term results. The company also bought back stock during the year, equivalent to approximately 6.5% of the company's market capitalisation at the time. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying Melco Resorts & Entertainment for its dividend - read on to learn more. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. Looking at the data, we can see that 92% of Melco Resorts & Entertainment's profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. This is quite a high payout ratio that suggests the dividend is not well covered by earnings. We also measure dividends paid against a company's levered free cash flow, to see if enough cash was generated to cover the dividend. The company paid out 61% of its free cash flow, which is not bad per se, but does start to limit the amount of cash Melco Resorts & Entertainment has available to meet other needs. It's good to see that while Melco Resorts & Entertainment's dividends were not well covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a free cash flow perspective. Even so, if the company were to continue paying out almost all of its profits, we'd be concerned about whether the dividend is sustainable in a downturn. As Melco Resorts & Entertainment has a meaningful amount of debt, we need to check its balance sheet to see if the company might have debt risks. A rough way to check this is with these two simple ratios: a) net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and b) net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA is a measure of a company's total debt. Net interest cover measures the ability to meet interest payments. Essentially we check that a) the company does not have too much debt, and b) that it can afford to pay the interest. Melco Resorts & Entertainment has net debt of 2.51 times its EBITDA. Using debt can accelerate business growth, but also increases the risks. Net interest cover can be calculated by dividing earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) by the company's net interest expense. Interest cover of 2.16 times its interest expense is starting to become a concern for Melco Resorts & Entertainment, and be aware that lenders may place additional restrictions on the company as well. Consider gettingour latest analysis on Melco Resorts & Entertainment's financial position here. Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. Melco Resorts & Entertainment has been paying a dividend for the past five years. During the past five-year period, the first annual payment was US$0.52 in 2014, compared to US$0.62 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 3.7% a year over that time. It's good to see some dividend growth, but the dividend has been cut at least once, and the size of the cut would eliminate most of the growth, anyway. We're not that enthused by this. Examining whether the dividend is affordable and stable is important. However, it's also important to assess if earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Growing EPS can help maintain or increase the purchasing power of the dividend over the long run. In the last five years, Melco Resorts & Entertainment's earnings per share have shrunk at approximately 11% per annum. Declining earnings per share over a number of years is not a great sign for the dividend investor. Without some improvement, this does not bode well for the long term value of a company's dividend. To summarise, shareholders should always check that Melco Resorts & Entertainment's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. We're not keen on the fact that Melco Resorts & Entertainment paid out such a high percentage of its income, although its cashflow is in better shape. Earnings per share are down, and Melco Resorts & Entertainment's dividend has been cut at least once in the past, which is disappointing. In this analysis, Melco Resorts & Entertainment doesn't shape up too well as a dividend stock. We'd find it hard to look past the flaws, and would not be inclined to think of it as a reliable dividend-payer. Given that earnings are not growing, the dividend does not look nearly so attractive. Very few businesses see earnings consistently shrink year after year in perpetuity though, and so it might be worth seeing what the 19analysts we track are forecasting for the future. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at ourcurated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
FMCSA Head Spurns National Truck Hiring Standard The head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), throwing cold water on any agency support to legislate a national hiring standard for motor carriers, said it is FMCSA's goal to improve its safety scorecard known as "CSA" and let shippers, brokers and third-party logistics providers (3PL) make their own decisions on which truckers they use. Raymond P. Martinez said that FMCSA, a Department of Transportation sub-agency that regulates truck, bus and freight forwarder safety, will work toward "refining the data" available to truck users under CSA, and then tell stakeholders that "this is what the data says. You make the determination" on selecting the carrier. Martinez's comments, made on June 26 at the SMC3 annual summer conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, mean that groups that have long lobbied for uniform standards to guide them in weighing the safety performance of motor carriers before they engage them cannot count on backing from the Trump administration. The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), the nation's leading broker trade group and the most active supporter of national guidelines, is working on having Congressional legislation introduced on a bipartisan basis by the end of July, according to Chris Burroughs, TIA's vice president of government affairs. Under past legislative language, a motor carrier would be deemed to be safe if it was properly licensed, had adequate insurance, and held a better than "unsatisfactory" rating from FMCSA. Burroughs said the proposal now being crafted will follow the same test, albeit with minor tweaks that he wasn't at liberty to discuss. Attempts to enact a national hiring standard were defeated in 2015 and 2018. The fight over the issue has been going on for years. Supporters contend that it is the FMCSA's responsibility, as the federal overseer of motor carrier safety, to establish uniform guidelines that the industry can follow without fear of liability in the event of an accident. Shippers and intermediaries should not be left to determine which carriers are safe to use and which are not, they argue. "No other federal safety agency puts this burden on consumers of the regulated service," TIA said in a statement to FreightWaves June 28. A federal standard would end the current patchwork of state and local standards that unfairly exposes freight brokers and shippers to potential liability after an accident, supporters said. In recent years, trial lawyers have successfully sued brokers in state court over their roles in selecting carriers involved in accidents while hauling the plaintiffs' freight. The plaintiffs bar has been able to persuade juries that carriers or drivers were either in a broker's employ at the time of an accident or that brokers were negligent in vetting the carrier's safety record. There has been concern voiced by industry groups and defense attorneys that liability could extend to the shipper. Not surprisingly, trial lawyers oppose any agenda with the national hiring standard. So do safety groups that warn that it absolves the industry of the obligation to properly vet a carrier before tendering its customer's freight. For nearly a decade, shippers and brokers have been warring with FMCSA over the criteria used by the agency to gauge the safety of motor carriers. Critics of the controversial initiative, known as "Compliance, Safety and Accountability,' or "CSA," have said the FMCSA uses outdated and unreliable methods and data sets, leaving shippers, brokers and 3PLs exposed to potential liability in the event a carrier they have selected is involved in an accident. According to TIA, FMCSA continues to rely on cumbersome physical audits rather than on data, which leads to 85 percent of the motor carrier population not having a safety rating. Under FMCSA rules, an unrated motor carrier is still considered safe in the eyes of the agency, creating a legal loophole that trial lawyers have been able to exploit, TIA said. The TIA has recommended that the agency craft a new "Safety Fitness Determination" process, and that it remove CSA data forever from public view so it cannot be manipulated. CSA data is " for internal enforcement prioritization only," and is "not a tool for motor carrier selection," TIA said. Image Sourced From Pixabay See more from Benzinga • U.S. And China To Resume Trade Talks • "Brawny" Georgia-Pacific Muscles Way To "Shipper Of Choice" Honor • DOWN UNDER TRUCKING: Massive Multi-Vehicle Truck Crash Leaves Two Dead © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Warren Buffett to donate $3.6 billion of Berkshire shares to 5 charities Warren Buffett is donating a chunk of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) shares worth nearly $4 billion to five different charities, the company announced on Monday. The billionaire investor and Berkshire chairman plans to gift $3.6 billion to five foundations: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the NoVo Foundation. Buffett plans to fulfill his charitable gift by converting over 11,000 Class A shares into nearly 17 million Class B shares. According to Berkshire, he has never sold any of his shares. Along with Bill and Melinda Gates, the “Oracle of Omaha” is a signatory ofthe Giving Pledge, a commitment by over 200 of the world’s wealthiest individuals to pledge a majority of their wealth to philanthropic clauses. The initiative began in 2010 with 40 billionaires, and countsMacKenzie Bezosamong its most recent members. For his part, Buffett plans to leave his children less than 1 percent of his fortune, which sits somewhere between $86 and $90 Billion. Buffett told Yahoo Finance in an exclusive interview in April that hisdefinition of successhas nothing to do with wealth accrued. “If you get to be 65 or 70 and later, and the people that you want to have love you actually do love you, you're a success,” Buffett said. To date, Buffett has plowed $34 billion into the five foundations, which represents about 45% of his 2006 holdings, according to Berkshire. He also plans to have all of his Berkshire Hathaway stock given to philanthropic causes within ten years of his estate being settled, the company said. Calder McHugh is an Associate Editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter:@Calder_McHugh. The jobs report is even worse than it looks in these six sectors These US industries could take the heaviest hit from new tariffs There's a gap between jobs and job-seekers, and a housing crisis is making it worse Streaming boom becomes 'holy grail' for resurgent music industry Trump's tariffs hit Texas manufacturers, spark fears for the future: Survey Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,SmartNews,LinkedIn,YouTube, andreddit.
Is Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO) A Good Dividend Stock? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Is Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. With a 2.9% yield and a five-year payment history, investors probably think Melco Resorts & Entertainment looks like a reliable dividend stock. While the yield may not look too great, the relatively long payment history is interesting. The company also bought back stock equivalent to around 6.5% of market capitalisation this year. Some simple analysis can reduce the risk of holding Melco Resorts & Entertainment for its dividend, and we'll focus on the most important aspects below. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Melco Resorts & Entertainment! Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. Melco Resorts & Entertainment paid out 92% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. This is quite a high payout ratio that suggests the dividend is not well covered by earnings. In addition to comparing dividends against profits, we should inspect whether the company generated enough cash to pay its dividend. Melco Resorts & Entertainment paid out 61% of its cash flow as dividends last year, which is within a reasonable range for the average corporation. While the dividend was not well covered by profits, at least they were covered by free cash flow. Even so, if the company were to continue paying out almost all of its profits, we'd be concerned about whether the dividend is sustainable in a downturn. As Melco Resorts & Entertainment has a meaningful amount of debt, we need to check its balance sheet to see if the company might have debt risks. A quick check of its financial situation can be done with two ratios: net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA measures total debt load relative to company earnings (lower = less debt), while net interest cover measures the ability to pay interest on the debt (higher = greater ability to pay interest costs). With net debt of 2.51 times its EBITDA, Melco Resorts & Entertainment has a noticeable amount of debt, although if business stays steady, this may not be overly concerning. Net interest cover can be calculated by dividing earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) by the company's net interest expense. With EBIT of 2.16 times its interest expense, Melco Resorts & Entertainment's interest cover is starting to look a bit thin. Consider gettingour latest analysis on Melco Resorts & Entertainment's financial position here. Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. Looking at the data, we can see that Melco Resorts & Entertainment has been paying a dividend for the past five years. During the past five-year period, the first annual payment was US$0.52 in 2014, compared to US$0.62 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 3.7% a year over that time. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments, we don't think this is an attractive combination. The other half of the dividend investing equation is evaluating whether earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Growing EPS can help maintain or increase the purchasing power of the dividend over the long run. In the last five years, Melco Resorts & Entertainment's earnings per share have shrunk at approximately 11% per annum. If earnings continue to decline, the dividend may come under pressure. Every investor should make an assessment of whether the company is taking steps to stabilise the situation. To summarise, shareholders should always check that Melco Resorts & Entertainment's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. We're not keen on the fact that Melco Resorts & Entertainment paid out such a high percentage of its income, although its cashflow is in better shape. Second, earnings per share have been in decline, and its dividend has been cut at least once in the past. There are a few too many issues for us to get comfortable with Melco Resorts & Entertainment from a dividend perspective. Businesses can change, but we would struggle to identify why an investor should rely on this stock for their income. Given that earnings are not growing, the dividend does not look nearly so attractive. Businesses can change though, and we think it would make sense to see whatanalysts are forecasting for the company. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at ourcurated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Why You Should Like Northern Oil and Gas, Inc.’s (NYSEMKT:NOG) ROCE Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we'll evaluate Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NYSEMKT:NOG) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. Specifically, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires. First, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Then we'll compare its ROCE to similar companies. Finally, we'll look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE. ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Author Edwin Whitingsaysto be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.' The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) Or for Northern Oil and Gas: 0.26 = US$309m ÷ (US$1.4b - US$226m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.) Therefore,Northern Oil and Gas has an ROCE of 26%. Check out our latest analysis for Northern Oil and Gas One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. Using our data, we find that Northern Oil and Gas's ROCE is meaningfully better than the 7.4% average in the Oil and Gas industry. I think that's good to see, since it implies the company is better than other companies at making the most of its capital. Setting aside the comparison to its industry for a moment, Northern Oil and Gas's ROCE in absolute terms currently looks quite high. In our analysis, Northern Oil and Gas's ROCE appears to be 26%, compared to 3 years ago, when its ROCE was 11%. This makes us think the business might be improving. The image below shows how Northern Oil and Gas's ROCE compares to its industry, and you can click it to see more detail on its past growth. When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. We note Northern Oil and Gas could be considered a cyclical business. Since the future is so important for investors, you should check out ourfreereport on analyst forecasts for Northern Oil and Gas. Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. The ROCE equation subtracts current liabilities from capital employed, so a company with a lot of current liabilities appears to have less capital employed, and a higher ROCE than otherwise. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets. Northern Oil and Gas has total assets of US$1.4b and current liabilities of US$226m. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 16% of its total assets. A minimal amount of current liabilities limits the impact on ROCE. This is good to see, and with such a high ROCE, Northern Oil and Gas may be worth a closer look. Northern Oil and Gas looks strong on this analysis,but there are plenty of other companies that could be a good opportunity. Here is afree listof companies growing earnings rapidly. For those who like to findwinning investmentsthisfreelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Talking Cars 209: Jaguar I-Pace and Kia Soul Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Main theme: Jaguar I-Pace and Kia Soul road-test results. This week we talk about two new cars that we just finished testing: the Jaguar I-Pace, an all-electric SUV, and the boxy Kia Soul. They’re at opposite ends of the price spectrum, but both are unique in their segments. Then it’s time for questions and answers. You asked us about software updates for cars, the reliability of 10-year-old vehicles, and which cars we would import to the U.S. from Europe. As with other “Talking Cars” episodes, this one is available free through Apple Podcasts. (Subscribe to the audio or video.) You’ll also find the audio on Spotify (log-in required) and video on YouTube. • Best Time to Buy a Car, Turbo Stress, episode 208 • BMW 3 Series vs. Volvo S60, episode 207 • Subaru Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid, Recalls, episode 206 • Honda Extends Civic and CR-V Warranty, episode 205 • Tesla’s Updated Navigate on Autopilot, episode 204 Have a Question? We’d love to include it in a future show. Click here to upload your video questions to our Dropbox folder. Please send high-definition (1920x1080) MP4 video files with high-quality audio. Or send an iMessage question to our TalkingCars@icloud.com account. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2019, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Navigating 2019’s Twists and Turns This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. ByRiverFront Investment Group A LESSON FROM FORMULA ONE RACING As a Formula 1 racing fan, I find myself comparing the 2019 action in the equity markets to that of a Grand Prix race with all the thrills and tension that come along with it. The drivers must have endurance, possess the ability to navigate hairpin turns as well as the straightaways and maintain constant contact with the crew to reaffirm conditions and strategy. Sound familiar? As important as all the internal team dynamics are, invariably there are external variables – the course, the weather, and the actions of other racers - over which the team has no control. THE START: It would have been difficult to have called the start of 2019. The dramatic downside reaction that ended 2018, sparked by fears of tighter interest rates, was quickly shrugged off as the Federal Reserve reversed course and indicated that it would proceed cautiously in determining further rate hikes. That coupled with what was perceived as positive news on the trade front resulted in a first quarter rebound in US equities that was at the high end of our optimistic forecast for the entire year in our2019Outlook. THE CHICANE: A chicane is a sequence of tight corners (think zig-zag) in alternate directions built into the racing circuit to slow the cars. The “chicane,” for purposes of this reference, comes in the form of the reality of where we are in the earnings cycle. Earnings for the S&P 500 came in considerably better than the 4% decline that was originally forecast for the first quarter, however, according to FactSet they were still slightly negative. It is estimated that the decline was -0.4%. Earnings for the second quarter are now forecast to decline by more than 2%, which would likely reignite the worries about the impact of an earnings recession. S&P 500 earnings revision ‘momentum’ – a moving average of the total number of earnings-per-share (EPS) estimates revised up by analysts over the past 100 days, minus the number revised down, divided by total number of estimates - has recovered from its dramatic drop earlier this year, but is still hovering around zero, suggesting to us a lack of a decisive positive view by analysts heading into earnings season (see chart, next page). Earnings growth leads to valuation multiple expansion, so the change in the rate of change for that growth is impactful to the valuation levels of the market. At this juncture, investors must look ahead to the back half of 2019 and into early 2020 to see earnings growth reaccelerate. On a forward multiple, the S&P 500 is at approximately a 16.7x multiple on 2019 earnings which is above the 10-year average of 14.8x. An article from Bloomberg earlier this week noted the growing number of Wall Street analysts who have cut their earnings estimates for the S&P, yet none have cut their target price for the index. As we head into earnings reporting season in a few weeks, the actual data as well as the guidance will be an important component in determining whether we see valuation multiple expansion or contraction from current levels. THE YELLOW FLAG: A yellow flag signifies that there is hazard ahead. Given market valuations, we believe the “yellow flags” that we have seen in terms of macroeconomic and geopolitical hazards should have created more volatility, particularly to the downside, than what we have experienced. The sharp selloff in May that was the result of news that the US would proceed with tariff increases on imports from China seems to have become a dim memory in anticipation of progress as investors look ahead to the upcoming G20 meeting. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in an index. Ironically, there has been no concrete evidence of any substantive agreement between the two countries, so hope seems to be the prevailing strategy. Meanwhile, estimates for the potential impact that higher tariffs could have to US GDP have started to tick higher. Headlines are appearing daily regarding the negative impact to businesses and consumers as the imposition of these tariffs loom. In early June, consumer sentiment did tick slightly lower in the most recent Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey due to tariff concerns; however, it remains at record levels. There are some signs of slowing in the US economy such US manufacturing data, and a recent survey of US CEOs revealed that sales expectations, plans for capital investment and hiring have all dropped. THE STRAIGHTAWAY: As we wind down the second quarter it feels like we are on a straightaway. US equity markets have reached record highs, central banks around the world have tilted more dovish, and investors seemed to have reconciled that slower growth is a reality. At RiverFront, we have adjusted portfolios based on our underlying fundamental underpinnings of asset allocation, tactical adjustments, security selection and risk management to account for these variables . Currently, our shorter-horizon strategies are considered neutral risk relative to our benchmarks, with a tilt towards US equities. This reflects both our optimistic views around US central bank policy and long-term preference for stocks over bonds, balanced with the uncertainty surrounding tactical factors like trade headlines. The longer-horizon strategies, where investors inherently may possess a higher tolerance for short-term uncertainty, remain positioned in a “risk on” fashion and also reflect a preference for US equities. This article was written by the team atRiverFront Investment Group, a participant in theETF Strategist Channel. Important Disclosure Information The comments above refer generally to financial markets and not RiverFront portfolios or any related performance. Past results are no guarantee of future results and no representation is made that a client will or is likely to achieve positive returns, avoid losses, or experience returns similar to those shown or experienced in the past. Information or data shown or used in this material is for illustrative purposes only and was received from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy is not guaranteed. In a rising interest rate environment, the value of fixed-income securities generally declines. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. When referring to being “overweight” or “underweight” relative to a market or asset class, RiverFront is referring to our current portfolios’ weightings compared with the portfolios’ composite benchmarks. For more information on our composite benchmarks, please visit our website: www.riverfrontig.com. Technical analysis is based on the study of historical price movements and past trend patterns. There are no assurances that movements or trends can or will be duplicated in the future. Investing in foreign companies poses additional risks since political and economic events unique to a country or region may affect those markets and their issuers. In addition to such general international risks, the portfolio may also be exposed to currency fluctuation risks and emerging markets risks as described further below. Changes in the value of foreign currencies compared to the U.S. dollar may affect (positively or negatively) the value of the portfolio’s investments. Such currency movements may occur separately from, and/or in response to, events that do not otherwise affect the value of the security in the issuer’s home country. Also, the value of the portfolio may be influenced by currency exchange control regulations. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by the portfolio. Foreign investments, especially investments in emerging markets, can be riskier and more volatile than investments in the U.S. and are considered speculative and subject to heightened risks in addition to the general risks of investing in non-U.S. securities. Also, inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries. Stocks represent partial ownership of a corporation. If the corporation does well, its value increases, and investors share in the appreciation. However, if it goes bankrupt, or performs poorly, investors can lose their entire initial investment (i.e., the stock price can go to zero). Bonds represent a loan made by an investor to a corporation or government. As such, the investor gets a guaranteed interest rate for a specific period of time and expects to get their original investment back at the end of that time period, along with the interest earned. Investment risk is repayment of the principal (amount invested). In the event of a bankruptcy or other corporate disruption, bonds are senior to stocks. Investors should be aware of these differences prior to investing. Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index measures the performance of 500 large cap stocks, which together represent about 80% of the total US equities market. RiverFront Investment Group, LLC, is an investment adviser registered with the Securities Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply any level of skill or expertise. The company manages a variety of portfolios utilizing stocks, bonds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). RiverFront also serves as sub-advisor to a series of mutual funds and ETFs. Opinions expressed are current as of the date shown and are subject to change. They are not intended as investment recommendations. RiverFront is owned primarily by its employees through RiverFront Investment Holding Group, LLC, the holding company for RiverFront. Baird Financial Corporation (BFC) is a minority owner of RiverFront Investment Holding Group, LLC and therefore an indirect owner of RiverFront. BFC is the parent company of Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (“Baird”), a registered broker/dealer and investment adviser. Copyright ©2019 RiverFront Investment Group. All Rights Reserved. 882653 POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • SPY ETF Quote • VOO ETF Quote • QQQ ETF Quote • VTI ETF Quote • JNUG ETF Quote • Top 34 Gold ETFs • Top 34 Oil ETFs • Top 57 Financials ETFs • Facebook Libra: Weighing The Pros And Cons • As Bitcoin Surges Past $13K, Calls to Embrace Crypto Grow • GLDM Marks One Year Anniversary Today, Leads Gold-Backed ETF Flows • ROBO Global Healthcare Technology ETF Debuts on NYSE • Gold And Silver Rally On Unusual Options Activity READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM >
The Ingredient That Will Give a Major Boost to Boxed Mac and Cheese Boxed macaroni and cheese might be a food of desperation or reverence, depending on your perspective. It’s powered many through a night when they had no energy for cooking, but it’s also a food that brings immense comfort when little else will. Indeed, boxed macaroni and cheese rings of days when pennies were tight, but it hits a spot in mind and body that little else, save perhaps cheap pizza, does. While the beauty of boxed mac and cheese is in how simple it is—cook pasta, add butter and milk, sprinkle with cheese powder, stir—there’s one thing you can do to actually upgrade boxed macaroni into a side dish that’s seriously easy but immensely flavorful. You can add buttermilk. Yes, the same magic ingredient that makes biscuits fluffy and salad dressings thick and creamy. Buttermilk is thick and viscous, and it has a rich tang that’s tart but rarely sour. Regular milk is a bit thinner and often a touch sweet. So substituting the same amount of buttermilk for sweet milk gives the boxed pasta dinner a creamier finish and a just-right zip. The alluring orange bowl will look like the dish you’ve always loved, but your clever upgrade will leave you feeling a bit creative, even if boiling pasta was the extent of the energy you had for tonight’s dinner. WATCH: How to Make Blue Cheese Mac & Cheese 5 More Flavorful Ways to Upgrade Boxed Mac and Cheese 1. Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese - Add bottled buffalo sauce to prepared macaroni and cheese with chopped, cooked chicken and blue cheese. 2. Faux Carbonara - Combine powdered cheese mixture and two eggs, stirring well. Add egg-cheese mixture and milk to noodles. Stir to coat and cook over low-medium heat. Add chopped, cooked bacon and warmed English peas. 3. Fast Chili Mac - To prepared macaroni and cheese, add cooked and drained ground beef, drained kidney beans, and a sprinkle or two of chili powder or smoked chipotle powder. In a pinch, you can pour in canned chili. Freshen it up with sour cream and chopped cilantro or chopped green chiles. 4. Casual Caprese - When cherry or grape tomatoes are plentiful, this quick dinner is a brilliant hack: add halved tomatoes to boxed mac and cheese. Stir in basil ribbons and mozzarella pearls. For a bougie touch, you can broil the mozzarella on top instead of stirring it into the pasta. 5. Easy Italian - Combine cheese powder, butter, and milk with a half teaspoon Italian seasoning. Simmer to melt butter, whisking occasionally. Add to pasta. Stir in chopped tangy sun-dried tomatoes.
Calculating The Fair Value Of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NYSE:PANW) Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Does the July share price for Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NYSE:PANW) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. This is done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of theSimply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for Palo Alto Networks We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: [{"": "Levered FCF ($, Millions)", "2020": "$1.2b", "2021": "$1.4b", "2022": "$1.4b", "2023": "$1.5b", "2024": "$1.6b", "2025": "$1.7b", "2026": "$1.7b", "2027": "$1.8b", "2028": "$1.9b", "2029": "$1.9b"}, {"": "Growth Rate Estimate Source", "2020": "Analyst x18", "2021": "Analyst x8", "2022": "Analyst x3", "2023": "Analyst x2", "2024": "Est @ 5.48%", "2025": "Est @ 4.66%", "2026": "Est @ 4.08%", "2027": "Est @ 3.67%", "2028": "Est @ 3.39%", "2029": "Est @ 3.19%"}, {"": "Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.52%", "2020": "$1.1k", "2021": "$1.2k", "2022": "$1.0k", "2023": "$1.0k", "2024": "$1.0k", "2025": "$961.1", "2026": "$913.4", "2027": "$864.6", "2028": "$816.2", "2029": "$769.0"}] ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF)= $9.7b The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 10-year government bond rate of 2.7%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.5%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2029× (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$1.9b × (1 + 2.7%) ÷ (9.5% – 2.7%) = US$29b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= $US$29b ÷ ( 1 + 9.5%)10= $11.63b The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is $21.34b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding.This results in an intrinsic value estimate of $222.3. Compared to the current share price of $203.76, the company appears about fair value at a 8.3% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Palo Alto Networks as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.139. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Whilst important, DCF calculation shouldn’t be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For Palo Alto Networks, There are three fundamental aspects you should further research: 1. Financial Health: Does PANW have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at ourfree balance sheet analysis with six simple checkson key factors like leverage and risk. 2. Future Earnings: How does PANW's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with ourfree analyst growth expectation chart. 3. Other High Quality Alternatives: Are there other high quality stocks you could be holding instead of PANW? Exploreour interactive list of high quality stocksto get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NYSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks justsearch here. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Celine Dion's Sheer Optical Illusion Dress Will Make You Dizzy We know you're tired of hearing it, and honestly, we're a little tired of saying it, but Celine Dion is a fashion goddess walking among us — and today she happened to be walking among us in the coolest, slinkiest, most sheer dress we've ever seen. On Monday, the icon stepped out in Paris for the Iris van Herpen show during Paris Couture Week wearing a long-sleeved see-through gown made of vertical, 3D-esque wavy red strands that had the effect of an optical illusion. The dress also featured a plunging bodice with a fishnet overlay and a cinched waist with a flowing fitted skirt, something we had not believed could exist before this very day. Marc Piasecki/Getty Images She paired the avant garde dress with a simple pair of black heels and played it light on accessories — after all, a dress like that speaks for itself. She did, however, match her eye makeup to the dress with a hot pink smokey eye and wore her hair down in a slicked back style. RELATED: Celine Dion Pulled a Carrie Bradshaw in Paris with Mismatched Stilettos Keeping our eyes peeled for what Celine wears next.
I Found Hannah Brown’s Bachelorette Contestants on LinkedIn, and Their Profiles Are Pure Gold I was clicking through LinkedIn the other day and stumbled upon The Bachelorette Hannah Brown’s account. To be honest, I was surprised to see just how robust the reality star's profile is—it details her experience and passion for interior design, and she's also looking for jobs in public relations, marketing, music, or entertainment. (Although I'm sure her goals have changed by now.) “I could not be where I am today without people believing and investing in me,” she writes in the bio section of her profile. “For me, that has had a great impact on how I live my life, and I would love to bring that passion for developing and helping people into my career.” Naturally, after learning more about Hannah’s professional background (she’s a whiz at Microsoft Word—did you know?), I turned my focus to the men vying for her heart this season and found the profiles for Peter, Tyler C., and even John Paul Jones. Unfortunately, Jed’s profile was nowhere to be found; I guess when you’re an aspiring country star, LinkedIn networking isn’t exactly necessary. So how do they stack up? Let’s find out. TYLER C. ABC Tyler C. At first glance, Tyler’s profile is a bit lackluster. (I think not including a shirtless pic was his first mistake, but that's just me.) But though the profile is pretty bare, something stood out to me right away that makes me think he’s worthy of Hannah’s final rose. Just like Hannah, Tyler also has a heartwarming message in the bio of his profile: “At the end of the day, putting a smile on someone’s face is all I can ask for.” That’s all he can ask for. THAT’S IT. You put a smile on my face every week, Tyler, so mission accomplished. MIKE ABC Mike You guys, Mike’s occupation on LinkedIn is Happy. And the company he works for? Life. He’s happy at life. (Are they hiring? Asking for a friend.) No wonder he’s always wearing that megawatt smile. That's not the only positive on his profile: Apparently he’s also a mentor for Big Brothers and Sisters of America, where he “participates in various activities revolved around giving a positive outlook on life to our youth.” Story continues PETER Ed Herrera/ABC Peter Then we have Peter the Pilot, whose profile tells us literally nothing other than the fact that he flies planes, which we already knew (hence the nickname). On top of that, he has a gray avatar as his main picture (boo) and only five connections. Seems suspect…are you hiding something from us , Peter? It’s safe to say this profile needs a serious makeover, and I’ve got some ideas. How about listing “making out on pool tables” as an interest? LUKE P. Ed Herrera/ABC Luke P. Sigh, Luke P. According to his profile, he’s a "current entrepreneur." Not to be confused with a former entrepreneur. It’s unclear what his entrepreneurial endeavors actually are, but his ABC bio claims he’s an import/export manager. He also lists his part-time job at CrossFit. Now, I don’t know if he trains people at a CrossFit gym or if he considers working out at CrossFit a part-time job, but the latter sounds more likely to me. CONNOR S. ABC Connor S. Connor is the first guy I found with a really detailed profile. I would definitely hire Connor if I were looking for someone to handle principal investing and lending directly to middle market companies, but unfortunately I’m not. And his volunteer experience melts my heart. He taught elementary school children how to read, assisted with gifting toys to sick kids, and organized food to be donated to people in need. Hey, Hannah, this is what you call marriage material. JOHN PAUL JONES ABC John Paul Jones During his time on the show, we never found out what JPJ did for a living, because on his ABC profile his career was listed as “John Paul Jones.” Classic. But apparently he’s been a financial analyst for almost two years now, and just like Hannah, he’s also highly skilled in Microsoft Word. Maybe he’s the one that got away. LUKE S. ABC Luke S. Luke S. is another one with an informative profile. Aside from the various jobs and internships, I found out that not only was Luke a part of the Sigma Chi fraternity, he was the social chair. If only his nonexistent tequila business has been around during his college days. DUSTIN ABC Dustin Dustin cleaned up nicely for his LinkedIn photo. Perhaps he learned how to pose when he was a model at Ford Models. Yes, our boy Dustin was signed to the agency for nearly three years but apparently is only focused on real estate for now. DYLAN ABC Dylan First and foremost, Dylan has a pink Apple Watch as his cover photo and I’m really digging this aesthetic. Turns out Dylan is the cofounder of a social impact fitness app? It’s an app that encourages users to work out and, in turn, will donate to hungry families in need. Why didn’t we know about this? See, this is what happens when Luke P. gets too much screen time . Stefanie Parker is a writer who runs the Bachelor- themed Instagram account She's All Bach . Originally Appeared on Glamour
5 Market-Beating Sector ETFs of Q2 The second quarter was the most volatile for the U.S. stock market. After a steady climb in April, Wall Street disappointed in May and then rebounded in June.Increased tit-for-tat tariff threats, rise in Middle East tensions, Brexit, geopolitical disturbance and global growth woes continued to make investors jittery. On the other hand, hopes of Fed’s easing policies, waves of mergers & acquisitions, and an oil price rebound fueled the rally.While many corners of the equity world witnessed a solid run, a few sector ETFs performed incredibly well, thereby comfortably crushing the broader markets. Below we have highlighted five such funds that were the second quarter’s star performers and could also be winners in the ongoing quarter if the current trends continue.Solar - Invesco Solar ETF TANThis ETF, which offers global exposure to 22 solar stocks, emerged as a winner in the second quarter, climbing about 22%. This is primarily thanks to a rebound in global solar demand, California’s push to make solar panels, competitive pricing and the potential Chinese subsidies. The strongest-ever solar installation and the exemption of tariff on one type of solar panels also added to the strength.American firms dominate the fund’s portfolio with nearly 48% share, followed by China (25.9%) and Germany (7.4%). The product has amassed $359.4 million in its asset base and trades in average daily volume of 159,000 shares. It charges investors 70 bps in fees per year and has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a High risk outlook (read: S&P 500 Hits New High: 10 Top-Performing ETFs YTD).Gold Mining - iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF RINGGold was on a rise on hopes of loose monetary policies across the globe and flight to safe haven owing to rising geopolitical tensions and global growth worries. Acting as a leveraged play on the underlying metal prices, metal miners tend to experience more gains than their bullion cousins in a rising metal market. As such, gold mining ETFs outperformed with RING leading the way higher, gaining 17.2% in the second quarter (read: Should You Buy Gold ETFs Now).This ETF offers exposure to companies that derive the majority of their revenues from gold mining. It follows the MSCI ACWI Select Gold Miners Investable Market Index and holds 35 securities in its portfolio. About half of the portfolio is allotted to Canadian firms, while United States, South Africa and Australia round off the next three with double-digit exposure each. The fund charges 39 bps in fees and expenses, and trades in good volume of 195,000 shares per day. It has been able to manage assets worth $240.9 million.Insurance - Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF KBWPThe insurance corner of the broad financial market has risen on a growing economy backed by a solid job market, increasing wages and rising consumer confidence that are leading to higher demand for all types of insurance services. KBWP offers exposure to companies primarily engaged in U.S. property and casualty insurance activities. With AUM of $94.4 million, it holds 24 stocks in its basket. The fund charges 35 bps in fees per year and trades in average daily volume of 7,000 shares. It gained 13.5% and has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a Medium risk outlook.Aerospace & Defense - SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF XARAerospace & defense sector got a boost from increased NATO defense spending, robust demand for passenger jets, and mergers & acquisitions. XAR offers equal-weight exposure to 30 stocks by tracking the S&P Aerospace & Defense Select Industry Index. It has been able to manage $1.6 billion in its asset base, while trades in average daily volume of around 151,000 shares. It charges 35 bps in annual fees and gained 13.3% in the second quarter. The fund has a Zacks ETF Rank #2 (Buy) with a Medium risk outlook (read: Raytheon, United Tech to Merge: Aerospace ETFs in Focus).Homebuilding - Invesco Dynamic Building & Construction ETF PKBHomebuilder ETFs rallied on a decline in mortgage rates and slower home price growth that have made housing more affordable. The Fed’s more-than-expected dovish view has also led to strong optimism. As such, PKB follows the Dynamic Building & Construction Intellidex Index, holding well-diversified 30 stocks in its basket. It has amassed assets worth $114.5 million and sees lower volume of around 19,000 shares per day on average. Expense ratio comes in at 0.58%. PKB was up 12% and has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a High risk outlook (read: Tough Time for Homebuilding ETFs Despite Fed's Dovishness?).Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week.Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportInvesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF (KBWP): ETF Research ReportsiShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING): ETF Research ReportsSPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR): ETF Research ReportsInvesco Dynamic Building & Construction ETF (PKB): ETF Research ReportsInvesco Solar ETF (TAN): ETF Research ReportsTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. 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Is It Time To Consider Buying Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:HOLI)? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:HOLI), which is in the electronic business, and is based in China, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NASDAQGS over the last few months, increasing to $23.25 at one point, and dropping to the lows of $17.51. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Hollysys Automation Technologies's current trading price of $18.99 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Hollysys Automation Technologies’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. Check out our latest analysis for Hollysys Automation Technologies The stock seems fairly valued at the moment according to my valuation model. It’s trading around 11.77% above my intrinsic value, which means if you buy Hollysys Automation Technologies today, you’d be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. And if you believe the company’s true value is $16.99, then there isn’t really any room for the share price grow beyond what it’s currently trading. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Hollysys Automation Technologies’s beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company’s shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity. Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by 21% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Hollysys Automation Technologies. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Are you a shareholder?HOLI’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at the stock? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below its fair value? Are you a potential investor?If you’ve been keeping an eye on HOLI, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for the company, which means it’s worth further examining other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters – the fundamentals – before you make a decision on Hollysys Automation Technologies. You can find everything you need to know about Hollysys Automation Technologies inthe latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Hollysys Automation Technologies, you can use our free platform to see my list of over50 other stocks with a high growth potential. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Administration moves to ease drive-time rules for truckers OPAL, Va. (AP) Truck driver Lucson Francois was forced to hit the brakes just five minutes from his home in Pennsylvania. He'd reached the maximum number of hours in a day he's allowed to be on duty. Francois couldn't leave the truck unattended. So he parked and climbed into the sleeper berth in the back of the cab. Ten hours would have to pass before he could start driving again. "You don't want even a one-minute violation," said Francois, a 39-year-old Haitian immigrant, recalling his dilemma during a break at a truck stop in this small crossroads town southwest of Washington. The Transportation Department is moving to relax the federal regulations that required Francois to pull over, a long sought goal of the trucking industry and a move that would highlight its influence with the Trump administration. Interest groups that represent motor carriers and truck drivers have lobbied for revisions they say would make the rigid "hours of service" rules more flexible. But highway safety advocates are warning the contemplated changes would dangerously weaken the regulations, resulting in truckers putting in even longer days at a time when they say driver fatigue is such a serious problem. They point to new government data that shows fatal crashes involving trucks weighing as much as 80,000 pounds have increased. "I think flexibility is a code word for deregulation," said Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, an alliance of insurance companies and consumer, public health and safety groups. She said the hours of service requirements, which permit truckers to drive up to 11 hours each day, are already "exceedingly liberal in our estimation." There were 4,657 large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2017, a 10% increase from the year before, according to a May report issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an agency of the Transportation Department. Sixty of the truckers in these accidents were identified as "asleep or fatigued," although the National Transportation Safety Board has said this type of driver impairment is likely underreported on police crash forms. The NTSB has declared fatigue a "pervasive problem" in all forms of transportation and added reducing fatigue-related accidents to its 2019-2020 " most wanted list " of safety improvements. A groundbreaking study by the Transportation Department more than a decade ago reported 13% of truck drivers involved in crashes that resulted in fatalities or injuries were fatigued at the time of the accidents. Story continues The trucking industry has developed a strong relationship with President Donald Trump, who has made rolling back layers of regulatory oversight a top priority. At least a dozen transportation safety rules under development or already adopted were repealed, withdrawn, delayed or put on the back burner during Trump's first year in office. "First of all, this administration is not as aggressive as the prior," said Bill Sullivan, the top lobbyist for the powerful American Trucking Associations, whose members include the nation's largest motor carriers and truck manufacturing companies. "Most importantly, the partnership with them has not been as suspicious of industry as in the past." Trucking interests had pressed the administration and Congress for the rule changes and last year secured support from 30 senators, mostly Republicans. The lawmakers wrote in a May 2018 letter to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Ray Martinez that the rules "do not provide the appropriate level of flexibility" and asked him to explore improvements. Independent truckers in particular have chafed at what they see as a one-size-fits-all directive written by Washington bureaucrats who don't understand what they face on the highways. "How can you judge me and what I do by sitting in a cubicle in an office?" said Terry Button, a burly hay farmer from upstate New York who owns his truck. Button estimates he's logged about 4 million miles since he started driving a truck in 1976. He said he's never caused an accident, although he's been hit twice by passenger vehicles. The regulations have existed since the 1930s and are enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The proposed revisions are being reviewed by the White House's Office of Management and Budget and have not yet been released, according to a spokesman for the motor carrier safety office. The regulations limit long-haul truckers to 11 hours of driving time within a 14-hour on-duty window. They must have had 10 consecutive hours off duty before the on-duty clock starts anew. And a driver who is going to be driving for more than eight hours must take a 30-minute break before hitting the eight-hour mark. Breaking the rules can be costly. A trucker might be declared "out of service" for a day or longer for going beyond the time limits. Many are paid by the mile, so if they're not driving they're not making money. Francois, who was hauling 45,000 pounds of drinking water to a Walmart warehouse in Woodland, Pennsylvania, said he gets 50 cents a mile and earns, after taxes, around $900 a week. Off-duty and on-duty time for most truckers is recorded automatically and precisely by electronic logging devices, or ELDs. Responding to a congressional directive, the Obama administration set in motion the mandated use of ELDs as of December 2017 a regulatory requirement that Trump has not overturned. Paper logs could be fudged pretty easily, but not the ELD, which is wired to the truck's engine and has a display screen visible to the driver. Chase's organization says an accurate accounting of a trucker's hours is one of the most effective ways to help prevent drowsy driving. But for many truckers, the logging devices have only highlighted the inflexibility and complexity of the regulations. "If you run out of time in the middle of the George Washington Bridge, are you just going to pull over and park?" said Button, referring to the world's busiest span connecting New Jersey and New York. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents small business truckers like Button, said the schedule dictated by the rules is out of step with the daily realties confronting most of their members. Heavy traffic, foul weather and long waits for cargo to be loaded or unloaded keep them idle. All the while, the 14-hour clock keeps on ticking, pushing them to go faster to make up lost time. Especially vexing is the mandatory break requirement, according to organization president, Todd Spencer. The pause forces drivers to pull over when they don't really need to rest, he said. And parking for a big rig is often hard to find and they may end up stopping in unsafe places, such as highway shoulders. Spencer's organization, which says it has more than 160,000 members, has been pushing for the 30-minute break to be eliminated. In comments filed with the Transportation Department, the group recommended that truckers instead be allowed to effectively stop the 14-hour clock for up to three consecutive hours. During this off-duty period, drivers could rest or simply wait out heavy traffic. "This is not rocket science stuff," Spencer said. "Rest when it makes sense to rest. Drive when it makes sense to drive." But critics of the stop-the-clock idea said that would result in a 17-hour work window, heightening the risk of drowsy driving and accidents. There's no guarantee a trucker can or will sleep during that three-hour stop and a number of them would be driving at the end of a long period of being awake, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a professional society of doctors and scientists. Harry Adler, executive director of the Truck Safety Coalition, criticized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for "appeasing industry." He said the agency has made the potential rule changes a higher priority than pushing forward with safety technologies such as software that electronically limits a truck's speed. Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Senate last week that, if passed, would circumvent the Trump administration's indefinite delay of a proposed rule requiring new trucks to be outfitted with speed limiters. "None of this should be up for consideration," he said. "There is no reason for any of this." ___ Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rplardner View comments
Alibaba Stock Is a Buy, But Do Not Underestimate Its Risks Alibaba(NYSE:BABA) continues to maintain double-digit-percentage growth, which is certainly positive for Alibaba stock. Despite trade-related concerns, Alibaba is advancing in several different sectors as its founder, Jack Ma, who is now the company’s executive chairman, prepares to retire in September. Source: Shutterstock Alibaba stock currently has both positive and negative catalysts. Although valuation could make buying at least a small position in BABA stock worthwhile, investors should keep their expectations of BABA in check. • 7 F-Rated Stocks to Sell for Summer Like peers such asAmazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) andJD.com(NASDAQ:JD), Alibaba has moved headlong into the digital-ad business. It also competes withBaidu(NASDAQ:BIDU) onsmart speakers, though it may need to play catch-up in the latter area, as it has fallen behind BIDU in smart speakers. BABA also has a cloud business and has developed a chip for self-driving cars. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Additionally, Alibaba has focused on expanding outside of China. Recent reports revealed that the company plans to invest $100 million in a joint venture in Russia. Moreover, with the$10 billion IPO of BABAslated to occur in Hong Kong, the company will have enough cash to fund its ventures generously. Despite my criticism of BABA stock in the past, I currently see a lot to like about Alibaba stock. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect the company’s profit to rise 21.9% during the current fiscal year and 29.3% next fiscal year. Given that level of growth and Alibaba stock’s forward price–earnings (PE) ratio of just 19.4, I believe buying BABA stock is worthwhile. However, traders also have reasons to have moderate expectations for BABA stock. For one, unlike the shares that will soon be listed on the Hong Kong exchange, BABA stock is not actually shares of Alibaba. Instead, BABA stock is actually shares of a Cayman Islands-based holding company that’s entitled to a portion of Alibaba’s profits. Since such holding companies’ stock doesn’t provide investors with direct ownership of companies, it tends to trade at a discount. But I do not expect BABA to violate its agreement with the holding company. However, I think this arrangement places some level of doubt in the minds of investors. I believe these doubts prevent Alibaba stock from attaining the triple-digit PE ratios thatTwilio(NYSE:TWLO) andNetflix(NASDAQ:NFLX) have reached in the recent past. Nonetheless, Alibaba stock has risen about 150% since its IPO over five years ago. That amounts to a compound annual growth rate of about 20%, which is higher than the CAGR of theS&P 500. Moreover, although BABA does little business with the U.S.,Alibaba stock has traded in a range since the trade war began in early 2018. I don’t expect BABA to return to its sub-$130 lows of last December. I do not, however, think it will remain above $200 per share for a long period of time unless the trade war ends. As a result, investors must moderate their expectations of Alibaba stock. BABA’s founder, former CEO, and current executive Chairman Jack Ma will soon leave the company and hand the reins completely to his hand-picked successor and current CEO, Daniel Zhang. Only time will tell how successful Zhang will be. However, due to the conglomerate status of Alibaba, Zhang’s job will be difficult. But I do not expect BABA to do as badly under Zhang asGE(NYSE:GE) did under Jeff Immelt, who succeeded the great CEO Jack Welch. Nonetheless, given BABA’s challenges, I think Alibaba stock is reasonably priced at its current levels. For risk tolerant investors, I think buying BABA stock makes some sense. However, BABA’s unknowns, including the coming leadership transition, make BABA stock risky. Alibaba stock will likely generate strong returns, but it has risks that aren’t discussed enough. While the shares trade at bargain levels, the fact that buying BABA stock does not give investors shares of Alibaba could keep a lid on BABA stock price. Moreover, the company’s leadership transition poses risks, and Alibaba’s conglomerate status adds considerably to the uncertainty. But for those who want to speculate and can tolerate risk, Alibaba stock might be worthwhile. However, the ultimate success of BABA stock will likely depend on politics and personalities more than numbers. As of this writing, Will Healy did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks. You canfollow Will on Twitterat @HealyWriting. • 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid • 7 F-Rated Stocks to Sell for Summer • 7 Stocks to Buy for the Same Price as Beyond Meat • 7 Penny Marijuana Stocks That Are NOT Cheap Stocks Compare Brokers The postAlibaba Stock Is a Buy, But Do Not Underestimate Its Risksappeared first onInvestorPlace.
Riz Ahmed Says He Missed Star Wars Celebration Because He Was Racially Profiled at the Airport Riz Ahmed says that the reason he wasn’t able to attend a recent Star Wars event was because Homeland Security stopped him from boarding his flight. While attending the CAA Amplify conference in Ojai, California last week, the 36-year-old British actor, who is of Pakistani descent, opened up about the real reason he had been unable to attend the fan gathering in April. According to IndieWire , Star Wars Celebration posted at the time that the actor, who played Bodhi Rook in Star Wars: Rogue One , had been unable to attend “due to circumstances beyond his control.” Ahmed, who has spoken out in the past about how frequently he gets searched at airports because of the color of his skin, used the incident to address the ongoing problem of Islamophobia. “I can win an Emmy , Ibtihaj Muhammad can go to the Olympics, but some of these obstacles are systemic and we can’t really face them alone, we need your help. I’m basically here to ask for your help, because it’s really scary to be a Muslim right now, super scary,” he told the crowd, according to The Hollywood Reporte r . “I’ve often wondered, is this going to be the year when they round us up, if this is going to be the year they put Trump’s registry into action. If this is going to be the year they ship us all off.” Matt Crossick/PA Images via Getty RELATED: Riz Ahmed Says He Was Searched at Airports Even After Rogue One: It’s Almost ‘Comical’ During the event he also spoke about how he no longer wants to have to change the way he speaks or acts in order to avoid being discriminated against. “How I do what I do is because like all of you here, I’m a code-switcher,” he remarked. “We all know how to change the way we talk, the way we dress, the way we walk as we enter one room or another. We all know how to navigate terrain that isn’t of our own making. That’s how I can do it, but that’s not why I do what I do. The why is because I don’t want to have to code-switch anymore.” Story continues PEOPLE has reached out to Homeland Security for comment. Last year, the actor, who is also a rapper known as Riz MC, opened up about how appearing in Rogue One had little effect on how frequently he got stopped at airports. “For example, I was getting on the plane to do the Star Wars press tour, I’d be stopped for a second time, patted down, searched,” Ahmed explained during an interview with Sunday Today . “At this point, the guys searching me are, like, they’re fans of mine.” “So, they’re quoting rap lyrics back at me about being searched at the airport while they’re searching me at the airport and then they’re asking me for selfies,” Ahmed said.
Queen Elizabeth's Reaction to Prince William & Harry's Feud Is Why She's a Boss Click here to read the full article. We’d love to think the Queen is above dealing with royal gossip — but after weeks of whispers about her grandsons’ feud it seems Her Majesty is finally weighing in. A royal expert has revealed Queen Elizabeth’s reaction to Prince William and Harry’s feud , and the monarch is understandably ill at ease over this reported rift between her grandsons. Still, the monarch has no intention of taking action against it: How the Sussex and Cambridge royals settle their differences (or don’t) is way below her pay grade. According to royal expert and Majesty Magazine editor Ingrid Seward, the Queen isn’t happy about ongoing feud rumors and is finding the company of her other, less tumultuous grandchildren to be a nice reprieve. “Her Majesty does not care for the alleged feuding amongst her grandchildren William and Harry,” Seward told The Sun, “That would make her very sad. But she would never interfere with their lives.” Alternatively, Her Majesty has been enjoying the company of granddaughter Zara Tindall, and her husband Mike . “They are certainly light relief,” Seward reported. “She can be herself around them.” Related stories Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Are Being Shamed for Archie's 'Private' Christening Prince Harry Picked Up This Trait from Princess Diana & It's Beyond Adorable Prince William & Kate Middleton Will Head to Pakistan This Fall for an Official Royal Visit While the true root of any alleged feud between William and Harry has not been identified, the public seems to agree that there’s a clash in how the Sussex and Cambridge royals conduct themselves. William’s early skepticism over Harry’s relationship with Meghan, and Harry’s insistence on establishing an independent identity may have contributed to tensions. But since the rumors began, nearly every interaction between these two royal couples has been interpreted as a furthering of the alleged feud. After feud rumors, separate offices and homes in different parts of the country, Prince Harry and Prince William 's close bond is slowly unraveling: https://t.co/VBTxeWD5fY pic.twitter.com/eWQJS3PoQ8 — E! News (@enews) March 18, 2019 The Queen has co-signed various moves that were ultimately interpreted as furthering the split between Harry and William, such as Harry and Meghan moving from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage , or the splitting of the Cambridge and Sussex royal charities . The Queen’s statement that she would “never interfere” might be a hint that these moves were in fact scheduled all along — and not in reaction to any conflict between the brothers. Then again, it might also just be her way of saying to leave her out of it. And for that, we certainly can’t blame her. Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .
US STOCKS-Wall Street rallies as trade optimism lifts tech stocks (For a live blog on the U.S. stock market, click or type LIVE/ in a news window.) * Trump says China trade talks 'back on track' * Chipmakers surge on trade relief * Boeing drops on report of Dreamliner 787 subpoena * Casino operators rise on higher Macau revenue * Indexes up: Dow 0.63%, S&P 0.81%, Nasdaq 1.17% (Updates prices, comments) By Shreyashi Sanyal July 1 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes rallied on Monday, with the S&P 500 hitting an all-time high, as technology stocks gained on growing optimism around U.S.-China trade talks and a likely reprieve for Chinese telecoms company Huawei. The benchmark index hit an intraday high of 2,977.93 earlier in the session, as the truce agreed upon at the G20 summit boosted risk appetite. "We're right back on track," U.S. President Donald Trump said after the world's two largest economies agreed to restart trade talks. Trump also offered concessions including no new tariffs and an easing of restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, while China agreed to make unspecified new purchases of U.S. farm products. Tech stocks, which are Wall Street's top performers so far in 2019, jumped 1.57%, with heavyweight Apple Inc's 2.5% gain providing the maximum support. Chipmakers with a sizable revenue exposure to China jumped, fueling a 3% gain in the Philadelphia Semiconductor index . Huawei suppliers Intel Corp rose 0.7%, while Micron Technology Inc surged 5.2%. "The outcome between Xi and Trump was probably the best that could be expected," said Robert Pavlik, chief investment strategist and senior portfolio manager at SlateStone Wealth LLC said. "Now with a trade truce and quite likely an eventual trade agreement coming online, the technology space, which is heavily connected to Asia, would be an area of the market you want to take a bet on." Stocks saw their steepest sell-off this year in May after a breakdown in the U.S.-China trade talks sparked concerns of a global economic slowdown. But hopes that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates to preserve a strong run of U.S. economic growth helped the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones index post their best June performance in generations. Despite the latest development in talks, traders still expect the Fed's next move will be a rate cut at its July 30-31 policy meeting. At 11:06 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 167.07 points, or 0.63%, at 26,767.03 and the S&P 500 was up 23.70 points, or 0.81%, at 2,965.46. The Nasdaq Composite was up 93.94 points, or 1.17%, at 8,100.18. Shares of Microsoft Corp, Alphabet Inc , and Amazon.com Inc also boosted the tech-heavy index. Gains on the Dow index were limited by a 0.7% drop in Boeing Co after a report that federal prosecutors had subpoenaed records relating to the production of the 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina. A rise in oil prices lifted energy stocks by about 1%. OPEC and its allies looked set to extend supply cuts until at least the end of 2019 at their meeting in Vienna this week. Wynn Resorts Ltd jumped 7.2%, the most on the S&P, as gambling revenue in the Chinese territory of Macau rose more than expected in June. Shares of peers Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd and Las Vegas Sands Corp also rose. Coty Inc tumbled 17.1%, falling the most on the S&P, after the company said it would overhaul its operations and write down about $3 billion in value of its brands acquired from Procter & Gamble Co. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.19-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.88-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 57 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 108 new highs and 14 new lows. (Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal and Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
Trade hopes lift S&P to record as tech leads By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks climbed on Monday, but finished off earlier highs, led by gains in technology stocks on optimism for progress in U.S.-China trade talks and signs of a likely reprieve for Chinese telecom company Huawei. Despite losing some of its initial steam, the S&P 500 still managed to close at a record high after the United States and China agreed on Saturday to resume trade talks. In addition, President Donald Trump also offered concessions including no new tariffs and an easing of restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, while China agreed to make unspecified new purchases of U.S. farm products. Still, stocks had given up a good portion of their earlier gains as investors contemplated whether the U.S. Federal Reserve would be as dovish as has been anticipated recently and caution crept back in for what is likely to be a lightly traded week due to the July Fourth holiday. "There was celebration on the open and it was a case where if some of this trade uncertainty goes away, even if it is not solved, so to speak, that decreases the likelihood the Fed needs to step in, or at least step in as aggressively as people were thinking about a week and a half ago," said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Robert W. Baird in Milwaukee. Tech stocks, Wall Street's top performers so far in 2019, jumped 1.45%, with heavyweight Apple Inc's 1.83% gain providing the biggest boost. Chipmakers with a sizable revenue exposure to China jumped nearly 5% at their session high before also pulling back, last showing a 2.65% gain in the Philadelphia Semiconductor index. Huawei supplier Micron Technology Inc gained 3.9%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 117.47 points, or 0.44%, to 26,717.43, the S&P 500 gained 22.57 points, or 0.77%, to 2,964.33 and the Nasdaq Composite added 84.92 points, or 1.06%, to 8,091.16. Stocks saw their steepest sell-off this year in May, a 6.6% decline, after a breakdown in the U.S.-China trade talks sparked concerns of a global economic slowdown. But hopes that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates to preserve a strong run of U.S. economic growth, and a dovish turn by central banks around the globe, helped the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones indexes post their best June performance in decades. Despite the latest development in talks, traders still anticipate the Fed's next move will be a rate cut of at least a quarter of a percentage point at its July 30-31 policy meeting. Data showed growth in manufacturing cooled in the United States in June while factory activity shrank across much of Europe and Asia, further supporting expectations of a rate cut. Gains on the Dow were held in check by a 2.1% drop in Boeing Co after a report that federal prosecutors had subpoenaed records relating to the production of the 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina. Wynn Resorts Ltd jumped 5.9%, the most on the S&P, as gambling revenue in the Chinese territory of Macau rose more than expected in June. Shares of peers Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd and Las Vegas Sands Corp also rose. Coty Inc tumbled 13.5%, falling the most on the S&P, after the company said it would overhaul its operations and write down about $3 billion in value of its brands acquired from Procter & Gamble Co. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.57-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.50-to-1 ratio favored advancers. The S&P 500 posted 62 new 52-week highs and two new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 122 new highs and 31 new lows. About 7.04 billion shares changed hands in U.S. exchanges, compared with the 7.15 billion daily average over the last 20 sessions. (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and James Dalgleish)
Here's What We Think About Qorvo, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:QRVO) CEO Pay Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Bob Bruggeworth has been the CEO of Qorvo, Inc. (NASDAQ:QRVO) since 2013. This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other companies that have similar market capitalization. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO. Check out our latest analysis for Qorvo According to our data, Qorvo, Inc. has a market capitalization of US$7.9b, and pays its CEO total annual compensation worth US$8.0m. (This figure is for the year to March 2019). That's a notable increase of 15% on last year. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at US$826k. When we examined a selection of companies with market caps ranging from US$4.0b to US$12b, we found the median CEO total compensation was US$6.9m. That means Bob Bruggeworth receives fairly typical remuneration for the CEO of a company that size. While this data point isn't particularly informative alone, it gains more meaning when considered with business performance. You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Qorvo has changed over time. On average over the last three years, Qorvo, Inc. has grown earnings per share (EPS) by 74% each year (using a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 3.9% over last year. Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's also good to see modest revenue growth, suggesting the underlying business is healthy. Shareholders might be interested inthisfreevisualization of analyst forecasts. Qorvo, Inc. has served shareholders reasonably well, with a total return of 22% over three years. But they would probably prefer not to see CEO compensation far in excess of the median. Bob Bruggeworth is paid around what is normal the leaders of comparable size companies. The company is growing EPS but shareholder returns have been sound but not amazing. As a result of these considerations, I would suggest the CEO pay is reasonable. CEO compensation is one thing, but it is also interesting tocheck if the CEO is buying or selling Qorvo (free visualization of insider trades). Of course,you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere.So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Should You Worry About Trustmark Corporation's (NASDAQ:TRMK) CEO Pay? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Jerry Host became the CEO of Trustmark Corporation (NASDAQ:TRMK) in 2011. This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at companies of similar size. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. And finally we will reflect on how common stockholders have fared in the last few years, as a secondary measure of performance. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid. View our latest analysis for Trustmark According to our data, Trustmark Corporation has a market capitalization of US$2.2b, and pays its CEO total annual compensation worth US$2.4m. (This is based on the year to December 2018). That's actually a decrease on the year before. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at US$772k. As part of our analysis we looked at companies in the same jurisdiction, with market capitalizations of US$1.0b to US$3.2b. The median total CEO compensation was US$4.0m. This would give shareholders a good impression of the company, since most similar size companies have to pay more, leaving less for shareholders. However, before we heap on the praise, we should delve deeper to understand business performance. The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at Trustmark has changed from year to year. On average over the last three years, Trustmark Corporation has grown earnings per share (EPS) by 10% each year (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue changed by just 0.05%. Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's also good to see modest revenue growth, suggesting the underlying business is healthy. Shareholders might be interested inthisfreevisualization of analyst forecasts. I think that the total shareholder return of 47%, over three years, would leave most Trustmark Corporation shareholders smiling. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size. Trustmark Corporation is currently paying its CEO below what is normal for companies of its size. Many would consider this to indicate that the pay is modest since the business is growing. And given most shareholders are probably very happy with recent returns, you might even think that Jerry Host deserves a raise! Most shareholders like to see a modestly paid CEO combined with strong performance by the company. It would be even more positive if company insiders are buying shares. If you think CEO compensation levels are interesting you will probably really likethis free visualization of insider trading at Trustmark. If you want to buy a stock that is better than Trustmark, thisfreelist of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Corn Falls for the Fourth Session, Coffee Up to Fresh 2019 Highs Corn and soybeans are trading down on the first day of the week as investors are digesting USDA reports on planting and emerging armyworm findings in China. However, the US government said that farmers planted more corn than expected by market watchers. “I think the USDA is sending the message that corn acres got planted – regardless of what some of these farmers up here in the Midwest see outside their kitchen windows,” Karl Setzer, market analyst for Agrivisor, said to Reuters in a recent note. Nevertheless, the United States Department of Agriculture reported that corn planting progress was below average the whole spring. According to the USDA annual acreage report, farmers seeded 91.7 million of acres of corn and 80 million acres of soybeans, well-below of government forecast of 92.8 million corn acres and 84.6 million acres of soybeans. With all that information, crops chief at the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Lance Honig tweeted that the agency will resurvey data in 14 states now and it will release another report on August 12. Cornis extending its decline for the fourth straight session as the grain is trading 2.60% down on Monday and testing the 4.060 area. The unit is expected to test the 4.000 level anytime this week. Soybeansare trading down on the day as the unit fails to keep prices above the 9.000 mark for the second straight day. The oilseed is now moving at 8.885, 0.80% down on the day, however, the unit remains well-supported by the 8.815 area. Wheatbroke Friday’s lows at 5.160, and it is extending losses to trade as low as 5.030, its lowest level since June 11. On the day, wheat is posting 2.7% declines at the current 5.065. Sugaris posting gains on the first day of the week as investors are resuming Thursday’s jump from 0.1200 to 0.1260, and posterior Friday’s setback to 0.1230. The unit is now testing the 0.1260 again with technical indicators and fundamental factors favoring the upside. Investors in sugar are now focused on the weather of India as the weather department reported on Sunday that the country has its driest June in Five years due to a delay in monsoon rains. Coffeebroke above the 108.00 resistance on Monday, and it jumped to trade as high as 110.50, its highest level since December 3. Prices of coffee have been trading positive since June 24 with five sessions with gains on the back of weather. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • USD/JPY Price Forecast – US dollar continues to churn against Japanese yen • Natural Gas Price Forecast – Natural gas markets continue to look bearish • EUR/USD Price Forecast – Euro sideways on Tuesday • Gold Price Futures (GC) Technical Analysis – Setting Up for Volatile Breakout • Gold Price Prediction – Gold Surges as Yields Tumble and Prices Poised to Test Higher Levels • GBP/JPY Price Forecast – British pound continues to grind sideways
Mark Rypien arrested on suspicion of domestic violence Longtime NFL quarterback Mark Rypien was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence on Sunday. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) Longtime NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, who won Super Bowl MVP with the Washington Redskins in 1992, was arrested Sunday night on suspicion of domestic violence. Online jail records indicate that Rypien, 56, was booked into Spokane (Washington) County Jail at 6:28 p.m. Sunday night. He is facing one count of fourth-degree assault , a misdemeanor. He is due to appear in court on Monday morning. According to KHQ-TV , Rypien was taken into custody after an incident involving his wife in north Spokane. Both Rypien and his wife were interviewed by responding officers and Rypien was eventually placed in handcuffs and loaded into the back of a police car. Rypien was observed standing in the grass near a bank while his wife “was lying in the grass.” His wife did not require medical treatment, per KHQ-TV. According to the Spokesman Review , a third party called police to report the alleged incident. Last year, Rypien opened up to the Spokesman Review about his battle with memory loss, depression and suicidal thoughts. Rypien told the paper that he once attempted suicide and believes he has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, better known as CTE. When speaking with the Spokesman Review in March 2018, Rypien acknowledged a November 2017 domestic violence incident with his wife. He said he “got angry” and “threw her on the bed a couple of times.” His wife said the incident was a “fluke thing” and attributed the outburst to a change in Rypien’s medication. Rypien played 11 seasons in the NFL for the Redskins, Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. Most of his career was played in Washington, where he appeared in 77 games with 72 starts. When he led the Redskins to the Super Bowl in 1992, he threw for 3,282 yards, including 292 yards and two touchdowns in the Super Bowl XXVI victory over the Buffalo Bills. More from Yahoo Sports: Winners and losers from opening night of NBA free agency Nets won free agency with KD, Kyrie, but now real work starts Dolan, Knicks are same old laughingstock after Sunday Ellis is coaching USWNT vs. country that wouldn’t let her play
Get ready for the worst earnings season in 3 years Second quarter earnings season begins in just two weeks and Wall Street is expecting a 1% year-over-year decline in aggregateearnings per share. “If realized, this would be the first year/year decline in quarterly EPS since 2016,” wrote Goldman Sachs analysts, led by chief U.S. equity strategist David Kostin, in a note to clients. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to market watchers. Some 113 S&P 500 (^GSPC) companies have issued second-quarter earnings-per-share guidance — of them, 87 have released negative earnings guidance, according to FactSet. Still, Goldman Sachs notes that the median S&P 500 company is set to grow earnings-per-share by 4% year-over-year in the second quarter. “As a result, aggregate EPS growth distorts the fundamental outlook for the median company,” the analysts wrote, adding that info tech is expected to see a 10% drop in year-over-year earnings for the second quarter, largely driven by declines in earnings for Apple (AAPL) and the semiconductor stocks. The info tech sector is a powerful weight in the S&P 500. Nonetheless, Goldman sees the earnings slowdown driven by a few factors. First, slowing economic growth. “Economic growth is the primary driver of S&P 500 sales and earnings growth,” they wrote, adding that their proprietary Goldman Sachs Current Activity Indicator (CAI), which tracks economic growth, has slowed year-over-year. Plus, input costs are another threat to margins, amid a strong labor market. “The unemployment rate stands at a 50-year low (3.6%) and average hourly earnings have grown by more than 3% in each of the last 8 months,” the analysts noted. Additionally, tariff uncertainty is expected to ding corporate margins. “Tariffs pose a greater risk to company profit margins than to sales,” Goldman Sachs noted. “If the trade war escalates and a 25% tariff is imposed on all imports from China, current consensus S&P 500 EPS estimates could be lowered by as much as 6%.” Still, the broader market has been shrugging off the expected decline in Q2 earnings. On Monday, the S&P 500 opened at yet another record high from the so-called trade “cease-fire” that was secured between the U.S. and China over the weekend at the G-20 summit in Japan. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Scott Gamm is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter@ScottGamm. More from Scott: • The earnings picture for 2019 is showing more signs of deterioration • The next rate cut is unlikely to be caused by weak growth, economist explains • Why Trump should be worried about the stock market selloff • What the plunging 10-year Treasury yield says about the economy and stock market • Why one top strategist is bullish on tech even with lingering trade worries Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,LinkedIn, andreddit.
Is Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc. (NASDAQ:OBCI) A Volatile Stock? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Anyone researching Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc. (NASDAQ:OBCI) might want to consider the historical volatility of the share price. Modern finance theory considers volatility to be a measure of risk, and there are two main types of price volatility. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The other type, which cannot be diversified away, is the volatility of the entire market. Every stock in the market is exposed to this volatility, which is linked to the fact that stocks prices are correlated in an efficient market. Some stocks see their prices move in concert with the market. Others tend towards stronger, gentler or unrelated price movements. Beta can be a useful tool to understand how much a stock is influenced by market risk (volatility). However, Warren Buffett said 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk' in his 2014 letter to investors. So, while useful, beta is not the only metric to consider. To use beta as an investor, you must first understand that the overall market has a beta of one. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market. See our latest analysis for Ocean Bio-Chem Zooming in on Ocean Bio-Chem, we see it has a five year beta of 0.81. This is below 1, so historically its share price has been rather independent from the market. This suggests that including it in your portfolio will reduce volatility arising from broader market movements, assuming your portfolio's weighted average beta is higher than 0.81. Share price volatility is well worth considering, but most long term investors consider the history of revenue and earnings growth to be more important. Take a look at how Ocean Bio-Chem fares in that regard, below. Ocean Bio-Chem is a noticeably small company, with a market capitalisation of US$31m. Most companies this size are not always actively traded. Companies with market capitalisations around this size often show poor correlation with the broader market because market volatility is overshadowed by company specific events, or other factors. It's worth checking to see how often shares are traded, because very small companies with very low beta values are often only thinly traded. One potential advantage of owning low beta stocks like Ocean Bio-Chem is that your overall portfolio won't be too sensitive to overall market movements. However, this can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what's happening in the broader market. In order to fully understand whether OBCI is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Ocean Bio-Chem’s financial health and performance track record. I highly recommend you dive deeper by considering the following: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for OBCI’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor OBCI’s outlook. 2. Past Track Record: Has OBCI been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look atthe free visual representations of OBCI's historicalsfor more clarity. 3. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how OBCI measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with thisfree list of prospective options. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Stock Market News: Warren Buffett Makes a Gift; Macao Sends Las Vegas Sands Higher Monday morning got the second half of 2019 off to a strong start as investors reacted favorably to news out of the G-20 meeting over the weekend. Leaders from the U.S. and China managed to find enough common ground to avoid escalating trade tensions between the two countries any further, and market participants chose to see that as a sign that an anticipated global economic slowdown might not be a foregone conclusion. As of 11:15 a.m. EDT, theDow Jones Industrial Average(DJINDICES: ^DJI)was up 165 points to 26,765. TheS&P 500(SNPINDEX: ^GSPC)rose 23 points to 2,965, and theNasdaq Composite(NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC)picked up 88 points to 8,094. Warren Buffett andBerkshire Hathaway(NYSE: BRK-A)(NYSE: BRK-B)stand to gain from good news in the corporate world, and the Oracle of Omaha took another step in his lifelong mission to donate the vast majority of his wealth to charity. Meanwhile, half a world away,Las Vegas Sands(NYSE: LVS)got a nice boost from improving conditions in the Asian gambling capital of Macao, and a stronger Chinese economy could spell further gains for the casino giant in the future. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway were up about 1% Monday morning after the company's chairman and CEO made a major announcement. Warren Buffett said that he would convert 11,250 of his Class A Berkshire shares into Class B shares, in preparation for donating them to several charitable foundations. Warren Buffett. Image source: The Motley Fool. In a press release, Berkshire revealed that Buffett will make immediate gifts of roughly 16.8 million Class B shares to five different entities. Buffett has had a long connection with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the other four foundations getting gifts all have ties to the Buffett family. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation both contain the key philanthropic activities of their two namesakes. The Sherwood Foundation also includes Susan Buffett as its chair, while Jennifer and Peter Buffett were instrumental in the creation of the NoVo Foundation. Warren Buffett pledged back in 2006to give away the bulk of his Berkshire holdings over time, with annual gifts expected to be complete within 10 years of the settlement of his estate. Although the bulk of Buffett's holdings are in Class A shares, the Berkshire leader has committed to converting those shares to Class B shares prior to using it for gifts. Buffett's latest gift amounts to roughly $3.6 billion in value, bringing his total giving to roughly $34 billion. Yet Buffett's less than halfway done with his mission of donating most of his wealth, and that leaves plenty of possibility for future gifts for years to come. Meanwhile, shares of Las Vegas Sands were higher by nearly 5%. Despite the casino giant's name, Sands gets a huge portion of its profits from the former Portuguese colony of Macao, and good news there helped lift the company's stock. Macao's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported that gambling revenue was up 5.9% last month compared to June 2018. That was far better than the 1% to 3% gain that most of those following the casino industry in Macao had expected, although the roughly $2.95 billion in revenue was down about 8% from May's levels. As a Chinese territory, Macao now has strong links to the mainland economy, and prospects for stronger economic growth bode well for the gambling mecca. The city brings in gambling enthusiasts from across Asia, and because Las Vegas Sands was one of thefirst major casino operators to start doing businessthere, it's in a strong position to reap the rewards. Competition is fierce in Macao, but Sands is doing all the right things to remain a leader in the region. More From The Motley Fool • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,728 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • 20 of the Top Stocks to Buy (Including the Two Every Investor Should Own) • What Is an ETF? • 5 Recession-Proof Stocks • How to Beat the Market Dan Caplingerowns shares of Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool recommends Las Vegas Sands. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
7 macOS privacy settings you should enable now YourApplecomputer knows a lot about you. Depending on your privacy settings, it may know significantly more than you're aware of. People are rightly concerned about privacy on theirmobile devices— after all, smartphones are basically a location-tracking, microphone-enabled gadget following your every move. Desktop and laptop computers, however, don't always receive the same level of privacy-focused scrutiny as their more compact brethren. But just because Apple brags about privacy being core to its products doesn't mean you're off the hook. Read on for a few simplemacOStweaks that will ensure your computer is only sharing what you want it to share.Read more... More aboutApple,Privacy,Macos,Privacy Dinosaur, andTech
What Kind Of Shareholder Appears On The TC Energy Corporation's (TSE:TRP) Shareholder Register? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Every investor in TC Energy Corporation (TSE:TRP) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership. TC Energy has a market capitalization of CA$60b, so it's too big to fly under the radar. We'd expect to see both institutions and retail investors owning a portion of the company. In the chart below below, we can see that institutions own shares in the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about TRP. See our latest analysis for TC Energy Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index. As you can see, institutional investors own 64% of TC Energy. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at TC Energy's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in TC Energy. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future. The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of TC Energy Corporation. It is a very large company, so it would be surprising to see insiders own a large proportion of the company. Though their holding amount to less than 1%, we can see that board members collectively own CA$57m worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checkingif those insiders have been buying. The general public holds a 36% stake in TRP. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders. It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand TC Energy better, we need to consider many other factors. I like to dive deeperinto how a company has performed in the past. You can findhistoric revenue and earnings in thisdetailed graph. But ultimatelyit is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look atthis free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Can Amanda Nunes be the first UFC champ-champ to defend at a lower weight? (video) Amanda Nunes UFC 239 media day with two belts (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube ) Amanda Nunes is the UFC's first female champ-champ. She's not the UFC's first dual-division champion to put one of her belts on the line, but could become the first to return to a lighter weight class and defend her belt. The UFC has had four fighters hold title belts in two divisions simultaneously: Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Nunes, and Henry Cejudo. The first to achieve the feat was Conor McGregor when he took the featherweight title from Jose Aldo and then won the lightweight title by defeating Eddie Alvarez. McGregor never defended either belt before eventually being stripped of both for his lack of defending them. Cormier became the UFC's second champ-champ when he defeated Stipe Miocic to add the heavyweight championship to the light heavyweight title he already held. He went on to successfully defend the heavyweight belt against Derrick Lewis prior to being forced to relinquish the light heavyweight championship. Nunes was the bantamweight champion when she went up a weight class and laid out Cris Cyborg in the first round to capture the UFC featherweight crown, becoming the third UFC fighter to become a champ-champ. She still currently holds both titles and will drop back to bantamweight to put her 135-pound title on the line against Holly Holm in the UFC 239 co-main event on July 6 in Las Vegas. TRENDING > UFC 239 face-offs: Jones vs. Santos, Nunes vs. Holm, Sanchez vs. Chiesa, and more (video) Though Cormier was the first fighter to hold two UFC belts simultaneously and defend one of them, Nunes could become the first fighter to hold dual-division belts and drop back down to a lighter weight class and defend that belt. Cejudo recently became the fourth fighter to hold to divisional titles at the same time when he defeated Marlon Moraes at UFC 238. With the win over Moraes, Cejudo added the bantamweight belt to the flyweight title he already held. He has yet to defend after adding a second championship to his collection.
Soho is UKs unhealthiest neighbourhood, study finds Offering some of the best food in the capital city, dynamic nightlife and an array of weird and wonderful shops, Londons Soho might be a star tourist attraction but it is also the UKs unhealthiest place to live, claim researchers . Soho has a dearth of green space and a high level of air pollution along with easy access to pubs, takeaway shops and off licences. Working alongside the Consumer Data Research Centre and Public Health England, researchers at the University of Liverpool analysed a range of lifestyle and environmental measures including air pollution, access to amenities such as restaurants and pubs proximity to doctors surgeries and amount of green space to assess which of Britains neighbourhoods are the healthiest. The market town of Great Torrington in Devon came out on top as the healthiest area, thanks to its abundance of green space, low pollution levels, access to good health services and low number of junk food outlets. Nine out of the top 10 healthiest places in the UK to live were located in Scotland , including Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire; Fauldhouse in West Lothian; Foxbar in Renfrewshire; and Marnoch in North Lanarkshire. London , however, is home to six of the top 10 unhealthiest neighbourhoods ; which include Farringdon, Finsbury and Barbican. The research found that the most deprived areas offered the highest concentration of fast food outlets, with 62 per cent of people living in the poorest areas living just one kilometre from a fast food restaurant, compared with 24 per cent of those living in the least deprived areas. The researchers also found that rural areas had the poorest access to health services and that 42 per cent of people in the UK live within just one kilometre of a betting shop. Aerial view of Taddiport near Torrington in Devon (iStock) These statistics reveal troubling issues with the neighbourhoods we live in and how they may be damaging to our health, says lead researcher Dr Mark Green. The statistics reveal important insights about the concentration of certain amenities that may be damaging or promote health. For example, on average, individuals in Great Britain are just as close to a pub or bar as they are to their nearest GP (1.1 km), he says. Story continues The findings are presented alongside an interactive map which residents can use to determine the healthiness of their neighbourhood. UK's 10 Unhealthiest Neighbourhoods Soho, Westminster North Killingholme, Lincolnshire Shotley Gate, Suffolk St Giles, Camden Bank, City of London Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets Farringdon, Islington Ottringham, East Riding Finsbury, Islington Barbican, City of London UK's 10 Healthiest Neighbourhoods Great Torrington, Devon Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire Fauldhouse, West Lothian Foxbar, Renfrewshire Marnoch, North Lanarkshire Ryton, Gateshead Ballingry, Fife Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross Kinghorn, Fife Kilsyth Bogside, North Lanarkshire We anticipate that this resource will be an important tool for citizens and policy makers alike interested in how their neighbourhoods may be associated to their health, says Dr Green.
Rob Gronkowski’s Skinny Build Proves That He’s Officially Retired From the NFL From Men's Health Former New England Patriots player Rob Gronkowski has slimmed down to mortal proportions lately: the athlete showed off a remarkably skinnier build than we are used to seeing over the weekend, which all but confirms that his retirement from the NFL is official. View this post on Instagram Gronks on that vodka soda diet A post shared by Laces Out (@lacesoutshow) on Jun 28, 2019 at 11:42am PDT Gronk was pictured at the weekend premiere of Showtime's 100 Percent: Julian Edelman and fans were shocked by the change. The retired tight end appears to have lost a significant amount of weight in just a couple of months, including those trademark muscles. The physical difference looked all the more drastic due to Gronkowski's height: he's a staggering 6'6. Post - retirement Gronk, looks like pre- serum Steve Rogers. pic.twitter.com/VVuGn0lV36 - Amanda ❤💙 (@SoCalBillsMafia) June 28, 2019 It's not unusual for professional football players to undergo fairly visible physical changes in the immediate aftermath of retirement. Having weighed in at 230 pounds for most of his professional football career, it's pretty clear from this slimmed down frame that Gronkowski, who retired from the New England Patriots at the end of last football season, has laid off the training and has no desire to take it back up. Hate to break it to #Patriots fans holding out hope that Gronk will come out of retirement but he looks half the size. Definitely not someone staying at his playing weight. pic.twitter.com/jZcPiL6UcE - Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) June 28, 2019 And while he's only been off the field for a few months, it looks like he is enjoying retirement - and we may well be seeing more of this new, skinnier Gronk very soon. "Now just barely into his 30s, there's no way the book on Gronk is anywhere near closed," says Men's Health 's Evan Romero , who predicts a stellar media career for the athlete as he moves into this next phase of his career. "He has too much charisma, too much personality, too much, well, Gronkness, to stay out of the spotlight for long." ('You Might Also Like',) A Vegan Diet Helped This Man Lose 150 Pounds and Improve His Mental Health How to Cool Down After Your Hardest Workouts What Is The Lectin-Free Diet? View comments
Apple Leads Tech Rally After Shedding Trade-War Albatross (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. jumped the most in three weeks after the U.S. and China declared a trade truce over the weekend, relieving the iPhone maker of some of the pressure its growth outlook faces in the event of a prolonged conflict. The shares gained as much as 3.3%, contributing the most to a rally that’s pushing the S&P 500 Information Technology Index toward a record high. Apple is bouncing back from a drop of as much as 18% after the latest flareup in early May. The company is particularly vulnerable to U.S.-China tensions as it is heavily dependent on the Asian nation for manufacturing as well as sales of its products. The trade truce removes “the albatross” that has been around Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook’s neck, and the shares could add as much as $25 as a result, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a research note. Based on Apple’s Friday close, such a gain would return the company’s market valuation back above $1 trillion. “With the positive step in the right direction announced between the two countries to not levy additional tariffs while negotiations continue, in essence this takes away the biggest risk on the Apple story (for now) in our opinion,” Ives wrote. He rates Apple outperform with a $235 price target. The trade issue has been a headwind for Apple given its heavy exposure to China. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, nearly 20% of its 2018 revenue came from the country, and China is also a critical part of its supply chain. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said would hold off imposing an additional $300 billion in tariffs and the world’s two largest economies agreed to resume negotiations. “We view this as a positive development which will help Apple keep prices unchanged and will delay an immediate need to shift manufacturing and supply chain out of China,” wrote BofAML analyst Wamsi Mohan. The new tariffs “would have impacted almost all of Apple’s products, including the iPhone.” Mohan recently calculated that had the 25% tariffs been enacted, that could have reduced Apple’s earnings by about 15%. BofAML affirmed its buy rating and $230 price target on Apple shares, but warned that the company’s app store in China had showed “significant deceleration” in June. (Updates stock to market open, adds chart and additional commentary.) To contact the reporters on this story: Courtney Dentch in New York at cdentch1@bloomberg.net;Ryan Vlastelica in New York at rvlastelica1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chris Nagi at chrisnagi@bloomberg.net, Richard Richtmyer For more articles like this, please visit us atbloomberg.com ©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
US manufacturing growth slows in June for 3rd straight month WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factory activity grew at a slower pace in June for the third straight month as measures of new orders and inventories fell. The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, said Monday that its manufacturing index slipped to 51.7 last month from 52.1 in May. Any reading above 50 signals an expansion. While the sector is still growing, the report pointed to an ongoing weakening in U.S. manufacturing. Trade fights with China, Europe and Mexico, as well as an increase in the dollar's value, have cut into U.S. exports and increased uncertainty for American manufacturers. A measure of new orders dropped to 50, which means they were unchanged. Manufacturers are also holding fewer supplies, a sign they are worried that demand could slow further. "It's concerning," said Tim Fiore, chair of the ISM's manufacturing survey committee. "This is going down faster than I would like." The ISM surveys purchasing managers at manufacturing firms, nearly half of whom said that trade policy was negatively affecting their businesses in some way. "Tariffs are causing an increase in the cost of goods, meaning U.S. consumers are paying more for products," a chemical manufacturer told the ISM. A measure of new export orders was just 50.5, suggesting overseas demand is barely growing. Overall order backlogs are also shrinking, and customers' inventories, while still declining, are doing so more slowly. When manufacturers' customers hold larger stockpiles, that means they order fewer goods from factories. There were some positive signs: Production and employment increased at a faster pace in June. President Donald Trump has postponed two of his largest, most recent tariff threats, but that hasn't fully removed the threat to manufacturers. He agreed over the weekend to hold more trade talks with China, rather than impose import taxes on $300 billion of Chinese imports. He also delayed an across-the-board 25% duty on all imports from Mexico, which he threatened to impose in May. Yet those threats still loom and are forcing many manufacturers to rethink their supply chains. "The situation is crazy, driving a huge amount of work (and) costs, as well as potential supply disruptions," a computer and electronics company told ISM.
Garmin’s Vívoactive 3 GPS smartwatch is $73 off at Amazon TL;DR:Garmin'sVívoactive 3 GPS Smartwatchis on sale at Amazon for $206.93, keeping a total of $73.06 in your pocket. If you’ve ever found yourself basking in the glow of a runner’s high only to be shaken back to reality by realizing you left your wallet at home, you’re not alone in that frustration. There’s no need to sweat it, because with the right smartwatch along for your run, that coveted post-sweat cold brew can still be yours. Garmin’s Vívoactive 3 GPS Smartwatch — equipped with the contactless payment solution Garmin Pay — is currently on sale at Amazon for $206.93. Usually priced at $279.99, this deal will keep a savings of $73.06 in your wallet (which you can actually just leave at home now, anyways).Read more... More aboutGps,Garmin,Health And Fitness,Mashable Shopping, andShopping Solo
Partnership To Build 1,500-Mile Rail Connection Between Alaska And Canada TheAlaska Railroad Corp.and theAlaska to Alberta Railway Development Corp. (A2A Rail)have signed an historic agreement to pursue a $13 billion, 1,500-mile rail connection between Alaska and Canada. The project would also link to the rest of the United States. "A rail connection between Alaska and Canada and the rest of the United States is a project that has been talked and dreamed about for close to a century," said Alaska Railroad President and CEO Bill O'Leary in a press release. "Completing that connection has amazing potential for Alaska and this agreement between the Alaska Railroad and A2A Rail is an important first step to get the project underway." A2A Railwas founded in 2015 to help accelerate progress toward a rail link connecting Alaska and Canada. Plenty of work remains before construction can get underway. The corporate partners must conduct environmental reviews, apply for right-of-way guaranteed under state law for a rail connection into Canada and identify upgrades to existing facilities, bridges and track on the 512-mainline running from Seward to the North Pole. First Nations, Indigenous groups and Alaska Native entities, whose traditional lands are crossed by the route, are being consulted during this process, the press release states. The project already has the full support of the Alaska House and Senate, both of whichpassed resolutionssupporting a similar enterprise this past spring. "We are pleased to reach this milestone with the Alaska Railroad," said Sean McCoshen, CEO and co-founder of A2A Rail. "It will help assure global investors that obtaining a right-of-way in Alaska is achievable, and sets up major cooperation in permitting, operations, and marketing with the Alaska Railroad. We expect this project to generate significant economic activity in Alaska and Canada." As FreightWavesreported earlier this year,the Alaska Railroad in partnership with Alaska Marine Lines (AML) plays a critical role in helping transport goods between Alaska and the rest of the United States. The rail line connects Fairbanks with Anchorage and the Ports of Seward and Whittier in south-central Alaska. AML's unique fleet includes barges fitted with rail tracks on the deck and container racks overhead. "The railcars roll right onto barges and sail right down to the lower 48," said Darren Prokop, a professor of logistics at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, told FreightWaves. Image Sourced From Pixabay See more from Benzinga • Texas School Receives .1 Million In State Funding For Its Truck Driving Academy • Trucking Rates Have Fallen Back To 2017 Levels, But Costs Have Not • FMCSA Head Spurns National Truck Hiring Standard © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Have Insiders Been Selling UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares inUnitedHealth Group Incorporated(NYSE:UNH). It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.' See our latest analysis for UnitedHealth Group In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Lead Independent Director, Richard Burke, sold US$5.3m worth of shares at a price of US$263 per share. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of US$244. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern. In the last twelve months insiders purchased 26430 shares for US$6.1m. On the other hand they divested 128k shares, for US$33m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of UnitedHealth Group shares, than buying. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! I will like UnitedHealth Group better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out thisfreelist of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. There was substantially more insider selling, than buying, of UnitedHealth Group shares over the last three months. In total, Richard Burke sold US$7.2m worth of shares in that time. Meanwhile insiders bought US$6.1m worth, as we said above. Because the selling vastly outweighs the buying, we'd say this is a somewhat bearish sign. For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. UnitedHealth Group insiders own about US$1.5b worth of shares (which is 0.6% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders. The stark truth for UnitedHealth Group is that there has been more insider selling than insider buying in the last three months. And our longer term analysis of insider transactions didn't bring confidence, either. On the plus side, UnitedHealth Group makes money, and is growing profits. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. Of course,the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in UnitedHealth Group, you should check out thisfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss thisfreelist of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Oregon Passes Bill Requiring Oil Trains To Develop Spill Response Plans The Oregon Legislature on Saturday (June 29) approved a bill requiring railroads transporting large amounts of crude oil through Oregon to develop spill response plans and submit them to the Department of Environmental Quality for review and approval. The bill was one of the first passed by the Oregon Senate since June 20, whenRepublicans orchestrated a walkout in responseto a controversial greenhouse gas emissions bill. All but three Republican Senators returned to the Capitol this weekend. House Bill 2209requires railroads owning or operating routes for trains carrying highly hazardous materials to have oil spill contingency plans that have been approved by Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality. The state will be able to charge up to $20 on each oil tank car entering Oregon or loaded in the state, plus a small annual fee on railroads' gross operating revenues in Oregon. The Oregon legislation comes four years after Washington and California passed laws to better prepare for derailments and spills and one month after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill that requires Washington refineries and other facilities that offload or load crude oil from a rail car to meet safer vapor pressure standards. Since 2012, trains carrying three million gallons of crude oil each have been traveling across Oregon to terminals and refineries in the Northwest and California. In June 2016 aUnion Pacific(NYSE:UNP) train derailed near the Gorge town of Mosier, Oregon spilling 42,000 gallons of oil and starting a fire that took over 14 hours to put out. BNSF and Union Pacific could not immediately be reached for comment. But a spokesperson told FreightWaves in May that said that the bill's passage would make it harder for the railroad to comply with the common carrier obligation, a federal mandate requiring a railroad to provide transportation to all parties and for all goods, including hazardous materials. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has five days to take action after the oil train bill is sent to her office. She is expected to sign the bill. Image Sourced From Pixabay See more from Benzinga • Partnership To Build 1,500-Mile Rail Connection Between Alaska And Canada • Texas School Receives .1 Million In State Funding For Its Truck Driving Academy • Trucking Rates Have Fallen Back To 2017 Levels, But Costs Have Not © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
How Many UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Shares Have Insiders Sold, In The Last Year? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares inUnitedHealth Group Incorporated(NYSE:UNH). It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard Universitystudyfound that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.' View our latest analysis for UnitedHealth Group Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Lead Independent Director, Richard Burke, for US$5.3m worth of shares, at about US$263 per share. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$244. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern. Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 26430 shares worth US$6.1m. But they sold 128k for US$33m. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of UnitedHealth Group shares, than buying. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love thisfreelist of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). We've seen more insider selling than insider buying at UnitedHealth Group recently. In total, Richard Burke sold US$7.2m worth of shares in that time. Meanwhile insiders bought US$6.1m worth, as we said above. Because the selling vastly outweighs the buying, we'd say this is a somewhat bearish sign. Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It's great to see that UnitedHealth Group insiders own 0.6% of the company, worth about US$1.5b. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders. The stark truth for UnitedHealth Group is that there has been more insider selling than insider buying in the last three months. Despite some insider buying, the longer term picture doesn't make us feel much more positive. But it is good to see that UnitedHealth Group is growing earnings. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. Of course,the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in UnitedHealth Group, you should check out thisfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. But note:UnitedHealth Group may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
The Gross Law Firm Announces Class Actions on Behalf of Shareholders of KSHB, AOS and TUSK NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 1, 2019 /The securities litigation law firm of The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice on behalf of shareholders in the following publicly traded companies. Shareholders who purchased shares in the following companies during the dates listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible Lead Plaintiff appointment. Appointment as Lead Plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery. KushCo Holdings, Inc. (KSHB) Investors Affected : July 13, 2017 - April 9, 2019 A class action has commenced on behalf of certain shareholders in KushCo Holdings, Inc. The filed complaint alleges that defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) KushCo made material accounting errors in connection with its acquisitions of CMP Wellness, Summit, and Hybrid; (ii) as a result, KushCo's previously issued financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended August 31, 2018 and August 31, 2017, included in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for such periods, and financial statements as of and for the quarterly periods ended May 31, 2017, November 30, 2017, February 28, 2018, May 31, 2018 and November 30, 2018, included in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for such periods, could not be relied upon; (iii) KushCo's net loss for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2018, was more than twice as high than previously reported; (iv) KushCo and its management's assurances that its financial statements for those fiscal years and periods were accurate and fairly reported could not be relied upon; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. Shareholders may find more information athttps://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/kushco-holdings-inc/?id=2181&from=1 A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS) Investors Affected : July 26, 2016 - May 16, 2019 A class action has commenced on behalf of certain shareholders in A O Smith Corporation. The filed complaint alleges that defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (a) A.O. Smith had undisclosed business connections and entanglements with UTP through which it funneled up to 75% of its China product sales; (b) A.O. Smith had used UTP to engage in channel stuffing by artificially inflating inventories purportedly sold through distributors that were not based on consumer demand, thereby approximately doubling the normal level of inventory at such distributors; (c) A.O. Smith had used its UTP relationship to artificially inflate the sales figures it reported to investors by as much as 8% and to conceal worsening sales trends that the Company was experiencing in China; (d) A.O. Smith's sales growth had been primarily in lower margin products as its higher priced products were being undercut by competition in "second-tier" Chinese cities, causing the Company to experience significant margin pressures; (e) A.O. Smith had increased its cash reserves in China to over $530 million in furtherance of its channel stuffing and sales manipulation scheme, encumbering the Company's ability to repatriate the cash or use it for capital expenditures; and (f) as a result of (a)-(e) above, A.O. Smith's business, operations, and prospects were significantly worse than publicly represented and the Company was poised for sales and earnings declines in China, its most important international market. Shareholders may find more information athttps://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/a-o-smith-corporation-loss-submission-form/?id=2181&from=1 Mammoth Energy Services, Inc. (TUSK) Investors Affected : October 19, 2017 - June 5, 2019 A class action has commenced on behalf of certain shareholders in Mammoth Energy Services, Inc. The filed complaint alleges that defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Mammoth's subsidiary, Cobra, improperly obtained two infrastructure contracts with PREPA that totaled over $1.8 billion; (2) specifically, the contracts were awarded as the result of improper steering and not a competitive RFP process; and (3) as a result, Defendants' statements about Mammoth's business, operations and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. Shareholders may find more information athttps://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/mammoth-energy-services-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=2181&from=1 The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a Company lead to artificial inflation of the Company's stock. CONTACT:The Gross Law Firm15 West 38th Street, 12th floorNew York, NY, 10018Email:dg@securitiesclasslaw.comPhone: (212) 537-9430Fax: (833) 862-7770 SOURCE:The Gross Law Firm View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/550526/The-Gross-Law-Firm-Announces-Class-Actions-on-Behalf-of-Shareholders-of-KSHB-AOS-and-TUSK
UPDATE 2-Israel calls for "automatic" European sanctions on Iran over uranium breach (Retops with Netanyahu remarks) JERUSALEM, July 1 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Europe on Monday to impose "automatic sanctions" on Iran for accumulating more low-enriched uranium than permitted under its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers. "I say again that Israel will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office. "On this day I also call on all European countries to stand behind their commitments. You committed to act the moment Iran violates the nuclear agreement, you committed to activate the mechanism for automatic sanctions that was set in the (U.N.) Security Council," he said. A European diplomat told Reuters there was a mechanism under the agreement to deal with "any inconsistencies", and it would be up to a joint commission of signatories to decide next steps. Iran's move was the first major step in violation of the deal since the United States pulled out of it more than a year ago and reimposed tough economic sanctions on Iran. Earlier on Monday Israel's energy minister accused Iran of pursuing "nuclear blackmail" by stockpiling more low-enriched uranium than permitted under the deal but said continued international pressure would cause Tehran to back down. "It's a blatant violation of the agreement," Yuval Steinitz said on Kan public radio. "Iran is carrying out nuclear blackmail. It is saying to the world, 'Look how close we are to a nuclear weapon'. "Iran's economy is collapsing ...they are under atomic pressure, so they are taking unbalanced actions," he added. "If the pressure continues, and the world doesn't give in, they will give it up." (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Has nVent Electric plc (NYSE:NVT) Been Employing Capital Shrewdly? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we are going to look at nVent Electric plc (NYSE:NVT) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires. First of all, we'll work out how to calculate ROCE. Next, we'll compare it to others in its industry. Last but not least, we'll look at what impact its current liabilities have on its ROCE. ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. All else being equal, a better business will have a higher ROCE. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Author Edwin Whitingsaysto be careful when comparing the ROCE of different businesses, since 'No two businesses are exactly alike.' The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) Or for nVent Electric: 0.088 = US$360m ÷ (US$4.5b - US$410m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.) Therefore,nVent Electric has an ROCE of 8.8%. See our latest analysis for nVent Electric One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. We can see nVent Electric's ROCE is around the 11% average reported by the Electrical industry. Separate from how nVent Electric stacks up against its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms is mediocre; relative to the returns on government bonds. Readers may find more attractive investment prospects elsewhere. The image below shows how nVent Electric's ROCE compares to its industry, and you can click it to see more detail on its past growth. When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be deceptive for cyclical businesses, as returns can look incredible in boom times, and terribly low in downturns. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. What happens in the future is pretty important for investors, so we have prepared afreereport on analyst forecasts for nVent Electric. Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. The ROCE equation subtracts current liabilities from capital employed, so a company with a lot of current liabilities appears to have less capital employed, and a higher ROCE than otherwise. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets. nVent Electric has total assets of US$4.5b and current liabilities of US$410m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 9.2% of its total assets. With low levels of current liabilities, at least nVent Electric's mediocre ROCE is not unduly boosted. nVent Electric looks like an ok business, but on this analysis it is not at the top of our buy list. Of course,you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates.So take a peek at thisfreelist of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20. If you are like me, then you willnotwant to miss thisfreelist of growing companies that insiders are buying. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Report: RB Elliott, Goodell to discuss Vegas incident NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott will meet Tuesday in New York to discuss an incident involving the running back that occurred in Las Vegas in May. TMZ posted a video allegedly showing events that took place early May 18 at the Electric Daisy Carnival festival in Las Vegas. The video shows a man identified as Elliott pushing a security guard against a metal railing and to the ground. Elliott then is handcuffed but not arrested. The incident is reviewable under the league's personal conduct policy, especially given Elliott's previous six-game suspension that followed allegations of abuse made by a former girlfriend. Under the league policy, a player doesn't need to be arrested or convicted to face a penalty. In the aftermath of the incident, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he didn't expect Elliott to face any discipline and downplayed the incident. "In terms of his status with us, (it) has not been impacted in any way," Jones said in May. "And frankly, I know how conscientious he has been in the offseason, and that's good enough. No, I don't see that having any consequences for us." Cowboys executives have indicated a desire to extend Elliott's contract past 2020, when it is due to expire. Elliott, who turns 24 this month, rushed for 1,434 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games last season. He also caught three touchdown passes. Elliott won the NFL rushing title twice in his first three years in the league. --Field Level Media
Banks readying 2.5 billion euro loan in TIM-Vodafone Italy tower deal: sources MILAN (Reuters) - A group of banks is set to lend Telecom Italia unit INWIT up to 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) to help it merge its towers with those of Vodafone, two sources said. Telecom Italia (TIM), which controls 60% of INWIT, agreed with Vodafone in February to study the idea of combining their 22,000 telecom masts in Italy in a single unit. UniCredit, Intesa Sanpaolo, Mediobanca, Goldman Sachs and BofA-Merrill Lynch are among the banks finalizing the bridge-to-bond loan but other lenders could join the deal, the sources said. A bridge-to-bond loan is a facility provided by banks to companies before they can access the capital market. Italian daily Il Messaggero reported on Saturday that a five-year loan is being worked out to support the partnership between TIM and Vodafone. The financing scheme was expected to be wrapped up by the end of July at the latest, the sources said, with the two telephone groups expected to sign off on a merger of their towers early in August. The sources said INWIT would partly use the new funding to develop its business as Telecom Italia and Vodafone look to speed up the roll out across Italy of fifth-generation mobile phone services at a lower cost. Both companies stretched their balance sheets earlier this year to buy expensive licenses for 5G mobile waves. Folding Vodafone's Italian towers into INWIT is part of a three-year strategy plan ironed out earlier this year by TIM CEO Luigi Gubitosi aimed at reviving Italy's biggest phone group which is saddled with more than 25 billion euros of debt. The merger will give TIM and Vodafone equal shareholdings and governance rights in INWIT and exclude any need for either to launch a tender offer on INWIT’s remaining shares. Inwit did not respond to a request for a comment. TIM and Vodafone declined to comment. (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro and Elvira Pollina; Editing by Stephen Jewkes and Edmund Blair)
A Foolish Take: The U.S. Dating App Market Is Peaking Online dating apps, led byMatch Group's(NASDAQ: MTCH)Tinder, surged in popularity in recent years. However, the market's growth will decelerate over the next three years, according to projections from eMarketer, as fewer new users sign up and users drift between existing apps. Data source: eMarketer. Chart by author. That sounds like bad news for Match, which owned four of the top five dating apps for U.S. millennials (Tinder, Match, OKCupid, and POF) last year, according to eMarketer. However, the online dating giant is preparingfor that slowdownwith three key strategies: increasing its revenue per subscriber with new premium tiers, acquiring niche challengers like Hinge, and expanding into overseas markets. Match's premium tiers for Tinder, Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold, let users use unlimited swipes, undo swipes, promote their profiles, and more. The company also recently restructured its leadership team to prioritize its growth in Asian markets. These moves are paying off, and Wall Street expects its revenue to rise 16.5% this year. That represents a deceleration from previous years, but Match still has irons in the fire with growth opportunities beyond America. The U.S. market for dating apps may be maturing, but the major players still have room to grow. More From The Motley Fool • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,728 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • 20 of the Top Stocks to Buy (Including the Two Every Investor Should Own) • What Is an ETF? • 5 Recession-Proof Stocks • How to Beat the Market Leo Sunhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Match Group. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
Bootstrapping? 2 Funding Sources Entrepreneurs Overlook One of the biggest challenges every entrepreneur faces is finding the capital to fund his or her vision. If you’re one of the lucky few to land a major VC investment, congratulations! You’re part of the mere.05 percentof startups that have successfully navigated the venture capital route. Related:How to Get Banks to Say Yes to Your Small Business Loan For the vast majority of startup founders, however, the road to funding is a stressful and arduous one. In fact,only about halfof all startups -- according to the National Association of Small Business -- survive to their fourth year, and one of their biggest reasons for failure? You guessed it: running out of cash. Still, every startup needs capital, and there are dozens of ways to get it. What’s shocking, though, is how often entrepreneurs forgo the cheapest, most readily available money in favor of high-interest credit cards and personal loans. Indeed, home equity is an option that’s consistently overlooked by the startup community; just 7 percent of all small business owners who apply for loans or lines of credit do so by tapping into a home equity line of credit, and only 6 percent go for a mortgage refinance, according to arecent report from the Fed. To be clear, the home equity option isn’t for everyone, and as with all loans and lines of credit, there are strict repayment terms that carry some financial risk. But founders in a position to carefully consider and mitigate that risk may find that tapping their home equity is one of the easiest and most affordable sources of funding for a startup. In fact, I speak from personal experience. Here are the details: My partner, Bill Osborne, and I startedNations Lendingin 2003 with $35,000 from a home equity line of credit and an $18,000 personal loan from my mother. Nations Lending now originates nearly $2 billion in loan volume annually with the help of nearly 700 employees. Without that original home equity line of credit, we wouldn’t have grown into what we are today. Related:5 Best and Fast Small-Business Loans (Some of Which You've Never Heard of) Ahome equity line of creditis exactly what it sounds like. If your home has increased in value, you’re able to borrow against the value increase, or some portion of it, like a credit card. But unlike its plastic cousin, HELOCs come with a substantially lower interest rate than any business credit card out there. With a HELOC, small business owners don’t have to take the money they qualify for all at once, either. Rather, they can draw on it as it’s needed. This is one of the things that makes HELOCs ideal for funding a small business, because it’s hard to predict today what your capital needs will be a month from now. As an added bonus, some of the interest payments may be tax deductible. In 2003, our company couldn’t show a small business lender or the Small Business Administration the $50,000 to $150,000 in annual revenue that we needed to qualify for a loan. That HELOC proved to be our proverbial lifeline; in unlocking that $35,000 in home equity, we got the money we needed in a matter of days to continue growing the business. This is not to say small business loans are a bad choice, of course. But they simply aren’t for everyone, especially because many entrepreneurs won’t meet revenue requirements and the loan itself could take months to materialize. Case study:Scott Raybuck, serial entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Zuri, a CBD supply company in Ohio, knows the advantages of a HELOC quite well. He tapped $300,000 in the form of a home equity line of credit, along with other substantial savings, to start his company Zuri. “Most people don’t think that way --it’s more traditional to keep personal finance and business finance separate,” Raybuck told me. “I think it simply boils down to the nomenclature of the loan or line of credit -- the fact that it’s called 'home' equity. People think they have to use the funds for something home- or family-related. That’s not the case.” A home equity line could be a great option for entrepreneurs. Just make sure you understand the terms and the risk. While the home equity line of credit is the superior product for funding small businesses, entrepreneurs need to also be aware of the more ubiquitouscash-out refinance option. This basically turns your home’s equity into a one-time loan, which you start paying back in the form of a new mortgage payment. Let’s face it, if you’re starting your business at a young age, maybe you haven’t owned your home long enough for the equity to grow for a HELOC. That's where a cash-out refinance comes in because it can still beat most small business loans and credit cards in terms of interest rate and repayment terms. In acash-out refinance, a homeowner gets a brand new mortgage to pay off the old one, while at the same time withdrawing accumulated equity in cash. The difference between the two mortgages is given to the homeowner in cash. Translation? I'm talking money to fund your entrepreneurial dreams, typically available at a significantly lower interest rate than your average 15 percent to 20 percent business credit card. Case study:In an interviewwith MortgageLoan.com, Sam Craven, owner of Senna House Buyers in Houston, Texas, discussed how he used his home to get the ball rolling on a business that’s since done close to 300 real estate deals. “It was an easy process,” Craven told the website. “They lent me 80 percent of my home’s value and that was enough seed money to get the ball rolling. I would highly recommend people unlock the dead equity that is sitting in their home to chase their dreams.” Every day, small business owners come to the shocking revelation that the amount of capital they thought they’d need to get up and running is insufficient. When this happens, home equity can be the gamechanger they desperately need. Related:You Want to Start a Business -- How Should You Finance It? But before making a decision, you have to understand all your funding options and weigh them carefully against one another. Speak with your lender and/or attorney to make the best decision for you and your business.
5 Big Bank Stocks Tearing Higher Wall Street is rallying again on news that Presidents Xi and Trump strucka truce in the trade war. The good news giving big bank stocks an extra boost is the results of the latest Federal Reserve “stress test”. The Fed only objected to the plans ofCredit Suisse(NYSE:CS), allowing the rest of the banks to increase their dividends and share repurchase programs. • 7 F-Rated Stocks to Sell for Summer As a result, the entire sector is bounding higher with theFinancials Sector SPDR(NYSEARCA:XLF) rising 2.4%. A number of major components are on the move as well. Here are five bank stocks worth a look: InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Click to Enlarge Shares ofJPMorgan(NYSE:JPM) are pushing back up and over their 50-day moving average, braking out of a month-long consolidation range to push back towards highs not seen since early May. This came after a test of the 200-day moving average and pushes the stock back towards two-year-old resistance near the $115-a-share level. The company will next report results on July 16 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of $2.53 per share on revenues of $28.8 billion. When the company last reported on April 12, earnings of $2.65 beat estimates by 30 cents on a 4.4% rise in revenues. Click to Enlarge Wells Fargo(NYSE:WFC), which has been besieged by a lot of bad news in recent months (self-inflicted wounds, largely), is enjoying what looks like another attempt to break up and over resistance near its 200-day moving average. This could put an end to a downtrend pattern that’s been in place for months and marks a 9% rise off of the lows set back in December. • 6 Worst S&P 500 Stocks of 2019 (So Far) The company will next report results on July 16 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of $1.16 per share on revenues of $20.9 billion. When the company last reported on April 12, earnings of $1.20 per share beat estimates by 10 cents on a 1.5% drop in revenues. Click to Enlarge Shares ofBank of America(NYSE:BAC) are rising up to test the upper end of a year-to-date consolidation range with a push towards prior highs near $31. Shares have been mired in a sideways pattern since early 2018 as falling long-term interest rates have weighed on net interest margins. But now, with the Fed clearing the way for a 20% rise in its dividend yield to 2.5%, investors are regaining interest. The company will next report results on July 17 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of 72 cents per share on revenues of $23.3 billion. When the company last reported on April 16, earnings of 70 cents per share beat estimates by four cents on a 0.4% drop in revenues. Click to Enlarge Citigroup(NYSE:C) shares are breaking up and out of a month-long consolidation range returning to highs seen in early May. An upward extension from here would break the two-year downtrend pattern and set the stage for a retest of prior highs near $78 — which would be worth a gain of roughly 12% from here. • The Top 8 Tech Stocks of 2019 (So Far) The company will next report results on July 15 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of $1.86 per share on revenues of $18.7 billion. When the company last reported on April 15, earnings of $1.87 beat estimates by eight cents on a 1.6% decline in revenues. Click to Enlarge Shares ofGoldman Sachs(NYSE:GS) are breaking up and over their 200-day moving average, breaking out of a downtrend pattern that’s been in play since early 2018 and ending a long stall near the $200-a-share level. Watch for a run to the reaction high hit last summer near $240, which would be worth a gain of 20% from here. The company will next report results on July 16 before the bell. Analysts are looking for earnings of $5.39 per share on revenues of $9.1 billion. When the company last reported on April 15, earnings of $5.71 beat estimates by 69 cents on a 12.6% decline in revenues. • 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid • 7 F-Rated Stocks to Sell for Summer • 7 Stocks to Buy for the Same Price as Beyond Meat • 7 Penny Marijuana Stocks That Are NOT Cheap Stocks Compare Brokers The post5 Big Bank Stocks Tearing Higherappeared first onInvestorPlace.
Kaley Cuoco To Star In The Flight Attendant Drama Series Picked Up By WarnerMedia Streamer, Inks New Deal With Warner Bros. TV Click here to read the full article. The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco is staying at the studio behind the blockbuster comedy series with an expansive new agreement at Warner Bros. TV Group that includes a series pickup by WarnerMedia s upcoming streaming platform of thriller drama The Flight Attendant , with Cuoco starring and executive producing and Greg Berlantis Berlanti Prods. coming on board to produce alongside Warner Bros. The multi-faceted pact includes a new two-year pod deal for Cuocos production company, Yes, Norman Productions, and a talent holding provision for Cuocos acting services beyond The Flight Attendant , with Warner Bros. TV committed to developing new series projects, including multi-camera and single-camera half-hour comedies and hourlong dramedies, with an eye toward her starring. Related stories WarnerMedia Streamer Eyes Reboots Of Warner Bros TV TGIF Comedies Like 'Step by Step', 'Perfect Strangers' & 'Family Matters' 'Gremlins' Prequel Animated Series Officially A Go At WarnerMedia Streamer WarnerMedia Streamer Orders 'Station Eleven' & 'Made For Love' Series From Patrick Somerville & Paramount Cuoco has been in high demand coming off the hugely successful sitcom The Big Bang Theory , which just ended its 12-season run on CBS. With two greenlighted series through her previous WBTV pact, the newly picked up The Flight Attendant and the animated Harley Quinn on DC Universe, and several projects in development, Cuoco opted to stay at her long-time home where she has a longstanding close relationship with the top executives, Peter Roth, Susan Rovner and Brad Paul. I love that Warner Bros. is my home away from home, and I couldnt be more excited to continue this incredibly collaborative and gratifying relationship, Cuoco said. Theyre stuck with me now! Cuoco and her Yes, Norman Productions team led by SVP Suzanne McCormack, who joined the company last year, will continue to develop projects for broadcast, cable, on-demand/streaming and digital platforms via WBTVG divisions, including Warner Bros. Television, Warner Horizon Scripted Television, Warner Bros. Animation and digital venture Blue Ribbon Content. Story continues Cuoco launched Yes, Norman, which she named after her dog, in 2017 with a pod deal at WBTV. The first project under that deal was The Flight Attendant, with Cuoco optioning the rights t o the book by Chris Bohjalian before it had been published by Doubleday. Steve Yockey ( Supernatural ) adapted the novel, which became a bestseller. Cuoco is executive producing alongside Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter of Berlanti Production; Suzanne McCormack co-executive produces. Filming is expected to begin this fall. Additionally, Yes, Norman produces (alongside Justin Halpern & Patrick Schumackers Ehsugadee Productions) the upcoming Warner Bros. Animation series Harley Quinn , for the DC Universe digital subscription service, with Cuoco voicing the title character and serving as an executive producer (with Halpern, Schumacker, Dean Lorey and Sam Register) on the half-hour adult animated action-comedy. On the development front, Yes, Norman has Sick Girl, a psychological thriller based on the novel from debut author Rachel Hargrove, among a number of projects in the works with Warner Bros. Cuoco has drama series experience. Between her starring roles on two hit comedy series, ABCs 8 Simple Rules and CBS Big Bang, she did a stint on the WBs Charmed. Reworking the female lead in the original pilot for Big Bang and casting Cuoco in the role was one of the key changes credited with helping make the comedy a runaway success. Cuoco is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, SDB Partners and Hansen Jacobson Teller. Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .
A Foolish Take: Nearly Everything's Winning in 2019 Thestock market has done extremely wellso far in 2019, bouncing back from a big drop late last year that had many investors on the verge of panic. Despite fears about a global recession, trade tensions between the U.S. and key international partners, and a host of other potential concerns, stocks closed the first half of 2019 with their best performance in years. This isn't the first time the stock market has recovered from difficult circumstances to produce impressive gains. Yet what's particularly interesting about 2019's first half is that it was hard to find a losing investment. The rising tide lifted nearly all financial markets, and that's a situation that rarely lasts long. Investors are paying a lot of attention to the gains that theS&P 500(SNPINDEX: ^GSPC)put in to begin the year. Its 18% total return was its best since 1997, during the height of the tech boom. Even with a swift decline of nearly 20% late last year between mid-September and Christmas Eve, U.S. stocks have recovered to set record highs recently. You can see below, though, that markets across the globe and among many different assets are seeing solid gains as well. Data source: YCharts. Chart by author. Gains in bonds aren't terribly surprising, given the recentdeclines in interest ratesstemming from fears of an economic slowdown. However, the double-digit percentage returns that overseas markets have experienced -- in both developed and emerging markets -- are unusual for such an uncertain economic outlook. Oil's 25% jump is even more of a surprise considering the impact that sluggish economies around the world would have on demand for energy. Moreover, the 10% rise in gold prices has come largely from investor demand as a way to protect against a stock market decline. It's not unprecedented for so many markets to move higher all at the same time, but it doesn't typically last very long. Eventually, the mixed messages that financial markets are sending will resolve into a unified theme. When that happens, investors need to be prepared for at least some of these benchmarks to reverse course and start giving up their recent gains. More From The Motley Fool • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,728 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • 20 of the Top Stocks to Buy (Including the Two Every Investor Should Own) • What Is an ETF? • 5 Recession-Proof Stocks • How to Beat the Market Dan Caplingerhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
Did Trisura Group Ltd. (TSE:TSU) Insiders Sell Shares? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So before you buy or sellTrisura Group Ltd.(TSE:TSU), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia Universitystudyfound that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. View our latest analysis for Trisura Group Director Gregory Ernest Morrison made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$255k worth of shares at a price of CA$25.50 each. That implies that an insider found the current price of CA$29.99 per share to be enticing. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. Happily, the Trisura Group insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices. Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 14000 shares worth CA$376k. But insiders sold 28900 shares worth CA$813k. In total, Trisura Group insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! If you are like me, then you willnotwant to miss thisfreelist of growing companies that insiders are buying. It's good to see that Trisura Group insiders have made notable investments in the company's shares. We can see that Director Barton Hedges paid CA$121k for shares in the company. No-one sold. This could be interpreted as suggesting a positive outlook. I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Trisura Group insiders own about CA$14m worth of shares. That equates to 7.1% of the company. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. The recent insider purchase is heartening. But we can't say the same for the transactions over the last 12 months. The more recent transactions are a positive, but Trisura Group insiders haven't shown the sustained enthusiasm that we look for, although they do own a decent number of shares, overall. In short they are likely aligned with shareholders. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at thisFREEreport showing analyst forecasts for Trisura Group. But note:Trisura Group may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Kaley Cuoco takes a dramatic turn after 'Big Bang Theory' LOS ANGELES (AP) Kaley Cuoco is making a big move after wrapping 12 seasons with "The Big Bang Theory," with a new production deal and a pivot from comedy to drama. Cuoco has signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, the company said Monday. The agreement keeps Cuoco in business with the studio that produced "The Big Bang Theory," the CBS comedy in which Cuoco played Penny. It ended its hit run last May. In a statement, Cuoco said she was excited to continue an "incredibly collaborative and gratifying relationship" with Warner, adding, "They're stuck with me now!" Financial terms of the deal were not announced. Her first announced project is the hour-long series "The Flight Attendant," a thriller based on the novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. It will be made for the WarnerMedia streaming service set to launch for consumers in early 2020. Under the deal, Cuoco and her production company will develop ideas for original TV projects through various Warner TV group divisions. The projects will be aimed at platforms including broadcast, cable and streaming, the company said. A holding agreement for Cuoco's acting services is part of the overall deal, with Warner developing new series with her in mind. The company and Cuoco, 33, signed a previous deal in 2017.
23andMe Can Guess If You Prefer Chocolate or Vanilla Ice Cream Summer is peak ice cream season, and when you’re heading to your local scoop shop, chances are, you already know what you’re going to order. Maybe you’re more inclined to eclectic flavors, like earl grey and cardamom , and you believe the more mix-ins, the merrier, relishing in finding large chunks of chocolate in each bite. Or, you might gravitate toward plain chocolate ice cream, considering yourself an ice cream purist. However, whatever your preference is, it may have a lot more to do with genetics than you realize—and 23andMe has the data to back it up. Aleksandr Kuzmin/Getty Images On June 28, the biotechnology company released a new trait report that, by examining data from over 980,000 23andMe research participants, estimates how likely you are to prefer vanilla ice cream to chocolate, and vice versa. Of course, there are still external factors that determine your favorite flavor, such as culture and environment, according to the 23andMe announcement—but the company refers to genetics as “the cherry on top,” as it often is with other food preferences like aversions to cilantro and bitter taste. In their research, 23andMe scientists identified 739 genetic markers associated with preferring vanilla ice cream to chocolate, and then combined that information with “non-genetic factors, such as age and sex,” ultimately creating a model to predict people's ice cream flavor of choice. The end results? It may come down to smell—many of the genetic variants the team found are “in or near olfactory receptor genes, like OR10A6 and OR5M8, which contain instructions for proteins that help detect odors.” And apparently, women are also more likely to prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla—56 percent prefer chocolate while 44 percent are on team vanilla. Men, on the other hand, are almost evenly split, with vanilla just squeaking ahead at 51 percent, and chocolate at 49. To find out about your own flavor disposition and other traits, you can check out 23andMe's Health + Ancestry Service kit , which we've included below. Speaking of ice cream, if you’re planning on making a batch at home this summer, we have plenty of recipes —all you have to do is pick between making this olive oil flavor (from Portland’s famous Salt & Straw ) or peach-blueberry version first . 23andMe DNA Test - Health + Ancestry Personal Genetic Service, $200 at amazon.com
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez Says What We’re All Thinking About Ivanka Trump What exactly is Ivanka Trump doing? Both in general, and, most recently, at the G20 summit? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez —and, likely, some other members of the American public—would love to know. “It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification,” AOC tweeted on Saturday night, as video surfaced of the First Daughter-slash- White House-adviser standing in a gaggle of some of the world's most prominent and powerful leaders at the G20 in Osaka, Japan—including British Prime Minister Theresa May, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron —offering random hand gestures and other comments. The exchange is hard to hear, but according to the Financial Times : “Mr. Macron made a point about social justice. Mrs. May replied that people notice when the economy is brought into it. Ivanka Trump then interrupted with a non sequitur about how the defense industry is male-dominated.” We are all International Monetary Fund Chair Christine Lagarde, who responded with a curious sideways glance. https://twitter.com/ParhamGhobadi/status/1145074623035449357 As Ocasio-Cortez astutely pointed out, Ivanka—who had no prior diplomatic record, nor any other government experience whatsoever before being tapped by her father as an adviser—was awkwardly inserting herself into a circle of presidents and prime ministers, making her lack of qualification all the more glaring. “The US needs our President working the G20,” AOC said on Twitter. “Bringing a qualified diplomat couldn’t hurt either.” This is especially true in light of President Trump’s follies at the G20 , including—as ever—praising North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un , commending Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Arabian prince accused of ordering the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, for doing a “spectacular job” in his country, and making light of Russian interference in the 2016 election with a finger wag—yes, a finger wag—at Russian President Vladimir Putin: “Don’t meddle in the election, please,” Trump said. LOL, BFF. Story continues And yet Ocasio-Cortez’s rather justified concerns about Ivanka’s role in Trumpian diplomacy wounded outgoing White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who replied : “thank you for reminding Americans everyday why they elected Trump.” As surprising as the 2016 election was, who knew the swing states were crying out for a former accessories maven to represent America on the world stage? But Huckabee Sanders will have to take her defense to, um, the rest of the internet, as #UnwantedIvanka began trending after the video of Ivanka chatting with world leaders emerged, cleverly inserting the First Daughter into still more historic photos. https://twitter.com/HelenKennedy/status/1145406189443985408 Were you aware Ivanka was in the situation room on the eve of Osama bin Laden’s capture? https://twitter.com/will_oppss/status/1145488131837218816 OK, now I’m officially disturbed. https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1145444501013565441 But seriously Ivanka has a history of eagerness to step into the spotlight at the G20. See also: when she warmed her dad’s seat during a break in 2017; or when she was booed for touting her father as a “tremendous champion” for women. The issue, of course, is not as oversimplified as Ivanka made it out to be when she noted a lack of women in traditionally male spaces. Progress is not inserting just any woman into the conversation—or the summit or the election—but a woman who has the experience and substance to actually make a difference. https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1145164720242118656 See the videos. Originally Appeared on Vogue
How Does Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HRC) Stand Up To These Simple Dividend Safety Checks? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we'll take a closer look at Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HRC) from a dividend investor's perspective. Owning a strong business and reinvesting the dividends is widely seen as an attractive way of growing your wealth. On the other hand, investors have been known to buy a stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. A 0.8% yield is nothing to get excited about, but investors probably think the long payment history suggests Hill-Rom Holdings has some staying power. The company also bought back stock equivalent to around 0.6% of market capitalisation this year. When buying stocks for their dividends, you should always run through the checks below, to see if the dividend looks sustainable. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Hill-Rom Holdings! Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. Hill-Rom Holdings paid out 24% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. We like this low payout ratio, because it implies the dividend is well covered and leaves ample opportunity for reinvestment. Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. Hill-Rom Holdings's cash payout ratio last year was 16%, which is quite low and suggests that the dividend was thoroughly covered by cash flow. It's positive to see that Hill-Rom Holdings's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut. As Hill-Rom Holdings has a meaningful amount of debt, we need to check its balance sheet to see if the company might have debt risks. A quick check of its financial situation can be done with two ratios: net debt divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), and net interest cover. Net debt to EBITDA measures total debt load relative to company earnings (lower = less debt), while net interest cover measures the ability to pay interest on the debt (higher = greater ability to pay interest costs). Hill-Rom Holdings is carrying net debt of 3.18 times its EBITDA, which is getting towards the upper limit of our comfort range on a dividend stock that the investor hopes will endure a wide range of economic circumstances. We calculated its interest cover by measuring its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), and dividing this by the company's net interest expense. With EBIT of 4.36 times its interest expense, Hill-Rom Holdings's interest cover is starting to look a bit thin. Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Hill-Rom Holdings's latest financial position,by checking our visualisation of its financial health. Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Hill-Rom Holdings's dividend payments. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was US$0.41 in 2009, compared to US$0.84 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.4% a year over that time. Businesses that can grow their dividends at a decent rate and maintain a stable payout can generate substantial wealth for shareholders over the long term. Examining whether the dividend is affordable and stable is important. However, it's also important to assess if earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Over the long term, dividends need to grow at or above the rate of inflation, in order to maintain the recipient's purchasing power. It's good to see Hill-Rom Holdings has been growing its earnings per share at 14% a year over the past 5 years. Earnings per share are growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low. We think this is an ideal combination in a dividend stock. When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. Firstly, we like that Hill-Rom Holdings has low and conservative payout ratios. We like that it has been delivering solid improvement in its earnings per share, and relatively consistent dividend payments. Hill-Rom Holdings has met all of our criteria, including having strong cash flow that covers the dividend. We definitely think it would be worthwhile looking closer. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 9 analysts we track are forecasting for Hill-Rom Holdingsfor freewith publicanalyst estimates for the company. We have also put together alist of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Behind the plunge in China auto sales: chaotic implementation of new emission rules By Yilei Sun and Norihiko Shirouzu SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Shanghai-based Buick dealer Ron Li in late April found himself in an unfamiliar quandary: how to sell off almost 80 sedans and sport-utility vehicles crowding up his dealership lot. The crux of the problem: a June 30 deadline for cars built to so-called China-5 emissions standards to be sold. After that only vehicles meeting new standards could be put up for sale. People were still coming in but weren't buying the stage-5 cars, Li said. "Customers didn't know how long they could drive China-5 cars or whether they would be able to resell them in the future. And to be honest, we didn't know either." To cope, his dealership in May slashed stage-5 vehicle prices by as much as 30%, participating in what dealers and industry executives have called unprecedented widespread discounting as China's auto sales headed for their worst ever monthly drop. Encouraged by a central government eager to combat smog, Shanghai is one of 15 cities and provinces to implement new stage-6 standards ahead of the original July 1, 2020 deadline. Checks by Reuters with employees at about 20 dealerships in Shanghai, Beijing and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which have also brought forward the implementation of new standards, found that stage-5 cars had been a tough sell. Some offered discounts of more than $2,000 when compared to the same model that meets stage-6 standards. One Peugeot dealership in Shanghai even went so far as to offer a free 301 compact car for customers who bought a 5008 SUV. While a slowing economy and the trade war with the United States were initially held responsible for slides in sales since April, most of the blame is now being laid on the poorly managed fast-tracking of new rules by the 15 cities and provinces, which account for more than 60% of sales in the world's largest auto market. The sales crisis, which saw May sales plunge 16% from a year earlier, is prompting downward revisions to forecasts for China's 2019 auto sales that most analysts had thought would be flat or show mild growth. Now, most expectations are for an annual decline in sales of around 5%, which would follow a 2.8% decline in 2018 when sales contracted for the first time since the 1990s. But Yale Zhang, an analyst at Shanghai-based Automotive Foresight, believes the fall could be closer to 10%. "Those unsold China-5 vehicles in key areas will be sold to other regions and sales in those areas will be hit as well," he said. SCOURGE OF SMOG In China, smog has become a major source of public discontent and Beijing declared a "war on pollution" five years ago, seeking to mitigate the environmental damage done during four decades of breakneck economic growth. To that end, it has aggressively pursued the adoption of the electric cars and its stage-6 emission standards are regarded as the most stringent in the world. The central government ramped up its anti-pollution drive last year, urging local authorities to implement stage-6 standards ahead of time. The southern province of Hainan was the first to jump on the bandwagon, saying it was thinking of doing so as early as November 2018. This set off a round of announcements from other provinces and cities which began bringing their implementation dates forward - though the timing varied from January to March to July. Some, including Hainan, later postponed after local dealers complained they wouldn't be able to sell off inventories. Confusion ensued and it was not until last month that authorities clarified that buyers of stage-5 cars would be able to resell them. Dealers will also need to bear the cost of shipping unsold stage-5 cars to other cities and provinces where implementation comes later, while automakers have had to contend with headaches related to rolling out stage-6 models to market in time. "Why can't companies be allowed to arrange production and new product rollouts according to the rules?" Shi Jianhua, a senior official at the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, told a news conference in June. "The implementation date of China-6 rules was fixed, so why has it been accelerated in a way that doesn't give companies sufficient time?" he added in rare criticism of government moves. While carmakers do not necessarily have to make fundamental changes to engine technology to meet the new standards, they have to add catalysts and come up with better filtering systems that trap exhaust gases and particulate matter. In some cases, such changes might take a few years to design and execute, engineers told Reuters. The problem is "the cost and the amount of time it takes to design specific components into the design of a given engine," said a China-based engineer at General Motors Co, declining to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media. The process to gain regulatory approval for car models can take six months to a year and vehicle testing agencies such as the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) do not have enough labs to meet the sudden surge in demand, multiple industry sources said. CATARC did not respond to a request to comment. That's meant carmakers have produced fewer stage-6 compliant vehicles than hoped for. Just 21% of cars sold in May met stage-6 standards but this has to rise to 50% if supply is to meet demand, Jefferies said in a research note last month. Volkswagen AG <VOWG_p.DE>, the biggest foreign brand in China, said in an emailed statement all its existing model lines will meet stage-6 standards in key regions from July 1. "Currently, we have a reasonable stock of China-5 vehicles and are reducing this, for example by reallocating the models nationwide," it added. A Ford Motor Co representative said almost all of its line-up was stage-6 compliant. GM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative for Geely [GEELY.UL] said all of its gasoline models met stage-6 standards, while a spokesman for Toyota Motor Corp said the Japanese automaker had the technical reserve to meet the new standards and the switch to stage-6 rules would not have a big impact. Nissan Motor Co Ltd is widely regarded within the industry as the most prepared international car manufacturer, having stated that as of February 90% of its China car manufacturing met stage-6 standards. By contrast, local carmakers such as GAC and Great Wall Motor Co Ltd still had models waiting to be verified in June, according to the government's Vehicle Emission Control Center. For some customers, however, the confusion surrounding the switch to new emissions standards was a win for them. "I know cars well. These China-5 vehicles are technologically advanced enough. Why shouldn't I buy a new car with big discounts?" said Jiang Lingfeng as he checked out a stage-5 Regal sedan at the Buick showroom in Shanghai. (Reporting by Yilei Sun and Norihiko Shirouzu; Additional reporting by David Stanway in Shanghai, Muyu Xu and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Brenda Goh and Edwina Gibbs)
Banks Nail CCAR, Related ETFs Rally This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com. The results of the Federal Reserve’s Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review, or CCAR, are in and the stage is now set for major U.S. banks to boost shareholder reward programs, including share buybacks and dividends. That news lifted exchange traded funds, such as the Invesco KBW Bank ETF ( KBWB ), SPDR S&P Bank ETF ( KBE ) and the Financial Select Sector SPDR ( XLF ) , among others on Friday. “Big banks have had the best return-of-capital story of any industry in the past 12 months. The situation should get even better as they move ahead with widespread increases in dividends, plus big share buybacks planned for the year beginning July 1,” reports Andrew Barry for Barron's . Since the end of the global financial crisis, during which many stocks were egregious dividend offenders, the financial services sector has been a leader in terms of domestic dividend growth. That trend is expected to continue. Better Than Expected Results “KBW analysts wrote Friday that the 'results were above our expectations with banks pushing payout ratios meaningfully higher versus our expectations.' The median gross payout planned among 12 banks covered by the firm is 123% of earnings, up from 95% in the 12 months ending on Sunday, the year covered by the previous CCAR tests,” notes Barron's. KBE has a dividend yield of just 2.11% while XLF, the largest financial services ETF, yields just 2.02%. In either case, both funds' components have plenty of room to boost dividends in significant fashion. It is widely expected major banks will engage in significant share repurchase efforts. “The large buybacks will help support earnings per share at a time when banks face some pressure on their net interest margins from declines in rates,” according to Barron's. “ Many of the big banks will have total yields, defined as dividends and stock buybacks as a percentage of their market values, of 10% to 15%. Wells Fargo (WFC) will lead the pack at 15%.” Story continues Dow component JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( JPM ) is expected to launch a buyback effort above and beyond previous estimates. “Highlights among the big banks included a plan by JPMorgan to buy back as much as $29.4 billion of stock, far more than the roughly $21 billion investors expected,” notes Barron's. “The country’s top bank by market value plans to boost its quarterly payout to 90 cents to 80 cents, resulting in a yield of 3.2%.The increase was in line with expectations.” For more investing trends, visit ETFtrends.com . POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM SPY ETF Quote VOO ETF Quote QQQ ETF Quote VTI ETF Quote JNUG ETF Quote Top 34 Gold ETFs Top 34 Oil ETFs Top 57 Financials ETFs Facebook Libra: Weighing The Pros And Cons As Bitcoin Surges Past $13K, Calls to Embrace Crypto Grow GLDM Marks One Year Anniversary Today, Leads Gold-Backed ETF Flows ROBO Global Healthcare Technology ETF Debuts on NYSE Gold And Silver Rally On Unusual Options Activity READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM >
Australia ETF is Hot, But Run Faces Challenges This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. Up more than 17% year-to-date, theiShares MSCI Australia ETF (EWA) is one of the best-performing single-country exchange traded funds tracking a developed market outside the U.S. Thanks to comparatively high interest rates, Australia ETFs like EWA sport enticing dividend yields, which can help investors generate current income while expanding the international portions of their portfolios. EWA has a trailing 12-month dividend yield of 5.11%, or more than double the comparable yield on the S&P 500. All of that sounds nice and it is, but some market observers have differing opinions regarding the ability of Australian stocks to continue running higher this year. “Analysts are divided on where Australian stocks will go after this year’s epic rally. Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management gave more reasons for bulls to cheer, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said it’s looking elsewhere for gain,”according to Bloomberg. Examining EWA ETF The $1.43 billion EWA tracks the MSCI Australia Index and holds 69 stocks. The fund allocates 37.37% of its weight to the financial services sector, more than double its second-largest sector weight,which is materials. “The nation’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index has surged 18% so far in 2019, and Citi doesn’t see it slowing down. Expectations for Australian interest rates to decline over the next 12 months are likely to drive the nation’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index to arecord highnext year, analysts led by Tony Brennan wrote in a June 19 note,” reports Bloomberg. Australia’s economic growth is expected to be solid and above the average rate forecast for other AAA-rated countries. “Morgan Stanley is also feeling positive. Analysts raised Australia’s equity market to mildly overweight from underweight on the nation’s ability to weather a global economic slowdown,” according to Bloomberg. Still, Australian stocks have some naysayers, including Goldman Sachs, which recently downgraded stocks there to underweight. “Goldman Sachs doesn’t agree. Even with Australian equities’ strong showing this year, several warning signs led Goldman 'to favor fading this outperformance in favor of the north Asian markets,' analysts led by Timothy Moe wrote in a June 25 report,” according to Bloomberg. For more tactical investing ideas, please visit ourtactical allocation channel. POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • SPY ETF Quote • VOO ETF Quote • QQQ ETF Quote • VTI ETF Quote • JNUG ETF Quote • Top 34 Gold ETFs • Top 34 Oil ETFs • Top 57 Financials ETFs • Facebook Libra: Weighing The Pros And Cons • As Bitcoin Surges Past $13K, Calls to Embrace Crypto Grow • GLDM Marks One Year Anniversary Today, Leads Gold-Backed ETF Flows • ROBO Global Healthcare Technology ETF Debuts on NYSE • Gold And Silver Rally On Unusual Options Activity READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM >
Casino Stocks Surge Midday as Gaming Revenue Jumps in Macau Investing.com - The gambling industry in China is weathering the trade war storm. The Macau gaming authority reported a jump in revenue in June, even as the Chinese economy weakened from trade war tariffs. Gross gaming revenue in Macau rose 5.9% last month from the year-ago period, the agency said, which was well above expectations. The strong numbers follow subdued growth in May. A report overnight showed that China's factory activity unexpectedly fell in June, as its manufacturing sector remains under pressure from the trade war. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a trade truce over the weekend, Casino stocks surged after the report, with Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) up 7.2%, Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) rising 4.6% and Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) rising 1%. Related Articles Turkey stocks higher at close of trade; BIST 100 up 3.37% S&P 500 hits record high as trade optimism boosts techs Ex-Barclays Euribor trader takes UK to European Court of Human Rights
3 Dividend Stocks That Are Perfect for Retirees Your retirement years should be filled with relaxing, starting new hobbies, and spending time with family and friends -- andnotworrying about your investments. That's why it's crucial to pick stocks now that are perfect for retirement and then sit back and reap the rewards later. To help track down a few of the best companies that fit this description, we asked three Motley Fool contributors for their thoughts on the best dividend stocks for retirees, and they came back withApple(NASDAQ: AAPL),Welltower(NYSE: WELL), andAT&T(NYSE: T). Here's why. Image source: Getty Images. Nicholas Rossolillo(Apple):When it comes to dividends, Apple likely isn't anywhere near the top of many income investors' lists. I think it should be. It's true that the tech giant only pays a dividend that currently yields 1.6% a year. However, since initiating that payment in 2012, Apple has raised its quarterly payout to shareholders each year and has now doubled what it originally started doling out seven years ago. The marquee iPhone business has come under pressure this year as premium pricing has lost some of its power and consumers are waiting longer to replace old phones. But Apple has several levers to pull now (like its services business) and is still massively profitable. There is plenty of room for that dividend to continue to rise in the years ahead. Plus, dividends aren't the only way shareholders extract cash from a business anymore. Share repurchases are another way owners of a stock get a bonus. Rather than getting cash in hand, Apple has been buying back its own stock -- which reduces share count and thus boosts earnings per share. That, in turn, can help keep a stock afloat during hard times and rising higher over time. Apple is on course to return a massive amount of cash via this method in the next couple of years. After the company's fiscal 2019 second quarter, it had a net cash position of $112.8 billion but has the goal of getting to anet-cash-neutralposition. Taking advantage of depressed stock prices at the start of the year, Apple repurchased $24 billion worth of its own stock during the quarter -- a huge windfall for shareholders that helped stabilize the stock. Paired with that cash dividend payout, that makes Apple atop pick for income investorsin my book. Daniel Miller(Welltower):Retirees looking for stocks to invest in should start by identifying companies that are poised to benefit from long-term tailwinds, as well as companies that have had a consistent track record of returning value through dividends. One stock that checks both those boxes is Welltower, a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns senior housing, post-acute care communities, and medical properties. Image source:YCharts. As you can see in the graph above, Welltower has returned value to shareholders through its consistent dividend increases as well as its rising stock price. And as a REIT, the company is required to pass on 90% or more of its taxable income to shareholders in the form of dividends. That requirement means as long as Welltower's business remains solid, investors are in for strong dividend payouts. Fortunately, Welltower should benefit from demographic tailwinds over the coming decades. The 2030s will be a wild change for the U.S. population, since by 2030, all baby boomers will be older than 65 and the 80-and-older population is expected to roughly double. The latter group spends roughly four times more on healthcare per capita than the national average. If Welltower can continue to build its portfolio of high-quality assets and properties of senior housing and nursing facilities, among others, its business should thrive in the coming decades. Thanks to Welltower's history of returning value to shareholders through its dividend and increasing stock price, as well as being positioned to thrive with changing demographics over the next couple of decades, the company is adividend stock retirees should take a look at. Chris Neiger(AT&T):When it comes to paying a hefty dividend and having a long-standing track record of raising it, it doesn't get much better than AT&T. The company's current dividend yield of 6.3% is higher than many of its dividend peers, and the telecom just logged 35 consecutive years of raising it. And with AT&T generating $25.8 billion in free cash flow over the past 12 months, the company has enough cash to keep its dividend-raising streak going. AT&T will benefit from thelatest evolution in cellular technology, called 5G, and says that it will make the new service available in 21 cities by the end of this year. 5G is not only much faster than 4G LTE, but it will also bring more connectivity possibilities for Internet of Things devices (like connected autonomous vehicles). 5G could bring $619 billion in new services by 2026, by some estimates, and with AT&T already bringing 5G to some markets now, the company is making early moves into this space. AT&T's impressive dividend, steady free cash flow, and opportunity to benefit from 5G make this stock a great pick for retirees. And when you factor in that AT&T's shares are trading at just nine times the company's forward earnings, this telecom looks like a solid bet. More From The Motley Fool • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,728 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • 20 of the Top Stocks to Buy (Including the Two Every Investor Should Own) • What Is an ETF? • 5 Recession-Proof Stocks • How to Beat the Market Chris Neigerhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.Daniel Millerhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.Nicholas Rossolilloowns shares of Apple and AT&T. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple and long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
Bitcoin Tumbles as Cryptocurrency’s 2019 Surge Starts to Waver (Bloomberg) -- Bitcoin slumped, undoing some of this year’s epic rally and amplifying a recent trend of outsized weekend moves. The largest cryptocurrency fell more than 18% from Friday to trade at $10,294 as of 11:58 a.m. in New York, according to prices compiled by Bloomberg. It’s still up almost 200% since the start of the year. Most other large coins also dropped, with Bitcoin Cash and Dash declining at least 7.6%. Litecoin erased an earlier gain. Optimism surrounding a potential increase in adoption of cryptocurrencies helped fuel price increases on Bitcoin last month. That took prices back to levels last seen at the start of 2018. The slide over the weekend is at odds with recent moves higher on Saturday and Sunday: surges in weekend activity since the start of May accounted for about 40% of Bitcoin’s price gains this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Raising the possibility that central banks may feel the need to create tokens, Bank for International Settlements General Manager Agustin Carstens said in an interview with the Financial Times that it may be “sooner than we think that there is a market and we have to create our own digital currencies.” Technical indicators also paint a rosy picture. Based on the GTI Vera Band Indicator, which identifies upward or downward trends, Bitcoin still remains in an uptrend and may continue to test new highs. The token held above $9,860, the lower band limit, which indicates the point of a trend change. The largest digital token has repeated this pattern before: since January, Bitcoin has on multiple occasions reached new yearly highs after breaking above the upper band and then reverting sharply. Those moves were then again followed by new highs after a consolidation phase. Repeating this pattern once more would mark the fifth such occasion. (Updates prices in second paragraph and adds technical indicators.) --With assistance from Kenneth Sexton, Rita Nazareth and Brendan Walsh. To contact the reporters on this story: Adam Haigh in Sydney at ahaigh1@bloomberg.net;Vildana Hajric in New York at vhajric1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Christopher Anstey at canstey@bloomberg.net, Joanna Ossinger, Todd White For more articles like this, please visit us atbloomberg.com ©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Need To Know: The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTD) Insiders Have Been Selling Shares Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares inThe Trade Desk, Inc.(NASDAQ:TTD). Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia Universitystudyfound that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. See our latest analysis for Trade Desk Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Non-Employee Director, Kathryn Falberg, for US$8.2m worth of shares, at about US$205 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$228, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. We note that the biggest single sale was only 36.4% of Kathryn Falberg's holding. Over the last year, we note insiders sold 84425 shares worth US$15m. In the last year Trade Desk insiders didn't buy any company stock. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love thisfreelist of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). The last quarter saw substantial insider selling of Trade Desk shares. In total, insiders sold US$736k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. In light of this it's hard to argue that all the insiders think that the shares are a bargain. Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Trade Desk insiders own about US$1.5b worth of shares (which is 15% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders. Insiders sold Trade Desk shares recently, but they didn't buy any. And even if we look to the last year, we didn't see any purchases. But it is good to see that Trade Desk is growing earnings. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check thisfreereport showing analyst forecasts for its future. Of course,you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere.So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Medicine Man Technologies Appoints Lee Dayton As Chief Administrative Officer Medicine Man Technologies Inc(OTC:MDCL)said Mondayit appointed Albertsons Companies veteran Lee Dayton as its new Chief Administrative Officer. As Medicine Man Technologies' Chief Administrative Officer, Dayton will help the company optimize its acquisition and integration strategies. He'll also help pursue additional growth opportunities. See Also: Medicine Man's Andy Williams On M&A, Colombia: 'We Can Become A Dominant Supplier Of Cannabis To The World' Why This Is Important Dayton has over 25 years of experience in investment banking, strategic partnerships and corporate development. Prior to joining Medicine Man Technologies, he served as Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at grocery chain operator Albertsons Companies. His past employers include UBS, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. The appointment comes less than a month after Medicine Man Technologies announced three acquisitions. On June 5, the company said it would buy Colorado-based cannabis farm, Los Sueños Farms, and dispensary Mesa Organics Ltd. A week later, it announced the acquisition of Colombian compan Green Equity S.A.S. Need more cannabis news?Check out all of our coverage here. See more from Benzinga • The Week Ahead In Cannabis: A Slew Of Regulations Come Into Effect • KushCo Will Open A Distribution Facility In Metro Detroit • Curaleaf Acquires 2 Businesses In Arizona For .5M © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Need To Know: Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABMD) Insiders Have Been Selling Shares Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So before you buy or sellAbiomed, Inc.(NASDAQ:ABMD), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.' See our latest analysis for Abiomed In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Director, Martin Sutter, sold US$11m worth of shares at a price of US$351 per share. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take price at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$260). So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Martin Sutter. Martin Sutter sold a total of 50000 shares over the year at an average price of US$354. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love thisfreelist of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Abiomed insiders own about US$247m worth of shares (which is 2.1% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders. The fact that there have been no Abiomed insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. It's great to see high levels of insider ownership, but looking back at the last year, we don't gain confidence from the Abiomed insiders selling. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check thisfreereport showing analyst forecasts for its future. But note:Abiomed may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Crude Oil Settles Higher on U.S-China Trade Truce, Reports of Oil-Cut Extension Investing.com - Crude oil futures settled higher on Monday as OPEC and its allies reportedly agreed to extend production cuts, while a U.S-China trade truce also lifted sentiment. On the New York Mercantile Exchange crude futures rose 1.1% to settle at $59.09 a barrel, while on London's Intercontinental Exchange, Brent settled up 0.49% at $65.06 a barrel. Russia agreed with Saudi Arabia to extend the current output-cut agreement by six to nine months, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, according to published reports. “The fact that President Putin of Russia said he had agreed to roll over output cuts with Saudi Arabia over the weekend is very significant,” said Michael Kelly, global head of multi-asset at PineBridge Investments. A nine-month extension to output cuts by OPEC and its Russia-led partners could make a big difference to oil prices, said Carsten Fritsch of Commerzbank (DE:CBKG). Positive news on the U.S.-China trade front eased the prospect of a further dent to global growth, underpinning oil prices. In the run-up to the trade truce, some had predicted the world economy would take a further knock if U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on the $300 billion worth of Chinese goods that are currently not subject to levies. Despite the trade truce, some have warned formidable obstacles lie on the road to a deal. "We believe a partial trade deal in 2020 seems to be the most likely scenario, but investors should expect more periods like the past six weeks and the attendant market volatility," Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) said in a note. Related Articles Forex - U.S. Dollar Rises on Trade Truce Forex - Dollar Index Hits 1-Week High as Trade Truce Spurs Risk Appetite Yuan, dollar soar and safe-haven currencies slide after U.S.-China trade truce
Amazon's New Store Will Get Kids Ready (& Excited) for School Click here to read the full article. Although summer just started, parents — and retailers — are already thinking about the fall. Let’s face it: the 2019-2020 school year will be here before we know it. The good news is Amazon’s got us covered: the online retailer just unveiled their new “Happy School Year” store , and the savings are solid. The idea behind the store is simple: Amazon wanted to create a one-stop shop to help littles (and their loved ones) prepare for school. According to a press release, “the new school year is kind of like New Year’s Eve, an exciting chance for a fresh start and an opportunity to set intentions for the year ahead. That’s why this year, Amazon is encouraging kids to go Happy School Year shopping, not just begrudgingly gear up for Back-to-School.” And while the former is a bit of a stretch — fireworks always have (and always will) trump the start of the school year — we appreciate Amazon’s enthusiasm. This mama of two also appreciates the new shop’s layout, ease and convenience. Related stories This Valedictorian's High School Speech Would Make Daenerys Targaryen Proud Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos's Daughter Lola Is Officially a High School Grad Now 14 Gifts High School Graduates Will Find Way More Meaningful Than a Card Full of Cash The “Happy School Year” store is divided into several sections , including clothing, accessories, electronics and school supplies. You can also organize the shop based on your child’s gender, grade and/or size. The store isn’t Amazon’s only big announcement: Amazon’s Prime Day deals are already underway . Prime members can save up to 40% on groceries when shopping AmazonFresh, new Audible subscriptions are 66 percent off and Alexa-enabled devices have been marked down. Members can save $100 on Fire TV Recast, now just $129.99, or $80 on Ring video doorbells and Echo Dots. Story continues Prime members! Get a head start on #PrimeDay with early deals on back-to-school essentials, like laptops, backpacks, clothing, and more. Check them out at https://t.co/DkQdIYQjFG pic.twitter.com/VCgh0HJgTm — Amazon.com (@amazon) July 1, 2019 That said, most back-to-school shopping happens in brick-and-mortar locations . According to Market Watch, the average family makes 16 school shopping trips between July and September. However, Amazon is hoping to simplify the process — and not just for parents: the “Happy School Year” store will help educators prepare for the upcoming year . So grab your kiddo, your computer and your supply list: from composition books to crazy character backpacks, Amazon’s got you covered. Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .
Here's What Abiomed, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:ABMD) ROCE Can Tell Us Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we'll evaluate Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABMD) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea. To be precise, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business. Firstly, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Then we'll compare its ROCE to similar companies. Last but not least, we'll look at what impact its current liabilities have on its ROCE. ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussinhas suggestedthat a high ROCE can indicate that 'one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar'. Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) Or for Abiomed: 0.24 = US$224m ÷ (US$1.1b - US$106m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.) So,Abiomed has an ROCE of 24%. View our latest analysis for Abiomed One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. Abiomed's ROCE appears to be substantially greater than the 10% average in the Medical Equipment industry. We consider this a positive sign, because it suggests it uses capital more efficiently than similar companies. Regardless of the industry comparison, in absolute terms, Abiomed's ROCE currently appears to be excellent. We can see that , Abiomed currently has an ROCE of 24% compared to its ROCE 3 years ago, which was 18%. This makes us wonder if the company is improving. You can see in the image below how Abiomed's ROCE compares to its industry. Click to see more on past growth. It is important to remember that ROCE shows past performance, and is not necessarily predictive. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in ourfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. Short term (or current) liabilities, are things like supplier invoices, overdrafts, or tax bills that need to be paid within 12 months. The ROCE equation subtracts current liabilities from capital employed, so a company with a lot of current liabilities appears to have less capital employed, and a higher ROCE than otherwise. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets. Abiomed has total assets of US$1.1b and current liabilities of US$106m. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 10% of its total assets. A minimal amount of current liabilities limits the impact on ROCE. With low current liabilities and a high ROCE, Abiomed could be worthy of further investigation. Abiomed looks strong on this analysis,but there are plenty of other companies that could be a good opportunity. Here is afree listof companies growing earnings rapidly. If you are like me, then you willnotwant to miss thisfreelist of growing companies that insiders are buying. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Furbo dog camera is 20% off at Amazon TL;DR:Check in on your best friend throughout the day withthe Furbo Dog Camera— now just $199.99 at Amazon. Ever wonder what your pet does all day when you’re not home? Well, the secret life of pets isn’t a secret anymore. Withthe Furbo Dog Camerayou can see what your pup is up to when you’re out to play. SEE ALSO:Furbo Dog Camera review: The best way to keep an eye on your dog from work The Furbo dog camera’s livestream video lets you check in on your furry friend at any time throughout the day, and with barking alerts sent to your phone, you’ll be the first to know if your pup gets into any trouble. Are they being a good boy? Send them a treat withthe Furbo dog cameraapp.Read more... More aboutPets,Camera,Mashable Shopping,Shopping Solo, andTech
GBP/JPY Price Forecast – British pound rallies into resistance The British pound gapped higherduring the trading session on Monday, went back and forth after that to cause a lot of volatility and choppiness. That being the case, the market looks as if it is try to break out but it needs clear the ¥138 level to be impressive enough to put money to work. To the downside, I see a significant amount of support, so it’s very likely that we are simply going to chop around this week as it will be rather quiet after the G 20 meeting in Japan, and now the market starts to focus on the employment figures out of the United States. At this point, it’s very likely that market participants are trying to figure out where risk appetite goes, and needless to say there are a lot of concerns and questions about that. Ultimately, if we can break above the ¥138 level, then we will go looking towards the ¥140 level above. That’s an area that has been rather important more than once, so I don’t know that we can break above there without some type of good news coming out of the Brexit, something that we been waiting for to happen for months now. To the downside, the ¥135 level looks very supportive, so if we were to break down below there it could change a lot of things. Until then, the market looks to be very sideways and indecisive. The one thing you can count on is choppiness. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • E-mini S&P 500 Index (ES) Futures Technical Analysis – July 2, 2019 Forecast • Weather Also Hits Coffee Prices That Jump to Highs Since November 2018 • Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude oil markets fall hard on Tuesday • S&P 500 Price Forecast – Stock markets tread water • USD/JPY Price Forecast – US dollar continues to churn against Japanese yen • AUD/USD Price Forecast – Aussie rebounds
Women's World Cup: England's propaganda vs. USWNT rages on LYON, France ⁠— The Brits continue to go all-in on labeling the United States women’s national team “arrogant” in the run-up to Tuesday’s semifinal World Cup game here against England. Monday brought a two-page spread in the Daily Mirror newspaper with photos of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe under a headline that screamed: “Are these American stars too arrogant?” It went on to claim that the U.S. team is so distasteful and overconfident that even French fans will root for rival England on Tuesday (3 p.m. ET) in Lyon. That remains to be seen. The Daily Mail is the Daily Mail, an at times entertaining British tabloid that is prone to absurdity. This being a soccer tournament that is trying to grow in interest and popularity, having a dust-up between the U.S. and England over who is or isn’t “arrogant” is a good thing, at least in the abstract. This stuff happens with the men all the time. It’s all part of the fun. That said, this is the image issue the U.S. is dealing with right now, fair or not. It includes: England’s coach “Sensitive Phil” Neville making an absurdly big deal out of two U.S. Soccer operations staffers daring to visit the hotel where FIFA will house the Americans should they advance to Sunday’s final. England is currently staying at the hotel. The U.S. is elsewhere. Neville declared such an act a “breach of etiquette” and “something England would do” while suggesting U.S. coach Jill Ellis would discipline the staffers. Sorry, Phil, she won’t. The operations people were just getting the lay of the land at a new hotel, something they do for all hotels the team might play in (including, reportedly, in Nice, France, for the third-place game should the Americans lose to England). Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe were featured in a Daily Mail article questioning the "arrogance" of the USWNT. So it's like that, huh? (Reuters) “I would assume everybody’s doing that,” Ellis said. “You have to plan ahead … So in terms of arrogance, I think that’s got nothing to do with us. That’s planning, preparation for our staff. So yeah, it’s pretty normal … they think about that so we don’t have to.” Story continues Never mind the facts. Neville deftly made it an issue and it gained traction, a sign of the U.S. supposedly looking ahead. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was asked about it Monday. “To be honest, has nothing to do with the game,” she correctly noted. There’s more, of course. If nothing else, the Americans have made this an eventful tournament. They scored 13 goals in the opener against Thailand, eliciting some negative reaction from other countries that decried the score and the U.S. players celebrating after each tally. Again with the sensitivity – this is the World Cup, if you show up, you risk getting pummeled. Besides, try telling anyone not to celebrate scoring a goal in this tournament. There is, of course, Rapinoe’s dust-up with President Donald Trump, fueled by her outspoken political beliefs and a claim months ago that she wouldn’t go to the White House . Trump isn’t exactly popular around here, but some people, including many Americans and every Russian internet bot, side with him. Neville, for his part, praised Rapinoe for standing up for what she believes in, but he couldn’t help but note that it wasn’t something he would do. “Me personally, I would never get involved in any political issues,” he said. “I’m a football manager, don’t know anything about politics, don’t like when politicians get involved in football. So I think it’s sometimes ‘stay in your lane’ from my point of view.” There was U.S. veteran Ali Kreiger twice declaring that the Americans “are the first and second best teams in the world.” It was a nod to the team’s remarkable depth, but it certainly spun heads across this tournament, including Spain’s Virginia Torrecilla mocking the statement by asking, “Who is Ali Krieger?” “Ali’s played in a lot of different teams, so … it’s really a comment about ourselves,” Ellis said Monday of Krieger, who is on her third World Cup team, including the 2015 champion. “It’s really a comment about how she feels … and she has the right to say that if that’s how she feels. “It’s important that our team has confidence,” Ellis continued. “I don’t think in any way this is an arrogant team. I think this team knows they have to earn everything, that we’ve got tough opponents like we played the other night still ahead of us and we have to earn every right to advance in this tournament.” England coach Phil Neville has manufactured some pretty entertaining slights against the USWNT. (Getty) Finally, there was Neville noting that America has a “ruthless streak,” which is something he praised and wants for his side. As well he should. The USWNT should never have to apologize for that. “I think I would call it more belief,” forward Christen Press said Monday. “I would characterize it as optimism that we are going to win. But there is a ruthlessness. That means win at all costs [such as] tactically adapt in a way we never have in four years and you have to do that to win.” The Americans are rightfully standing their ground. Some of this stuff, particularly the hotel visit, is beyond ridiculous. Neville is likely just using the British media to pepper the Americans with questions in hopes of rattling them. Or maybe it’s all an attempt to motivate his team, but the English players would have to be as dumb as a bag of rocks to really think the actions of an operations staffer are reflective of the mindset of Morgan, Rapinoe or anyone else in red, white and blue. The U.S. doesn’t seem to care what the outside world thinks of them, but that doesn’t mean the narrative isn’t being set. Since the team severely limits media access to its players, very few have been able to eloquently address the situation. Likewise, there has been scant coverage of the many positive United States developments, teamwork, players and personalities. Phil Neville and the British media have exploited that information vacuum, filling it with talk and headlines and questions about arrogance and ridiculousness and negativity. It probably won’t matter on Tuesday, except perhaps to get more people in Europe to tune in to see for themselves. In the end, any arrogance is earned by the winners and the Daily Mail sure isn’t going to score any goals. More from Yahoo Sports: Winners and losers from opening night of NBA free agency Nets won free agency with KD, Kyrie, but now real work starts Dolan, Knicks are same old laughingstock after Sunday Ellis is coaching USWNT vs. country that wouldn’t let her play
AMD-Nvidia Graphics Competition Heats Up Competition betweenAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.(NASDAQ:AMD) andNVIDIA Corporation(NASDAQ:NVDA) in the graphics card market is expected to heat up this month,according to Digitimes. AMD is poised to release its 7nm Navi series products July 7, the publication said; AMD's Navi will be the first to house the new RDNA GPU architecture. Nvidia will release the RTX 2060 Super July 9, according to Game Debate. Prices have been leaked, the publication said: the RTX 2060 Super is $399, the RTX 2070 is $499 and the RTX 2080 is set to follow on July 23 at a price of $699. Nvidia shares were up 1.89% at $167.34 at the time of publication Monday, while AMD shares were trading higher by 3.23% at $31.35. Related Links: Analysts Dissect Nvidia's Product Announcements: 'Evolutionary Rather Than Game-Changing' What's Next For Nvidia And Mellanox? See more from Benzinga • AMD Partners With Microsoft For Project Scarlett • AMD Shares Rise After Inking New Strategic Partnership With Samsung • Chips Stocks Rattled As Companies Halt Supplying China's Huawei © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Is The Trade Desk, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TTD) Liquidity Good Enough? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Investors looking for stocks with high market liquidity and zero debt on the balance sheet should consider The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTD). With a market valuation of US$10b, TTD is a safe haven in times of market uncertainty due to its strong balance sheet. In times of low liquidity in the market, these firms won’t be left high and dry. They are also relatively unaffected by increases in interest rates. Today I will analyse the latest financial data for TTD to determine is solvency and liquidity and whether the stock is a sound investment. View our latest analysis for Trade Desk Debt-to-equity ratio standards differ between industries, as some are more capital-intensive than others, meaning they need more capital to carry out core operations. As a rule of thumb, a financially healthy large-cap should have a ratio less than 40%. For Trade Desk, investors should not worry about its debt levels because the company has none! It has been operating its business with zero debt and utilising only its equity capital. Investors' risk associated with debt is virtually non-existent with TTD, and the company has plenty of headroom and ability to raise debt should it need to in the future. Given zero long-term debt on its balance sheet, Trade Desk has no solvency issues, which is used to describe the company’s ability to meet its long-term obligations. But another important aspect of financial health is liquidity: the company’s ability to meet short-term obligations, including payments to suppliers and employees. Looking at TTD’s US$583m in current liabilities, it seems that the business has maintained a safe level of current assets to meet its obligations, with the current ratio last standing at 1.62x. The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. Usually, for Software companies, this is a suitable ratio since there's a sufficient cash cushion without leaving too much capital idle or in low-earning investments. TTD has zero debt as well as ample cash to cover its near-term liabilities. Its strong balance sheet reduces risk for the company and shareholders. This is only a rough assessment of financial health, and I'm sure TTD has company-specific issues impacting its capital structure decisions. I recommend you continue to research Trade Desk to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for TTD’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor TTD’s outlook. 2. Valuation: What is TTD worth today? Is the stock undervalued, even when its growth outlook is factored into its intrinsic value? Theintrinsic value infographic in our free research reporthelps visualize whether TTD is currently mispriced by the market. 3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore ourfree list of these great stocks here. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude oil markets run into resistance The WTI Crude Oil market ralliedsignificantly during the early hours on Monday, breaking above the $60 level for some time before pulling back. At this point, the $60 level of course will attract a significant amount of selling pressure due to the round figure, so it makes sense that we aren’t quite ready to break out yet. If we can break above the top of the daily candle stick though, that would be a buying opportunity, perhaps sending this market towards the $62.50 region. That was the scene of a significant break down recently, so it would make sense that there is a lot of resistance built up in that area. To the downside, I see a significant amount of support underneath at the 50 day EMA which is pictured on the chart in red. Brent markets rallieda bit during the trading session as well, breaking above the 50 day EMA before rolling back over to form a bit of a shooting star. There is a significant barrier above there as well in the form of the 200 day EMA. At this point, it looks as if we aren’t quite ready to go to the upside, but we do have a significant amount of support at the $64 level. Ultimately, this is a market that should continue to do a back and forth on short-term charts. If you’re a range bound scalper, this is probably the market for you. All things being equal though, with the correlation between the two markets, if the WTI market breaks out to the upside, it’s likely that Brent will follow right along. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • USD/JPY Price Forecast – US dollar continues to churn against Japanese yen • Weather Also Hits Coffee Prices That Jump to Highs Since November 2018 • Transportation Index Warns Of Trouble Ahead? • Crude Oil Price Update – Taking Out $57.75 Changed Daily Trend to Down • GBP/JPY Price Forecast – British pound continues to grind sideways • Natural Gas Price Forecast – Natural gas markets continue to look bearish
Is Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) Worth US$55.10 Based On Its Intrinsic Value? Want to participate in a short research study ? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! How far off is Nucor Corporation ( NYSE:NUE ) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. I will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model . Check out our latest analysis for Nucor The method We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Levered FCF ($, Millions) $992.7m $1.1b $831.3m $900.0m $1.1b $1.1b $1.1b $1.1b $1.1b $1.2b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x8 Analyst x7 Analyst x3 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 1.3% Est @ 1.73% Est @ 2.03% Est @ 2.24% Est @ 2.39% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.78% $904.2 $881.2 $628.3 $619.6 $665.3 $613.9 $568.9 $528.7 $492.3 $459.2 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = $6.4b Story continues The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 10-year government bond rate (2.7%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 9.8%. Terminal Value (TV) = FCF 2029 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$1.2b × (1 + 2.7%) ÷ (9.8% – 2.7%) = US$17b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV) = TV / (1 + r) 10 = $US$17b ÷ ( 1 + 9.8%) 10 = $6.69b The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is $13.05b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. This results in an intrinsic value estimate of $42.82 . Relative to the current share price of $55.1, the company appears slightly overvalued at the time of writing. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent. NYSE:NUE Intrinsic value, July 1st 2019 Important assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Nucor as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.183. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Next Steps: Whilst important, DCF calculation shouldn’t be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price to differ from the intrinsic value? For Nucor, I've compiled three further aspects you should further research: Financial Health : Does NUE have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings : How does NUE's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart . Other High Quality Alternatives : Are there other high quality stocks you could be holding instead of NUE? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every US stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here . We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com . This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
It’s Time to Invest in Value Stocks – Atlantic’s Alexander Roepers Expects Rotation Back to Value In a recentBloomberg’s interview,Atlantic Investment Management’sAlexander Roepersdiscussed his market expectations, which he already shared in areportpublished a month ago. Namely, the word is about rotation to value stocks, which he anticipated three years ago as well. When asked about why he thinks the rotation is now more imminent than it was in 2016, he said that 2016 was the year with“a lot of upheaval in the markets”and he found that to be an inflection point, which, in fact, it did lead to some rebound in value stocks that lasted for a year and a half. Then again in the new lights of tariff wars and Brexit issues, investors started turning back to large-cap tech and story stocks. Now, the situation seems to be different as there are“the incredibly compelling opportunities created by this equity market dynamic.”Near the end of his report, Alexander Roepers pointed out that even though the US/China trade war settlement is not on site, he believes the dispute won’t grow further. Another political issue that directly affects the market environment is Brexit, and he thinks that any advancement in the ongoing situation is likely to“cause a material economic uplift, benefiting equities globally and, in our view, value stocks in particular.”Hence, in conclusion, he advised investors to stay long mispriced value stocks. In the interview, he also talked about his active position in the world’s biggest bottle manufacturer,Owens-Illinois, Inc. (NYSE:OI). According to him, the company should sell its European business for approximately $3.5 billion in cash, which can further use to clear its debt, repurchase its shares and double its share price in the end. More details from the interview, you can find in the video below. Looking at theAtlantic Investment Management’s13F portfolio, its biggest position at the end of March was in already mentioned Owens-Illinois, Inc (NYSE:OI) as the fund held 4.25 million company’s shares with a value of $80.64 billion, comprising 20.6% of its portfolio. The second biggest stake was inEastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN), worth $56.40 billion on the account of 743,279 shares. InHuntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN)Atlantic Investment Mangement held $56.12 billion worth a position, on the basis of 2.5 million shares outstanding. The remaining two of top five holdings the fund held at the end of the first quarter wereAvnet, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVT)andDXC Technology Company (NYSE:DXC),in which the fund reported $47.52 billion worth a stake counting 1.1 million shares and $46.43 billion worth a position based on 721,968 shares, respectively. Disclosure:None. This article is originally published atInsider Monkey.
Why the market will head higher into year-end The market will head higher into year-end for the following reasons: technicals, fundamentals, interest rates, and sentiment. Of course, we will see shakeouts, pullbacks, and minor corrections along the way, but I have trouble seeing this secular bull market ending anytime soon — especially when most people are prepared for it and actually looking for it to end. The big institutions control the market. I’ve been stressing for many years that people should learn how to read the technicals and follow what the big funds are doing. So far this year, the S&P 500 has not seen ONE week of distribution (heavy institutional selling). We’ve seen some normal pullbacks, but they have occurred on light volume telling me that the institutions are holding on to their shares and continue to support this market at key levels. By no means am I encouraging people to be complacent. I am simply saying that market tops don’t happen until we see consistent heavy volume selling over 3-6 weeks by the large institutions. Until that happens, keep it simple and stick with the trend. In other words, don’t focus on what you THINK the market should be doing, focus on what it is ACTUALLY doing. Earnings are definitely slowing but that doesn’t mean the economy is entering a recession. According to FactSet, the S&P 500 is projected to report back-to-back quarters of year-over-year earnings declines for the first time since 2016. It’s possible that we will see a scenario similar to 2016 where we had an earnings recession but we didn’t see a recession in the overall economy. If we see a positive resolution in the China trade talks, one would expect to see an uptick in earnings. Many people point out that this 10-year economic expansion has gone on for too long and should end any day now. Please keep in mind that the economy was never in an explosive growth stage. We have simply been growing GDP at 1.5%-2.5% per year and this slow and steady pace can continue for a while. If we see more consistent readings of 3% or higher, this can definitely justify acceleration in the stock market. Again, all these macro theories don’t matter as long as the institutions continue to support the market. Many people underestimate how much influence the Federal Reserve has on the stock market. Let’s look at recent examples: 1) The main reason for the decline in Q4 2018 was when Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he would raise interest rates three times in 2019. 2) The market’s strong recovery began in January when Powell reversed course and said he would be “patient” on rate hikes. 3) On May 1, the market was expecting Powell to hint at a rate cut, but when he didn’t, we ended up seeing an ugly decline in May of -6.6%. 4) In the most recent June meeting, the market interpreted Powell’s statement as being more accommodative and we ended up seeing the best June since 1955. The Fed’s hint at an interest rate cut in their next July meeting has sparked a heated debate among market participants. It’s possible that the Fed is doing this because many parts of the world are already in a recession. One might argue that it’s not the Fed’s job to worry about other countries, but we are in a global economy and all the Feds have been globally coordinated for a long time. The only way we might not see a cut in July is if the S&P 500 continues to scream higher. If this happens, the Fed might hold off, causing a decline in the market and then an eventual cut in their September meeting. If you don’t think the Fed’s decision is mainly based on the price action of the stock market then you clearly have not been paying attention the past several years. Either way, the old expression “Don’t Fight the Fed” comes into play, especially when the global central banks are back in an easing cycle. The main concept to understand about sentiment is that the market tends to fool the majority. Right now, sentiment is very poor and this continues to be one of the most hated bull markets. The recent BAML Global Fund Manager Survey shows the largest jump in cash since the 2011 debt ceiling crisis, the lowest allocation of equities to bonds since May 2009, and a record decline in global growth expectations (insert chart - see attached). Also, the AAII survey is showing a 3-year low in bullish sentiment. It’s amazing how sentiment can be so poor with the market so close to all-time highs. I think the bigger question is WHY are people so bearish? My guess is people: 1) Have not participated in this rally because anyone making money is not complaining. 2) Keep blaming the Fed and complain that this will end badly. 3) Listen to the news too much (which tends to be negative) rather than paying attention to price action which is very strong and 4) Over-think things by being macro economists and focusing on what could go wrong. The two main factors that drive the stock market are earnings and interest rates. Earnings are definitely slowing but are still growing at a steady pace overall. Interest rates are low and justify higher valuations. We are currently consolidating the gains we had since the beginning of the year. We are likely to continue consolidating over the near-term, but this consolidation will resolve itself to the upside, especially if we get positive news on a China trade deal. Many people continue to hate this market and stay under-invested, but keep in mind the market tends to fool the majority. As long as the big institutions continue to support this market, I will continue to stick to this strong uptrend. Bottom line: Don’t fight the Fed and don’t fight the big institutions! I can be reached at:jfahmy@zorcapital.com Disclaimer: This information is issued solely for informational and educational purposes and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. None of the information contained on this site constitutes a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. From time to time, the content creator or its affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned on this site. The stocks presented are not to be considered a recommendation to buy any stock. This material does not take into account your particular investment objectives. Investors should consult their own financial or investment adviser before trading or acting upon any information provided. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
AP FACT CHECK: Trump on NKorea, wages, climate; Dem misfires WASHINGTON (AP) Straining for deals on trade and nukes in Asia, President Donald Trump hailed a meeting with North Korea's leader that he falsely claimed President Barack Obama coveted, asserted a U.S. auto renaissance that isn't and wrongly stated air in the U.S. is the cleanest ever as he dismissed climate change. He also ignored the reality in suggesting that nobody had implicated Saudi's crown prince in the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump's own intelligence agencies and a U.N. investigator, in fact, have pointed a finger at the prince. The president's misstatements over the weekend capped several days of extraordinary claims, including a false one accusing special counsel Robert Mueller of a crime and misrepresenting trade in multiple dimensions. Democratic presidential candidates, meantime, stepped forward for their first debates and tripped at times on issues dear to them: climate change, health care and immigration among them. A look at the misstatements: AUTOMAKERS TRUMP: "Many, many companies including South Korea but many companies are coming into the United States. ... Car companies, in particular. They're going to Michigan. They're going to Ohio and North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Florida. ... We hadn't had a plant built in years in decades, actually. And now we have many plants being built all throughout the United States cars." remarks Sunday to Korean business leaders in Seoul. THE FACTS: Car companies are not pouring into the U.S. as Trump suggests, nor does he deserve all the credit for those that have moved here. He's also wrong in saying that auto plants haven't been built in decades. A number of automakers Toyota, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen among them opened plants in recent decades, mostly in the South. Government statistics show that jobs in auto and parts manufacturing grew at a slower rate in the two-plus years since Trump took office than in the two prior years. Story continues Between January of 2017, when Trump was inaugurated, and May of this year, the latest figures available, U.S. auto and parts makers added 44,000 jobs, or a 4.6 percent increase, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But in the two years before Trump took office, the industry added 63,600 manufacturing jobs, a 7.1 percent increase. The only automaker announcing plans to reopen a plant in Michigan is Fiat Chrysler, which is restarting an old engine plant to build three-row SUVs. It's been planning to do so since before Trump was elected. GM is even closing two Detroit-area factories: one that builds cars and another that builds transmissions. Toyota is building a new factory in Alabama with Mazda, and Volvo opened a plant in South Carolina last year, but in each case, that was in the works before Trump took office. Automakers have made announcements about new models being built in Michigan, but no other factories have been reopened. Ford stopped building the Focus compact car in the Detroit suburb of Wayne last year, but it's being replaced by the manufacture of a small pickup and a new SUV. That announcement was made in December 2016, before Trump took office. GM, meantime, is closing factories in Ohio and Maryland. Trump can plausibly claim that his policies have encouraged some activity in the domestic auto industry. Corporate tax cuts freed more money for investment, and potential tariff increases on imported vehicles are an incentive to build in the U.S. But when expansion does happen, it's not all because of him. Fiat Chrysler has been planning the SUVs for several years and has been looking at expansion in the Detroit area, where it has unused building space and an abundant, trainable automotive labor force. Normally it takes at least three years for an automaker to plan a new vehicle. ___ NORTH KOREA TRUMP: "President Obama wanted to meet, and Chairman Kim would not meet him. The Obama administration was begging for a meeting. They were begging for meetings constantly. And Chairman Kim would not meet with him." joint news conference Sunday with South Korea's president in Seoul. THE FACTS: That's not the case. While Obama came into his presidency saying he'd be willing to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un and other U.S. adversaries "without preconditions," he never publicly sought a meeting with Kim. Obama eventually met Cuba's President Raul Castro and spoke to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani by phone but took a different stance with Kim in 2009 as North Korea was escalating missile and nuclear tests. "This is the same kind of pattern that we saw his father engage in, and his grandfather before that," Obama said in 2013. "Since I came into office, the one thing I was clear about was, we're not going to reward this kind of provocative behavior. You don't get to bang your your spoon on the table and somehow you get your way." Ben Rhodes, who was on Obama's national security team for both terms, tweeted: ?"Obama never sought a meeting with Kim Jong Un." Trump has portrayed his diplomacy with Kim as happening due to a special personal chemistry and friendship, saying he's in "no rush" to get Kim to commit fully to denuclearization. ___ INCOME INEQUALITY TRUMP: "Blue-collar workers are doing fantastic. They're the biggest beneficiary of the tax cuts, the blue collar." news conference Saturday at G-20 summit in Japan. THE FACTS: Wrong. While most middle-income taxpayers did see a tax cut this year, Trump's tax cut clearly skewed to the wealthy rather than lower-income groups such as manufacturing workers, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center . It found that taxpayers making $308,000 to $733,000 stood to benefit the most. The Joint Committee on Taxation separately found the tax cuts were particularly helpful to businesses and people making more than $100,000 annually. ___ LARRY KUDLOW, White House economic adviser: "The United States economy is booming. It's running at roughly 3 percent average since President Trump took office two and a half years ago. On this business about bad distribution, the blue-collar workers, the nonsupervisory workers have done the best. They're the ones running wages at 3-1/2 percent. Their growth and incomes and wages is exceeding the growth of their supervisors." interview on "Fox News Sunday." THE FACTS: There's some truth to the claim that low-income workers have seen better wage gains than others in the workforce. This trend predates Trump's presidency and has continued. But the blue-collar workforce has lagged behind lower-wage workers in pay gains. Some of the gains reflect higher minimum wages passed at the state and local level, not just the rate of economic growth. The Trump administration opposes an increase to the federal minimum wage. With the unemployment rate at 3.6%, the lowest since December 1969, employers are struggling to fill jobs. They have pushed up pay for the lowest-paid one-quarter of workers more quickly than for everyone else since 2015. In April, the poorest 25% saw their paychecks increase 4.4% from a year earlier, compared with 3.1% for the richest one-quarter. ___ SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: "Eighty-three percent of your tax benefits go to the top 1%." Democratic presidential debate Thursday. THE FACTS: That statistic is not close to true now. The Vermont senator is referring to 2027, not the present day. He didn't include that critical context in his statement. His figures come from an analysis by the Tax Policy Center. That analysis found that in 2027 the top 1% of earners would get 83% of the savings from the tax overhaul signed into law by Trump. Why is that? Most of the tax cuts for individuals are set to expire after 2025, so their benefits go away while cuts for corporations continue. The 2017 tax overhaul does disproportionately favor the wealthy and corporations, but just 20.5% of the benefits went to the top 1% last year. ___ REP. TIM RYAN: "The bottom 60% haven't seen a raise since 1980. The top 1% control 90% of the wealth." Democratic presidential debate Wednesday. THE FACTS: Those figures exaggerate the state of income and wealth inequality. While few studies single out the bottom 60%, the Congressional Budget Office calculates that the bottom 80% of Americans have seen their incomes rise 32% since 1979. That is certainly lower than the doubling of income enjoyed by the top one-fifth of income earners. And the richest 1% possess 32% of the nation's wealth, according to data from the Federal Reserve, not 90%. ___ BETO O'ROURKE, former U.S. representative from Texas: "That's how you explain an economy that is rigged to corporations and the very wealthiest. A $2 trillion tax cut that favored corporations while they were sitting on record piles of cash and the very wealthiest in this country at a time of historic wealth inequality." debate Wednesday. THE FACTS: The tax cut wasn't quite that big: The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that it will reduce tax revenues by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. And individuals, not corporations, will actually receive the bulk of those cuts they're getting $1.1 trillion while businesses get $654 billion, offset by higher tax revenues from changes to international tax law. The tax cuts did mostly favor richer Americans: The top one-fifth of income earners got 65% of the benefit from the tax cuts in 2018 with just 1% going to the poorest one-fifth, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. ___ KHASHOGGI TRUMP, on the murder of Khashoggi: "Nobody, so far, has pointed directly a finger at the future King of Saudi Arabia." news conference Saturday at G-20 summit in Japan. THE FACTS: In fact, U.S. intelligence agencies and a U.N. investigator have pointed a finger at him. U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have at least been aware of a plot to kill Khashoggi when the journalist went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to pick up documents to marry his Turkish fiancee. Last month, an independent U.N. report into the killing of Khashoggi said there was "credible evidence" to warrant further investigation into the possible role of the crown prince, and suggested sanctions on his personal assets. Khashoggi, who had been living in the U.S., criticized the Saudi royal family in his writings. ___ CLIMATE CHANGE TRUMP, playing down the need to address climate change: "We have the cleanest air we've ever had." news conference Saturday at G-20 summit in Japan. THE FACTS: That's false, and air quality hasn't improved under the Trump administration. Dozens of nations have less smoggy air than the U.S. After decades of improvement, progress in air quality has stalled. Over the last two years the U.S. had more polluted air days than just a few years earlier, federal data show. There were 15% more days with unhealthy air in America both last year and the year before than there were on average from 2013 through 2016, the four years when the U.S had its fewest number of those days since at least 1980. The Obama administration set records for the fewest air polluted days. The non-profit Health Effects Institute's "State of Global Air 2019" report ranked the United States 37th dirtiest out of 195 countries for ozone, also known as smog, worse than the global average for population-weighted pollution. Countries such as Britain, Japan, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Albania, Cuba, Russia, Vietnam, New Zealand and Canada have less smoggy air. The U.S. ranks 8th cleanest on the more deadly category of fine particles in the air. It's still behind countries such as Canada and New Zealand but better than the global average. ___ JOE BIDEN, on Obama's record: "He is the first man to bring together the entire world 196 nations to commit to deal with climate change." debate Thursday. THE FACTS: Not really. The former vice president is minimizing a major climate deal from 22 years ago, a decade before Obama became president. In 1997, nations across the world met in Japan and hammered out the Kyoto Protocol to limit climate change in a treaty that involved more than 190 countries at different points in time. That treaty itself stemmed from the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Biden is referring to an agreement that came out of a 2015 meeting in Paris that was the 21st climate change convention meeting. The Kyoto Protocol only required specific greenhouse gas emission cuts of developed nations, fewer than half the countries in the world. The Paris agreement, where several world leaders pushed hard, including France's president, has every country agreeing to do something. But each country proposed its own goals. ___ JAY INSLEE, Washington's governor: "We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change and we are the last that can do something about it. ... It is our last chance in an administration, next one, to do something about it." debate Wednesday. THE FACTS: Not quite. This answer implies that after 2025 or 2029, when whoever is elected in 2020 leaves office, it will be too late to fight or limit climate change. That's a common misconception that stemmed from a U.N. scientific report that came out last fall, which talked about 2030, mostly because that's a key date in the Paris climate agreement. The report states that with every half a degree Celsius and with every year, global warming and its dangers get worse. However, it does not say at some point it is too late. "The hotter it gets the worse it gets but there is no cliff edge," James Skea, co-chairman of the report and professor of sustainable energy at Imperial College London, told The Associated Press. The report co-author, Swiss climate scientist Sonia I. Seneviratne this month tweeted, "Many scientists point - rightfully - to the fact that we cannot state with certainty that climate would suddenly go berserk in 12 years if we weren't doing any climate mitigation. But who can state with certainty that we would be safe beyond that stage or even before that?" ___ O'ROURKE, referring to the international climate goal: "If all of us does all that we can, then we're going to be able to keep this planet from warming another 2 degrees Celsius and ensure that we match what this country can do and live up to our promise and our potential." debate Wednesday. THE FACTS: O'Rourke gets the climate goal wrong. Since 2009, international summits and the Paris climate agreement list the overarching goal as limiting climate change to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times. That's somewhere between 1850 and 1880, depending on who is calculating. There's a big difference because since pre-industrial times, Earth has already warmed 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). So the world community is talking about 1 degree Celsius from now and O'Rourke is talking about twice that. ___ MUELLER TRUMP, on communications between two FBI employees: "Mueller terminated them illegally. He terminated the emails, he terminated all of the stuff between Strzok and Page, you know they sung like you've never seen. Robert Mueller terminated their text messages together. He would - he terminated them. They're gone. And that's illegal, he that's a crime." interview Wednesday on Fox Business Network. THE FACTS: Not true. Mueller had no role in deleting anti-Trump text messages traded by former FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok and ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page, and there's no basis for saying he was involved in anything illegal. Also, the communications didn't vanish. Once Mueller learned of the existence of the texts, which were sent before his appointment as special counsel, he removed Strzok from his team investigating potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. The FBI, for technical reasons, was initially unable to retrieve months of text messages between the two officials. But the FBI was ultimately able to recover them and there's never been any allegation that Mueller had anything to do with that process. ___ RACE SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: "Vice President Biden, do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose busing in America, then?" BIDEN: "I did not oppose busing in America. What I opposed is busing ordered by the Department of Education. That's what I opposed." debate Thursday. THE FACTS: That's hairsplitting. Biden is claiming that he only opposed the U.S. Education Department's push for busing to integrate schools because he didn't want federal mandates forced on local school boards. But in the early and mid-1970s, those were the fault lines in almost every U.S. community, from New Orleans to Boston, where there was stiff opposition to busing. If you were a politician opposing federally enforced busing, you were enabling any local school board or city government that was fighting against it. As a senator in the late 1970s, Biden supported several measures, including one signed by President Jimmy Carter that restricted the federal government's authority in forced busing. Biden told NPR in 1975 that he would support a constitutional amendment to ban court-ordered busing "if it can't be done through a piece of legislation." ___ MIGRANT CHILDREN BIDEN, on Trump's treatment of migrant children at the border: "The idea that he's in court with his Justice Department saying, children in cages do not need a bed, do not need a blanket, do not need a toothbrush that is outrageous." HARRIS: "I will release children from cages." JOHN HICKENLOOPER, former Colorado governor: "If you would have ever told me any time in my life that this country would sanction federal agents to take children from the arms of their parents, put them in cages, actually put them up for adoption in Colorado we call that kidnapping I would have told you it was unbelievable." debate Thursday. THE FACTS: They are tapping into a misleading and common insinuation by Democrats about Trump placing "children in cages." The cages are chain-link fences and the Obama-Biden administration used them, too. Children and adults are held behind them, inside holding Border Patrol facilities, under the Trump administration as well. President Barack Obama's administration detained large numbers of unaccompanied children inside chain link fences in 2014. Images that circulated online of children in cages during the height of Trump's family separations controversy were actually from 2014 when Obama was in office. Children are placed in such areas by age and sex for safety reasons and are supposed to be held for no longer than 72 hours by the Border Patrol. But as the number of migrants continues to grow under the Trump administration, the system is clogged at every end, so Health and Human Services, which manages the care of children in custody, can't come get the children in time. Officials say they are increasingly holding children for 5 days or longer. HHS facilities are better equipped to manage the care of children. But, facing budget concerns, officials cut activities such as soccer, English classes and legal aid for children in their care. As for Hickenlooper's claim about the government forcing those children into unwanted adoption, that is not federal policy. ___ HEALTH CARE SANDERS: Under "Medicare for All," ''the vast majority of the people in this country will be paying significantly less for health care than they are now." debate Thursday. THE FACTS: Probably true, but that's only part of the equation for a family. Sanders' plan for a government-run health care system to replace private insurance calls for no premiums, and no copays and deductibles. But taxes would have to go up significantly as the government takes on trillions of dollars in health care costs now covered by employers and individuals. Independent studies estimate the government would be spending an additional $28 trillion to $36 trillion over 10 years, although Medicare for All supporters say that's overstating it. How those tax increases would be divvied up remains to be seen, as Sanders has not released a blueprint for how to finance his plan. ___ TRUMP ON ECONOMY TRUMP on his tariffs on Chinese goods: "Don't let anyone tell you that we're paying. We're not paying, China's paying for it." Fox Business Network interview. THE FACTS: Americans are paying for it. Trump refuses to recognize a reality that his own chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, has acknowledged. Tariffs are mainly if not entirely paid by companies and consumers in the country that imposes them. China is not sending billions of dollars to the U.S. treasury. In a study in May , the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, with Princeton and Columbia universities, estimated that tariffs from Trump's trade dispute with China were costing $831 per U.S. household on an annual basis. And that was based on the situation in 2018, before tariffs escalated. Analysts also found that the burden of Trump's tariffs falls entirely on U.S. consumers and businesses that buy imported products. Trump persistently mischaracterizes trade in all its dimensions, giving the wrong numbers for trade deficits, asserting that tariffs did not exist before him, and portraying them inaccurately as a windfall for the government and taxpayers. In that respect, he was correct when he said in the interview, "I view tariffs differently than a lot of other people." ___ TRUMP: "The poverty index is also best number EVER." tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Not true. The current poverty rate of 12.3% is not the lowest ever; it's fallen below that several times over the last half-century, according to the Census Bureau's official count. The poverty rate dropped only modestly under Trump's watch, to 12.3 percent in 2017 the latest figure available from 12.7 percent in 2016. At the same time, nearly 40 million Americans remained poor by the Census Bureau's count, statistically unchanged from 2016. The poverty rate previously has stood at 12.3% as recently as 2006, and was 11.3% in 2000. The U.S. poverty rate hit a record low of 11.1% in 1973. ___ Associated Press writers Tom Krisher in Detroit, Josh Boak, Christopher Rugaber, Colleen Long, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Stephen Braun, Eric Tucker, and Paul Wiseman in Washington, Foster Klug in Tokyo, and Amanda Seitz in Chicago contributed to this report. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
Does Tetra Tech, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TTEK) Recent Track Record Look Strong? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! After looking at Tetra Tech, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TTEK) latest earnings update (31 March 2019), I found it helpful to revisit the company's performance in the past couple of years and compare this against the latest numbers. As a long-term investor I tend to focus on earnings trend, rather than a single number at one point in time. Also, comparing it against an industry benchmark to understand whether it outperformed, or is simply riding an industry wave, is an important aspect. In this article I briefly touch on my key findings. Check out our latest analysis for Tetra Tech TTEK's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 March 2019) of US$160m has jumped 15% compared to the previous year. However, this one-year growth rate has been lower than its average earnings growth rate over the past 5 years of 19%, indicating the rate at which TTEK is growing has slowed down. Why could this be happening? Well, let’s take a look at what’s going on with margins and if the whole industry is experiencing the hit as well. In terms of returns from investment, Tetra Tech has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 16% instead. However, its return on assets (ROA) of 8.9% exceeds the US Commercial Services industry of 6.6%, indicating Tetra Tech has used its assets more efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Tetra Tech’s debt level, has increased over the past 3 years from 12% to 16%. Though Tetra Tech's past data is helpful, it is only one aspect of my investment thesis. Positive growth and profitability are what investors like to see in a company’s track record, but how do we properly assess sustainability? You should continue to research Tetra Tech to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for TTEK’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor TTEK’s outlook. 2. Financial Health: Are TTEK’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out ourfinancial health checks here. 3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore ourfree list of these great stocks here. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 31 March 2019. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Canopy Growth Stock: Should CGC Investors Err on the Side of Caution? Investors in the cannabis sector are well aware of how volatile the stock price of Canada-basedCanopy Growth(NYSE:CGC) and its peers can be. They were not impressed with CGC’s fourth-quarterresultsfor the three months ended March 31, 2019, as shares dipped below $40 following the report’s release in June. Source:MarihuanayMedicina via Flickr Now that the CGC earnings season is behind us, let’s look at what may be next for Canopy Growth stock, particularly within the context of marijuana legalization in Canada and the U.S. Canada stepped into the spotlight in 2018 when it passed theCannabis Actand became the first Group of Seven (G7) country to decriminalize the use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It represents almost 60% of global net wealth. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The general public does not know the difference between cannabis, marijuana, and hemp very well. Therefore people often use thethree terms interchangeably. In short, cannabis is the botanical name of the plant species. The plant has different strains, one of which is hemp, and the other which is marijuana. This is why hemp and marijuana are sometimes referred to as “cousins.” • The 7 Top Small-Cap Stocks Of 2019 Industrial hemp has naturally high levels of cannabidiol (CBD) and low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana has high levels of THC and lower levels of CBD. THC is the crystalline compound behind the “high” from smoking marijuana. CBD does not have the psychoactive properties of marijuana and is used by consumers seeking relief from physical pain. Hemp cannot contain more than 0.3% of the psychoactive ingredient THC. There is a high degree of social stigma surrounding the use of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes. Canada is also the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to legalize recreational marijuana at the federal level. The legal age is set at 18 years. However, individual Canadian provinces can still ban recreational use; yet, residents across Canada can order cannabis online from a government-run website. Therefore, the need for illegal purchases by consumers disappear and the Canadian government can generaterevenuethrough an excise tax of 10% or C$1 per gram (whichever is higher) of which 75% goes the provinces. There is also a provincial sales tax, ranging from 5% to 15%. Cannabis cultivators and manufacturers are required to obtain a licence from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Since legalization, Canadian regulators have been granting operational licences continuously. Over the past year, Canada has witnessed a wave of innovation and entrepreneurship. Canopy Growth became the first federally regulated, licensed and publicly traded cannabis producer in the country and started trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) in 2016. Since completing a duallisting at the New York Stock Exchange(NYSE) in May 2018, CGC stock has attained a market cap of $14 billion and become a diversified cannabis and hemp company with the largest market cap. The group has a wide range of brands ranging from medical marijuana to premium strains of weed. In Aug. 2018, when the alcoholic beverages giantConstellation Brands(NYSE:STZ) announced a $4 billion investment into CGC, Wall Street took notice and shareholders rejoiced. STZ now holds a 38% stake in the company. Since being listed in the NYSE, the number of funds that own CGC stock have been going up. Some of the institutional owners includeThe Vanguard Group,Bank of Montreal(NYSE:BMO), andMorgan Stanley(NYSE:MS). CGC stock’s main competitors includeAurora Cannabis(NYSE:ACB),Tilray(NASDAQ:TLRY) andCronos Group(NASDAQ:CRON), all Canada-based companies. The recent earnings reports from CGC as well as its peers are important in gauging the health of the industry, as not everyone is convinced that Canadian recreational pot saleswill remain strong. Many investors are worried that the initial hype surrounding the industry could be decreasing. Since legalization in October 2018, Canadian sales numbers have been muted without any signs of increasing. In 2019, the total cannabis market in Canada, including both legal and illegal recreational and medical sales, is expected to be aroundC$7.2 billion. About half of it is likely to come from legal sales. Analysts note that sales from the black market in Canada have been slowly shifting to legal online sales, i.e., to the retail sites of CGC and other major companies in the industry. If the trend continues, then the market expects Canopy Growth stock’s sales to increase further. However,illegal dealershave been fighting back bylowering pricesto keep their market share. Many market watchers are also expressing concern that the Canadian market is currently running the risk of beingoversupplied. Is all this capacity truly needed, given that export volumes are not expected to meaningfully offset oversupply, either? Canopy Growth harvests more than what it sells, resulting in higher inventory balances for the company. Simple economics tells us thata supply glutwould eventually drive down the price of marijuana along with CGC’s and its peers’ margins. In other words, the legalized marijuana industry is still in its infancy in Canada and almost non-existent globally. Leaders like Canopy Growth are likely to become the first ones to be positively affected by major North American or global developments that may boost the sales and use of recreational or medicinal marijuana. But they could also be hit hard if fears of oversupply come to fruition. In December 2018, the U.S. Congress passed the Farm Bill legalizing hemp and CBD, which President Donald Trump later signed into law. Because hemp is now an ordinary agricultural commodity in the U.S., farmers can apply for federal hemp cultivation permits. In January, Canopy Growth announced that it obtained a license to process and produce hemp products in New York State. It will establisha hemp industrial parkfor extraction and product manufacturing. CGC’s operational investment will be between $100 million and $150 million. Although it is too soon to predict how the legal hemp production in the U.S. will affect CGC stock’s bottom line, analysts believe the partnership between Canopy Growth and Constellation Brands is the area to watch. The two are currently developingcannabis-infused beverages for Canada, where experts believe such drinks will be legal by 2020. Canopy Growth could decide to enter the U.S. CBD-infused drink market with a wellness beverage. Some industry watchers are expecting big developments and numbers in this niche market, like reaching$260 millionin a few years in the U.S. alone. Wall Street believes CGC and its peers will seize upon the market expansion opportunities that legalized hemp provides. However, it will probably be several quarters before the investments would pay off and turn into profits. At the federal level, marijuana is still illegal in the United States and remains aSchedule I drug. However, at the state level, the legal status of marijuana depends on the laws of the individual state. Legalization allows for both individual marijuana possession as well as the legal production and sale of the drug. Legalization can happen in two categories: the legalization of recreational marijuana or the legalization of medical cannabis. As both recreational and medicinal use are becoming more widely accepted, the number of U.S. states that havelegalizedit has increased. Medical cannabis is now legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Recreational marijuana is legal in 11 states, i.e., individuals require no prescription to use marijuana in these jurisdictions. In 2012, Colorado was one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana. Illinois is the most recent addition to the list. The “Big Four” states, i.e., California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, have the majority of legal recreational cannabis sales. It is important to underline that none of the Canadian cannabis stocks have done any business in these pot-friendly U.S. states, as the listing requirements at the NYSE as well as at the TSE bar companies from engaging in commercial activities in countries where they would be breaking the law. It would not be wrong to assume that if the U.S. federal legalization of marijuana occurs, it could create a rush by Canadian firms that have been previously unable to enter the U.S. market. The U.S. could become the largest marijuana market globally if legalization happened at the federal level. U.S. marijuana sales could easily reach$75 billion by 2030. Investors are hoping that Canopy Growth would have a first-mover advantage in such a scenario. Since the company went public, investors have been enamored with CGC stock. Following Canadian legalization, the company initially became a darling among investors partly because it already had operations up and running, with several facilities creating products for Canada as well as about a dozen other countries. As a result, many investors became rather optimistic about the prospects for the cannabis industry and specifically for Canopy Growth stock. In 2019,global legal cannabis spendingis expected to reach almost $17 billion, a year-over-year (YoY) increase of over 35%. Canopy Growth, which aims to capture an important part of this growth, has three key target markets: • Canadian Consumer (i.e., retail recreational) • Canadian Medical • International Medical In general, of these three areas, Canadianretail recreationalis the most important one for the industry. Similarly, in the U.S., onlyabout 20% of sales come from the medical side. Sales to the Canadian recreational cannabis market generate most of CGC’s growth. Yet the company remains one of the leaders in the medical cannabis segment. However, Canada’s second-largest cultivator, Aurora Cannabis, which stands out as alow-cost operator, is regarded as a leader in the medical cannabis segment as well. Canopy Growth currently has operations in over a dozen countries in five continents. In the long run, CGC’s investments in these overseas markets are likely to give it a head start globally, too. However, the details about the worldwide operations are somewhat sketchy as they do not yet contribute to revenues very much. Canopy Growth is investing heavily in production, fulfillment, marketing and general administration, as well as in international operations. Fiscal 2019 has seen Canopy harvest 46,927 kilograms for fiscal 2019, more than double the 22,513 kilograms produced a year earlier. Management has been constantly emphasizing that the company is getting ready for the legalization of cannabis edibles in Canada, expected in a few months. In the June 21 quarterly report, analysts paid special attention to the sales figures and the level of operational loss. Theresultsshowed declining cannabis sales and plummeting gross margin. Its gross recreational cannabis sales of C$68.9 million was nearly 4% lower than a quarter ago. Analysts were concerned to see that CGC’s Canadian medical cannabis sales in Q4 declined to C$11.6 million, a 41% decrease from Q3. There was a similar decline in Canopy Growth’s international medical cannabis Q4 revenue of C$1.6 million, which meant a 25% YoY decrease. In total, Canopy Growth’s revenue net of excise taxes came in at C$94 million, or 13% higher than last quarter and a 312% jump YoY. Analyst revenue estimate had been US$93.7 million. This revenue increase was actually due to non-cannabis sales. The main driver was theacquisitionof Germany-based vaporizer makerStorz & Bickel. Without this ancillary revenue contribution, Canopy Growth’s quarterly revenue would have been C$70 million, a 16% decline from the previous quarter. Investors are now seriously questioning whether CGC and its peers can achieve much growth in revenue in this subdued Canadian cannabis market. Wall Street is also concerned about the declining gross margin which now stands at 16%. That number was below the expectation of 24%. As further comparison, CGC’s gross margin in Q1 2019 was over 40% and the gross margin reported by its main rival Aurora Cannabis is about 55%. The group’s net loss increased on the back of expanded investments. Q4 results showed a net loss of C$323.4 million, or C$0.98 per share. Last years’s comparable numbers were a net loss of C$54.4 million, or C$0.31 per share. The group’s fiscal 2019 net loss has ballooned to C$670 million; it stood at C$54 million a year earlier. Considering Canopy Growth’s expansion plans both in Canada and overseas, its bottom line results could get a lot worse before they get better. Is CGC’s business model sustainable? Following the report, CGC stock dropped 8% to below $40. But over the past few trading sessions it has recovered some of its losses. As CGC’s numbers did not come out as high as expected, there are questions regarding the valuation of Canopy Growth stock and the cash-intensive industry as a whole. Like its peers, CGC has high operating expenses. The red ink at the bottom of its income statement, quarter after quarter, is becoming a worry for shareholders. If the international cannabis market does not grow as expected, then Canopy Growth’s stock price could experience further selling pressure. Investors are beginning to get concerned about how increased spending is reducing earnings and cash flow numbers. So far, cannabis stocks have been largely driven by hype and publicity, such as the investment by Constellation Brands in CGC. Many analysts are concerned that thevaluationsin this new consumer market are extremely high, that most of the cannabis stocks are going through cash fast and that many are not likely to achieveprofitabilityin the near future. Have the share prices for most marijuana companies gotten ahead of themselves? In January, CEO Bruce Linton said that Canopy Growthdid not plan to acquireany more Canadian cannabis assets. The company is possibly regarding the growth levels in Canada as not enough for such ambitious expansion plans. If further growth doesn’t come from the rest of the world, Wall Street is likely to start devaluing most of these pot companies substantially. Thus, if there were legal issues regarding legalization of marijuana at the federal level, the industry would take a hit. One important benefit of the investment by STZ, which now has a 38% interest in CGC, is that Canopy Growth has the financial muscle to pursue acquisitions and invest in research and development (R&D) to grow its production space. However, not all potential deals are likely to benefit CGC shareholders immediately. For example, the group has an agreement in placeto acquireU.S.-basedAcreage Holdings(OTCMKTS:ACRGF) for $3.4 billion. This acquisition can only happen if cannabis is legalized federally in the U.S. Should investors give Canopy Growth a blank check for an open-dated deal? Can investors regard the current concerns as hiccups in a growing industry, or are there enough signs that cannabis stocks could be in a bubble? Year-to-date, Canopy Growth shares are up over 48%. Since late April, however, there has been selling pressure on CGC stock. Investors who look at the CGC stock chart may be raising their eyebrows, as the stock is currently down from a 2019-high $52.74 reached on Apr. 29, to the low $40’s. In other words, Canopy Growth shares have lost more than a third of their value since late April. The downtrend since this spring is a stark reminder that CGC’s all-time high of $$59.25 from Oct. 2018 is now in the rear-view mirror. Those who bought at the high might not be too happy, but investors who had the courage to step in at the end of 2018 when CGC stock saw $25.26 are still in pretty good shape. If you are an investor with paper profits, should you consider locking in some of those gains now? At present, the short-term technical charts, especially the trend lines and support and resistance levels, are telling investors to exercise caution. Although Canopy Growth stock’s momentum indicators, which describe the speed at which prices move over a given time period, are currently in oversold territory, they can stay oversold for quite a long time, especially when the overall trend is down. CGC stock’s short-term technical chart looks weak, pointing to the possibility for more downside around the corner. Expect nearer-term trading to be choppy at best. If there is any broader market weakness in Canadian stocks, say due to market worries over U.S.-China trade wars, Canopy Growth share price may be further adversely affected. At this point, bears are in control. Therefore CGC shares will need a catalyst to make them attractive in the eyes of long-term investors, who are probably still skeptical about the near-term prospects for the company. If you are considering investing in Canopy Growth, you may want to start building a position between the $27 to $32 levels, and expect to hold the stock for several years. In the meantime, expect a lot of volatility in CGC share price. Risk and return go together when it comes to investing. Where there is a potential return, there is also a potential loss. And different investors have different financial goals and risk tolerances. For more risk-averse investors, cannabis stocks may not be appealing because of their high-risk levels and volatility. However, investors who are able to take on more risk might be comfortable buying into marijuana stocks such as CGC. Investors who do not want to take on the company-specific risks associated with investing in individual stocks, may consider alternative ways to participate in the industry. Our readers may be interested to know that a 2018-report by the United Nations (UN) revealed that Britain is the biggest producer and exporter of legal cannabis in the world. In 2016, the UK produced 95 tonnes of marijuana and exported 2.1 tonnes. Virtually all of that is through exporting one drug, Sativex, produced by UK-basedGW Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ:GWPH),a leading cannabinoid-focused biotech company. In 1998, the company obtained a unique domestic licence in the UK to cultivate cannabis seeds. GWPH now produces Sativex to treat spasms in multiple sclerosis patients. Last year the company obtained U.S. regulatory approval of its CBD drug Epidiolex for the treatment of epilepsy. GW Pharmaceutical’s share price has gone from about $10 in 2013 to an all-time high of $196 in May 2019. Currently it is hovering around $165. A biotech company such as GWPH is a secondary way to invest in the CBD market. Exchange-trades funds (ETFs)also offer an alternative opportunity to buy into the shares of Canopy Growth and its peers. These ETFs provide more diversification than buying into the CGC stock by itself. The following ETFs may be of interest to potential investors: • ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF(NYSEArca:MJ) • AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF(NYSEARCA:YOLO) • AdvisorShares Vice ETF(NYSEARCA:ACT) Investing in cannabis-related ETFs would enable investors to take a long-term view on a growth industry that is likely to reach tens of billions globally in a decade or two. Finally, in order to have more limited exposure to the volatility in the industry, investors could also consider buying stocks companies with a core business outside the cannabis industry. An example would be buying Constellation Brands, which already has about 38% ownership of CGC stock. In 2018, the marijuana industry gained validation in Canada. So far, Canopy Growth has been one of the main beneficiaries of the legal developments in Canada. However there is still a lot of confusing hype surrounding the U.S. market potential for industry leaders like CGC. Investors may have to wait until the earnings reports of CGC’s peers are released in the coming weeks to have a better view on the developments in the industry as they affect these marijuana stocks. For Canopy Growth stock, it may be a long and choppy journey back to the all-time high of $59.25, as rich valuations in this commodity-based consumer market could take a hit in the coming months. There might also be profit-taking and investor uncertainty about the general markets as well as the weed industry. As we move along the second half of the year, could investors become more risk-averse and shy away from these high-growth yet potentially risky stocks for their portfolios? If you are not yet a shareholder of CGC stock, you may want to wait on the sidelines in the coming weeks until you are able to do more due diligence on Canopy Growth, considering both the bull and bear arguments. If you already own CGC shares, you may consider hedging your position with at-the-money (ATM) covered calls with July 19 or August 16 expiry. As of this writing, Tezcan Gecgil did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. • 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid • 7 F-Rated Stocks to Sell for Summer • 7 Stocks to Buy for the Same Price as Beyond Meat • 7 Penny Marijuana Stocks That Are NOT Cheap Stocks Compare Brokers The postCanopy Growth Stock: Should CGC Investors Err on the Side of Caution?appeared first onInvestorPlace.
3 High-Growth Stocks That Could Soar High-growth stocks can be a great way to boost your portfolio's returns, but you need to look for companies that balance their fast-paced growth with the potential to be an excellent long-term investment. To help you find a few high-growth stocks that are more than just a flash in the pan, we asked three Motley Fool contributors for top-performing stocks that still have plenty of room to grow. They came back withMomo(NASDAQ: MOMO),Carvana(NYSE: CVNA), andPayPal Holdings(NASDAQ: PYPL). Here's why. Image source: Getty Images. Nicholas Rossolillo(Momo):Social media is, for the most part, beginning to look more like a maturing industry than fresh high-growth territory. New user additions are slowing around the globe, and many social media platforms are transitioning to profitable growth instead of growth at all costs. China's social, entertainment, and dating app Momo is no exception to the slowdown. Granted, revenue increased 51% in 2018 and 35% to kick off the first quarter of 2019; and management's outlook for the second quarter is for another 27% to 30% year-over-year increase -- by no means sluggish. But the company has posteddeceleration in its top line pretty consistentlythe last two years. That has caused the stock to wax and wane inconsistently and has given investors some fits. For the foreseeable future, though, Momo is still in double-digit expansion mode. While it isn't the torrid north-of-50%, like in days past, Momo's shallower trajectory is nothing to get too upset about. That's because this social platform is only just beginning to turn that revenue growth into profits. Expenses have surged in the last year (up 83% in the first quarter alone) due to higher employee head count from its acquisition of dating service Tantan last year and other compensation to entertainment partners. That led to a 5% decline in adjusted earnings to kick off 2019. However, as Momo's business continues to mature and the Tantan acquisition gets fully integrated, those expenses should begin to moderate. As they do, the bottom line should start to show signs of life once again. Trading at a mere 15.4 times trailing 12-month free cash flow, this high-growth social media stock could soar higher. Daniel Miller(Carvana):If you're looking for a growth stock, you're doing your research a disservice if you don't glance at Carvana, a used-car retailer focused on its online platform and unique vehicle vending machines. It has a track record of incredible growth in just about every key metric, and it could continue soaring in the years ahead as it enters additional markets and expands its services. Back to the topic at hand: growth. Carvana posted its first-quarter 2019 results in May and revealed an impressive 99% increase in retail units sold, which drove revenue 110% higher. What's more impressive is that this was its 21st consecutive quarter of triple-digit growth. That top-line growth, along with improving gross profit per units (GPU), helped boost total gross profit by 159%. The used-car retailer has only been public since April 2017, but investors are buying the growth story, and its stock has surged 448% since its IPO. The good news is that management isn't slowing down (to be fair, this worries some investors due to the rising expenses from such rapid expansion). It plans to be in 140 to 145 markets by year-end, compared with the 100 markets during the first quarter. Carvana's growth doesn't end there. It is ramping up its program to buy vehicles directly from consumers, which could prove more lucrative for the company, and expanding its financing and services business. For context, 2019 guidance calls for retail unit sales from 165,000 to 170,000, but management aims to grow its retail units up to 2 million. Now, despite the company's impressive growth, there is a bear thesis to keep in mind: Its bottom line missed expectations during the first quarter and the company announced a fresh debt and equity offering to help fund its ambitions. Management needs to grow its presence, but it also needs to improve its scale and inch closer to profitability over time. For now, Carvana remains a high-growth stock with plenty of potential, and is worth your attention if you can handle the risk. Chris Neiger(PayPal):PayPal has built itself into a household name by being one of the safest and simplest ways to pay for things online. And if it's been awhile since you've considered adding PayPal to your investment portfolio, it's time to give this high-flying stock another look. Its share price has skyrocketed 215% over the past three years (compared with theS&P 500's 40% gain) as the company has benefited from the growth of e-commerce sales. And there's no sign that this trend will slow down. Just 11% of all U.S. retail sales will occur online this year, which means that PayPal still has lots of potential to tap into the e-commerce market as it grows from $2.8 trillion in 2018 to a projected $4.9 trillion by 2021. But it's not just e-commerce that will fuel PayPal's growthover the next few years.The person-to-person (P2P) payment market will also contribute. P2P payments include everything from using smartphones to pay the rent to splitting the check at a restaurant, and it's estimated to reach $244 billion by 2021. To tap into this market, PayPal snatched up Venmo, a payment app company, a few years ago. Venmo now has 40 million active accounts that completed $21 billion in total payment volume in the most recent quarter. Whether it's through the growth of online shopping or P2P payments, PayPal continues to make big bets on digital payments, and investors should take notice. The company is already a leader in this space, and as cashless payments for everything from online sales to point-of-sale terminals continue to grow, PayPal will be right there growing along with them. More From The Motley Fool • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,728 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • 20 of the Top Stocks to Buy (Including the Two Every Investor Should Own) • What Is an ETF? • 5 Recession-Proof Stocks • How to Beat the Market Chris Neigerhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.Daniel Millerhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.Nicholas Rossolillohas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends PayPal Holdings. The Motley Fool recommends Momo. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
Tetra Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTEK): Has Recent Earnings Growth Beaten Long-Term Trend? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Assessing Tetra Tech, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TTEK) past track record of performance is an insightful exercise for investors. It allows us to reflect on whether or not the company has met or exceed expectations, which is a great indicator for future performance. Today I will assess TTEK's recent performance announced on 31 March 2019 and evaluate these figures to its long-term trend and industry movements. Check out our latest analysis for Tetra Tech TTEK's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 March 2019) of US$160m has jumped 15% compared to the previous year. However, this one-year growth rate has been lower than its average earnings growth rate over the past 5 years of 19%, indicating the rate at which TTEK is growing has slowed down. Why could this be happening? Well, let’s take a look at what’s occurring with margins and whether the whole industry is feeling the heat. In terms of returns from investment, Tetra Tech has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 16% instead. However, its return on assets (ROA) of 8.9% exceeds the US Commercial Services industry of 6.6%, indicating Tetra Tech has used its assets more efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Tetra Tech’s debt level, has increased over the past 3 years from 12% to 16%. Though Tetra Tech's past data is helpful, it is only one aspect of my investment thesis. While Tetra Tech has a good historical track record with positive growth and profitability, there's no certainty that this will extrapolate into the future. I recommend you continue to research Tetra Tech to get a better picture of the stock by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for TTEK’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor TTEK’s outlook. 2. Financial Health: Are TTEK’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out ourfinancial health checks here. 3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore ourfree list of these great stocks here. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 31 March 2019. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
UK economy feels the strain of global slowdown as well as Brexit By William Schomberg and David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's economy has lost momentum and might have shrunk in the second quarter of 2019, according to data that showed the double impact of Brexit and the slowdown in the global economy. Manufacturers had their worst month in more than six years and consumers increased their borrowing at the slowest pace since 2014. The value of sterling fell against the dollar and the euro after the data was published. Howard Archer, an economist with EY Item Club, a forecasting group, estimated that Britain's economy contracted by 0.2% in the April-June period. The Bank of England last month cut its forecast for economic growth in the second quarter to zero. That largely reflected an unwinding of the rush by many factories to get ready for the original Brexit deadline which has now been delayed until Oct. 31. But economists said Monday's manufacturing purchasing managers' index showed how hard Britain's factories were also being hit by the slowdown in the world economy caused by the trade skirmishes between the United States and China. The overall PMI slumped to 48.0 in June from May's 49.4, well below the average forecast in a Reuters poll of economists and its lowest reading since February 2013. Export demand fell for a third month as manufacturers around the world lost confidence. Allan Monks, an economist at JP Morgan, said the weak PMI survey challenged his view that manufacturing growth would rebound at the start of the third quarter. Separate data from the Bank of England published on Monday showed lending to British consumers - whose spending has helped the economy cope with the Brexit crisis - rose by its weakest annual pace in more than five years in May. The BoE data also showed the weakest increase since April 2017 in net mortgage lending. Archer at EY Item Club said May's mortgage data chimed with other figures which suggested the relief from the delay of Brexit had been limited. "Improved consumer purchasing power and robust employment growth has also recently been helpful for the housing market, but this has recently shown some signs of levelling off," he said. Economists said they were waiting for Wednesday's PMI of Britain's dominant services industry to gauge the extent of the slowdown in the overall economy. Chris Hare, an economist with HSBC, said he expected only a slight pick-up which would point to anaemic underlying growth. "So, considerations about Brexit deadlines notwithstanding, we do not think that now is the time for the Bank of England to be raising rates," he said. The BoE has stuck to its message that it expects to raise borrowing costs, assuming Britain can avoid a no-deal Brexit. (Writing by William Schomberg and David Milliken; additional reporting by Alistair Smout)
If You Had Bought IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ:IAC) Shares Three Years Ago You'd Have Made 283% Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don't use leverage) is 100% of your money. But in contrast you can make muchmorethan 100% if the company does well. To wit, theIAC/InterActiveCorp(NASDAQ:IAC) share price has flown 283% in the last three years. How nice for those who held the stock! In the last week shares have slid back 4.0%. See our latest analysis for IAC/InterActiveCorp To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS). IAC/InterActiveCorp was able to grow its EPS at 84% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. The average annual share price increase of 56% is actually lower than the EPS growth. Therefore, it seems the market has moderated its expectations for growth, somewhat. You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination ofhistoric growth trends, available here.. Investors should note that there's a difference between IAC/InterActiveCorp's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Dividends have been really beneficial for IAC/InterActiveCorp shareholders, and that cash payout contributed to why its TSR of 283%, over the last 3 years, is better than the share price return. It's nice to see that IAC/InterActiveCorp shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 42% over the last year. That's better than the annualised return of 27% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. Before spending more time on IAC/InterActiveCorpit might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares. Of courseIAC/InterActiveCorp may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see thisfreecollection of growth stocks. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Where Universal Forest Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI) Stands In Terms Of Earnings Growth Against Its Industry Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! When Universal Forest Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI) released its most recent earnings update (30 March 2019), I compared it against two factor: its historical earnings track record, and the performance of its industry peers on average. Understanding how Universal Forest Products performed requires a benchmark rather than trying to assess a standalone number at one point in time. Below is a quick commentary on how I see UFPI has performed. View our latest analysis for Universal Forest Products UFPI's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 30 March 2019) of US$148m has jumped 15% compared to the previous year. However, this one-year growth rate has been lower than its average earnings growth rate over the past 5 years of 22%, indicating the rate at which UFPI is growing has slowed down. Why could this be happening? Well, let’s take a look at what’s going on with margins and if the rest of the industry is facing the same headwind. In terms of returns from investment, Universal Forest Products has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 14% instead. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 8.5% is below the US Building industry of 8.7%, indicating Universal Forest Products's are utilized less efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Universal Forest Products’s debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 16% to 14%. This correlates with an increase in debt holding, with debt-to-equity ratio rising from 23% to 25% over the past 5 years. Though Universal Forest Products's past data is helpful, it is only one aspect of my investment thesis. Positive growth and profitability are what investors like to see in a company’s track record, but how do we properly assess sustainability? You should continue to research Universal Forest Products to get a better picture of the stock by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for UFPI’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor UFPI’s outlook. 2. Financial Health: Are UFPI’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out ourfinancial health checks here. 3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore ourfree list of these great stocks here. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 30 March 2019. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Dog the Bounty Hunter Announces Memorial Plans in Colorado for Wife Beth Chapman One day after honoring Beth Chapman in Hawaii, Duane “Dog” Chapman announced plans for her official memorial. On Sunday, the Dog the Bounty Hunter star revealed the family will bid her farewell in Colorado. “Love you all and thank you very much for the support you have been giving for Beth,” he tweeted. “We have tentatively scheduled July 13 in Denver to tuck her in, tell her goodnight, for she sleepeth. More details will follow… time, place, etc.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Team Dog The Bounty Hunter (@dogthebountyhunterteam) on Jul 1, 2019 at 3:58pm PDT Love you all and thank you very much for the support you have been giving for Beth. We have tentatively scheduled July 13 in Denver to tuck her in, tell her goodnight, for she sleepeth. More details will follow... time, place, ect. — Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) July 1, 2019 Beth, who was diagnosed with stage II throat cancer in September 2017, died on Wednesday at the age of 51. Dog, 66, announced the news in a heartbreaking tweet. “It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain,” he wrote. “Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side.” A rep for the Chapmans told PEOPLE, “Beth died at 5:32 this morning, the same time she would wake up to go hiking Koko Head. The exact same time. She was surrounded by family and Dog was there, holding her hand.” RELATED: Late Dog the Bounty Hunter Star Beth Chapman Called Cancer Diagnosis the ‘Ultimate Test of Faith’ Beth Chapman/Instagram RELATED: Looking Back at Beth Chapman’s Brave Cancer Journey On Saturday, the Chapmans gathered at Fort DeRussy Beach in Waikiki, Hawaii, with friends and fans to honor the late reality star. “Beth had two homes — Hawai’i and Colorado. ‘I love Hawai’i the most,’ she said, so she will be sent off in true Hawaiian style, with aloha,” a rep for the family said in a statement.
How Does Bank of Hawaii Corporation (NYSE:BOH) Fare As A Dividend Stock? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Dividend paying stocks like Bank of Hawaii Corporation (NYSE:BOH) tend to be popular with investors, and for good reason - some research suggests a significant amount of all stock market returns come from reinvested dividends. Yet sometimes, investors buy a stock for its dividend and lose money because the share price falls by more than they earned in dividend payments. In this case, Bank of Hawaii likely looks attractive to investors, given its 3.1% dividend yield and a payment history of over ten years. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. The company also bought back stock equivalent to around 3.2% of market capitalisation this year. There are a few simple ways to reduce the risks of buying Bank of Hawaii for its dividend, and we'll go through these below. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. In the last year, Bank of Hawaii paid out 45% of its profit as dividends. This is medium payout level that leaves enough capital in the business to fund opportunities that might arise, while also rewarding shareholders. One of the risks is that management reinvests the retained capital poorly instead of paying a higher dividend. We update our data on Bank of Hawaii every 24 hours, so you can always getour latest analysis of its financial health, here. One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. Bank of Hawaii has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was US$1.76 in 2009, compared to US$2.60 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.0% a year over that time. Dividends have grown relatively slowly, which is not great, but some investors may value the relative consistency of the dividend. Examining whether the dividend is affordable and stable is important. However, it's also important to assess if earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Over the long term, dividends need to grow at or above the rate of inflation, in order to maintain the recipient's purchasing power. Bank of Hawaii has grown its earnings per share at 9.8% per annum over the past five years. It's good to see decent earnings growth and a low payout ratio. Companies with these characteristics often display the fastest dividend growth over the long term - assuming earnings can be maintained, of course. Dividend investors should always want to know if a) a company's dividends are affordable, b) if there is a track record of consistent payments, and c) if the dividend is capable of growing. We're glad to see Bank of Hawaii has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. We like that it has been delivering solid improvement in its earnings per share, and relatively consistent dividend payments. Bank of Hawaii fits all of our criteria, and we think there are a lot of positives to it from a dividend perspective. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 5 Bank of Hawaii analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with ourfreereport on analyst estimates for the company. We have also put together alist of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
There's All Kinds of Evil Stirring from Hibernation Because They Sense Their Time Has Come From Esquire From ProPublica - Oh, lovely. Several of the postings reviewed by ProPublica refer to the planned visit by members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Veronica Escobar, to a troubled Border Patrol facility outside of El Paso. Agents at the compound in Clint, Texas, have been accused of holding children in neglectful, inhumane conditions. Members of the Border Patrol Facebook group were not enthused about the tour, noting that Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from Queens, had compared Border Patrol facilities to Nazi concentration camps. Escobar is a freshman Democrat representing El Paso. One member encouraged Border Patrol agents to hurl a burrito at these bitches. Another, apparently a patrol supervisor, wrote, Fuck the hoes. There should be no photo ops for these scum buckets, posted a third member. Perhaps the most disturbing posts target Ocasio-Cortez. One includes a photo illustration of her engaged in oral sex at an immigrant detention center. Text accompanying the image reads, Lucky Illegal Immigrant Glory Hole Special Starring AOC. There is a serious rise in right-wing extremism in almost every level of law enforcement and, increasingly, in the military as well. It's insidious and it's goddamn dangerous, and it's a power center just begging for an ambitious politician without a sliver of conscience to come along and activate it. Another is a photo illustration of a smiling President Donald Trump forcing Ocasio-Cortezs head toward his crotch. The agent who posted the image commented: Thats right bitches. The masses have spoken and today democracy won.... In another thread, a group member posted a photo of father and his 23-month-old daughter lying face down in the Rio Grande. The pair drowned while trying to ford the river and cross into the U.S.; pictures of the two have circulated widely online in recent days, generating an outcry. Story continues The member asked if the photo could have been faked because the bodies were so clean. (The picture was taken by an Associated Press photographer, and there is no indication that it was staged or manipulated.) I HAVE NEVER SEEN FLOATERS LIKE THIS, the person wrote, adding, could this be another edited photo. Weve all seen the dems and liberal parties do some pretty sick things There are all kinds of evil that stirring from hibernation because they sense that their time has come. ( Cue Mr. Yeats . There are a thousand rough beasts...) Far too many of them exist in people who carry guns and wear badges for a living. They are the viruses in our permafrost. Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page here . ('You Might Also Like',) HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT SUNGLASSES FOR YOUR FACE SHAPE If You Dont Have a Denim Shirt Yet, Whats Stopping You? Why You'll Never Understand Mezcal Like You Understand Scotch
How Does Emmis Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:EMMS) Affect Your Portfolio Volatility? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! If you own shares in Emmis Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:EMMS) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Modern finance theory considers volatility to be a measure of risk, and there are two main types of price volatility. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market. Some stocks mimic the volatility of the market quite closely, while others demonstrate muted, exagerrated or uncorrelated price movements. Some investors use beta as a measure of how much a certain stock is impacted by market risk (volatility). While we should keep in mind that Warren Buffett has cautioned that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk', beta is still a useful factor to consider. To make good use of it you must first know that the beta of the overall market is one. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market. View our latest analysis for Emmis Communications As it happens, Emmis Communications has a five year beta of 1.05. This is fairly close to 1, so the stock has historically shown a somewhat similar level of volatility as the market. While history does not always repeat, this may indicate that the stock price will continue to be exposed to market risk, albeit not overly so. Share price volatility is well worth considering, but most long term investors consider the history of revenue and earnings growth to be more important. Take a look at how Emmis Communications fares in that regard, below. Emmis Communications is a noticeably small company, with a market capitalisation of US$62m. Most companies this size are not always actively traded. Companies this small are usually more volatile than the market, whether or not that volatility is correlated. Therefore, it's a bit surprising to see that this stock has a beta value so close to the overall market. Since Emmis Communications has a beta close to one, it will probably show a positive return when the market is moving up, based on history. If you're trying to generate better returns than the market, it would be worth thinking about other metrics such as cashflows, dividends and revenue growth might be a more useful guide to the future. In order to fully understand whether EMMS is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Emmis Communications’s financial health and performance track record. I highly recommend you dive deeper by considering the following: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for EMMS’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor EMMS’s outlook. 2. Past Track Record: Has EMMS been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look atthe free visual representations of EMMS's historicalsfor more clarity. 3. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how EMMS measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with thisfree list of prospective options. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Reality Steve Just Tweeted A Bunch Of New ‘Bachelor In Paradise’ Spoilers Reality Steve Tweets New 'Paradise' Spoilers Getty Images There's still more than a month to go before Bachelor In Paradise season six premieres on August 9, but the spoilers are already coming in hot and heavy. Everyone's favorite Bachelor Nation blogger Reality Steve tweeted a bunch of new details over the weekend, and I am getting fired up for all the drama that is to come. As you may or may not know by now, Reality Steve has had the dirt on this franchise for years, and usually gets it right. (Key word being " usually .") While the world won't know for sure how things play out until later this summer, I'm going to pore over these tweets and buckle up for a wild ride. Want to know how it all goes down? Keep reading. Here's hoping the new crop of Paradise hopefuls find love like these Bachelor success stories: Caelynn Miller-Keyes moves on from the Blake Horstmann drama with Dean Unglert. If you've been reading up on the spoilers thus far, then you've heard Caelynn's going to have a busy summer in Paradise . After calling out Blake Horstmann for messing with her AND fellow Paradise cast members Tayshia Adams, Hannah Godwin, and Kristina Schulman around the same time (yikes), Caelynn gets another shot at love with former drama-starter Dean. Dean is the catalyst for another love triangle between himself, Caelynn, and Connor Saeli. Sound familiar? Yeah, this is the same Dean who played both Kristina and Danielle Lombard in season four. (BIP SPOILER): At the 3rd rose ceremony, Dean gave his rose to Caelynn then left. Didn’t see a relationship progressing past the show. Connor S came in and asked out Caelynn and things were going well until Dean returned, said he wanted to be w/ Caelynn, and Caelynn left w/ Dean — RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) June 30, 2019 Okay, let's break it down. Sometimes on Paradise , if a person doesn't see a future with anyone else in the cast, they will give their rose to someone they are friends with or want to see find love with somebody else. So it seems that's what Dean was trying to do here before dipping out. Then, Caelynn found a spark with Connor Saeli, a current fan fave from Hannah Brown's Bachelorette season. But! I guess Dean has a change of heart and returns in all his glory to win over Caelynn once and for all—and they leave Paradise as a couple. But don't feel too bad for Connor just yet! Story continues Connor then hits it off with Whitney Fransway at Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson's wedding. Whitney, who you may remember from Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor , jets down to Mexico to attend the wedding of Paradise season five alums Chris Randone and Krystal Nielson. The current cast usually attends the nuptials of Paradise success stories, so that's where Whitney meets Connor, and the two get along swimmingly. Connor and Whitney play cat and mouse for the rest of their time in Paradise . Are you keeping up? Good. (BIP SPOILER): Whitney Fransway (Nicks season) went to Chris & Krystal’s wedding & met Connor. They hit it off. Connor is on the show waiting for Whitney to join. She never does, so he leaves. Whitney finally comes on, but Connor isn’t there. So she leaves & they’re together now. — RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) June 30, 2019 According to Reality Steve, Connor sticks around on the show hoping that Whitney will join the cast later in the season, which often happens. When she doesn't walk down those stairs, he leaves. Then! Whitney eventually does join the cast, but she's apparently bummed that Connor isn't there waiting for her. So after this big ole screwup by the Paradise producers (or genius scheming—you decide), Whitney leaves to be with Connor. And now this is literally me trying to piece all of this together until August 9: You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
In New York, T-Mobile shows what 5G coverage can look like T-Mobile has the best millimeter-wave5Gcoverage we've seen yet. Thanks to a dense network of cell sites throughout Manhattan, the UnCarrier can supply 5G speeds that average around double its 4G speeds in much of the borough, with continuous coverage that beats what we've seen from Verizon in Chicago or AT&T in Dallas. The company recently launched 5G in six cities, with the first official millimeter-wave 5G coverage maps we've seen. That doesn't mean you should rush out to buy a T-Mobile 5G phone. The company's 5G strategy leans heavily on two pillars that haven't been built yet: its low-band "nationwide" 5G network, and its potential merger with Sprint. Neither form of network is supported by its first 5G phone, the $1,299.99Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, which only supports a form of millimeter-wave 5G that T-Mobile will have in about 10 cities.Read more... More aboutT Mobile,5g,5g Internet,Tech, andSmartphones
Does Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it completely lacks a track record of revenue and profit. But as Warren Buffett has mused, 'If you've been playing poker for half an hour and you still don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy.' When they buy such story stocks, investors are all too often the patsy. In the age of tech-stock blue-sky investing, my choice may seem old fashioned; I still prefer profitable companies likeFive Below(NASDAQ:FIVE). Even if the shares are fully valued today, most capitalists would recognize its profits as the demonstration of steady value generation. Conversely, a loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the sweet milk of external capital may run sour. Check out our latest analysis for Five Below As one of my mentors once told me, share price follows earnings per share (EPS). That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. As a tree reaches steadily for the sky, Five Below's EPS has grown 36% each year, compound, over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep upthatsort of growth, shareholders will be smiling. I like to see top-line growth as an indication that growth is sustainable, and I look for a high earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margin to point to a competitive moat (though some companies with low margins also have moats). While we note Five Below's EBIT margins were flat over the last year, revenue grew by a solid 21% to US$1.6b. That's a real positive. In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings, and revenue, over time. For finer detail, click on the image. You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in thisfreereport showing analyst forecasts for Five Below'sfutureprofits. We would not expect to see insiders owning a large percentage of a US$6.7b company like Five Below. But we do take comfort from the fact that they are investors in the company. Indeed, they have a glittering mountain of wealth invested in it, currently valued at US$148m. This suggests to me that leadership will be very mindful of shareholders' interests when making decisions! It means a lot to see insiders invested in the business, but I find myself wondering if remuneration policies are shareholder friendly. A brief analysis of the CEO compensation suggests they are. For companies with market capitalizations between US$4.0b and US$12b, like Five Below, the median CEO pay is around US$6.9m. The Five Below CEO received US$5.5m in compensation for the year ending February 2019. That seems pretty reasonable, especially given its below the median for similar sized companies. While the level of CEO compensation isn't a huge factor in my view of the company, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. It can also be a sign of a culture of integrity, in a broader sense. Given my belief that share price follows earnings per share you can easily imagine how I feel about Five Below's strong EPS growth. If that's not enough, consider also that the CEO pay is quite reasonable, and insiders are well-invested alongside other shareholders. This may only be a fast rundown, but the takeaway for me is that Five Below is worth keeping an eye on. Of course, just because Five Below is growing does not mean it is undervalued. If you're wondering about the valuation, check outthis gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry. Of course, you can do well (sometimes) buying stocks thatare notgrowing earnings anddo nothave insiders buying shares. But as a growth investor I always like to check out companies thatdohave those features. You can accessa free list of them here. Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Current CO2 emissions will heat up the Earth by more than 1.5˚C Even if we stop building power plants, factories, vehicles and home appliances immediately, we're on track to increase the global temperature by more than 1.5˚C -- the goal limit proposed by theParis Agreement. Those existing, CO2-spewing offenders will generate an estimated 660 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases, and it will only take 580 billion tons to tip us past 1.5˚C. It gets worse. If we continue to operate existing power plants for their useful lives and we build the new facilities already planned, they'll emit two thirds of the carbon dioxide necessary to boost temperatures by a full 2˚C. These cautionary findings are part of apaper published inNaturetoday, and we can't say we didn't see them coming. In 2010, scientists predicted that we had built enough carbon-dioxide-emitting infrastructure to increase global temperatures by 1.3˚C. They said things would get worse unless we took drastic action. Almost a decade later, the paper published today is a sequel to that research. Since we haven't developed alternatives at scale, the situation has, as predicted, gotten worse. AsTechnology Reviewpoints out, an increase of 1.5˚C could melt nearly 2 million square miles of Arctic permafrost, destroy more than 70 percent of the world's coral reefs and expose 14 percent of the global population to bouts of severe heat. According to the paper, we must approach net-zero emissions by 2050 to stabilize average global temperatures, but getting there won't be easy. The researchers suggests closing existing energy infrastructure long before the end of its useful economic life, retrofitting existing power plants or developing tools to pull carbon dioxide from the air. None of those solutions are inexpensive, and with more power plants in the works, they seem unlikely. This certainly isn't the first report to paint the picture of our demise. Just last month we learned thatCO2 levels are the highestsince humanity began. The UN has warned thatclimate change is much worse than first thought, and we've seen how human-driven climate change canravage the planet. While some are ready toinvest in breaking coal dependence, the US saw thelargest increase in CO2 emissionsin almost a decade in 2018. There are certainly plenty of alarms ringing. Whether we do anything about them is the question.
Finding Value And Compensation In Mid-Cap Stocks The combination of dividends, value and mid-cap stocks can be potent, making theWisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Fund(NYSE:DON) a potentially alluring consideration for equity income investors. The $3.85 billion DON tracks a dividend-weighted index. What Happened While value stocks have had theirshare of strugglesagainst growth equivalents across market capitalization segments in recent years, DON has been a decent performer and, over the past three years, the WisdomTree fund has been less volatile than the S&P MidCap 400 and S&P MidCap 400 Value indexes. DON's favorable volatility metrics are an important trait. “The most straightforward way we can measure risk is byvolatility, orstandard deviationof returns,” said WisdomTree in a recent note. “The least-volatile quintile of mid-caps outperformed the most volatile quintile by over 300basis points (bps)annually.” Why It's Important DON has a dividend yield of 2.54%, double that of the S&P MidCap 400 and 76 basis points above the yield on the S&P MidCap 400 Value Index. However, DON's components also sport robust return on equity (ROE), a quality trait that can reward investors over lenghty holding periods. “Sorting the market on profitability—or return-on-equity (ROE)—the most profitable companies can be viewed as less risky than the least profitable,” according to WisdomTree. “The least profitable are more likely to be distressed businesses. Here, the top three quintiles handily outperformed the bottom two quintiles on profitability.” DON devotes almost 36% of its weight to consumer discretionary and real estate stocks while the industrial and financial services combine for almost a quarter of the fund's weight. What's Next Over DON's 13-year history the fund has sported favorable differences relative to basic mid-cap benchmarks. “DON added excess return relative to its market cap-weighted S&P MidCap 400 Index benchmark without adding excess risk—as measured by its lower standard deviation, smaller maximum drawdown, down capture of 79% and beta of 0.86,” according to WisdomTree. As for value, DON trades a double-digit price-to-earnings discount against the S&P MidCap 400 Index. “Before 2019, the last time investors saw valuations this inexpensive for DON was in the mini economic slowdown of 2011–2012,” according to WisdomTree. “Since the end of 2012, the fund has returned just over 12% annualized, about 100 bps higher than the S&P MidCap 400 Index.” Related Links: Bond ETFs On Their Way To Trillion This Miners ETF Is Getting Crushed See more from Benzinga • Good Timing For This Alternative Energy ETF • Bond ETFs To Hit Trillion In Five Years, BlackRock Says • Battered Bearish Gold Miners ETF Still Has An Audience © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
If You Had Bought Evolus (NASDAQ:EOLS) Stock A Year Ago, You'd Be Sitting On A 51% Loss, Today Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Taking the occasional loss comes part and parcel with investing on the stock market. And unfortunately forEvolus, Inc.(NASDAQ:EOLS) shareholders, the stock is a lot lower today than it was a year ago. The share price has slid 51% in that time. Because Evolus hasn't been listed for many years, the market is still learning about how the business performs. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 36% in the last three months. Check out our latest analysis for Evolus Evolus didn't have any revenue in the last year, so it's fair to say it doesn't yet have a proven product (or at least not one people are paying for). You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. So it seems shareholders are too busy dreaming about the progress to come than dwelling on the current (lack of) revenue. It seems likely some shareholders believe that Evolus will significantly advance the business plan before too long. Companies that lack both meaningful revenue and profits are usually considered high risk. There is usually a significant chance that they will need more money for business development, putting them at the mercy of capital markets. So the share price itself impacts the value of the shares (as it determines the cost of capital). While some such companies go on to make revenue, profits, and generate value, others get hyped up by hopeful naifs before eventually going bankrupt. It certainly is a dangerous place to invest, as Evolus investors might realise. Evolus had liabilities exceeding cash by US$11,892,000 when it last reported in March 2019, according to our data. That makes it extremely high risk, in our view. But since the share price has dived -51% in the last year, it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. The image below shows how Evolus's balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image. You can see in the image below, how Evolus's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values). It can be extremely risky to invest in a company that doesn't even have revenue. There's no way to know its value easily. Would it bother you if insiders were selling the stock? I'd like that just about as much as I like to drink milk and fruit juice mixed together. It only takes a moment for you tocheck whether we have identified any insider sales recently. Given that the market gained 7.6% in the last year, Evolus shareholders might be miffed that they lost 51%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. With the stock down 36% over the last three months, the market doesn't seem to believe that the company has solved all its problems. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. Investors who like to make money usually check up on insider purchases, such as the price paid, and total amount bought.You can find out about the insider purchases of Evolus by clicking this link. Evolus is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to findwinning investmentsthisfreelist of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Global share listings dragged to three-year low by European shortage By Clara Denina LONDON (Reuters) - Global share listings hit their lowest level in three years in the first half of the year, with a slowdown in Europe counteracting a stronger U.S. showing where tech giants Uber and Pinterest made their debuts. Proceeds from global listings fell 31% to $62.8 billion in the year to date, compared to $90.5 billion in the same period a year ago, mostly dragged down by a seven-year low in Europe, Refinitiv data shows. Just $10.1 billion was raised from European IPOs, a 57% slide compared from a year earlier, while proceeds from U.S.-listed IPOs rose by 4.3% to $29.8 billion, as investors poured money into companies that use technology to disrupt traditional industries. Among the most anticipated share offerings of the year were Silicon Valley's ride hailing apps Uber Technologies and Lyft Inc and image sharing website Pinterest. At $79 billion market capitalisation, Uber was the biggest of a group of tech startups that have spent years raising money in private rounds at record prices before listing. "Investors continue to see significant fund flows into the tech sector as they consider it more resilient and less exposed to the economic cycle," said Sam Losada, Head of EMEA Equity Capital Markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "Most recent tech IPOs show how much investor appetite there is for disruptive equity stories which play into digital transformation trends," Losada added. MIXED APPETITE While Uber was the biggest, Beyond Meat, a maker of plant-based burgers and sausages, was the most successful. Its shares climbed more than 160 percent on its May 2 market launch. In contrast in London rail ticketing app Trainline, which went public on June 21, was the one bright spot among generally lackluster performances. Its shares are more than 6% above the IPO price of 400 pence. Political uncertainty around Britain's departure from the European Union and a slowdown in the euro zone economy have created market turbulence in the first half, discouraging investment flows. Fintech was Europe's most prolific sector, with a series of payment processing companies, including Italian private equity-owned Nexi and Middle Eastern-focused Network International going public. Despite an improvement in proceeds from European listings in the second quarter, recently-listed companies including Finablr, Watches of Switzerland and telecoms operator Airtel Africa still trade below their flotation price. Finablr and Airtel slashed the IPO price to the bottom of their targeted range. Airtel shares fell as much as 15% in a dismal debut last Friday. Adam Farlow, Head of EMEA Capital Markets at law firm Baker McKenzie, expects "a more conservative pricing, particularly among larger listings" in the second half of the year, as issuers become more concerned that a stock underperformance might negatively impact the valuation of companies. "Stagnant share prices do create a vicious circle and impact future investment decisions of the buyside," Farlow said. (Reporting by Clara Denina; additional reporting and graphic by Abhinav Ramnarayan; Editing by Keith Weir)
Who Has Been Buying Evolus, Inc. (NASDAQ:EOLS) Shares? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So before you buy or sellEvolus, Inc.(NASDAQ:EOLS), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard Universitystudyfound that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.' View our latest analysis for Evolus Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Chairman of the Board Vikram Malik for US$25m worth of shares, at about US$19.25 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$14.53). While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares is very important. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. In the last twelve months insiders purchased 2.3m shares for US$43m. But they sold 2612 for US$35k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Evolus insiders. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at thisfreelist of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Over the last three months, we've seen significantly more insider buying, than insider selling, at Evolus. In fact, four insiders bought US$38m worth of shares. But we did see Lauren Silvernail sell shares worth US$35k. Insiders have spent more buying shares than they have selling, so on balance we think they are are probably optimistic. Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It appears that Evolus insiders own 8.8% of the company, worth about US$35m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment. The recent insider purchases are heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Evolus insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. Of course,the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Evolus, you should check out thisfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss thisfreelist of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
Do You Know About Gildan Activewear Inc.’s (TSE:GIL) ROCE? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we are going to look at Gildan Activewear Inc. (TSE:GIL) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, we're going to calculate its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), in the hopes of getting some insight into the business. Firstly, we'll go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, we'll look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Finally, we'll look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE. ROCE measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. All else being equal, a better business will have a higher ROCE. In brief, it is a useful tool, but it is not without drawbacks. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussinhas suggestedthat a high ROCE can indicate that 'one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar'. Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) Or for Gildan Activewear: 0.14 = US$398m ÷ (US$3.2b - US$318m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2019.) Therefore,Gildan Activewear has an ROCE of 14%. View our latest analysis for Gildan Activewear ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. It appears that Gildan Activewear's ROCE is fairly close to the Luxury industry average of 14%. Independently of how Gildan Activewear compares to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears decent, and the company may be worthy of closer investigation. The image below shows how Gildan Activewear's ROCE compares to its industry, and you can click it to see more detail on its past growth. When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be deceptive for cyclical businesses, as returns can look incredible in boom times, and terribly low in downturns. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in ourfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way the ROCE equation works, having large bills due in the near term can make it look as though a company has less capital employed, and thus a higher ROCE than usual. To counteract this, we check if a company has high current liabilities, relative to its total assets. Gildan Activewear has total assets of US$3.2b and current liabilities of US$318m. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 9.8% of its total assets. With low current liabilities, Gildan Activewear's decent ROCE looks that much more respectable. This is good to see, and while better prospects may exist, Gildan Activewear seems worth researching further. Gildan Activewear looks strong on this analysis,but there are plenty of other companies that could be a good opportunity. Here is afree listof companies growing earnings rapidly. If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love thisfreelist of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor ateditorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.

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