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Bitcoin Retirement Volumes at 'All-Time Highs', Reveals Bitcoin IRA CEO Investors are adding cryptocurrency to their retirement portfolios at record levels as Bitcoin soars above $11,000. That’s according to Chris Kline, CEO ofBitcoin IRA, the largest bitcoin retirement platform. Speaking to CCN, Kline said his firm has seen more interest and activity in the last six weeks than in over a year. “Trading volumes on our IRA platform are at all-time highs and we expect this to continue increasing now that Bitcoin has broken the $10,000 mark again.” The news comes as Bitcoin IRA, which provides a self-directed cryptocurrency IRA service, upgrades its retirement platform. The firm has partnered withBitGo Trustto offer secure custody and up to $100 million insurance coverage. Bitcoin's 2019 rally makes it a popular asset among investors planning for retirement. | Source: Shutterstock Read the full story on CCN.com.
Kim Kardashian Fully Posed on Top of a Table During Her White House Visit When she's not busy working on a body makeup line (and subsequently getting backlash for it ), Kim Kardashian is putting her influence to good use at the White House . And, ya know, taking the opportunity to pose for photos atop a table to celebrate the trip. On Monday, she posted photos to Instagram from her visit to the White House earlier this month, during which she announced a new collaboration between ride-hailing company Lyft and the First Step Act, which will help recently released prisoners. The behind-the-scenes shots showed Kim posing in her Very Good Suit , speaking at a podium, sitting with Ivanka Trump, and striking a major pose atop a table with the attorneys she has been working with, Erin Haney and Jessica Jackson (both of whom were sitting in chairs at the table). View this post on Instagram Since the passage of the First Step Act in December, I’ve been speaking with people coming home from prison and learning about the challenges they are facing. While I have been able to offer support to some of the individuals I have met, the obstacles to success are an everyday struggle for thousands and more needs to be done. It was an honor to take part in the announcement that the administration and private sector will be stepping up to create opportunities for these men and women to succeed once home. I’m proud to partner on this initiative with @Lyft , a company with a history of taking bold action to do what’s right for our community. Thank you for providing ride share credits to formally incarcerated people when they come home. If there are any other companies who would like to step up, we would welcome the support. At the moment we have a particular need for cell phones and minutes so that these people can communicate with potential employers and with their loved ones. A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Jun 24, 2019 at 1:14pm PDT Kim tagged the Four Seasons in the photo, so it was presumably taken at a hotel and not actually in the White House. Along with her chanteuse-atop-a-piano pose, she also made sure to have her Caroline Lemke sunglasses and Hermès bag on display. Story continues kimkardashian/Instagram RELATED: Kim Kardashian Is Back at the White House in a Very Good Suit Just Kim doing what she does best: Advocating for prison reform and being delightfully extra.
7 Reasons Your Credit Card Will Get Declined — and How to Avoid It Watch the video of ‘7 Reasons Your Credit Card Will Get Declined — and How to Avoid It’ on MoneyTalksNews.com. Many of us have been there — having a credit card declined. In fact, it happened to me at a hardware store. I went to buy plants and decided to make copies of my keys, too. I paid for the keys at the service desk and then dragged a flatbed cart full of plants to the checkout at the garden center — where I was told, “Ma’am, your card got declined.” Embarrassing? Absolutely. My bank declined the second charge because it suspected fraud, as I’d already used the card at that same location. But that’s just one reason your credit card might be declined. Here are some lesser-known reasons for which your credit card can be declined: Say you usually use your credit card once a week. Then, you suddenly use it multiple times in a day, make a notably larger-than-normal purchase or check out at the same store more than once in a brief period. Your credit card company might decline a purchase because it suspects your card has been stolen and is being used fraudulently. To avoid this, call your credit card company before you make a large purchase. Also, make sure the company has your cellphone number and email address. Some institutions will contact you before or immediately after declining a card because of unusual activity. You might clear up the whole mess before leaving the checkout counter if the credit card company can reach you. Some card issuers place spending limits on credit and debit cards, or enable customers to set limits of their own. If you go over the limit, your card will be declined, even if you have plenty of credit available to cover the purchase. So, know your card’s limit. You should be able to find it by logging in to your online account or calling the issuer. In some scenarios — like at the gas pump — you have to enter your ZIP code before you make a purchase. Put in the wrong information, and your card will be declined. Make sure the card company has your current mailing address and telephone number. If you move, get on the phone or online and update your contact information as soon as possible. If you rent a car or U-Haul or book a hotel room, the company you’re doing business with will estimate how much you might end up spending and put a temporary hold on your card. For example, your hotel might put a hold for the amount of money that would cover a three-night stay plus incidental purchases such as treats from the room’s mini-bar. A temporary hold temporarily reduces your available credit and thus can cause you to exceed your credit limit. If you present your credit card at the start of a service or stay, ask whether the business will put a hold on your card and, if so, for how much. Then, mentally deduct that amount from your card’s available balance. You may also wish to carry a backup card just in case. If you take your card overseas, you run the risk of it being declined. Many lenders automatically decline out-of-country purchases as potential fraud. So, before you leave home, call your card issuer and describe your travel plans. Additionally, carry a backup card and a debit card to access cash at ATMs. Make sure you notify the issuers of those cards about your overseas travel plans. If the expiration date on your card has passed, you won’t be able to make purchases. Keep track of when your cards will expire and start looking for the replacement in the mail several weeks in advance. If you haven’t received an updated card two weeks before a card expires, call to ask for one — and to make sure the issuer didn’t mail it to an outdated or otherwise incorrect address. Your card is valid and you’re under your spending limit, but you still can’t make purchases online. Before you panic, double-check the credit card information you provided on the website. Even one wrong number in your ZIP code is enough to get your purchase declined. Correcting the information on the checkout page is typically enough to fix the problem, but be careful. Attempting to enter incorrect information multiple times is a red flag, and your card might be deactivated. Ever been stuck, surprised or offended when your card was declined? Share your tale of woe on ourFacebook page. This article was originally published onMoneyTalksNews.comas'7 Reasons Your Credit Card Will Get Declined — and How to Avoid It'. • 3 Top Travel Rewards Cards to Fuel Your Adventures • 8 Ways to Quit Using Credit Cards • 7 Credit Cards That Waive Your Checked Luggage Fees
Bitcoin’s mining hash rate hits new all-time highs Bitcoin’s mining hash rate has reached an all-time high of 65,000,000 TH/s following positive price action that has seen the asset’s total market cap rise above $200 billion. This level is now firmly above its mid-2018 highs of nearly 60,000,000 TH/s. Following Bitcoin’s parabolic move to the upside over the past few months, the total daily block and transaction reward paid to miners has also seen an almost five-fold increase, rising from under $5 million to currently above $25 million a day. This new all-time high means Bitcoin’s hash rate has completed a dramatic reversal after falling to almost half its current total during the December 2018 capitulation in BTC price. $2 billion in online hardware Based on estimates from Litecoin founder Charlie Lee’s September conference talk in San Francisco, the current SHA-256 hash rate translates into around $2 billion in online hardware value for the Bitcoin mining network. Other hourly costs for the network (based on a $0.1 per kwH electricity cost) come to around $605,000 in just electricity alone for those miners to hunt for 75 BTC which would currently trade at around $855,000. With the next Bitcoin halving just 330 days away , between now and then, we may see a new bull market break out for Bitcoin mining before the hourly reward drops down to 37.5 BTC. Mining difficulty is also up around 45% from the December low, while the price of Bitcoin has increased by over 260% in the same period. As ROI for mining operations continues to outpace the returns for BTC, the sideline investor may again look to make a move into the crypto ecosystem to get their hands on one of the 3.2 million BTC that are yet to be issued into circulation. For more news, technical analysis, and cryptocurrency guides, click here . The post Bitcoin’s mining hash rate hits new all-time highs appeared first on Coin Rivet .
Kirstie Allsopp said women in their late 20s should not wait when it comes to starting families. Kirstie Allsopp during a BUILD event at AOL London on September 28, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) Kirstie Allsopp has advised young people to buy cheaper houses and start having children “NOW”. The Location, Location, Location star, 47, said couples should also stop shelling out thousands and thousands on weddings because they would wish they had that money to spent on top quality childcare one day. Read more: Kirstie Allsopp says Instagram makes her sad Allsopp, who has two sons, unleashed her advice in a flurry of posts on Twitter. IF you WANT kids, IF you are in your late 20s AND IF you are in a solid relationship AND IF you can afford it have kids NOW. It does NOT get easier the later you leave it, buy a CHEAPER house, a bit further from the shops & restaurants and keep some money back for childcare. — Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) June 25, 2019 “IF you WANT kids, IF you are in your late 20s AND IF you are in a solid relationship AND IF you can afford it have kids NOW,” she urged. “It does NOT get easier the later you leave it, buy a CHEAPER house, a bit further from the shops & restaurants and keep some money back for childcare.” DO NOT blow £20K on a wedding & spend two years planning it because when that baby arrives you will love it more than anything in the world & the money you spent on the dress/hen night/cars/posh hotel will be nothing compared to your longing to afford the best childcare you can. — Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) June 25, 2019 She went on: “DO NOT blow £20K on a wedding & spend two years planning it because when that baby arrives you will love it more than anything in the world & the money you spent on the dress/hen night/cars/posh hotel will be nothing compared to your longing to afford the best childcare you can. “When I’m faced with a couple in their late 20s who ‘want a few more years of fun’ I want to say ‘kids are fun, kids are the best fun, nothing will ever be more fun, non-one will ever make your laugh more, or fill your heart with such joy IF YOU WANT THEM DON’T WAIT’.” Story continues When I’m faced with a couple in theit late 20s who “want a few more years of fun” I want to say “kids are fun, kids are the best fun, nothing will ever be more fun, non-one will ever make your laugh more, or fill your heart with such joy IF YOU WANT THEM DON’T WAIT” — Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) June 25, 2019 Allsopp’s comments divided opinion online, with many people saying they had not been ready or responsible enough to start families when they were younger. Others pointed out that children were hard work. One person suggested Allsopp’s words were “damaging”. But she snapped back: “No it is NOT damaging, lying is damaging, the ‘kids aren’t fun, work is fun, booze is fun, fashion is fun but kids aren’t fun’ is what’s damaging.” Read more: Location, Location, Location viewers angered by picky couple It is not the first time Allsopp has encouraged women to get going when it comes to having babies. The TV star - who welcomed her sons in 2006 and 2008 – has previously said she “only whistled in there by a miracle” when it came to having children, and that society should “speak honestly and frankly about fertility and the fact it falls off a cliff when you're 35”.
Walmart China Teams with VeChain, PwC on Blockchain Food Safety Platform Walmart China has launched a blockchain-based platform aimed to address food safety concerns in the country. Announced Tuesday in apress release, the Chinese arm of the U.S. supermarket giant said it has teamed up with blockchain project VeChain, PwC and others on the initiative, which comes as the latest in a line of food tracking projects launched by the firm. The newWalmart China Blockchain Traceability Platformalready boasts 23 product lines tested and listed, VeChain said, with another 100 planned by the end of the year across 10 product categories including fresh meat, rice, mushrooms, cooking oil and more. Related:Wanxiang City Partners with Blockchain Privacy Startup on Tracking Infrastructure According to the press release, by the end of next year, the firm expects to see the fresh meat products tracked on the platform accounting for 50 percent of its total sales in that category. Further, blockchain-tracked products will account for 40 percent of total vegetables sales and 12.5 percent of seafood sales. By scanning the products with a smartphone, Walmart China customers can access detailed information, such as the source of the tracked products and geographic location, the route the product took to the supermarket, product inspection reports and more. Elton Yeung, strategy and innovation lead at PwC Mainland China andHong Kong, said in the release: “We believe that Walmart’s Blockchain Traceability System will be an excellent example of blockchain technology applied in the retail industry, helping to improve food safety and quality management, and providing a strong guarantee for building consumer trust.” Related:China’s Biggest Payment Firms Have No Plans to Follow Facebook into Crypto It’s notable how many different blockchain technologies Walmart is now utilizing with its various track-and-trace projects across a range of products. The Walmart China products will be tracked via the VeChainThor blockchain, meaning the retail giant is, unusually, exploring a public blockchain. Walmart is also a founding member with IBM ofFood Trust, a permissioned platform which runs on Hyperledger Fabric, and participating in two Food and Drug Administration- approvedpharmaceutical tracking pilots, the first with Mediledger using the Parity chain and a second on Fabric. VeChainwent livealmost exactly a year ago today, aiming to be the first to put “real business” applications on a public blockchain. It uses a form of permissioned consensus called proof-of-authority, an alternative to mechanisms like proof-of-work mining (as used by bitcoin) or proof-of-stake. Looking ahead, Walmart China’s blockchain platform is expected to synchronize data from local government traceability platforms and suppliers’ platforms. China has notably been hit bynumerous food safety scandals, from malamine-laden baby milk, to pork that glowed in the dark, to “gutter oil” that was recycled for human consumption. “VeChain will work with Walmart China to actively take heed of the call of the government, by utilizing technology to promote the traceability of fresh food, and to provide innovative solutions for the traceability platform through digital technology, so as to generate more transparent and reassuring consumption experience,” saidKevin Feng, COO of VeChain. Walmart Chinaimage via Shutterstock • ‘Hard Core Fund’ Collects 50 BTC to Support Bitcoin Developers • Retail Giant Walmart Enters Second Drug-Tracking Blockchain Trial
Star fund manager Neil Woodford 'sailed close to the wind' CEO of the Financial Conduct Authority Andrew Bailey speaks at a press conference at the Bank of England in London. Photo: Kirsty O'Connor/Pool via Reuters Star fund manager Neil Woodford “sailed close to the wind” and acted on the “wrong side of the spirit” of the rules, according to the UK’s top financial regulator. Neil Woodford is one of the most high-profile money managers in the UK, with a reputation as a star stock picker in the City of London. He worked at Invesco Perpetual for over 25 years, before leaving in 2013 to set up a firm bearing his name. However, Woodford is currently at the centre of a controversy after one of his flagship funds was suspended earlier this month. Woodford had invested in a high level of unlisted companies, which created a mismatch between liquid assets he could sell to meet rising outgoings. Regulators decided the best thing to do would be to freeze the fund. The suspension has left £3.7bn stuck in the fund and thousands of ordinary investors unable to access their money. MPs on Tuesday scrutinised the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over its supervision of Woodford, questioning whether action could have been taken sooner to prevent the suspension. Andrew Bailey, the CEO of the FCA, insisted the regulator did everything it was supposed to. Rather, he said, the rules had failed investors by allowing the course of actions that led to the suspension. Bailey added that Woodford himself “sailed close to the wind” in exploiting those rules. Woodford’s flagship Equity Income Fund peaked at £10bn of assets under management in 2017, but then began to see outflows as his investments failed to deliver expected returns. “At that point it starts losing funds consistently but not dramatically,” Bailey told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee. “We were obviously alert to the fact that this was a fund that was persistently shrinking.” The fund was ultimately suspended on 3 June, 2019, after Kent County Council tried to redeem £250m in one day, creating a liquidity crunch. “We were observing the outflow against the liquidity metrics,” Bailey said. “Until right at the end of that period, I think the outflow looked manageable.” Story continues The Woodford Equity Income Fund held a large amount of unlisted, illiquid investments that could not easily be shifted. Funds of this type have a cap of 10% of illiquid assets and the Woodford Equity Income Fund breached this cap twice in 2018. “The unlisted proportion of the fund was biting more on them as the size of the fund shrunk,” Bailey said. “Having had these two breaches last year … they were symptomatic of the fact they were sailing close to the wind.” Woodford helped to ease the liquidity crunch by saying he would list some of the illiquid holding on the public market. This classifies the assets as liquid even before they are publicly listed. Woodford eventually did list some assets in Guernsey but the regulator there suspended the listings due to its own concerns about liquidity. The FCA was not initially made aware of the Guernsey listings, which Bailey said was allowed under EU rules. Bailey said Woodford was “using the rules to the full” and was on the “wrong side of the spirit.” He criticised the EU’s collective investment rules, which he said were “flawed.” “I think it’s more a failure of rules frankly, to be honest with you,” Bailey said. Bailey, widely seen as a front runner to be the next Bank of England governor, also said Woodford should give up the management fees he collects from the Equity Income Fund as a sign of good faith to his customers. Bailey admitted, though, the rules allowed Woodford to keep collecting the money. ———— Oscar Williams-Grut covers banking, fintech, and finance for Yahoo Finance UK. Follow him on Twitter at @OscarWGrut . Read more: UBS on Facebook's Libra: 'We have more questions than answers' Facebook's 'significant' Libra under scrutiny from new UK task force UK and US reputations take a 'nosedive' over Brexit and Trump Monzo doubles valuation in 8 months as it raises £113m Huawei fallout spreads: UK chipmaker's stock tanks 35% on profit warning Bank of England's Carney gives Facebook's Libra cautious backing
Is Quorum Information Technologies Inc.'s (CVE:QIS) CEO Being Overpaid? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! The CEO of Quorum Information Technologies Inc. (CVE:QIS) is Maury Marks. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid. View our latest analysis for Quorum Information Technologies Our data indicates that Quorum Information Technologies Inc. is worth CA$48m, and total annual CEO compensation is CA$240k. (This is based on the year to December 2017). It is worth noting that the CEO compensation consists almost entirely of the salary, worth CA$230k. We took a group of companies with market capitalizations below CA$264m, and calculated the median CEO total compensation to be CA$153k. It would therefore appear that Quorum Information Technologies Inc. pays Maury Marks more than the median CEO remuneration at companies of a similar size, in the same market. However, this fact alone doesn't mean the remuneration is too high. We can better assess whether the pay is overly generous by looking into the underlying business performance. The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at Quorum Information Technologies has changed from year to year. Quorum Information Technologies Inc. has reduced its earnings per share by an average of 95% a year, over the last three years (measured with a line of best fit). It achieved revenue growth of 56% over the last year. As investors, we are a bit wary of companies that have lower earnings per share, over three years. On the other hand, the strong revenue growth suggests the business is growing. In conclusion we can't form a strong opinion about business performance yet; but it's one worth watching. It could be important to checkthis free visual depiction ofwhat analysts expectfor the future. Most shareholders would probably be pleased with Quorum Information Technologies Inc. for providing a total return of 56% over three years. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size. We compared total CEO remuneration at Quorum Information Technologies Inc. with the amount paid at companies with a similar market capitalization. As discussed above, we discovered that the company pays more than the median of that group. While we generally prefer to see stronger EPS growth, there's no arguing with the strong returns to shareholders, over the last three years. So, considering these tasty returns, the CEO compensation may be quite appropriate. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want tocheck if insiders are buying or selling Quorum Information Technologies shares (free trial). 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.
Consumer confidence drops to lowest level since September 2017 Consumer confidence is on the decline. The Conference Board’sConsumer Confidence Indextumbled to 121.5 in June, dropping from a downwardly revised reading of 131.3 in May and snapping three consecutive months of improvements. June’s results missed consensus expectations for a reading of 131.0, according to Bloomberg-compiled data, and marked the lowest level in nearly two years. Indices tracking consumers’ assessments of current and future business conditions also sharply declined in June, the Conference Board reported. The Present Situations Index fell 8.1 points to 162.6 in June, while the Expectations Index decreased 10.9 points to 94.1. The Conference Board’s report comes amid mounting friction between the U.S. and some of its major trade partners. These ongoing geopolitical concerns and the uncertainty over their resolution rattled consumers in June, according to the Conference Board. “The decrease in the Present Situation Index was driven by a less favorable assessment of business and labor market conditions,” Lynn Franco, senior direct of economic indicators at the Conference Board, said in a statement. “The escalation in trade and tariff tensions earlier this month appears to have shaken consumers’ confidence.” “Although the Index remains at a high level, continued uncertainty could result in further volatility in the Index and, at some point, could even begin to diminish consumers’ confidence in the expansion,” Franco added. According to the Conference Board, the percentage of consumers expecting business conditions to improve six months from now decreased by 3.3 percentage points in June to 18.1%. Those expecting business conditions to worsen rose 4.3 percentage points to 13.1%. “It is a disappointing outcome given that expectations ought to have received a boost from the drop back in gasoline prices and renewed surge in the equity market back to record highs,” Michael Pearce, senior U.S. economist for Capital Economics, wrote in a note. However, the Conference Board’s steep decline in its June confidence index may be short-lived, according to other analysts. The indices tracking consumers’ assessments of expectations and current conditions “are driven by different forces, with expectations responding to the stock market and gas prices, while current conditions tend to reflect the unemployment rate. So when both move sharply in the same month, it often indicates a response to other external forces,” Ian Shepherdson, chief economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics, explained in a note. Namely, the most recent survey encompassed part of the period from late May to early June during which the Trump administration threatened to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico. These planswere walked backon June 7. “We're guessing that the Mexico tariff fiasco, which also triggered steep drops in business surveys conducted while the tariff threat was live, is responsible,” he said. “If we’re right, the confidence index will rebound strongly in July, unless the Osaka [G20] summit is a disaster and the president imposes tariffs on imported Chinese consumer goods.” “For now, note that the index remains very high by historical standards even after this decline, and it is no threat to our view that consumers' spending will continue to rise at a solid pace,” he said. — Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance.Follow her on Twitter: @emily_mcck Read more from Emily: • Don’t say ‘IPO’: What to know about Slack’s direct listing • Buffett on the American economy, capitalism: ‘It works’ • Tech companies like Lyft want your money – not ‘your opinion’ • Levi Strauss shares jump more than 30% above IPO price at open • Facebook sued by Trump administration for alleged ‘discriminatory’ ad practices • Boeing 737 Max groundings ‘pressure’ U.S. economic data: Wells Fargo Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,LinkedIn, andreddit.
Keren Craig to Exit Marchesa The co-founder will leave the brand "to embark on new creative ventures." Keren Craig (L) and Georgina Chapman (R). Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images After a rough year and a half, a co-founder of Marchesa has decided to leave the brand: Keren Craig is set to exit the luxury fashion line she started with Georgina Chapman, according to a release from her representative. "While I have made the difficult decision to part ways with Marchesa, I have tremendous pride in the company, the team, and the many successes achieved," Craig says in a statement. "Marchesa will always be the realization of a dream. Over the last 16 years, it has been the most incredible and fulfilling professional journey. I am excited to now begin exploring additional creative opportunities and to push my potential as a designer in new directions." It has been a challenging few years for Marchesa. In October of 2017, Chapman's then-husband Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual assault, which brought some unwanted attention on the brand when it was revealed that part of his abuses of power included demanding actresses on his projects wear the label to at least one major red carpet event. Marchesa canceled its Fall 2018 runway show and has not re-appeared on the calendar since, despite heavy efforts from Anna Wintour to rehabilitate Chapman's image in the public eye. It has been widely speculated that Weinstein stands to financially profit from any potential comeback, too. There is no official word on what Craig's next project might be. She has been with Marchesa since founding it in 2004. Want the latest fashion industry news first? Sign up for our daily newsletter.
One big topic was missing from the Eldorado-Caesars mega-merger call Eldorado Resorts, owner of 26 casinos, isbuying Caesars Entertainmentfor $8.6 billion in cash and stock, plus assumption of Caesars’ debt, in a deal that will create the largest casino company in America, headquartered in Reno. And on a celebratory merger call on Monday to tout the deal, there wasn’t a single mention, by Eldorado (ERI) or Caesars (CZR) brass, of sports betting or the NFL. Those who have closely watched the rapid progress of sports betting legalization andthe resulting deals between sports leagues and casinosmight have thought thatCaesars’ deal to be the NFL’s first official casino partner, or Caesars’ new betting deals with two NFL teams, an NBA team, and an NHL team, came into play in the Eldorado acquisition: Nope. Instead, Eldorado CEO Tom Reeg repeatedly mentioned the World Series of Poker, which Caesars has sponsored since 2004. The “iconic brand names” of Caesars, Horseshoe, Harrah’s, and World Series of Poker, Reeg said, amount to “a level of property and brand that we have not had the great fortune to control—and now we will.” It is a reminder that for all the fervor over therising tide of state-by-state sports betting legalizationin America, and how the pro sports leagues have embraced sports betting, the major casinos aren’t yet focused on this area. Much has been made—arguably too much—of how state-by-state sports betting legalization will upend business for the Las Vegas casino operators, but that hasn’t yet been the case. In the year since the U.S. Supreme Courtstruck down the federal ban on sports betting, the big leagues, as well as fantasy sports companies, have moved quickly, in lockstep with the seven states that have joined Nevada in legalizing sports betting in their state. The NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS all struck betting partnerships with MGM, while the NFL struck a deal with Caesars.FanDuel sold to Irish bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair. DraftKings opened a walk-up betting window at Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said thatthe value of every U.S. sports franchise instantly doubledthanks to the SCOTUS decision. Caesars recently cut a deal with ESPN to license sports betting data and even open an ESPN-branded studio in the Linq Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. It signed a multi-year pact with DraftKings to offer sports betting in states that have legalized. Eldorado, meanwhile, has a 20% ownership stake in William Hill, whose U.S. arm is quickly becoming a leader in sports betting offerings, and made William Hill its exclusive sportsbook operator at all Eldorado casinos in states where sports betting is legal. And still, no mention of any of these deals on the merger call until analysts asked about them in the Q&A portion at the end. Morgan Stanley analyst Thomas Allen asked: “In terms of sports betting, both companies had a number of different partnerships, how are you thinking about that going forward?” Eldorado CEO Reeg responded, “We see them all fitting together... We think the opportunity in sports betting in the combined company is as good as there is out there at this point.” Another analyst, Brian McGill of Telsey Advisory Group, pushed further on sports betting and asked if the combined company might look to make a new acquisition in that area. Reeg answered, “I mean, I would say we can... but we really like the setup that we have with our partnerships... We really like what we’ve got there, and we’ll analyze if there’s a better way to go about it, but it would surprise me if there is a different answer.” — Daniel Roberts is the sports business writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite. Read more: Caesars exec says corporate responsibility helped Caesars score NFL casino deal Disney distances itself from gambling, while Disney-owned ESPN ramps up gambling shows Support for Pete Rose has fallen despite sports betting legalization MLS follows MLB, NBA, NHL in making casino deal with MGM POLL: 70% of Americans are more likely to watch a game when they bet on it How the NFL made the NFL Draft its 'off-season Super Bowl' Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,SmartNews,LinkedIn,YouTube, andreddit.
Show your pride with these products that also give back June marks the start of LGTBQ Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots and the watershed it brought for the gay rights movement. And as the 50th anniversary of the riots near, many of our favorite brands are stepping up their philanthropic efforts, not just with the launch of new rainbow products but by sharing their various messages of inclusivity and support. It's not just through vibrant rainbow products that these brands are showing their commitment, but through donations as well.Reef, for example, is contributing 100 percent of proceeds from their pride collection to PFLAG International, the nation’s first and largest organization for LGBTQ+ people, their parents and families, and allies. A number of companies are also sharing their proceeds withThe Trevor Project, a non-profit aimed at suicide prevention efforts in teenagers and young adults. Scroll through above to shop these products that give back and to become an ally.
Longtime Analyst Mark Mahaney: ‘The Bar Is Higher In the Public Markets:’ Term Sheet 1. ‘THE BAR IS HIGHER IN THE PUBLIC MARKETS’We’re already halfway through the year, and a number of tech startups finally made their public market debut — Uber, Lyft, Zoom, Pinterest, PagerDuty, Beyond Meat, CrowdStrike, and most recently, Slack.I caught up with Mark Mahaney, managing director at RBC Capital Markets to talk about the state of the IPO market as part ofFortune’sBrainstorm Tech member call. “This is one of the best six-month stretches we’ve seen in the public markets in quite some time,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why the IPO market is relatively robust.”Mahaney has covered tech stocks for more than 20 years, and I think you’ll enjoy his insights. Below is an abbreviated version of our conversation.TERM SHEET: Many of the tech startups to go public this year have eye-watering losses. It seems that investors arewilling to overlook profitabilityso long as there’s a promise for long-term growth. Just how important is profitability in the public markets and do you see a day when all of this outrageous spending comes crashing down?MAHANEY:I kind of disagree with the idea that it’s outrageous spending. Now, we’ve had some really interesting examples that have skewed out of the norm — that’s Uber and Lyft. We’ve never had companies go public with that high level of losses and expected losses for the next several years.The open question is whether the market opportunities are large enough — especially for Uber — that it justifies generating losses of this magnitude, that it warrants investments of this scope and scale. We’re actually in the camp that believes the market opportunity is large enough to warrant these kinds of investments. But the public markets aren’t as certain about that.In the public markets as a whole, profits do matter more than in the private markets. In the public markets, you’ll see a very broad range of investors — people who are willing to invest purely for growth and others who are looking for capital safety or capital accumulation. The general rule is that the public markets do have a stronger screen for profitability or a path to profitability than you have in the private markets. The bar’s higher in the public markets.You’ve developed some interesting methods over your career for spotting winners and losers on the stock market. One tip you offeredatFortune’sBrainstorm Tech Conference last yearwas that when looking to invest in a tech stock, you should “look for the lucky lexicons.” Can you elaborate?We focus on what we call the “Four M Framework” first, which are market opportunity, the competitive moat, the quality of the management team, and the quality of the business model. We look at broad factors like that and separately we have valuation screens on companies.When I was referring to the “lucky lexicon,” what we had in mind is that some of these consumer-facing companies can become so ingrained into culture that they can become household names. I refer to them as “lucky lexicons” — ”let me Google this,” “did you see that tweet,” and “I’ll Uber tonight.” Once you become a popular name, noun, or verb, then your need to spend money on sales and marketing to build that brand awareness diminishes. It creates a sort of leverage in the business model where sales and marketing expenses as a percentage can come down over time and that allows you to be more profitable. It’s a great place to reach.Airbnb has reached this. I think about the analogy this way: When you go on vacation, people come back and say “I stayed at an Airbnb this weekend.” They don’t come back and say, “I had a great experience at an Expedia this weekend,” or “I stayed at a Booking.com this weekend.” There’s an advantage of being part of the lucky lexicon.Can you share any other factors public market investors should keep in mind when assessing tech stocks?The most important of “The Four Ms” I mentioned is the management team. We’ve seen very different business models generate roughly similar levels of market cap over time. It’s more about the quality of the management team, and that’s a very hard thing to assess. It’s something that takes years to prove out, and we look for companies that are willing to make long-term investment bets, ones that stick with strategies over pronounced periods of time, and are also willing to make major pivots as well.Snap CEO Evan Spiegelrecently saidthat going public was a very challenging experience for him. One specific thing he said that’s made a big difference is being more transparent with investors by providing quarterly guidance. How do you see some of these companies that are used to keeping things quiet adapt to the more transparent nature of the public markets?The bar’s set higher in the public markets. I would imagine that if Snap had stayed private through that entire time and they had some of those same snafus, I would think some of their private investors would’ve been unhappy and even sold out of their positions. I would imagine that would’ve happened there too.What happened in the public markets is that the mistakes — and I think they were mistakes — that the company made became very clear. You had sharply decelerating user growth rates, and the public markets punished the stock for that.There were a lot of execution errors with that company, and I also think it spoke to the company’s inability to accurately forecast its business because maybe in some ways it didn’t know its business well enough. That was a company that went public maybe a little bit too early. They also had dramatic change in management team. It’s rare that you have that much change in management team in a year or two post-IPO. That’s not a good thing.Speaking of Snap, it went public witha dual-class share structurein which it offered common shares to the public without any voting rights. So Evan Spiegel and his co-founder had an outsize level of control. We recently saw Lyft and other companies that went public implement a dual class structure. How should investors think about stocks with this type of governance structure in which 1 share does not equal 1 vote?You’re right to point this out. This is a trend that’s been in place in the last five to 10 years. You’ve been increasingly seeing it in tech, and I think it’s a negative trend for public investors. The good thing about public investors is you don’t have to own low-voting right stock in Google, Facebook, or Snap. You could always pass on it.Investors who don’t have a single voting right do have a great way of influencing management: just sell all the stock. I have generally found that companies react to dramatic deteriorations in their stock price. I think that lit a fire under parts of management at Snap in the last year and a half. If there’s dramatic underperformance, you’ve got retention issues, and it puts more pressure on management to correct problems. There’s still a way for the public markets to correct you if you need correcting. Destruction of shareholder wealth is usually the right hammer if that’s needed.(Reminder: Fortune’sBrainstorm Tech Conferenceis taking place July 15-17.) 2. VENTURE DEALS•Monzo, a U.K.-based challenger bank, raised £113 million (~$144 million) in Series F funding at a £2 billion (~$2.5 billion) post-money valuation.Y Combinator’s “Continuity” growth fundled the round, and was joined by investors includingLatitude, General Catalyst, Stripe, Passion Capital, Thrive, Goodwater, Accel,andOrange Digital Ventures.•MX, a data platform for banks, credit unions and fintechs, raised $100 million in funding.Battery Venturesled the round, and was joined by investors includingH.I.G. Growth Partners, Point72 Ventures, Sorenson Ventures, Pelion Venture Partners, Cross Creek Capital, Industry Ventures, Digital Garage, TTV Capital,andCommerce Ventures.•Showpad, a Belgium-based sales enablement solution, raised $70 million in Series D funding (a combination of debt and equity).Dawn CapitalandInsight Partnersco-led the round, and was joined by investors includingHummingbird Venturesandnew investor Korelya Capital.•Booster, a same-day fuel delivery service, raised $56 million in Series C funding.Invus Opportunitiesled the round, and was joined by investors includingMadrona Venture Group, Vulcan Capital, Maveron, Conversion Capital,andPerot Jain LP.•Venn, a community organization platform, raised $40 million in funding. Investors includePitango Venture Capital, Hamilton Lane, on behalf of the New York State Common Retirement Fund,andBridges Israel.•Open, an India-based startup that operates a “neo-bank” to help businesses automate and run their finances, raised $30 million in Series B funding. Investors includeTiger Global, Tanglin Venture Partners Advisors, 3one4 Capital, Speedinvest,andBetterCapital AngelList Syndicate.•Button, a New York-based mobile commerce platform, raised $30 million in Series C funding.Icon Venturesled the round, and was joined by investors includingCapital One Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Norwest Venture PartnersandDCM Ventures.•Ocrolus, an automation platform that analyzes financial documents, raised $24 million in Series B funding.Oak HC/FTled the round.•Chief, a New York-based private network of women, raised $22 million in Series A funding.General CatalystandInspired Capitalco-led the round.•KoinWorks, an Indonesia-based startup that helps small and medium-sized businesses secure financial services through its online peer-to-peer platform, raised $16.5 million SGD ($12 million) in Series B funding.EV GrowthandQuona Capitalco-led the round, and were joined by investors includingMandiri Capital Indonesia, Convergence Ventures, Gunung Sewu, BeeblebroxandQuona Capital.•Motorway, a London-based used car marketplace, raised £11 million ($14 million) in Series A funding.Marchmont Venturesled the round, and was joined by investors includingLocalGlobe.•Orderful,a SaaS platform for B2B trading that enables users to transact with their partners in supply chain, raised $10 million in Series A funding.Andreessen Horowitzled the round.•Sunwave, a Delray Beach, Fla.- based software platform for substance abuse treatment centers, raised $6 million in Series A funding.Blueprint Equityled the round.•Miss Grass, a Venice, Calif.-based cannabis brand with a content and e-commerce platform, raised $4 million in funding. Investors include​Listen Ventures​, ​Casa Verde Capital​, ​Advancit Capital​, ​firstminute capital​, ​Third Kind Venture Capital​,and ​Muse Capital’s Assia Grazioli-Venier​and​Rachel Springate. 3. HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES DEALS•Corinth MedTech,a Cupertino, Calif.-based urology healthcare company, raised $12 million in funding.ShangBay Capital LLCandAethan Capital Incco-led the round.•DotLab, a San Francisco-based personalized medicine company for women’s health, raised $10 million in Series A funding.CooperSurgicalled the round, and was joined by investors includingTiger Global ManagementandLuxor Capital Group.•BioEclipse Therapeutics,a South San Francisco-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, raised $7.7 million in Series A-1 funding.Revelis Capital Group LLCled the round. 4. PRIVATE EQUITY DEALS•TPGagreed to acquire make an investment inHarlem Capital Partners,a New York-based early-stage venture firm. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.•Aurora Capital PartnersacquiredPetroleum Service Corporation, a provider of product handling and site logistics services for the petrochemical, refining, midstream and marine transportation sectors. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.•Norwest Equity Partnersmade a significant investment inArteriors, a designer and supplier of lighting fixtures, furniture and accessories. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.•Equistone Partners Europewill buyVulcain Ingénierie,a France-based engineering consultancy group serving the energy and pharmaceuticals sectors.The sellers wereNiXEN Partners,Initiative & Finance. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.•Main Capitalacquired a stake inOnventis, a Germany-based provider of a cloud platform for e-procurement. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.•Lovell Minnick Partnersinvested inoneZero Financial Systems, a Cambridge, Mass.-based provider of software and technology solutions to the foreign exchange trading industry.•ActiveViam, a New York-based in-memory data analytics software provider for enterprise financial services and retail customers, raised funding of an undisclosed amount fromGuidepost Growth Equity.•Falfurrias Capital Partnersagreed to acquire the food business ofThe C.F. Sauer Company, a Richmond, Va.-based producer of food products. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. 5. OTHER DEALS•WeWorkwill acquireWaltz, a New York-based mobile access control company. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.•RepublicacquiredSheWorx, a New York-based platform and event series for female entrepreneurs. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. 6. IPOs•Miniso,a Chinese budget retailer, is weighing an IPO in Hong Kong or the U.S., Bloomberg reports citing sources. The deal could raise about $1 billion.Read more.•Phreesia, a New York-based software platform for healthcare providers, filed for an $125 million IPO. The firm posted revenue of $99.9 million and loss of $45.3 million in the year ending Jan. 31. 2019.LLR Equity Partners(24% pre-offering),HLM Venture Partners(17.3%),and Polaris Venture Partners(15%) back the firm. J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo Securities, William Blair, Allen & Company and Piper Jaffray are underwriters. It plans to list on the NYSE as “PHR.”Read more.•Afya, a Brazilian healthcare education group, filed for an $100 million in an initial public offering. The firm posted revenue of $140 million in 2018 and income of $29.8 million. Morgan Stanley, BTG Pactual and XP Investimentos are underwriters. It plans to list on the Nasdaq as “AFYA.”Read more.•AssetMark Financial Holdings,a Concord-based wealth management platform for independent financial advisers, filed for an $100 million IPO. It posted revenue of $363.6 million in 2018 and income of $37.4 million.Huatai Internationalbacks the firm. J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and Huatai Securities are underwriters. It plans to list on the NYSE as “AMK.”Read more.•Medallia,a San Francisco-based enterprise customer experience platform, filed for an $100 million IPO. It posted revenue of $313.6 million and loss of $82.2 million.Sequoia Capital(41% pre-offering) backs the firm. BofA Merrill Lynch, Citi, Wells Fargo Securities, and Credit Suisse are underwriters. It plans to list on the NYSE as “MDLA.”Read more.•Fulcrum Therapeutics, a Cambridge, Mass.-based clinical-stage biotech developing therapies for rare diseases, filed for an $86 million IPO. The firm has yet to post revenue and posted losses of $39.1 million in 2018.Third Rock Ventures(43.2% pre-offering),GlaxoSmithKline(9.5%), andForesite Capital(8%) back the firm. Morgan Stanley, BofA Merrill Lynch, and SVB Leerink are underwriters. It plans to list on the Nasdaq as “FULC.”Read more.•Mirum Pharmaceuticals, a Foster City, Calif.-based biotech developing therapies for rare liver diseases, filed for an $86 million IPO. It has yet to post revenue and posted losses of $17.3 million between May and December 2018.New Enterprise Associates(20.8%),Frazier Life Sciences(17.3%) andDeerfield Healthcare Innovation (17.3%) Citi, Evercore ISI and Guggenheim Securities are underwriters. It plans to list on the Nasdaq as “MIRM.”Read more.•Yandex, the Russian taxi online service, is likely to sell new shares in its planned IPO, a majority shareholder said, per Reuters.Read more. 7. EXITS•WP EngineacquiredFlywheel, an Omaha, Neb.-based WordPress hosting and management platform. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Flywheel had raised approximately $14.2 million in funding from investors includingFive Elms Capital, Ludlow Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Lightbank,andLinseed Capital. 8. FIRMS + FUNDS•Hamilton Lane, a Bala Cynwyd, Penn.-based investment firm, raised $1.7 billion for its latest co-investment fund, Hamilton Lane Co-Investment Fund IV.•A&M Capital Partners, a Greenwich, Conn.-based private equity firm, raised more than $1 billion for its second fund, according toan SEC filing.•JD.com’slogistics division raised a 1.5 billion yuan ($218 million) fund to invest in companies and technologies specializing in logistics, according to Reuters.Read more. 9. PEOPLE•Altus Capital Partners, IncpromotedNick deMarcoto principal andJoshua Tesorieroto vice president.•Santé VenturesappointedDennis McWilliamsas a venture partner. 10. SHARE TODAY’S TERM SHEETView this email in your browser.Polina Marinovaproduces Term Sheet, andLucinda Shencompiles the IPO news. Send deal announcements to Polinahereand IPO news to Lucindahere.
Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's Frogmore Cottage Renovations Were Wildly Expensive Photo credit: Getty Images From Women's Health Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spent almost $3 million of taxpayer money on their Frogmore Cottage home renovations. The couple were required to spend their own money on fancy fixings, like lighting and kitchen upgrades. If you're wondering where the British public's hard-earned tax money is going, that'd be right over to Frogmore Cottage-where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been busily renovating their home. According to a People source, the couple's hilariously-named house is "substantially completed" and they've both redecorated the exterior (think windows and walls), and also re-landscaped and added some garden lighting. THE GARDEN MUST BE LIT, GUYS. Apparently, taxpayers paid around $3 million for the renovations through the Queen’s annual Sovereign Grant, but “anything moveable” (think furniture) was paid for by Harry and Meghan themselves. Photo credit: Getty Images "All fixtures and fittings were paid for by their Royal Highnesses," the source says. "Curtains, furnishings-all that would be paid separately, paid privately." Oh, and they paid for some of their fancier non-movable requests, like their upgraded kitchen. "If a member of the royal family says, 'We want a better kitchen than you’re prepared to provide with public money,' then that would fall to them privately and they would have to meet the cost," the source says. "If they want that higher specification, they have to pay the extra." While previous reports claimed Meghan and Harry were adding a yoga studio with a floating wood floor, apparently this isn't true. So all you slightly pissed British tax-payers can calm down! But, how did they possibly spend so much money if it wasn't on fancy stuff like yoga rooms? Apparently, Frogmore was pretty dilapidated. "A very large proportion of the ceiling beams and floor joists were defective and had to be replaced," the source says. "The heating systems were outdated and inefficient and were not to the environmental standards that we would expect today. The electrical system also needed to be substantially replaced and rewired, even extending to the establishment of a separate upgraded electrical substation, which was in addition to the main works on the property. And new gas and water mains had to be introduced to the property, replacing the five separate links that were there for the property before and were in a bad state of repair. Overall, the works were conducted over a period of around six months.” Story continues Cool, I'll just be here in my apartment waiting for my hot water to kick back on, lol! ('You Might Also Like',) 14 Keto Breakfast Recipes That Make Waking Up So Much Easier 13 MS Symptoms In Women That Shouldn't Be Ignored Love Carbs? We Created This 21-Day Keto Diet Plan Just for You
AbbVie to Buy Botox-Maker Allergan, Look Ahead to G-20 Tuesday, June 25, 2019For the second consecutive day, we see another major acquisition during the pre-market period. Yesterday was the Gaming industry’s buyout of Caesars Entertainment CZR by Eldorado Resorts ERI, and today we turn to biopharma:AbbVie ABBVhas agreed to purchase Botox makerAllergan AGNfor roughly $63 billion in cash and stock.The deal reportedly values Allergan at a 45% premium to Monday’s closing price. Thus far, since the deal has been announced, shares of Allergan have blossomed 32%. AbbVie, on a quest to replace coming lost revenues on Humira’s generic competition, have dipped around 7.5% thus far ahead of the opening bell.Allergan has been a targeted acquisition for the past several years — back in 2015, Pfizer PFE, which recently acquired Array Biopharma ARRY, was prepared to pay almost double this morning’s headline price for Allergan. AbbVie, which spun off from Abbott Labs ABT 6 years ago, had been rated a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) ahead of the announced transaction; Allergan was carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Trump-Xi to Meet This WeekendAs the leaders of the world’s top economies join together for the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan at the end of this week, President Trump and Xi have scheduled a separate, private meeting between the embattled two leaders. The ongoing trade war, having been put into effect as of fall last year, has shown little progress over the last month, when talks nearing a deal fell apart.U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross does not want investors to get their hopes up that a trade deal is coming soon, certainly not as a direct result of this Saturday’s scheduled meeting between Trump and Xi. What investors might more reasonably expect in the near term is a pause in tariffs and a resuming of talks between the two sides over the summer.At the G-20 summit last year in Argentina, Trump and Xi also met privately. Routinely, reports from inside these private talks are very positive, but now a year on with no trade agreement in sight, investors have understandably tempered their expectations.Mark VickerySenior EditorQuestions or comments about this article and/or its author? Click here>> More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> 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 reportCaesars Entertainment Corporation (CZR) : Free Stock Analysis ReportPfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis ReportAllergan plc (AGN) : Free Stock Analysis ReportAbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis ReportAbbott Laboratories (ABT) : Free Stock Analysis ReportEldorado Resorts, Inc. (ERI) : Free Stock Analysis ReportArray BioPharma Inc. (ARRY) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo 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. Click to get this free report
EXCLUSIVE-Facebook to give data on hate speech suspects to French courts - minister By Mathieu Rosemain PARIS, June 25 (Reuters) - Facebook has agreed to hand over the identification data of French users suspected of hate speech on its platform to judges, France's minister for digital affairs Cedric O said on Tuesday, adding the deal was a world first. The move by the world's biggest social media network comes after successive meetings between Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg and French President Emmanuel Macron, who wants to take a leading role globally on the regulation of hate speech and the spread of false information online. So far, Facebook has cooperated with French justice on matters related to terrorist attacks and violent acts by transferring the IP addresses and other identification data of suspected individuals to French judges who formally demanded it. Following a meeting between Nick Clegg, Facebook's head of global affairs, and O last week, the social media company has extended this cooperation to hate speech. "This is huge news, it means that the judicial process will be able to run normally," O, a former top adviser to Macron, told Reuters in an interview. "It's really very important, they're only doing it for France." O, who said he had been in close contact with Clegg over the last few days on the issue, said Facebook's decision was the result of an ongoing conversation between the internet giant and the French administration. Facebook declined to comment. The discussions started off with a Zuckerberg-Macron meeting last year, followed by a report on tech regulation last month that Facebook's founder considered could be a blueprint for wider EU regulation. Facebook had refrained from handing over identification data of people suspected of hate speech because it was not compelled to do so under U.S.-French legal conventions and because it was worried countries without an independent judiciary could abuse it. France's parliament, where Macron's ruling party has a comfortable majority, is debating legislation that would give the new regulator the power to fine tech companies up to 4% of their global revenue if they don't do enough to remove hateful content from their network. (Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Mark Potter)
Port Report: Maersk Debuts New Online Booking For Ocean Freight Maersk rolled out a fully online service for customers to book space on a container ship. The new offering, Maersk Spot, provides customers a cargo loading guaranteed at a fixed price upfront. The world's biggest shipping line said the new product addresses fundamental inefficiencies that exist across the industry such as the lack of guaranteed space on a container ship and the potential for cargo to be rolled to another, later voyage. "It is not uncommon to see overbookings to the tune of 30 percent, and often this leads to rolling of the customers' cargoes since there is overbooking to compensate for the high downfall. This creates a lot of uncertainty for our customers," said Silvia Ding, Global Head of Ocean Products at Maersk. "With Maersk Spot, we provide full visibility of the price and terms that will ensure cargoes get on board. Ultimately allowing customers to move their cargo in a much simpler and more reliable way." Maersk has made digital efficiency in booking ocean freight a priority over the last year after Chief Executive Soren Skou noted the "at times, quite painful" process of booking ocean freight. Its Damco freight forwarding subsidiary has offered online access to ocean freight quotes, which is now considered "table stakes" in the industry, through its Twill offering. Maersk is also offeringonline customs clearance for shipments to Europe. The Maersk Spot offering has online access to the liner operator's ocean freight rates. The all-in price is calculated and fixed when the booking is confirmed, which happens instantly. This online pricing fixed at booking creates one transaction for the customer from quotation to booking confirmation. "Maersk Spot radically simplifies the buying experience for our customers. Today's offline process can be up to 13 individual steps, often involving a lot of communication and paper work from rate sheets to terms and conditions and surcharges, etc. With Maersk Spot, this cumbersome process is reduced to five simple and integrated steps – all online," said Ding. When a booking is confirmed by the customer, Maersk commits to load and grants certainty in operational execution. In case of booking cancellations, fees apply at the customer's charge. If cargo is rolled, Maersk compensates the customer. Maersk said more than 3,000 unique customers have used the new service weekly, with already over 50,000 containers booked in the second quarter. "This is a mutual commitment between the customer and Maersk which ensures that the vicious cycle of overbookings is addressed," Maersk said in a statement. Maersk Spot is now available on all trades, except in and out of U.S. Currently available as beta site, the product will be implemented on maersk.com at the beginning of August. Ship manager decries automation drive in shipping Ship management firm says technology should help, not replace, seafarers. (Seatrade Maritime) Chinese tanker said to be first ‘smart' ship Owner touts energy efficiency, autopilot navigation, and smart cargo management. (Safety4Sea) Blockchain aimed at misdeclared cargo Maritime Blockchain Labs aims to track and trace dangerous goods shipments. (World Maritime News) Image Sourced From Pixabay See more from Benzinga • Cross-Border Trucking Volumes Jump In Otay Mesa Port Of Entry, Fueled By Auto Manufacturing In Mexico • Sealed Air CFO Terminated For Cause Amid SEC Investigation • U.S. Combat Ship Hits Freighter In Canada © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Top Ranked Value Stocks to Buy for June 25th Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong value characteristics for investors to consider today, June 25th: Hibbett Sports, Inc.(HIBB): This athletic-inspired fashion products retailer has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 10.2% over the last 60 days. Hibbett Sports, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Hibbett Sports, Inc. Quote Hibbett Sports has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 9.41, compared with 12.70 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A. Hibbett Sports, Inc. pe-ratio-ttm | Hibbett Sports, Inc. Quote Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (GPI): This seller of new and used cars, light trucks and vehicle parts etc has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), and seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 3.6% over the last 60 days. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Quote Group 1 Automotive has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 7.65, compared with 11.90 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. pe-ratio-ttm | Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Quote Dana Incorporated (DAN): This provider of drive and motion products, sealing solutions and thermal-management technologies has a Zacks Rank #2, and seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 1.5% over the last 60 days. Dana Incorporated price-consensus-chart | Dana Incorporated Quote Dana has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 5.38, compared with 7.70 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A. Dana Incorporated pe-ratio-ttm | Dana Incorporated Quote China Distance Education Holdings Limited (DL): This provider of online and offline education services has a Zacks Rank #2, and seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings rising 1.7% over the last 60 days. China Distance Education Holdings Limited price-consensus-chart | China Distance Education Holdings Limited Quote China Distance Education has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 8.69 compared with 18.30 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A. China Distance Education Holdings Limited pe-ratio-ttm | China Distance Education Holdings Limited Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here Learn more about the Value score and how it is calculated here. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> 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 reportHibbett Sports, Inc. (HIBB) : Free Stock Analysis ReportGroup 1 Automotive, Inc. (GPI) : Free Stock Analysis ReportChina Distance Education Holdings Limited (DL) : Free Stock Analysis ReportDana Incorporated (DAN) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
Two people arrested over A-level exam paper leak A-level students sit an A-level maths exam inside a sports hall Two people have been arrested over the leak of an A-level maths paper, the exam body's parent company has said. Images of the test set by Edexcel were circulated online shortly before it was sat by students on June 14. Pearson, Edexcel's parent company, said on Tuesday police had informed the firm that two people have been arrested and detained for questioning. Scotland Yard, the force carrying out the criminal cheating probe, was unable to confirm the arrests or provide any further details. A general view of pupils sitting an exam at Lawrence Sheriff school Rugby, Warwickshire. Pearson senior vice-president Sharon Hague said: "We understand students are rightfully concerned and want a fair playing field. "The actions we have taken to strengthen our security processes has enabled us, in conjunction with the police, to quickly identify those who we believe were involved in the breach and to take swift and immediate action. "We are systematically working through all leads and, as we continue to investigate the suspects, this will enable us to further hone in on anyone that has gained an advantage, and take action accordingly. "Our key priority is ensuring no students are disadvantaged in any way." Read more from Yahoo News UK: Man who shot dead his best friend cleared of murder Boris Johnson fumbles answers as he’s quizzed on Brexit Bill Gates reveals Microsoft’s biggest ever mistake Pearson replaced another maths A-level paper which was due to be sat by 7,000 students, in the wake of the breach. It came after similar leaks in 2017 and 2018 when A-level maths papers were put up online ahead of the tests. The leaks were probed by the police and evidence was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration over whether criminal charges should be brought. Earlier this year, Pearson said it would be trialling a scheme where microchips were placed in exam packs to track the date, time and location of the bundles. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
Is Cemex SAB de CV (CX) A Good Stock To Buy? "The global economic environment is very favorable for investors. Economies are generally strong, but not too strong. Employment levels are among the strongest for many decades. Interest rates are paused at very low levels, and the risk of significant increases in the medium term seems low. Financing for transactions is freely available to good borrowers, but not in major excess. Covenants are lighter than they were five years ago, but the extreme excesses seen in the past do not seem prevalent yet today. Despite this apparent ‘goldilocks’ market environment, we continue to worry about a world where politics are polarized almost everywhere, interest rates are low globally, and equity valuations are at their peak," are the words ofBrookfield Asset Management. Brookfield was right about politics as stocks experienced their second worst May since the 1960s due to escalation of trade disputes. We pay attention to what hedge funds are doing in a particular stock before considering a potential investment because it works for us. So let’s take a glance at the smart money sentiment towards Cemex SAB de CV (NYSE:CX) and see how it was affected. IsCemex SAB de CV (NYSE:CX)a good investment now? Prominent investors are getting more optimistic. The number of long hedge fund positions inched up by 5 in recent months. Our calculations also showed that CX isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. Why do we pay any attention at all to hedge fund sentiment? Our research has shown that hedge funds' large-cap stock picks indeed failed to beat the market between 1999 and 2016. However, we were able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 40 percentage points since May 2014 through May 30, 2019 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that'll significantly underperform the market. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 and they lost 30.9% through May 30, 2019. That's why we believe hedge fund sentiment is an extremely useful indicator that investors should pay attention to. Let's take a peek at the fresh hedge fund action surrounding Cemex SAB de CV (NYSE:CX). Heading into the second quarter of 2019, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were long this stock, a change of 50% from the fourth quarter of 2018. The graph below displays the number of hedge funds with bullish position in CX over the last 15 quarters. With hedgies' capital changing hands, there exists a select group of key hedge fund managers who were increasing their holdings significantly (or already accumulated large positions). According to publicly available hedge fund and institutional investor holdings data compiled by Insider Monkey,Oaktree Capital Management, managed by Howard Marks, holds the number one position in Cemex SAB de CV (NYSE:CX). Oaktree Capital Management has a $29.4 million position in the stock, comprising 0.6% of its 13F portfolio. On Oaktree Capital Management's heels isFisher Asset Management, led by Ken Fisher, holding a $29.3 million position; the fund has less than 0.1%% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Some other hedge funds and institutional investors with similar optimism include Jim Simons'sRenaissance Technologies, Thomas E. Claugus'sGMT Capitaland David Kowitz and Sheldon Kasowitz'sIndus Capital. As industrywide interest jumped, key money managers were breaking ground themselves.Renaissance Technologies, managed by Jim Simons, established the largest position in Cemex SAB de CV (NYSE:CX). Renaissance Technologies had $8.1 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Paul Marshall and Ian Wace'sMarshall Wace LLPalso initiated a $2 million position during the quarter. The other funds with brand new CX positions are Matthew Hulsizer'sPEAK6 Capital Management, Gavin Saitowitz and Cisco J. del Valle'sSpringbok Capital, and Allan Teh'sKamunting Street Capital. Let's now review hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as Cemex SAB de CV (NYSE:CX) but similarly valued. These stocks are Qurate Retail, Inc. (NASDAQ:QRTEA), Five Below Inc (NASDAQ:FIVE), Teradyne, Inc. (NASDAQ:TER), and Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK). All of these stocks' market caps are closest to CX's market cap. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position QRTEA,33,725955,-2 FIVE,38,487778,6 TER,24,564379,-1 ALK,20,466021,-12 Average,28.75,561033,-2.25 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 28.75 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $561 million. That figure was $91 million in CX's case. Five Below Inc (NASDAQ:FIVE) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) is the least popular one with only 20 bullish hedge fund positions. Compared to these stocks Cemex SAB de CV (NYSE:CX) is even less popular than ALK. Hedge funds dodged a bullet by taking a bearish stance towards CX. Our calculations showed that the top 20 most popular hedge fund stocks returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. Unfortunately CX wasn't nearly as popular as these 20 stocks (hedge fund sentiment was very bearish); CX investors were disappointed as the stock returned -9.5% during the same time frame and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out thetop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds as 13 of these stocks already outperformed the market so far in the second quarter. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Is Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) A Good Stock To Buy? It seems that the masses and most of the financial media hate hedge funds and what they do, but why is this hatred of hedge funds so prominent? At the end of the day, these asset management firms do not gamble the hard-earned money of the people who are on the edge of poverty. Truth be told, most hedge fund managers and other smaller players within this industry are very smart and skilled investors. Of course, they may also make wrong bets in some instances, but no one knows what the future holds and how market participants will react to the bountiful news that floods in each day. The Standard and Poor’s 500 Index returned approximately 12.1% in the first 5 months of this year (through May 30th). Conversely, hedge funds’ top 20 large-cap stock picks generated a return of 18.7% during the same 5-month period, with the majority of these stock picks outperforming the broader market benchmark. Coincidence? It might happen to be so, but it is unlikely. Our research covering the last 18 years indicates that hedge funds' stock picks generate superior risk-adjusted returns. That's why we believe it isn't a waste of time to check out hedge fund sentiment before you invest in a stock like Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA). IsModerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)a good investment now? Prominent investors are becoming less confident. The number of long hedge fund positions dropped by 2 recently. Our calculations also showed that MRNA isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.MRNAwas in 15 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of March. There were 17 hedge funds in our database with MRNA positions at the end of the previous quarter. In the financial world there are a large number of tools investors have at their disposal to grade stocks. A pair of the most under-the-radar tools are hedge fund and insider trading indicators. We have shown that, historically, those who follow the top picks of the best fund managers can outperform the broader indices by a solid amount. Insider Monkey's flagship best performing hedge funds strategy returned 25.8% year to date (through May 30th) and outperformed the market even though it draws its stock picks among small-cap stocks. This strategy also outperformed the market by 40 percentage points since its inception (see the details here). That's why we believe hedge fund sentiment is a useful indicator that investors should pay attention to. Let's review the recent hedge fund action encompassing Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA). Heading into the second quarter of 2019, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of -12% from the fourth quarter of 2018. Below, you can check out the change in hedge fund sentiment towards MRNA over the last 15 quarters. With hedge funds' positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists a select group of key hedge fund managers who were adding to their stakes meaningfully (or already accumulated large positions). Among these funds,Viking Globalheld the most valuable stake in Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), which was worth $339.2 million at the end of the first quarter. On the second spot was Theleme Partners which amassed $33.2 million worth of shares. Moreover, RA Capital Management, Platinum Asset Management, and Hillhouse Capital Management were also bullish on Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), allocating a large percentage of their portfolios to this stock. Judging by the fact that Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) has faced declining sentiment from the aggregate hedge fund industry, it's easy to see that there were a few fund managers that decided to sell off their entire stakes in the third quarter. Interestingly, Robert Pohly'sSamlyn Capitaldropped the biggest stake of all the hedgies watched by Insider Monkey, comprising close to $5 million in stock, and Alec Litowitz and Ross Laser's Magnetar Capital was right behind this move, as the fund dumped about $0.8 million worth. These transactions are interesting, as aggregate hedge fund interest dropped by 2 funds in the third quarter. Let's now take a look at hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA). We will take a look at Zayo Group Holdings Inc (NYSE:ZAYO), Genpact Limited (NYSE:G), AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE:AER), and Gerdau SA (NYSE:GGB). This group of stocks' market valuations are closest to MRNA's market valuation. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position ZAYO,61,1681079,5 G,29,600991,7 AER,23,792415,-8 GGB,10,168753,-2 Average,30.75,810810,0.5 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 30.75 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $811 million. That figure was $493 million in MRNA's case. Zayo Group Holdings Inc (NYSE:ZAYO) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Gerdau SA (NYSE:GGB) is the least popular one with only 10 bullish hedge fund positions. Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. This is a slightly negative signal and we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. Unfortunately MRNA wasn't nearly as popular as these 20 stocks (hedge fund sentiment was quite bearish); MRNA investors were disappointed as the stock returned -23.8% during the same time period and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out thetop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds as 13 of these stocks already outperformed the market so far in Q2. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Did Hedge Funds Drop The Ball On Sunrun Inc (RUN) ? Hedge Funds and other institutional investors have just completed filing their 13Fs with the Securities and Exchange Commission, revealing their equity portfolios as of the end of March. At Insider Monkey, we follow nearly 750 active hedge funds and notable investors and by analyzing their 13F filings, we can determine the stocks that they are collectively bullish on. One of their picks is Sunrun Inc (NASDAQ:RUN), so let’s take a closer look at the sentiment that surrounds it in the current quarter. Sunrun Inc (NASDAQ:RUN)has experienced a decrease in hedge fund interest of late. Our calculations also showed that RUN isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. According to most traders, hedge funds are viewed as worthless, old financial tools of yesteryear. While there are over 8000 funds with their doors open today, Our experts look at the crème de la crème of this group, around 750 funds. It is estimated that this group of investors shepherd most of the hedge fund industry's total asset base, and by tracking their finest picks, Insider Monkey has uncovered a number of investment strategies that have historically exceeded the broader indices. Insider Monkey's flagship hedge fund strategy surpassed the S&P 500 index by around 5 percentage points per year since its inception in May 2014 through June 18th. We were able to generate large returns even by identifying short candidates. Our portfolio of short stocks lost 28.2% since February 2017 (through June 18th) even though the market was up nearly 30% during the same period. We just shared a list of 5 short targets in ourlatest quarterly updateand they are already down an average of 8.2% in a month whereas our long picks outperformed the market by 2.5 percentage points in this volatile 5 week period (our long picks also beat the market by 15 percentage points so far this year). We're going to take a look at the recent hedge fund action encompassing Sunrun Inc (NASDAQ:RUN). At Q1's end, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of -17% from the previous quarter. On the other hand, there were a total of 8 hedge funds with a bullish position in RUN a year ago. With the smart money's sentiment swirling, there exists a few notable hedge fund managers who were adding to their holdings considerably (or already accumulated large positions). More specifically,Tiger Global Managementwas the largest shareholder of Sunrun Inc (NASDAQ:RUN), with a stake worth $261.3 million reported as of the end of March. Trailing Tiger Global Management was Ardsley Partners, which amassed a stake valued at $21 million. Hudson Bay Capital Management, Citadel Investment Group, and MD Sass were also very fond of the stock, giving the stock large weights in their portfolios. Judging by the fact that Sunrun Inc (NASDAQ:RUN) has experienced falling interest from hedge fund managers, it's easy to see that there exists a select few fund managers that elected to cut their full holdings by the end of the third quarter. Interestingly, Richard Driehaus'sDriehaus Capitalsold off the biggest stake of the "upper crust" of funds followed by Insider Monkey, valued at an estimated $7.3 million in stock. Steve Cohen's fund,Point72 Asset Management, also dropped its stock, about $4.4 million worth. These transactions are important to note, as aggregate hedge fund interest fell by 3 funds by the end of the third quarter. Let's go over hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Sunrun Inc (NASDAQ:RUN). These stocks are American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AXL), Virtusa Corporation (NASDAQ:VRTU), B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE:BGS), and PROS Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PRO). This group of stocks' market values are closest to RUN's market value. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position AXL,19,126147,-5 VRTU,10,63089,-4 BGS,19,195714,9 PRO,19,159084,4 Average,16.75,136009,1 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 16.75 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $136 million. That figure was $306 million in RUN's case. American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AXL) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Virtusa Corporation (NASDAQ:VRTU) is the least popular one with only 10 bullish hedge fund positions. Sunrun Inc (NASDAQ:RUN) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. A small number of hedge funds were also right about betting on RUN as the stock returned 29.9% during the same time frame and outperformed the market by an even larger margin. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Is IMAX Corporation (IMAX) A Good Stock To Buy? Out of thousands of stocks that are currently traded on the market, it is difficult to identify those that will really generate strong returns. Hedge funds and institutional investors spend millions of dollars on analysts with MBAs and PhDs, who are industry experts and well connected to other industry and media insiders on top of that. Individual investors can piggyback the hedge funds employing these talents and can benefit from their vast resources and knowledge in that way. We analyze quarterly 13F filings of nearly 750 hedge funds and, by looking at the smart money sentiment that surrounds a stock, we can determine whether it has the potential to beat the market over the long-term. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at what smart money thinks about IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX). IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX)was in 15 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of the first quarter of 2019. IMAX has experienced an increase in activity from the world's largest hedge funds recently. There were 14 hedge funds in our database with IMAX positions at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that IMAX isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. So, why do we pay attention to hedge fund sentiment before making any investment decisions? Our research has shown that hedge funds' small-cap stock picks managed to beat the market by double digits annually between 1999 and 2016, but the margin of outperformance has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, we were still able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 40 percentage points since May 2014 through May 30, 2019 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that underperformed the market by 10 percentage points annually between 2006 and 2017. Interestingly the margin of underperformance of these stocks has been increasing in recent years. Investors who are long the market and short these stocks would have returned more than 27% annually between 2015 and 2017. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 in our quarterly newsletter. Even if you aren't comfortable with shorting stocks, you should at least avoid initiating long positions in our short portfolio. Let's review the latest hedge fund action regarding IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX). At Q1's end, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were long this stock, a change of 7% from one quarter earlier. On the other hand, there were a total of 14 hedge funds with a bullish position in IMAX a year ago. So, let's see which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves. The largest stake in IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) was held byArrowstreet Capital, which reported holding $11.2 million worth of stock at the end of March. It was followed by Renaissance Technologies with a $10.4 million position. Other investors bullish on the company included Two Sigma Advisors, GLG Partners, and IBIS Capital Partners. Consequently, key hedge funds have been driving this bullishness.Arrowstreet Capital, managed by Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke and John Campbell, assembled the biggest position in IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX). Arrowstreet Capital had $11.2 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Mike Vranos'sEllingtonalso initiated a $0.4 million position during the quarter. The other funds with brand new IMAX positions are Jeffrey Talpins'sElement Capital Management, Ken Griffin'sCitadel Investment Group, and Charles Clough'sClough Capital Partners. Let's now review hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) but similarly valued. These stocks are Central Puerto S.A. (NYSE:CEPU), Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT), Ambarella Inc (NASDAQ:AMBA), and Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY). All of these stocks' market caps resemble IMAX's market cap. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position CEPU,12,39045,4 AIMT,15,202754,-1 AMBA,19,100486,5 SFLY,28,423757,6 Average,18.5,191511,3.5 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 18.5 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $192 million. That figure was $41 million in IMAX's case. Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Central Puerto S.A. (NYSE:CEPU) is the least popular one with only 12 bullish hedge fund positions. IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. This is a slightly negative signal and we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. Unfortunately IMAX wasn't nearly as popular as these 20 stocks (hedge fund sentiment was quite bearish); IMAX investors were disappointed as the stock returned -10% during the same time period and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out thetop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds as 13 of these stocks already outperformed the market so far in Q2. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Here’s What Hedge Funds Think About Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (AIMT) It was a rough fourth quarter for many hedge funds, which were naturally unable to overcome the big dip in the broad market, as the S&P 500 fell by about 4.8% during 2018 and average hedge fund losing about 1%. The Russell 2000, composed of smaller companies, performed even worse, trailing the S&P by more than 6 percentage points, as investors fled less-known quantities for safe havens. Luckily hedge funds were shifting their holdings into large-cap stocks. The 20 most popular hedge fund stocks actually generated an average return of 18.7% so far in 2019 and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF by 6.6 percentage points. We are done processing the latest 13f filings and in this article we will study how hedge fund sentiment towards Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT) changed during the first quarter. Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT)has experienced a decrease in hedge fund sentiment in recent months.AIMTwas in 15 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of the first quarter of 2019. There were 16 hedge funds in our database with AIMT holdings at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that AIMT isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. So, why do we pay attention to hedge fund sentiment before making any investment decisions? Our research has shown that hedge funds' small-cap stock picks managed to beat the market by double digits annually between 1999 and 2016, but the margin of outperformance has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, we were still able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 40 percentage points since May 2014 through May 30, 2019 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that underperformed the market by 10 percentage points annually between 2006 and 2017. Interestingly the margin of underperformance of these stocks has been increasing in recent years. Investors who are long the market and short these stocks would have returned more than 27% annually between 2015 and 2017. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 in our quarterly newsletter. Even if you aren't comfortable with shorting stocks, you should at least avoid initiating long positions in our short portfolio. We're going to take a peek at the key hedge fund action encompassing Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT). Heading into the second quarter of 2019, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of -6% from the previous quarter. The graph below displays the number of hedge funds with bullish position in AIMT over the last 15 quarters. So, let's check out which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves. Of the funds tracked by Insider Monkey,Palo Alto Investors, managed by William Leland Edwards, holds the biggest position in Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT). Palo Alto Investors has a $83.8 million position in the stock, comprising 3.5% of its 13F portfolio. The second most bullish fund manager is Dennis Purcell ofAisling Capital, with a $44.5 million position; 66.8% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the stock. Some other peers with similar optimism comprise John Smith Clark'sSouthpoint Capital Advisors, Julian Baker and Felix Baker'sBaker Bros. Advisorsand Jim Tananbaum'sForesite Capital. Seeing as Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT) has faced bearish sentiment from hedge fund managers, it's safe to say that there were a few hedge funds that slashed their entire stakes in the third quarter. At the top of the heap, Steve Cohen'sPoint72 Asset Managementsaid goodbye to the largest investment of the "upper crust" of funds followed by Insider Monkey, valued at an estimated $14.7 million in stock, and Paul Marshall and Ian Wace's Marshall Wace LLP was right behind this move, as the fund dropped about $5.6 million worth. These moves are intriguing to say the least, as aggregate hedge fund interest fell by 1 funds in the third quarter. Let's also examine hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT). We will take a look at Ambarella Inc (NASDAQ:AMBA), Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY), Suburban Propane Partners LP (NYSE:SPH), and TriMas Corp (NASDAQ:TRS). All of these stocks' market caps match AIMT's market cap. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position AMBA,19,100486,5 SFLY,28,423757,6 SPH,5,86935,0 TRS,18,123730,2 Average,17.5,183727,3.25 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 17.5 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $184 million. That figure was $203 million in AIMT's case. Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Suburban Propane Partners LP (NYSE:SPH) is the least popular one with only 5 bullish hedge fund positions. Aimmune Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:AIMT) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. This is a slightly negative signal and we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. Unfortunately AIMT wasn't nearly as popular as these 20 stocks (hedge fund sentiment was quite bearish); AIMT investors were disappointed as the stock returned -10.2% during the same time period and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out thetop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds as 13 of these stocks already outperformed the market so far in Q2. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Did Hedge Funds Drop The Ball On Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (ABG) ? The government requires hedge funds and wealthy investors that crossed the $100 million equity holdings threshold are required to file a report that shows their positions at the end of every quarter. Even though it isn't the intention, these filings level the playing field for ordinary investors. The latest round of 13F filings disclosed the funds' positions on March 31. We at Insider Monkey have made an extensive database of nearly 750 of those elite funds and famous investors' filings. In this article, we analyze how these elite funds and prominent investors traded Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) based on those filings. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)investors should pay attention to a decrease in support from the world's most elite money managers of late. Our calculations also showed that ABG isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. Hedge funds' reputation as shrewd investors has been tarnished in the last decade as their hedged returns couldn't keep up with the unhedged returns of the market indices. Our research has shown that hedge funds' large-cap stock picks indeed failed to beat the market between 1999 and 2016. However, we were able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 40 percentage points since May 2014 through May 30, 2019 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that'll significantly underperform the market. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 and they lost 30.9% through May 30, 2019. That's why we believe hedge fund sentiment is an extremely useful indicator that investors should pay attention to. We're going to take a glance at the fresh hedge fund action regarding Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG). Heading into the second quarter of 2019, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of -6% from the previous quarter. The graph below displays the number of hedge funds with bullish position in ABG over the last 15 quarters. So, let's examine which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves. More specifically,Abrams Capital Managementwas the largest shareholder of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG), with a stake worth $132 million reported as of the end of March. Trailing Abrams Capital Management was Eminence Capital, which amassed a stake valued at $26.6 million. GLG Partners, PEAK6 Capital Management, and Arrowstreet Capital were also very fond of the stock, giving the stock large weights in their portfolios. Because Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) has witnessed a decline in interest from hedge fund managers, we can see that there were a few hedgies that decided to sell off their positions entirely last quarter. Interestingly, David Costen Haley'sHBK Investmentsdumped the largest position of the "upper crust" of funds followed by Insider Monkey, comprising about $1.6 million in stock. Michael Platt and William Reeves's fund,BlueCrest Capital Mgmt., also dropped its stock, about $0.4 million worth. These moves are important to note, as aggregate hedge fund interest was cut by 1 funds last quarter. Let's now review hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG). These stocks are Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF), McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR), Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NASDAQ:WW), and Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (NASDAQ:CORT). This group of stocks' market caps are closest to ABG's market cap. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position SBCF,8,44815,2 MDR,22,169071,-1 WW,20,210108,-3 CORT,18,132235,-1 Average,17,139057,-0.75 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 17 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $139 million. That figure was $194 million in ABG's case. McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) is the least popular one with only 8 bullish hedge fund positions. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. A small number of hedge funds were also right about betting on ABG as the stock returned 18.4% during the same time frame and outperformed the market by an even larger margin. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Here’s What Hedge Funds Think About California Resources Corporation (CRC) Hedge funds are not perfect. They have their bad picks just like everyone else. Facebook, a stock hedge funds have loved dearly, lost nearly 40% of its value at one point in 2018. Although hedge funds are not perfect, their consensus picks do deliver solid returns, however. Our data show the top 20 S&P 500 stocks among hedge funds beat the S&P 500 Index by more than 6 percentage points so far in 2019. Because hedge funds have a lot of resources and their consensus picks do well, we pay attention to what they think. In this article, we analyze what the elite funds think of California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC). California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC)was in 15 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of March. CRC has seen a decrease in hedge fund interest recently. There were 20 hedge funds in our database with CRC holdings at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that CRC isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. Hedge funds' reputation as shrewd investors has been tarnished in the last decade as their hedged returns couldn't keep up with the unhedged returns of the market indices. Our research has shown that hedge funds' small-cap stock picks managed to beat the market by double digits annually between 1999 and 2016, but the margin of outperformance has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, we were still able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 40 percentage points since May 2014 through May 30, 2019 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that underperformed the market by 10 percentage points annually between 2006 and 2017. Interestingly the margin of underperformance of these stocks has been increasing in recent years. Investors who are long the market and short these stocks would have returned more than 27% annually between 2015 and 2017. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 in our quarterly newsletter. Let's take a gander at the fresh hedge fund action encompassing California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC). At Q1's end, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were long this stock, a change of -25% from one quarter earlier. On the other hand, there were a total of 20 hedge funds with a bullish position in CRC a year ago. So, let's check out which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves. More specifically,Masters Capital Managementwas the largest shareholder of California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC), with a stake worth $25.7 million reported as of the end of March. Trailing Masters Capital Management was D E Shaw, which amassed a stake valued at $25.6 million. Orbis Investment Management, Rima Senvest Management, and Crescent Park Management were also very fond of the stock, giving the stock large weights in their portfolios. Because California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC) has experienced declining sentiment from the aggregate hedge fund industry, it's safe to say that there lies a certain "tier" of money managers who sold off their positions entirely in the third quarter. Intriguingly, Jim Simons'sRenaissance Technologiessaid goodbye to the biggest position of the "upper crust" of funds followed by Insider Monkey, comprising an estimated $18.2 million in stock. Don Morgan's fund,Brigade Capital, also cut its stock, about $5.9 million worth. These bearish behaviors are important to note, as aggregate hedge fund interest was cut by 5 funds in the third quarter. Let's now review hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC) but similarly valued. These stocks are BrightSphere Investment Group plc (NYSE:BSIG), Vicor Corp (NASDAQ:VICR), SRC Energy Inc. (NYSE:SRCI), and Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE:TUP). This group of stocks' market values match CRC's market value. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position BSIG,21,365270,-1 VICR,10,23874,-5 SRCI,14,318271,0 TUP,23,170838,1 Average,17,219563,-1.25 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 17 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $220 million. That figure was $141 million in CRC's case. Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE:TUP) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Vicor Corp (NASDAQ:VICR) is the least popular one with only 10 bullish hedge fund positions. California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. This is a slightly negative signal and we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. Unfortunately CRC wasn't nearly as popular as these 20 stocks (hedge fund sentiment was quite bearish); CRC investors were disappointed as the stock returned -29.2% during the same time period and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out thetop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds as 13 of these stocks already outperformed the market so far in Q2. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Hedge Funds Have Never Been This Bullish On First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (FCF) Looking for stocks with high upside potential? Just follow the big players within the hedge fund industry. Why should you do so? Let’s take a brief look at what statistics have to say about hedge funds’ stock picking abilities to illustrate. The Standard and Poor’s 500 Index returned approximately 12.1% in 2019 (through May 30th). Conversely, hedge funds’ 20 preferred S&P 500 stocks generated a return of 18.7% during the same period, with the majority of these stock picks outperforming the broader market benchmark. Coincidence? It might happen to be so, but it is unlikely. Our research covering the last 18 years indicates that hedge funds' stock picks generate superior risk-adjusted returns. That's why we believe it is wise to check hedge fund activity before you invest your time or your savings on a stock like First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF). IsFirst Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF)a buy, sell, or hold? The best stock pickers are buying. The number of long hedge fund bets inched up by 2 recently. Our calculations also showed that FCF isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. In the 21st century investor’s toolkit there are several methods stock traders can use to grade publicly traded companies. A pair of the most under-the-radar methods are hedge fund and insider trading moves. We have shown that, historically, those who follow the top picks of the best hedge fund managers can outpace the market by a superb amount (see the details here). We're going to take a peek at the latest hedge fund action surrounding First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF). At the end of the first quarter, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of 15% from the previous quarter. On the other hand, there were a total of 10 hedge funds with a bullish position in FCF a year ago. So, let's find out which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves. More specifically,Renaissance Technologieswas the largest shareholder of First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF), with a stake worth $20.4 million reported as of the end of March. Trailing Renaissance Technologies was Millennium Management, which amassed a stake valued at $6.8 million. Citadel Investment Group, D E Shaw, and PDT Partners were also very fond of the stock, giving the stock large weights in their portfolios. With a general bullishness amongst the heavyweights, key money managers were leading the bulls' herd.Marshall Wace LLP, managed by Paul Marshall and Ian Wace, created the most outsized position in First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF). Marshall Wace LLP had $1.5 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke and John Campbell'sArrowstreet Capitalalso made a $1.5 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The other funds with brand new FCF positions are Benjamin A. Smith'sLaurion Capital Management, Michael Platt and William Reeves'sBlueCrest Capital Mgmt., and Hoon Kim'sQuantinno Capital. Let's now review hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF). These stocks are Gentherm Inc (NASDAQ:THRM), Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:BHLB), OceanFirst Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:OCFC), and Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CWH). All of these stocks' market caps resemble FCF's market cap. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position THRM,19,75339,2 BHLB,13,50982,2 OCFC,13,60218,1 CWH,10,103692,-1 Average,13.75,72558,1 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 13.75 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $73 million. That figure was $41 million in FCF's case. Gentherm Inc (NASDAQ:THRM) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CWH) is the least popular one with only 10 bullish hedge fund positions. First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF) is not the most popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still above average. This is a slightly positive signal but we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. Unfortunately FCF wasn't nearly as popular as these 20 stocks and hedge funds that were betting on FCF were disappointed as the stock returned 1.9% during the same period and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out thetop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds as 13 of these stocks already outperformed the market so far in Q2. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Is Editas Medicine, Inc. (EDIT) A Good Stock To Buy? The 700+ hedge funds and famous money managers tracked by Insider Monkey have already compiled and submitted their 13F filings for the first quarter, which unveil their equity positions as of March 31. We went through these filings, fixed typos and other more significant errors and identified the changes in hedge fund portfolios. Our extensive review of these public filings is finally over, so this article is set to reveal the smart money sentiment towards Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT). IsEditas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT)a buy, sell, or hold? Prominent investors are in a bearish mood. The number of bullish hedge fund positions decreased by 3 recently. Our calculations also showed that EDIT isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.EDITwas in 15 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of March. There were 18 hedge funds in our database with EDIT positions at the end of the previous quarter. Hedge funds' reputation as shrewd investors has been tarnished in the last decade as their hedged returns couldn't keep up with the unhedged returns of the market indices. Our research has shown that hedge funds' large-cap stock picks indeed failed to beat the market between 1999 and 2016. However, we were able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 40 percentage points since May 2014 through May 30, 2019 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that'll significantly underperform the market. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 and they lost 30.9% through May 30, 2019. That's why we believe hedge fund sentiment is an extremely useful indicator that investors should pay attention to. Let's review the fresh hedge fund action surrounding Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT). At the end of the first quarter, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of -17% from one quarter earlier. On the other hand, there were a total of 15 hedge funds with a bullish position in EDIT a year ago. With hedgies' sentiment swirling, there exists a few noteworthy hedge fund managers who were upping their holdings significantly (or already accumulated large positions). Among these funds,Deerfield Managementheld the most valuable stake in Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT), which was worth $28.3 million at the end of the first quarter. On the second spot was Viking Global which amassed $22.8 million worth of shares. Moreover, Casdin Capital, D E Shaw, and Valiant Capital were also bullish on Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT), allocating a large percentage of their portfolios to this stock. Because Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT) has faced falling interest from hedge fund managers, logic holds that there exists a select few money managers that slashed their entire stakes in the third quarter. At the top of the heap, Jonathan Soros'sJS Capitaldropped the biggest stake of the "upper crust" of funds watched by Insider Monkey, worth an estimated $5 million in stock. Steve Cohen's fund,Point72 Asset Management, also dumped its stock, about $1.3 million worth. These moves are intriguing to say the least, as total hedge fund interest dropped by 3 funds in the third quarter. Let's now review hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT) but similarly valued. We will take a look at FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORM), Kearny Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:KRNY), Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. (NYSE:SWM), and Summit Hotel Properties Inc (NYSE:INN). This group of stocks' market values are similar to EDIT's market value. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position FORM,11,51910,1 KRNY,16,150468,1 SWM,10,23959,2 INN,10,14312,-1 Average,11.75,60162,0.75 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 11.75 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $60 million. That figure was $108 million in EDIT's case. Kearny Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:KRNY) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. (NYSE:SWM) is the least popular one with only 10 bullish hedge fund positions. Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT) is not the most popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still above average. This is a slightly positive signal but we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. Unfortunately EDIT wasn't nearly as popular as these 20 stocks and hedge funds that were betting on EDIT were disappointed as the stock returned -7.2% during the same period and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out thetop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds as 13 of these stocks already outperformed the market so far in Q2. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
Hedge Funds Have Never Been More Bullish On Badger Meter, Inc. (BMI) Based on the fact that hedge funds have collectively under-performed the market for several years, it would be easy to assume that their stock picks simply aren't very good. However, our research shows this not to be the case. In fact, when it comes to their very top picks collectively, they show a strong ability to pick winning stocks. This year hedge funds' top 20 stock picks easily bested the broader market, at 18.7% compared to 12.1%, despite there being a few duds in there like Berkshire Hathaway (even their collective wisdom isn't perfect). The results show that there is plenty of merit to imitating the collective wisdom of top investors. Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)was in 14 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of the first quarter of 2019. BMI has experienced an increase in hedge fund sentiment of late. There were 12 hedge funds in our database with BMI positions at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that BMI isn't among the30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. So, why do we pay attention to hedge fund sentiment before making any investment decisions? Our research has shown that hedge funds' small-cap stock picks managed to beat the market by double digits annually between 1999 and 2016, but the margin of outperformance has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, we were still able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 40 percentage points since May 2014 through May 30, 2019 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that underperformed the market by 10 percentage points annually between 2006 and 2017. Interestingly the margin of underperformance of these stocks has been increasing in recent years. Investors who are long the market and short these stocks would have returned more than 27% annually between 2015 and 2017. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 in our quarterly newsletter. Even if you aren't comfortable with shorting stocks, you should at least avoid initiating long positions in our short portfolio. Let's check out the recent hedge fund action encompassing Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI). At the end of the first quarter, a total of 14 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were long this stock, a change of 17% from the fourth quarter of 2018. The graph below displays the number of hedge funds with bullish position in BMI over the last 15 quarters. With the smart money's positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists an "upper tier" of key hedge fund managers who were increasing their stakes considerably (or already accumulated large positions). The largest stake in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) was held byImpax Asset Management, which reported holding $73.3 million worth of stock at the end of March. It was followed by Royce & Associates with a $13.7 million position. Other investors bullish on the company included GAMCO Investors, Citadel Investment Group, and Millennium Management. Consequently, specific money managers were breaking ground themselves.Arrowstreet Capital, managed by Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke and John Campbell, initiated the largest position in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI). Arrowstreet Capital had $2.7 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Joel Greenblatt'sGotham Asset Managementalso made a $1 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The following funds were also among the new BMI investors: Jim Simons'sRenaissance Technologies, Hoon Kim'sQuantinno Capital, and Andrew Feldstein and Stephen Siderow'sBlue Mountain Capital. Let's now take a look at hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) but similarly valued. These stocks are Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX), National Storage Affiliates Trust (NYSE:NSA), Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC), and Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV). All of these stocks' market caps resemble BMI's market cap. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position TROX,24,225222,-2 NSA,16,93854,-1 HSC,19,102389,-5 HOV,3,3359,-6 Average,15.5,106206,-3.5 [/table] View table hereif you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 15.5 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $106 million. That figure was $117 million in BMI's case. Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV) is the least popular one with only 3 bullish hedge fund positions. Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. This is a slightly negative signal and we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed thattop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds returned 6.2% in Q2 through June 19th and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by nearly 3 percentage points. Unfortunately BMI wasn't nearly as popular as these 20 stocks (hedge fund sentiment was quite bearish); BMI investors were disappointed as the stock returned 3.5% during the same time period and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out thetop 20 most popular stocksamong hedge funds as 13 of these stocks already outperformed the market so far in Q2. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published atInsider Monkey. Related Content • How to Best Use Insider Monkey To Increase Your Returns • Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top Dividend Stock Picks • 30 Stocks Billionaires Are Crazy About: Insider Monkey Billionaire Stock Index
US gov't moves migrant kids after AP exposes bad treatment The U.S. government has removed most children from a remote Border Patrol station in Texas near the border with Mexico following reports that more than 300 children were detained there and caring for each other with inadequate food, water and sanitation. Only about 30 children remained at the station outside El Paso on Monday, Rep. Veronica Escobar said after her office was briefed on the situation by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official. Most of the infants, toddlers and teens who were held at the Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, were scheduled to be transferred by Tuesday to shelters and other facilities run by a separate federal agency, the Office of Refugee Resettlement said. Attorneys involved in monitoring care for migrant children who visited Clint last week said older children were trying to take care of toddlers, The Associated Press reported Thursday. They described a 4-year-old with matted hair who had gone without a shower for days, and hungry, inconsolable children struggling to soothe one another. Some had been locked for three weeks inside the facility, where 15 children were sick with the flu and another 10 were in medical quarantine. "How is it possible that you both were unaware of the inhumane conditions for children, especially tender-age children at the Clint Station?" Escobar, a Democrat, said in a letter sent Friday to U.S. Customs and Border Protection acting commissioner John Sanders and U.S. Border Patrol chief Carla Provost. Escobar asked to be informed by the end of this week what steps the officials are taking to end what she called "these humanitarian abuses." Lawmakers from both parties decried the situation last week. Border Patrol officials have not responded to AP's questions about the conditions at the Clint facility, but emailed a statement Monday that said: "Our short-term holding facilities were not designed to hold vulnerable populations and we urgently need additional humanitarian funding to manage this crisis." Story continues Although it's unclear where all the children held at Clint were moved, Escobar said some were sent to another facility on the north side of El Paso called Border Patrol Station 1. Escobar said it's a temporary site with roll-out mattresses, showers, medical facilities and air conditioning. But Clara Long, an attorney who interviewed children at Border Patrol Station 1 last week, said conditions were not necessarily better there. "One boy I spoke with said his family didn't get mattresses or blankets for the first two nights, and he and his mom came down with a fever," said Long, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch. "He said there were no toothbrushes, and it was very, very cold." Vice President Mike Pence, asked about the unsafe, unsanitary conditions for the children on "Face the Nation" on Sunday, said "it's totally unacceptable" and added that he hopes Congress will allocate more resources to border security. Long and a group of lawyers inspected the facilities because they are involved in the Flores settlement, a Clinton-era legal agreement that governs detention conditions for migrant children and families. The lawyers negotiated access to the Clint facility with officials and say Border Patrol knew the dates of their visit three weeks in advance. Many children interviewed had arrived alone at the U.S.-Mexico border, but some had been separated from their parents or other adult caregivers including aunts and uncles, the attorneys said. Government facilities are overcrowded and five immigrant children have died since late last year after being detained by Customs and Border Protection. Two weeks ago, a teenage mother with a premature baby was found in a Border Patrol processing center in McAllen, Texas after being held for nine days by the government. Government rules call for children to be held by the Border Patrol in their short-term stations for no longer than 72 hours before they are transferred to the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which houses migrant youth in facilities around the country through its Office of Refugee Resettlement while authorities determine if they can be released to relatives or family friends. Customs and Border Protection referred AP's questions about the Clint Facility to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which said Monday that 249 children previously held in Clint would be moved to the agency's network of shelters and other facilities by Tuesday. "(Unaccompanied children) are waiting too long in CBP facilities that are not designed to care for children," ORR spokeswoman Evelyn Stauffer said. "These children should now all be in HHS care as of Tuesday." ___ This story has been corrected to show Pence was on "Face the Nation," not "Meet the Press."
What The Truck?!? – Headhaul /Backhaul Double Album Of Freight This week we're coming at at you with one action packed episode where we talk Oregon Climate Bill drama, Iran/US conflict costs airlines billions,Uber Technologies Inc(NYSE:UBER),Amazon.com, Inc.(NASDAQ:AMZN),UPS Inc(NYSE:UPS),FedEx Corporation(NYSE:FDX), First Gear joins us for 5 Good Minutes, Brad vs Chad Round 3 in Earnings O/U, Big Deal Little Deal with Emily, and former 3PL ops guys Dooner and Moody square off in Market Expert Trivia. All this and so much more on this week's WTT?!? Never miss an episode by subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are heard around the world. No borders. No boundaries. No paywalls. Just free. Just press play. Image Sourced by Pixabay See more from Benzinga • Port Report: Maersk Debuts New Online Booking For Ocean Freight • Cross-Border Trucking Volumes Jump In Otay Mesa Port Of Entry, Fueled By Auto Manufacturing In Mexico • Sealed Air CFO Terminated For Cause Amid SEC Investigation © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Has Pivotal Software, Inc. (NYSE:PVTL) Got Enough Cash? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Small-caps and large-caps are wildly popular among investors, however, mid-cap stocks, such as Pivotal Software, Inc. (NYSE:PVTL), with a market capitalization of US$3.1b, rarely draw their attention from the investing community. Despite this, commonly overlooked mid-caps have historically produced better risk-adjusted returns than their small and large-cap counterparts. PVTL’s financial liquidity and debt position will be analysed in this article, to get an idea of whether the company can fund opportunities for strategic growth and maintain strength through economic downturns. Note that this information is centred entirely on financial health and is a top-level understanding, so I encourage you to look furtherinto PVTL here. See our latest analysis for Pivotal Software What is considered a high debt-to-equity ratio differs depending on the industry, because some industries tend to utilize more debt financing than others. A ratio below 40% for mid-cap stocks is considered as financially healthy, as a rule of thumb. For Pivotal Software, 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 PVTL, 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, Pivotal Software has no solvency issues, which is used to describe the company’s ability to meet its long-term obligations. However, another measure of financial health is its short-term obligations, which is known as liquidity. These include payments to suppliers, employees and other stakeholders. Looking at PVTL’s US$460m in current liabilities, the company has been able to meet these obligations given the level of current assets of US$1.1b, with a current ratio of 2.29x. The current ratio is the number you get when you divide current assets by current liabilities. For Software companies, this ratio is within a sensible range since there's a sufficient cash cushion without leaving too much capital idle or in low-earning investments. PVTL has zero-debt in addition to ample cash to cover its near-term liabilities. Its safe operations reduces risk for the company and shareholders, but some degree of debt could also boost earnings growth and operational efficiency. I admit this is a fairly basic analysis for PVTL's financial health. Other important fundamentals need to be considered alongside. I suggest you continue to research Pivotal Software to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for PVTL’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor PVTL’s outlook. 2. Valuation: What is PVTL 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 PVTL 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.
Top Ranked Growth Stocks to Buy for June 25th Here are four stocks with buy ranks and strong growth characteristics for investors to consider today, June 25th: JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.(JKS): This photovoltaic products manufacturer, which carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.3% over the last 60 days. JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited price-consensus-chart | JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited Quote JinkoSolar has a PEG ratio of 0.38 compared with 1.64 for the industry. The company possesses a Growth Score of A. JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited peg-ratio-ttm | JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited Quote Western Alliance Bancorporation (WAL):This holding company for Western Alliance Bank, which carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.6% over the last 60 days. Western Alliance Bancorporation price-consensus-chart | Western Alliance Bancorporation Quote Western Alliance has a PEG ratio of 0.80, compared with 1.44 for the industry. The company possesses a Growth Score of B. Western Alliance Bancorporation peg-ratio-ttm | Western Alliance Bancorporation Quote Third Point Reinsurance Ltd.(TPRE): This provider of specialty property and casualty reinsurance products, which carries a Zacks Rank #2, has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 10.9% over the last 60 days. Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. price-consensus-chart | Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. Quote Third Point Reinsurance has a PEG ratio of 0.22, compared with 1.59 for the industry. The company possesses a Growth Score of A. Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. peg-ratio-ttm | Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. Quote Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. (PNFP): This bank holding company for Pinnacle Bank, which carries a Zacks Rank #2, has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.4% over the last 60 days. Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. Quote Pinnacle Financial has a PEG ratio of 0.77, compared with 1.79 for the industry. The company possesses a Growth Score of B. Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. peg-ratio-ttm | Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here. Learn more about the Growth score and how it is calculated here. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> 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 reportWestern Alliance Bancorporation (WAL) : Free Stock Analysis ReportThird Point Reinsurance Ltd. (TPRE) : Free Stock Analysis ReportPinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. (PNFP) : Free Stock Analysis ReportJinkoSolar Holding Company Limited (JKS) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
Could The FreightCar America, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAIL) Ownership Structure Tell Us Something Useful? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! If you want to know who really controls FreightCar America, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAIL), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. 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. With a market capitalization of US$76m, FreightCar America is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. In the chart below below, we can see that institutions own shares in the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about RAIL. Check out our latest analysis for FreightCar America 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. FreightCar America already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own 86% of the company. 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 FreightCar America's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters. Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. Hedge funds don't have many shares in FreightCar America. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future. While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. The company management answer to the board; and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board, themselves. Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. We can see that insiders own shares in FreightCar America, Inc.. In their own names, insiders own US$2.8m worth of stock in the US$76m company. This shows at least some alignment, but I usually like to see larger insider holdings. You canclick here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. The general public, with a 10% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. I like to dive deeperinto how a company has performed in the past. You can findhistoric revenue and earnings in thisdetailed graph. Ultimatelythe future is most important. You can access thisfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. 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.
Abbvie Decides to Acquire Allergan For the second consecutive day, we see another major acquisition during the pre-market period. Yesterday was the Gaming industry’s buyout of Caesars Entertainment CZR by Eldorado Resorts ERI, and today we turn to biopharma: AbbVie ABBV has agreed to purchase Botox maker Allergan AGN for roughly $63 billion in cash and stock. The deal reportedly values Allergan at a 45% premium to Monday’s closing price. Thus far, since the deal has been announced, shares of Allergan have blossomed 32%. AbbVie, on a quest to replace coming lost revenues on Humira’s generic competition, have dipped around 7.5% thus far ahead of the opening bell. Allergan has been a targeted acquisition for the past several years — back in 2015, Pfizer PFE, which recently acquired Array Biopharma ARRY, was prepared to pay almost double this morning’s headline price for Allergan. AbbVie, which spun off from Abbott Labs ABT 6 years ago, had been rated a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) ahead of the announced transaction; Allergan was carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Trump-Xi to Meet This Weekend As the leaders of the world’s top economies join together for the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan at the end of this week, President Trump and Xi have scheduled a separate, private meeting between the embattled two leaders. The ongoing trade war, having been put into effect as of fall last year, has shown little progress over the last month, when talks nearing a deal fell apart. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross does not want investors to get their hopes up that a trade deal is coming soon, certainly not as a direct result of this Saturday’s scheduled meeting between Trump and Xi. What investors might more reasonably expect in the near term is a pause in tariffs and a resuming of talks between the two sides over the summer. At the G-20 summit last year in Argentina, Trump and Xi also met privately. Routinely, reports from inside these private talks are very positive, but now a year on with no trade agreement in sight, investors have understandably tempered their expectations. 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 report Caesars Entertainment Corporation (CZR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Allergan plc (AGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Abbott Laboratories (ABT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eldorado Resorts, Inc. (ERI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Array BioPharma Inc. (ARRY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research
SPX Corporation (NYSE:SPXC) Insiders Have Been Selling 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. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sellSPX Corporation(NYSE:SPXC), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. 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, 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 it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard Universitystudyfound that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.' View our latest analysis for SPX Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the VP, General Counsel & Secretary, John Nurkin, for US$489k worth of shares, at about US$29.08 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of US$32.03, 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. It is worth noting that this sale was only 18% of John Nurkin's holding. In the last twelve months insiders netted US$873k for 27235 shares sold. SPX insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! I will like SPX better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out thisfreelist of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. 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. SPX insiders own about US$23m worth of shares. That equates to 1.6% 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 fact that there have been no SPX insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. Still, the insider transactions at SPX in the last 12 months are not very heartening. The modest level of insider ownership is, at least, some comfort. Of course,the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in SPX, you should check out thisfreereport on analyst forecasts for the company. Of courseSPX may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see thisfreecollection of high quality 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.
Woodford fund managers exploited flawed EU rules - FCA head By Huw Jones, Carolyn Cohn and David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - Neil Woodford's flagship fund took full advantage of flawed European Union rules before withdrawals had to be halted, Financial Conduct Authority Chief Executive Andrew Bailey said on Tuesday as he faced questions over the British regulator's role. The high profile suspension of the LF Woodford Equity Income Fund fund has raised questions about the FCA's competence at a sensitive time for Bailey, who is viewed as a leading candidate to replace Mark Carney as Bank of England governor next year. Hundreds of thousands of retail investors are unable to get their cash out of the fund run by Woodford, one of Britain's best known money managers, after it suspended withdrawals this month after a rise in redemptions. The suspension must be reviewed next week. "They were using the rules to the full and they were not telling us they were doing that," Bailey told lawmakers on parliament's Treasury Select Committee looking into the issue. Bailey said the fund could have been better policed if what he called flawed European Union regulations had left more scope to crack down on behaviour that complied with the rules technically but not in spirit. "SAILING CLOSE TO WIND" One of the key issues for the fund was how it met rules on how much was held in liquid assets -- those that could be sold quickly if money was needed. The fund navigated these rules by listing some assets on an exchange in the offshore dependency of Guernsey where there is very little if any activity. "Having had these two breaches early last year - some people describe them as technical - but actually they were symptomatic of the fact that they were sailing close to the wind, and that's what triggered our interest." The FCA has opened a formal investigation into events surrounding the suspension and the listing of some of the funds' assets in Guernsey. "Listing something on an exchange where trading doesn't happen, as far as I can see, doesn't actually count as liquidity," Bailey said. "I’m still waiting to hear whether a trade occurred." MR NICE GUY? During more than two hours of questions, lawmakers did not ask Bailey, 60, if he had applied for the role of central bank governor. However, they did press him on other issues, including the collapse of investment firm London Capital & Finance, which led to an independent review being opened into the regulator's handling of events. One lawmaker asked Bailey if he was being too nice to top financiers. "I don't get up in the morning hoping that people will love me. Don't become chief executive of the FCA if you want to be loved. I don’t agree with that conclusion," Bailey said. SHRINKING FUND The Woodford fund was worth around 10 billion pounds ($12.8 billion) at its peak in 2017, but has fallen in value to about 3.5 billion pounds, mainly due to redemptions, Bailey said. He did not object to the decision to close it for now. "Suspension is an important tool, it should not be demonised," Bailey said. The FCA will also look at the role of Northern Trust, the Woodford fund's depositary, which shares some responsibility for oversight of the fund with Link. Northern Trust declined to comment. While Woodford picked the stocks, Link Fund Solutions, as the authorised corporate director and legal owner, has responsibility for the management of the suspended Woodford fund. "It would be wrong to think Link are any different from the other firms that are in that space," Bailey said. "We have investigations going on, but I don't think it's right to suggest that they, at this stage, are particularly worse than others." (Reporting by Huw Jones, David Milliken and Carolyn Cohn; Editing by Alexander Smith)
US STOCKS-Wall St dragged down by Iran tensions, trade worries; Fed in focus * Bank stocks weigh the most on S&P * AbbVie slides after $63 bln deal to buy Allergan * Lennar rises after qtrly profit beat * Fed Chair Jerome Powell to speak at 1:00 p.m. ET * Indexes down: Dow 0.16%, S&P 0.18%, Nasdaq 0.27% (Updates to open) By Medha Singh June 25 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes slipped on Tuesday, as bank stocks fell ahead of a handful of speeches by Federal Reserve officials, while escalating tensions in the Middle East and trade jitters added to the dour mood. At least five Fed policy makers are speaking later in the day, including Chair Jerome Powell, and markets assume they will stick with the recent message that rates could be about to be cut for the first time since the financial crisis. Traders fully expect an rate cut from the U.S. central bank in July and see a 40% chance of a 50 basis point move, CME Group's FedWatch program showed. Rate-sensitive bank stocks were down 1%, as U.S. benchmark yields fell below the closely watched 2% level. Dampening hopes of a U.S.-China trade deal at the G20 summit later this week, a senior U.S. official said President Donald Trump is "comfortable with any outcome" from the talks with his Chinese counterpart. "It is unlikely that any resolution of the trade situation will take place until after the next Fed meeting late next month," said Robert Johnson, chief executive officer at Economic Index Associates in New York. A trade resolution will allow the Fed to forestall any interest rate cut, Johnson said. "I believe what Trump wants is both a Fed rate cut and to declare victory in the trade dispute with China." In a dramatic and unprecedented move, Trump on Monday imposed new sanctions on Iran's supreme leader and foreign minister, a decision Tehran said closed the path to diplomacy between the countries. The rising tension prompted a flight to the safety of government bonds and the yen and Swiss franc. At 9:55 a.m. ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 42.63 points, or 0.16%, at 26,684.91, the S&P 500 was down 5.23 points, or 0.18%, at 2,940.12 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 21.66 points, or 0.27%, at 7,984.04. Wall Street's main indexes have risen at least 7% this month, with the S&P 500 hitting a record high last week, on the prospect of more monetary stimulus for the economy. A multibillion dollar deal helped the healthcare sector rise 0.42%, the most among the three S&P sectors trading higher. AbbVie Inc said it would buy Botox-maker Allergan Plc for about $63 billion. AbbVie tumbled 14.2%, while shares of Allergan surged 27.2%. Lennar Corp rose 2.4% after the No. 2 U.S. homebuilder reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit, helping the PHLX Housing index edge 0.4% higher. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.15-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 1.06-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 16 new 52-week highs and four new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 12 new highs and 36 new lows. (Reporting by Medha Singh and Aparajita Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
Wall Street sinks on trade jitters ahead of Powell speech By Stephen Culp NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street lost ground on Tuesday as simmering geopolitical and trade concerns, combined with disappointing economic data, kept buyers at bay and investors looked to remarks from U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell expected later in the session. Technology companies led all three major U.S. stock indexes into the red ahead Powell's speech and the question-and-answer session to follow, which will be scrutinized by market participants for clues as to when and by how much the central bank will cut key interest rates. "It's not an all-red day but it's pretty much a risk-off day with money moving into defensive names," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment strategist at Inverness Counsel in New York. Despite Tuesday's sell-off, June is shaping up to be a good month for U.S. equities. The benchmark S&P 500 is still hovering within a percent of its all-time high reached last Thursday. Still, anxieties stemming from the ongoing U.S.-China trade war found no relief in a White House official's remarks that President Trump is "comfortable with any outcome" arising from an expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit convening in Japan on Friday. "The upcoming meeting between Xi and Trump is being anxiously anticipated," Ghriskey added. "Expectations for that meeting are low, even pessimistic." On the economic front, sales of newly constructed homes and consumer confidence numbers both came in well below economist expectations, according to separate reports from the U.S. Commerce Department and the Conference Board. Increasing signs of economic softness, especially related to the trade disputes between the United States and its major trading partners, helped prompt the Federal Reserve last week to signal interest rate cuts beginning as early as July. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 39.64 points, or 0.15%, to 26,687.9, the S&P 500 lost 9.33 points, or 0.32%, to 2,936.02 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 48.90 points, or 0.61%, to 7,956.80. Of the 11 major indexes in the S&P 500, seven were in negative territory, with communications services seeing the biggest percentage drop. Rate-sensitive bank stocks were down 0.3%, as U.S. benchmark yields fell below the closely watched 2% level. The healthcare sector edged up 0.2%, boosted by news of a multi-billion dollar deal. AbbVie Inc said it would buy Allergan Plc for about $63 billion, sending the Botox-maker's shares up by 26.7%. AbbVie's stock dropped 15.2% on the news. Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.11-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.15-to-1 ratio favored decliners. The S&P 500 posted 28 new 52-week highs and 5 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 19 new highs and 64 new lows. (Reporting by Stephen Culp; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Investors In Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HIMX) 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! Today we'll take a closer look at Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HIMX) 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. Unfortunately, it's common for investors to be enticed in by the seemingly attractive yield, and lose money when the company has to cut its dividend payments. A high yield and a long history of paying dividends is an appealing combination for Himax Technologies. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying Himax Technologies 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. Himax Technologies paid out 190% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, from the perspective of an investor who hopes to own the company for many years, a payout ratio of above 100% is definitely a concern. Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. Last year, Himax Technologies paid a dividend while reporting negative free cash flow. While there may be an explanation, we think this behaviour is generally not sustainable. It's good to see that while Himax Technologies's dividends were not covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. Still, if the company repeatedly paid a dividend greater than its profits, we'd be concerned. Extraordinarily few companies are capable of persistently paying a dividend that is greater than their profits. Consider gettingour latest analysis on Himax Technologies'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. Himax Technologies has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. Its dividend payments have fallen by 20% or more on at least one occasion over the past ten years. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was US$0.60 in 2009, compared to US$0.10 last year. This works out to a decline of approximately 83% over that time. We struggle to make a case for buying Himax Technologies for its dividend, given that payments have shrunk over the past ten years. With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS are growing. It's not great to see that Himax Technologies's have fallen at approximately 32% over the past five years. 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. 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. Himax Technologies paid out almost all of its cash flow and profit as dividends, leaving little to reinvest in the business. Earnings per share have been falling, and the company has cut its dividend at least once in the past. From a dividend perspective, this is a cause for concern. In this analysis, Himax Technologies 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. Without at least some growth in earnings per share over time, the dividend will eventually come under pressure either from costs or inflation. See if the 6 analysts are forecasting a turnaround in ourfree collection of analyst estimates here. 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.
Could FreightCar America, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:RAIL) Investor Composition Influence The Stock Price? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! The big shareholder groups in FreightCar America, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAIL) have power over the company. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned. FreightCar America is a smaller company with a market capitalization of US$76m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it's seems 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 RAIL. See our latest analysis for FreightCar America 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. FreightCar America already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own 86% of the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see FreightCar America's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. FreightCar America is not owned by hedge funds. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily. While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in FreightCar America, Inc.. In their own names, insiders own US$2.8m worth of stock in the US$76m company. This shows at least some alignment, but I usually like to see larger insider holdings. You canclick here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. The general public holds a 10% stake in RAIL. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand FreightCar America 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.
Japan's Suntory joins rival Coca Cola to push Vietnam on plastic recycling By Ritsuko Ando TOKYO, June 25 (Reuters) - Japanese beverage giant Suntory Holdings said it would work with rival Coca-Cola as well as Nestle to push the government in Vietnam, among the biggest contributors to plastic waste in the ocean, to create a large-scale recycling system. The alliance comes amid growing global outrage over such pollution, with the European Union voting to outlaw some single-use plastic items such as straws. Japan plans to discuss the issue at the G20 summit it hosts this month. Suntory, the maker of Hibiki whisky as well as soft drinks, plans to switch out pure petroleum-based plastic bottles in all markets by 2030, using only recycled or plant-based materials. This would cost around 50 billion yen ($467 million), Suntory Chief Executive Takeshi Niinami told Reuters. This goal is particularly challenging in Suntory's Southeast Asian markets, including Vietnam, where it has a joint venture with PepsiCo. Much of the region lacks sophisticated systems for collecting, sorting and treating used plastic. Niinami said his fear was that governments may take drastic restrictions against plastic bottles instead of working on recycling. The company sees no viable alternative yet to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. "If an environment minister or regulator suddenly declares PET bottles as bad and restricts its use ... this will be disruptive." Vietnam's prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, said earlier this month he wanted Vietnam to phase out single-use plastics by 2025. He said there should be "drastic measures" to get there but did not say how. The foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment made outside office hours. Niinami said the alliance will call on the government to plan a system spanning collection and facilities for recycling, although members have not decided on specifics such as how such infrastructure would be paid for. He said the alliance was not offering up a blank check, but added Suntory was aware it may need to help and possibly pass on some of the costs of such recycling efforts to customers. "It would be difficult for suppliers like ourselves to pay for everything," he said. The alliance will also include the local operations of companies including Tetra Pak and NutiFood. This is the latest in a string of partnerships among global plastics and consumer goods companies formed this year. A report by Greenpeace last year found Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle to be the world's biggest producers of plastic trash, although all three companies have made recycling pledges. ($1 = 106.9900 yen) (Reporting by Ritsuko Ando in TOKYO; Additional reporting by James Pearson in Hanoi; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and David Evans)
New York City Public Libraries Drop Kanopy Free Movie-Streaming Service Kanopy suffered a blow with the decision by New York City ’s three public library systems — collectively the biggest library system in the U.S., with some 210 branches across the Big Apple — to drop the free movie-streaming service, citing high costs. As of July 1, the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn and Queens library systems will no longer offer Kanopy. Each of the three institutions cited price increases as the reason for eliminating the service, which curates documentaries, indie and foreign films, classics, and kids programming. Related stories Tribeca Film Institute Announces 'Our City, My Story' Finalists Google Plans to Spend Over $1 Billion on New York City Campus New York Suburbs Share in City's Production Boom Under Kanopy’s model, libraries pay approximately $2 per movie streamed by a patron (with a “view” consisting of at least 30 seconds viewed) and the company pays 50% of the fees back to content owners. Kanopy forecasts usage over a year and caps spending at a certain level for a given partner. After verifying their status as a library patron and creating a Kanopy account, users have been able to stream movies anywhere on smartphones, PCs and smart TVs. “While providing access to Kanopy streaming is no longer financially sustainable for NYPL, it remains our mission to provide the resources that meet the broadest range of needs possible,” the New York Public Library, which operates in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, said in a statement. Similarly, the Brooklyn Public Library said in a tweet about the decision to drop Kanopy, “Unfortunately, rising costs made it unsustainable. With careful consideration, we decided to use our resources on more in-demand collections like audiobook & e-book licenses.” In an email Monday to users, Kanopy CEO Olivia Humphrey wrote that the company was “disappointed” but that it understood that “ New York City ’s libraries’ current priorities lie with other programs that also advance their mission.” Story continues “We have enjoyed furthering the New York City libraries’ mission of providing open access to knowledge through our diverse and exclusive slate of 19,000+ thought-provoking films,” Humphrey wrote. According to the New York Public Library, about 25,000 of its patrons (around 1% percent of the system’s 2 million cardholders) used Kanopy. The Queens Public Library said only about 6,000 of its 1 million cardholders used the service and that Kanopy was planning to raise the subscription rate to about $125,000 annually. Kanopy’s catalog includes films licensed from HBO Documentaries, A24, Bleecker Street, the Criterion Collection, German non-profit The Goethe-Institut and San Francisco MOMA. Titles available on Kanopy include Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” Matt Ross’ “Captain Fantastic,” Oscar-nominated “Loving Vincent,” Federico Fellini’s “8 1/2,” and Taika Waititi’s “Boy,” according to the company’s site. As of last month, San Francisco-based Kanopy said it was available to more than 50 million public library users and more than 3,000 college and university libraries across the U.S., Canada, Australia and the U.K. Founded in 2008, Kanopy last year received an investment from private-equity firm L Squared Capital Partners. Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter . For the latest news, follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .
Phillip Schofield branded 'arch manipulator' in thick of Amanda Holden feud Phillip Schofield and Fern Britton presented 'This Morning' together for seven years until 2009 (Credit: PA) Phillip Schofield has been branded an “arch manipulator” with a “stranglehold” over This Morning . The 57-year-old former children’s TV presenter took over co-hosting the ITV daytime show with Fern Britton in 2002, but their working relationship broke down and Britton was replaced by Holly Willoughby in 2009. Britton's former agent Jon Roseman told The Daily Mail: "From day one he began to interfere with the editorial content of the show. Fern always left it to the editor, a mistake she attempted to rectify, but too late. "His stranglehold was too tight by the time she recognised what he was up to. Their ability to work together was up there with the Eamonn Holmes/Anthea Turner friction. Read more: Phillip Schofield's star pals rally support amidst Amanda Holden feud "He befriended Simon Shaps, the then boss of the network centre. After this friendship, all bets were off ... he just got what he wanted." Roseman called the Dancing On Ice presenter and “arch manipulator”. Schofield is currently embroiled in a bitter feud with Amanda Holden, who is thought to have a bee in her bonnet after Schofield blocked her from joining him as guest co-host on This Morning will Willoughby was away in Australia filming I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Schofield took to social media at the weekend to confess he had been upset by reports that have emerged claiming he is difficult to work with. The end of another really sad weekend. When you try for 35 years to be the easiest, most fun person to work with and you read such hurtful and wildly untrue stories from nameless ‘sources’. Obviously I’ll take it on the chin.. I just hope you know me better. — Phillip Schofield (@Schofe) June 23, 2019 Meanwhile, Holden claims to have tried to call a truce. Speaking on her radio breakfast show on Heart FM Holden told co-host Jamie Theakston: “I’ve moved on from it, Jamie, you need to move on from it.” Story continues Read more: Amanda Holden claims Phillip Schofield ignored ‘olive branch’ coffee invitation He replied: “You might have moved on but I just wanted to know, is there any more to the story?” She said: “I did offer to meet him for a coffee months ago, he didn’t reply to my text. What can I say?” Theakston said: “The olive branch had been extended,” to which she replied: “Oh yes.” Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
''Debt Validation Is The Way To Go,'' Says Resolvly BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 25, 2019 /Resolvly is your loyal partner on matters debt assistance. With an awesome track record of helping many clients achieve financial freedom in the past, this exceptional company is poised at giving as many Americans the quality of life they deserve. The company prides itself in offering top-notch financial assistance and consumer protection. It can help connect American citizens with experienced and skilled attorneys whose responsibility is to get them out of debt. Their strategy of helping Americans lose themselves from the chains of debt is through debt validation and not debt settlement or debt consolidation. Debt is ugly, crippling, and downright frustrating. Sadly, many Americans are caught in the debt web, unable to stretch, let alone get out of the trap. For the most part, these individuals aren't aware of their rights and the correct states of their debt. They easily get overwhelmed with frantic calls and emails from their debtors and basically live in a constant state of stress. Gregory Fishman, the brains behind the success ofResolvly, sat down one day and came up with a perfect solution for this predicament. He couldn't stand and watch innocent people go to school to make their lives better only to end up with a string of debt for perhaps the rest of their lives. Therefore, he created Resolvly to offer debt solutions to debt victims and help these parties tell the difference between debt settlement, debt consolidation, and debt validation. The Debt Solution at a Glance Resolvly recognizes that the road to financial freedom and a debt-free life is not necessarily through band-aid solutions such as debt settlement and debt consolidation. Sure, these strategies can easily set up a consumer to pay off huge debt amounts every year but Resolvly believes that contesting a debt for its validity is the only way to truly get out of the web. The reason is that most consumers are oblivious of their rights against unscrupulous creditors, and as a result, suffer violations. According to a 2017 Consumer Survey, debt scams and various other issues regarding lending services appeared in the top 10 list of consumer complaints. The Limitations of Debt Resettlement and Debt Consolidation According to Resolvly, debt consolidation can only go so far with regard to financial freedom. It can help manage debt but in the end, it doesn't bring down the figure that needs to be paid by the consumer. Debt settlement is much better since it offers some hope to decrease the amount of debt based on debtor-creditor negotiations. What makes debt validation superior that the first two techniques is that it looks into the legal side of things and seeks to establish whether a debtor has been taken advantage of by a creditor. Best Thing That Happened To Debtors Resolvly has grown over the years and is now one of the leading debt-assistance companies in the United States. It is committed in helping families and individuals under the weight of their debt have a shot at a quality, debt-free life. Customers get referrals to top-notch attorneys for a wide range of dents including student loans, credit cards, medical bills, and more. Resolvlylawyers leave no stone unturned when it comes to looking for available options of wiggling their clients out of debt. To round of their services, this successful company also offers financial guidance and advice to empower their clients and help them so that they don't fall back into the same trap again. If you don't understand how using your credit card to pay for an item worth $20 can cost you over the years in interest costs, contact Resolvly and let them give you the financial freedom you once enjoyed. Resolvly Address: 1515 Federal Hwy #121, Boca Raton, FL 33432, USA Phone: +1 855-404-0034 Email address:info@resolvy.com SOURCE:Resolvly, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/549261/Debt-Validation-Is-The-Way-To-Go-Says-Resolvly
Companies to Watch: Amazon Prime Day announced, GrubHub upgrades, Tesla wins big Here are the companies Yahoo Finance is watching today. Amazon's(AMZN) Prime Day will be two days this year. The e-commerce giant has set July 15 and 16 for the annual sale, running for 48 hours for the first time. A lot of the deals are kept under wraps until the event starts. Amazon made over a billion dollars in sales during last year's prime day. A big vote of confidence forGrubHub(GRUB). Citi just upgraded the stock to Buy, setting a $91 price target. Analysts there say that while competition remains fierce, GrubHub seems to be able to keep growing, and that bodes well for the stock. However, UberEats and DoorDash could pose risks for the future. Tesla(TSLA) has won a fight with the Trump administration. The commerce department has agreed to waive tariffs on Japanese aluminum, imported to build battery cells at Tesla's Nevada Gigafactory. Tesla had said no U.S. companies can make the aluminum they need for the batteries. The waiver is good for one year. If you forget to buy alcohol for your next BBQ this summer,Sam's Club(WMT) can now come to your rescue. The retailer is offering customers in Florida, California and Missouri same-day delivery for hundreds of its alcohol options via Instacart. Shoppers will be able to order their spirits and receive them in as little as one hour. It plans to expand the service to include more locations in the coming months. Warner Brothers(T) has a new chief executive. WarnerMedia named current president of BBC Studios Americas, Ann Sarnoff, as CEO of Warner Brothers. She will be the first woman to run one of Hollywood's most powerful studios. This comes after the former CEO resigned earlier this year following accusations that he secured a role for an actress with whom he was having an affair with.
Amanda Bynes Beams as She Graduates from Fashion School — See the Rare Photo Amanda Bynes is officially a graduate. On Monday, the actress, 33, tweeted a shot of herself in a black cap and gown at her graduation ceremony from California’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Bynes has been attending the Los Angeles-based school since 2014. “FIDM graduate 2019 #fidmgraduation,” she captioned the post. Bynes gave an update on her progress at the school in a November cover story for Paper , where she said she was set to receive her Associate of Arts degree late last year and would then continue working towards her Bachelor’s degree this year. FIDM graduate 2019 #fidmgraduation pic.twitter.com/KdFI5dPOdK — amanda bynes (@amandabynes) June 25, 2019 The milestone comes after the actress checked into a rehab facility earlier this year following a “relapse” to get help and treatment from mental health professionals and addiction counselors for drug addiction and mental health issues, a source close to Bynes previously told PEOPLE. The source said Bynes started struggling toward the end of last year when she stepped back into the public eye and began pursuing work in Hollywood again. RELATED: Amanda Bynes Is ‘Doing Great’ and ‘Working on Herself’ Since Checking Into Rehab Bynes also opened up about her previous mental health struggles in the Paper cover story. In the interview, the She’s the Man actress detailed how her drug use led to the spiral, explaining that at 16 she began using drugs and smoked marijuana for the first time. “Later on it progressed to doing molly and ecstasy,” she recalled. “[I tried] cocaine three times but I never got high from cocaine. I never liked it. It was never my drug of choice.” While she didn’t use cocaine, Bynes did say she regularly got high on another drug: “I definitely abused Adderall.”
First Majestic Silver (AG) in Focus: Stock Moves 7.4% Higher First Majestic Silver Corp.AG was a big mover last session, as the company saw its shares rise more than 7% on the day. The move came on solid volume too with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This continues the recent uptrend for the company as the stock is now up 41.3% in the past one-month time frame. The company has seen no estimate revisions over the past few weeks, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter remained unchanged. The recent price action is encouraging though, so make sure to keep a close watch on this firm in the near future. First Majestic Silver currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) while its Earnings ESP is 0.00%. First Majestic Silver Corp. price | First Majestic Silver Corp. Quote A better-ranked stock in the Mining – Silver industry is Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. FSM, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Is AG going up? Or down? Predict to see what others think: Up or Down Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> undefinedundefinedFortuna Silver Mines Inc. (FSM) : Free Stock Analysis ReportFirst Majestic Silver Corp. (AG) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
Is LiveRamp Holdings, Inc.'s (NYSE:RAMP) 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! Small-caps and large-caps are wildly popular among investors, however, mid-cap stocks, such as LiveRamp Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RAMP), with a market capitalization of US$3.3b, rarely draw their attention from the investing community. However, generally ignored mid-caps have historically delivered better risk adjusted returns than both of those groups. This article will examine RAMP’s financial liquidity and debt levels to get an idea of whether the company can deal with cyclical downturns and maintain funds to accommodate strategic spending for future growth. Note that this information is centred entirely on financial health and is a top-level understanding, so I encourage you to look furtherinto RAMP here. Check out our latest analysis for LiveRamp Holdings A debt-to-equity ratio threshold varies depending on what industry the company operates, since some requires more debt financing than others. Generally, mid-cap stocks are considered financially healthy if its ratio is below 40%. The good news for investors is that LiveRamp Holdings has no debt. 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 RAMP, and the company has plenty of headroom and ability to raise debt should it need to in the future. Since LiveRamp Holdings doesn’t have any debt on its balance sheet, it doesn’t have any solvency issues, which is a term 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. With current liabilities at US$95m, it appears that the company has been able to meet these obligations given the level of current assets of US$1.2b, with a current ratio of 12.53x. The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. However, a ratio greater than 3x may be considered high by some. RAMP has zero-debt in addition to ample cash to cover its short-term commitments. Its safe operations reduces risk for the company and shareholders, but some degree of debt may also ramp up earnings growth and operational efficiency. This is only a rough assessment of financial health, and I'm sure RAMP has company-specific issues impacting its capital structure decisions. You should continue to research LiveRamp Holdings to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for RAMP’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor RAMP’s outlook. 2. Valuation: What is RAMP 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 RAMP 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.
Micron (MU) Stock Remains a Longer-Term Value Play, Says Analyst Ahead of Earnings Micron (MU) reports fiscal third-quarter results after close today, and investors are bracing for more bad news. The company — which saw its stock skyrocket more than 30% between January and May — is really feeling the effects of the US-China trade tensions. Since May, shares are down 23% as the two countries continue to battle, and its shares are now about even for the year. This evening, when Micron releases earnings, investors are expecting the bad news to continue, as pricing and demand continue to be a challenge for the chip giant. But analystEric Rossof Cascend Securities is looking at the stock as a “a longer-term value play,” as he maintains his Buy rating. (To watch Ross' track record,click here) Though Ross likes Micron “as a company,” he believes “the stock recovered a bit too early in this cycle.” While many thought that the trade war was over, investors are worrying that the renewed tension will “be long and drawn-out, and the stock has pulled back” on the concern. But because of this, Ross says he finally sees the stock as pulled back again to an attractive level, justifying an investment. The industry is facing major challenges, as lower selling prices have been caused by high inventory and it will take time for things to normalize. Further, tensions between the US and China continue to play a negative role in sentiment. Micron generates more than half of revenue from China — $17 billion out of a total $30 billion in 2018 — which continues to be at risk as the two countries battle. If Chinese tariffs were to directly impact Micron, revenue and sales would decrease even more than what is currently expected. But even as Ross is a buyer of MU, he cautions investors — you put money into the stock only “if you are willing to wait a year to see significant returns." Because of uncertainty and geopolitical tension, the analyst says “EPS guidance is likely to come down further,” but does not expect it to “come down enough to make MU not look like a good value.” All in all, Micron is getting hit from multiple angles right now and cannot control the geopolitical struggle impacting its business. While the industry will soon normalize, the company is still facing a threat with the US and China trade war. That said,TipRanks’ analysisof 20 analyst ratings shows confidence, with 11 analysts recommend Buy, five say Hold and four suggest Sell. The average price target among these analysts stands at $42.35, which implies a 25% upside from where the stock is currently trading. Read more on MU: • Deutsche Bank Believes in Micron Long-Term Even as Trade War Rages • This Analyst Sees Micron (MU) Stock Falling a Bit Further; Here’s Why • Needham Remains Sidelined on Micron (MU) Stock; Here’s Why • Micron’s Tech Roadmap Highlights Flattening Cost Curve, Says Analyst • Demand for Roche's COVID-19 Tests Exceeding Capacity; 5-Star Analyst Says 'Buy' • Boeing to Offer Voluntary Layoffs to Contain Coronavirus Damage • Walgreens Beats Quarterly Earnings Bets as U.S. Pharmacy Sales Boom • Wells Fargo: 2 Big 11% Dividend Stocks to Buy (And 1 to Avoid)
Will C&C Group plc's (ISE:GCC) Earnings Grow In The Year Ahead? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! As C&C Group plc (ISE:GCC) released its earnings announcement on 28 February 2019, analysts seem fairly confident, as a 24% increase in profits is expected in the upcoming year, compared with the past 5-year average growth rate of 8.8%. Presently, with latest-twelve-month earnings at €72m, we should see this growing to €90m by 2020. In this article, I've outline a few earnings growth rates to give you a sense of the market sentiment for C&C Group in the longer term. For those keen to understand more about other aspects of the company, you canresearch its fundamentals here. See our latest analysis for C&C Group Longer term expectations from the 5 analysts covering GCC’s stock is one of positive sentiment. Generally, broker analysts tend to make predictions for up to three years given the lack of visibility beyond this point. I've plotted out each year's earnings expectations and inserted a line of best fit to calculate an annual growth rate from the slope in order to understand the overall trajectory of GCC's earnings growth over these next few years. From the current net income level of €72m and the final forecast of €101m by 2022, the annual rate of growth for GCC’s earnings is 10%. EPS reaches €0.33 in the final year of forecast compared to the current €0.23 EPS today. Margins are currently sitting at 4.6%, which is expected to expand to 5.9% by 2022. Future outlook is only one aspect when you're building an investment case for a stock. For C&C Group, I've compiled three essential aspects you should further research: 1. Financial Health: Does it have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at ourfree balance sheet analysis with six simple checkson key factors like leverage and risk. 2. Valuation: What is C&C Group 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 C&C Group is currently mispriced by the market. 3. Other High-Growth Alternatives: Are there other high-growth stocks you could be holding instead of C&C Group? Exploreour interactive list of stocks with large growth 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.
Surging Earnings Estimates Signal Good News for MercadoLibre (MELI) MercadoLibre, Inc.MELI is an online trading platform in Latin America that could be an interesting play for investors. That is because, not only does the stock have decent short-term momentum, but it is seeing solid activity on the earnings estimate revision front as well. These positive earnings estimate revisions suggest that analysts are becoming more optimistic on MELI’s earnings for the coming quarter and year. In fact, consensus estimates have moved sharply higher for both of these time frames over the past four weeks, suggesting that MercadoLibre could be a solid choice for investors. Current Quarter Estimates for MELI In the past 60 days, three estimates have gone higher for MercadoLibre while one has gone lower in the same time period. The trend has been pretty favorable too, with estimates increasing from 5 cents a share 60 days ago, to 28 cents today, a significant move. Current Year Estimates for MELI Meanwhile, MercadoLibre’s current year figures are also looking quite promising, with five estimates moving higher in the past month, compared to one lower. The consensus estimate trend has also seen a boost for this time frame, increasing from 40 cents per share 30 days ago to $1.16 per share today, a significant increase. MercadoLibre, Inc. price-consensus-chart | MercadoLibre, Inc. Quote Bottom Line The stock has also started to move higher lately, adding 8.6% over the past four weeks, suggesting that investors are starting to take note of this impressive story. So, investors may want to consider this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock to profit in the near future. You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> 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 reportMercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
SIMPLE IRA vs. 401(k): What Is the Difference? There is a wide variety of ofretirementaccount types available to savers. This can make it difficult to know which plans are best suited for you and your business. A401(k)plan is one of the most flexible options available, while aSIMPLE IRAplan is less flexible but also less complex to use and administer. Each of these have their own distinct pros and cons, but which is best suited for you is dependent on your personal needs. What Is a 401(k)? A 401(k) is a defined contribution retirement plan offered by an employer to its employees. Any business can run one. Under a 401(k), employees can set aside a portion of their income and invest it in a qualifying retirement account. This money is tax-deferred, which means that the employee does not pay federalincome taxeson any of the money they choose to defer into the account. Instead, when you take out these funds, you’ll pay ordinary income taxes on your withdrawals. For example, let’s say you set aside $5,000 intoyour 401(k)over one year. You would deduct this $5,000 from your income taxes for that year. Upon retirement, that $5,000 has grown into $40,000, and you withdraw it as needed. You would then pay taxes on those withdrawals based on the federal and state income tax brackets you fall under. The 2019contribution limitfor a 401(k) is $19,000. If you’re over 50 and want to make catch-up contributions, you can add up to $6,000 to the limit, for a total annual contribution of $25,000. 401(k)s can also come with a profit-sharing option. Although the details differ depending on the employer, a business receives a tax advantage for making profit-based contributions to its employees’ 401(k) accounts. The employer can structure this as a matching contribution or an explicitprofit-sharing plan. Finally, 401(k)s may have an employer matching component, in which employers choose to match some or all of their employees’ 401(k) contributions. Usually such arrangements have limits to how much the employer will match – for instance, an employer might match employee contributions up to 5% of their salary, and only have their contributionsfully vestafter 2 years. What Is a SIMPLE IRA? ASIMPLE IRA planis a retirement plan structure which allows employers and employees to jointly make contributions to an employee’s retirement account. It allows small businesses to mimic the retirement tax incentives of a 401(k). SIMPLE IRAs are part of the “Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees” program. Under this plan, you make what is known as a “salary reduction contribution.” This means that your contribution to the IRA is never paid to you. Instead, it goes directly to the retirement account. Your employer can then either make amatching contribution, or pay a flat contribution for all employees equally. For 2019, you can contribute up to $13,000 to a SIMPLE IRA.Catch-up contributionsare limited to $3,000 annually. An employer can either match these contribution up to 3%, or contribute a flat 2% of each employee’s pay (regardless of employee contributions), up to a total limit of $280,000 in 2019. A SIMPLE IRA is a great choice for both the self-employed and small business owners with less than 100 employees. According to the IRS, “all employees who received at least $5,000 in compensation from you during any 2 preceding calendar years (whether or not consecutive) and who are reasonably expected to receive at least $5,000 in compensation during the calendar year, are eligible to participate in the SIMPLE IRA plan for the calendar year.” When you’re self-employed, the IRS considers you to be both your own employer and employee. As a result, if you use a SIMPLE IRA, you’re allowed to make both the employer and the employee contribution. This means that you can both maximize your IRA contributions, and not lose out on the the additional employer contribution. SIMPLE IRA vs. 401(k): Key Differences On the surface, SIMPLE IRAs and 401(k)s are similar retirement plans. Both encourage workers tosave for retirementby letting them deduct their contributions from their federal income taxes. They also both allow employers to contribute to these retirement accounts. However, there are several important contrasts to take notice of. Size Any employer at all can get a 401(k) plan, making it one of the most accessible plans you’ll come across. So regardless of whether you have five employees or 500, you can start a 401(k) for them. A SIMPLE IRA plan is only for certain types of employers. More specifically, businesses with more than 100 employees are ineligible. Only a small business can start a SIMPLE IRA for their employees. Eligibility Employee eligibility requirements are a bit less stringent for a 401(k) than with a SIMPLE IRA. If an employer offers a 401(k) plan, they must offer access to any employee who meets these requirements: • They are 21 or older • They have at least one year of service Note that employers may offer it to younger employees, as well as to those who haven’t been with the company for a year; indeed, it’s common for employees to get access to their company’s 401(k) plan on day one of their employment. These requirements just means that employers who choose to offer a 401(k) are legally required to offer it to all employees who are over 21 and meet these criteria. An employee is eligible for a SIMPLE IRA plan if: • They have received at least $5,000 in compensation in any of the previous two years • They expect to receive at least $5,000 in compensation during the coming year Contributions Limits and Matching Contribution limits are lower for a SIMPLE IRA plan than with a 401(k). An employee can contribute up to $19,000 to a 401(k) plan in 2019 (up to $25,000 if they are age 50 or older). Combined, employer and employee contributions to a single employee’s 401(k) cannot exceed the lesser of either 100% of the employee’s compensation or the total cap, which is $56,000 in 2019. An employee can contribute up to $13,000 to a SIMPLE IRA in 2019 (up to $16,000 if they are age 50 or older). The employer must contribute either a dollar-for-dollar match up to 3% of the employee’s compensation, or a flat 2% contribution. While employer contributions to a 401(k) plan are entirely optional, an employer must contribute to a SIMPLE IRA. So while 401(k) plan participants can potentially save more annually, SIMPLE IRA participants are guaranteed to get at least some employer matching. Bottom Line A SIMPLE IRA is only available to small businesses with 100 or fewer employees. There are also some minimum income limits that employees must meet to qualify for the plan. And the contribution limits are lower for SIMPLE IRAs than for 401(k)s. Still, SIMPLE IRAs have some advantages. While many employers offer generous matching with their 401(k) plans, such matching is totally optional. By contrast, participants in SIMPLE IRAs are guaranteed at least some matching from their employers. And SIMPLE IRAs are also available to self-employed people, who can contribute up to the $13,000 limit and also kick in some “employer” matching. Next Steps for Planning Your Retirement • A financial advisor can help you navigate retirement plan rules, increase your contribution rate and understand how taxes will affect your retirement income. Finding the right financial advisor that fits your needs doesn’t have to be hard.SmartAsset’s free toolmatches you with financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that will help you achieve your financial goals,get started now. • Do you know where you want to live when you retire? To help you decide, we have a breakdown of which states are themost tax-friendly for retirees. Each state’s calculator requires information like yourSocial Securityincome, retirement account income, year of birth, tax-filing status and the specific zip code of the place you’re moving to. Photo credit: ©iStock.com/tumsasedgars, ©iStock.com/designer491, ©iStock.com/Ridofranz The postSIMPLE IRA vs. 401(k): What Is the Difference?appeared first onSmartAsset Blog. • Finding the Best Custodian for a Self-Directed IRA • Can Retired Veterans Get Military Housing? • 10 Strategies to Maximize Social Security Benefits
Worrying About Artificial Intelligence Starting a Nuclear War: Eye on A.I. An organization thatwon the Nobel Prizein 2017 for its work to eliminate nuclear weapons is sounding the alarm about the possibility of artificial intelligence leading to unintended wars. Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, is worried that hackers could breach A.I. technologies that are used in nuclear programs or that they could use A.I. to dupe countries into launching attacks. For example, deepfakes, or realistic-looking computer-altered videos, may be used to “create a perceived threat that might not be there,” she warns, prompting governments to overreact. Fihn toldFortunethat she wants to convene a meeting in the fall with nuclear weapons experts and some of the leading companies in A.I. and cybersecurity. Participants in the off-the-record event, she said, would produce a document that her group would use to inform governments and others about the danger. “Some companies are more powerful than governments today in terms of shaping the world,” Fihn said. She wants to “engage them in thinking about how they can contribute to a more sustainable world, one that reduces the threat of extinction.” So far, some leading companies in A.I. includingMicrosoftand Google’s DeepMind A.I. unit have expressed interest, Fihn said. Microsoft and DeepMind declined to comment toFortune. She said that some companies are “a little bit intimidated by the issue,” believing it to be “very political.” That said, she thinks these companies recognize their power. A.I. is often described as a huge benefit to humanity, potentially leading to more effective healthcare treatments or reducing auto accidents with the help of self-driving cars. But there is also a darker counter narrative that it can also be used by criminals and, possibly, by nation states to sabotage adversaries. “We don’t want to advocate for any restrictions on A.I.,” Fihn said. “But this technological development is happening—we have to be very careful.” Fihn, who is from Switzerland, cautions that the secrecy involved in nuclear programs makes it difficult to know just how much A.I., if any, has been incorporated into them. What is known, however, is that A.I. can used be to target nuclear arsenals or the people who manage them. “This is new stuff for us to think about,” Fihn said. Does the rise of A.I. pose realistic dangers, “Or is our imagination going wild?” Jonathan Vanian@JonathanVanianjonathan.vanian@fortune.com Sign up for Eye on A.I. 1. EYE ON A.I. NEWSThe A.I. eyes are watching you.Walmartis using artificial intelligence in over 1,000 stores to deter potential thieves from running outside without paying, Business Insiderreported. With the help of store cameras, Walmart’s “Missed Scan Detection” software can recognize and notify human clerks if shoppers try to slip items past checkout scanners without paying.Animal house. Companies likeApple,Google, andFacebookare hiring animal researchers with computer science skills in order to improve their A.I.-powered products, Bloomberg Newsreports. The article describes how one researcher who studied birdsongs “joined Google’s sound-understanding group, where he creates sound-recognition systems as sophisticated as the company’s image-recognition software, capable of distinguishing a siren from a crying baby.”Out of Africa. TheMIT Technology Reviewexploressome of the A.I. research coming out of Africa, where companies likeIBMandGooglehave opened A.I. labs. The article posits that A.I. research emerging from Africa could lead to the creation of “technology that tackles pressing global challenges like hunger, poverty, and disease.” This contrasts with A.I. research in wealthy locations like Silicon Valley, where A.I. developments are often used to improve tech products.Auto alliance.Waymo, the self-driving car subsidiary ofGoogleparentAlphabet, said itpartneredwith auto giants Renault and Nissan to explore the use of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles in France and Japan. The announcement was light on details, but said that the alliance would lead to an “initial period to explore all aspects of driverless mobility services for passengers and deliveries in France and Japan.” 2. TOOL TIMEOne way companies can attract and retain data scientists is by having the correct data-crunching tools for them to work with, according to industry publicationDataconomy.Eva Murray, the head of business intelligence for the German database companyExasol, writes: “You wouldn’t expect a heart surgeon to be able to carry out their job properly or effectively if they didn’t have the right tools or equipment available to them in the operating room. It’s the same for data scientists.” 3. EYE ON A.I. HIRESSoftware consulting firmCentarepickedJoe Andersonto be its director of data science. Anderson previously oversaw data science and analytics for healthcare companyOptum.DataRobot, a startup specializing in machine learning tools,addedNew Enterprise Associatesventure partnerHilarie Koplow-McAdamsto its board. Koplow-McAdams was once the chief revenue officer and president of enterprise software companyNew Relic.ASRC Aerospace CorporationhaschosenJohn F. Walsh IIIto be its chief technology officer and chief information officer. Walsh was previously the senior vice president and general manager for the information technology solutions market segment at defense contractorScience Applications International Corporation. 4. EYE ON A.I. RESEARCHA.I. won’t eliminate the need for radiologists. Despite several studies detailing A.I.’s effectiveness in scanning radiology images, a prominent radiologist says the technology won’t replace humans in diagnosing disease any time soon.Judy Gichoya, an interventional radiology fellow at theDotter Institute at Oregon Health and Science University, joined theThis Week in Machine Learning & AI podcastto discuss a recentpapershe co-wrote about popular misconceptions regarding radiology and A.I.She discussed a high-profile paper about A.I. besting humans at using radiology to diagnose pneumonia, noting that A.I.-powered radiology-scanning systems can miss many types of pneumonia. For instance, scans of HIV patients may not show signs of pneumonia despite the patients having the disease.Additionally, Gichoya said that A.I. radiology studies often allow A.I. systems to diagnose diseases based on a probability that’s quantified via a percentage, whereas human radiologists in the studies often can only essentially say either “yes” or “no” when diagnosing an illness. This inherent discrepancy makes it difficult to compare the accuracy of A.I. systems versus humans. 5. FORTUNE ON A.I.Artificial Intelligence Is About to Make Ransomware Hack Attacks Even Scarier– By Bernhard WarnerWall Street Is Taking Cues From Silicon Valley to Innovate Fintech– By Aric JenkinsBank of America CEO: ‘We Want a Cashless Society’– By Rey Mashayekhi 6. BRAIN FOODThe A.I. landlord.Fortune’sShawn TullyprofilesAmherst HoldingsCEOSean Dobson, who is using machine learning to help his team add 1,000 homes a month to the company’s investment portfolio. The company still relies on humans to scout cities and neighborhoods for potentially profitable “fixer-uppers.” Then it uses machine learning to sift through the town’s homes to find the gems.undefined
GrubHub stock soars as Citi cites delivery tests as a reason to buy GrubHub’s (GRUB) stock surged on Tuesday, after analysts at Citigroup upgraded the stock based on the delivery service’s strong growth and pending partnerships. GrubHub’s shares, traded on New York Stock Exchange, spiked by more than 5% in early U.S. dealings to change hands above $76 per share. Still, GrubHub’s stock value has been cut in half since hitting a 52-week high at $149.35. In its research note, Citi boosted GrubHub’s shares to a Buy/High Risk, and upped its price target from $75 to $91. The bank cited reports of early tests with large chains, such asMcDononalds(MCD) andStarbucks(SBUX), as beneficial to the company in the long run. The company has been able produce double-digit gains in gross food sales (GFS), Citi said, which “should result in the delivery network efficiency required” to deliver on GrubHub’s fourth-quarter guidance. “WhileGRUBshares still trade at high multiples...they are ~52% below their 52-week high, closer to low-end of their recent historical range, and we do believe the multiple expand if investors rewardGRUBfor leverage and new chain deals,” the analysts wrote in their report. However, the report cited restaurants moving to negotiate better deals, which may negatively impact GrubHub’s bottom line. Citi also noted that GrubHub is facing stiffer competition — most notably from Google’s (GOOGL). “As we’ve written before,Google’snew online ordering platform could increase competition and/or customer acquisition costs,” the analysts concluded. Donovan Russo is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow him@Donovanxrusso. Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,LinkedIn, andreddit.
Tenet Healthcare Inks Deal to Offer Quality Health Services Tenet Healthcare CorporationTHC and Aetna, which is a CVS Health company CVS, recently entered into a new multi-year deal.Per the deal, Aetna’s s members will have in-network accessibility to all the hospitals, emergency centers, outpatient centers and physicians of Tenet Healthcare.This contract is for four years and is likely to extend to another year.With this pact, Tenet Healthcare looks forward to providing high-quality and affordable healthcare services to the members. The transaction supports the commitment of the company’s employees, who constantly work hard on keeping the communities healthy and ensuring that they get the best health outcomes.Notably, Aetna members would be able to gain traction from the access to advanced healthcare services across the country.Tenet Healthcare boasts a strong network of reliable facilities and physicians that can cater to the diverse healthcare needs of Aetna’s members.This deal is a significant move by Tenet Healthcare, which helps it reach its goal to associate with insurance companies for providing best in-class, feasible and affordable services to its members. Tenet Healthcare and Aetna have been working on forging a partnership for the past many years, and this alliance is an extension of the same.Tenet Healthcare has an impressive inorganic growth profile. It has made numerous acquisitions, partnerships and strategic alliances, aimed primarily at boosting its scale of business, operating capacity and an expanding geographical presence. The company has constantly teamed up with industry biggies like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Cigna Corp. CI, UnitedHealth, Humana Inc. HUM and so on. All these initiatives bode well for the company’s long-term growth.Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have lost 44.5% in a year’s time against its industry’s growth of 7.5%. You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.See the pot trades we're targeting>> 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 reportCigna Corporation (CI) : Free Stock Analysis ReportHumana Inc. (HUM) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTenet Healthcare Corporation (THC) : Free Stock Analysis ReportCVS Health Corporation (CVS) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
Does The Fuel Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTEK) Share Price Tend To Follow The Market? Want to participate in a short research study ? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! If you're interested in Fuel Tech, Inc. ( NASDAQ:FTEK ), then you might want to consider its beta (a measure of share price volatility) in order to understand how the stock could impact your portfolio. 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 sort is caused by the natural volatility of markets, overall. For example, certain macroeconomic events will impact (virtually) all stocks on the market. Some stocks are more sensitive to general market forces than others. Beta is a widely used metric to measure a stock's exposure to market risk (volatility). Before we go on, it's worth noting that Warren Buffett pointed out in his 2014 letter to shareholders that 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' Having said that, beta can still be rather useful. The first thing to understand about beta is 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. See our latest analysis for Fuel Tech What does FTEK's beta value mean to investors? Given that it has a beta of 1.32, we can surmise that the Fuel Tech share price has been fairly sensitive to market volatility (over the last 5 years). Based on this history, investors should be aware that Fuel Tech are likely to rise strongly in times of greed, but sell off in times of fear. 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 Fuel Tech fares in that regard, below. Story continues NasdaqGS:FTEK Income Statement, June 25th 2019 Does FTEK's size influence the expected beta? With a market capitalisation of US$31m, Fuel Tech is a very small company by global standards. It is quite likely to be unknown to most investors. It takes less money to influence the share price of a very small company. This may explain the excess volatility implied by this beta value. What this means for you: Since Fuel Tech has a reasonably high beta, it's worth considering why it is so heavily influenced by broader market sentiment. For example, it might be a high growth stock or have a lot of operating leverage in its business model. In order to fully understand whether FTEK is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Fuel Tech’s financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Future Outlook : What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for FTEK’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for FTEK’s outlook. Past Track Record : Has FTEK 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 at the free visual representations of FTEK's historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks : It's worth checking to see how FTEK measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free 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 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.
10 best wireless printers that will make your home office admin easier Who wants to walk from the bedroom or the living room to the home office to plug a USB stick into the printer? Much better to tap your smartphone screen or a button on the laptop from wherever you are and hear the familiar sound of paper whirring through the rollers elsewhere. This is a feature made possible, of course, by a wireless printer – it’ll likely only have one cable, the one that plugs into the wall. You’ll need your printer to have its own smartphone app, or be compatible with Google Cloud Print to print from an Android phone, or Apple AirPrint if you have an iPhone or iPad. It’s important to work out what you’re likely to print. If it’s mostly photos, then a photo printer with its higher quality capabilities for image printing, is ideal. But if it’s mostly going to be used for printing documents, tickets, shopping lists and the like, then a less expensive printer will do. Printers here were tested for ease of use, speed of printing, excellence of print quality and compatibility with different apps. Is it easy to print wirelessly? Does the printer scan and photocopy, too? All these printers were tested to address these questions. All are A4 printers apart from the Canon pixma TS9550 which handles A3 paper, too. You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent. Epson expression premium XP-6100: £81.58, Amazon Scanner? Yes Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 5 Dimensions : 349 x 340 x 142mm App printing: Epson Connect app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print Strong styling and excellent performance are among the features on this highly appealing printer. Print quality is great but it’s also a fast machine, with documents printed in seconds and postcard-sized photos in high quality taking little more than a minute. Like some, but not all printers, it’s capable of fast double-sided (duplex) printing. The control panel is not a touchscreen but has buttons around the edge of the display which works fine and keeps costs down. You can also print from a USB stick or SD card. Epson’s printing app is straightforward enough but integration with Google and Apple apps is here, too. Story continues Buy now HP envy 7134: £130, HP Scanner? Yes Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 2 Dimensions: 454‎ x 410 x 160mm App printing: HP app This is a strong all-round performer. It has two cartridges, one colour, one black and white, but the print quality is good. The HP original ink cartridges have electronics in them, to ensure they work perfectly. This model, and others featured in our roundup, are compatible with a program called HP instant ink where you pay a monthly fee according to the pages you print and additional ink is delivered in good time. Prices range from free (up to 15 pages per month) to £7.99 for up to 300 pages. You can roll over some unused pages each month if you find you’re not using them all and can upgrade or downgrade your subscription. The purchase price includes your first five months’ instant ink. HP has a reputation for solid reliability and simplicity of use, both of which are true here. HP has also made it easy to scan documents by using your smartphone as a scanner and then sharing the result to email or print. Buy now HP tango X: £179.99, HP Scanner? Via smartphone Copier? Via smartphone Ink cartridges: 2 Dimensions: 389 x 246 x 91mm App printing: HP Smart app One glance tells you this is a strikingly different printer. There’s no document bed for scanning and photocopying and no USB stick to print from. Everything is done from an Apple or Android smartphone using the HP Smart app. Use your phone to photograph the document you want to scan or copy and it’s sent wirelessly to the printer once the software has straightened and sharpened it. It also looks different thanks to an elegant wraparound cover that folds out to become the document delivery tray. The obvious disadvantage is that you need to open it before printing can begin. Still, it’s also available without the cover for £129 as the HP tango. Buy now Canon pixma TS6250: £109.99, Jessops Scanner? Yes Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 5 Dimensions: 372‎ x 315 x 139 mm App printing: Canon app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print The compact TS6250 will fit on the smallest desk and looks stylish enough so you won’t have to hide it. A second paper feeder tray extends at the rear for photo paper, envelopes and so on – though note that with this it won’t fit under a low shelf. There are five inks in three separate colours (cyan, magenta, blue) and two blacks. One is for photos only, the other for plain-paper documents. The touchscreen interface is easy to navigate and set up is simple. Choose from black or white finishes (the white one is coded TS6251). Buy now HP deskjet 3760: £39.99, Argos Scanner? Yes, via scrolling scan system Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 2 Dimensions: H141 x W403 x D177mm App printing: HP app, Apple AirPrint Proof that a low-priced printer can still deliver good quality, the HP deskjet 3720 is great value. It is helpfully compact – HP claims it’s the world’s smallest all-in-one printer and includes features usually only found on bigger machines. But this means there’s no room for a conventional flatbed scanner and it uses a document feeder for scanning – which won’t suit all jobs. It uses HP instant ink, but unlike some models with free trials, this includes a voucher for £3.50. Not surprising at this price point, perhaps. It delivers acceptable quality prints, even for photos, but it’s worth noting that there are only two cartridges, black and colour. Buy now Epson expression photo XP-8500: £99.99, Currys Scanner? Yes Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 6 Dimensions: 349‎ x 340 x 142mm App printing: Epson app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print This is an outstanding printer that’s compact but effective. It looks good and doesn’t dominate a room or reduce your usable desk space too much. It has six ink cartridges so it can produce excellent photos with subtle, faithful colours. It’s very simple to use, with a large touchscreen to control every function. It’s reliable, with two output trays and a USB socket when needed. Buy now Brother DCP-J572DW: £103.20, Brother Scanner? Yes Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 4 Dimensions: 400‎ x 341 x 151mm App printing: Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print The Brother printer is straightforward to use and has neat extras such as the capability of shrinking content so multiple pages can fit on one sheet of A4. It also works the other way round so you can blow up an image to cover more than one sheet of paper. The printer itself saves space because it’s small so will not dominate smaller desks. The screen, which is not a touchscreen, is also small. Print quality is good: detailed and precise with strong colour fidelity, even though there are only four colour cartridges. Along with the regular plain paper tray there’s a separate one for photo paper. Buy now Canon pixma TS9155: £219.95, John Lewis & Partners Scanner? Yes Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 6 Dimensions: 372‎ x 324 x 140mm App printing: Canon app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print The slick, colourful pixma TS9155 has been around for a little while but is still tremendous – and has dropped in price in recent months. It’s easy to use thanks to a large touchscreen, which automatically tilts outwards for extra convenience. Image quality is great thanks to six ink cartridges including one called photo blue designed to enhance photo prints with great detail and reduced grain, and a black designed for pin-sharp documents. A plain black model is also available if you prefer something less gaudy (model number pixma TS9150) which costs the same. Buy now Epson expression premium XP-7100: £129.99, Epson Scanner? Yes Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 5 Dimensions: 390‎ x 339 x 183 mm App printing: Epson app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print This is a real workhorse, taller than many printers and powerful enough to work as the printer for a busy home office because it’s a fast performer and has two paper trays. One is for A4 document paper, the other for photos. The large touchscreen is easily accessible and extra features include printing on compatible CDs or DVDs (if anybody still uses those). There’s an automatic document feeder so you don’t have to stand over the machine while it’s printing documents of up to 30 pages. Five ink cartridges make for excellent colour fidelity, including in photos. Buy now Canon pixma TS9550: £199.99, Canon Scanner? Yes Copier? Yes Ink cartridges: 5 Dimensions: 468‎ x 366 x 193 mm App printing: Epson app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print This is a big machine because it can handle A3 paper as well as A4 – though actually as A3 machines go, it’s not oversized. It’s a professional, versatile appliance that delivers great print quality for a good price. The A3 tray is in the rear so this can add to the desk space the printer needs. Two-sided printing is restricted to A4 paper. Canon is promoting it to be ideal for creative types: 45 built-in patterns may help you create interesting wrapping paper or scrapbooks, for instance. There’s even a nail sticker creator with 200 designs to help you dress your fingernails. Buy now The verdict: Wireless printers Though the range of brands worth trusting with your home printing needs is limited, there are high-quality, low-price printers around. Like the Epson expression premium XP-6100 which is great value. The Canon pixma TS6250 is pleasingly compact and the HP tango X is unlike anything else on the market and works well in a home environment.
Before You Buy Fuel Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTEK), Consider Its Volatility Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Anyone researching Fuel Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTEK) might want to consider the historical volatility of the share price. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. 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 sort is caused by the natural volatility of markets, overall. For example, certain macroeconomic events will impact (virtually) all stocks on the market. Some stocks see their prices move in concert with the market. Others tend towards stronger, gentler or unrelated 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. A stock with a beta greater than one is more sensitive to broader market movements than a stock with a beta of less than one. Check out our latest analysis for Fuel Tech Zooming in on Fuel Tech, we see it has a five year beta of 1.32. This is above 1, so historically its share price has been influenced by the broader volatility of the stock market. If this beta value holds true in the future, Fuel Tech shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. 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 Fuel Tech fares in that regard, below. Fuel Tech is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of US$31m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. It has a relatively high beta, suggesting it is fairly actively traded for a company of its size. Because it takes less capital to move the share price of a small company like this, when a stock this size is actively traded it is quite often more sensitive to market volatility than similar large companies. Since Fuel Tech tends to moves up when the market is going up, and down when it's going down, potential investors may wish to reflect on the overall market, when considering the stock. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Fuel Tech’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 FTEK’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor FTEK’s outlook. 2. Past Track Record: Has FTEK 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 FTEK's historicalsfor more clarity. 3. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how FTEK 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.
Alison Hammond got moved on by police when she filmed a This Morning segment in Pisa, Italy without a permit. Alison Hammond attends the ITV Palooza! held at The Royal Festival Hall on October 16, 2018 in London, England. (Jeff Spicer/WireImage) Alison Hammond had to flee from Italian police after she was caught filming for This Morning without a permit. The 44-year-old showbiz reporter was presenting a segment for the ITV show from Pisa, Italy, when an officer approached her and tried to move her on. “Oh my gosh, we haven’t got a permit,” Hammond confessed, as the camera cut back to This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby looking stunned in the studio. Read more: Alison Hammond reveals weight loss Ever the professional, Hammond managed to quickly finish her link before more police approached. “Listen guys, we’re in Pisa, we’re not allowed to film here, but listen, there’s a great, great competition,” she said as she was ushered away. “I’m going to get arrested!”, she cried, telling viewers: “I love you loads. Laters.” Permit schmermit - you can talk your way out of anything, right Alison? 😂 For your chance to win £300,000 (...and maybe bail Alison out of Italian jail) enter here: https://t.co/hQvl5Nm9WT 18+ UK only, T&Cs apply. pic.twitter.com/YT1PmCuGLd — This Morning (@thismorning) June 25, 2019 Hammond then rushed back over to the police to try to straighten things out. “I am so sorry buongiorno, please, I’m so sorry,” she could be heard saying. Schofield and Willoughby looked shocked when the cameras returned to the studio. “Oh my God!” said Schofield, while Willoughby wished Hammond good luck with the officers. “We’ve sent her to many places but I think that is the first time she’s got arrested,” joked Schofield. Read more: Alison Hammond falls over skiing A few minutes later Hammond was seen on screen again, admitting she was “shaking” after the kerfuffle and telling the This Morning hosts that the police hated her. However, she couldn’t resist trying to get a shot of the officers, which backfired when they spotted her and her camera crew again. Story continues “Go! Go! Go!” said Hammond, as she raced off down the street and Schofield and Willoughby burst into laughter. Just sneak away quietly @AlisonHammond ... pic.twitter.com/BSx1gYB9Ku — This Morning (@thismorning) June 25, 2019 Hammond found fame as a Big Brother housemate in 2002 and has been appearing on This Morning since 2003.
Longhorn Is Serving Steak and Bourbon Ice Cream, and It Has Chunks of Meat Mixed In Photo credit: Longhorn Steakhouse From Best Products Gone are the days where you have to eat dinner before dessert — now you can just have both at once! Longhorn Steakhouse is adding Steak & Bourbon Ice Cream to its menu, and you have to try it to believe it. The new dessert starts with Longhorn’s exclusive char seasoning. The sundae is filled with Jim Beam bourbon caramel sauce and mixed with real bits of steak. Yes, steak in your ice cream. We’re just as intrigued as you are. View this post on Instagram Introducing Steak & Bourbon Ice Cream. A chilled take on LongHorn’s legendary steak. Available on July 1st at select locations. www.longhornsteakhouse.com/steakicecream A post shared by LongHorn Steakhouse (@longhornsteaks) on Jun 25, 2019 at 7:12am PDT “Steak. Bourbon. Ice cream. They all come together in two savory scoops. Put your fork down and pick up a spoonful,” the description says. The $3.99 sundae will hit Longhorn’s menu beginning on July 1. It’s only around for a limited time, so you don’t want to miss this out-of-the-box combination! As expected, some people on social media are hesitant or downright against the dessert. One commenter summed it up pretty well: “It sounds gross, but I have to try it.” Read More: These Indoor Grills Mean You Get Steak All Year Round Your Steak Dinner Will Taste Even Better With These Cookware Sets Every Carnivore Needs These Tasty Steak Marinades for Grilling Season Follow BestProducts.com on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , and Pinterest ! ('You Might Also Like',) 44 GIFT IDEAS THAT’LL TOTALLY IMPRESS YOUR WIFE These Tasty Canned Wines Mean You'll Never Need a Corkscrew Again If You're Lacking Closet Space, It's Time to Get a Storage Bed
Facebook's Libra coin closely watched by authorities - FSB By Huw Jones LONDON, June 25 (Reuters) - Facebook's plan to expand into payments is not expected to be on the agenda of this week's G20 summit in Japan, but the social media giant's intentions could lead regulators to take a closer look at crypto assets, a G20 regulatory group said on Tuesday. Randal Quarles, chair of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) which coordinates financial rules for G20 countries, said crypto-assets did not currently pose a risk to global financial stability, but gaps may occur where they fall outside the remit of regulators or from the absence of international standards. Facebook said last week it wanted to expand into payments and launch its own coin, Libra. "A wider use of new types of crypto-assets for retail payment purposes would warrant close scrutiny by authorities to ensure that they are subject to high standards of regulation," Quarles said ahead of a summit of Group of 20 countries in Japan this week. "The FSB and standard setting bodies will monitor risks very closely and in a coordinated fashion, and consider additional multilateral responses as needed," said Quarles, who is also Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision. G20 finance ministers and central bankers agreed in March 2018 to monitor crypto assets, but stopped short of some specific action called for by some member countries. The FSB said if Libra takes off, a different kind of regulatory response would be needed, but it does not expect Facebook's plans to be a concrete topic of conversation at the G20 meeting in Japan on Friday and Saturday. The FSB's financial innovation network met with Facebook to discuss Libra, but the discussions were general and not detailed. The Bank for International Settlements, a central bank forum in Basel, Switzerland, that also houses the FSB, said on Sunday that politicians needed to quickly coordinate regulatory responses to new risks from technology companies like Facebook moving into finance. PREPOSITIONING The FSB helped to push through a welter of financial reforms after a financial crisis a decade ago forced governments to bail out undercapitalised lenders. Much of its work is now focused on making sure all the new rules are being implemented. Lately, there has been a growing concern that global capital markets are being split up by national regulators forcing foreign banks to hold large amounts of capital and liquidity locally, and not just at the parent level, in case they go bust. The FSB said such "prepositioning" of capital and liquidity had been put on its agenda for discussion. The aim is for international agreement to ensure countries that host foreign banks are comfortable they hold enough capital and liquidity, but not to the extent that it fragments a global market, the FSB said. (Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Mark Potter)
Why Brighthouse Financial Stock Dropped 10% Shares ofBrighthouse Financial(NASDAQ: BHF)stock are down 10.2% as of 10:45 a.m. EDT after Swiss megabanker Credit Suisse downgraded the seller oflife insuranceandannuitieson interest rate and accounting concerns this morning. Credit Suisse highlighted three separate, interrelated concerns about Brighthouse, as explained today in a write-up onStreetInsider.com. First, lower interest rates year to date could reduce Brighthouse's "2019-2021 distributable earnings" by as much as $1 billion. Second, "favorable equity markets" could make up the difference. However, Brighthouse's dependence on a strong stock market saving it from interest rate changes "underscores Brighthouse's sensitivity to markets." Third and finally, Credit Suisse warns that "new fair value accounting standards for insurance products with market risk guarantees, which include most variable annuities" could reduce Brighthouse's book value. Image source: Getty Images. Add it all up, and Credit Suisse, which was previously neutral on Brighthouse Financial stock, now rates the stock an "underperform" with a $22 price target -- 37% lower than its previous price target. Investors appear to be taking this warning to heart this morning, as well they might. Even leaving aside the interest rate concerns, according to data fromS&P Global Market Intelligence, the sale of annuities makes up more than half of Brighthouse's business. Credit Suisse's new price target also implies that even after today's steep sell-off, there could be a further 33% downside risk in Brighthouse stock. Considering that the stock wasn't particularly cheap to begin with -- selling for more than 20 times earnings -- it's understandable that investors are fleeing from it today. 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 Rich Smithhas 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.
Tenet Healthcare Strikes Deal for Revenue Cycle Management Tenet Healthcare Corporation’s THC unit Conifer recently announced a new revenue cycle management (RCM) deal with Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD), a member of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH) located in Lebanon, NH. With the addition of APD, more facilities would be able to gain traction from end-to-end RCM services that Conifer Health provides to clinics and hospitals within the D-HH integrated health system.Notably, D-HH will benefit from Conifer’s knowhow as that will as that will strengthen its finances to get a better vision of its sustainable health system.D-HH expects Conifer to provide an advanced patient financial experience through this alliance.Notably, the relationship between D-HH and Conifer Health has delivered solid financial results, such as 450 basis points improvement in operating margins and a 26% reduction in Accounts Receivable or A/R days outstanding since its inception in 2016.Conifer has already showed its ability to boost patient satisfaction and revenue capture, decrease denials and enhance cash flow along with operating margins.After Cheshire Medical Center engaged the company in November 2017, APD is the second D-HH system member to embrace Conifer Health for comprehensive RCM services.Conifer Health Solutions brings more than 30 years of healthcare industry expertise to clients in above 135 local regions across the nation to help drive their financial and clinical performance, cater to their respective communities and prosper in the business of healthcare.Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have shed 44.5% of value in a year’s time against itsindustry’s growth of 7.5%. Key PicksInvestors interested in the medical sector can take a look at some better-ranked stocks like WellCare Health Plans, Inc. WCG, HCA Healthcare, Inc. HCA and Molina Healthcare, Inc MOH. You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. WellCare Health offers managed care services to government-sponsored health care programs. The company pulled off average positive surprise of 13.52% in the preceding four quarters. It holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).HCA Healthcare provides health care services. In the last four quarters, the company delivered average beat of 15.74%. It carries a Zacks Rank of 2.Molina Healthcare is a multi-state healthcare organization. In the trailing four quarters, the company came up with average beat of 88.17%. It sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.See the pot trades we're targeting>> 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 reportMolina Healthcare, Inc (MOH) : Free Stock Analysis ReportWellCare Health Plans, Inc. (WCG) : Free Stock Analysis ReportHCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTenet Healthcare Corporation (THC) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
The 10 Biggest Biotech Stocks If you're looking for a way to beat the market over the long run, biotech stocks look like a pretty good option. Over the last 10 years, theSPDR S&P Biotech ETF(NYSEMKT: XBI), which holds positions in more than 100 biotech stocks, has nearly doubled the performance of theS&P 500 Index. Some investors are leery of biotech stocks, though. That mindset stems at least in part from the fact that hundreds of small biotechs are unprofitable and have no approved products. Still, there are quite a few large-cap biotech stocks that generate significant profits and claim multiple drugs on the market. The 10 biggest biotech stocks together generate more than $50 billion in annual earnings and well over $200 billion in annual sales. Here's what you need to know about these biggest biotech stocks on the market right now. Image source: Getty Images. Technically speaking, a biotech is a company that developsbiologic drugs. These biologic drugs are large, complex molecules that are manufactured within a living organism. Any drugmaker that develops biologic drugs could be referred to as a biotech. Because biologic drugs have proven to be highly effective at treating lots of diseases, most big pharmaceutical companies now include biologic drugs in their product lineups and pipelines. But, at least in most cases, these big pharma companies aren't called biotechs. Johnson & Johnson(NYSE: JNJ), for example, markets multiple biologic drugs, including the company's top two best-selling drugs, Remicade and Stelara. However, J&J usually isn't referred to as a biotech because it makes the majority of its revenue from sources other than biologic drugs. On the other hand,Gilead Sciences(NASDAQ: GILD)usually is categorized as a biotech stock. However, Gilead makes most of its revenue fromnon-biologic drugs. So, why is Gilead called a biotech stock while J&J isn't? The word "biotech" has also been frequently used in the past to describe any small drugmaker that wasn't a big pharma company. And for much of its existence, Gilead was a relatively small drugmaker. As you can see, identifying exactly which drug stocks are biotech stocks and which aren't isn't a straightforward task. For this ranking of the biggest biotech stocks, we'll use two criteria. First, any stock that's included in the holdings of the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF will be counted as a biotech stock. Second, any big pharma stock that isn't in the ETF's holdings but derives more than half of its total revenue from biologic drugs will be considered to be a biotech stock. The 10 biggest biotech stocks on the market range from healthcare giants that have been in business for more than a century to companies that have grown rapidly in just the last few years. These biotechs focus on a wide range of therapeutic areas, from relatively common inflammatory diseases to rare genetic diseases. [{"Company": "1. Roche Holdings(NASDAQOTH: RHHBY)", "Market Cap": "$237 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Cancer, rare diseases"}, {"Company": "2. Novo Nordisk(NYSE: NVO)", "Market Cap": "$119 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Diabetes, rare diseases"}, {"Company": "3. AbbVie(NYSE: ABBV)", "Market Cap": "$116 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Cancer, immunology"}, {"Company": "4. Amgen(NASDAQ: AMGN)", "Market Cap": "$113 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Bone disease, migraine"}, {"Company": "5. Eli Lilly(NYSE: LLY)", "Market Cap": "$107 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Cancer, diabetes"}, {"Company": "6. Gilead Sciences(NASDAQ: GILD)", "Market Cap": "$88 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Cancer, antivirals"}, {"Company": "7. Celgene(NASDAQ: CELG)", "Market Cap": "$66 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Cancer, immunology"}, {"Company": "8. Vertex Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: VRTX)", "Market Cap": "$47 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Rare diseases"}, {"Company": "9. Biogen(NASDAQ: BIIB)", "Market Cap": "$46 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Rare diseases"}, {"Company": "10. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: REGN)", "Market Cap": "$34 billion", "Key Therapeutic Areas of Focus": "Eye diseases"}] Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Market caps as of June 24, 2019. Here are some highlights for each of these big biotech stocks. Roche's majority stake in Genentech made the Swiss healthcare giant a leader in the biotech world long before it finally acquired all of Genentech in 2009. In 2017, four of the world's top 10 best-selling biologics were marketed by Roche. Sales are slipping for a couple of thoseblockbuster drugsnow, though, as they face competition frombiosimilars-- which are similar enough to the original drug that there isn't a clinically meaningful difference. However, Roche claims several biologic drugs for which sales are soaring. These include breast cancer drug Perjeta, multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus, and cancer immunotherapy Tecentriq. The big biotech has a robust late-stage pipeline. Roche hopes to pick up approvals for additional indications for several of its existing drugs, especially Tecentriq. Its pipeline also includes several promising new drugs targeting the treatment of cancer, inflammatory diseases, and rare diseases. Novo Nordisk makes most of its revenue from its strong diabetes franchise. The company's products include top-selling insulin products such as Tresiba and NovoRapid. Novo Nordisk's fastest-rising product is type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic, which ranked as one of thetop new drugs launched in 2018. The drugmaker has also enjoyed success on a couple of other fronts. Obesity drug Saxenda is picking up strong sales momentum. Novo Nordisk's hemophilia and growth disorders drugs contribute significantly to its top line. Novo Nordisk's late-stage pipeline doesn't appear to be overly impressive, though. The company only has two late-stage candidates, with Ozempic being evaluated for treating diabetes, and somapacitan in phase 3 clinical testing for treating growth disorders. However, Novo Nordisk's early and mid-stage pipeline could be more promising, with several new diabetes, obesity, and rare disease drugs in development. AbbVie is another big pharma that qualifies as a biotech thanks primarily to its biologic immunology drug Humira. In 2018, Humira ranked as the top-selling drug in the world and generated 61% of AbbVie's total revenue. However, sales for the drug have begun to slip as Humira faces biosimilar competition in Europe. The good news for AbbVie is that it has several potential products to offset the declining sales for Humira. Imbruvica is at the top of that list. EvaluatePharma projects that AbbVie's cancer drug will be one of thefive biggest blockbuster drugs of the future, with sales of $9.5 billion by 2024. Endometriosis drug Orilissa and new psoriasis drug Skyrizi are also expected to be big winners. AbbVie's pipeline claims what could be thesecond-biggest new drug launched in 2019: upadacitinib. The big biotech thinks the drug could achieve peak annual sales of $6.5 billion. In addition, AbbVie has late-stage clinical studies in progress in hopes of picking up additional approvals for Orilissa in treating uterine fibroids and for Imbruvica and Venclexta in treating other types of cancer. Amgen's lineup currently includes seven blockbuster drugs. The problem for the big biotech, though, is that sales are under pressure for four of these drugs -- Enbrel, Neulasta, Epogen, and Aranesp -- with intense competition from newer rivals. However, sales continue to soar for osteoporosis drug Prolia. Multiple myeloma drug Kyprolis could be on track to become Amgen's next blockbuster. The company also has high hopes for cholesterol drug Repatha, leukemia drug Blincyto, and migraine drug Aimovig, which Amgen is co-marketing withNovartis(NYSE: NVS). Amgen doesn't have a particularly deep late-stage pipeline with only six programs, three of which target new indications for existing drugs. Another of the biotech's late-stage candidates is an experimental Alzheimer's disease drug that uses a similar approach taken by several other drugs that have already flopped in clinical testing. However, Amgen's early-stage pipeline looks promising, with several immunotherapies targeting various types of cancer in development. You might not think of Eli Lilly as a biotech stock. But with the company's top-selling diabetes, cancer, and immunology therapies, well over half of Lilly's total revenue comes from biologic drugs, making it a biotech stock according to the criteria used for this ranking. Lilly's rising stars right now include diabetes drug Trulicity, insulin product Basaglar, breast cancer drug Verzenio, and psoriasis drug Taltz. Increasing sales for these and some of the company's other products have enabled Lilly to more than make up for falling sales for several of its older drugs. New migraine drug Emgality should be another big winner for Lilly. The drugmaker also claims a solid pipeline with 18 late-stage programs. These programs include new immunology drug mirikizumab and pain drug tanezumab as well as existing drugs such as Jardiance and Trulicity targeting additional indications. Gilead Sciences pioneered the treatment of HIV, and the biotech remains the market leader with six blockbuster HIV drugs in 2018. Gilead's latest success story, Biktarvy, appears likely to become the best-selling HIV drug of all time. But Gilead isn't only focused on HIV. The company's hepatitis C virus (HCV) franchise continues to generate billions of dollars in revenue annually, although sales have dropped as Gilead and its main rival AbbVie battle each other for fewer new patients. Gilead also is a leader in cell therapy with Yescarta, a drug it gained with its 2017 acquisition of Kite Pharma. The company's top late-stage pipeline candidate, filgotinib, could make Gilead a winner in yet another therapeutic category -- immunology. It's also hoping to add new approved indications for Descovy as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) therapy for HIV and for Yescarta as a treatment for previously treated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Celgene's flagship product right now is Revlimid. This blood cancer drug currently accounts for over 60% of the biotech's total revenue. However, Revlimid faces generic competition beginning in 2022. In addition to Revlimid, though, Celgene claims several other big winners: multiple myeloma drug Pomalyst, immunology drug Otezla, and cancer drug Abraxane. Celgene's pipeline is loaded with potential blockbusters, including multiple sclerosis drug ozanimod, cancer cell therapies bb2121 and liso-cel, blood disorder drug luspatercept, and myelofibrosis drug fedratinib. However, Celgene won't be a big biotech stock for very long. The company isbeing acquired byBristol-Myers Squibb(NYSE: BMY). Vertex Pharmaceuticals dominates the market for treating cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare disease that can cause serious damage to the lungs and other organs. The biotech's currently approved CF drugs -- Kalydeco, Orkambi, and Symdeko -- combined to deliver sales of over $3 billion in 2018. Another successful CF drug could be on the way for Vertex. The company expects to win U.S. and European approvals for a triple-drug combination in 2020. This combo, if approved, should expand the number of patients eligible for treatment with Vertex's drugs by 75%. Vertex is also seeking to expand into diseases beyond CF. The biotech teamed up withCRISPR Therapeutics(NASDAQ: CRSP)to develop gene therapies targeting rare blood disorders beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Vertex acquired Exonics Therapeutics and expanded its relationship with CRISPR Therapeutics to focus on gene therapies for treating rare genetic diseases Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1). Vertex's pipeline also includes a promising pain drug. Biogen rose to become a top biotech based on the strength of its multiple sclerosis (MS) franchise. However, sales for its interferon products Avonex and Plegridy have slipped. Tysabri also faces tough competition from Roche's Ocrevus, which Biogen initially developed but licensed to the Swiss drugmaker several years ago. The biggest growth driver for Biogen now is its spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drug Spinraza. However, that growth could be in jeopardy with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA)approval for Novartis' SMA gene therapy Zolgensma. Biogen had hoped to launch a game-changing Alzheimer's disease drug with aducanumab, but the once-promising drugfailed in late-stage clinical studies. That leaves Biogen with four late-stage pipeline candidates, one of which also targets Alzheimer's disease. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' eye-disease drug Eylea fueled the biotech's early success. Eylea continues to generate more than 60% of Regeneron's total revenue. The company's partnership withSanofi(NASDAQ: SNY)has also provided several winners for Regeneron. Eczema drug Dupixent has been the most successful of these drugs so far. Cancer immunotherapy Libtayo is also expected to become a blockbuster drug from the collaboration between Regeneron and Sanofi. Regeneron's pipeline includes seven late-stage programs. Four of these late-stage programs are evaluating existing drugs in treating new indications. The three new drug candidates include promising pain drug fasinumab, which Regeneron is developing withTeva Pharmaceutical(NYSE: TEVA). Each of these 10 big biotech stocks face risks. There's always the possibility of clinical failures. Most of the companies' products compete against rival drugs that are already on the market and potentially new rival drugs on the way. Several of the biotechs, including AbbVie, Celgene, and Roche, either are already battling biosimilar or generic competition or will do so in the not-too-distant future. There's also the possibility thathealthcare reform in the U.S. could hurt some of these stocks. Politicians from both major parties have focused on ways to address high prescription drug costs. Some of the proposed solutions to these problems could negatively affect the growth prospects for these biotechs. However, these 10 biotech stocks aren't as risky as most small-cap biotech stocks. They all generate significant revenue and profits that can be used to invest in developing new drugs or to make strategic acquisitions to fuel growth. Over the long run, big biotechs tend to get even bigger. 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 Keith Speightsowns shares of AbbVie, Celgene, Gilead Sciences, SPDR S&P Biotech, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Biogen, Celgene, and Gilead Sciences. The Motley Fool owns shares of CRISPR Therapeutics. The Motley Fool recommends Amgen, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
Headwinds Hound American Airlines: Better to Ditch the Stock American Airlines Group Inc. AAL has been grappling with numerous headwinds of late, primarily the extension of the Boeing 737 MAX grounding period and rise in fuel costs. These factors have taken a toll on the carrier due to which shares of the company have declined nearly 1% so far this year against the industry’s 6.2% increase. The carrier with 24 Boeing 737 MAX jets in its fleet, expanded the grounding period of such jets until Sep 3. This will result in the cancellation of approximately 115 flights daily. Previously, American Airlines expected its current-year pre-tax earnings to be affected to the tune of roughly $350 million. However, the loss might increase with the recent extension in Boeing 737 MAX jet’s grounding time period. The carrier had initially notified that 737 MAX jets would be grounded until Apr 24, which was later stretched through Jun 5 and again until Aug 19 and finally, came the current early-September date.The volatile fuel prices are likely to weigh on the company’s earnings this year as expenses on the commodity comprise a major chunk of any airline company’s expenditure. Evidently, fuel expenses for 2019 are expected to be $650 million more compared with what was predicted in January. Fuel costs per gallon for the current year are now estimated between $2.13 and $2.18 (earlier outlook: $1.99-$2.04). This bearish fuel cost view as well as the extended grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX jets induced the company to slash its earnings guidance for the full year. American Airlines now expects earnings per share between $4 and $6 (earlier outlook: $5.50-$7.50).Additionally, the company’s fleet modernization efforts — albeit encouraging — are pushing up capital expenditures, which in turn, are limiting bottom-line growth. Notably, its 2019 capex is anticipated to be as high as $4.4 billion, majority of which will be spent on aircraft.The carrier’s high debt levels further add to its woes. Its long-term debt-to-capitalization (expressed as a percentage) is currently 85.2, much higher than the industry's average of 45.4. This reading also compares unfavorably with the S&P 500 Index’s average of 43.5.Surrounded by negativity, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s second-quarter earnings has been revised 14.8% downward in the last 60 days. The same for 2019 earnings has moved 11.8% south.In light of the pessimism surrounding American Airlines, we believe investors would do best to discard this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) stock from their portfolios now.Key PicksSome better-ranked stocks in the same space are Air China Ltd. AIRYY, SkyWest, Inc. SKYW and United Continental Holdings, Inc. UAL. While Air China sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), SkyWest and United Continental carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Shares of Air China, SkyWest and United Continental have gained more than 19%, 27% and 3%, respectively, so far this year.Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.See the pot trades we're targeting>> 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 reportUnited Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis ReportAmerican Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis ReportSkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) : Free Stock Analysis ReportAir China Ltd. (AIRYY) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research
Top Ranked Momentum Stocks to Buy for June 25th Here are four stocks with buy rank and strong momentum characteristics for investors to consider today, June 25th: Ferrari N.V.(RACE): This luxury performance sports cars manufacturer has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 2.5% over the last 60 days. Ferrari N.V. price-consensus-chart | Ferrari N.V. Quote Ferrari’s shares gained 12.1% over the last one month more than S&P 500’s rise of 4.9%. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Ferrari N.V. price | Ferrari N.V. Quote Kimberly-Clark Corporation(KMB): This manufacturer of personal care, consumer tissue and professional products has a Zacks Rank #2 and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.8% over the last 60 days. Kimberly-Clark Corporation price-consensus-chart | Kimberly-Clark Corporation Quote Kimberly-Clark’s shares gained 6.8% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. Kimberly-Clark Corporation price | Kimberly-Clark Corporation Quote Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc.(DNKN): This quick service restaurants developer has a Zacks Rank #2 and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.7% over the last 60 days. Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. Quote Dunkin' Brands’ shares gained 9.4% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. price | Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. Quote The Hershey Company(HSY): This confectionery products manufacturer has a Zacks Rank #2 and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 0.5% over the last 60 days. Hershey Company (The) price-consensus-chart | Hershey Company (The) Quote Hershey’sshares gained 7.5% over the last one month. The company possesses a Momentum Score of B. Hershey Company (The) price | Hershey Company (The) Quote See thefull list of top ranked stocks here Learn more about theMomentum score and how it is calculated here. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> 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 reportFerrari N.V. (RACE) : Free Stock Analysis ReportKimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) : Free Stock Analysis ReportHershey Company (The) (HSY) : Free Stock Analysis ReportDunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (DNKN) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Avril Lavigne Is Set to Tour America for the First Time in 5 Years — See the Dates “When You’re Gone,” it’s only inevitable that you’ll return! For the first time since 2014, Avril Lavigne is set to hit the road in America this fall on a 15-date trek spanning from Sept. 14 through Oct. 11. Kicking off in Seattle, the Head Above Water Tour 2019 will conclude with a show in Philadelphia, including stops in Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Boston and more. “Hey everyone! I’m so excited to be announcing the Head Above Water Tour. It’s finally here,” Lavigne, 34, told her followers in an Instagram video on Monday. The last time Lavigne went on tour in the United States was on The Avril Lavigne Tour, which kicked off on Dec. 1, 2013, in Hidalgo, Texas. The North American leg of the tour concluded in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 28, 2014 — almost exactly five years ago. View this post on Instagram Happy to announce the Head Above Water Tour bitches!!!⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Get in line for the ticket presale here or use the link in my bio : http://tnspk.co/j-DzKbA⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Tour Dates/Stops:⁣⁣⁣ 9.14 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre⁣⁣⁣ 9.15 - Portland, OR @ Keller Auditorium⁣⁣⁣ 9.17 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater - Oakland⁣⁣⁣ 9.18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre ⁣⁣⁣ 9.21 - Denver, CO, MN @ Paramount Theatre ⁣⁣⁣ 9.24 - Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre ⁣⁣⁣ 9.26 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre ⁣⁣⁣ 9.28 - Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre ⁣⁣⁣ 10.1 - New York, NY @ Pier 17 at South Street Seaport⁣⁣⁣ 10.3 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre⁣⁣⁣ 10.5 - Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theatre⁣⁣⁣ 10.6 - Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre for the Performing Arts⁣⁣⁣ 10.8 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre⁣⁣⁣ 10.9 - Washington, DC @ MGM National Harbor ⁣⁣⁣ 10.11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Cite Center at Parx Casino⁣⁣⁣ #HeadAboveWaterTour⁣ A post shared by Avril Lavigne (@avrillavigne) on Jun 24, 2019 at 9:00am PDT RELATED: Avril Lavigne Releases Music Video on Her Birthday: “It Makes My Heart So Unbelievably Full” In a separate post on Instagram Monday, the Canadian singer shared that portions of the new tour’s ticket sales will benefit The Avril Lavigne Foundation , “to raise awareness & fund treatment for those in need!” Terence Patrick/CBS “AND … we have done something extra to add to the fun! Please go to www.CharityStars.com/AvrilTour to bid on nostalgic items from ‘The Best Damn Tour,’ my personal clothing, amazing T.B.D.T guitars from Fender, and even a brand new exclusive t-shirt and tank top — all to help us #FightLyme ,” added Lavigne, who has been open in the past about her own battle with Lyme disease . Story continues “To thank you for your support, all participants are automatically entered to win a pair of my personal VIP seats to the show of their choice,” she continued. “Three lucky winners will be selected once the auction closes — and I hope you’re one of them!” Avril Lavigne | Andrew Lipovsky/NBC “Can’t wait to see you on the road. Xo Avril,” added the “Complicated” hitmaker. “PS: Check back often because I’m going to keep adding new items!” While the fan pre-sale registration has ended, Rolling Stone reports that a Citi card pre-sale will run from Wednesday at 10 a.m. through Thursday at 10 p.m., while general ticket sales will commence on Friday at 10 a.m. RELATED VIDEO: Avril Lavigne Talks Managing Lyme Disease: “I’ve Gone Through So Much” but “I’m in a Good Place” Lavigne’s full tour schedule is as follows: Sept. 14 – Seattle; Paramount Theatre Sept. 15 – Portland, Oregon; Keller Auditorium Sept. 17 – Oakland, California; Fox Theater Sept. 18 – Los Angeles; The Greek Theatre Sept. 21 – Denver; Paramount Theatre Sept. 24 – Minneapolis; State Theatre Sept. 26 – Chicago; Chicago Theatre Sept. 28 – Detroit; Fox Theatre Oct. 1 – New York; Pier 17 at South Street Seaport Oct. 3 – Boston; Orpheum Theatre Oct. 5 – Wallingford, Connecticut; Oakdale Theatre Oct. 6 – Toronto; Sony Centre For Performing Arts* Oct. 8 – Pittsburgh; Roxian Theatre Oct. 9 – Washington, D.C.; MGM National Harbor Oct. 11 – Philadelphia; XCite Center at Parx Casino View comments
Facebook expands rules on political ads to Canada and Ukraine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc on Tuesday added Canada and Ukraine to the list of countries where advertisers looking to run political ads on its platform must first verify their identity and disclose who paid for the ads. The company said in a statement it will begin monitoring ads in those two countries immediately "through a combination of automated and human review." It said it will begin enforcing the rules in Singapore and Argentina "within the next few months." Under scrutiny from regulators since Russia used social media platforms for widespread meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Facebook has been rolling out ads transparency tools country by country since last year. The rules - already in place in the United States, the European Union, Britain and India - require ads about politics, elections or "social issues" to be labeled as "paid for" and placed in a publicly searchable archive for seven years, along with information on who saw them and how much they cost. Facebook said it was making its transparency tools available to advertisers in more than 190 countries, although verification was not yet a requirement in most of those places. Canadian lawmakers have said the world's major social media companies, including Facebook, were not doing enough to help combat potential foreign meddling in Canada's general election in October. (Reporting by Katie Paul; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Easy Come, Easy Go: How Flotek Industries (NYSE:FTK) Shareholders Got Unlucky And Saw 89% Of Their Cash Evaporate Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Flotek Industries, Inc.(NYSE:FTK) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 12% in the last month. But will that repair the damage for the weary investors who have owned this stock as it declined over half a decade? Probably not. Like a ship taking on water, the share price has sunk 89% in that time. So we don't gain too much confidence from the recent recovery. The real question is whether the business can leave its past behind and improve itself over the years ahead. We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway. Check out our latest analysis for Flotek Industries Flotek Industries isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth. Over half a decade Flotek Industries reduced its trailing twelve month revenue by 18% for each year. That puts it in an unattractive cohort, to put it mildly. So it's not that strange that the share price dropped 36% per year in that period. This kind of price performance makes us very wary, especially when combined with falling revenue. Of course, the poor performance could mean the market has been too severe selling down. That can happen. Depicted in the graphic below, you'll see revenue and earnings over time. If you want more detail, you can click on the chart itself. You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in thisfreeinteractive graphic. Flotek Industries shareholders gained a total return of 2.4% during the year. But that return falls short of the market. But at least that's still a gain! Over five years the TSR has been a reduction of 36% per year, over five years. So this might be a sign the business has turned its fortunes around. You might want to assessthis data-rich visualizationof its earnings, revenue and cash flow. We will like Flotek Industries better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out thisfreelist of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. 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.
How much Best Buy could make from selling spin bikes and treadmills Best Buy’s venture into selling pricey connected spin bikes and treadmills could add up to some real bucks over time. The electronics retailer said last week it will beginrolling out dedicated fitness spaces to 100 stores by year end. These spaces (seen below, compliments of Jefferies) will sell everything from connected spin bikes by well-known Peloton rival Flywheel, to rowing machines from Hydrow, to connected treadmills by NordicTrack. Best Buy (BBY) currently has its fitness spaces open at six locations, and the feedback has been positive among consumers, according to fresh analysis by investment bank Jefferies. Jefferies’ boots on the ground research has found bike sales at the test locations are outpacing treadmills, and some stores are selling “a few” bikes and “a few” treadmills per week. The only issue up to this point is that people Jefferies talked with have been surprised to see workout equipment in Best Buy stores. That is likely to change over time, however, as Best Buy ramps up marketing around the initiative. “The pilot is limited in scale, but early results are promising,” said Jefferies analyst Jonathan Matuszewski. The analyst estimates that Best Buy could see $130 million in sales in 2020 from its new fitness equipment. By 2021, that tally could almost double to $250 million as Best Buy probably increases store availability and consumer awareness grows. Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and co-host of ‘The First Trade’ at Yahoo Finance. Follow Brian Sozzi him on Twitter@BrianSozzi Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance • Why Shake Shack CEO is testing a 4-day workweek • Trump's trade war with China may shock investors this summer • 2 black swans could come out of nowhere and kill stocks this summer • Why scrapping Trump's corporate tax cuts could crush businesses Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,SmartNews,LinkedIn,YouTube, andreddit.
What Kind Of Shareholders Own CalAmp Corp. (NASDAQ:CAMP)? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! The big shareholder groups in CalAmp Corp. (NASDAQ:CAMP) have power over the company. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership. With a market capitalization of US$341m, CalAmp is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it's seems that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about CAMP. Check out our latest analysis for CalAmp 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 80% of CalAmp. 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. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see CalAmp's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Hedge funds don't have many shares in CalAmp. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO. 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. I can report that insiders do own shares in CalAmp Corp.. As individuals, the insiders collectively own US$11m worth of the US$341m company. This shows at least some alignment. You canclick here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling. The general public, with a 16% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand CalAmp better, we need to consider many other factors. Many find it usefulto take an in depth look at how a company has performed in the past. You can accessthisdetailed graphof past earnings, revenue and cash flow. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can checkthis free report showing analyst forecasts for its 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.
5 High-Flying Stocks of the Top ETF in 1H Invesco Solar ETF TANtopped the list of the best-performing ETFs in the first half with impressive returns of about 51% (read: Solar ETF Hits New 52-Week High).The rally was primarily driven by a rebound in global solar demand, competitive pricing and the potential Chinese subsidies. Some states including California are using solar subsidies to boost the adoption of solar power. Additionally, California’s push to make solar panels indispensable to all new homes built in 2020 and beyond is bolstering the solar industry.The strongest-ever solar installation and the exemption of tariff on one type of solar panels also added to this upside. The U.S. trade representative relieved the bifacial solar panels from solar tariffs, which are currently 25% of the cost of imported solar panels. Higher oil prices are also contributing to the solar stock rally. Let’s take a closer look at the fundamentals of TAN.TAN in FocusThis ETF offers global exposure to the solar industry by tracking the MAC Global Solar Energy Index, holding 23 stocks in the basket. It is moderately concentrated across components with each making up for not more than 10% of the assets. American firms dominate the fund’s portfolio with nearly 51.9% share, followed by China (23%) and Germany (6.9%). The product has amassed $350.9 million in its asset base and trades in a solid volume of around 155,000 shares a day. It charges investors 70 bps in fees per year and has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a High risk outlook (see: all the Alternative Energy ETFs).Though most of the stocks in the fund’s portfolio delivered strong returns, some stocks listed on the American stock exchange outperformed. Below, we have highlighted those five best-performing stocks in the ETF with their respective positions in the fund’s basket:Best-Performing Stocks of TANEnphase Energy Inc. ENPH:The stock has skyrocketed more than 269% in the first half. It has seen a positive earnings estimate revision of 18 cents for this year over the past three months with an expected earnings growth rate of 420%. ENPH currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a favorable VGM Score of B. The stock occupies the top spot in the fund’s portfolio, making up for 7.4% share.JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited JKS:The stock has soared about 127% so far this year. It currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and an attractive VGM Score of A. The stock has witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions of a penny in the past three months for this year and has an estimated earnings growth rate of 81.71%. It holds the ninth spot in the fund’s basket with 4.4% of the total assets. You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.SunPower Corporation SPWR:The stock has surged nearly 108% in the first half. It has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and an unimpressive VGM Score of D. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 has moved north from a loss of 40 cents to a loss of 37 cents over the past three months for this year and represents an earnings growth rate of 48.6% year over year. SunPower is placed at the seventh position, accounting for 5.5% share in TAN.Vivint Solar Inc. VSLR:This stock takes the third rank in the fund’s basket with 3.9% allocation. It has also delivered robust returns of 96.3% in the first half. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 has moved south to a loss of 4 cents from earnings of 25 cents over the past three months for this year and reflects an earnings growth rate of 69.2% year over year. Vivint Solar has a Zacks Rank of 3 and an unattractive VGM Score of F (read: S&P 500 Hits New High: 10 Top-Performing ETFs YTD).DAQO New Energy Corp DQ:This stock takes the #10 spot in the fund’s basket, claiming only 3.9% of the assets. It has jumped 81.4% in the first half and has seen a negative earnings estimate revision of 19 cents for this year over the past 30 days. Its earnings are expected to decline 62.73% for this year. DAQO New Energy is currently a Zacks #3 Ranked player and has a VGM Score of A.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 reportDAQO New Energy Corp. (DQ) : Free Stock Analysis ReportInvesco Solar ETF (TAN): ETF Research ReportsEnphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH) : Free Stock Analysis ReportJinkoSolar Holding Company Limited (JKS) : Free Stock Analysis ReportSunPower Corporation (SPWR) : Free Stock Analysis ReportVivint Solar, Inc. (VSLR) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo 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. Click to get this free report
ALX Uranium Corp. Engages Umbrella Capital Group for Market Making Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 25, 2019) -ALX Uranium Corp.(TSXV: AL) (FSE: 6LLN) (OTC: ALXEF)("ALX" or the "Company")announced today that it has retained Umbrella Capital Group Ltd. ("UCG") to provide trading (market-making) services to ALX with respect the Company's common shares listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). Under the terms of an issuer trading services agreement dated as of June 20, 2019 (the "Agreement"), UCG will receive compensation of $7,500 per month (plus applicable taxes), payable in cash from the Company's working capital account. The capital required for the acquisition of any of the Company's common shares and any corresponding trading activity undertaken by UCG will be provided by UCG acting as principal. The Agreement is subject to acceptance by the TSXV and is for an initial term of three months and can be continued by the Company on a month-by-month basis unless terminated by the Company or UCG. UCG and ALX are unrelated entities. UCG is an independent financial services organization based in Toronto, Canada. About ALX ALX's mandate is to provide shareholders with multiple opportunities for discovery by exploring a portfolio of prospective mineral properties in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, a superior mining jurisdiction. The Company executes exploration programs using the latest available technologies and holds interests in over 200,000 hectares of prospective lands in Saskatchewan, a Province that hosts the richest uranium deposits in the world, a producing gold mine, and demonstrates strong potential for economic base metals deposits. ALX is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and its common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "AL", on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "6LLN" and in the United States OTC market under the symbol "ALXEF". Technical reports are available on SEDAR atwww.sedar.comfor several of the Company's active properties. For more information about the Company, please visit the ALX corporate website atwww.alxuranium.comor contact Roger Leschuk, Manager, Corporate Communications at PH: 604.629.0293 or Toll-Free: 866.629.8368, or by email:rleschuk@alxuranium.com On Behalf of the Board of Directors of ALX Uranium Corp. "Warren Stanyer" Warren Stanyer, CEO and Chairman FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements in this document which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that the Company's actual business outcomes and exploration results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Additional risk factors are discussed in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the Three Months ended March 31, 2019, which is available under Company's SEDAR profile atwww.sedar.com. Except as required by law, we will not update these forward looking statement risk factors. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visithttps://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/45874
Introducing Glacier Bancorp (NASDAQ:GBCI), A Stock That Climbed 59% In The Last Three Years Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! By buying an index fund, you can roughly match the market return with ease. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. Just take a look atGlacier Bancorp, Inc.(NASDAQ:GBCI), which is up 59%, over three years, soundly beating the market return of 45% (not including dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 1.4% in the last year, including dividends. Check out our latest analysis for Glacier Bancorp In his essayThe Superinvestors of Graham-and-DoddsvilleWarren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Glacier Bancorp was able to grow its EPS at 14% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. We don't think it is entirely coincidental that the EPS growth is reasonably close to the 17% average annual increase in the share price. This observation indicates that the market's attitude to the business hasn't changed all that much.Au contraire, the share price change has arguably mimicked the EPS growth. The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at ourfreereport on Glacier Bancorp's earnings, revenue and cash flow. As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, Glacier Bancorp's TSR for the last 3 years was 76%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted thetotalshareholder return. Glacier Bancorp shareholders are up 1.4% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately this falls short of the market return. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 11% per year for five years. It may well be that this is a business worth popping on the watching, given the continuing positive reception, over time, from the market. Before spending more time on Glacier Bancorpit might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares. But note:Glacier Bancorp may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast). 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.
L'Oreal’s AR, AI technology allows consumers to try 42 shades of lipstick L’Oreal, one of the largest cosmetics companies in the world, is now using newtechnologyto change how consumers buy make-up and skincare products. “When you go to Walmart you’re not actually able to try your lipstick on,” L’Oreal Chief Digital Officer Lubomira Rochet told FOX Business’Maria Bartiromoon Wednesday. “Purples, or green or black you want to see how it feels on you, so you can do that right on our website.” Rochet said new technology like Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) allows customers in 150 countries to test merchandise from 36 brands, before buying it. “People try it and we recommend the right product,” she said. The cosmetic company’s most important brands include L’Oreal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New York and Softsheen. The company recently acquired Modiface, a leading provider of AR technology for the beauty industry. Rochet said people are spending twice as much time online testing beauty products like eye shadows, hair colors, foundation choices, and 42 shades of lipstick. The service is also being made available to third party technology companies like Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and Google. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP “We really want to open up, open source those technologies to elevate the consumer beauty experience,” Rochet said. L’Oreal’s cosmetic portfolio consist of 36 brands in 150 countries, employing 86,000 people worldwide. Last year, the beauty company generated $30.23 billion in sales. 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
Linx IPO: What You Need To Know The Brazilian economy is teetering, and the global macroeconomic conditions are not quite enthusing. Yet investors who are willing to make a bold bet can keep an eye on this Brazilian company that provides software solutions to retailers. The IPO Terms Sao Paulo, Brazil-basedLinx S.A.(NYSE:LINX) filed with theSECfor offering 29.275 million common shares, including in the form of American Depository Share, or ADSs. Each ADS corresponds to a common share. The company noted in its IPO filing that the closing price of its common shares June 12 at the Brazilian exchange was equivalent to $8.68, and giving effect to the 1:1 ratio of the common share and ADS, each ADS is to be priced at $8.68, rendering the size of the offering at $254 million. Since the company qualifies as an "emerging growth company" under the U.S. federal securities laws, it is subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, BofA Merrill Lynch and Itau BBA are the underwriters for the offering. The company has applied for listing its shares on the NYSE under the ticker symbol LINX. The Company Founded in 1985, Linx is a cloud-based Latin American technology company, which develops affordable and seamlessly integrated software solutions to retailers in Latin America through a software-as-a-service, or SaaS model. The company has three product lines – Linx Core, which provides integrated business management system, Linx Digital, which provides machine-learning technology, data analytics and order management system, and Linx Pay Hub, which provides payment solutions. The Finances Linx' net operating revenues rose 20% year-over-year to $175.9 million in fiscal year 2018. The metric climbed about 12% in the quarter ended March 2019 to $45.4 million. The company reported net income of $18.2 million for 2018 and $4.4 million for the March quarter. In 2018, subscription revenues accounted for 86.8% of its total revenues. The number of customers was at 46,197 at the end of the March quarter, with the customer retention rate at 99.2%. Related Links: IPO Outlook For The Week: Biotech, Real Estate, IT Solutions And Secondhand Luxury E-Tail Personalis IPO: What You Need To Know See more from Benzinga • No Solace For Aldeyra As Late-Stage Study Of Lead Drug In Anterior Uveitis Fails • Cambium Networks IPO: What You Need To Know • The Daily Biotech Pulse: Genfit NASH Drug In China, Conatus Explores Sale, Gilead Stitches Up Immuno-Oncology Partnership © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Exclusive: In push to replace Huawei, rural U.S. carriers are talking with Nokia and Ericsson By Tarmo Virki and Angela Moon HELSINKI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - About a dozen rural U.S. telecom carriers that depend on Huawei for network gear are in discussions with its biggest rivals, Ericsson and Nokia, to replace their Chinese equipment, sources familiar with the matter said. The carriers, which include Pine Belt in Alabama, and Union Wireless in Wyoming, are seeking discounted pricing and looking forward to government assistance but have yet to reach agreements, these sources said. Nokia and Ericsson declined to comment. The talks are critical for small carriers that have relied on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd or ZTE Corp for inexpensive, high-quality mobile network gear in recent years even as the big U.S. telecom companies shunned the Chinese firm. The U.S. government has labeled Huawei a security threat and effectively banned U.S. companies from doing business with Huawei. But switching vendors will not be easy. Nokia and Ericsson, both of which have struggled financially in recent years, will not match Huawei's pricing, analysts and company executives say. Huawei's prices "were not market-based," said an equipment industry executive who has worked for years in North America. "They made no sense." Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics, estimated Huawei and its compatriot, ZTE, charged 30% to 50% less than rivals. Talks are not expected to continue until legislation in the U.S. Congress to provide $700 million in subsidies to help rural carriers with the switch is approved, sources familiar with the discussions said. No action has been taken on the bill since it was introduced in May, according to Congress.gov. The Rural Wireless Association (RWA), a trade group, estimates it would cost between $800 million to $1 billion to install new gear. John Nettles, president of Pine Belt, said he reached out to Ericsson and Nokia last year when the federal ban on using money from the $8.5 billion Universal Service Fund for Chinese equipment was first suggested. "The conversation has been going on for about a year and they are looking for ways to bring down the price, within the reach of the smaller carriers," he said. Without a discount, he added, rural carriers would not be able to afford it. Union Wireless said it was in discussions with Nokia, but declined to provide details. Industry executives briefed on the discussions confirmed that Nokia and Ericsson were in talks with rural carriers but detailed discussions will not happen until later this year as the regulators are still trying to determine which parts need to be replaced. Ericsson and Nokia, however, may have little incentive to offer discounts as economies of scale are not in rural carriers' favor. The $700 million opportunity is scattered between small operators which in total, according to one industry executive, need at most 2,000 base stations to be swapped. By comparison, the top U.S. operators each run networks of more than 50,000 base stations. The availability of local workforces that manage swapping of the equipment could also be a problem. "The scarcest resource in the U.S. today is tower-climbers. There is tremendous job growth in this sector right now," said one industry executive. RISK OF SHUT-DOWNS Rural wireless carriers typically serve between 50,000 to 100,000 subscribers in remote areas that are out of reach by big telecom companies like Verizon Communications Inc or AT&T Inc and are often the sole regional provider. Among these carriers, the RWA estimated that 25% of its members have Huawei or ZTE equipment. SI Wireless, which has 20,000 mobile customers across western portions of Kentucky and Tennessee, said the majority of its network uses Huawei equipment. Viaero, which serves 110,000 mobile customers across Eastern Colorado, Western Kansas, Nebraska and parts of Wyoming and South Dakota, said roughly 80% of its network equipment, including core, wireless, microwave and fiber, was manufactured by Huawei, according to FCC filings. "Rural telcos are not very profitable and a lot of the owners are in their 50s, 60s and 70s. If they have to rip out their network, they are probably going to shut down if they can't easily find a buyer," Recon Analytics’ Entner said. That means basic communications could disappear from poorly served communities. The advent of 5G networks poses a dilemma: companies that are forced to rip out Chinese equipment could try and move to 5G immediately, but that would be more expensive in the short term. Still, 5G could give the rural carriers some leverage with Nokia and Ericsson. Handelsbanken analyst Daniel Djurberg noted small deals would boost the number of 5G wins Nokia and Ericsson are counting to show their advances in the new technology. Ericsson and Nokia are likely interested in the deals also for strategic reasons. "It's important to be in the U.S. and these operators may be bought by bigger operators later on and then they have positioned themselves," said Bengt Nordstrom, head of Stockholm-headquartered consultancy firm Northstream which advises telecom operators and vendors. (Reporting by Tarmo Vikri and Angela Moon; Additional reporting by Helena Soderpalm in Stockholm; editing by Jonathan Weber, Kenneth Li and Lisa Shumaker)
Should You Be Concerned About L.B. Foster Company's (NASDAQ:FSTR) Historical Volatility? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Anyone researching L.B. Foster Company (NASDAQ:FSTR) might want to consider the historical volatility of the share price. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first type is company specific volatility. Investors use diversification across uncorrelated stocks to reduce this kind of price volatility across the 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 are more sensitive to general market forces than others. 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. A stock with a beta below one is either less volatile than the market, or more volatile but not corellated with the overall market. In comparison a stock with a beta of over one tends to be move in a similar direction to the market in the long term, but with greater changes in price. See our latest analysis for L.B. Foster Looking at the last five years, L.B. Foster has a beta of 1.82. The fact that this is well above 1 indicates that its share price movements have shown sensitivity to overall market volatility. If this beta value holds true in the future, L.B. Foster shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. Beta is worth considering, but it's also important to consider whether L.B. Foster is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below. With a market capitalisation of US$254m, L.B. Foster is a very small company by global standards. It is quite likely to be unknown to most investors. It has a relatively high beta, suggesting it is fairly actively traded for a company of its size. Because it takes less capital to move the share price of a small company like this, when a stock this size is actively traded it is quite often more sensitive to market volatility than similar large companies. Beta only tells us that the L.B. Foster share price is sensitive to broader market movements. This could indicate that it is a high growth company, or is heavily influenced by sentiment because it is speculative. Alternatively, it could have operating leverage in its business model. Ultimately, beta is an interesting metric, but there's plenty more to learn. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as L.B. Foster’s financial health and performance track record. I highly recommend you dive deeper by considering the following: 1. Financial Health: Are FSTR’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. 2. Past Track Record: Has FSTR 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 FSTR's historicalsfor more clarity. 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.
Duane 'Dog' Chapman Just Shared A Photo Update Of His Wife Beth Chapman From Her Hospital Bed From Women's Health Duane "Dog" Chapman, star of Dog the Bounty Hunter, shared a photo of his wife, Beth Chapman, from her hospital bed. Beth, 51, was put into a medically-induced coma Friday in order for doctors to continue her treatment for stage four throat cancer. Beth was initially diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017. Beth Chapman, wife of Duane "Dog" Chapman and bail bondswoman on the reality show Dog the Bounty Hunter , is still reportedly in a medically-induced coma , and her husband just shared a lighthearted update on Twitter. In a new photo posted Monday night, Duane shared a close-up of Beth’s bedazzled manicure-from her hospital bed. “You all know how she is about HER NAILS !!” he wrote. In the photo, you can also see Beth's hospital bracelets and IV. You all know how she is about HER NAILS !! pic.twitter.com/w8iWMYrWZd - Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) June 25, 2019 On Friday, Beth, who currently has throat cancer, was hospitalized after she had difficulty breathing and briefly passed out, USA Today reports. Doctors then put her in a medically-induced coma to help spare her from pain while she receives treatment, family spokesperson Mona Wood-Sword told the Associated Press. On Saturday, Duane sent out a tweet asking fans for prayers for his wife. "Please say your prayers for Beth right now thank you love you," he wrote. The next day, Duane tweeted a link to a Hawaii News Now story that reported that Beth was admitted to the ICU at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the couple lives. Beth was diagnosed with stage two throat cancer in September 2017 after she had a nagging cough. Two months later, she announced the cancer was removed on an A&E special Dog & Beth: Fight of Their Lives . It later returned as stage four lung cancer, and she began chemotherapy in December 2018, Wood-Sword told the Associated Press. View this post on Instagram Get up dress up show up ! #cancerwillnotbeatme #dogsmostwanted #dogandbeth #dogpound #wgnamerica A post shared by Beth Chapman (@mrsdog4real) on Jun 11, 2019 at 9:19pm PDT Beth has been open about her cancer fight. In mid-June, she shared a photo on Instagram of herself with her hair blown out at work. Her caption read: "Get up dress up show up! #cancerwillnotbeatme" Manicure photo aside, Duane hasn't offered up any updated on Beth's condition. ('You Might Also Like',) 14 Keto Breakfast Recipes That Make Waking Up So Much Easier 13 MS Symptoms In Women That Shouldn't Be Ignored Love Carbs? We Created This 21-Day Keto Diet Plan Just for You View comments
Ballots and Dollars: A podcast about how modern politics affect your money The current political climate is… complicated. Do you ever wonder how it affects your money? From Yahoo Finance, this is Ballots and Dollars: A podcast about how modern politics affect your pocketbook.Listen today on Apple Podcastsor wherever you get your podcasts. Rick Newman- Rick Newman is a columnist for Yahoo Finance, offering insightful, provocative takes on many of the biggest stories of our time. He was previously Chief Business Correspondent, and before that Pentagon correspondent, for U.S. News & World Report. Alexis Christoforous- Alexis Christoforous is a New York-based Anchor and Reporter for Yahoo Finance. She is an award-winning network television and radio journalist, whose career has spanned on-air roles at CBS News and Bloomberg. The first episode of Ballots and Dollars covers Medicare for all and whether or not it can actually work in America today. Rick and Alexis discuss how this will be one of the major talking points for the upcoming 2020 election, and how it might be the issue that puts democrats over the top against Trump. The presumptive front-runners Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders all have different takes on the issue - and will no doubt be emphasizing their plans in the upcoming debates beginning Thursday evening. New episodes will be released every Wednesday morning, and will follow the latest news in the political and financial climate of America. The 2020 election is approaching quickly, and there are bound to be many twists and turns along the way.
CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Rigrodsky & Long, P.A. Announces Investigation Of Merger WILMINGTON, DE / ACCESSWIRE / June 25, 2019 /Rigrodsky & Long, P.A.: • Do you own shares of Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ GS:CZR)? • Did you purchase any of your shares prior to June 24, 2019? • Do you think the proposed merger is fair? • Do you want to discuss your rights? Rigrodsky & Long, P.A.announces that it is investigating potential legal claims against the board of directors of Caesars Entertainment Corporation ("Caesars" or the "Company") (NASDAQ GS:CZR) regarding possible breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of law related to the Company's entry into an agreement to be acquired by Eldorado Resorts, Inc. ("Eldorado") (ERI). Under the terms of the agreement, shareholders of Caesars will receive $8.40 in cash and 0.0899 shares of Eldorado common stock for each share of Caesars common stock. If you own common stock of Caesars and purchased any shares before June 24, 2019, if you would like to learn more about this investigation, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests, please contact Seth D. Rigrodsky or Gina M. Serra toll-free at (888) 969-4242, by e-mail atinfo@rl-legal.com, or athttps://www.rigrodskylong.com/offices-contact. Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., with offices in Delaware, New York, and California, has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of investors and achieved substantial corporate governance reforms in numerous cases nationwide, includingfederal securities fraud actions, shareholderclass actions, and shareholder derivative actions. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. CONTACT: Rigrodsky & Long, P.A.Seth D. RigrodskyGina M. Serra(888) 969-4242(302) 295-5310Fax: (302) 654-7530info@rl-legal.comhttp://www.rigrodskylong.com SOURCE:Rigrodsky & Long, P.A. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/549810/CAESARS-ENTERTAINMENT-CORPORATION-SHAREHOLDER-ALERT-Rigrodsky-Long-PA-Announces-Investigation-Of-Merger
The 'after' picture of student loans: Credit card debt, smelly cars, pawn shops to make ends meet This story is part of a series about Americans' financial health, based on a survey provided by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to financial education and empowerment. When the Department of Education began garnishing her wages, Jen Thompson of Lansing, Michigan, knew something went terribly wrong with her student loans. Two years earlier, straining under her $809 a month payment – nearly the same as her mortgage – she consolidated the loans for a $295 payment with a company advertising on the radio. It turned out to be a scam, and her account went into default. The setback is one of the many troubles the college debt has caused. The loans have hounded her family’s finances for years, putting them in credit card debt and forcing them to rely on payday loans for everyday expenses. “We had to go one of those ‘we refinance everyone’ type of dealership to get a family car. We’re paying 21.9% interest,” says Thompson, 41. “It was a smoker’s vehicle. It’s gross, but it was the only option we had in our price point.” As presidential candidate Bernie Sanders proposes an ambitious plan to eliminate all student debt, it’s important to note how the financial fortunes of college graduates diverge depending on if they’re paying back student loans. People saddled with educational debt feel more financially insecure, engage in riskier money behaviors and have more trouble making ends meet than those without loans, according to an analysis of the 2018 Financial Capability study from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation provided exclusively to USA TODAY. It’s even worse for borrowers who never finished their education. “Having student loans is clearly associated with a lot of financial distress,” says Gary Mottola, research director at FINRA Foundation and who crunched the numbers for USA TODAY. “And those without a college degree in particular are feeling a lot financial pain.” Only a quarter of graduates with loans are satisfied with their finances, compared with 42% of grads with no debt. Seven in 10 of those with loans and a degree feel financially anxious, compared with only 54% of those with no loans and 58% of those who never went to college, the FINRA Foundation study found. I feel like somebody's watching me:Check your settings if you don't want Google tracking every move “It’s horrible,” says Samantha Grandquist, 37, of South Wales, New York. “I can't understand how I’ve been paying hundreds of dollars for the past seven years and still owe more than I originally borrowed. Like, it's some kind of scam.” “I can't understand how I’ve been paying hundreds of dollars for the past seven years and still owe more than I originally borrowed. Like, it's some kind of scam.” Grandquist borrowed $20,966 to attend Erie Community College South. She graduated in 2012 with a degree in printing and one in web design. Since then, her monthly payment has vacillated between $10 to $200 and now she owes $21,113.73. Grandquist is not alone in her confusion. About half of student loan borrowers didn’t understand how much they would owe, the study found. Another half don’t think they will pay off their student loans ever. “One of the biggest things we hear is that they didn’t fully understand what they were getting into,” says Lisa Frankenberger, a credit counselor in Buffalo. “They think: ‘This is the program I want, this is the school I want,’ so they sign the loan papers not realizing how that will impact their lives.” Grandquist has taken on several jobs to help pay off her loans. She’s a teacher's aide. She works at a gas station and caters on the side. Similarly, Thompson says her husband works overtime and she picks up seasonal retail jobs, echoing what the FINRA survey found. Higher shares of student borrowers have side hustles than those with no college debt. That extra work is not often enough to keep borrowers from making financially adverse decisions. Like many others, Grandquist has taken loan against her life insurance and 401(k). A quarter of grads with student loans have borrowed from their 401(k)s, while another quarter have taken hardship withdrawals. The figures are worse for those with loans but no degrees. Half of these borrowers have taken a loan, while 48% have taken a hardship withdrawal. Often, those saddled with student debt depend on credit cards to finance other everyday expenses while they make their loan payments, says Anissa Schultz, a credit counselor in Nebraska. Almost three in five borrowers with degrees have paid just the minimum, paid late or over-the-limit fees or got cash advances in the last year, the survey found. That share rises to 78% of those with loans but no degree. “The payments are so large and coming due, they come to me and say: ‘I need a budget, I can’t make my credit card payments,’” Schultz says. From 'Prada to nada' and back:Has America really recovered from the Great Recession? Others turn to even riskier borrowing – such as payday lenders, pawn shops and car title loans, according to the survey. Thompson has for Christmas gifts and school activities for her kids. “Even in the public school system, things aren’t free,” she says. “You pay to play, pay to participate, pay to eat.” If Thompson could do it all over again, she would go to a community college for the first two years to save money. She’d also work while studying. Nearly half with student loans wished they’d gone to a cheaper college, versus only 9% of graduates without loans, the FINRA Foundation survey showed. The financial strain of loans also makes it harder for Americans to save for their children. Overall, there’s been a decrease in the share of Americans saving for their children’s college from 2015, the previous iteration of the FINRA Foundation survey. “It’s almost a negative inheritance,” says Mottola. “We could be looking at young parents postponing saving for their children’s education to pay their own loans. So then their children will have to borrow more to pay for their education.” That’s a consideration in Thompson’s household. Her oldest son, Nathan, is a freshman at Michigan State University. The little savings the family had for his education was depleted after the first semester. He’s suggested dropping out and going to community college instead. “We go back and forth,” Thompson says. “We don’t want him to be in the same debt we’re in, but we also don’t want to inhibit his future.” This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:The 'after' picture of student loans: Credit card debt, smelly cars, pawn shops to make ends meet
'She's not my type': Trump again denies E. Jean Carroll's sexual misconduct allegation Corrections and clarifications: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated where the alleged assault occurred. The excerpt said it happened in a dressing room. WASHINGTON – Saying that "she's not my type," President Donald Trump again denied Monday that he forced himself onto longtime advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. “I’ll say it with great respect: Number one, she’s not my type," he said during an interview with The Hill . "Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?” Since Carroll came forward Friday with an accusation that Trump sexually assaulted her over 20 years ago, the president has repeatedly denied it, calling her a liar and saying the two have never even met. Shortly after the president's latest comments, Carroll responded. "I love that I'm not his type," she said during an interview on CNN. She noted she only mentioned Trump by name once in her forthcoming book, "What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal," which details the allegation, and that the book is not about him. More: Before the White House, Trump faced an array of sexual misconduct accusations. As president, he faces another More: These are the women who have accused Donald Trump of sexual assault or unwanted advances Previously, Trump had a similar response when another woman accused him of sexual misconduct. In October 2016, Jessica Leeds accused Trump of putting his hand up her skirt on an airplane in the early 1980s. Days after she came forward, Trump said during a rally that Leeds was not physically attractive enough for him. "Believe me, she would not be my first choice, that I can tell you," he said . Carroll wrote in her book that Trump forced himself on her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. New York Magazine published an excerpt from the book, which included a photo of Carroll wearing the coat dress she said she wore the day of the alleged attack more than two decades ago. Story continues Carroll wrote in the excerpt that she ran into Trump while shopping at the elegant New York City department store. She said that he stopped her and greeted her as "that advice lady," and she responded by greeting him as "that real-estate tycoon." He asked for her help to buy a present for a "girl," Carroll wrote. She pointed out handbags and hats, but Trump pointed out lingerie and asked Carroll to try on a piece, she said. Once inside the dressing room, Carroll claimed, Trump forced himself on her. "The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips," Carroll wrote. "He holds me against the wall with his shoulder and jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights." Carroll claimed Trump "opens the overcoat, unzips his pants, and, forcing his fingers around my private area, thrusts his penis halfway – or completely, I’m not certain – inside me." The episode lasted no longer than three minutes, Carroll said. It was the last time she had sex, she wrote. Analysis: Writer E. Jean Carroll accuses Trump of rape. Why are we so reluctant to talk about it? A timeline: Misconduct allegations against President Trump The incident was not reported to the police, and Carroll said she told only two close friends, whose names were not made public in the story. One told her to go to the police. The other told her to forget about it, she wrote. At least 15 other women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. The president has denied all allegations. On Friday, the president said in a statement released by the White House that the advice columnist was trying to just sell books. Monday, Trump also said that Carroll was "totally lying" about her allegation. “Totally lying. I don’t know anything about her,” he said Monday . “I know nothing about this woman. I know nothing about her. She is — it’s just a terrible thing that people can make statements like that.” Contributing: Christal Hayes Like what you’re reading?: Download the USA TODAY app for more This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'She's not my type': Trump again denies E. Jean Carroll's sexual misconduct allegation
Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman Team Up with Ariana Grande for Netflix's The Prom Musical Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman are going to the prom! The Big Little Lies costars are eyeing to team up again to star in Ryan Murphy ‘s Netflix adaptation of The Prom , a Broadway musical making waves for its inclusive LGBTQ representation, according to Deadline . Streep and Kidman are to pair up with James Corden and Andrew Rannells as four Broadway actors who travel to Indiana to boost their profile by helping Emma, a high school senior forbidden from taking her girlfriend to prom. RELATED: This Joyous Music Video from Broadway’s The Prom Will Put a Smile on Your Face While a search in under way for the young star of the musical adaptation, Ariana Grande has been tapped to play another high schooler and the daughter of a prominent PTA member, reports Deadline . Keegan-Michael Key will reportedly play Streep’s love interest, Principal Hawkins, while Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians breakout Awkwafina is said to be stepping in as the foursome’s publicist. The adaptation follows a successful run for the musical that earned 7 Tony nominations, including best musical and best book of a musical. Monica Schipper/FilmMagic; Mike Coppola/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty The Prom also made history last year by featuring the first same-sex kiss televised on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. During the first hour of the annual event’s NBC broadcast, the cast of The Prom took center stage to perform their rousing finale, “Time to Dance,” which sees lead actresses Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla sharing a smooch during their character’s fictional night out at their high school prom. RELATED: Thanksgiving Day Parade Airs First Same-Sex Kiss and Some Conservative Viewers Weren’t Thankful “Broadway’s The Prom is grateful to Macy’s and NBC for their acceptance and inclusivity of a community and a story that is about acceptance, tolerance and love,” the musical’s producers Bill Damaschke, Dori Berinstein, and Jack Lane told PEOPLE in a joint statement. “These are some of the themes reflected in our musical comedy and we are very proud to be the very first LGBTQ kiss on the Thanksgiving Day Parade.” The Prom is currently on Broadway until Aug. 11, when it will close its production.
Investors Who Bought Emerald Bay Energy (CVE:EBY) Shares Five Years Ago Are Now Down 63% Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Statistically speaking, long term investing is a profitable endeavour. But no-one is immune from buying too high. For example theEmerald Bay Energy Inc.(CVE:EBY) share price dropped 63% over five years. We certainly feel for shareholders who bought near the top. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 40%. View our latest analysis for Emerald Bay Energy We don't think Emerald Bay Energy's revenue of CA$1,061,752 is enough to establish significant demand. This state of affairs suggests that venture capitalists won't provide funds on attractive terms. So it seems shareholders are too busy dreaming about the progress to come than dwelling on the current (lack of) revenue. For example, they may be hoping that Emerald Bay Energy finds fossil fuels with an exploration program, before it runs out of money. 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 companies like this go on to deliver on their plan, making good money for shareholders, many end in painful losses and eventual de-listing. Emerald Bay Energy has already given some investors a taste of the bitter losses that high risk investing can cause. Our data indicates that Emerald Bay Energy had CA$18,696,180 more in total liabilities than it had cash, when it last reported in March 2019. That puts it in the highest risk category, according to our analysis. But since the share price has dived -18% per year, over 5 years, it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Emerald Bay Energy's cash levels have changed over time. Of course, the truth is that it is hard to value companies without much revenue or profit. What if insiders are ditching the stock hand over fist? I'd like that just about as much as I like to drink milk and fruit juice mixed together. It costs nothing but a moment of your time tosee if we are picking up on any insider selling. Emerald Bay Energy shareholders are down 40% for the year, but the market itself is up 2.2%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 18% over the last half decade. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality businesses. It is all well and good that insiders have been buying shares, but we suggest youcheck here to see what price insiders were buying at. Emerald Bay Energy is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at thisfreelist of growing companies with insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA 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.
Update: Reliant Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBNC) Stock Gained 49% In The Last Three Years Want to participate in a short research study ? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Vanguard founder Jack Bogle helped spearhead the low-cost index fund, putting average returns within reach of every investor. But you can make better returns by buying undervalued shares. Notably, the Reliant Bancorp, Inc. ( NASDAQ:RBNC ) share price has gained 49% in three years, which is better than the average market return. The bad news is that the share price seems to lack positive momentum recently, since it has dropped 22% in the last year. View our latest analysis for Reliant Bancorp To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. 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). During three years of share price growth, Reliant Bancorp achieved compound earnings per share growth of 7.5% per year. In comparison, the 14% per year gain in the share price outpaces the EPS growth. This suggests that, as the business progressed over the last few years, it gained the confidence of market participants. It is quite common to see investors become enamoured with a business, after a few years of solid progress. You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). NasdaqCM:RBNC Past and Future Earnings, June 25th 2019 We know that Reliant Bancorp has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? You could check out this free report showing analyst revenue forecasts . What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Reliant Bancorp's TSR for the last 3 years was 55%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence! A Different Perspective The last twelve months weren't great for Reliant Bancorp shares, which cost holders 20%, including dividends, while the market was up about 7.2%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Investors are up over three years, booking 16% per year, much better than the more recent returns. Sometimes when a good quality long term winner has a weak period, it's turns out to be an opportunity, but you really need to be sure that the quality is there. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling. Story continues We will like Reliant Bancorp better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. 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 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. View comments
JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon: If we're lucky, we'll get a trade deal by the 'end of the year' JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon wants to see the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China resolved, but he doesn’t expect a deal anytime soon. "There are serious trade issues. We all want the president to deal with trade seriously, which he's been doing. We don't expect a quick resolution at this point,” Dimon told Yahoo Finance's Andy Serwer in an exclusive interview at the unveiling of JPMorgan’snew flagship bank branch in Midtown Manhattan. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet at the G20 summit later this week in Osaka, Japan. [See Also:Jamie Dimon describes the bank branch of the future: Fewer tellers, more advisors] "I think the best you can expect is that they have a good meeting, that they start renegotiating, that the tariffs are off for now, and give the teams a chance to negotiate a deal, that maybe, if we are lucky, can be done by the end of the year,” Dimon said. U.S. stocks (^GSPC) (^DJI) have remained near all-time highs despite lingering trade and tariff tensions between the U.S. and China. "The market sometimes is inscrutable," Dimon said. “But, if you actually look at geopolitics, they rarely affect the global economy. They could, you know, these things get worse, but they rarely affect the global economy. I think trade is serious.” In his annual letter released in April,Dimon said that the U.S.'s trade issues with China are"substantial and real,” citing the “theft or forced transfer of intellectual property; lack of bilateral investment rights, giving ownership or control of investments; onerous non-tariff barriers; unfair subsidies or benefits for state-owned enterprises; and the lack of rapid enforcement of any disagreements.” During his conversation with Yahoo Finance, Dimon listed some of the positives in the U.S. economy, including a "very strong" consumer, highconsumer confidence,a “good” balance sheet, growing household formation, and rising wages on the low end. [See Also:Jamie Dimon: Student lending in the U.S. is a 'disgrace' and it's 'hurting America'] Meanwhile, business confidence has been “very high,” but it's "been rattled a bit" by trade, he added. "So, we've seen a little bit, as business confidence drop, business investment drop, people worried about supply lines, and I think that may be hampering the economy a little bit, so it's kind of a tale of two cities." — Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her onTwitter. • Jamie Dimon: The U.S. economy should have grown 40% in the last decade, not 20% • Dimon: Cyber security threats may be the ‘biggest threat to the U.S. financial services system’ • 11 problems that are holding the U.S. back • Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,SmartNews,LinkedIn,YouTube, andreddit.
A Fourth Video Game ETF Arrives Another exchange traded fund dedicated to the fast-growing video game industry is here. As waspreviously noted in this space, theDefiance Future Tech ETFwas to be replaced by theDefiance Next Gen Video Gaming ETF(NYSE:VIDG). VIDG made its debut on Monday. What Happened The new VIDG tracks the BlueStar Next Gen Video Gaming Index. BlueStar serves as the index provider for Defiance's other two ETFs. That index “is a rules-based index that tracks the performance of a group of stocks of global companies involved in a range of industries, collectively defined by BlueStar Indexes as Interactive Entertainment Index components are reviewed semi-annually for eligibility, and weights are re-set according to a tiered market capitalization weighting strategy,”according to Defiance. Why It's Important VIDG is the second video game ETF to debut this year following theRoundhill BITKRAFT Esports and Digital Entertainment ETF(NYSE:NERD), which launchedearlier this month. With video games being a more than $100 billion industry and esports revenue surging, ETF issuers are betting that the market can hold multiple offerings on this front. For its part, the new VIDG features exposure to nine industry with weights ranging from 1.41% to 76.28%. In addition to the 76.28% to video game makers and publishers, the new ETF has exposure to console manufacturers, e-sports and online gambling. None of VIDG's holdings exceed weights of 5%. Familiar names at that weight in the new ETF includeElectronic Arts(NASDAQ:EA) andActivision Blizzard(NASDAQ:ATVI). “We believe that deep changes brought about by mobile technology advances encompassed in 5G, developments in machine learning and cross-industry partnerships by alert first-movers, could propel expansion in this field far beyond the traditional kid-in-his-bedroom model of gaming,”said Defiance. “Recent changes have brought global networked play, full-game downloads and in-game content, all of which indicate how the next generation of gaming could propel this innovating sector even further.” What's Next While there is clearly increasing competition in the video game ETF space, VIDG may have something of an advantage with its annual fee of just 0.30%. Among video game ETFs, only NERD is cheaper with an annual expense ratio of 0.25%. VIDG's fee is the same as theDefiance Next Gen Connectivity ETF's(NYSE:FIVG) and that ETF already has almost $86 million in assets under management after debuting in March. Related Links: Marvel At This MLP ETF A Fantastic 5G ETF See more from Benzinga • This 5G ETF Got Big In A Hurry • A Magnificent MLP ETF • The Other Low Volatility ETF Is Doing Alright, Too © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Why AbbVie Stock Is Sinking and Allergan Is Soaring Today What happened Shares of AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) were sinking by 14.8% as of 10:38 a.m. EDT on Tuesday while shares of Allergan (NYSE: AGN) were soaring by 26.7%. These big moves came after AbbVie announced plans to acquire Allergan for $63 billion. Investors clearly didn't like AbbVie's decision to buy the Irish drugmaker, but it was great news for Allergan's shareholders. So what The deal represented a 45% premium above Allergan's closing price on Monday, giving Allergan shareholders a reason to be happy. However, many investors appear to think that AbbVie is making a $63 billion mistake . Two men pushing giant jigsaw puzzle pieces together Image source: Getty Images. Allergan's top drug, Botox, continues to deliver solid growth. However, Botox also faces increased competition with a new -- and cheaper -- drug from Evolus (NASDAQ: EOLS) winning Food and Drug Administration approval earlier this year. Allergan's No. 2 moneymaker, Restasis, faces the prospects of generic competition beginning in 2024 and is already experiencing price erosion. There are plenty of worries about Allergan's pipeline as well. Abicipar is the crown jewel with some analysts projecting peak annual sales in the ballpark of $3 billion if approved. But safety concerns could put a dent in the ability for the eye-disease drug to achieve those estimates. Perhaps the biggest reason for a letdown with AbbVie's shareholders is that they were hoping that the company would make a deal that would reenergize the stock. AbbVie's shares were down year to date even before the Allergan announcement as investors fretted over declining sales of the company's top-selling drug Humira. The Allergan acquisition could merely add to AbbVie's problems in the eyes of some investors. Now what It's not a done deal yet. Both AbbVie and Allergan shareholders must approve the transaction. There are also plenty of regulatory hurdles to jump. But AbbVie expects the acquisition to close in early 2020. Story continues Assuming the deal is finalized, AbbVie thinks that it will boost earnings per share (EPS) by 10% in the first full year following the close. In subsequent years, AbbVie maintains that EPS could increase by more than 20% due to the pickup of Allergan's products. 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 Keith Speights owns shares of AbbVie. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .
A Look At The Fair Value Of Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCKT) Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Does the June share price for Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCKT) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. This is done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in theSimply Wall St analysis model. See our latest analysis for Rocket Pharmaceuticals We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: [{"": "Levered FCF ($, Millions)", "2019": "$-69.60", "2020": "$-136.07", "2021": "$-161.83", "2022": "$-4.00", "2023": "$91.50", "2024": "$103.87", "2025": "$114.55", "2026": "$123.73", "2027": "$131.69", "2028": "$138.70"}, {"": "Growth Rate Estimate Source", "2019": "Analyst x2", "2020": "Analyst x3", "2021": "Analyst x3", "2022": "Analyst x2", "2023": "Analyst x2", "2024": "Est @ 13.52%", "2025": "Est @ 10.28%", "2026": "Est @ 8.02%", "2027": "Est @ 6.43%", "2028": "Est @ 5.32%"}, {"": "Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 10.23%", "2019": "$-63.14", "2020": "$-111.98", "2021": "$-120.82", "2022": "$-2.71", "2023": "$56.22", "2024": "$57.90", "2025": "$57.92", "2026": "$56.76", "2027": "$54.80", "2028": "$52.36"}] Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF)= $37.32m "Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. 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 10.2%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2029× (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$139m × (1 + 2.7%) ÷ (10.2% – 2.7%) = US$1.9b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= $US$1.9b ÷ ( 1 + 10.2%)10= $717.09m The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is $754.40m. 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 $15. Compared to the current share price of $15.41, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind. The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own 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 Rocket Pharmaceuticals 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 10.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.259. 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 Rocket Pharmaceuticals, There are three essential factors you should further examine: 1. Financial Health: Does RCKT 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 RCKT'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 RCKT? 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 NASDAQ 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.
How Financially Strong Is Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! The size of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL), a US$25b large-cap, often attracts investors seeking a reliable investment in the stock market. Big corporations are much sought after by risk-averse investors who find diversified revenue streams and strong capital returns attractive. But, its financial health remains the key to continued success. Today we will look at Royal Caribbean Cruises’s financial liquidity and debt levels, which are strong indicators for whether the company can weather economic downturns or fund strategic acquisitions for future growth. Note that this commentary is very high-level and solely focused on financial health, so I suggest you dig deeper yourselfinto RCL here. Check out our latest analysis for Royal Caribbean Cruises RCL has built up its total debt levels in the last twelve months, from US$8.9b to US$11b , which accounts for long term debt. With this growth in debt, the current cash and short-term investment levels stands at US$248m to keep the business going. Additionally, RCL has produced US$3.6b in operating cash flow in the last twelve months, leading to an operating cash to total debt ratio of 33%, signalling that RCL’s operating cash is sufficient to cover its debt. At the current liabilities level of US$8.1b, it appears that the company arguably has a rather low level of current assets relative its obligations, with the current ratio last standing at 0.16x. The current ratio is the number you get when you divide current assets by current liabilities. With debt reaching 87% of equity, RCL may be thought of as relatively highly levered. This isn’t uncommon for large companies because interest payments on debt are tax deductible, meaning debt can be a cheaper source of capital than equity. Accordingly, large companies often have lower cost of capital due to easily obtained financing, providing an advantage over smaller companies. We can test if RCL’s debt levels are sustainable by measuring interest payments against earnings of a company. Net interest should be covered by earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) by at least three times to be safe. In RCL's case, the ratio of 6.14x suggests that interest is well-covered. High interest coverage serves as an indication of the safety of a company, which highlights why many large organisations like RCL are considered a risk-averse investment. Although RCL’s debt level is towards the higher end of the spectrum, its cash flow coverage seems adequate to meet debt obligations which means its debt is being efficiently utilised. Though its low liquidity raises concerns over whether current asset management practices are properly implemented for the large-cap. Keep in mind I haven't considered other factors such as how RCL has been performing in the past. I recommend you continue to research Royal Caribbean Cruises to get a better picture of the stock by looking at: 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for RCL’s future growth? Take a look at ourfree research report of analyst consensusfor RCL’s outlook. 2. Valuation: What is RCL 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 RCL 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.
Exclusive: Trump administration sets plans for 2019 hurricane season after 'wakeup call' of recent disasters WASHINGTON – As communities continue to rebuild, the Trump administration is preparing for the new hurricane season after months of disasters that ravaged parts of the country and touched off a political storm over recovery efforts. The administration has expanded outreach efforts to states, deployed additional supplies, set up distribution centers and conducted emergency and response drills as it looks to build on the lessons from its approach to the devastating disasters of the past. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, administration officials expressed confidence this week that they are better prepared to face the challenges of the hurricane season ahead. President Donald Trump, who faced criticism over his administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, was briefed Friday by officials from various agencies on preparations for the hurricane season that officially started this month and runs through the end of November. How bad could it be in 2019? See this year's storm forecast The months of preparation for the 2019 storms have been tempered by a sobering realization: Many communities that are still digging out from disasters are the very communities that are most likely to be slammed again. “If a hurricane makes landfall in the United States this year, chances are a community that’s already undergoing recovery will be hit again," homeland security adviser Doug Fears said. "That means it’s a much more vulnerable community because all of the work necessary to restore it or even make it stronger has not been completed. People are in temporary housing. There are temporary solutions in place for power, for water infrastructure.” Even as it looks ahead, the federal government is in the process of assisting victims of recent catastrophic events, including wildfires in California, flooding in the Midwest and hurricanes in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “With so many communities still in recovery, the ability to weather storms and bounce back faster is a test of our resilience, but one we’ve prepared for,” said Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Story continues Loading... This year’s Atlantic hurricanes are not expected to be as bad as those in the past. Forecasters predict an above-normal hurricane season in the Pacific, with 15 to 22 tropical cyclones, including storms and hurricanes. In the Atlantic, four to eight hurricanes are forecast, which is a normal season. “Even with that forecast, we know it only takes one storm to wreak some catastrophic damage,” Fears said. Climate change: Extreme weather continues to batter USA this year Trends suggest the government should again prepare for billion-dollar storms. Since 1980, the USA has experienced 241 weather and climate disasters in which the overall damage costs reached or exceeded $1 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ’s National Centers for Environmental Information, which tracks U.S. weather and climate events. The cumulative costs for those 241 weather events exceeded $1.6 trillion. In 2018, the USA was hit by 14 separate billion-dollar disaster events: two tropical cyclones, eight severe storms, two winter storms, drought and wildfires, the centers reported in February. The past three years have been historic, with more than twice as many billion-dollar disasters occurring than usual. “It has been a wake-up call to the nation to have such severe events occur over the past couple of years, and we have to recognize that it’s not just federal investment that can resolve the challenges associated with large-scale disasters,” Fears said. The number and cost of disasters have jumped partly because climate change increases the frequency of some types of extreme weather conditions, according to the NOAA report. Nature’s unpredictability further complicates preparation efforts. “The reality of these storms is no storms look alike,” said David Bibo, deputy associate administrator for response and recovery at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “They often will hit different pieces of infrastructure than maybe (previous) storms that affected a particular area.” Loading... Nature isn’t the only challenge awaiting the government this season. FEMA has been operating without a permanent director since Brock Long left in March. A $19 billion disaster aid package took months to clear Congress because of partisan squabbles and disagreements with Trump over how much money should go to Puerto Rico – issues that could resurface the next time the administration seeks emergency aid. The final package contained $1.4 billion for the island, including $600 million in food aid. Mindful of the criticisms it has faced, the Trump administration said it took steps to avoid repeating the mistakes that hampered previous response efforts. Distribution centers have been placed strategically across the country, not only in the continental USA but also in the Pacific and the Caribbean, to facilitate the speedy delivery of supplies such as food and water, tarps and tents that are sometimes needed for rapid shelter. A new distribution center in Tracy, California, has four times the storage capacity as the previous West Coast center, providing better capability to stockpile supplies. Trump: I've helped Puerto Rico more than 'any living human being,' alleges officials misspend funds In Puerto Rico, where logistical problems hampered the delivery of goods after Hurricane Maria in 2017, supplies have been increased, so emergency crews can strike quickly should the island get slammed by another destructive storm. Though recovery operations remain in place in many areas impacted by disasters, FEMA has put in contingency plans to redirect staff to other areas should they be needed to deal with life-threatening events. 'Water is killing people': Hurricanes could cause catastrophic flooding in Florida Farewell to Florence and Michael: Names of deadly, destructive hurricanes retired Federal disaster workers conducted training exercises, often in coordination with state, local and tribal officials, to become better prepared for hurricanes and other disasters. In one FEMA exercise, several federal and state agencies and members of the private sector trained to prepare for a 7.7 magnitude earthquake near Memphis, Tennessee. The White House held multiple conversations with the 22 governors elected last November and their emergency response teams to establish lines of communication, so the federal government can be ready to step in to fill needs. Like the government, Americans need to prepare now, Bibo said. “One of our most important messages is for people across the country, but especially in areas of highest risk, to be taking the steps they can right now, to talk to their families about what their emergency plan is going to be,” he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Exclusive: Trump administration sets plans for 2019 hurricane season after 'wakeup call' of recent disasters
Do Insiders Own Lots Of Shares In Rochester Resources Ltd. (CVE:RCT)? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! The big shareholder groups in Rochester Resources Ltd. (CVE:RCT) have power over the company. Institutions often own shares in more established companies, while it's not unusual to see insiders own a fair bit of smaller companies. I quite like to see at least a little bit of insider ownership. As Charlie Munger said 'Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome.' With a market capitalization of CA$626k, Rochester Resources is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions own shares in the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about RCT. View our latest analysis for Rochester Resources 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. Rochester Resources already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own 12% of the company. 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. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Rochester Resources's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Rochester Resources is not owned by hedge funds. Our information suggests that there isn't any analyst coverage of the stock, so it is probably little known. While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. The company management answer to the board; and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board, themselves. 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. It seems insiders own a significant proportion of Rochester Resources Ltd.. Insiders own CA$172k worth of shares in the CA$626k company. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You canclick here to see if they have been buying or selling. The general public, mostly retail investors, hold a substantial 61% stake in RCT, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. With this size of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in decisions that affect shareholder returns, such as dividend policies and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to decline an acquisition or merger that may not improve profitability. While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Many find it usefulto take an in depth look at how a company has performed in the past. You can accessthisdetailed graphof past earnings, revenue and cash flow. Of course,you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere.So take a peek at thisfreelist of interesting companies. 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.
Why L.B. Foster Company (NASDAQ:FSTR) Could Be Worth Watching Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! L.B. Foster Company (NASDAQ:FSTR), which is in the machinery business, and is based in United States, led the NASDAQGS gainers with a relatively large price hike in the past couple of weeks. Less-covered, small caps tend to present more of an opportunity for mispricing due to the lack of information available to the public, which can be a good thing. So, could the stock still be trading at a low price relative to its actual value? Today I will analyse the most recent data on L.B. Foster’s outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists. View our latest analysis for L.B. Foster Good news, investors! L.B. Foster is still a bargain right now. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is $44.07, but it is currently trading at US$24.02 on the share market, meaning that there is still an opportunity to buy now. What’s more interesting is that, L.B. Foster’s share price is quite volatile, which gives us more chances to buy since the share price could sink lower (or rise higher) in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market. 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. However, with a relatively muted revenue growth of 2.9% expected in the upcoming year, short term growth doesn’t seem like a key driver for a buy decision for L.B. Foster. Are you a shareholder?Even though growth is relatively muted, since FSTR is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to increase your holdings in the stock. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation. Are you a potential investor?If you’ve been keeping an eye on FSTR for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its future outlook isn’t fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it’s not too late to buy FSTR. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed investment decision. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters – the fundamentals – before you make a decision on L.B. Foster. You can find everything you need to know about L.B. Foster inthe latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in L.B. Foster, 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.
Why the stock market’s surge may delay a U.S.-China trade deal The stock market’s recent record highs may put less pressure on the U.S. to reach a trade deal with China at the upcoming G-20 meeting in Japan, where President Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping are set to meet. That’s the assessment from Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts. “With the stock market near its all-time high, markets expecting a strong ‘Powell put’ and GDP growth running at more than 3% year-over-year, the U.S. is likely to try to drive a hard bargain,” the analysts, led by global economist Ethan Harris, wrote in a note to clients Tuesday. “Like it or not, the Fed’s dovish message of offsetting downside risks encourages trade war escalation.” Last week, the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) closed at a record high largely amid signals from the Federal Reserve that it will act as appropriate to keep the economy humming. Many investors expect the central bank to cut interest rates this year. Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., June 24, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Still, regardless of the stock market, Bank of America acknowledges that there are other hurdles to a trade deal. “The Trump administration has already started to downplay hopes of a deal, likely because the two sides are still very far apart,” they noted. While the analysts aren’t expecting a deal, they do expect a “ceasefire” that includes a postponement of additional tariffs. “We think risk assets will react positively in the short run to a delay in the tail risk of a full-blown trade war, especially given the backdrop of increasingly accommodative global monetary policy,” they wrote. “In the medium term, however, the trade war will likely continue to erode business confidence, weighing on the U.S., China and regions caught in the crossfire, such as Asia-Pacific and Europe.” The tariffs on China have rattled global stocks for well over a year, as seen in this chart below: This chart shows how the S&P 500 is impacted by trade tariffs. 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 on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , Flipboard , LinkedIn , and reddit .
Hackers linked to China stole private data from wireless telcos around the world For a few years now, high-ranking US intelligence officials warned that Huawei is a security threat for America and its allies. Its networking equipment can allegedly be used for spying operations against the West, and Huawei has been contesting these reports for as many years. However, these security concerns are the basis of the recent bans against the Chinese conglomerate. The company can’t do business with US companies, and it can’t provide telecom equipment in the US. Add to that the complex US-China trade war, and it’s easy to see why Huawei has been in the spotlight lately. But just as Huawei is trying to fix these issues and improve its image in dealings with other countries, a scathing report from a cybersecurity company tells us that a group of hackers tied to the Chinese government has been hacking more than a dozen global telecommunication companies for years, and stealing large amounts of personal and corporate data. The report doesn’t implicate Huawei in any way but makes it clear that a nation-state is responsible for the cyber heist, with China being the likeliest candidate. Related Stories: Florida city agrees to pay hackers $600,000 in bitcoin to get its computer files back Apple is reportedly looking at moving some production out of China The Huawei ban will cut its sales by up to 60 million smartphones a year Cybereason says the attackers compromised companies in more than 30 countries over the past few years with sophisticated attacks that were aimed at obtaining permanent access to data, copying personal data, and avoiding detection, Reuters reports. These attacks occurred in stages, with the hackers changing strategies for different missions and adapting to avoid being discovered by cybersecurity teams. “For this level of sophistication, it’s not a criminal group. It is a government that has capabilities that can do this kind of attack,” Cybereason CEO Lior Div said. “They built a perfect espionage environment,” the exec added. “They could grab information as they please on the targets that they are interested in.” Story continues The security company did not name the carriers that were affected or the countries they operate in, but Reuters says people familiar with Chinese hacking operations claim Beijing was increasingly targeting telcos in Western Europe. The object of the “Operation Soft Cell” hacks was to steal data related to the calls that certain targets may have made. The data includes device details, physical locations, device vendors and versions, as well as the sources, destinations, and durations of calls, as Cybereason explains in a blog post. The fact the hackers weren’t looking to steal money is an indication that it’s the kind of cyber attack a nation-state would pull off. And the hackers were able to extract quite a lot of data. In some cases, they compromised the target’s entire active directory, which means “compromising every single username and password in the organization, along with other personally identifiable information, billing data, call detail records, credentials, email servers, geo-location of users, and more.” Cybereason says hacking group APT10, associated with the Chinese government, is the likely culprit behind the hack. Meanwhile, China has denied everything. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said that he was not aware of the report, adding that “we would never allow anyone to engage in such activities on Chinese soil or using Chinese infrastructure.” BGR Top Deals: Get an ASUS 2-in-1 touchscreen Chromebook for $279 on Amazon, today only This top-rated fast wireless charger is somehow only $6.99 right now on Amazon Trending Right Now: No, it’s not just you: Half of the internet is down, including Google, Amazon, and Reddit Apple was right again: Here’s why a Galaxy Note 10 without a microSD slot isn’t a big deal Fresh Pixel 4 leak gives us another look at Google’s unreleased flagship See the original version of this article on BGR.com
KT Tunstall learned that her late dad was a brilliant singer KT Tunstall performs on main stage during Isle of Wight Festival 2019 at Seaclose Park on June 15, 2019 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Carla Speight/Redferns) KT Tunstall has revealed she discovered her singing talent might have come from her long-lost father after she tracked down her biological family. The Scottish singer, 44, always knew she was adopted as a baby. She traced her biological mother herself years ago and tried to find her real dad John on ITV’s Long Lost Family series. Read more: KT Tunstall hails spirit of Isle of Wight Sadly, she learned that he had passed away in 2002. But Tunstall also discovered that she has two half-sisters, Siobhan and Lesley-Anne. She said: “I knew his name, I knew that he was Northern Irish, I knew that he ended up living in northern Scotland. “And then when I met my biological mother, she told me a bit more about him as well. “But she’s always said that he’s a good person, with a good heart. He’s a nice guy. “She told me straight off the bat that he wanted to get married and keep me and be my father, but she was just not able to do that in her life, with him.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by KT Tunstall (@kttunstall) on Jun 24, 2019 at 2:12am PDT She went on: “I think our father had found it very difficult that he wasn’t able to bring me up and be my father and I think there was some guilt and shame associated with that, so he obviously made the decision to not tell his family about it.” Tunstall continued: “But when I met my biological mum, the two things that I was really interested in is, do I look like her? “And where does my musicianship come from, because that’s not something that I share with my adopted family. “And pretty much the first thing she said to me was, ‘Oh my God, you wouldn’t be able to walk past your dad on the street – and he was an amazing singer’.”
Is There An Opportunity With Redfin Corporation's (NASDAQ:RDFN) 33% Undervaluation? Want to participate in ashort research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Does the June share price for Redfin Corporation (NASDAQ:RDFN) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the foreast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. I will be using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward. Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in theSimply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for Redfin We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: [{"": "Levered FCF ($, Millions)", "2019": "$-67.86", "2020": "$-49.34", "2021": "$-6.67", "2022": "$42.50", "2023": "$88.00", "2024": "$131.70", "2025": "$178.57", "2026": "$224.51", "2027": "$266.78", "2028": "$304.13"}, {"": "Growth Rate Estimate Source", "2019": "Analyst x3", "2020": "Analyst x6", "2021": "Analyst x3", "2022": "Analyst x2", "2023": "Analyst x2", "2024": "Est @ 49.66%", "2025": "Est @ 35.58%", "2026": "Est @ 25.73%", "2027": "Est @ 18.83%", "2028": "Est @ 14%"}, {"": "Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.17%", "2019": "$-62.15", "2020": "$-41.40", "2021": "$-5.12", "2022": "$29.92", "2023": "$56.74", "2024": "$77.79", "2025": "$96.61", "2026": "$111.25", "2027": "$121.09", "2028": "$126.45"}] Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF)= $511.17m "Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the intial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond 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 9.2%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2029× (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$304m × (1 + 2.7%) ÷ (9.2% – 2.7%) = US$4.8b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= $US$4.8b ÷ ( 1 + 9.2%)10= $2.02b 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 $2.53b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding.This results in an intrinsic value estimate of $27.78. Relative to the current share price of $18.52, the company appears quite undervalued at a 33% 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. The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the 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 Redfin 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 9.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.081. 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. Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it 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 Redfin, There are three additional factors you should further research: 1. Financial Health: Does RDFN 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 RDFN'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 RDFN? 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 NASDAQ 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.
LedgerX snags license from CFTC, clearing the way for first physically delivered futures and swaps in US LedgerX is preparing to launch its physically delivered bitcoin futures product after clinching a so-called designated contract market license from the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. The firm, which is better known for supporting the trading of options tied to bitcoin, has taken the lead from U.S.-based crypto exchangesBakkt, Seed CX, andErisX,which are all stillawaiting regulatorylicenses to enter the new crypto derivatives market. "The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced today that it has approved the application of LedgerX LLC (LedgerX) for designation as a contract market," the agencywrote. The DCM license will complement its so-called DCO license. In trading physically delivered futures, customers are paid out in actual bitcoin at the expiration of a contract, whereas cash-settled futures are paid out in USD. Current market-leader CME currently only offers cash-settled products, which are more prone to manipulation according to Richard Gorelick, head of markets at trading firm DRW, whotoldthe CFTC last year that they "continue[d] to have concerns" about pegging crypto futures contracts to cash. Retail push At the same time, LedgerX recently announced it would shy away from large investors and bulge bracket banks to retail. Indeed, the new futures product will form part of the firm's broader retail push via a new platform, dubbed Omni, which will support trading of swaps, options and futures for retail users. The firmtold The Block last monththat it had submitted a request for a license from regulators last November, hoping to offer the first bitcoin futures product of its kind. In an interview with The Block last month, LedgerX co-founder Juthica Chou said: "I think at this current time we don't see the demand growing among really large institutions and banks. We are still a $85 billion market cap for bitcoin — really just the size of a large stock...Right now we see the opportunity towards the other end of the spectrum." The market has grown by $200 billion with the run-up in bitcoin's price. But is it fit for institutions? Still, even within the physically-delivered market, there are variations. Sources say the nature of LedgerX's license means its contracts are likely to be fully collateralized meaning you can't legally trade them on margin. This has raised questions about the contracts' adoption prospects. It will also only offer bitcoin futures initially as opposed to a range of cryptocurrencies. Meanwhile, Bakkt, which is seeking a license to operate as a trust, is preparing to offer a one-month and one-day physically delivered bitcoin futures contract. Bakkt's contracts will be margined futures, which might be more favorable to more sophisticated investors. LedgerX's Chou said the firm has an advantage over its rivals with its futures product, having traded similar products longer than anyone else, launching in 2014. The firm also already counts over 200 institutions as clients for its physically delivered swaps product. This post has been updated to clarify that Bakkt's two futures contracts will be margined.