Chinese stocks are deep in a bear market, but one market watcher spies an entry point

The threat of an all-out trade war with the U.S. has taken an axe to Chinese stocks over the summer.

The Shanghai Composite and U.S.-traded FXI large-cap China ETF tumbled more than 20 percent from their January highs, pulling both into a bear market.

One market watcher sees more pain to come, but also spies an opportunity amid the wreckage.

"We're setting up for a spectacular capitulation in the China shares," Larry McDonald, editor of the Bear Traps Report, said on CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Thursday. "We're going to have a nice washout, I think, within two weeks."

Trade tensions, a major headwind, could ratchet even higher in coming weeks as President Donald Trump floats a proposal for 25 percent tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods. That marks a significant escalation from the $34 billion that went into effect at the beginning of July.

Also putting the squeeze on Chinese markets is a U.S. dollar on the rise and the Federal Reserve's plans to continue tightening monetary policy, says McDonald.

"The Federal Reserve is going to $50 billion a month of balance sheet reduction in September. At the same time they're hiking rates, the dollar made a 7 percent vicious move higher," he said, also noting that China's banking system, at $45 trillion, is highly leveraged to the U.S.

"As the Fed's trying to unwind, it's creating this early stages of a recession in China and it's going to come into a fantastic opportunity in the next 30 days or so," said McDonald. He plans to buy the FXI ETF at the height of capitulation.

Piper Jaffray's chief market technician Craig Johnson says more pressure on the Chinese markets could trigger a wave of sell-offs, particularly if the Shanghai Composite breaks below a major level of support.

"Right now we're very close to violating the uptrend support line that's been intact since 1996," Johnson told CNBC's "Trading Nation." "A break below this level is going to suggest that the next support could be 27 percent lower than where we are now."

A 27 percent drop from current levels puts the Shanghai at around 2,020, a level not seen in four years.

Downside pressure also spells trouble for U.S. markets given their tight correlation with Chinese markets, says Johnson. The Shanghai Composite and S&P 500 had a positive correlation of 0.68 on a 40-week rolling basis.

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Don’t Consider Price When Looking to Buy Cheap Stocks

A critical ability in succeeding in stock market investing involves understanding the concept of a “cheap stock.” Mastering this idea requires more than finding the lowest share price. Making money by buying cheap stocks involves not only understanding a stock’s price, it also means knowing what that price buys.

Cheap Stocks and Normal Stock Prices

The most critical concept investors need to understand is that price means very little. Suppose a company’s stock sells at $10 per share. By looking only at a price, the buyer only knows that one share costs $10. Price conveys no information on the number of shares outstanding, revenues, profits, long-term debt, or plant and equipment.

A company can also manipulate a stock price. In theory, a company could employ a 2:1 stock split. This changes nothing except that a company has twice as many shares at half of the previous value. What good is buying a share at half of its previous price if it holds 50% less value?

Start With Valuation

Thus, rather than trying to look for cheap stocks based purely on price, investors should seek “undervalued” stocks. However, investors sometimes find “undervalued” difficult to define. Most commonly, investors use the price-earnings (P/E) ratio. Like the name implies the P/E ratio divides the price of the stock by its annual earnings.

However, if a company loses money, it will not have a P/E ratio. In those cases, investors may use the price-to-sales (PS) ratio, a comparison of the company’s value to its revenues.

They may also employ the price-to-book (PB) ratio. The PB ratio compares the stock-based value of the company with the stockholders’ equity on the balance sheet.

Going back to the P/E ratio, if XYZ company trades for $10 per share and earns $1 per share in profit for the year, its P/E ratio would be 10. If a stock worth $10 per share earns $1 per share, this implies a 10% profit yield. Most investors would consider 10% an adequate rate of return.

Moreover, the average S&P 500 P/E ratio between 1957 and 2017 stands at about 18.6. Hence on the surface, a P/E ratio of 10 might appear undervalued.

Approach P/E Ratios Carefully

That said, a favorable P/E ratio may not necessarily serve as an indication to buy a stock. Those who look at enough stocks may continue to bid the stock price of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) higher even though its P/E exceeds 200. They also might sell off stock in Ford (NYSE:F) even when it trades below six times earnings.

Such disparities often occur when stocks see different rates of profit growth. For this reason, many evaluate stocks by their price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio. The average PEG ratio stands at around 1.33. From the previous example, if our $10 per share stock grew its profits at 10% per year, that would imply a PEG ratio of 1.

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While a low PEG ratio may appear to serve as a buy signal, knowing both the company and the industry also remains critical. Even with steady growth, conditions such as high debt levels, geopolitical events, labor disputes, severe weather events, or other occurrences can change a stock’s valuation perspective.

This makes valuation as much art as it is science. However, with the high liquidity and research options regarding stocks, investors can employ multiple options to manage such risks.

The Bottom Line on Cheap Stocks

Finding cheap stocks means understanding what the price of a stock buys in terms of value. Both the number of shares of a stock and its price starts out at arbitrary levels.

Hence, investors do not find cheap stocks by finding the lowest share prices. Comparing prices to earnings (or sometimes sales or stockholders’ equity) serves as a better measure. Investors also need to consider growth and other factors besides P/E ratios.

However, the focus needs to rest on value not price. By understanding the true nature of cheap stocks, investors can avoid paying the high cost of low-priced stocks and instead, earn higher returns.

As of this writing, Will Healy did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks. You can follow Will on Twitter

What to Expect When GE Reports

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is scheduled to release its second-quarter financial results before the markets open on Friday. The consensus estimates of $0.18 in earnings per share (EPS) and $29.31 billion in revenue compare with the $0.28 per share and $29.56 billion posted in the same period of last year.

In late June, the company announced its plan to focus on its Power, Aviation, Renewable Energy and GE Capital businesses while it sells or spins off its Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Transportation and Lighting businesses. Based on 2017 revenues, GE��s plan chops about $40 billion in sales from a total of around $125 billion.

GE already has shed its Distributed Power, Industrial Solutions and Value-Based Care divisions, and it has agreed to combine its Transportation business with Wabtec in a new company. These deals have substantially achieved CEO John Flannery��s promise to divest $20 billion in assets.

The company also plans to spin off its Healthcare business and to separate Baker Hughes over the next two or three years. The Lighting business already has been pared down, and the company had no more to say about its fate although it has been seeking a buyer for more than a year.

Over the course of the past 52 weeks, GE has underperformed the broad markets, with the stock down about 49%. In just 2018 alone, the stock is down 21%.

A few analysts weighed in on GE ahead of the report:

Gabelli has a Buy rating. JPMorgan has a Sell rating with an $11 price target. Deutsche Bank has a Hold rating and a $15 price target. Barclays has a Neutral rating with a $16 price target. Citigroup has a Buy rating with a $21 price target. Goldman Sachs has a Neutral rating with a $14 target. Oppenheimer has a Market Perform rating.

Shares of GE were last seen trading at $13.65, with a consensus analyst price target of $17.21 and a 52-week trading range of $12.61 to $27.05.

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Deutsche Bank Likes 5 Chip Stocks Into Q2 Results

Northstar Investment Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 1,490 Clorox Co (CLX)

Northstar Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Clorox Co (NYSE:CLX) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the first quarter worth about $106,000. Ostrum Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the 1st quarter worth about $112,000. Personal Capital Advisors Corp acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the 1st quarter worth about $201,000. Oakbrook Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the 2nd quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the 1st quarter worth about $213,000. 76.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Clorox stock traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $129.98. The stock had a trading volume of 31,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,143,084. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14. The stock has a market cap of $17.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38. Clorox Co has a fifty-two week low of $113.57 and a fifty-two week high of $150.40.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 2nd. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 107.93% and a net margin of 13.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. analysts expect that Clorox Co will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 1st will be issued a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 31st. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.78%.

Clorox declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 24th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 12.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CLX shares. BMO Capital Markets set a $147.00 price objective on Clorox and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Clorox from $133.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. Barclays set a $131.00 price objective on Clorox and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 6th. Zacks Investment Research cut Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Co cut their price objective on Clorox from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $128.84.

About Clorox

The Clorox Company manufactures and markets consumer and professional products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Cleaning, Household, Lifestyle, and International. The company offers laundry additives, including bleach products under the Clorox brand, as well as Clorox 2 stain fighters and color boosters; home care products primarily under the Clorox, Formula 409, Liquid-Plumr, Pine-Sol, S.O.S, and Tilex brands; naturally derived products under the Green Works brand; and professional cleaning and disinfecting products under the Clorox, Dispatch, Aplicare, HealthLink, and Clorox Healthcare brands.

See Also: Earnings Per Share

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Moon Capital Management LLC Has $4.10 Million Position in AerCap Holdings (AER)

Moon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 8.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,691 shares during the quarter. AerCap comprises approximately 4.4% of Moon Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Moon Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AerCap were worth $4,100,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AER. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in AerCap by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 68,122 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,584,000 after buying an additional 3,608 shares during the last quarter. AXA lifted its position in shares of AerCap by 96.0% during the fourth quarter. AXA now owns 17,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $917,000 after purchasing an additional 8,531 shares during the last quarter. Amundi Pioneer Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AerCap during the fourth quarter worth $31,769,000. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of AerCap by 43.8% during the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,142 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its position in shares of AerCap by 91.0% during the fourth quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 94,199 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,956,000 after purchasing an additional 44,878 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.59% of the company’s stock.

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Several analysts have recently weighed in on AER shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded AerCap from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $62.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on AerCap from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 12th. Cowen reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price (up from $58.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Friday, May 4th. ValuEngine downgraded AerCap from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank lifted their target price on AerCap from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. AerCap currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $61.44.

Shares of AerCap stock traded up $0.61 during trading on Monday, hitting $55.20. 77,861 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 875,255. The firm has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.34. AerCap Holdings has a 52-week low of $46.53 and a 52-week high of $56.26.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The financial services provider reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. AerCap had a return on equity of 12.54% and a net margin of 21.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. analysts forecast that AerCap Holdings will post 6.42 earnings per share for the current year.

AerCap Company Profile

AerCap Holdings N.V., an aircraft leasing company, engages in the lease, financing, sale, and management of commercial aircraft and engines in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, the United States, Ireland, and internationally. The company provides aircraft asset management services, including remarketing aircraft; collecting rental and maintenance rent payments, monitoring aircraft maintenance, monitoring and enforcing contract compliance, and accepting delivery and redelivery of aircraft; and conducting ongoing lessee financial performance reviews.

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

Movers & Shakers: Volumes of Indoco Remedies & Thermax rose up to 19,000% in last 5 days

Moneycontrol News

The market is trading on a positive note this Tuesday afternoon with the Nifty up 94 points at 10,947 and the Sensex�gaining 333 points at 35,268.

Market breadth was strong with�1202 stocks advancing on the NSE,�520 declining, and 341 staying unchanged. On the other hand, in the BSE, 1665 stocks advanced and�972 declined and 139 were unchanged.

TCI Finance�has gained�30.54 percent�followed by�ITI�which gained 21.57 percent. These are�followed by�Banaras Beads�which added 21.49 percent while�Maan Aluminium�gained 20.96 percent.�Meghmani Organics�was up 18.77 percent.

Mentioned below are stocks that witnessed a surge in trading volumes on Tuesday compared to their 5-day average.

Indoco Remedies was trading with volumes of 626,938 shares, compared to its five day average of 3,213 shares, an increase of 19,410.11 percent. Thermax was trading with volumes of 256,678 shares, compared to its five day average of 1,398 shares, an increase of 18,265.63 percent.

Bhageria Industries was trading with volumes of 653,265 shares, compared to its five day average of 3,808 shares, an increase of 17,053.27 percent.

Somany Ceramics was trading with volumes of 178,315 shares, compared to its five day average of 2,019 shares, an increase of 8,731.85 percent.

Ashoka Buildcon was trading with volumes of 474,976 shares, compared to its five day average of 7,077 shares, an increase of 6,611.17 percent. First Published on Jul 10, 2018 03:35 pm

New Residential Investment Corp (NRZ) Receives $18.87 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of New Residential Investment Corp (NYSE:NRZ) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $18.87.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on NRZ shares. Vetr raised shares of New Residential Investment from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $18.86 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 23rd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of New Residential Investment from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 4th. Finally, ValuEngine lowered shares of New Residential Investment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 2nd.

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NYSE:NRZ traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $18.19. 25,997 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,898,602. New Residential Investment has a one year low of $15.04 and a one year high of $18.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.43 and a beta of 0.90.

New Residential Investment (NYSE:NRZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.03. New Residential Investment had a net margin of 89.43% and a return on equity of 18.15%. The business had revenue of $259.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $185.89 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. analysts anticipate that New Residential Investment will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 2nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 29th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.00%. New Residential Investment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.67%.

In other New Residential Investment news, CEO Michael Nierenberg sold 339,177 shares of New Residential Investment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.30, for a total value of $6,206,939.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,085,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,161,941.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. American International Group Inc. purchased a new position in New Residential Investment in the fourth quarter worth about $115,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in New Residential Investment in the first quarter worth about $106,000. Glassman Wealth Services purchased a new position in New Residential Investment in the first quarter worth about $111,000. Bronfman E.L. Rothschild L.P. purchased a new position in New Residential Investment in the first quarter worth about $158,000. Finally, Ostrum Asset Management purchased a new position in New Residential Investment in the first quarter worth about $170,000. 53.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

New Residential Investment Company Profile

New Residential Investment Corp., a real estate investment trust, focuses on investing in and managing residential mortgage related assets in the United States. It operates through Servicing Related Assets, Residential Securities and Loans, and Other Investments segments. The company invests in excess mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) on residential mortgage loans; and in servicer advances, including the basic fee component of the related MSRs.

Best Low Price Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:PBH,BBY,GAPFF, The U.S. Commerce Department backed Boeing in its challenge to Bombardier, recommending an enormous tariff on sales of Bombardier's C Series jetliner, a major blow to the Canadian plane maker.

The initial ruling by the International Trade Commission, an arm of the Commerce Department, recommends a 219.63% tariff on the delivery of each airliner, according to a person briefed on the ITC's findings.

Boeing (BA), America's largest exporter and sole U.S. producer of commercial airliners, is suing Bombardier. At issue is whether Bombardier received financial backing from the Canadian government that allowed the plane maker to stay afloat and sell to Delta for what Boeing alleges were "absurdly low prices."

"The U.S. values its relationships with Canada, but even our closest allies must play by the rules," said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in a statement. "The subsidization of goods by foreign governments is something that the Trump Administration takes very seriously, and we will continue to evaluate and verify the accuracy of this preliminary determination."

Best Low Price Stocks To Own Right Now: Prestige Brand Holdings Inc.(PBH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Prestige Brands (NYSE:PBH) by 103.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,597 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,431 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Prestige Brands were worth $560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Premium Brands (TSE:PBH) had its target price increased by TD Securities from C$140.00 to C$145.00 in a research note published on Thursday. The firm currently has an action list buy rating on the stock.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PBH) – Investment analysts at Gabelli cut their FY2019 earnings estimates for shares of Prestige Brands in a research report issued on Tuesday, July 3rd. Gabelli analyst Z. Bodini now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $3.00 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $3.05. Gabelli also issued estimates for Prestige Brands’ FY2020 earnings at $3.35 EPS, FY2021 earnings at $3.75 EPS, FY2022 earnings at $4.20 EPS and FY2023 earnings at $4.65 EPS.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR) surged 87.1 percent to $12.98 after the company reported Q1 results and raised its FY18 outlook. ARMO BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARMO) shares jumped 66.8 percent to $49.735 after Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced plans to acquire ARMO BioSciences for $50 per share. vTv Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VTVT) gained 34 percent to $2.2920 following announcement that the company will pre-specify new subgroup with the FDA and report Phase 3 Part B results in June. Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PBH) climbed 22.3 percent to $34.84 after the company posted upbeat Q4 earnings. Depomed, Inc. (NASDAQ: DEPO) shares jumped 22.2 percent to $7.28 following better-than-expected Q1 earnings. Everspin Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRAM) gained 19.8 percent to $8.89 after the company reported strong results for its first quarter. Luxfer Holdings PLC (NYSE: LXFR) surged 19.8 percent to $17.10 following Q1 results. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) rose 18.3 percent to $2.26 after French company Total announced plans to acquire 25 percent stake in Clean Energy Fuels for $83.4 million. Intelligent Systems Corporation (NYSE: INS) gained 17 percent to $7.116. Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT) surged 15.3 percent to $73.00 after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHEF) climbed 15 percent to $28.85. Chefs' Warehouse posted Q1 earnings of $0.03 per share on sales of $318.6 million. Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: WPRT) rose 14.2 percent to $2.9701. Wright Medical Group N.V. (NASDAQ: WMGI) jumped 13.8 percent to $23.87 after reporting upbeat quarterly earnings. Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (NYSE: DPLO) gained 13.4 percent to $22.70. Diplomat named Brian Griffin as Chairman and CEO. Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) shares rose 13 percent to $27.97 after reporting upbeat Q1 sales. Prothena Corporation plc (NASDAQ: PRTA) gained 12 percent to $15.19
• [By Lisa Levin]

  Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PBH) shares were also up, gaining 23 percent to $35.07 after the company posted upbeat Q4 earnings.

  Equities Trading DOWN

Best Low Price Stocks To Own Right Now: Best Buy Co., Inc.(BBY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Leo Sun]

  Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) recently partnered with�Amazon to sell Fire TVs, which will be produced by its in-house Insignia brand and Toshiba, in its stores and website this summer. Best Buy will also become a Fire TV merchant on Amazon's website.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Shares of�Best Buy Co�(NYSE:BBY) finished lower today after the electronics retailer posted strong results in its first-quarter earnings, but offered a weak outlook. The subsequent sell-off fit a pattern this earnings season as retailers have widely reported strong first quarters, but many of the sector's stocks fell on the news as investors remain skeptical about brick-and-mortar retailers.

• [By Adam Levy]

  Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) lists Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) as one of its biggest competitors in its quarterly filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. And its competition with Amazon just got a bit bigger, after the online retailer announced a partnership with Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) to sell several new Fire TV Edition smart TVs.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE:BBY) – Stock analysts at Wedbush raised their Q2 2019 earnings per share estimates for Best Buy in a research note issued on Thursday, May 24th. Wedbush analyst M. Pachter now anticipates that the technology retailer will post earnings per share of $0.86 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.85. Wedbush currently has a “Sell” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush also issued estimates for Best Buy’s Q4 2019 earnings at $2.39 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $5.05 EPS, Q1 2020 earnings at $0.86 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $1.10 EPS, Q4 2020 earnings at $2.53 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $5.36 EPS.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Peel Hunt reissued their buy rating on shares of Balfour Beatty (LON:BBY) in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

  A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on BBY. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Balfour Beatty in a report on Thursday, June 7th. They set an equal weight rating and a GBX 310 ($4.13) price objective on the stock. Liberum Capital reissued a buy rating on shares of Balfour Beatty in a report on Friday, June 8th. Finally, Numis Securities reissued a buy rating and set a GBX 350 ($4.66) price objective on shares of Balfour Beatty in a report on Wednesday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of GBX 342 ($4.55).

Best Low Price Stocks To Own Right Now: Aimia Inc. (GAPFF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By SEEKINGALPHA.COM]

  Aimia (OTCPK:GAPFF) (TSX: AIM, AIM.PR.A, AIM.PR.B, AIM.PR.C)

  As some background, we are intimately familiar with Aeroplan and Air Canada (OTCQX:ACDVF) not just as investors but as extraordinarily heavy consumers. As both an Air Canada top tier elite and Aeroplan top tier member I generate well in excess of 1.5 million Aeroplan miles annually, half from flying Air Canada and its partners and the other half from spending. As consumers we were concerned with Air Canada's decision (though we expect more details to come out that will alleviate these concerns) but as investors we understand that the fundamental business model of mileage programs are incredibly attractive and that Aimia presents an incredibly rare and lucrative investment opportunity for the investor discerning enough to dig into the company.

Ferroglobe (GSM) Rating Lowered to D+ at TheStreet

TheStreet cut shares of Ferroglobe (NASDAQ:GSM) from a c- rating to a d+ rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

GSM has been the subject of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ferroglobe from $13.50 to $15.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, May 23rd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Ferroglobe from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, May 29th. BidaskClub lowered shares of Ferroglobe from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Tuesday, June 5th. B. Riley cut their price objective on shares of Ferroglobe from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Ferroglobe and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, March 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $18.50.

Get Ferroglobe alerts:

Ferroglobe opened at $8.25 on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.46 and a beta of 1.58. Ferroglobe has a 12-month low of $8.38 and a 12-month high of $17.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Ferroglobe (NASDAQ:GSM) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 21st. The basic materials company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.03. Ferroglobe had a net margin of 3.59% and a return on equity of 6.86%. The company had revenue of $560.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $559.12 million. analysts forecast that Ferroglobe will post 0.95 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 29th. Investors of record on Friday, June 8th were given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 7th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. Ferroglobe’s dividend payout ratio is presently 184.62%.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GSM. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferroglobe by 44.8% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 5,602,338 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,733,468 shares during the last quarter. Park West Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferroglobe during the first quarter worth $10,730,000. Paradice Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ferroglobe by 26.6% during the first quarter. Paradice Investment Management LLC now owns 4,446,354 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,709,000 after purchasing an additional 933,319 shares during the last quarter. OppenheimerFunds Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ferroglobe by 43.2% during the first quarter. OppenheimerFunds Inc. now owns 1,789,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $19,201,000 after purchasing an additional 539,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castleark Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferroglobe during the fourth quarter worth $7,340,000. Institutional investors own 42.71% of the company’s stock.

Ferroglobe Company Profile

Ferroglobe PLC operates in the silicon and specialty metals industry in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers silicone chemicals used in a range of applications, including personal care items, construction-related products, health care products, and electronics, as well as silicon metal for primary and secondary aluminum producers; silicomanganese, which is used as deoxidizing agent in the steel manufacturing process; and ferromanganese that is used as a deoxidizing, desulphurizing, and degassing agent in the removal of nitrogen and other harmful elements from steel.

Even at Almost $20 Trillion, US GDP Growth Slower Than Expected So Far in 2018

There is no cleaner measurement of an underlying economy than the quarterly and annualized readings on gross domestic product. Unfortunately, the U.S. economic growth picture showed a revision down to 2.0% for the first-quarter U.S. GDP. It appears as though weak consumer spending, which makes up the majority of U.S. GDP, was weaker than had been expected.

Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal) and Reuters were�both calling for the GDP revision to remain flat�at the prior 2.2% growth.

The increase in real GDP in the first quarter reflected positive contributions from nonresidential fixed investment, personal consumption expenditures, exports, federal government spending and state and local government spending.

Household spending rose by 0.9% in the first quarter, revised down from the prior estimate of 1.0% growth. Business investment also looks to have restocked slower than had been expected, but business investment was actually the strongest going back to 2014, as companies are using their tax-cuts to their advantage.

Other notes on the final revision for the first quarter’s GDP report:

Current-dollar GDP increased 4.2% ($206.0 billion) to $19.96 trillion. The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 2.7%. The PCE price index increased 2.5%, while the core (excluding food and energy prices) increased 2.3%.

While this is a disappointment in the GDP growth metrics, there are some seasonal issues that come into play during the first quarter of every year. It is also usually the case that GDP revisions matter less and less to the financial markets due to the notion that the data gets older and older. This data now reflects roughly 90 days ago and was first projected 60 days ago.

Best Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:PFG,PRU,AON,WRB,

8 Ways for Agents to Answer ��What Do You Do?��

Working Past 70陆? Skip the 401(k) RMD Without Penalty

Republican Questions Constitutionality of Insurance Regulatory System

The potential acquisition of Aetna Inc. by CVS Health Corp. would create an integrated health care behemoth and put huge pressure on standalone players such as Express Scripts Holding Co. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.

CVS and Aetna have held discussions about a potential deal, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as the details aren’t public. A tie-up would combine the third-biggest health insurer with the largest U.S. drugstore chain, which also runs a pharmacy-benefit management unit.

A newly created CVS-Aetna would “own the entire chain, from prescribing and filling prescriptions to the health plans that pay for them,” said Michael Rea, of Rx Savings Solutions, which has an app that helps patients find lower cost drugs.

Best Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: Principal Financial Group Inc(PFG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of Stilwell Value LLC's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Stilwell+Value+LLC

  These are the top 5 holdings of Stilwell Value LLCOFG Bancorp (OFG) - 1,614,868 shares, 14.1% of the total portfolio. Kingsway Financial Services Inc (KFS) - 3,780,889 shares, 12.63% of the total portfolio. HopFed Bancorp Inc (HFBC) - 627,128 shares, 7.62% of the total portfolio. Alcentra Capital Corp (ABDC) - 1,251,324 shares, 7.27% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 20.66%Sound Financial Bancorp Inc (SFBC) - 228,600 shares, 7.02% of th
• [By Shane Hupp]

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

  Get Principal Financial Group alerts: Principal Financial Group (PFG) Approves New $300M Buyback (streetinsider.com) Principal Financial Group (PFG) Announces Share Repurchase Plan (americanbankingnews.com) Is Principal Large Cap Growth I Institutional (PLGIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? (finance.yahoo.com) Principal Financial Group is Oversold (nasdaq.com) Principal Names New Chief Human Resources Officer (finance.yahoo.com)

  Several equities analysts have recently commented on PFG shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. Wells Fargo reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Credit Suisse Group started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, March 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Friday, March 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $69.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Principal Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $71.18.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Provident Financial plc (LON:PFG) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 1,244.33 ($16.57).

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  KBC Group NV lowered its position in shares of Principal Financial Group Inc (NYSE:PFG) by 41.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 201,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 142,313 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $12,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shore Capital reissued their hold rating on shares of Provident Financial (LON:PFG) in a report issued on Thursday.

  PFG has been the subject of several other reports. Liberum Capital reissued a sell rating and set a GBX 483 ($6.48) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Peel Hunt reissued a hold rating and set a GBX 870 ($11.67) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Provident Financial from GBX 1,100 ($14.76) to GBX 750 ($10.06) and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 10th. Barclays reissued an underweight rating and set a GBX 584 ($7.84) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Societe Generale lowered Provident Financial to a hold rating and set a GBX 1,050 ($14.09) price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Provident Financial presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of GBX 1,190.14 ($15.97).

• [By Logan Wallace]

  ING Groep NV boosted its stake in Principal Financial Group Inc (NYSE:PFG) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 27,524 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,991 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $1,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Best Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: Prudential Financial Inc.(PRU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jason Hall, Chuck Saletta, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  But that doesn't mean you need to make risky bets to capture solid returns, either, and buying solid companies at reasonable prices can help create a margin of safety and improve your returns, while also decreasing your risk of permanent losses. Three stocks that meet these criteria are small healthcare real-estate specialist�Caretrust REIT Inc�(NASDAQ:CTRE), financial services giant�Prudential Financial Inc�(NYSE:PRU), and energy behemoth�ExxonMobil Corporation�(NYSE:XOM).�

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Symphony Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Prudential Financial Inc (NYSE:PRU) by 18.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,149 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,765 shares during the period. Symphony Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $1,672,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) takes such pride in its rock-solid financial condition that it uses an actual rock -- the Rock of Gibraltar�-- as its corporate symbol. Prudential Financial backs up that claim with a balance sheet that has more cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments�than total debt on it. It also claims a debt-to-equity ratio around 0.6 and a current ratio around 1.0�, which are further signs of a solid financial condition.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  State of Tennessee Treasury Department lessened its position in Prudential Financial Inc (NYSE:PRU) by 29.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 312,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 132,238 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Treasury Department owned approximately 0.07% of Prudential Financial worth $32,354,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Flippin Bruce & Porter Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Flippin Bruce & Porter Inc.’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $6,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  These are some of the headlines that may have effected Accern Sentiment Analysis’s analysis:

  Get Prudential Financial alerts: Prudential (PUK) Presents At 2018 Deutsche Bank Annual Global Financial Services Conference – Slideshow (seekingalpha.com) Leston Welsh joins Prudential Group Insurance as head of Disability and Absence Management (finance.yahoo.com) Contrasting Prudential Financial (PRU) & Old Mutual (ODMTY) (americanbankingnews.com) Prudential again accused with unauthorised money deduction (vir.com.vn) An Application for the Trademark ��MULLINTBG�� Has Been Filed by Prudential Insurance Company (insurancenewsnet.com)

  Prudential Financial traded down $5.05, hitting $94.97, during midday trading on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. 2,919,216 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,144,103. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $42.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.52. Prudential Financial has a one year low of $94.51 and a one year high of $127.14.

Best Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: Aon Corporation(AON)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Aon (NYSE:AON) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 40,448 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in AON were worth $5,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Max Byerly]

  State of Wisconsin Investment Board decreased its holdings in shares of Aon (NYSE:AON) by 9.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 384,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 38,942 shares during the quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board’s holdings in AON were worth $53,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  BB&T Securities LLC raised its holdings in Aon PLC (NYSE:AON) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,352 shares during the period. BB&T Securities LLC’s holdings in AON were worth $3,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Best Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2019: W.R. Berkley Corporation(WRB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on W. R. Berkley (WRB)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  W. R. Berkley (NYSE: WRB) and State Auto Financial (NASDAQ:STFC) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations and risk.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:PFG,AIG,PRU,AON,

Kathy Stack knows the importance of maintaining her retirement savings in her 70s: she��s 72, battling Alzheimer��s disease and took care of her sick husband before he went to an assisted living facility before he died.

Her husband had a pension, but it wasn��t going to get them very far, she said. Her doctor told her four years ago she would have full-blown Alzheimer��s in five years, and she is working with a financial adviser to monitor her investment accounts and find long-term care insurance. Thankfully, she has enough saved where she can donate to some of her favorite charities on the side and invest in 529 plans for her grandchildren��s future education, but she sees friends who have not planned as well, and she worries for them.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Principal Financial Group Inc(PFG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

  Get Principal Financial Group alerts: Principal Financial Group (PFG) Approves New $300M Buyback (streetinsider.com) Principal Financial Group (PFG) Announces Share Repurchase Plan (americanbankingnews.com) Is Principal Large Cap Growth I Institutional (PLGIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? (finance.yahoo.com) Principal Financial Group is Oversold (nasdaq.com) Principal Names New Chief Human Resources Officer (finance.yahoo.com)

  Several equities analysts have recently commented on PFG shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. Wells Fargo reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $76.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Credit Suisse Group started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $62.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, March 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS started coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Friday, March 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $69.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Principal Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $71.18.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shore Capital reissued their hold rating on shares of Provident Financial (LON:PFG) in a report issued on Thursday.

  PFG has been the subject of several other reports. Liberum Capital reissued a sell rating and set a GBX 483 ($6.48) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Peel Hunt reissued a hold rating and set a GBX 870 ($11.67) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Provident Financial from GBX 1,100 ($14.76) to GBX 750 ($10.06) and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 10th. Barclays reissued an underweight rating and set a GBX 584 ($7.84) price objective on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Societe Generale lowered Provident Financial to a hold rating and set a GBX 1,050 ($14.09) price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Provident Financial presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of GBX 1,190.14 ($15.97).

• [By Logan Wallace]

  ING Groep NV boosted its stake in Principal Financial Group Inc (NYSE:PFG) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 27,524 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,991 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $1,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  KBC Group NV lowered its position in shares of Principal Financial Group Inc (NYSE:PFG) by 41.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 201,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 142,313 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $12,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: American International Group Inc.(AIG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Sentry Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in American International Group (NYSE:AIG) by 8.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 64,968 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 6,147 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in American International Group were worth $3,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Max Byerly]

  These are some of the media stories that may have effected Accern’s rankings:

  Get American International Group alerts: AIG’s loss for European business worsens in 2017 (businessinsurance.com) $1.26 EPS Expected for American International Group (AIG) This Quarter (americanbankingnews.com) UBS: Buy AIG After Earnings Estimates ‘Bottom Out’ (finance.yahoo.com) American International Group (AIG) Stock Rating Upgraded by UBS (americanbankingnews.com) American International Group (AIG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts (americanbankingnews.com)

  American International Group traded up $0.36, hitting $55.15, during mid-day trading on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The stock had a trading volume of 9,821,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,828,715. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. American International Group has a 1-year low of $49.57 and a 1-year high of $67.30. The firm has a market cap of $49.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.98, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.24.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on American International Group (AIG)

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

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

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

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Prudential Financial Inc.(PRU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zacks]

  Well, given the growing demand for securitized mortgage deals, Barclays plans to package and sell these Irish loans over the next two months. The group of investors that has shown interest in buying residential mortgage backed securities includes M&G Investments, the investment management division of British insurer Prudential Plc (NYSE: PRU) and Pacific Investment Management Co. ("PIMCO").

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) takes such pride in its rock-solid financial condition that it uses an actual rock -- the Rock of Gibraltar�-- as its corporate symbol. Prudential Financial backs up that claim with a balance sheet that has more cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments�than total debt on it. It also claims a debt-to-equity ratio around 0.6 and a current ratio around 1.0�, which are further signs of a solid financial condition.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  These are some of the headlines that may have effected Accern Sentiment Analysis’s analysis:

  Get Prudential Financial alerts: Prudential (PUK) Presents At 2018 Deutsche Bank Annual Global Financial Services Conference – Slideshow (seekingalpha.com) Leston Welsh joins Prudential Group Insurance as head of Disability and Absence Management (finance.yahoo.com) Contrasting Prudential Financial (PRU) & Old Mutual (ODMTY) (americanbankingnews.com) Prudential again accused with unauthorised money deduction (vir.com.vn) An Application for the Trademark ��MULLINTBG�� Has Been Filed by Prudential Insurance Company (insurancenewsnet.com)

  Prudential Financial traded down $5.05, hitting $94.97, during midday trading on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. 2,919,216 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,144,103. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $42.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.52. Prudential Financial has a one year low of $94.51 and a one year high of $127.14.

• [By Jason Hall, Chuck Saletta, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  But that doesn't mean you need to make risky bets to capture solid returns, either, and buying solid companies at reasonable prices can help create a margin of safety and improve your returns, while also decreasing your risk of permanent losses. Three stocks that meet these criteria are small healthcare real-estate specialist�Caretrust REIT Inc�(NASDAQ:CTRE), financial services giant�Prudential Financial Inc�(NYSE:PRU), and energy behemoth�ExxonMobil Corporation�(NYSE:XOM).�

• [By Max Byerly]

  Flippin Bruce & Porter Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Flippin Bruce & Porter Inc.’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $6,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Aon Corporation(AON)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  AON (NYSE:AON) had its price target hoisted by Citigroup from $160.00 to $165.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning. They currently have a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $3.46 billion. Aon plc (NYSE: AON) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.8 per share on revenue of $2.93 billion. American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AXL) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.81 per share on revenue of $1.75 billion. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.88 per share on revenue of $9.27 billion. LifePoint Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPNT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.13 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion. V.F. Corporation (NYSE: VFC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $2.90 billion. Newell Brands Inc. (NYSE: NWL) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.26 per share on revenue of $3.05 billion. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.04 per share on revenue of $407.27 million. Boise Cascade Company (NYSE: BCC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.45 per share on revenue of $1.09 billion. Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE: LNG) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.39 per share on revenue of $1.59 billion. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.24 per share on revenue of $308.05 million. ITT Inc. (NYSE: ITT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $683.96 million. Fred's, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRED) is expected to report quarterly loss at $0.19 per share on revenue of $551.00 million. Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIRT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.52 per share on revenue of $288.31 million. Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: CQP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $1.38 billion. Genesis Energy, L.P
• [By Logan Wallace]

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

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  State of Wisconsin Investment Board decreased its holdings in shares of Aon (NYSE:AON) by 9.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 384,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 38,942 shares during the quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board’s holdings in AON were worth $53,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Aon (NYSE:AON) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 40,448 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in AON were worth $5,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (VRX) Shares Bought by First Republic Investment Management Inc.

First Republic Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX) (TSE:VRX) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 432,093 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 16,891 shares during the quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. owned 0.12% of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl worth $6,879,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 359,894 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,479,000 after buying an additional 7,683 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new position in Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl during the 4th quarter worth $208,000. Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl during the 4th quarter worth $357,000. Kovack Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl during the 4th quarter worth $405,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 113,088 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,350,000 after buying an additional 22,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.13% of the company’s stock.

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Shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl opened at $22.24 on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a PE ratio of 5.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of -0.35. Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc has a 52-week low of $10.94 and a 52-week high of $24.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.59.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl (NYSE:VRX) (TSE:VRX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 8th. The specialty pharmaceutical company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl had a positive return on equity of 27.87% and a negative net margin of 10.65%. Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl’s quarterly revenue was down 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.79 EPS. equities research analysts expect that Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc will post 3.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VRX. Jefferies Group boosted their target price on Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 9th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl in a research report on Monday, May 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $25.00 price target on Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl in a research report on Wednesday, May 9th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies set a $13.00 price target on Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.26.

In other news, Director Schutter Richard U. De acquired 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $21.83 per share, for a total transaction of $327,450.00. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Schutter Richard U. De acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $15.34 per share, with a total value of $153,400.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 106,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,626,991.08. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 7,136,629 shares of company stock valued at $110,029,937 in the last ninety days. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc operates as a multinational, specialty pharmaceutical, and medical device company that develops, manufactures, and markets a range of pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter (OTC) products, and medical devices. The company operates through three segments: Bausch + Lomb/International, Branded Rx, and U.S.

Toronto Dominion Bank Grows Holdings in Crown Castle International Corp. (CCI)

Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in shares of Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE:CCI) by 27.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 222,954 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,953 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank’s holdings in Crown Castle International were worth $24,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Crown Castle International in the first quarter worth about $391,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Crown Castle International by 15.7% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 13,829 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,516,000 after buying an additional 1,873 shares during the period. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. increased its holdings in shares of Crown Castle International by 3.9% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 29,910 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,279,000 after buying an additional 1,113 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Crown Castle International by 12.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 12,873 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,408,000 after buying an additional 1,434 shares during the period. Finally, Glen Harbor Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Crown Castle International by 39.4% in the first quarter. Glen Harbor Capital Management LLC now owns 10,428 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 2,948 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.60% of the company’s stock.

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Crown Castle International opened at $102.74 on Friday, according to MarketBeat. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.29. Crown Castle International Corp. has a 1 year low of $93.14 and a 1 year high of $114.97.

Crown Castle International (NYSE:CCI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 18th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.98). The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. Crown Castle International had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 4.06%. The business’s revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.11 earnings per share. analysts anticipate that Crown Castle International Corp. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 14th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. Crown Castle International’s payout ratio is 86.60%.

CCI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Crown Castle International from a “conviction-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 13th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Crown Castle International in a report on Friday, January 26th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 target price on shares of Crown Castle International in a research note on Friday, April 20th. Zacks Investment Research cut Crown Castle International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 28th. Finally, ValuEngine raised Crown Castle International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $114.75.

In other news, Director Anthony J. Melone acquired 1,979 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $101.06 per share, with a total value of $199,997.74. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,547 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,065,879.82. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

About Crown Castle International

Crown Castle owns, operates and leases more than 40,000 cell towers and approximately 60,000 route miles of fiber supporting small cells and fiber solutions across every major U.S. market. This nationwide portfolio of communications infrastructure connects cities and communities to essential data, technology and wireless service bringing information, ideas and innovations to the people and businesses that need them.

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

Walmart and Target are spending like crazy to stop Amazon

Walmart, Target and Kroger are opening their wallets to fend off Amazon.

They're raising minimum wages to retain and attract workers. Stores are being remodeled to encourage customers to add a few extra items to their baskets each time they visit �� and convince them to return. All three have lowered their prices.

The companies are optimizing stores and warehouses for speedy curbside pickups and grocery deliveries. Walmart is plowing cash into updating its website.

They're also going on a buying spree.

Target bought grocery startup Shipt for $550 million last year, and Walmart bought e-commerce platform Jet.com for $3 billion in 2016.

On Wednesday, Kroger said it was scooping up meal-kit company Home Chef in a deal worth up to $700 million.

Last week, the grocery chain paid $250 million for a stake in British online supermarket Ocado to help manage automated warehouses and leverage its digital technology in the United States.

Growing pains

The moves signal how far brick-and-mortar grocers and retailers today are reaching beyond their stores to fight off Amazon and adapt to online shopping.

"They are relying on acquisitions, which are proving to be very expensive, in order to catch up quickly or risk completely being outrun," said Tom Gehani, director of client strategy and research at consulting firm Gartner L2.

Renovations, raises, supply chain optimizations, and acquisitions and demonstrate the high costs of slogging ahead with a long-term plan �� one often at odds with Wall Street's impatience.

Spending a ton of cash to ramp up digital operations, while slashing prices, has cut into profit margins at Walmart, Target and Kroger.

"Managing margins for an online business is very difficult," said Cowen analyst Oliver Chen. "It's a journey."

Walmart (WMT) is down 16% this year and Kroger (KR) has lost 10%. Target (TGT) is up 9%, but shares fell sharply after it missed profit expectations.

Target blames weather for poor earnings

Playing the long game

Despite Wall Street's hesitancy about the companies' near-term prospects, Walmart, Target and Kroger are plowing ahead, determined to stem the tide of fleeing customers by adapting to the digital age and changing consumer habits.

For example, Target CEO Brian Cornell said last year that the company would embark on a three-year, $7 billion effort to reposition it for the future. The strategy includes opening smaller stores in urban markets and rolling out more private label brands.

"We're investing in our business with a long-term view of years and decades, not months and quarters," he said.

Walmart is also rapidly searching for new growth opportunities.

The company admitted that Jet has failed to resonate with shoppers in the middle of the country, but it has acquired niche brands such as Bonobos, Modcloth. Walmart paid $16 billion last month for India's Flipkart, its largest deal ever.

Kroger hopes the Ocado deal "will allow [it] to react to how the customer may want to change their shopping habits over time in a big way," chief financial officer John Schlotman said at a conference last week. Many Kroger customers have defected to Whole Foods after Amazon lowered prices at Whole Foods.

Pick up or delivery?

All three companies hope to use their massive network of physical stores to their advantage in their battle against Amazon. They are all focusing efforts on so-called click-and-collect, where shoppers order items off their computers or phones and then drive to pick them up outside stores.

Walmart believes that its 4,760 US stores within 10 miles of 90% of Americans will allow the retailer to transition its real estate into shopping centers that can easily fulfill online orders, too.

It will have 2,100 pickup locations by the end of the year. Target plans to have 1,000 pickup spots by the end of 2018 for clothes, home appliances and groceries. And Kroger said in March that it has more than 1,000 collection sites. Expanding pickup can help these companies keep down expensive shipping costs.

"They need to use their core assets to drive relevance and connection with shoppers," said Laura Kennedy, vice president of retail insights at Kantar Consulting. "Whether you are an apparel retailer, Walmart, or Kroger, Amazon has changed shoppers' perception of convenience and speed."

For customers who don't want to pick up items at stores, the companies are ramping up their effort to deliver items quickly from stores to customers' doors �� despite the limited profitability shipping goods to your home.

Walmart will have grocery delivery available at around 800 stores by the end of the year, and Target will have same-day delivery for its stuff at close to all of its 1,822 US locations by then.

Investing in groceries is crucial for Walmart and Kroger to stay ahead, but they're fighting to keep control of an already low-margin business. "Amazon has caused them to chase the wrong end of the profit spectrum," Gehani said.

Walmart and Target have shown they're capable of making the shift to digital. Walmart's online sales grew 33% and Target's jumped 28% last quarter from a year prior. Store upgrades are also helping: Same-store sales grew 2.1% at Walmart and 3% at Target last quarter.

"I like what Target's doing," Cowen analyst Chen said. "It takes a little time."

Laboratory Corp Of America Holdings (LH) President & CEO David P King Sold $8.8 million of Shares

President & CEO of Laboratory Corp Of America Holdings (NYSE:LH) David P King sold 49,966 shares of LH on 05/23/2018 at an average price of $175.37 a share. The total sale was $8.8 million.

Laboratory Corp of America Holdings is a healthcare diagnostics company. It is engaged in providing comprehensive clinical laboratory and end-to-end drug development services. It operates in two segments: LabCorp Diagnostics and Covance Drug Development. Laboratory Corp of America Holdings has a market cap of $18.73 billion; its shares were traded at around $183.11 with a P/E ratio of 15.21 and P/S ratio of 1.74. Laboratory Corp of America Holdings had annual average EBITDA growth of 7.60% over the past ten years. GuruFocus rated Laboratory Corp of America Holdings the business predictability rank of 5-star.

CEO Recent Trades:

President & CEO David P King sold 49,966 shares of LH stock on 05/23/2018 at the average price of $175.37. The price of the stock has increased by 4.41% since.

For the complete insider trading history of LH, click here

.

Electronic Arts Inc (EA) Files 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on March 31, 2018

Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:EA) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on March 31, 2018. Electronic Arts Inc operates in the technology sector. It develops, markets, publishes and distributes video game software and content of various platforms. Electronic Arts Inc has a market cap of $40.95 billion; its shares were traded at around $133.50 with a P/E ratio of 39.98 and P/S ratio of 8.05. Electronic Arts Inc had annual average EBITDA growth of 38.80% over the past five years.

For the last quarter Electronic Arts Inc reported a revenue of $1.6 billion, compared with the revenue of $1.5 billion during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $5.2 billion, an increase of 6.3% from last year. For the last five years Electronic Arts Inc had an average revenue growth rate of 7.1% a year.

The reported diluted earnings per share was $3.34 for the year, an increase of 8.4% from previous year. Over the last five years Electronic Arts Inc had an EPS growth rate of 110.5% a year. The Electronic Arts Inc enjoyed an operating margin of 27.84%, compared with the operating margin of 25.26% a year before. The 10-year historical median operating margin of Electronic Arts Inc is 1.86%. The profitability rank of the company is 7 (out of 10).

At the end of the fiscal year, Electronic Arts Inc has the cash and cash equivalents of $4.3 billion, compared with $2.6 billion in the previous year. The long term debt was $992.0 million, compared with $990.0 million in the previous year. Electronic Arts Inc has a financial strength rank of 8 (out of 10).

At the current stock price of $133.50, Electronic Arts Inc is traded at 215.7% premium to its historical median P/S valuation band of $42.29. The P/S ratio of the stock is 8.05, while the historical median P/S ratio is 2.55. The stock gained 21.95% during the past 12 months.

CEO Recent Trades:

CEO Andrew Wilson sold 9,000 shares of EA stock on 05/01/2018 at the average price of $119.04. The price of the stock has increased by 12.15% since.

CFO Recent Trades:

COO & CFO Blake J Jorgensen sold 10,500 shares of EA stock on 05/01/2018 at the average price of $118.23. The price of the stock has increased by 12.92% since.

Directors and Officers Recent Trades:

Chief Design Officer Patrick Soderlund sold 66,427 shares of EA stock on 05/17/2018 at the average price of $130.8. The price of the stock has increased by 2.06% since.EVP of Strategic Growth Matthew Bilbey sold 16,156 shares of EA stock on 05/17/2018 at the average price of $131.12. The price of the stock has increased by 1.82% since.EVP Worldwide Business Affairs Joel Linzner sold 6,000 shares of EA stock on 05/10/2018 at the average price of $131.72. The price of the stock has increased by 1.35% since.Chief Design Officer Patrick Soderlund sold 5,000 shares of EA stock on 05/01/2018 at the average price of $119.03. The price of the stock has increased by 12.16% since.Chief People Officer Vijayanthimala Singh sold 200 shares of EA stock on 05/01/2018 at the average price of $118.06. The price of the stock has increased by 13.08% since.

For the complete 20-year historical financial data of EA, click here.

Analysts Set Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ED) Target Price at $81.79

Shares of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $81.79.

A number of research firms have weighed in on ED. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Consolidated Edison from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Consolidated Edison from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 16th. ValuEngine downgraded Consolidated Edison from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 7th. UBS began coverage on Consolidated Edison in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase increased their price objective on Consolidated Edison from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 10th.

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A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Consolidated Edison by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 900,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $70,147,000 after purchasing an additional 4,890 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its stake in Consolidated Edison by 6,165.4% during the 1st quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 135,708 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 133,542 shares during the period. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake in Consolidated Edison by 28.7% during the 1st quarter. Gyroscope Capital Management Group LLC now owns 19,959 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,556,000 after purchasing an additional 4,452 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in Consolidated Edison by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 13,312 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the period. Finally, Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB raised its stake in Consolidated Edison by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB now owns 31,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,461,000 after purchasing an additional 2,126 shares during the period. 57.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Shares of Consolidated Edison opened at $74.14 on Friday, Marketbeat reports. Consolidated Edison has a 12-month low of $73.35 and a 12-month high of $89.70. The company has a market capitalization of $22.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.23 billion. Consolidated Edison had a return on equity of 8.61% and a net margin of 12.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. equities research analysts forecast that Consolidated Edison will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.715 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 15th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. Consolidated Edison’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.93%.

About Consolidated Edison

Consolidated Edison, Inc (Con Edison) is a holding company. The Company operates through its subsidiaries, which include Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc (CECONY), Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc (O&R), Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, Inc (the Clean Energy Businesses) and Con Edison Transmission, Inc (Con Edison Transmission).