Hot Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:AMGN,ARQL,BIIB,ALNY,

You've probably heard by now that Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) once again hit the ball out of the park with its 2018 first-quarter results. Year-over-year revenue growth of 33% and adjusted earnings-per-share growth of 85% is the kind of performance that makes investors happy campers.

The bigger story, though, is what the biotech's management team had to say about those results and what's coming up next. Here are five things you'll want to know from Vertex's Q1 conference call.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Symdeko is off to a great start

Over one-fifth of Vertex's year-over-year revenue increase came from new cystic fibrosis (CF) drug Symdeko. The drug generated revenue of $34 million, and that's an impressive start. What's even more impressive is that Symdeko was only on the market for seven weeks during the quarter.

Hot Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Amgen Inc.(AMGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Hammer Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 16,988 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,136,000. Amgen makes up 2.7% of Hammer Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Shares of Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $193.19.

• [By ]

  Even though ABBV has more than 100 patents covering Humira, and despite its 2017 patent win over Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) requiring AMGN to wait until 2023 before issuing its own copy of Humira, the battle for generic Humira isn't over.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

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

• [By ]

  Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) -- Amgen is a leading global biotech developer with a diverse product portfolio and promising development pipeline. The company has special expertise in cancer research and renal failure (kidney disease) treatments. Its biggest blockbuster is the anti-inflammatory drug Enbrel, used primarily for rheumatoid arthritis, which is in the top-five worldwide with annual sales of nearly $8 billion.

Hot Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ArQule Inc.(ARQL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ArQule, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQL)’s share price rose 6.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $5.21 and last traded at $5.15. Approximately 955,706 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the average daily volume of 1,244,948 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.85.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

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

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of development-stage biopharma ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL) rose nearly 17% today after the company announced two appointments to its management team in two newly created positions. Dr. Marc Schegerin will serve as senior vice president, corporate strategy, communication, and finance. Dr. Shirish Hirani will serve as senior vice president, program management and product planning. 

Hot Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Biogen Idec Inc(BIIB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  Short interest in Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) increased to 4.00 million shares from the previous 3.91 million. The stock recently traded at $346.90, within a 52-week range of $249.17 to $388.67.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Data source: Ionis Pharmaceuticals.

  What happened with Ionis Pharmaceuticals this quarter? Revenue increased thanks to $41 million in royalties from Biogen's (NASDAQ:BIIB) sales of Spinraza, up from just $5 million in the year-ago quarter. Because the tiered royalty rates reset each year, the royalties as a percentage of sales will end up being higher in the quarters to come this year. Despite the higher revenue, earnings turned negative on a GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) basis: Ionis and Akcea Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKCA) increased spending in preparation for the launch of Tegsedi for hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR), and Waylivra for familial chylomicronemia syndrome, a rare disease that causes the buildup of lipids. Ionis is still the majority owner of Akcea, so its financials are incorporated into Ionis' financials. The Food and Drug Administration pushed back its goal for making a decision on the marketing application for Tegsedi (the new brand name for inotersen) to Oct. 6, 2018. Ionis provided additional data analysis that the FDA needs additional time to review. In April, Ionis signed another deal with Biogen to develop antisense drugs for neurological disorders. In the deal, Ionis gets $1 billion up front, including an equity investment, in exchange for Biogen having first choice of neurology targets on which to exclusively collaborate with Ionis. Biogen is paying for everything beyond the initial discovery stage, with Ionis eligible for royalties and milestone payments as the drugs advance.

  Image source: Getty Images.

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  A distillery in a small Spanish town has claimed it invented the original Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) recipe and now wants recognition: Link

  ECONOMIC DATA Initial Jobless Claims For Week Ended May 25 221K vs 225K Economist Estimate, Down From 234K In Prior Week Personal Income Apr. Up 0.3%, Personal Spending Up 0.6% The Chicago PMI for May is schedule for release at 9:45 a.m. ET. The pending home sales index for April will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on natural gas stocks in underground storage is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on petroleum inventories will be released at 11:00 a.m. ET. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic is set to speak at 12:30 p.m. ET. Fed Governor Lael Brainard will speak at 1:00 p.m. ET. Data on money supply for the recent week will be released at 4:30 p.m. ET. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan is set to speak at 8:30 p.m. ET. ANALYST RATINGS Canaccord upgrades Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB) from Hold to Buy Morgan Stanley upgrades Corning (NYSE: GLW) from Equal-Weight to Overweight Morgan Stanley downgrades Micron (NASDAQ: MU) from Overweight to Equal-Weight Cantor downgrades HealthEquity (NASDAQ: HQY) from Overweight to Neutral

  This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. To get the full version of this note every morning, click here.

• [By George Budwell]

  The spark? Nightstar's shares are bolting higher in response to an $877 million buyout offer from biotech heavyweight Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB). Per the terms of the agreement, Biogen will pay $25.50 in cash for each share of Nightstar, which translates to a hefty 68% premium when compared to where the gene therapy company's shares closed on Friday. According to the two companies, this transaction should close by midyear.

Hot Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ALNY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) released first-quarter results last week, but all eyes were looking forward as the company waits for a potential approval of its hereditary TTR amyloidosis (ATTR) drug, patisiran.

• [By Keith Speights]

  I wrote three months ago that I viewed Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) stock as a pretty good pick -- but with a couple of qualifications. First, I didn't think that the biotech would generate returns in 2018 nearly as great as it did last year. Second, I thought that there were even better stocks to buy than Alnylam.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $21.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.23 million. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 36.81% and a negative net margin of 565.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($1.25) earnings per share. equities analysts anticipate that Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a hold rating to a sell rating. According to Zacks, “Although we are pleased with Alnylam’s broad and promising pipeline, we note that most candidates are in their early or mid stages of development. These candidates still have a long way to go before hitting the market. Currently, Alnylam depends heavily on Onpattro for growth. We also note that gaining approval for pipeline candidates has become more difficult now.  However,  In August, Alnylam got a significant boost with the approval of Onpattro (patisiran), a first-of-its-kind RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic, both in the United States and in Europe, for the treatment of the polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis in adults. This is the first approved candidate for the company and hence should drive revenues. Loss estimates have remained stable ahead of the Q3 earnings release.”

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Earlier this week, Dicerna released promising interim phase I data for its lead drug, DCR-PHXC, in patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1 and type 2. The company plans to start a trial to be used to support an FDA approval in the first quarter of 2019, but that'll put it behind Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY), which is about to start a phase 3 study testing its drug, lumasiran, in patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1. Hopefully, Dicerna can use some of its new capital to help accelerate enrollment in its trial to try to catch up to Alnylam.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Shares of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) were up 19% at 12:04 p.m. EDT on Monday after rival Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) released data for its transthyretin amyloid (ATTR) drug tafamidis at the ESC Congress 2018, which were also published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Earlier this month, Alnylam got its ATTR drug, Onpattro, approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) and Akcea Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKCA), which are jointly developing another ATTR drug, Tegsedi, are up 10% and 2.6% respectively.

Best Tech Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:MGIC,CVV,AXTI,PRFT,DWCH,CTXS,

The continuous and long-running tech revolution has delivered to consumers a whole raft of products and services we didn't know we needed until someone came along and provided them. (Think Twitter, mobile banking, smartphones, just to name a few.)

But in this segment from the Market Foolery podcast, host Chris Hill and Motley Fool Asset Management's Bill Barker consider the latest plan revealed by IBM (NYSE:IBM) through patent applications it recently filed: a coffee-delivering flying drone that can anticipate when you're going to need a refill.

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on Aug. 27, 2018.

Chris Hill: According to paperwork filed with our neighbors at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, IBM has secured a patent for a coffee drone that not only flies around public spaces to deliver coffee; it also predicts when you will need the coffee. What do we think about this? My initial excitement about this story quickly waned, I have to admit, even though I'm someone who drinks a whole heck of a lot of coffee, I just thought, I'm not entirely sure what problem this is solving for me personally. I could see this working. Kudos to the people at IBM for having the foresight on this one. But I don't know that I need a coffee drone. Were you excited by this?

Best Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Magic Software Enterprises Ltd.(MGIC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  HC Wainwright set a $10.00 target price on Magic Software Enterprises (NASDAQ:MGIC) in a research note released on Thursday morning. The firm currently has a buy rating on the software maker’s stock.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Magic Software Enterprises (NASDAQ:MGIC) was upgraded by BidaskClub from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Thursday.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Magic Software Enterprises (MGIC)

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

Best Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: CVD Equipment Corporation(CVV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  News coverage about CVD Equipment (NASDAQ:CVV) has been trending somewhat positive this week, according to Accern. The research group ranks the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than twenty million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. CVD Equipment earned a news impact score of 0.07 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news headlines about the industrial products company an impact score of 47.2607770405573 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  News headlines about CVD Equipment (NASDAQ:CVV) have trended somewhat positive recently, according to Accern. The research group identifies negative and positive media coverage by analyzing more than 20 million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. CVD Equipment earned a media sentiment score of 0.05 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news stories about the industrial products company an impact score of 46.7103888113407 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.

Best Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: AXT Inc(AXTI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

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

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHCI) shares climbed 154.95 percent to close at $5.15 on Thursday. Comstock reported conversion of the majority of its unsecured, short-term debt into non-convertible preferred equity. Tyme Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYME) jumped 33.45 percent to close at $3.87. Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) gained 29.72 percent to close at $62.85 after reporting fiscal Q4 results. Evolus, Inc. (NASDAQ: EOLS) shares rose 22.93 percent to close at $23.80. nLIGHT, Inc. (NASDAQ: LASR) jumped 21.52 percent to close at $36.37 following Q1 results. Hudson Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: HDSN) gained 20.28 percent to close at $2.61. The Cato Corporation (NYSE: CATO) shares rose 19.57 percent to close at $21.45 after the company posted better-than-expected first-quarter results. AXT, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXTI) gained 18.8 percent to close at $7.90. Catasys, Inc. (NASDAQ: CATS) rose 16.33 percent to close at $6.41. HUYA Inc. (NYSE: HUYA) rose 15.68 percent to close at $23.09 on Thursday. Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNS) climbed 15.11 percent to close at $6.02 on Thursday after gaining 6.30 percent on Wednesday. Baird initiated coverage on Marinus Pharmaceuticals with an Outperform rating. Destination Maternity Corporation (NASDAQ: DEST) shares rose 14.48 percent to close at $3.32 after the board announced late Wednesday the election of four activist-backed director nominees. Three women and one man comprise the selected group championed by NGM Capital’s Nathan Miller and Kenosis Capital’s Peter O’Malley. Destination Maternity had advocated for another slate of three men and interim CEO Melissa Payner-Gregor. The new directors are Holly Alden, Marla Ryan, Anne-Charlotte Windal and Christopher Morgan. China Rapid Finance Limited (NYSE: XRF) gained 11.53 percent to close at $3.29 after announcing preliminary Q1 results. Bilibili Inc.. (NASDAQ: BILI) shares rose 11.33 pe
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) and AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends and risk.

Best Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Perficient, Inc.(PRFT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Perficient (NASDAQ:PRFT) was downgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Perficient (NASDAQ:PRFT) was downgraded by equities research analysts at BidaskClub from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Perficient, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRFT) by 101.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 44,147 shares of the digital transformation consultancy’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,210 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Perficient were worth $1,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its position in shares of Perficient, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRFT) by 388.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 302,431 shares of the digital transformation consultancy’s stock after acquiring an additional 240,541 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP owned about 0.87% of Perficient worth $7,975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Best Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Datawatch Corporation(DWCH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Datawatch (NASDAQ: DWCH) and Endurance International Group (NASDAQ:EIGI) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership and valuation.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  On Thursday, the information technology shares surged 0.29 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), up 12 percent, and Datawatch Corporation (NASDAQ: DWCH) up 6 percent.

Best Tech Stocks To Own Right Now: Citrix Systems Inc.(CTXS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Hancock Holding Co. cut its position in Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) by 2.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 141,567 shares of the cloud computing company’s stock after selling 3,906 shares during the quarter. Hancock Holding Co. owned approximately 0.10% of Citrix Systems worth $13,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Citrix Systems (CTXS)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  LogMeIn (NASDAQ: LOGM) and Citrix Systems (NASDAQ:CTXS) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, risk, profitability and institutional ownership.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Citrix Systems (CTXS)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 4,507 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,283% compared to the typical daily volume of 326 call options.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  CIBC Asset Management Inc lowered its stake in shares of Citrix Systems (NASDAQ:CTXS) by 5.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,564 shares of the cloud computing company’s stock after selling 1,023 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Citrix Systems were worth $1,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:COP,ECA,WLL,MRO,APA,WPZ,HAL,MMP,RIG,RRC,

Quarterly dividends are the norm in the United States, and if you're leaning on dividend income, quarterly budgeting is different from monthly budgeting. However, there's another option if you look hard enough, with Canadian energy companies Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) and AltaGas Ltd. (NASDAQOTH:ATGFF) offering both monthly dividends and sizable yields.

1. A growing oil business

Vermilion's history spans three distinct phases. The Canadian oil and gas driller was structured as a regular corporation from its initial public offering in 1994 until 2003, when it converted to a Canadian Royalty Trust. This structure offered tax advantages and allowed for a sizable amount of income to be passed through to shareholders. It was in 2003 that Vermilion started paying monthly dividends. The royalty structure proved too generous, however, and the Canadian government changed the tax system to limit abuses of the structure. That led Vermilion to convert back to a regular corporation in 2010. However, it did so without lowering its dividend or changing its dividend frequency. Other royalty trusts weren't able to make such a smooth transition.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  After falling through most of 2015 and 2016, dividends started heading higher in 2017 as producers got their cost structures repositioned for lower prices. U.S. oil giant ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) was among the first producers to start returning cash to investors. The company, which had slashed its payout by two-thirds in early 2016, has since increased it three times, raising it 22% from that bottom. While ConocoPhillips has a long way before its dividend will be back up to where it was, it's heading in the right direction.

• [By ]

  As things stand right now, analysts anticipate that at least some Iranian oil will come off the market as a result of the sanctions. That lost output would further tighten an oil market that suddenly has little margin for error thanks to red-hot demand and tame supply growth. That's the recipe for higher oil prices and could make top-tier U.S. oil stocks Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN), and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) big winners in the coming years.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has been one of the best-performing oil stocks in the market recovery. One of the fuels driving its outperformance has been the company's efforts to reshape its portfolio. Those actions not only brought in some cash to pay off debt and buy back stock but have sharpened its focus on its best assets.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Electra (CURRENCY:ECA) traded 3.4% lower against the dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 18:00 PM Eastern on June 4th. Electra has a total market capitalization of $45.83 million and approximately $326,372.00 worth of Electra was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Electra coin can currently be bought for $0.0018 or 0.00000024 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including Novaexchange, Octaex, Fatbtc and Cryptopia. In the last seven days, Electra has traded 12.8% higher against the dollar.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Electra (CURRENCY:ECA) traded 8% higher against the U.S. dollar during the 1-day period ending at 22:00 PM ET on June 20th. In the last week, Electra has traded 12.6% higher against the U.S. dollar. Electra has a market capitalization of $34.87 million and $128,874.00 worth of Electra was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Electra coin can now be purchased for $0.0014 or 0.00000020 BTC on exchanges including Fatbtc, Novaexchange, CoinFalcon and CryptoBridge.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Encana (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) had its target price raised by Morgan Stanley from $16.00 to $20.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning. Morgan Stanley currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Morgan Stanley set a $19.00 price objective on Encana (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) in a report published on Friday morning. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  This stock has pulled back sharply and is offering an outstanding entry point. Encana Corp. (NYSE: ECA) is an energy producer focused on developing its multibasin portfolio of natural gas, oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs) producing plays. Its operations also include the marketing of natural gas, oil and NGLs. All of its reserves and production are located in North America.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Encana Corp (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $5.95, but opened at $6.10. Encana shares last traded at $6.11, with a volume of 65113676 shares changing hands.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Whiting Petroleum Corporation(WLL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

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

  These are the top 5 holdings of DFT Energy LPWhiting Petroleum Corp (WLL) - 400,000 shares, 18.19% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 2.56%Hess Corp (HES) - 170,000 shares, 11.57% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 30.77%Noble Energy Inc (NBL) - 200,000 shares, 8.15% of the total portfolio. Southwestern Energy Co (SWN) - 1,360,000 shares, 7.92% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 4.62%Anadarko Petroleum Corp (APC)
• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Whiting Petroleum Co. (NYSE:WLL) – Equities research analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies lifted their Q2 2018 earnings estimates for Whiting Petroleum in a research note issued on Sunday, May 20th. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst K. Harrison now forecasts that the oil and gas exploration company will earn $0.85 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.33. Piper Jaffray Companies currently has a “Hold” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies also issued estimates for Whiting Petroleum’s Q3 2018 earnings at $0.97 EPS, Q4 2018 earnings at $1.16 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $3.90 EPS, Q1 2019 earnings at $1.70 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $1.48 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $1.47 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $1.59 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $6.24 EPS.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Shares of Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the thirty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation, fifteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $46.58.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Whiting Petroleum (WLL)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 108,476 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,671,000. Foundry Partners LLC owned about 0.12% of Whiting Petroleum at the end of the most recent quarter.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Back in 2011, Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) elected to spin off Marathon Petroleum. At the time, much of the reasoning for the split was that both entities would garner higher valuations than as an integrated company. Also, by separating them, both could best allocate capital to grow shareholder value. 

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Marathon Oil Corporation's (NYSE:MRO) transformation into a shale-focused oil growth company is starting to pay dividends. That was evident in the second quarter as the company reported strong production results across all four of its U.S. resource plays. Because of that, the oil producer was able to boost its full-year growth forecast for the second time this year without increasing its capital budget.

• [By Chris Lange]

  The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close was Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO) which rose by about 9% to $16.92. The stock's 52-week range is $12.57 to $24.20. Volume was about 34.5 million compared to the daily average volume of 20.95 million.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Apache Corporation(APA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Kinder Morgan initially unveiled the Permian Highway Pipeline project in late June, announcing that it signed a letter of intent with private equity-backed EagleClaw Midstream and Apache (NYSE:APA) to develop another new gas pipeline out of the Permian Basin. That project got a big boost of confidence last month when ExxonMobil's XTO Energy subsidiary signed on to be an anchor shipper. The partners would go on to secure additional shippers for nearly all the pipeline's remaining capacity, which allowed them to officially sanction the project this week.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  While pipeline capacity constraints have hurt producers focused on the Permian, it has been a boon for midstream companies in the region, which have been able to quickly sign up shippers for proposed expansion projects. Private equity-backed EPIC Midstream was able to get major Permian producers Apache (NYSE:APA) and Noble Energy (NYSE:NBL) to sign up for a combined 175,000 barrels per day (BPD) on the company's proposed EPIC Crude Oil Pipeline. EPIC currently plans to build a 440,000 BPD pipeline to ship crude out of the Permian. However, it could expand the line up to 675,00 BPD if there's enough shipper demand. One of the reasons Noble was quick to sign on is that this line "provides long-term flow assurance for our rapidly growing Delaware Basin oil volumes," according to the company. Apache, meanwhile, stated that this line "enhances our long-term operational flexibility and market optionality." EPIC hopes to start construction on the pipeline later this year, which would put it in service by the second half of 2019. It's one of the first projects by the private equity-backed start-up but likely won't be its last given the infrastructure needs in the region.

• [By Max Byerly]

  US Bancorp DE decreased its stake in shares of Apache Co. (NYSE:APA) by 5.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 145,332 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 8,948 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Apache were worth $5,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Williams Partners L.P.(WPZ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Natural gas pipeline giant Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) announced today that it agreed to acquire the rest of its master limited partnership (MLP) Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) that it didn't already own in a $10.5 billion deal. Not to be outdone, Canadian energy infrastructure giant Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) made an offer to acquire its namesake MLP Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE:EEP), along with the rest of its publicly traded entities, including Spectra Energy Partners (NYSE:SEP). These transactions have big implications not only for investors in these entities but for those who own other pipeline companies, too.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Williams Pipeline Partners (WPZ)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Williams Partners (NYSE: WPZ) and Targa Resources (NYSE:TRGP) are both large-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and valuation.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Loxo Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOXO) rose 17.1 percent to $163.30 in pre-market trading as the company disclosed that LOXO-292 Phase 1 trial abstract was selected for 'Best of ASCO'. CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTMX) rose 11.5 percent to $27.15 in pre-market trading after the company announced presentations at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) rose 12.3 percent to $5.47 in pre-market trading after reporting narrower-than-expected Q1 loss. Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE: FTK) shares rose 7.1 percent to $3.62 in the pre-market trading session. Baozun Inc. (NASDAQ: BZUN) shares rose 5.8 percent to $47.65 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) rose 5.5 percent to $46.00 in pre-market trading. Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) rose 5.3 percent to $40.50 in pre-market trading after The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB) announced agreement to acquire all public equity of Williams Partners in a $10.5 billion deal. Koss Corporation (NASDAQ: KOSS) shares rose 4.6 percent to $2.72 in pre-market trading after surging 12.55 percent on Wednesday. Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH) rose 4.5 percent to $5.85 in pre-market trading after gaining 5.66 percent on Wednesday. Farmer Bros. Co. (NASDAQ: FARM) rose 4.1 percent to $27 in pre-market trading after climbing 7.90 percent on Wednesday. Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE: KOS) rose 4 percent to $7.70 in pre-market trading.

   

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Barclays set a $46.00 price target on Williams Pipeline Partners (NYSE:WPZ) in a research note published on Saturday. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the pipeline company’s stock.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Financial Advocates Investment Management reduced its stake in Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,108 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock after selling 1,949 shares during the quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management’s holdings in Halliburton were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  That's clear by the comments of oil-field services giants Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) and Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) in September, as both issued warnings about the impact this would have on their industry. In Halliburton's case, it said that the slowdown in the Permian, as well as some slower-to-develop work in the Middle East, would knock $0.08 to $0.10 per share off its earnings in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Schlumberger's CEO said that "these [pipeline] challenges will likely have a dampening effect on production growth, wellhead prices, and investment levels in the coming year."

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  SemGroup (NYSE: SEMG) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and risk.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The stock market had another topsy-turvy day, with various major benchmarks moving in different directions from each other. The worst losses came for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, which was down largely on worries about social media companies and the potential for government regulation of their operations. Elsewhere, though, a few indexes actually managed to post gains, with investors overcoming anxiety on trade and instead focusing on favorable business fundamentals. Some troubling news affecting certain high-profile individual stocks weighed on the overall market. RH (NYSE:RH), Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY), and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) were among the worst performers on the day. Here's why they did so poorly.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Magellan Midstream Partners L.P.(MMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Several high-yielding dividend stocks have taken it on the chin this year due to a sell-off in the stock market and rising interest rates. That one-two punch has hit pipeline stocks the hardest, with several top-notch companies tumbling by a double-digit percentage since the start of the year. Three that stand out as excellent options to consider buying now that they're on sale are Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), Antero Midstream Partners (NYSE:AM), and Enbridge (NYSE:ENB).

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  One way to balance the needs of income and preserving your nest egg is to invest in stocks that can pay a consistent and growing dividend. Using dividend payouts as an income stream leaves your principle intact and gives it a chance to grow over time. The trick is finding top-shelf dividend stocks that will deliver for decades to come. Three stocks that have this quality are pipeline master limited partnership Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), healthcare real estate investment trust HCP Inc. (NYSE:HCP), and alternative asset manager Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE:BIP). Here's why you should consider these three for your retirement.  

• [By Jason Hall]

  Let's start with Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), ticker MMP. First thing to note here, distributable cash flow up 7% year over year. You notice I'm talking about cash flow. I'm not talking about earnings, I'm not talking about revenue. That's because cash is king in this particular segment of the industry.

• [By John Bromels, Jeremy Bowman, and Daniel Miller]

  We asked three Motley Fool investors to highlight a top dividend-paying stock with a yield above 2% that is supported by a solid business underneath. They came back with Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), Home Depot (NYSE:HD), and Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F). Here's why they chose the way they did. 

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  That outperformance adds up over time. Case in point: Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP). Over the last decade, the master limited partnership (MLP) has tallied a total return of more than 540%, which crushed the S&P 500's total return of around 190%. And that outperformance could continue as the MLP expects to keep growing its high-yield payout at a steady pace for at least the next few years -- which makes it a great stock to consider buying.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,527,006 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock after selling 44,063 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.76% of Transocean worth $47,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  A wave of merger activity has swept across the offshore drilling sector in recent years. The latest news came on Monday when Ensco (NYSE:ESV) announced that it had agreed to buy Rowan in a $12 billion deal. That transaction occurred on the heels of Transocean's (NYSE:RIG) agreement earlier last month to acquire Ocean Rig for $2.7 billion. Before that, Transocean bought Songa Offshore for $3.4 billion while Ensco acquired Atwood Oceanics.

• [By Spencer Israel]

  Oil companies were popular sells for the month, including ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), BP p.l.c. (NYSE: BP), and Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) all net sold. Investors also net sold Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA), Starbucks Corporation (NYSE: CMG). and Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) in the midst of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's testimony before Congress. 

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) – Research analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies upped their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Range Resources in a report issued on Monday, August 27th. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst D. Kistler now anticipates that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings of $0.43 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.42. Piper Jaffray Companies has a “Buy” rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies also issued estimates for Range Resources’ Q2 2019 earnings at $0.35 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.44 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $1.61 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.39 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $1.93 EPS.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.11.

• [By Tyler Crowe, Jason Hall, and Matthew DiLallo]

  So we asked three of our energy contributors to each highlight a stock they see in the oil and gas industry that would make a great buy today. Here's why they picked Diamond Offshore Drilling (NYSE:DO), Range Resources (NYSE:RRC), and Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN). 

• [By Shane Hupp]

  RRCoin (CURRENCY:RRC) traded down 5% against the dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 14:00 PM ET on September 22nd. One RRCoin token can now be purchased for approximately $0.0093 or 0.00000139 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges. RRCoin has a total market cap of $0.00 and approximately $463,836.00 worth of RRCoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. In the last seven days, RRCoin has traded 1.4% higher against the dollar.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) rose more than 10% by 2:30 p.m. EST on Monday after the top-10 natural gas producer reported strong reserve numbers for 2018.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) fell about 3.6% Monday to post a new 52-week low of $14.77 after closing at $15.30 on Friday. The 52-week high is $35.64. Volume of about 9.4 million was about 20% higher than the daily average of around 7.7 million shares traded. The company had no specific news.

Stocks in the news: RBL Bank, V-Guard, Bata, NBCC, Lupin, Kesoram, DHFL, Zuari Global

Here are stocks that are in the news today:

Lumax Auto Technologies: Company decided for discontinuation of the PCB manufacturing w.e.f. April 1, 2019. In addition, the board has also approved the disposal of plant and machinery to Lumax Industries relating to PCB Business on arm's length basis and not below its book value.

Jaiprakash Associates: Board approved the re-appointment of Manoj Gaur, Executive Chairman & CEO and Sunil Kumar Sharma, Executive Vice Chairman for a further term of three years.

Future Consumer: Company announced redemption of non-convertible debentures.

related news Stocks in the news: Infosys, RIL, Chalet Hotels, Jubilant Foodworks, Strides Pharma, CMI, Tide Water Stocks in the news: Lupin, HCL Tech, Wipro, Essel Propack, Unichem Labs, Deep Industries Stocks in the news: NMDC, Raymond, Advanced Enzyme, Avenue Supermarts, Keerthi

Mindtree to consider proposal of buyback on March 20

Karnataka Bank: The bank partners with Karvy DigKonnect for contact centre services.

Kesoram Industries: The company's rating pertaining to that portion of its long term/short term banking facilities as been assigned to CARE Ratings Limited for rating has been revised to BB+/ A4+ (under credit watch with developing implications).

Majesco: Board approved to sell, transfer and dispose of, as a going concern and on a slump sale basis, the company's India Insurance Products & Services Business to Majesco Software and Solutions India Private Limited, a step-down subsidiary of the company, for a lump sum consideration of Rs 24.4 crore.

Mishra Dhatu Nigam: Board declared payment of Rs 1.68 per share as the first interim dividend on equity shares for the financial year 2018-19 and fixed March 26 as the record date for dividend payment.

SAIL: CARE has assigned AA- outlook stable to company's long term fund based facility (term loan).

Bandhan Bank/Gruh Finance received No Objection from the RBI for the amalgamation of GRUH Finance into and with Bandhan Bank

Indostar Capital approved NCD worth Rs 15 crore on private placement basis

Indo Amines: 'No observation' letter has been received from BSE for proposed amalgamation amongst Core Chemical (Mumbai) Private Limited and Key Organics Private Limited with Indo Amines Limited, so as to enable the company to file the scheme with NCLT.

DHFL: Special Committee of the board of directors accorded approval to disinvest to Olive Vine Investment Limited an affiliate of the Warburg Pincus Group.

Santosh Sharma (currently the CFO) will assume a new role as the Head - Corporate Strategy.

India Ratings & Research revised rating on long term bank loans of Religare Enterprises to IND B+/RWN from IND BB/RWN, while on short term bank loan rating revised from IND A4+/RWN to IND A4/RWN

Lupin: Subsidiary Novel Laboratories Inc. has received a letter from the USFDA classifying the inspection conducted at its Somerset (New Jersey) facility in December 2018 as Official Action Indicated (OAI). The US FDA has stated that this facility may be subject to regulatory or administrative action and that it may withhold approval of any pending applications or supplements in which this facility is listed.

Prakash Industries - National Law Company Law Tribunal sanctioned the demerger scheme of company's business of PVC Pipes & Fittings and Flexible Packaging into Prakash Pipes

Cadila Healthcare: Zydus receives final approval from the USFDA for Valsartan and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets.

Mirc Electronics: Vishal Barot has resigned as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company due to personal reasons.

Zuari Global: Company has acquired around 48.98 percent shares of Forte Furniture Products India Private Limited (FFPL) from Indian Furniture Products Limited (IFPL), subsidiary of the company.

HUDCO further raised funds of Rs 5320 crore through Issue of Government of India Fully Serviced, Unsecured, Taxable HUDCO Bonds Series V-2018

Vodafone Idea board meet on March 20 to consider, discuss and decide, various matters in connection with the rights issue

India rating & research downgrades rating on NCD to IND A+ with rating watch negative (RWN)

Jubilant Foodworks - Domino's Pizza officially launched in Bangladesh

Out of F&O Ban: BEML, Reliance Power.

Bulk Deals on March 15

(For more bulk deals, click here)

Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings

EID Parry India: Board meeting will be held on March 22 to consider the second interim dividend on equity shares, if any, for the financial year 2018-19.

Finolex Industries: Company's officials will meet investors/analysts on March 18.

PSP Projects: Company's officials will meet analyst/institutional investors on March 18 and 25.

Emmbi Industries: Company's officials will meet Moneybee Investment Advisors on March 18.

Deep Industries: Officials of the company will be meeting investors and analysts on March 19.

Jindal Steel & Power: Analysts and Investors visit to Angul plant is scheduled on March 18.

South Indian Bank: Officials of the bank will be meeting a group of institutional investors organised by SBI Caps Securities on March 19.

  First Published on Mar 18, 2019 07:43 am

The Investment Returns From Stamps - Part 2

&l;p&g;Last month began a series of three articles designed to prove that stamps were a good investment in collectibles.&a;nbsp; The analysis is based on a comparison of the stamp purchase recommendations made in my 1994 guide titled&a;nbsp; &a;ldquo;Best Buys In Postage Stamps.&a;rdquo;&a;nbsp; That book addressed over 16,000 stamps giving their appreciation histories and assigning an appreciation potential based on past results.&a;nbsp; My first article showed that mint stamps recommended in 1994 appreciated 195.5% or 7.8% per year over the 25 year from 1993 to 2018.&a;nbsp; The items not recommended appreciated 155% or 6.2% per year.&a;nbsp; These results validated two of my assumption. First it proved that stamp appreciation for stamps valued at $25 or more and issued prior to 1950 were more likely to appreciate than those issued subsequently.&a;nbsp; Secondly, it proved that analytic metrics could be applied to such stamps to find stamps that will do better than the average.&a;nbsp; What is particularly encouraging is that this took place during a time when, by all accounts, prices were assumed to have come down due to the Internet and collector demographics.&a;nbsp; We now see that this was not true for investment caliber stamps.

This article deals with the investment performance of used stamps during this same 1993 to 2018 time period. &a;nbsp;The analysis covered some 11,552 items ($29,026,877) with the following performance results:

&l;/p&g;&l;ol&g;&l;li&g;The recommended items, 4,164 now valued at $13,807,210, returned 255.5% or 10.2% per year.&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Of the 5242 (45.4%) items with an average return of 5% or higher each year for 25 years, the recommended totaled 1797 (43.2% of our recommendations). Contrast this with the 575 (5.0%) items with a negative rate of return of which I recommended only 179 (4.3% of our recommendations)&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;

&l;ol&g;&l;li&g;The recommended items, 4,164 now valued at $13,807,210, returned 255.5% or 10.2% per year.&l;/li&g;

&l;/ol&g;

Their lower average return versus that for the recommended stamps is clear testimony that using financial analysis metrics on stamps does produce more positive results.&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;The stamp universe we reviewed (11,552) broke down to annual average return percentages as follows:&l;/li&g;

&l;/ol&g;

0%&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp; &a;nbsp; 3.3%

&a;gt;0% to 2%&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp; 20.9%

2% to 5%&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp; 25.4%

5% to 10%&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp; 24.0%

10% to 20%&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp; 13.6%

20%+&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp; &a;nbsp; 7.8%

Negative % &a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp; &a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;0.5%

&l;ol start=&q;5&q;&g;&l;li&g;The 5 highest appreciation stamps in the last 25 years were the following:&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Two Sicilies #3e went from $12 to $9,000 (74,900%)&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Wurttemberg #O146a went from $20 to $13,400 (66,900%)&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;New Britain #29F went from $90 to $30,000 (33,233%)&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Russia #31a went from $375 to $62,500 (16,566%)&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Two Sicilies #5d went from $100 to $15,000 (14,900%)&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;While used stamps outperformed mint by a significant amount, they also showed more sizable declines by certain countries. Below are the countries with the highest percentages of stamps showing declines, which may be an indication of the overall strength of that country (note the USA showed only 3.1% of issues declining):&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Greece &a;ndash; 13.2%&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Monaco &a;ndash; 27.2%&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Japan &a;ndash; 23.3%&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Belgium &a;ndash; 13.2%&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Germany including states &a;amp; colonies &a;ndash; 11.4%&l;/li&g;

&l;/ol&g;

The overall performance of used stamps exceeded that of mint stamps (10.2% versus 7.8% as did the aggregate value of stamps in the over $25 category ($29,026,877 for used versus $19,512,244 for mint).&a;nbsp; This reflect the fact that collecting used stamps has a much longer history than for mint ones.&a;nbsp; However, it stands to reason that mint stamps from these early years must generally be much rarer and have many more quality issues, making mint never hinged or mint with decent gum a much more difficult find.&a;nbsp; Hence, over time, it is likely that mint stamps will significantly outperform used ones.

One of the vulnerabilities for the catalog companies in the past has been their dependence on the integrity of the dealers providing them with price guidance for stamps that are not frequently traded.&a;nbsp; In addition, collectors are vulnerable to changes in the listing policies of the catalogues, which can lead to serious market mispricing.&a;nbsp; Two examples will illustrate this point.&a;nbsp; The #1 issue of St. Vincent in the 1993 Scott cataloged was priced at $8,000 mint and $500 used and continued at this level until 1998.&a;nbsp; Then in the 1999 catalog it suddenly showed no price, which continued to be the policy until 2005 when the prices suddenly appeared as $50 mint and $15 used, a whopping price decline of -93.7% and -97% respectively.&a;nbsp; The Stanley Gibbons catalogue or as they prefer, price list since they are also a dealer in such stamps, showed a similar change, however they reported the price drop as early as 1998.&a;nbsp; The reason for the change was that the stamp existed with 2 perforation varieties; an 1861 clean cut or intermediate perf 14 and 16 and an 1862 rough perf 14 and 16.&a;nbsp; I was advised by a specialist in these stamps that identification and certification of the perforations proved too difficult, so it was decided that this was a distinction without a difference and the cheaper version became the new #1.

A second example of catalogue confusion is Switzerland #195c which is assumed to be a redrawing print variety of #195 and is priced at $3,100 mint and $7,500 used.&a;nbsp; The printing variety they are pricing, however, is something entirely different and is clearly illustrated in the Zumstein Swiss catalog.&a;nbsp; At least two dealers have jumped on this discrepancy and offer this $.75 stamp on eBay; one for $500, and a second for a mere $2,925 with 24 month financing available, but with interest.&a;nbsp; To top it off, both dealers were too cheap to buy the current Scott catalogue since they show it at a previous $4,500 value versus the current $7,500.&a;nbsp; What is discouraging is that this discrepancy has existed for over two decade and no one alerted Scott.&a;nbsp; The lesson here is, when buying such high priced items, get them certified.

The Internet is a great pricing transparency guide, so I expect such occurrences will be fewer and far between.&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp; Note, however, that dependence on auction results still leaves an opening for sham sales to drive up listed prices, a practice which is hard to detect.

Note that I use the excellent Scott Classic Specialized Catalogues for much of my research and am astounded by the fact that this catalogue, which reports on all stamps issued from 1840 to 1940, has grown from 878 pages in 1995 to 1,334 in the 2019 edition, a 52% growth for a universe of stamps that has had no new issues in 79 years!&a;nbsp; The growth has been in mint never hinged listings, more forerunner (&a;lsquo;A&a;rsquo; prefix) listings, more covers being assigned numbers and in a larger type size for our ageing eyes.&a;nbsp; Also, the SCADTA and China Treaty Port issues have finally been recognized.&a;nbsp; Now if they would only recognize the Mexico provincial overprints, the Spanish civil war local issues, and telegraph stamps, life would be complete.&a;nbsp; Who says there&a;rsquo;s no growth left in stamp collecting!

Next month I will wrap up this analysis of stamps as investments with a summary of findings and conclusions which will cement the case for even the most die-hard sceptic.

Why Office Depot Stock Dropped 7% Today

What happened

Office Depot (NASDAQ:ODP) investors just can't seem to catch a break.

After years of declines, shares of the office-supplies retailer finally seemed to be getting back on track this year, posting strong gains after last month's fourth-quarter earnings report showed sales reviving (and a small earnings beat). But then bad news appeared.

On Monday, The New York Times reported that employees of IT managed-services provider CompuCom, which Office Depot bought for $1 billion in 2017, are under investigation for allegedly using information gleaned from their work activities monitoring email accounts at Walmart (NYSE:WMT) to gain inside information on the CompuCom client.

Perhaps no one noticed the report at first, or made the connection between CompuCom and Office Depot, as Office Depot stock remained mostly unchanged in price until this morning. But now it seems investors are starting to twig to the news, and Office Depot stock is down 7.1% at today's close.

Image source: Getty Images.

So what

This is worse than just a case of individuals "entrepreneur-ing" to enrich themselves with inside information while on the job at CompuCom. Rather, the FBI alleges that these employees actively rifled through Walmart email records in search of "information that could give [CompuCom] an edge over competitors," then forwarded these emails to their supervisors at CompuCom.

Now what

Walmart has reportedly terminated its contract with CompuCom -- shocker! -- which means CompuCom and Office Depot will, at the very least, be taking a revenue hit from this scandal. That could be the least of their problems, however, as the FBI has apparently begun applying for search warrants -- probably preparatory to filing criminal charges against CompuCom and/or its employees.

My hunch: This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Boeing alone will cost the Dow more than 200 points

Boeing is set to tumble more than 8 percent on Monday, a move that will likely keep the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower on the day.

The stock's sharp move down is on pace to cost the 30-stock Dow nearly 250 points. Boeing has by far the biggest influence on the Dow given the index is price weighted. In other words, a higher share price will have a greater impact on the Dow.

Boeing's outsized influence over the Dow was reflected in the futures market as Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures fell more than 100 points while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures were slightly higher. In other words, the Dow would be positive if not for Boeing's drop.

WATCH: Why Airbus and Boeing dominate 99% of the large plane market

show chapters Why Airbus and Boeing are the only two companies to dominate 99% of the large plane market    43 Mins Ago | 14:47

Boeing closed at $422.54 per share on Friday. However, the stock traded around $385 on Monday after an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.

The plane used on the flight was a 737 MAX 8 jet, one of Boeing's top-selling airplanes. The crash raised concern over the model's safety as it comes less than six months after another deadly crash involving the 737 MAX 8. Several countries, including China and Indonesia, grounded all flights involving the aircraft.

"We anticipate heightened volatility in Boeing shares," said Morgan Stanley analyst Rajeev Lalwani in a note to clients. "Though it is early to draw conclusions, there may be concerns of disruption around safety, production, groundings, and/or costs, all of which should be manageable longer-term."

—CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

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Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:AXTA,V,NPO,BSL,PFLT,

China is home to some of the most polluted cities in the world, as they choke on dirty air. Its rivers are renowned as the home for deadly chemicals. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) wants to end some of that and plans to pay to do so.

Apple plans to get some of its suppliers to foot much of the bill for its China Green Energy Fund, which will eventually grow close to $300 million. Among the suppliers are Catcher Technology, Compal Electronics, Corning, Golden Arrow, Jabil, Luxshare-ICT, Pegatron, Solvay, Sunway Communication and Wistron. It is not clear what each will put into the fund, or if Apple supplies most of the money.

The scale of the plan seems large at $300 million, but on the kind of scale China represents, the investment is minimal. Apple management wrote:

The fund will invest in and develop clean energy projects totaling more than 1 gigawatt of renewable energy in China, the equivalent of powering nearly 1 million homes.

China has over 1.3 billion residents and hundreds of millions of households. A study by 24/7 Wall St. showed that many of the 25 most polluted cities in the world are in China. Part of the research came from the World Health Organization. Research shows that air pollution kills as many as a million people in China each year.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2019: Axalta Coating Systems Ltd.(AXTA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

  Get Axalta Coating Systems alerts: Joseph F. Mcdougall Sells 34,008 Shares of Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) Stock (americanbankingnews.com) Global Smart Coatings Market 2018 – AkzoNobel, PPG Industries, Axalta Coatings Systems, The Sherwin-Williams … (heavyjoystick.com) Global Acrylic Based Waterborne Coatings Market: Detailed Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts 2018 … (bittstreet.com) Is P/E & PEG The Same Thing – Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) (nasdaqjournal.com) Ducks Unlimited helps fund improvements at Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge (sussexcountian.com)

  Axalta Coating Systems stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $32.00. 617,000 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,853,452. The company has a current ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. Axalta Coating Systems has a fifty-two week low of $27.77 and a fifty-two week high of $38.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.89, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.32.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Axalta Coating Systems Ltd (NYSE:AXTA) Director Charles W. Shaver sold 250,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.73, for a total value of $7,432,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 690,828 shares in the company, valued at $20,538,316.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA) and Akzo Nobel (OTCMKTS:AKZOD) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, risk and earnings.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

  Get Axalta Coating Systems alerts: Global Metal Coating Market : Axalta Coating Systems, Akzonobel NV, The Valspar Corporation, BASF SE (thecleantechnology.com) Global Industrial Coatings Market Strategies: BASF SE, Akzo Nobel NV, Axalta Coating Systems , NOROO Paint … (businessinvestor24.com) Analysts’ Recommendations to Consider – Axalta Coating Systems Ltd (NYSE: AXTA) (stockspen.com) Market Mover — Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (AXTA) (stockmarketstop.com) Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (AXTA) moves -16.78% away from 52-Week High = Technical Facts (nasdaqchronicle.com)

  NYSE:AXTA opened at $31.85 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. Axalta Coating Systems has a 12 month low of $27.77 and a 12 month high of $38.20. The company has a market capitalization of $7.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.31.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Axalta Coating Systems Ltd (NYSE:AXTA)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $28.00 and last traded at $28.05, with a volume of 220232 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.84.

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

  Get Axalta Coating Systems alerts: Axalta Coating Systems (AXTA) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday (americanbankingnews.com) Axalta, the Philadelphia Eagles and Stroud Water Research Center Celebrate All-Pro Teachers with a Day of STEM in the Stream (finance.yahoo.com) Axalta Coating Systems Ltd (AXTA) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages (americanbankingnews.com) Insider Selling: Axalta Coating Systems Ltd (AXTA) EVP Sells 15,332 Shares of Stock (americanbankingnews.com) Axalta Announces Price Increase on Industrial Coating Technologies in North America (finance.yahoo.com)

  A number of research firms have weighed in on AXTA. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Axalta Coating Systems from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 26th. Nomura reduced their price objective on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Axalta Coating Systems in a research report on Tuesday, March 27th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Seaport Global Securities cut shares of Axalta Coating Systems from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2019: Visa Inc.(V)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  FAANG stocks are attempting to rebound today after a brutal sell-off hit the Nasdaq components Tuesday. The social media giant Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) will report earnings after the bell, but it's likely that analysts are more interested in the company's ongoing response to a data scandal that rocked investor sentiment and spurred privacy fears during the first quarter. Wall Street forecasts EPS of $1.36 on top of $11.45 billion in revenue. Right now, the 10-year interest rate is sitting on the border of 3%. And this news has many investors jittery about the impact on the stock market and the broader economy. Of course, many people forget that interest rates remain historically low for this stage of an economic expansion. And inflation targets remain stubbornly elusive for members of the U.S. Federal Reserve. The truth is that investors have little to worry about regarding interest rates. Instead, they should listen to Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald, who offered his insight to Fox Business Network earlier this week. Here's what Keith had to say. Three Stocks to Watch Today: TWTR, CS, GE General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is under pressure to fire its auditor of 109 years, KPMG (for perspective, GE began its longtime relationship with KPMG a year after the first Model-T was built). Shareholder rights firms Glass-Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services are spearheading the change and will push for adjustments during the firm's annual shareholder meeting. The move comes after a calamitous year for GE, which saw the company become the worst-performing Dow component of 2017. Twitter Inc. (NYSE TWTR) will lead a very busy day of earnings reports. The social media giant is expected to report EPS of $0.12 on top of $609.8 million in revenue. Shares in Credit Suisse (ADR) (NYSE: CS) rallied more than 4% today after the Swiss financial giant beat earnings expectations before the bell. This was a significant milestone for Cr
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Comstock Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CRK) shares shot up 52 percent to $7.235 after the company disclosed a deal with Arkoma Drilling L.P. and Williston Drilling, L.P. to buy oil & gas properties in North Dakota. Comstock announced withdrawal of tender offers for outstanding secured notes. MarineMax, Inc. (NYSE: HZO) shares gained 24.2 percent to $21.80 as the company posted upbeat Q2 results and raised its FY18 outlook. Mattersight Corporation (NASDAQ: MATR) shares rose 22 percent to $2.625 after the company agreed to be purchased by NICE Ltd. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) jumped 21.3 percent to $411.871 as the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Wednesday. Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXSM) rose 17 percent to $3.10 after the company disclosed a positive outcome of the interim analysis of STRIDE-1 Phase 3 trial of AXS-05 in treatment resistant depression. Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UCTT) rose 15.9 percent to $18.34 following upbeat Q1 earnings. PCM, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCMI) gained 15.6 percent to $12.20 following Q1 results. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY) surged 14.4 percent to $260.3901 following upbeat Q1 profit. Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited (NYSE: CCM) gained 13.8 percent to $3.70. Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) rose 13.5 percent to $29.815 after reporting strong Q1 results. BioTelemetry, Inc. (NASDAQ: BEAT) rose 13.5 percent to $38.30 as the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) shares rose 13.1 percent to $10.985 as the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter. SJW Group (NYSE: SJW) shares gained 11.8 percent to $63.59 following Q1 results. California Water Service Group made an offer for SJW. Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) climbed 9.8 percent to $278.40 following Q1 results. CYS Investments, Inc. (NYSE: CYS)
• [By Paul Ausick]

  Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) traded up 1.33% at $132.67. The stock’s 52-week range is $93.19 to $136.69. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 7.4 million. The company said this morning that it will add $600 million to its litigation escrow fund, a move it claims has the same effect as a share repurchase.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Version (CURRENCY:V) traded 14.1% higher against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 11:00 AM Eastern on June 30th. One Version coin can currently be purchased for approximately $0.0024 or 0.00000037 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Cryptopia and YoBit. During the last week, Version has traded up 4.8% against the U.S. dollar. Version has a total market capitalization of $1.19 million and approximately $294.00 worth of Version was traded on exchanges in the last day.

• [By John Ballard]

  Square (NYSE:SQ) and Visa (NYSE:V) have delivered big gains to shareholders as digital forms of payment gradually replace cash and checks. But there's still a massive growth opportunity for these electronic payment providers, considering that consumers globally spent $17 trillion with cash and checks last year.  

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Hennessy Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Visa (NYSE:V) by 25.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 21,000 shares of the credit-card processor’s stock after selling 7,120 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Visa were worth $2,512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2019: Enpro Industries(NPO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPO) by 19.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,888 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.17% of EnPro Industries worth $2,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Max Byerly]

  EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPO) SVP Jon D. Rickers sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.63, for a total value of $37,815.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,040.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on EnPro Industries (NPO)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPO) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $91.60.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2019: Blackstone GSO Senior Floating Rate Term Fund(BSL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  News articles about Blackstone/GSO Senior Fltg Rt Term Fund (NYSE:BSL) have trended somewhat positive this week, Accern Sentiment reports. Accern identifies negative and positive news coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Blackstone/GSO Senior Fltg Rt Term Fund earned a daily sentiment score of 0.19 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news coverage about the company an impact score of 47.9711105753708 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  News headlines about Blackstone/GSO Senior Fltg Rt Term Fund (NYSE:BSL) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern reports. The research group identifies negative and positive press coverage by analyzing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Blackstone/GSO Senior Fltg Rt Term Fund earned a media sentiment score of 0.00 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media headlines about the company an impact score of 47.30334299338 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Media headlines about Blackstone/GSO Senior Fltg Rt Term Fund (NYSE:BSL) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment reports. Accern identifies positive and negative press coverage by reviewing more than 20 million news and blog sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Blackstone/GSO Senior Fltg Rt Term Fund earned a media sentiment score of 0.11 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media coverage about the company an impact score of 47.1154940270027 out of 100, meaning that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Press coverage about Blackstone/GSO Senior Fltg Rt Term Fund (NYSE:BSL) has been trending somewhat positive this week, Accern reports. The research group identifies negative and positive media coverage by analyzing more than 20 million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Blackstone/GSO Senior Fltg Rt Term Fund earned a news impact score of 0.01 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news headlines about the company an impact score of 47.5730037272636 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near future.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2019: PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd.(PFLT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Pennantpark Floating Rate Capital Ltd (NASDAQ:PFLT) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 403,044 shares, a drop of 33.4% from the July 13th total of 605,371 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 169,547 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Pennantpark Floating Rate Capital Ltd (NASDAQ:PFLT) – Research analysts at SunTrust Banks increased their FY2019 earnings per share estimates for shares of Pennantpark Floating Rate Capital in a report issued on Thursday, February 7th. SunTrust Banks analyst M. Hughes now forecasts that the asset manager will earn $1.21 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $1.20. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for Pennantpark Floating Rate Capital’s Q2 2020 earnings at $0.32 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.32 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $1.27 EPS.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Pennantpark Floating Rate Capital Ltd (NASDAQ:PFLT) by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,043,505 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 117,138 shares during the quarter. Pennantpark Floating Rate Capital accounts for about 6.7% of Sound Income Strategies LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Sound Income Strategies LLC owned about 2.69% of Pennantpark Floating Rate Capital worth $13,722,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

  Get PennantPark Floating Rate alerts: PennantPark Floating Rate (PFLT) Plans Monthly Dividend of $0.10 (americanbankingnews.com) PennantPark Floating Rate (PFLT) Stock Rating Upgraded by BidaskClub (americanbankingnews.com) PennantPark Floating Rate (PFLT) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday (americanbankingnews.com) ValuEngine Downgrades PennantPark Floating Rate (PFLT) to Hold (americanbankingnews.com)

  Shares of PFLT stock opened at $13.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $523.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.56. PennantPark Floating Rate has a one year low of $12.00 and a one year high of $14.65.

NeoPhotonics Corp (NPTN) Files 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December 31, 2018

NeoPhotonics Corp (NYSE:NPTN) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2018. NeoPhotonics Corp manufactures optoelectronic products that transmits, receives and switches high speed digital optical signals for communication networks. Its products are offered under High Speed Products, and Network Products and Solutions segments. NeoPhotonics Corp has a market cap of $299.781 million; its shares were traded at around $6.51 with and P/S ratio of 0.95.

For the last quarter NeoPhotonics Corp reported a revenue of $91.1 million, compared with the revenue of $76.87 million during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $322.5 million, an increase of 10.1% from last year. For the last five years NeoPhotonics Corp had an average revenue growth rate of 2.1% a year.

The reported loss per diluted share was 97 cents for the year. The NeoPhotonics Corp had an operating margin of -11.06%, compared with the operating margin of -16.9% a year before. The 10-year historical median operating margin of NeoPhotonics Corp is -6.79%. The profitability rank of the company is 2 (out of 10).

At the end of the fiscal year, NeoPhotonics Corp has the cash and cash equivalents of $58.2 million, compared with $78.9 million in the previous year. The long term debt was $50.5 million, compared with $40.6 million in the previous year. NeoPhotonics Corp has a financial strength rank of 5 (out of 10).

At the current stock price of $6.51, NeoPhotonics Corp is traded at 20.8% premium to its historical median P/S valuation band of $5.39. The P/S ratio of the stock is 0.95, while the historical median P/S ratio is 0.78. The stock lost 6.73% during the past 12 months.

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

Amazon's Third-Party Marketplace Is Worth Twice as Much as Its Own Retail Operations

Over the last few years, the growth of Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) third-party merchant services has overshadowed its own retail business. Sales from those merchants first surpassed Amazon's own sales at the start of 2017, and their share is steadily climbing. Third-party services grew two to three times faster than Amazon's own online sales throughout 2018.

While third-party seller services bring in just one-third of Amazon's own online sales, its profit margin on those services is significantly higher. Amazon historically operates its e-commerce unit with razor-thin margins. But when it comes to third parties, it takes a percentage of each sale, plus additional charges to store and ship the inventory of the merchants that use the Fulfilled by Amazon service.

Based on all of that, analysts at Evercore ISI recently valued Amazon's third-party services at more than $250 billion, while giving its in-house retail operations a value of just $120 billion. That's a clear illustration of how Amazon is building long-term value for investors.

Image source: Amazon

No longer about top-line growth

Amazon accounts for third-party sales on a net basis, not a gross basis. In other words, in only reports its cut from those sales. So, while third-party sales do make up a majority of sales on its marketplace, Amazon reported just $42.75 billion in revenue from them last year, compared with $122.99 billion from its own online sales.

As more and more growth comes from third parties, revenue growth for Amazon has slowed, droping to 18% in North American in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) reported its online sales grew 43% last quarter, and Target (NYSE:TGT) reported 31% growth in digital sales.

Amazon's revenue growth slowdown doesn't look as bad when you consider its gross sales. Its gross merchandise volume increased 23% in 2018, according to estimates from eMarketer. That's still a smaller percentage gain than Walmart or Target, but it's also important to remember the scale of Amazon's business. It accounted for nearly 45% of all online sales in the U.S. last year, growing its market share 2.8%. For comparison, Walmart's total e-commerce market share is about 4%.

Therefore, instead of focusing on revenue growth, Evercore analysts suggest investors watch Amazon's gross margins. The analysts expect the company's overall gross profits to climb at a rate 4 percentage points faster than revenue growth over the next three years. That'll be driven by third-party seller services, advertising services, and cloud computing.

The value of Amazon's third-party marketplace

The fact that Amazon makes a substantial profit from its third-party marketplace compared to its first-party sales isn't lost on the competition. Both Walmart and Target have taken steps recently to expand their own third-party sales footprints.

Walmart is helping more of those merchants to offer free two-day shipping, and will now process in-store returns of third-party items -- two changes that ought to lure more merchants to its platforms.

Target, meanwhile, launched Target+ last month. The idea is to offer shoppers a selection of items from curated merchants. Amazon is relatively permissive when it comes to who's allowed to sell on its marketplace, and Walmart openly invites merchants to apply to sell on its platform.

Both Walmart and Target are leveraging the popularity of their websites as destinations for online shoppers. Basically, they're selling a spot in their online shopping mall.

Amazon, meanwhile, opens its entire digital sales infrastructure to third-party merchants -- inventory management, fulfillment, return processing, advertising, etc. Target and Walmart can't compete with that. No one else can offer the package of services that Amazon does.

It's important to note that Amazon's ability to offer services like Fulfilled by Amazon or its advertising business is supported by the size of its first-party retail operations. Without that scale, Amazon wouldn't have been able to build those other services. That also makes it more difficult for rivals to get to the point where they can even offer competing services.

As a result, it's reasonable to expect the online retail giant will keep winning over small merchants that want to sell online, and it can generate greater profits from their sales than its competitors could  by selling them more services. Investors should watch for third-party services to continue providing outsized value to Amazon compared to their revenue. Meanwhile, look for the company to leverage its existing infrastructure and assets to build out higher-margin businesses.

How to Trade Activision Stock If It Hits New Lows

It’s been a rough run for video game stocks, even as the stock market has been bouncing back. Of the “big three,” Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) has easily been the worst performer when compared to Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO) and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA). ATVI stock is down more than 43% over the past year, compared to just 22% and 21% for TTWO and EA, respectively.

But it’s not just competition between the three that are causing issues, there’s also Epic Games — 40% owned by Tencent (OTCMKTS:TCEHY) — which owns Fortnite. And don’t even get me started on the continued momentum of the Nintendo (OTCMKTS:NTDOY) Switch.

That said, Activision has some company-specific issues that have caused it to flounder more than its peers. So what can be done and where should investors turn? More importantly, what’s at stake for Activision stock? First, let’s discuss the elephant in the room: battle royale games.

Activision vs. Fortnite

Fortnite was initially released as a paid early-access title in its PvE (player versus environment) format, now dubbed “Save the World.” But it wasn’t until PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds kick-started battle royale into the public consciousness that Fortnite’s own battle royale was born. As a free-to-play title, Fortnite racked up tens of millions of users in a relatively short span. Eventually, it found its way onto mobile as well. While not the first of its kind, Fortnite’s success marked a turning point in the gaming industry.

This allowed the company to hit 125 million users last June and top 200 million registered users before the end of the year. That’s a lot of players for one game. If you’re wondering how the company makes money, it thrives off of in-game purchases. For a while, game-makers were able to sidestep the battle royale trend. But eventually, it caught up with them, Activision included.

However, Activision has had some missteps since. Not only did its competitor Take-Two unveil Red Dead Redemption 2 late last year, but its own Call of Duty game was met with less enthusiasm than in year’s past, despite including its own battle royale mode. To make matters worse, Electronic Arts just released a dedicated battle royale game, Apex Legends. The game should not be taken lightly, with it already hitting 50 million users in just 30 days.

In January Activision announced it will no longer have the rights to its Destiny franchise as well. While some analysts were optimistic about the savings for long-term operating costs, the move dealt a blow to revenue.

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Trading ATVI Stock

Click to Enlarge If management is able to quickly right the ship, then ATVI stock may be okay. Remember, shares are down more than 50% from the highs less than six months ago. But it’s hard to say a bottom is in. Above is a six-month daily chart of ATVI stock, while below is a five-year weekly look.

On the daily chart, shares are trying to put in some higher lows after that February 11th drop to $40. However, it remains under downtrend resistance (blue line) as well as the 21-day moving average. The 50-day isn’t doing it any favors either. Until ATVI stock is above these marks, it’s hard to get too bullish or even feel that the stock is done going down.

Click to Enlarge On the weekly chart, it’s more of the same. While we have Activision stock consolidating in the low $40s, it’s also clear the stock has been locked in a deep downtrend.

Once $45 failed to hold, it brought the $38 level into question. I want that level to hold, but it’s unclear if it’s strong enough to support a break of $40.

Should ATVI stock lose $40, $35 could be the eventual bottoming spot, a level that was big-time support in 2016 twice before Activision went on a prolonged rally.

I don’t have confidence in a long setup for ATVI stock at the moment. If anything, going short on a break below $40 gives bears a solid risk/reward, but we’ll have to see how it sets up going forward. It still needs more time for bulls to see a quality setup in my view.

Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. As of this writing, Bret Kenwell did not hold a position in any of the aforemen