Arch Coal (ARCH) Price Target Increased to $96.00 by Analysts at B. Riley

Arch Coal (NYSE:ARCH) had its target price upped by B. Riley from $95.00 to $96.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning. B. Riley currently has a buy rating on the energy company’s stock. B. Riley also issued estimates for Arch Coal’s Q3 2018 earnings at $3.14 EPS and Q4 2018 earnings at $2.20 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on ARCH. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Arch Coal from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating and set a $108.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 4th. Seaport Global Securities set a $112.00 price target on shares of Arch Coal and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 23rd. MKM Partners decreased their price target on shares of Arch Coal to $107.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 27th. ValuEngine lowered shares of Arch Coal from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, June 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Arch Coal in a research note on Wednesday, June 27th. They set a hold rating and a $83.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Arch Coal presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $97.78.

Get Arch Coal alerts:

NYSE:ARCH traded up $1.33 on Wednesday, hitting $88.34. The stock had a trading volume of 17,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 266,338. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a current ratio of 2.89. The firm has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.67 and a beta of 0.26. Arch Coal has a 1 year low of $68.95 and a 1 year high of $102.61.

Arch Coal (NYSE:ARCH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 31st. The energy company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $592.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $525.37 million. Arch Coal had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 39.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. sell-side analysts forecast that Arch Coal will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 14th. Investors of record on Friday, August 31st will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 30th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. Arch Coal’s dividend payout ratio is 14.08%.

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Delek Group Ltd. grew its stake in Arch Coal by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Delek Group Ltd. now owns 201,666 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $18,548,000 after buying an additional 14,466 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Arch Coal by 217.4% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,047 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $923,000 after buying an additional 6,882 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Arch Coal by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,677 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA grew its stake in Arch Coal by 36.1% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 6,162 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 1,635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in Arch Coal by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 33,350 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,107,000 after buying an additional 2,150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

Arch Coal Company Profile

Arch Coal, Inc produces and sells thermal and metallurgical coal from surface and underground mines. As of December 31, 2017, the company operated 9 active mines located in Wyoming, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Colorado, and Illinois. It also owned or controlled, primarily through long-term leases, approximately 28,292 acres of coal land in Ohio; 1,060 acres of coal land in Maryland; 10,108 acres of coal land in Virginia; 359,160 acres of coal land in West Virginia; 98,488 acres of coal land in Wyoming; 267,857 acres of coal land in Illinois; 34,446 acres of coal land in Kentucky; 9,840 acres of coal land in Montana; 21,802 acres of coal land in New Mexico; 358 acres of coal land in Pennsylvania; and 20,165 acres of coal land in Colorado, as well as owned or controlled through long-term leases smaller parcels of property in Alabama, Indiana, Washington, Arkansas, California, Utah, and Texas.

Recommended Story: Short Selling – Explanation For Shorting Stocks

Graco Inc. (GGG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.04.

A number of brokerages have commented on GGG. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Graco in a research note on Thursday, April 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Graco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 2nd. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of Graco from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd.

Get Graco alerts:

Shares of Graco traded up $0.29, reaching $47.29, on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 594,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 525,481. Graco has a 52-week low of $34.89 and a 52-week high of $49.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.07, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Graco (NYSE:GGG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.07. Graco had a net margin of 17.99% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The business had revenue of $406.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $369.61 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. analysts expect that Graco will post 1.89 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 1st. Investors of record on Sunday, July 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.1325 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 12th. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. Graco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.06%.

In related news, VP Jeffrey P. Johnson sold 90,000 shares of Graco stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.06, for a total transaction of $4,235,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 48,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,304,575.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Jeffrey P. Johnson sold 5,534 shares of Graco stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.35, for a total transaction of $256,500.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 48,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,269,805.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 347,204 shares of company stock valued at $15,838,068. 5.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Graco by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 14,423,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $659,424,000 after purchasing an additional 420,393 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its position in Graco by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 9,490,109 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $433,888,000 after buying an additional 301,624 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Graco by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 5,672,685 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $259,356,000 after buying an additional 286,419 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Graco by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,088,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $95,035,000 after buying an additional 227,135 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Graco by 140.5% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,298,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $59,383,000 after buying an additional 758,808 shares during the period. 85.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Graco

Graco Inc designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. Its Industrial segment offers proportioning systems that are used to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; vapor-abrasive blasting equipment; equipment that pumps, meters, mixes, and dispenses sealant, adhesive, and composite materials; and gel coat equipment, chop and wet-out systems, resin transfer molding systems, and applicators.

Read More: Should you buy a closed-end mutual fund?

Skechers, AT&T Plunge into Friday’s 52-Week Low Club

July 20, 2018: Here are four stocks trading with heavy volume among 60 equities making new 52-week lows in Friday’s session. On the NYSE decliners led advancers by about 1.17 to 1 and on the Nasdaq, decliners led advancers by about 1.11 to 1.

Skechers Inc. (NYSE: SKX) traded down more than 28% Friday and posted a new 52-week low of $23.80 after closing Thursday at $33.25. The stock’s 52-week high is $43.08. Volume totaled more than 50 million, more than 16-times the daily average. The company missed earnings estimates and analysts took no prisoners.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) traded down about 0.7% Friday to post a new 52-week low of $31.04 after closing Thursday at $31.27. The stock’s 52-week high is $39.80. Volume was about 35% below the daily average of about 43 million shares. The federal government’s review of the company’s merger with Time-Warner is getting an expedited review.

Vodafone Group plc (NASDAQ: VOD) dropped about 0.2% Friday to set a new 52-week low of $23.23. Shares closed at $23.28 on Thursday and the stock’s 52-week high is $32.75. Volume totaled 25% more than the daily average of around 3.9 million. The company had no specific news.

Yum China Holdings Inc. (NYSE: YUMC) traded down about 6.2% Friday to set a new 52-week low of $33.77. Shares closed at $36.00 on Thursday, and the 52-week high is $48.75. Volume was about 40% higher than the daily average of around 2.8 million. The company had no specific news, other than more talk about more tariffs on Chinese good and retaliation against companies that do business in China.

24/7 Wall St.
What’s Apple got to show for a 5X increase in R&D?

Exane Derivatives Takes $214,000 Position in Willis Towers Watson PLC (WLTW)

Exane Derivatives purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WLTW) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 1,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson by 146.3% during the first quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 12,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 7,395 shares during the period. Aperio Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson by 8.1% during the first quarter. Aperio Group LLC now owns 28,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,326,000 after acquiring an additional 2,135 shares during the period. North Run Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson during the first quarter valued at $7,610,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson by 1.1% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 350,396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,200,000 after acquiring an additional 3,734 shares during the period. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson by 3.1% during the first quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,115,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $169,810,000 after acquiring an additional 33,460 shares during the period. 91.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Willis Towers Watson alerts:

Willis Towers Watson opened at $159.62 on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. Willis Towers Watson PLC has a 1-year low of $142.67 and a 1-year high of $165.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.93.

Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ:WLTW) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.08. Willis Towers Watson had a return on equity of 9.69% and a net margin of 5.37%. The firm had revenue of $2.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.71 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson PLC will post 9.62 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, June 30th were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 28th. Willis Towers Watson’s payout ratio is 28.20%.

WLTW has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Co set a $154.00 price target on Willis Towers Watson and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 7th. Citigroup cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson from $184.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 10th. Bank of America lowered Willis Towers Watson from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $163.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, March 26th. Sandler O’Neill raised Willis Towers Watson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 13th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, ValuEngine lowered Willis Towers Watson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $172.83.

About Willis Towers Watson

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. Its Human Capital and Benefits segment provides actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for traditional pension and retirement savings plans; plan management consulting, broking, and administration services for health and group benefit programs; and benefits outsourcing services.

Recommended Story: Should you buy a closed-end mutual fund?

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WLTW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WLTW).

Top 5 Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:CIK,BDSI,BCEI,GWRE,NOW, Related SPY S&P 500 Index Futures Higher In Choppy Session Look To Semiconductors If You Really Want To Understand U.S. GDP Are Equal Weight Indexes Bias-Free? (Seeking Alpha) Related HYG Jumping For Junk: High-Yield Bond ETF Volume Rises Goldman Sachs Acknowledges The Only Source Of Demand For Equities Comes From Corporate Buybacks OK, I Get It, This Junk Bond Miracle Rally Is Doomed (Seeking Alpha)

The traditional 60/40 portfolio investment strategy may now be obsolete. According to BMO analyst Lowell Yura, the strategy of a balanced portfolio of 60 percent equities and 40 percent bonds will likely dramatically underperform its historical gains in coming years.

Top 5 Stocks To Buy Right Now: Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund, Inc.(CIK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Credit Suisse AM Inc Fund Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:CIK) announced a monthly dividend on Wednesday, June 27th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 11th will be given a dividend of 0.0225 per share on Tuesday, July 17th. This represents a $0.27 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 10th. This is an increase from Credit Suisse AM Inc Fund’s previous monthly dividend of $0.02.

Top 5 Stocks To Buy Right Now: BioDelivery Sciences International Inc.(BDSI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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]

  BioDelivery Sciences International (NASDAQ:BDSI) had its target price reduced by research analysts at HC Wainwright from $4.00 to $3.50 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock. HC Wainwright’s price objective points to a potential upside of 40.00% from the company’s current price.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Media headlines about BioDelivery Sciences International (NASDAQ:BDSI) have been trending somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment. The research firm identifies positive and negative media coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. BioDelivery Sciences International earned a news sentiment score of 0.16 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media headlines about the specialty pharmaceutical company an impact score of 46.960149735727 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the next few days.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BDSI) shares were also up, gaining 19 percent to $2.3272 after the company announced board restructuring plan and $50m equity financing deal led by Broadfin to "significantly strengthen" financial position.

Top 5 Stocks To Buy Right Now: Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc.(BCEI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI)

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

• [By Shanthi Rexaline]

  Crude oil prices continue to remain bullish, brightening the prospects of oil and related companies. Bonanza Creek Energy Inc (NYSE: BCEI), an oil and natural gas exploration and production company that emerged from Chapter 11 in April 2017, could also benefit from an improved cost structure, according to Imperial Capital. 

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI)

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

Top 5 Stocks To Buy Right Now: Guidewire Software, Inc.(GWRE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Guidewire Software Inc (NYSE:GWRE) shares reached a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $95.26 and last traded at $93.56, with a volume of 7356 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $94.77.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Guidewire Software Inc (NYSE:GWRE) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,731 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Guidewire Software Inc (NYSE:GWRE) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $95.00.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE)Q3 2018 Earnings Conference CallJune 5, 2018, 5:00 p.m. ET

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

  Operator

Top 5 Stocks To Buy Right Now: ServiceNow, Inc.(NOW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lessened its holdings in ServiceNow Inc (NYSE:NOW) by 8.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,975 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 6,246 shares during the quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings in ServiceNow were worth $10,750,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By ]

  The seven companies cited by Cramer are Salesforce.com Inc.  (CRM) , Workday Inc. (WDAY) , ServiceNow Inc. (NOW) , Splunk Inc. (SPLK) , New Relic Inc. (NEWR) , VMWare Inc. (VMW) , and Adobe Systems Incorporated (ADBE) .

• [By ]

  In addition, Corvex Management's Keith Meister reported owning new significant stakes in Intercontinental Exchange Inc. ( (ICE) ), Microsoft Corp.  (MSFT) , Monsanto Co. (MON) , Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) , Salesforce.com Inc. (CRM) and Servicenow Inc. (NOW)

Capital City Trust Co. FL Cuts Stake in iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF (CSJ)

Capital City Trust Co. FL decreased its holdings in shares of iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF (NASDAQ:CSJ) by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,527 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock after selling 1,845 shares during the quarter. iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF accounts for approximately 3.5% of Capital City Trust Co. FL’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Capital City Trust Co. FL owned about 0.08% of iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF worth $8,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF by 131.8% in the 1st quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,057 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $154,000. Quattro Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $164,000. Fieldpoint Private Securities LLC lifted its position in iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF by 314.0% in the 1st quarter. Fieldpoint Private Securities LLC now owns 2,070 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 1,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peloton Wealth Strategists bought a new stake in iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $221,000.

Get iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF alerts:

NASDAQ:CSJ traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $103.70. The stock had a trading volume of 18,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 578,049. iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF has a one year low of $103.47 and a one year high of $105.61.

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 3rd were given a $0.1929 dividend. This is an increase from iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF’s previous monthly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%.

iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF Company Profile

iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Barclays 1-3 Year Credit Bond Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks results, which correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fee and expense, of investment grade credit sector of the United States bond market as defined by the Barclays Capital U.S.

Recommended Story: What do investors mean by earnings per share?

Avoid Tesla Stock and Buy This Car Company Instead

Tesla stock shot up nearly 2% after CEO Elon Musk confirmed his company was finally hitting production goals for its vaunted Model 3 sedan.

But when it comes to cashing in on the global auto market, we're steering clear of Tesla and piling into another car stock…

Last month, Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq:�TSLA) announced that the company's Los Angeles factory had managed to produce 5,000 Model 3 cars in five days.

In an email sent to Tesla employees the afternoon of the achievement, Musk stated that be believed Tesla has finally become a "real car company."

Wall Street certainly agreed – following the news, investors poured money into what's widely been hailed as the car manufacturer of the future.

However, this attitude is missing the bigger picture – and the more substantial profits.

You see, Tesla's real profit potential isn't in electric cars. In fact, it isn't in auto manufacturing at all…

Tesla Is the Energy Company of the Future

As Money Morning�Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald points out, Tesla's real profits lie in the company's ambition to become "more than a car company."

According to Keith, the fact that Musk "is involved in so many things is precisely the attraction here and why savvy investors would be wise to pay attention. Musk wants to�redefine the electric grid�and, with it, the world's energy supply."

Life-Changing Profit Potential: One tiny firm is rapidly developing the parts for a game-changing technology – and the gains from its stock, trading for less than $10, could turn every $1,000 invested into $4,719. Learn more…

In other words, Tesla's future lies in the design, production, and distribution of an international energy company.

And Tesla is already aggressively pursuing its future as an energy provider. In 2015, Tesla announced the launch of the Tesla Powerwall, a home battery product. Tesla describes the Powerwall as a "rechargeable lithium ion battery with liquid thermal control" that can last nearly two days during a power outage.

In May 2016, Tesla began accepting preorders for "solar tiles" – solar panels that could be installed as roof tiles on homes.

This was followed by Tesla's acquisition of one of Musk's other ventures, Solar City, an industrial manufacturer that specializes in the production of solar energy devices. Over the last two years, Tesla has used Solar City's manufacturing base to increase production of the company's solar panels and make large-scale distribution a reality.

A recent report from Bloomberg revealed that Tesla's efforts are paying off – Tesla recently partnered with Home Depot to install 800 selling spaces in the home improvement company's stores. The areas, staffed by Tesla employees, will demonstrate the daily capabilities of Tesla's solar panels and the Powerwall to prospective customers.

These energy developments not only overshadow Tesla's breakthroughs in the auto industry – they demonstrate that the company's future is in revolutionizing how people access and consume energy.

In fact, Tesla's big win amounted to producing 5,000 vehicles over five days, but serious automakers achieve that level of production in mere hours.

And one of these companies is on the verge of redefining the American auto industry and making a killing in the process.

It's a classic American car company that's investing over $1 billion into driverless technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

It's taking on the largest auto market in the world – China's 22.8 million annual sales – with a lineup of five new car models for 2018 in a plan to boost revenue from China by 50%.

Plus, it currently boasts a perfect Money Morning�Stock VQScore�� of 4, indicating that it's a prime buy for the savvy investor.

Here it is…

Join the conversation. Click here to jump to comments…

Aban Offshore rises 4% on LoA to deploy 3 jack-up rigs in UAE

Share price of Aban Offshore rose 4 percent intraday Thursday as company received letter of award (LoA) to deploy three jack-up rigs in UAE.

The company's wholly owned step-down subsidiary received letter of award for the deployment of three jack-up rigs owned by step-down subsidiaries of the company, in the United Arab Emirates.

While two of the above said jack-up rig deployments are for a firm period of four years each, the deployment of the third jack-up rig is for a firm period of three years and an optional period of two years.

Two of the jack-up rigs are expected to commence deployment during the last quarter of calendar year 2018 and the third jack-up rig is expected to commence deployment during the first quarter of calendar year 2019.

At 13:15 hrs Aban Offshore was quoting at Rs 114.90, up Rs 1.60, or 1.41 percent on the BSE.

The share touched its 52-week high Rs 280.40 and 52-week low Rs 107.60 on 11 January, 2018 and 03 July, 2018, respectively.

Currently, it is trading 59.08 percent below its 52-week high and 6.64 percent above its 52-week low.

Posted by Rakesh Patil First Published on Jul 12, 2018 01:26 pm

Top Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:BPT,RIGL,VMI,STMP,

As if finding bargain-priced stocks in a sky-high market weren��t difficult enough, investors who hunt for undervalued names face the threat of succumbing to value traps. These stocks masquerade as temporarily beaten-down shares of promising companies, but are, in fact, trading at depressed prices because of long-term problems with the business. The difference between true value plays and value traps becomes apparent in hindsight: The former eventually bounce back, while value traps continue to sag.

See Also: 7 Bargain Stocks in Today's Pricey Market

Picking the winners is often more art than science. Start by asking yourself two questions, advises John Linehan, who manages a number of value-oriented mutual funds at T. Rowe Price. First, do the company��s problems seem fixable within a time frame you can live with? If the answer is yes, the stock deserves further consideration. Second, imagine that the company didn��t exist, then ask yourself if people would care. If the answer is no, says Linehan, you��re probably looking at a company without staying power.

Top Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust(BPT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  News headlines about BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (NYSE:BPT) have been trending somewhat positive this week, Accern Sentiment reports. Accern identifies negative and positive news coverage by monitoring 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 closest to one being the most favorable. BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust earned a daily sentiment score of 0.09 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media headlines about the oil and gas company an impact score of 46.2072909143413 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The stock market had a tumultuous session on Wednesday, as major benchmarks started the day weak but bounced back in the afternoon. Investors weren't happy with the current state of geopolitical uncertainty, with trade disputes threatening to become larger problems than ever. But the release of the minutes of the latest meeting of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy committee convinced many that the central bank will be slow to do lasting damage to the economic expansion, remaining measured in the pace of its interest rate increases. Moreover, some companies had good news that sent their shares higher. Tiffany (NYSE:TIF), BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (NYSE:BPT), and Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) were among the best performers on the day. Here's why they did so well.

• [By Sean Williams]

  As a case in point, consider BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (NYSE:BPT), which is currently paying out an extrapolated $5.10 a year, based on the $1.275 per share it divvied out in April. This is good enough for a better than 17% annual yield, albeit it should be noted that the Trust's payout differs each quarter depending on its royalty revenue and cash earnings.�

Top Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc.(RIGL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Rigel Pharmaceuticals (RIGL)

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

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Thursday ended in the red for most major benchmarks on Wall Street, with the Dow trading down by triple digits at times before climbing back toward the close. After having bounced back sharply in recent days, stocks seemed to lose upward momentum, and interest rate fears returned to the market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond once again moved above the 2.9% mark, and shorter-term Treasurys had yields reach levels they haven't seen in years. Yet even though the overall market was ready to take a break, some companies still enjoyed good news that lifted their shares. Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK), Snap-on (NYSE:SNA), and Rigel Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RIGL) were among the best performers on the day. Here's why they did so well.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Rock Springs Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RIGL) by 4.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,575,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 100,000 shares during the period. Rock Springs Capital Management LP’s holdings in Rigel Pharmaceuticals were worth $9,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: Valmont Industries, Inc.(VMI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Valmont Industries (VMI)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Schroder Investment Management Group cut its stake in Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 689,795 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,086 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned approximately 3.06% of Valmont Industries worth $100,917,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Top Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: Stamps.com Inc.(STMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Timothy Green]

  Shares of Stamps.com (NASDAQ:STMP) slumped on Thursday after the Trump administration proposed a federal government reorganization, including an overhaul and potential privatization of the U.S. Postal Service. The stock was down 10.2% when the market closed.

• [By Steve Symington]

  Stamps.com Inc. (NASDAQ:STMP) announced strong first-quarter 2018 results on Thursday after the market closed, sending shares up nearly 4% on Friday in response. To be sure, Stamps.com's focus on its thriving shipping business continues to yield fruit, helped by a steadily growing base of loyal customers. The internet-based mailing and shipping services specialist also increased its full-year earnings outlook.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: “Stamps.com (STMP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts” was published by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this news story on another website, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of U.S. & international copyright legislation. The original version of this news story can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3360313/stamps-com-stmp-given-consensus-recommendation-of-buy-by-analysts.html.

NaPoleonX Market Capitalization Hits $6.11 Million (NPX)

NaPoleonX (CURRENCY:NPX) traded up 4.7% against the US dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 15:00 PM E.T. on July 7th. One NaPoleonX token can currently be purchased for approximately $0.24 or 0.00003684 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges. In the last seven days, NaPoleonX has traded up 5.4% against the US dollar. NaPoleonX has a total market capitalization of $6.11 million and $595,626.00 worth of NaPoleonX was traded on exchanges in the last day.

Here’s how other cryptocurrencies have performed in the last day:

Get NaPoleonX alerts: XRP (XRP) traded down 1% against the dollar and now trades at $0.47 or 0.00007182 BTC. Stellar (XLM) traded down 1.7% against the dollar and now trades at $0.20 or 0.00003099 BTC. IOTA (MIOTA) traded 0.9% lower against the dollar and now trades at $1.05 or 0.00016030 BTC. Tether (USDT) traded 0% lower against the dollar and now trades at $1.00 or 0.00015343 BTC. NEO (NEO) traded down 1.2% against the dollar and now trades at $37.11 or 0.00566606 BTC. TRON (TRX) traded down 1.3% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0363 or 0.00000554 BTC. Binance Coin (BNB) traded up 4.2% against the dollar and now trades at $14.05 or 0.00214553 BTC. VeChain (VET) traded 2.4% lower against the dollar and now trades at $2.45 or 0.00037340 BTC. Ontology (ONT) traded down 4.5% against the dollar and now trades at $4.51 or 0.00068828 BTC. Zilliqa (ZIL) traded 5.8% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.0800 or 0.00001221 BTC.

NaPoleonX Token Profile

NaPoleonX’s launch date was September 29th, 2017. NaPoleonX’s total supply is 29,800,000 tokens and its circulating supply is 25,330,000 tokens. NaPoleonX’s official website is napoleonx.ai. The official message board for NaPoleonX is medium.com/@napoleonx.ai. NaPoleonX’s official Twitter account is @NapoleonXai. The Reddit community for NaPoleonX is /r/NapoleonX.

Buying and Selling NaPoleonX

NaPoleonX can be traded on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: . It is usually not currently possible to buy alternative cryptocurrencies such as NaPoleonX directly using U.S. dollars. Investors seeking to trade NaPoleonX should first buy Bitcoin or Ethereum using an exchange that deals in U.S. dollars such as Gemini, Changelly or GDAX. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Bitcoin or Ethereum to buy NaPoleonX using one of the exchanges listed above.

new TradingView.widget({ “height”: 400, “width”: 650, “symbol”: “NPXUSD”, “interval”: “D”, “timezone”: “Etc/UTC”, “theme”: “White”, “style”: “1”, “locale”: “en”, “toolbar_bg”: “#f1f3f6”, “enable_publishing”: false, “hideideas”: true, “referral_id”: “2588”});

Preferred Bank (PFBC) Stock Price Up 7.5%

Shares of Preferred Bank (NASDAQ:PFBC) rose 7.5% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $66.26 and last traded at $66.10. Approximately 699,100 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 669% from the average daily volume of 90,852 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.46.

Separately, BidaskClub upgraded shares of Preferred Bank from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.60.

Get Preferred Bank alerts:

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $871.73 million, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.00.

Preferred Bank (NASDAQ:PFBC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 19th. The bank reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Preferred Bank had a return on equity of 16.74% and a net margin of 28.88%. The business had revenue of $37.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.29 million. equities analysts predict that Preferred Bank will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, July 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. This is a boost from Preferred Bank’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Preferred Bank’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.73%.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PFBC. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Preferred Bank during the first quarter worth about $129,000. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Preferred Bank by 653.1% during the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,651 shares of the bank’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 2,299 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in Preferred Bank during the first quarter worth about $220,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Preferred Bank during the fourth quarter worth about $265,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in Preferred Bank during the first quarter worth about $267,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.96% of the company’s stock.

About Preferred Bank

Preferred Bank provides various commercial banking products and services to small and mid-sized businesses and their owners, entrepreneurs, real estate developers and investors, professionals, and high net worth individuals in the United States. The company's deposit products include checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal, and money market deposit accounts; fixed-rate and fixed maturity retail, and non-retail certificates of deposit; and individual retirement accounts.

HSBC (HSBC) vs. Kearny Financial (KRNY) Financial Review

HSBC (NYSE: HSBC) and Kearny Financial (NASDAQ:KRNY) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings.

Profitability

Get HSBC alerts:

This table compares HSBC and Kearny Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
HSBC	N/A	4.13%	0.32%
Kearny Financial	9.92%	2.01%	0.42%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

2.6% of HSBC shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 51.2% of Kearny Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.8% of Kearny Financial shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

HSBC has a beta of 0.94, suggesting that its stock price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kearny Financial has a beta of 0.53, suggesting that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

HSBC pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Kearny Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for HSBC and Kearny Financial, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
HSBC	0	10	3	0	2.23
Kearny Financial	1	0	0	0	1.00

HSBC currently has a consensus target price of $9.00, suggesting a potential downside of 80.67%. Kearny Financial has a consensus target price of $13.50, suggesting a potential downside of 0.37%. Given Kearny Financial’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Kearny Financial is more favorable than HSBC.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares HSBC and Kearny Financial’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
HSBC	$53.82 billion	3.47	$9.77 billion	N/A	N/A
Kearny Financial	$150.44 million	9.22	$18.60 million	N/A	N/A

HSBC has higher revenue and earnings than Kearny Financial.

HSBC Company Profile

HSBC Holdings plc provides banking and financial products and services. The company operates through Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Private Banking segments. The Retail Banking and Wealth Management segment offers personal banking products and services, mortgages and loans, credit cards, insurance and investment products, savings products, international services, and wealth solutions and financial planning services, as well as telephone, Internet, and mobile banking services. The Commercial Banking segment provides services and financing for buyers and suppliers throughout the trade cycle; liquidity and cash management services; capital financing, including debt, equity, and advisory services; and insurance and investment products, such as business and financial protection, trade insurance, employee benefits, corporate wealth management, and other commercial risk insurance products to small enterprises, mid-market companies, and multinationals. The Global Banking and Markets segment is involved in the provision of advisory, financing, prime, research and analysis, securities, trading and sales, and transaction banking services to corporates, financial institutions, and resources and energy groups. The Global Private Banking segment provides private banking, and investment and wealth management services to business owners, entrepreneurs, and senior executives and their families. The company operates through approximately 3,900 offices in 67 countries and territories worldwide. HSBC Holdings plc was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Kearny Financial Company Profile

Kearny Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for Kearny Bank that provides various banking products and services in the United States. It offers various deposit products, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit accounts. The company also provides various loans comprising one-to-four family mortgage loans; commercial mortgages, including loans secured by multi-family, mixed-use, and nonresidential properties; secured and unsecured business loans; consumer loans, such as home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, account loans, overdraft lines of credit, vehicle loans, personal loans, and loans secured by savings accounts and certificates of deposit; and construction loans to builders/developers and individual homeowners. In addition, it sells insurance products to its customers and the general public through a third party networking arrangement. As of August 16, 2017, the company operated 42 branches located in northern and central New Jersey, and Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York. Kearny Financial Corp. was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Fairfield, New Jersey.

SPDR KBW Bank (KBE) Raises Dividend to $0.17 Per Share

SPDR KBW Bank (NYSEARCA:KBE) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, June 18th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Monday, June 18th will be paid a dividend of 0.1697 per share by the exchange traded fund on Wednesday, June 20th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 15th. This is a boost from SPDR KBW Bank’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16.

Shares of NYSEARCA:KBE traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $49.34. 1,066,207 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,443,516. SPDR KBW Bank has a 52-week low of $39.60 and a 52-week high of $52.00.

About SPDR KBW Bank

SPDR KBW Bank ETF, formerly The SPDR S&P Bank ETF (the Fund), seeks to closely match the returns and characteristics of the S&P Banks Select Industry Index. The S&P Banks Select Industry Index is a float adjusted modified-market, capitalization-weighted index that seeks to reflect the performance of publicly traded companies that do business as banks or thrifts.

Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:ORA,ECOM ,ACY,ADMA,SMPQY,VNCE,

December 26, 2017: Markets opened lower Tuesday following the three-day Christmas holiday weekend. The DJIA briefly turned higher, but traded for most of the day with a small loss. Energy was the leading sector but couldn’t overcome weakness in tech and utilities. WTI crude oil for February delivery settled at $59.97 a barrel, up 2.6% for the day following a pipeline explosion in Libya. The is WTI’s highest close in more than two years. February gold added 0.7% on the day to settle at $1,287.50. Equities were headed for a lower �close shortly before the bell as the DJIA traded down 0.11% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.18%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded down 0.41%.

Bitcoin futures for January traded at $15,920, up about 12.6%, on the CME after opening at $13,900 this morning. Only 374 contracts had been traded in the session and open interest is just 489.

The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Tuesday was Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) which traded down 2.63% at $170.41. The stock’s 52-week range is $114.76 to $177.20. Volume was nearly 10% above the daily average of around 26 million shares. Some analysts said iPhone X sales would be down sharply from quarterly.

Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: Ormat Technologies, Inc.(ORA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Scott Levine]

  When talk around the water cooler turns to energy investments, it's oil and gas companies that represent the usual suspects. Renewable energy companies like Vestas Wind Systems (NASDAQOTH:VWDRY), First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR), and Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA) -- companies whose names are far less recognizable than those like ExxonMobil and Chevron -- may not be on most investors' radars. However, there are certainly reasons to believe that they should be.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Orange (EPA:ORA) received a €16.50 ($19.19) price target from Credit Suisse Group in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 17.61% from the stock’s previous close.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Orange (EPA:ORA) has been assigned a €20.00 ($24.69) price target by equities researchers at Barclays in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays’ price target indicates a potential upside of 42.55% from the company’s previous close.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) fell 9.7 percent to $4.73 in pre-market trading after announcing a $35 million common stock offering. Evolus, Inc. (NASDAQ: EOLS) shares fell 8 percent to $13.48 in pre-market trading ahead of regulatory update at 8:30 a.m. ET. XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: XTLB) fell 6.5 percent to $2.01 in pre-market trading after climbing 10.50 percent on Tuesday. Purple Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPL) shares fell 5.8 percent to $9.36 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) fell 5.7 percent to $5.15 in pre-market trading after declining 5.04 percent on Tuesday. RYB Education, Inc. (NYSE: RYB) shares fell 5 percent to $16.39 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited (NASDAQ: CLWT) shares fell 4.4 percent to $4.30 in pre-market trading after rising 40.62 percent on Tuesday. Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR) fell 4.4 percent to $8.92 in pre-market trading after announcing a 5.5 million share common stock offering. Daxor Corporation (NYSE: DXR) fell 4.1 percent to $7.32 in pre-market trading. Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA) shares fell 3.8 percent to $51.03 in pre-market trading after the company announced plans to restate its Q2, Q3, Q4 and FY 2017 financial statements. Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) fell 3.5 percent to $16.20 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. CELYAD SA/ADR (NASDAQ: CYAD) shares fell 3.3 percent to $29.70 in pre-market trading after the company reported launch of 1.8 million share offering
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Roth Capital set a $67.00 price target on Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA) in a report issued on Sunday. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the energy company’s stock.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Nevro Corp. (NASDAQ: NVRO) fell 11.6 percent to $81.58 in pre-market trading after reporting wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) shares fell 8.3 percent to $20.33 in pre-market trading after the company reported a wider-than-expected loss for its first quarter. Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) fell 7.5 percent to $51.74 in pre-market trading. Zillow reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter, but issued weak sales guidance for the second quarter. Sanchez Energy Corporation (NYSE: SN) fell 7.2 percent to $3.11 in pre-market trading after reporting wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) shares fell 5.5 percent to $4.14 in pre-market trading after rising 11.17 percent on Monday. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) fell 5.1 percent to $95.00 in pre-market trading. Albemarle declared a quarterly dividend of $0.335 per share. Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM) fell 4.8 percent to $23.80 in pre-market trading. Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA) fell 4.5 percent to $57.14 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Kitov Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ: KTOV) shares fell 4.3 percent to $2.25 in pre-market trading after gaining 1.73 percent on Monday. 51job, Inc. (NASDAQ: JOBS) shares fell 4.2 percent to $93 in pre-market trading after rising 3.55 percent on Monday

Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: ChannelAdvisor Corporation(ECOM )

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  ChannelAdvisor (NYSE: ECOM) and Tyler Technologies (NYSE:TYL) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, dividends, institutional ownership and profitability.

Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: AeroCentury Corp.(ACY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  TheStreet downgraded shares of AeroCentury (NYSEAMERICAN:ACY) from a b rating to a c rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning.

  Separately, Zacks Investment Research raised shares of AeroCentury from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th.

• [By Max Byerly]

  AeroCentury (NYSEAMERICAN:ACY) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a sell rating to a hold rating. According to Zacks, “AeroCentury Corp. was formed to acquire JetFleet Aircraft, L.P. and JetFleet Aircraft II, L.P., in a statutory merger. The company is an operating lessor and finance company which specializes in leasing used turboprop aircraft and engines. The company’s aircraft and engines are on lease to regional airlines and commercial users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., South America and Europe. (PRESS RELEASE) “

Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: ADMA Biologics Inc(ADMA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

  Get ADMA Biologics alerts: Global Drugs for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Market 2018 Insights- Ablynx, AmVac, AlphaVax and ADMA Biologics (exclusivereportage.com) Global Drugs for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Market 2018 View- ADMA Biologics, Ablynx, AlphaVax and AmVac (exclusivereportage.com) After-Hours Stock Movers 06/07: (ZUMZ) (DOCU) (SFIX) Higher; (MVIS) (ITI) (ADMA) Lower (more…) (streetinsider.com) Why is the 200 Simple Moving Average (SMA) so common for traders and analysts? Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc … (thestreetpoint.com) Global Lupus Therapeutic Market 2018 by Players: ADMA Biologics, Amgen, Anthera Pharma, Bayer HealthCare (ebuzzcommunity.com)

  ADMA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Maxim Group set a $10.00 price objective on shares of ADMA Biologics and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 14th. ValuEngine raised shares of ADMA Biologics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 14th.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Maxim Group set a $10.00 price objective on ADMA Biologics (NASDAQ:ADMA) in a report issued on Monday. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the biotechnology company’s stock.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Aevi Genomic Medicine (NASDAQ: GNMX) and ADMA Biologics (NASDAQ:ADMA) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and dividends.

Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: (SMPQY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  I studied the management running the company and found fantastic professionals coming from large institutions like Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS), Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries (OTCPK:SMPQY), AstraZeneca Group plc (NYSE:AZN), or Endo International plc (NASDAQ:ENDP).

Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2019: Vince Holding Corp.(VNCE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Francesca’s (NASDAQ: FRAN) and Vince (NYSE:VNCE) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership and profitability.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Oragenics, Inc. (NYSE: OGEN) shares surged 66.67 percent to close at $2.00 on Wednesday after the company’s AG013 for oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients showed favorable safety profile in mid-stage OM study. Sigma Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: SGLB) shares jumped 49.24 percent to close at $1.97 on Wednesday. Sigma Labs demonstrated proof of concept for closed loop quality control during metal additive manufacturing. ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited (NASDAQ: ASLN) rose 34.45 percent to close at $9.21. BTIG Research initiated coverage on ASLAN Pharmaceuticals with a Buy rating. Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE: DKS) shares rose 25.82 percent to close at $38.35 after the company reported upbeat Q1 earnings and raised FY18 earnings outlook. TapImmune, Inc. (NASDAQ: TPIV) rose 24.15 percent to close at $5.09. WBB Securities upgraded TapImmune from Speculative Buy to Buy. Legacy Reserves LP (NASDAQ: LGCY) jumped 23.3 percent to close at $5.98 on Wednesday. Summer Infant, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMR) gained 22.92 percent to close at $1.18 after announcing commitment for $60 million credit facility from Bank of America and $17.5 million term loan from Pathlight Capital. Cloud Peak Energy Inc. (NYSE: CLD) rose 21.95 percent to close at $4.00. SpartanNash Co (NASDAQ: SPTN) gained 21.4 percent to close at $22.92 after the company reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter on Tuesday. Motus GI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOTS) rose 17.14 percent to close at $5.40. Movado Group, Inc. (NYSE: MOV) gained 16.59 percent to close at $49.20 after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 results and raised its guidance. Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ORMP) climbed 15.61 percent to close at $8.22. Oramed Pharma disclosed that its patent has been allowed in the US for oral administration of proteins. Dorian LPG Ltd. (NYSE: LPG) rose 14.89 percent to close at $8.41. Dorian LPG confirmed receipt of unsolicited proposal fr

Buy Suryaamba Spinning Mills: Equity99

Sumit Bilgaiyan

Suryaamba Spinning Mills is a leading manufacturer of specialty synthetic spun yarns. The core competitive strength of the company is its innovative product range, specifically tailor-made for the customers.

The company has current capacity of 45,000 spindles with the state of the art ultra-modern manufacturing machinery. It has installed value addition equipment, aims to fulfill the demand of export market and enhance profitability, with a capital expenditure of Rs 10 crore. It plans to fund this capex by using a mix of promoter's equity, retained�earnings and debt to ensure sustainable growth for the company in the future.

The company expects good demand for its products in domestic as well as international markets. The domestic market is on the path of healthy growth because of the demonetization and GST.

We believe Suryaamba is well placed to capture this structural shift aided by solid management pedigree. Hence we are recommending a�buy.

Disclaimer: The author is Founder of Equity99. The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Buy Indiabulls Housing Finance: Equity99

Sumit Bilgaiyan

Indiabulls Housing Finance has reported robust core operating performance. Its AUM grew strongly by 34 percent YoY. Disbursements for the quarter were up 30 percent YoY due to 50 percent+ YoY growth in core home loans which drove 34 percent AUM growth.

Management has cited for strong traction in affordable housing finance. Loan mix and borrowing mix both were steady. Management targets to gradually increase the share of securitisation in its loan book from 10 percent currently to 20 percent over the medium-to-long term.

Indiabulls Housing��s transformation from a diversified lender to a focused mortgage player has yielded returns, with healthy RoE and RoA. The ability to manage spreads will be key to watch out. We have a buy call on Indiabulls Housing Finance.

Disclaimer: The author is Founder of Equity99. The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates “$20.00” Price Target for Dermira (DERM)

Dermira (NASDAQ:DERM) has been given a $20.00 price target by Cantor Fitzgerald in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 146.61% from the company’s previous close. Cantor Fitzgerald also issued estimates for Dermira’s FY2018 earnings at ($4.63) EPS.

DERM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of Dermira from $43.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 6th. Cowen set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Dermira and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 5th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Dermira in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. BidaskClub raised shares of Dermira from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 17th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Dermira from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $11.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $30.00.

Get Dermira alerts:

Dermira stock opened at $8.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $438.57 million, a PE ratio of -1.85 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a current ratio of 5.17, a quick ratio of 5.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. Dermira has a fifty-two week low of $6.98 and a fifty-two week high of $31.59.

Dermira (NASDAQ:DERM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.39) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.30) by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $0.30 million during the quarter. Dermira had a negative return on equity of 95.84% and a negative net margin of 8,823.69%. equities research analysts predict that Dermira will post -4.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. venBio Select Advisor LLC lifted its stake in Dermira by 125.5% in the first quarter. venBio Select Advisor LLC now owns 3,427,378 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,385,000 after acquiring an additional 1,907,378 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in Dermira in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,084,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in Dermira in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $24,820,000. Emerald Advisers Inc. PA acquired a new stake in Dermira in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $14,918,000. Finally, Eventide Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Dermira by 169.4% in the first quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 334,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,669,000 after acquiring an additional 210,000 shares during the last quarter. 84.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Dermira

Dermira, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, identifies, develops, and commercializes therapies to treat dermatologic diseases. The company's product candidates include Glycopyrronium tosylate, a novel form of an anticholinergic agent that has completed Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of primary axillary hyperhidrosis; Olumacostat glasaretil, a novel small molecule designed to target sebum production, which is in Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of acne vulgaris; and lebrikizumab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin 13 that is in Phase 2b development for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

New program can help inmates fighting opioid…

CINCINNATI �� The main idea of a program, introduced here last week,�to provide medication for inmates who experience opioid withdrawal is to keep�them from dying.

Hamilton County jail in Cincinnati became first in Ohio to launch a program with its health-care provider that manages inmates in opioid withdrawal with buprenorphine, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neal said Wednesday.

Symptoms from heroin, fentanyl and prescription-painkiller�withdrawal can include severe diarrhea and vomiting, which could lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance�and, ultimately, death.�And during a nationwide opioid epidemic, jails are used to seeing hundreds of people coming in with these symptoms.

"It's an indirect path, (but) people are at risk of dying," said Chief Executive Brad McLane�of NaphCare, an private health-care company based in Birmingham, Ala., that serves about 30,000 patients in 27 jails and prisons nationwide.�Buprenorphine helps quell the symptoms and provide a safer withdrawal.

�� May 16: Sessions adds 300 to fight opioids, crime, immigration offenses
�� May 15: 6 states sue maker of OxyContin as they battle of opioid crisis
�� May 8: Pill dispenser could stop opioid addiction before it starts

The jail in Cincinnati is the 10th for which NaphCare provides a buprenorphine-aided withdrawal program, McLane said.�NaphCare introduced its program through a pilot a little more than a year ago at the Washington County jail in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Since then, the health-care provider for correctional institutions has established the program in�Kings County and Santa Ana jails in California; Hillsborough County jail in Tampa, Florida; Middlesex County jail in New Jersey; Washoe County jail�in Reno, Nevada; Pierce County and Skagit County jails in Washington; and the South�Correctional�Entity misdemeanor jail in Des Moines, Washington.

NaphCare isn't the only jail health-care provider�offering treatments to block opioid withdrawal symptoms or help inmates get off opioids for good, but the therapy is not widely available:

�� Rhode Island began a state Department of Corrections program in mid-2016 that made three medications available to treat opioid addiction and almost immediately found that fewer deaths were occurring after an inmate was released, according to the April issue of JAMA Psychiatry.

�� Snohomish County Jail in Everett, Washington, started a pilot program in January using suboxone, KING-TV, Seattle reported.

�� Jefferson County Jail in Golden, Colorado, began in April to use naltrexone,�a drug that works in the brain to keep opiates from working and�helps stop cravings, for its addicted inmates, KUSA-TV, Denver reported.

About a week ago, NaphCare workers introduced the treatment in the Hamilton County jail, providing it in an�under-the-tongue dissolving film to experiencing opioid�withdrawal. The patients must be closely watched to ensure the medication is taken properly, McLane said.

"You need to have a nurse or corrections officer watch the patient, or there's a risk that they will cheek it and divert it," he said

That's because buprenorphine is also an opioid.

�� May 8: Distributor apologizes for shipping volumes of painkillers to W. Virginia
�� May 7: Walmart won't give more than 7 days of opioids for some prescriptions

If used as medical practitioners direct, it does not cause euphoria�and helps quell cravings for opioids. But it can be used improperly to get the effects of other opioids.

The use of the medication�is�also compassionate, McLane said.

“There's no need for people to suffer through (withdrawal) symptoms. It's unnecessary.”

Brad McLane, NaphCare

"There's no need for people to suffer through (withdrawal) symptoms," he said. "It's unnecessary."

The�NaphCare CEO�hopes to get similar programs established throughout the jails his company serves, he said.

In Ohio, Hamilton County inmates are the only ones getting the treatment in jail so far, and NaphCare had to go through the Ohio Medical and Pharmacy boards to do so, McLane said.

The use of the medication to treat withdrawal�isn't new in other settings.

"Buprenorphine has been used to treat opioid withdrawal for more than 20 years, using the gradual taper," said Dr. Adam Bisaga,�an addiction research scientist who is a professor of psychiatry�at Columbia University Medical Center.

In Middlesex County Jail in North Brunswick Township, N.J.,�NaphCare is providing some inmates with maintenance doses of buprenorphine as part of an addiction treatment program, McLane said.

That maintenance medication is considered one of the best options for addicts to be weaned from opioids, according to a paper published in the October 2012 edition of Journal of Addictive Diseases.

�� May 3: Jeff Sessions blames corrupt doctors for opioid crisis
�� April 28: She's hiking the Appalachian Trail to fight addiction, honor late fiance

But offering that service takes additional certification of medical staff, and prescribers have limits on how many patients they can care for with buprenorphine, McLane said.

"It's challenging�to do that (treatment) in the jail setting" with a quickly changing inmate population, he said. And�current regulations do not allow opioid addicts to receive long-term buprenorphine treatment inside Ohio jails.

Buprenorphine patients at Hamilton County jail will be tapered from the drug, McLane said. The intent is to guide them�into community-based addiction treatment when they're released.

�� April 26: VA nominee withdraws amid allegations he dished out opioids
�� April 9: Rampant opioid injection 'ticking time bomb' that puts Americans at risk

Connecting released inmates to evidence-based treatment programs is essential, Bisaga at Columbia University said. Buprenorphine withdrawal treatment should be undertaken only if a plan is in place for giving inmates naltrexone�or keeping them on buprenorphine.

"There is a significant risk for overdose upon release from incarceration," said�Lindsey Vuolo, associate director of health law and policy at the New York nonprofit Center on Addiction. "Initiating and maintaining an individual on a medication such as buprenorphine can significantly decrease the risk for a fatal overdose."

Follow Terry DeMio on Twitter:�@tdemio

�

Take Advantage of Higher Interest Rates With These 2 Stocks

Interest rates have risen significantly over the past year or so, and most experts agree that we'll see several more rate hikes over the next few years.

Rising rates affect different types of stocks in different ways. Some stocks can benefit from rising rates, some can be under pressure as rates rise, and some don't tend to react much to interest rate moves at all. With that in mind, here are two rather different stocks that can let you take advantage of the current interest rate environment.

Image source: Getty Images.

Company (Symbol)

Recent Stock Price

Dividend Yield

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC)	$30.65	1.6%
Welltower (NYSE:WELL)	$54.50	6.4%

Data source: TD Ameritrade. Prices and yields current as of 5/21/18.

Higher rates could mean big profits for Bank of America

There are plenty of reasons to like bank stocks, and Bank of America in particular. The bank has done a great job of transforming itself in the decade or so since the financial crisis ended. Its asset quality is much improved, its business has grown significantly (and responsibly), and it has aggressively returned capital to shareholders in recent years.

In addition, the bank's efficiency has improved tremendously in recent years thanks to the strategic closure of underperforming branches, investment in cost-saving technologies, and�general emphasis on expense reduction. Since the end of 2015, Bank of America's efficiency ratio is down (lower is better) by an impressive 900 basis points to 60% -- on par with the leading big banks. This, combined with the benefits of tax reform, has pushed Bank of America's profitability above the industry's 1% return on assets and 10% return on equity benchmarks for the first time in years.

And finally, Bank of America has a big potential catalyst as interest rates rise over the next couple of years. With an above-average concentration of noninterest-bearing deposits, Bank of America should be a big beneficiary as interest rates rise. According to the bank's management, a 100-basis-point parallel shift in the yield curve would translate to an additional $3 billion in net interest income per year.

With the latest Federal Reserve forecasts calling for further hikes to the federal funds rate of 175-200 basis points by the end of 2020, we could see Bank of America's profitability grow significantly.

Rising rates have pummeled the real estate sector

Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, have been one of the worst-performing parts of the stock market recently. While the S&P 500 is up by nearly 15% over the past year, the Dow Jones Equity REIT Index has actually dropped by 4%. Healthcare REIT Welltower has done even worse, with a troubling 25% fall.

The main cause for the broad drop in REITs is interest rates. Simply put, when rates rise, income-oriented investments like REITs tend to face downward pressure. Higher rates mean investors expect higher yields from "riskier" investments like stocks, and lower stock prices equal higher yields.

In Welltower's case, oversupply worries have caused even worse performance. Welltower's primary property type is senior housing, which makes up nearly three-fourths of the company's portfolio.

Senior housing is a big long-term growth industry (more on that in a bit), but there are signs that the market may have built too much. We're seeing this in a few different types of commercial real estate -- with the extremely low costs of capital in recent years and elevated real estate values, it has simply been cheaper in many cases to build new properties rather than acquire existing ones. In addition, many leading senior housing operators are currently on shaky financial ground.

However, it's important to realize that this isn't a long-term problem. The senior citizen population in the U.S. is expected to grow rapidly in the coming decades, with the 85-and-older age group (the primary demographic of senior housing) expected to double over the next 20 years.

It may take some time before the industry headwinds cool off, but in the meantime, you're getting a top-notch REIT for just 13.6 times the company's 2018 FFO guidance (the REIT version of earnings), and you'll be getting paid a 6.4% dividend yield while you wait. To be clear, Welltower could remain under pressure as rates keep rising -- especially if it happens faster than expected. However, now could be an excellent time for long-term investors to think about adding Welltower to their portfolios while the stock is down.

Two very different plays on rising rates

These are two very different plays on the current state of interest rates: one that could profit as rates continue to rise, and one that has been under pressure because rates have risen. However, both could be excellent additions for investors who have long time horizons to work with.

Jason N. Gorevic Sells 25,000 Shares of Teladoc (TDOC) Stock

Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC) CEO Jason N. Gorevic sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.93, for a total transaction of $1,223,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 636,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,128,483.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Shares of TDOC opened at $49.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.91 and a beta of 0.35. Teladoc has a 12-month low of $27.30 and a 12-month high of $49.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 4.15 and a current ratio of 4.15.

Get Teladoc alerts:

Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 1st. The health services provider reported ($0.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $89.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $86.77 million. Teladoc had a negative net margin of 41.06% and a negative return on equity of 20.40%. Teladoc’s revenue was up 109.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.30) EPS. analysts expect that Teladoc will post -1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on TDOC shares. ValuEngine raised shares of Teladoc from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “hold” rating and set a $35.00 price target (up previously from $31.00) on shares of Teladoc in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Deutsche Bank boosted their price target on shares of Teladoc to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 2nd. Canaccord Genuity boosted their price target on shares of Teladoc from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, SunTrust Banks boosted their price target on shares of Teladoc to $48.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $42.67.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. purchased a new stake in Teladoc in the 1st quarter valued at about $403,000. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB raised its holdings in Teladoc by 46.3% in the 1st quarter. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB now owns 8,530 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Teladoc by 1,351.5% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 64,271 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $2,592,000 after buying an additional 59,843 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Teladoc in the 1st quarter valued at about $10,906,000. Finally, Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC raised its holdings in Teladoc by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,567,845 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $63,184,000 after buying an additional 28,205 shares during the period.

About Teladoc

Teladoc, Inc provides telehealth services worldwide. It offers a portfolio of services and solutions covering 450 medical subspecialties, such as flu and upper respiratory infections, cancer, and congestive heart failure. The company provides its services through mobile devices, the Internet, video, and phone.