GE CEO Culp likely to break up and sell pieces of the struggling power business, RBC says

General Electric reorganized its struggling power business as one of Larry Culp's first moves as CEO, but RBC believes the changes to the business unit have only just begun.

GE is likely to pursue sales of individual power businesses, including steam, nuclear, and power conversion, RBC analyst Deane Dray said in a note on Tuesday. "We believe that GE's endgame is to shrink Power down to just the core gas turbine equipment and services platforms that have technology overlaps with Aviation."

RBC picked GE as the industrial company "most likely to execute a stock-moving divestiture" or spin-off this year, the note said. GE is facing a tough year, lead by problems in power. But Culp has given shareholders long-term optimism about the company's fortunes, saying earlier this month that the power business "is in a serious turnaround mode."

In the company's third-quarter earnings report, the first under Culp, GE announced it would reorganize the power business into two divisions: a gas products and services unit and the remaining power units. The latter power portfolio consists of the steam, electric grid, power conversion and nuclear energy businesses. RBC estimates those four businesses have annual revenue of $2 billion, $5 billion, $1 billion and $500 million, respectively.

"It is our position that all of the remaining businesses in Power Portfolio have been deemed non-core and are likely being evaluated for future divestitures," Dray said.

If GE does look to sell the businesses, Dray said RBC expects "there to be healthy demand."

"Ultimately, we believe that management's endgame is to shrink its Power businesses down to just the core gas turbine platforms that have strategic linkages and shared technologies with its Aviation segment," Dray added.

show chapters General Electric CEO Larry Culp says he is focused on deleveraging    8:54 AM ET Thu, 14 March 2019 | 02:37

Waiting until age 67 to retire still won't be enough for working women

Women hoping to retire by age 67 face a tough choice: sock away more cash now or delay retirement even further.

Those were the findings from a recent survey by Aon. The retirement consulting firm analyzed the 2017 records of 1.3 million individual savers, along with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About 7 out of 10 women participating in the survey will need to overcome significant shortfalls in order to retire at 67, Aon found. Their savings will be short by at least twice their salary.

Female employees are less prepared for retirement because they not only earn less than their male counterparts but also have a longer life expectancy, said Grace Lattyak, associate partner at Aon.

Women in the U.S. generally make about 80 cents to each dollar a man earns. And women have an average life expectancy of about 81, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Men have an average life expectancy of about 76 years.

Women also take time out of the workforce to care for family members, which could affect their ability to earn more money and save for retirement, said Lattyak.

Indeed, close to 2 in 3 female workers who took family leave were the primary caregiver for a sick relative, according to data from Pew Research.

"In general, there is a huge gap between the savings that women might have for retirement compared to men," said Avani Ramnani, a certified financial planner and director of financial planning and wealth management at Francis Financial in New York.

Saving and investing  David Lees | Getty Images There is no evidence that women underperform men when it comes to running money.

On average, women should have 11.6 times their last annual salary saved by age 67 in order to retire, according to Aon's analysis.

However, based on current savings rates, they'll only have an average of about 7.6 times their salary saved by that age. They'll face a steep shortfall.

In order to beat that hurdle, female workers will need to either defer their retirement or save more money during their working years.

There are different approaches to saving up that money.

Aim to contribute up to 15 percent of your salary each year in your 401(k), said Ramnani.

Also, consider working with a financial planner who can help you figure out how much you need to have saved by the time you retire, she said.

"You should estimate how much your expenses are going to be for each year of retirement, and work backwards to see how much you'll need at the beginning of retirement," said Ramnani.

This will give you a sense of how much you need to save each year in order to meet that goal.

Finally, saving is only part of the equation. You should invest that money so that it grows over time.

"Women tend to shy away from investing, but keeping the money in a bank account will not make it grow the way you need it to grow," said Ramnani.

Your workplace 401(k) will give you a good start, she said. Your contributions are made on a pretax basis, and they grow tax-deferred until you retire and it's time to withdraw the money.

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Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:CMG,UNS,BRD,MMM,NGD,PTI,ARG,TRP,NRG,THO,

Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) and Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) each reported earnings this past week. While both may have taken a turn for the worse, there was a clear winner out of the two. Analysts seemed to think so as well.

24/7 Wall St. has included some highlights from the earnings reports, as well as what analysts said after the fact.

Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree said that it had $1.15 in earnings per share (EPS) and $5.53 billion in revenue, which compares with consensus estimates of $1.16 in EPS on revenue of $5.53 billion. In the same period of last year, the company said it had EPS of $0.99 and $5.28 billion in revenue.

During the latest quarter, Enterprise same-store sales increased 1.8% on a constant currency basis (or 1.9% when adjusted to include the impact of Canadian currency fluctuations). Same-store sales for the Dollar Tree banner increased 3.7% on a constant currency basis (or 3.8% when adjusted to include the impact of Canadian currency fluctuations). Same-store sales for the Family Dollar banner were flat.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.(CMG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jason Hall]

  Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) are surging today, up 24.8% at 12:39 p.m. EDT. The big catalyst is yesterday afternoon's release of the company's first-quarter 2018 earnings report. The fast-casual chain reported revenue increased 7.4% to $1.1 billion, while earnings per share surged a very strong 33% to $2.13, easily Chipotle's second-best quarterly profit since 2015. 

• [By Chris Lange]

  The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Wednesday was Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) which traded down over 10% at $271.44. The stock's 52-week range is $263.00 to $499.00. Volume was nearly 5 million compared to the daily average volume of 1.1 million.

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  Former highflier Chipotle (NYSE:CMG) has had an impressive rally this year. Investors are happy to see both sales and profits headed in the right direction after a brutal multiyear stretch of declines that was brought on by food safety issues in 2015. In the fiscal first quarter, revenue rose 2.2% as higher menu prices offset slight traffic declines. Profit margin jumped to 20% of sales from 18% a year ago. Investors betting on the stock today have to hope that new CEO Brian Niccol can extend those modestly positive results through a risky turnaround plan that includes new menu items and a revamped loyalty program.

• [By ]

  Historically, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) has been slow to roll out new menu items. The Chipotle formula worked so well for so long that there was little reason to tinker. But the food safety crisis of 2015 led to massive sales declines, and the fallout continues to plague the fast-casual chain to this day. With customer traffic slumping more than 3% in the first quarter, Chipotle's strategy clearly needs to change.

• [By Joe Tenebruso]

  Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) rose nearly 15% last month, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, after the restaurant giant reported impressive fourth-quarter results.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: UniSource Energy Corporation(UNS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Uni Select (TSE:UNS)‘s stock had its “hold” rating restated by equities research analysts at TD Securities in a report issued on Friday. They currently have a C$24.00 price objective on the stock. TD Securities’ price target points to a potential upside of 8.21% from the stock’s current price.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Uni Select (TSE:UNS) had its price target lifted by investment analysts at Macquarie from C$24.00 to C$25.00 in a report released on Wednesday. Macquarie’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 18.32% from the stock’s current price.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: Apollo Gold Corporation(BRD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded 20.4% lower against the US dollar during the 1 day period ending at 22:00 PM ET on September 5th. Bread has a total market cap of $25.52 million and $314,664.00 worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last day. During the last week, Bread has traded down 19.7% against the US dollar. One Bread token can currently be purchased for about $0.29 or 0.00004486 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including Tokenomy, Kucoin, OKEx and Cobinhood.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded 0% higher against the US dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 0:00 AM E.T. on February 12th. Bread has a market capitalization of $17.44 million and $74,926.00 worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last day. In the last week, Bread has traded 6.8% higher against the US dollar. One Bread token can currently be purchased for $0.20 or 0.00005397 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Cobinhood, OKEx, Tokenomy and Kucoin.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded 10.1% lower against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 15:00 PM ET on May 6th. Bread has a market cap of $73.13 million and approximately $1.09 million worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Bread token can currently be purchased for about $0.82 or 0.00008683 BTC on popular exchanges including OKEx, Binance and Cobinhood. In the last seven days, Bread has traded 3.3% higher against the U.S. dollar.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded 2.1% lower against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 21:00 PM Eastern on May 27th. One Bread token can currently be bought for $0.46 or 0.00006320 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including Cobinhood, Binance and OKEx. Bread has a market capitalization of $40.78 million and $4.40 million worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last day. During the last seven days, Bread has traded down 28.2% against the U.S. dollar.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded up 12.2% against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 15:00 PM E.T. on September 20th. In the last week, Bread has traded 17.1% higher against the U.S. dollar. Bread has a total market capitalization of $32.97 million and approximately $760,371.00 worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last day. One Bread token can now be bought for approximately $0.37 or 0.00005774 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Kucoin, Tokenomy, OKEx and Cobinhood.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded up 0.8% against the US dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 22:00 PM Eastern on September 1st. Over the last week, Bread has traded 3.1% higher against the US dollar. Bread has a market cap of $32.33 million and $367,357.00 worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last day. One Bread token can currently be purchased for about $0.36 or 0.00005097 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Kucoin, Cobinhood, Binance and OKEx.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: 3M Company(MMM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on 3M (MMM)

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

• [By Leo Sun]

  Corning's recent acquisition of 3M's (NYSE: MMM) optical unit, which is expected to add $200 million to its full-year sales, also boosted the unit's growth. Corning hiked its full-year sales guidance for the Optical unit from 10% growth to the high teens. Management also reiterated the segment's long-term goal of generating $5 billion in optical sales by 2020.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  3M Company (NYSE: MMM) traded down 2.91% at $216.66 in a 52-week range of $188.62 to $259.77. Volume of about 3.3 million shares was around 30% above the daily average. The company had no specific news Friday.

• [By Lee Samaha]

  Within the investing world, Dover always used to be known as an industrial stock with heavy oil and gas exposure, but following the spinoff of its upstream energy business, now listed as Apergy Corporation (NYSE:APY), Dover is very much part of the multi-industry industrial group of stocks that includes companies like 3M Company (NYSE:MMM), Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW), and Roper Technologies (NYSE:ROP).

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The second-worst Dow stock so far this year is The Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG), down 15.8%; followed by Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), down 15.2%; 3M Company (NYSE: MMM), down 12.9%; and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), down 12.3%. Of the 30 Dow stocks, 15 are showing a loss to date in 2018.

• [By Chris Lange]

  3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) is scheduled to reveal its fourth-quarter results on Thursday. The consensus earnings estimate is $2.03 per share, on revenue of $7.87 billion. Shares were trading at $248.18 as the week came to a close. The 52-week trading range is $173.55 to $249.00.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Teradyne, Inc. (NYSE: TER) fell 10.8 percent to $37.02 in pre-market trading after the company issued downbeat Q2 guidance. Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW) fell 9.2 percent to $122.29 in pre-market trading. Edwards Lifesciences reported better-than-expected results for its first quarter, but issued weak earnings guidance for the second quarter. New Gold Inc. (NYSE: NGD) fell 8.8 percent to $2.30 in pre-market trading after rising 4.13 percent on Tuesday. Gold Fields Limited (ADR) (NYSE: GFI) fell 8.6 percent to $3.61 in pre-market trading. Natus Medical Incorporated (NASDAQ: BABY) fell 8.2 percent to $32.95 in pre-market trading after the company issued weak forecast for the second quarter. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) shares fell 7.9 percent to $3.50 in pre-market trading after climbing 27.09 percent on Tuesday. Bright Scholar Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: BEDU) shares fell 6.7 percent to $13.58 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Sangamo Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: SGMO) fell 5.9 percent to $16.75 in pre-market trading following announcement of a $200 million common stock offering. Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ: FRSX) shares fell 5.7 percent to $3.29 in pre-market trading after declining 3.32 percent on Tuesday. Euronav NV (NYSE: EURN) fell 4.8 percent to $8.40 in pre-market trading. Limelight Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: LLNW) shares fell 4.3 percent to $4.69 in pre-market trading. Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc (NASDAQ: GLPI) shares fell 4.1 percent to $32.92 in pre-market trading after the company issued downbeat quarterly results and reported the retirement of CFO William Clifford
• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: NGD) dropped about 3.8% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $2.28. Shares closed at $2.37 on Wednesday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 5.9 million shares. The company had no specific news.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  New Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:NGD) had its price objective lowered by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $1.25 to $1.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday. The brokerage currently has an “underperform” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price indicates a potential upside of 14.50% from the stock’s current price.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of New Gold (NYSEMKT:NGD) fell by over 14% today after the company announced the surprise sale of its Mesquite gold mine. The business will receive $158 million in cash for the productive asset, which management says will "immediately crystallize several years' worth of future free cash flow as part of our strategy to prudently manage our balance sheet, providing the company with the financial flexibility to focus on our core assets".

• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: NGD) dropped about 1.9% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $2.09. Shares closed at $2.13 on Monday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. The junior gold miner had no specific news.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of New Gold (NYSEMKT:NGD) sold off on Thursday, plunging more than 20% by 11 a.m. EST after the gold mining company reported its fourth-quarter results as well as its outlook for 2019.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: Patni Computer Systems Limited(PTI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  Proteostasis Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: PTI) saw its shares slide early on Thursday after the company reported that it had positive data from its early stage trial in cystic fibrosis (CF). These results come from the firm's ongoing Phase 1 dosing study of PTI-801 in CF patients on background Orkambi (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) therapy.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: Airgas Inc.(ARG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Argentum (CURRENCY:ARG) traded 3.6% lower against the US dollar during the one day period ending at 19:00 PM ET on May 27th. In the last week, Argentum has traded 2.8% lower against the US dollar. Argentum has a total market capitalization of $1.66 million and approximately $610.00 worth of Argentum was traded on exchanges in the last day. One Argentum coin can currently be purchased for about $0.17 or 0.00002374 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including Cryptopia and CoinExchange.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: Transcananda Pipelines Ltd.(TRP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Media stories about TC PIPELINES LP Common Stock (NYSE:TRP) (TSE:TRP) have been trending somewhat positive this week, according to Accern Sentiment. Accern scores the sentiment of press coverage by monitoring more than twenty million news and blog 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. TC PIPELINES LP Common Stock earned a media sentiment score of 0.06 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media stories about the pipeline company an impact score of 47.0472930935725 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the next few days.

• [By Money Morning Staff Reports]

  TC Pipelines LP (NYSE: TCP) is a master limited partnership (MLP) partly owned by TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP), best known as the designer of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The partnership manages and owns natural gas pipelines across the Midwest and Northwestern part of the United States. The firm transports roughly 9.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas every single day.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Pembina Pipeline Corp. (NYSE:PBA) isn't a name that most investors are probably familiar with since it's a Canadian company. Not only that, but it's much smaller than its more well-known national rivals Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) and TransCanada (NYSE:TRP), which have made their share of headlines in the U.S. due to some controversial pipeline projects.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  The shares of giant diversified Canadian midstream company TransCanada Corporation (NYSE:TRP) rose an impressive 19% in January, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. That was a huge turn from last year, when the S&P 500 Index's late-year swoon helped to push TransCanada's stock down a painful 26%. For reference, the S&P was down around 6% in 2018 and rose roughly 8% in January.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: NRG Energy Inc.(NRG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE: NRG) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $37 price objective (versus a $33.15 close) at Merrill Lynch.

  Oasis Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OAS) was reiterated as Overweight and the target price was raised to $17 from $13 at Morgan Stanley.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  NRG Energy Inc (NYSE:NRG)Q2 2018 Earnings Conference CallAug. 2, 2018, 8:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Shane Hupp]

  NRG Energy Inc (NYSE:NRG) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $40.00 to $42.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. NRG Energy traded as high as $37.32 and last traded at $37.21, with a volume of 143112 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.45.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  This stock has made a nice run off the lows, but it may hold solid upside for aggressive accounts. NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE: NRG) is an integrated independent power producer that owns and operates 27 gigawatts (GW) of conventional and renewable generating capacity in the United States and serves 3 million retail customers in Texas and the Northeast.

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2019: Thor Industries Inc.(THO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Tahoe Resources (TSE:THO) (NASDAQ:TAHO) was downgraded by analysts at Beacon Securities from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday. They currently have a C$5.75 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of C$10.00. Beacon Securities’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 61.52% from the company’s current price.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  First Allied Advisory Services Inc. lowered its position in Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE:THO) by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,104 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,060 shares during the period. First Allied Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Thor Industries were worth $401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By ]

  LCI Industries (LCII) fell 5% on the day. Patrick Industries Inc. (PATK) dropped 4.24%. Thor Industries Inc. (THO) tanked 9.83%. Winnebago Industries Inc. (WGO) fell 8.85%. 

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Montag A & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE:THO) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 9,875 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,000.

• [By ]

  Thor Industries (THO) : "They had expenses and inventory go up and it's been hurt by both. Those are negatives."

  Hain Celestial Group (HAIN) : "They had a bad quarter with bad guidance. I can't reassure you here. "

SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) Position Raised by Mirae Asset Global Investments

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:JNK) by 94.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,970 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,683 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF were worth $738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Ocean LLC raised its position in SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Private Ocean LLC now owns 1,089,092 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $36,583,000 after acquiring an additional 165,102 shares in the last quarter. NextCapital Advisers Inc. increased its stake in SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF by 56.6% in the 4th quarter. NextCapital Advisers Inc. now owns 882,302 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $29,592,000 after purchasing an additional 318,774 shares in the last quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC increased its stake in SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF by 29.0% in the 4th quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC now owns 15,750 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 3,542 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 462,814 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $16,684,000 after purchasing an additional 32,498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF by 299.4% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,523,413 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $199,119,000 after purchasing an additional 4,140,423 shares in the last quarter.

Get SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF alerts:

Shares of JNK opened at $35.67 on Thursday. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF has a 1-year low of $32.92 and a 1-year high of $36.32.

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.1734 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.83%. This is a boost from SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF’s previous monthly dividend of $0.17.

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SPDR Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Bond ETF Profile

SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly SPDR Barclays Capital High Yield Bond ETF, seeks to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the Barclays Capital High Yield Very Liquid Index (the Index). The Index includes publicly issued United States dollar denominated, non-investment grade, fixed-rate, taxable corporate bonds that have a remaining maturity of at least one year, regardless of optionality, are rated high-yield using the middle rating of Moody's, S&P, and Fitch, respectively, and have $600 million or more of outstanding face value.

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Why Shares of LivePerson Climbed 19.1% in February

What happened

LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) stock gained 19.1% in February, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The online customer service company's shares saw positive momentum early in the month thanks to bullish trends for the broader market, and gains accelerated following its fourth-quarter earnings release and some encouraging guidance.

LPSN data by YCharts.

LivePerson published its fourth-quarter and full-year results on Feb. 21. Sales for the quarter increased 15% year over year to come in at $65.7 million, narrowly beating the average analyst estimate. Earnings per share for the period came in at $0.035, topping the average analyst target by $0.02.

Image source: Getty Images.

So what

LivePerson has been seeing impressive demand for its automated customer service chat solutions. The company added 60 new customer contracts in the December quarter and signed 60 additional deals, and it also reached a record for average revenue per user. There's a lot to like about that kind of trajectory, and the company looks to have an expanding customer base to power its growth engine. Shares are up more than 80% over the last year. 

Now what

Even more encouraging than the company's fourth-quarter sales growth was guidance indicating sales growth will accelerate in 2019 and go on to reach at least 20% annual growth in 2020.

LivePerson is valued at roughly 6.3 times this year's expected sales, and it has yet to post substantial profits. That's not yet greatly concerning because the company is focused on expanding its customer base, but it means that investors should approach the stock knowing that it has the potential to be volatile if the business's growth trajectory is rattled. 

Msci Inc (MSCI) Expected to Announce Quarterly Sales of $367.85 Million

Equities research analysts expect Msci Inc (NYSE:MSCI) to report $367.85 million in sales for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Four analysts have issued estimates for Msci’s earnings, with the highest sales estimate coming in at $371.30 million and the lowest estimate coming in at $365.90 million. Msci reported sales of $351.32 million in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year-over-year growth rate of 4.7%. The business is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd.

On average, analysts expect that Msci will report full year sales of $1.53 billion for the current year, with estimates ranging from $1.52 billion to $1.54 billion. For the next year, analysts forecast that the firm will report sales of $1.67 billion, with estimates ranging from $1.65 billion to $1.70 billion. Zacks’ sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that that provide coverage for Msci.

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Msci (NYSE:MSCI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 31st. The technology company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.01. Msci had a net margin of 35.42% and a return on equity of 125.73%. The company had revenue of $361.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $360.95 million.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MSCI shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Msci from $172.00 to $159.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 8th. Barclays raised shares of Msci from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Friday, December 7th. BMO Capital Markets set a $190.00 target price on shares of Msci and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 2nd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $196.00 target price (up from $159.00) on shares of Msci in a research report on Friday, February 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Msci to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $185.00.

Shares of MSCI traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $182.44. The company had a trading volume of 338,363 shares, compared to its average volume of 615,556. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.80, a quick ratio of 2.75 and a current ratio of 2.75. Msci has a 1-year low of $134.28 and a 1-year high of $193.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.06 billion, a PE ratio of 34.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.11.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 22nd will be issued a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 21st. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. Msci’s payout ratio is 43.36%.

In other news, insider Scott A. Crum sold 19,000 shares of Msci stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.14, for a total transaction of $3,327,660.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 96,999 shares in the company, valued at $16,988,404.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.36% of the company’s stock.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Msci by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,413,485 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $945,540,000 after purchasing an additional 34,795 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Msci by 2.8% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,729,359 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $484,216,000 after purchasing an additional 73,505 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Msci by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,615,249 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $238,136,000 after purchasing an additional 39,480 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Msci by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,549,751 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,480,000 after purchasing an additional 103,911 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Msci by 43.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,265,588 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $224,540,000 after purchasing an additional 382,115 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.18% of the company’s stock.

Msci Company Profile

MSCI Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides investment decision support tools for the clients to manage their investment processes worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Index, Analytics, ESG, and Real Estate. The Index segment primarily provides equity indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including index-linked product creation and performance benchmarking, as well as portfolio construction and rebalancing, and asset allocation.

Further Reading: What are gap-down stocks?

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Zacks: Brokerages Anticipate Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp (MCB) to Announce $0.77 Earnings Per Sha

Equities research analysts expect Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp (NYSE:MCB) to report $0.77 earnings per share for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Two analysts have made estimates for Metropolitan Bank’s earnings. The highest EPS estimate is $0.78 and the lowest is $0.76. Metropolitan Bank reported earnings per share of $0.75 during the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year over year growth rate of 2.7%. The company is expected to announce its next quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th.

On average, analysts expect that Metropolitan Bank will report full year earnings of $3.38 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $3.36 to $3.40. For the next financial year, analysts forecast that the business will report earnings of $4.11 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.09 to $4.12. Zacks’ earnings per share calculations are a mean average based on a survey of research analysts that that provide coverage for Metropolitan Bank.

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Metropolitan Bank (NYSE:MCB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 24th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $21.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.03 million. Metropolitan Bank had a net margin of 26.43% and a return on equity of 10.16%.

MCB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Metropolitan Bank from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Metropolitan Bank in a research report on Thursday, January 10th.

MCB traded down $0.25 during trading on Monday, reaching $36.69. 27,830 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,307. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $301.12 million, a P/E ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 1.30. Metropolitan Bank has a 12 month low of $29.05 and a 12 month high of $55.00.

In other news, insider Mark R. Defazio sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.49, for a total transaction of $70,980.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark R. Defazio sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total transaction of $141,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $352,820 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 21.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Metropolitan Bank by 25.7% during the 4th quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 403,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,439,000 after purchasing an additional 82,397 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc increased its holdings in shares of Metropolitan Bank by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 216,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,895,000 after purchasing an additional 29,023 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Metropolitan Bank by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 216,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,895,000 after purchasing an additional 29,023 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Metropolitan Bank by 73.6% during the 2nd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 66,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,470,000 after purchasing an additional 28,038 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Context BH Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Metropolitan Bank by 94.1% during the 4th quarter. Context BH Capital Management LP now owns 50,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,569,000 after purchasing an additional 24,647 shares in the last quarter. 52.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Metropolitan Bank

Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Metropolitan Commercial Bank that provides a range of business, commercial, and retail banking products and services to small businesses, middle-market enterprises, public entities, and individuals in the New York metropolitan area.

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Best Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:FORM,IBA,JKHY,

ION Geophysical (NYSE: IO) and Glencore (OTCMKTS:GLNCY) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

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This table compares ION Geophysical and Glencore’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets ION Geophysical -12.76% -63.87% -6.05% Glencore N/A N/A N/A

Dividends

Glencore pays an annual dividend of $0.34 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. ION Geophysical does not pay a dividend. Glencore pays out 43.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Best Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2019: FormFactor, Inc.(FORM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORM) by 237.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 27,817 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 19,565 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in FormFactor were worth $370,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORM) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.90.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  FormFactor (NASDAQ:FORM) was downgraded by ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Monday.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers World Fuel Services Corporation (NYSE: INT) tumbled 18 percent to $22.90 following Q1 results. Biglari Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BH) fell 17.4 percent to $349.52. Washington Prime Group will replace Biglari Holdings in the S&P SmallCap 600 on Tuesday, May 1. Flex Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLEX) dipped 15.7 percent to $14.03 after a mixed fourth quarter report. FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM) fell 15.3 percent to $11.65. FormFactor is expected to release Q1 results on May 2. Data I/O Corporation (NASDAQ: DAIO) dropped 14.3 percent to $6.24 following Q1 results. National Instruments Corporation (NASDAQ: NATI) fell 14.3 percent to $ 42.34 after reporting Q1 results. United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) dipped 14.2 percent to $32.37 following Q1 results. Civeo Corporation (NYSE: CVEO) dropped 13.5 percent to $3.33. Civeo posted a Q1 loss of $0.42 per share on sales of $101.504 million. athenahealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN) fell 12.4 percent to $125.310 after reporting Q1 results. Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) shares tumbled 12.1 percent to $262.06 as the company posted Q1 results. Value Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: VALU) fell 11.3 percent to $19.10. Federated Investors, Inc. (NYSE: FII) shares dropped 11.2 percent to $27.605 after the company posted downbeat quarterly earnings. AV Homes, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVHI) declined 10.7 percent to $17.20 following Q1 results. CalAmp Corp. (NASDAQ: CAMP) dropped 9.4 percent to $21.01 after reporting Q4 results. Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. (NASDAQ: TNDM) shares fell 8.9 percent to $7.280 following mixed Q1 results. Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) shares fell 8.4 percent to $45.97 after reporting Q4 results. LogMeIn Inc (NASDAQ: LOGM) fell 8.2 percent to $109.825. LogMeIn reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter, but issued weak second quarter and FY18 earning guidance. Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBIO
• [By Max Byerly]

  FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORM) – Equities researchers at B. Riley dropped their FY2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for FormFactor in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, July 30th. B. Riley analyst C. Ellis now anticipates that the semiconductor company will post earnings of $0.74 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $0.98. B. Riley currently has a “Buy” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley also issued estimates for FormFactor’s Q3 2019 earnings at $0.27 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.31 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $1.07 EPS.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORM) Director Michael W. Zellner sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.49, for a total value of $148,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 41,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $564,893.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Best Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2019: Industrias Bachoco, S.A. de C.V.(IBA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Industrias Bachoco (IBA)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Bachoco (NYSE:IBA) declared a semiannual dividend on Thursday, April 26th, NASDAQ reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 11th will be given a dividend of 0.432 per share on Monday, May 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 10th. This is a boost from Bachoco’s previous semiannual dividend of $0.42.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Industrias Bachoco (IBA)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

Best Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2019: Jack Henry & Associates Inc.(JKHY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ:JKHY) by 12.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,616 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,990 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Jack Henry & Associates were worth $7,436,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Jack Henry & Associates Inc (NASDAQ:JKHY)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallAug. 22, 2018, 8:45 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Max Byerly]

  Great Lakes Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Jack Henry & Associates (NASDAQ:JKHY) by 7.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,342 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 524 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Jack Henry & Associates were worth $767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Jack Henry & Associates Inc  (NASDAQ:JKHY)Q2 2019 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 06, 2019, 8:45 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Max Byerly]

  COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “Burney Co. Has $4.72 Million Holdings in Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (JKHY)” was first reported by Ticker Report and is the property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this piece of content on another domain, it was stolen and republished in violation of international copyright & trademark legislation. The original version of this piece of content can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4200808/burney-co-has-4-72-million-holdings-in-jack-henry-associates-inc-jkhy.html.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Royce & Associates LP lessened its holdings in shares of Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ:JKHY) by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 408,799 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 21,500 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.53% of Jack Henry & Associates worth $53,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Why Zayo Group Stock Popped Today

What happened

Shares of Zayo Group (NYSE:ZAYO) were up 12% as of 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, after the internet services company revealed that it's "evaluating strategic alternatives that may enhance shareholder value."

Of course, the first option that comes to mind for many shareholders is a potential acquisition -- especially considering Zayo has reportedly attracted (and rejected) offers in recent months from groups of investors interested in taking the company private.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

So what

Zayo chairman and CEO Dan Caruso alluded to the company's end goals: "With our deep and expansive fiber networks in North America and Europe, we play a unique and compelling role at the core of our customers' networks. Whether public or private, this will remain Zayo's focus and we will continue to expand the depth and breadth of our fiber infrastructure."

The move comes as Zayo stock has slumped despite a solid quarterly report early last month; the company offered encouraging growth in net bookings, gross installations, and improved customer churn. Also of note: Shares still haven't recovered from their single-day plunge of nearly 30% last November, after the company announced disappointing third-quarter 2018 results, and a strategic plan to split its infrastructure and enterprise services businesses into two publicly traded companies.

Now what

Zayo was also clear that it can't ensure a deal will arise from the evaluation, noting it expects that to take "several weeks to months" to complete. In the meantime, the company is postponing its analyst day -- which was scheduled for March 14 -- to give its board and management time to explore options.

Given the prospect of a juicy acquisition premium potentially on the way, however, it's no surprise to see Zayo stock rebounding today in response.

Top Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:CHTR,MBI,HQH,

Today, our Under the Radar Movers newsletter suggested small cap diversified restaurant stock Ignite Restaurant Group (NASDAQ: IRG) as a short-term bullish/long trade:

"We're normally not fans of getting into a stock on a day it's up on the order of 14% the way IRG is today, but the chart/context makes Ignite Restaurant a compelling exception to that norm. The surge from last week as a little overbaked, even if defining, and the inevitable lull in the meantime appears to have run its course. Now the bulls are testing the waters again, carrying IRG back above the 100-day moving average line, and doing so with a growing degree of volume. And there's plenty of room to recover. We'll take a shot on this "second wind" effort being the one that achieves escape velocity."

Our Under the Radar Movers newsletter has a more detailed discussion about Ignite Restaurant Group's technical chart and a potential short-term bullish trading strategy:

Top Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2019: Charter Communications, Inc.(CHTR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Royal]

  The last 12 months have not been kind to shareholders of Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR). The Connecticut company behind Spectrum Cable has dropped from around $400 per share to today's $300 and change, yet the company keeps on performing. In the latest quarter, sales were up nearly 5%, while EBITDA climbed a bit higher than that, and the company keeps making moves that will enhance long-term value. Here are three reasons that you should love Charter.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Investors sold shares of Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) on strength during trading on Friday. $40.82 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $71.36 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $30.54 million out of the stock. Of all companies tracked, Charter Communications had the 0th highest net out-flow for the day. Charter Communications traded up $1.77 for the day and closed at $270.20

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Charter Communications (CHTR)

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

Top Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2019: MBIA, Inc.(MBI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  MBIA Inc. (NYSE:MBI) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 13,349 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,714% compared to the average daily volume of 736 call options.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The stock market finished lower on Friday, with triple-digit losses for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and modest declines of as much as half a percent for other major benchmarks. A mix of economic and political news kept investors on their toes to end the week, as fears of a possible attack on Syria watered down some of the potential upside that could have stemmed from solid earnings results from the banking sector during the morning. Even though many investors have pretty positive expectations going into earnings season, some companies suffered from disappointing news that sent their shares lower. Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET), Dropbox (NASDAQ:DBX), and MBIA (NYSE:MBI) were among the worst performers on the day. Here's why they did so poorly.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Monster Byte (CURRENCY:MBI) traded up 32.2% against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 8:00 AM E.T. on June 8th. Monster Byte has a market cap of $851,113.00 and $940.00 worth of Monster Byte was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Monster Byte token can now be purchased for about $0.0506 or 0.00000668 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges. In the last week, Monster Byte has traded flat against the dollar.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  MBIA Inc  (NYSE:MBI)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallMarch 01, 2019, 8:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Monster Byte (CURRENCY:MBI) traded flat against the US dollar during the 1-day period ending at 12:00 PM E.T. on October 5th. Monster Byte has a market cap of $888,357.00 and approximately $0.00 worth of Monster Byte was traded on exchanges in the last day. During the last week, Monster Byte has traded up 49.2% against the US dollar. One Monster Byte token can currently be purchased for about $0.0528 or 0.00000800 BTC on major exchanges.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Monster Byte (CURRENCY:MBI) traded flat against the US dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 18:00 PM Eastern on February 20th. Over the last seven days, Monster Byte has traded 99.4% higher against the US dollar. One Monster Byte token can now be bought for $0.0277 or 0.00000704 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges. Monster Byte has a total market capitalization of $465,423.00 and approximately $0.00 worth of Monster Byte was traded on exchanges in the last day.

Top Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2019: Tekla Healthcare Investors(HQH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Bank of Nova Scotia cut its stake in shares of Tekla Healthcare Investors (NYSE:HQH) by 19.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 17,077 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia owned about 0.17% of Tekla Healthcare Investors worth $1,493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Tekla Healthcare Investors (NYSE:HQH) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, August 20th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 28th will be given a dividend of 0.47 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, September 28th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 27th.

3 Top Cloud Computing Stocks to Buy Now

There's a battle raging between a handful of data storage companies to be the dominant player in the public cloud computing market. Apps, analytics, advertising, artificial intelligence and a host of other services all depend on cloud-based data to function, which is why Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) have invested so heavily in this tech over the past few years.

Each company is trying to carve out more market share in the $278 billion (by 2023) public cloud computing market. And the good news is that there's likely enough cloud computing demand for all three companies -- and their investors -- to benefit.

If you're interested in investing in the top cloud computing stocks, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon are the top-notch contenders you should be considering. Here's why.

Image source: Getty Images.

Alphabet's growing focus

Alphabet sells cloud computing services through its Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and right now it holds a 9.5% market share, making it the third-largest player behind Amazon and Microsoft. The company doesn't disclose how much its cloud platform makes, but a recent report from Canalys estimates that sales from GCP were $2.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018. That's far less than Amazon's revenue of $7.3 billion, but Google is making moves to help it catch up to its rivals.

Google has made several purchases of smaller cloud computing companies to help boost its services, the most recent one being the acquisition of a cloud migration company called Alooma. Google has also said that it will spend $13 billion to add additional data centers throughout the U.S. to improve its cloud services.

On Alphabet's most recent earnings call, management said that GCP had more than doubled the amount of cloud computing deals worth more than $1 million last year. And with the company's recent commitment to spending billions on building more data centers and snatching up smaller cloud companies along the way, counting Alphabet out in the cloud space would be a huge mistake.

Microsoft's reinvention of itself 

Microsoft has emerged as one of the strongest cloud computing contenders through its Azure cloud service. The company has about 16.5% of the market right now, and in the most recent quarter sales from Azure were up 76% year over year.

The company made several significant cloud deals in the second quarter, including agreements with UBS, MasterCard, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Starbucks, and Kroger.  The new Kroger deal will use Azure and Microsoft's artificial intelligence prowess to improve in-store customer experiences.

Microsoft's Azure is not only generating significant sales for the company, it's also an essential driver of gross margin as well. In the second quarter the company's commercial cloud gross margin increased by five points to an impressive 62%.

For a company that was once synonymous with PC software, it's nothing short of amazing for Microsoft to have successfully transitioned to the cloud -- and become the No. 2 player no less. Investors should expect a lot more from Microsoft's cloud business, as the company looks to pair Azure even more with artificial intelligence in the future to become a dominant AI cloud computing company.

Amazon's moneymaker

Amazon is the runaway leader in the public cloud computing space, with more than 32% market share right now. In the most recent quarter, Amazon Web Services (AWS) brought in $7.4 billion in sales, up from $5.1 billion in the year-ago quarter.

What's perhaps most impressive about Amazon's cloud computing business is how profitable it is. Last year AWS brought in $25.6 billion in sales and generated $7.29 billion in operating profit from those sales. Meanwhile, the company's 2018 North American retail sales were $141.3 billion, but the company earned just $7.26 billion in operating profit from all of those e-commerce sales. So while Amazon is known is as a retail e-commerce company, its real profits are coming from the company's AWS business.

Like Microsoft, Amazon is increasingly looking to AI to lure more companies to its cloud computing platform. Back in 2017 Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, "Inside AWS, we're excited to lower the costs and barriers to machine learning and AI so organizations of all sizes can take advantage of these advanced techniques."

With Amazon already leading the cloud computing pack and the business driving the company's operating profit, investors should expect Amazon to stay focused on building out AWS for years to come. And while Microsoft's Azure and Google Cloud Platform are making huge strides, it'll be years before either of them will be able to challenge Amazon's market share significantly.

Don't overlook cloud computing

There are plenty of other technology trends -- including autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Things, digital assistants, etc. -- to catch the eye of tech investors. But cloud computing is the engine that makes many of these technologies possible, and it's only growing in importance. As more enterprises and companies look to AI to sift through mountains of data to make their businesses more efficient, cloud computing services will play a critical role.

Is Tanger Factory Outlet Centers a Buy?

Times have been tough for retail real estate investment trusts (REITs) lately. The normally reliable industry has been hit by twin concerns about the "retail apocalypse" and the rise of e-commerce, which has eroded traffic at malls and shopping centers, especially at downscale class B and C malls.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT), one of the biggest outlet center operators in North America, has seen its stock fall 34% over the last three years amid concerns about rising vacancy rates and broader pressures in the industry. Even if brick-and-mortar retail proves to be more durable than some think, there's still the risk that Tanger will struggle to pass along rent hikes as landlords generally like to do.

For income investors, Tanger remains appealing with a 6.6% dividend yield, and the company's occupancy remains high at 96.8% as of its fourth-quarter report. Tanger is also solidly profitable, but its adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) -- the preferred metric in the REIT industry -- fell slightly last year, and the company faces a debt burden of $1.7 billion, which cost it $64.8 million in interest expense last year, eating up more than half of its operating income.

Let's take a closer look at where Tanger stands today and whether or not the stock is a buy. 

Image source: Tanger.

Tanger today

Tanger owns 36 outlet centers across the country, mostly focused in the South and Northeast, and has eight other joint ventures around North America. Given the broader pressures on the retail and shopping mall industry, the company has just one new shopping center in development, in Nashville, Tennessee, where it has begun the early due diligence process. With only one new center planned, investors should expect slow growth over the coming years.

In 2018, revenue increased just 1.3% as operating income fell, even excluding a $49.7 million impairment charge. Same-center tenant sales were up 1.9% last year, indicating some ability to pass along rent hikes, and average sales productivity was up from $380 to $385. However, AFFO was down from $245.3 million to $243.3 million, but rose from $2.46 to $2.48 per share due to fewer shares outstanding. Based on that figure, Tanger has a reasonable payout ratio of 57%, though the company may struggle to raise its dividend over the long term if it's unable to grow AFFO. 

Looking ahead, Tanger's guidance for 2019 was uninspiring, as the company sees occupancy falling to 94% to 94.5%, as it projected store closings equivalent to 150,000 to 200,000 square feet, and saw net operating income declining 2% to 2.75%. As a result, it sees funds from operations falling from $2.48 to $2.31-$2.37 this year and adjusted per share slipping from $1.03 to $0.90-$0.96. As a result of the weak outlook, investors pushed Tanger shares down 2% on the earnings report.

Is Tanger a buy?

In addition to Tanger's underwhelming guidance and slow development growth, there are other reasons to be wary of the company's future. Its two biggest tenants, Ascena Retail Group (the parent of apparel chains including Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant) and Gap Inc., have both announced store closures recently, and Ascena, which is struggling to generate a profit, is in the midst of a long-term store optimization plan. A number of Tanger's other retail tenants are also in the process of closing stores, or could be on the verge of doing so. 

Besides the threat from tenants closing stores, there's also the risk of recession, which many analysts think could happen within the next two years. Such a downturn could force many of Tanger's retail tenants to shutter stores or even go bankrupt. As an outlet center, which draws consumers with discounted merchandise, Tanger may be at an advantage over some of its landlord competitors, but that makes little difference to the retail tenants its business depends on. And with debt making up three-quarters of its assets, leverage and interest expenses remain risks as well.

Tanger stock isn't about to collapse, as its 6.6% dividend yield should put a floor on the stock, and its model is less macroeconomically sensitive than the retailers it depends on, but its future prospects look modest at best. Even dividend investors should be able to find a better combination of yield and growth elsewhere.

Buy City Union Bank; target of Rs 228: Cholamandalam Securities

Cholamandalam Securities' research report on City Union Bank

During 3QFY19, CUB's loan book grew by 17.4% YoY (beating CSEC estimate of 15.8%) to INR 306bn, driven by growth in, Agriculture (27.3%YoY), Retail trade segments (27.3%YoY) and MSME (14.3%YoY). Wholesale trade and JL Non Agricultural segments also grew by 12.7% YoY and 11.6% YoY respectively. The management has reiterated that it expects an overall growth in loan book of 18-20% going forward. Bank's loan portfolio mix remains in the same range (sequentially) with major contributors being, MSME (33.7%), Agriculture (14.7%), Wholesale trade (13.6%), Large industries (6.6%) and Housing loan (6.6%) segments. Yield on advances spiked by 10bps sequentially, which together with a 8bps QoQ fall in cost of funds resulted in a 9bps QoQ improvement in NIMs. Deposits showed a healthy growth of 13.3%YoY (in line with CSEC estimate of 13.1%) to INR 355bn. CASA deposits grew by 21.2% YoY, predominantly led by surge in savings deposits by 25.4%YoY. Consequently, CASA as a share of deposit went up to 23.9% from 22.3% in 3QFY18.

Outlook

CUB's well-maintained asset quality coupled with superior margins paint a positive outlook for the bank. The stock is currently trading at a P/ABV of 2.6x of FY21E. We maintain our BUY rating, with a target price of INR 228, assigning a P/ABV of 2.8X FY21E.

For all recommendations report, click here

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Read More First Published on Mar 1, 2019 04:11 pm

3 Dividend Stocks That Pay You Better Than Coca-Cola Does

When it comes to dividend stocks, Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) is a household name. In fact, the beverage giant just approved its 57th consecutive annual dividend increase, bumping it up to $0.40 per share and a juicy yield of 3.5%. But if investors are looking for even bigger dividend yields for their portfolios, three Motley Fool contributors suggest taking a peek at Macy's (NYSE:M), Oaktree Capital Group (NYSE:OAK), and General Motors (NYSE:GM). Here's why.

A cash-generating retailer

Jeremy Bowman (Macy's): One dividend stock that I think continues to look appealing, especially to contrarian investors, is Macy's, the department-store chain that has essentially defined the category for more than a century.

Today, Macy's offers a 6.1% dividend yield, much better than Coca-Cola's at 3.5%, and the company is stably profitable despite concerns about a "retail apocalypse." Macy's just wrapped up a year with comparable sales growth of 2.4% on a shifted and owned-plus-licensed basis, and it expects comps growth of flat to 1% for the current year -- modest growth but growth nonetheless.

Considering shares are trading at a P/E of less than 8 based on this year's adjusted-earnings-per-share guidance of $3.05 to $3.25, the stock looks cheap and the dividend is well funded. Macy's also has a bevy of valuable real estate that it is slowly spinning off as it consolidates its store base. At one point, its real estate portfolio was valued at as much as $21 billion by Starboard Value, making the stock, which has a market cap of just $7.6 billion, look like a serious asset play.

Though Macy's stores may have a stodgy reputation among investors, the company has growth outlets including its off-price Backstage stores, its BlueMercury cosmetics chain, and its omnichannel business and loyalty program. The company is also investing in store remodels and e-commerce strategies to continue driving growth. 

Given its steady profits, valuable real estate portfolio, and growth initiatives, Macy's and its 6% yield look attractive for dividend investors today.

A fat yield for patient investors

Jordan Wathen (Oaktree Capital Group): With the world awash in cash, Oaktree Capital Group, which built its record on investing in distressed assets, has spent the last several years treading water.

Oaktree Capital Group makes its money managing other people's money. It manages about $96 billion of investor wealth, plus another $24 billion of assets when its ownership of bond manager DoubleLine Capital is included, for a total of $120 billion. Most of its assets under management come from private funds with long lockup periods, meaning that once investors buy in, they'll have to wait years to take their cash back out, giving Oaktree a stable base of assets on which it collects recurring management fees and incentive fees for good performance.

It's hard to understate the value of Oaktree's relationships and investment record. A record of outperformance and doing right by its investors gives Oaktree the credibility to raise billion-dollar funds even in turbulent markets. During the financial crisis, for example, Oaktree raised billions of dollars in short order, something very few investors can do in times of distress. In some ways, Oaktree is arguably the only countercyclical asset manager, as its business improves when things take a turn for the worse.

Shares yield about 7%, though because Oaktree isn't a traditional corporation (it's a partnership for tax purposes), it pays no income tax. Instead, it passes on the tax burden to investors, who receive a K-1 tax form with income that comes in the form of a mix of capital gains (short and long term), dividends, and ordinary income. That said, investors in the highest of brackets should earn a post-tax yield well in excess of Coca-Cola's.

Detroit's driverless dividend

Daniel Miller (General Motors): Dividend investors are generally looking for juicy yields, but not all sky-high yields are stable. If you're looking for a dividend yield above Coca-Cola's 3.5%, Detroit's largest automaker, General Motors, offers an intriguing balance between juicy yield, low price-to-earnings ratio, and intriguing future potential as the world moves toward driverless vehicles.

Speaking of driverless vehicles, General Motors has taken multiple steps to prepare the company for that future. One such move came late last year when it joined forces with Japanese automaker Honda to pursue large-scale deployment of autonomous vehicle technology. Honda invested $750 million in GM Cruise, which values the driverless unit at $14.6 billion. Not only is that valuation impressive considering GM's total market capitalization is $55 billion, but remember that GM only purchased Cruise Automation in 2016 -- when it had roughly 40 employees -- for $1 billion. Honda will contribute an additional $2 billion over 12 years to jointly developing autonomous vehicles for Cruise to be used in a wide variety of projects and manufactured at high volume.

Cruise leadership at time of GM's purchase. Image source: General Motors.

GM Cruise has become a very important aspect of GM's future, especially considering it has the backing of GM, SoftBank, and now Honda. GM Cruise's tantalizing potential has Joseph Spak, an RBC Capital Markets analyst, predicting the unit could generate $32 billion in revenue as soon as 2030. Spak went as far as to develop a model that turned out a net present value of a staggering $43 billion.

Yes, Detroit's largest automaker faces challenges, including the plateauing North America vehicle market, which generates a majority of the company's profits. However, the company is arguably better prepared for the future than it has ever been and, despite near-term challenges, offers a solid 3.8% dividend yield. At a meager forward price-to-earnings ratio of 5.8 times, GM is an enticing dividend stock.