AES (AES) Reaches New 12-Month High at $13.59

AES Corp (NYSE:AES)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $13.59 and last traded at $13.46, with a volume of 390110 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.43.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Investment Research cut AES from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 10th. Bank of America lowered AES from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $12.50 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, July 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on AES from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 20th. Scotiabank upgraded AES from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on AES in a report on Friday, April 27th. They set a “weight” rating and a $13.50 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.00.

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The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.80 billion, a PE ratio of 12.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.18.

AES (NYSE:AES) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. AES had a negative net margin of 3.63% and a positive return on equity of 18.70%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. equities research analysts forecast that AES Corp will post 1.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 2nd. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. AES’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.15%.

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AES. Aristotle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AES by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 18,490,269 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $210,234,000 after buying an additional 1,069,686 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in AES by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,801,885 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $238,723,000 after purchasing an additional 91,198 shares in the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AES by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 10,606,820 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $120,599,000 after purchasing an additional 194,074 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of AES by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,125,646 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $92,388,000 after acquiring an additional 70,732 shares during the period. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AES by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 4,477,515 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,909,000 after acquiring an additional 24,156 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.44% of the company’s stock.

AES Company Profile

The AES Corporation operates as a diversified power generation and utility company. It owns and/or operates power plants to generate and sell power to customers, such as utilities, industrial users, and other intermediaries. The company also owns and/or operates utilities to generate or purchase, distribute, transmit, and sell electricity to end-user customers in the residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental sectors; and generates and sells electricity on the wholesale market.

Read More: How Do You Make Money With Penny Stocks?

Accumulate Hindustan Unilever; target of Rs 1800: KR Choksey

KR Choksey's research report on Hindustan Unilever

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) posted its Q1FY19 results which were above our estimates on YoY basis. Net revenue for Q1FY19 stood at INR 94.8 Bn (+11.2 YoY), as against our estimate of INR 92.8 Bn. A revival in consumer sentiments and pick-up in consumer demand, especially in rural India has resulted in volume momentum during the quarter. The top line was mainly driven by Foods & Refreshments segment, which reported revenue of INR 17.8 Bn (+8% YoY). EBIDTA stood at INR 22.5 Bn (+20.6% YoY), with OPM at 23.7% (+185 bps YoY). Reduction in purchase of trade goods by 20% on YoY basis has resulted in higher EBITDA and OPM during the quarter. PAT for Q1FY19 stood at INR 15.3 Bn (+19.2% YoY), with NPM of 16.1% (+107 bps YoY). An increase in other income by 19.5% YoY has resulted in higher PAT and NPM during the quarter.

Outlook

At CMP of INR 1,640 HUL is trading at P/E of 54.5x for FY20E. We assign P/E multiple of 59.8x and revising the target price to INR 1,800 with ��ACCUMULATE�� rating on the stock representing an upside of 9.8%.

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 Jul 20, 2018 05:05 pm

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:STO,CVV,LOCO,PGR,NRIM,

Conventional wisdom suggests that investors should find safe stocks to buy. Penny stocks and potential “triple-baggers” might be more exciting and a big win might provide a better story, but experts will tell you the smart play is to benefit from compounding returns in safe, stable stocks.

That general strategy is similar to that followed by Warren Buffett with Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A, NYSE:BRK.B), for instance. Buffett looks for “forever stocks,” with a portfolio that ranges from key parts of the industrial supply chain to consumer brands like The Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO) and Dairy Queen. Investors following that type of strategy — again, so the conventional wisdom goes — should benefit from lower volatility and larger returns over time.

Of course, there are a couple of problems with this advice.

The first is that choosing safe stocks to buy is much harder than Buffett himself has made it look. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) was considered a “widows and orphans” stock for decades — and it went bankrupt in 2008. Investors in 1985 could have argued Dow Jones component companies Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:KODK), GM, and Sears Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:SHLD) were among the safest plays in the market.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2019: Statoil ASA(STO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Another highlight in April was that Shell gave the green light to the Vito project, which is a joint venture with Statoil (NYSE:STO) in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell and Statoil were able to cut that project's cost estimate by 70% from the original design so that it's now profitable at $35 a barrel. The partners expect the project to produce 100,000 BOE/D of low-cost oil and gas when it comes online in 2021.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Statoil (NYSE: STO) and Delek US (NYSE:DK) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability and risk.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Anyone that has watched oil prices tick up recently has probably expected oil producers to report some impressive earnings results this past quarter, and Statoil (NYSE:STO) did just that with a 21% boost to the bottom line. At the same time, management is using all of its additional cash to do some wheeling and dealing that should help boost its growth possibilities in the nearer term.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2019: CVD Equipment Corporation(CVV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2019: El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.(LOCO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Nathan’s Famous (NASDAQ: NATH) and El Pollo LoCo (NASDAQ:LOCO) are both small-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends and profitability.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on El Pollo LoCo (LOCO)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on El Pollo LoCo (LOCO)

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

• [By Asit Sharma]

  Shares of citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken purveyor El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc�(NASDAQ:LOCO)�have climbed nearly 9% year to date, which is no small news given their halving since a July 2014 IPO, and subsequent doldrums over the last three years:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of El Pollo LoCo (NASDAQ:LOCO) from a strong sell rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

  Several other research firms also recently weighed in on LOCO. BidaskClub upgraded El Pollo LoCo from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, June 22nd. SunTrust Banks set a $11.00 target price on El Pollo LoCo and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, March 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an equal weight rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down previously from $12.00) on shares of El Pollo LoCo in a research report on Monday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. El Pollo LoCo has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $12.40.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2019: Progressive Corporation (PGR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of Progressive Co. (NYSE:PGR) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 60,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,659,000.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Profund Advisors LLC lowered its position in Progressive Corp (NYSE:PGR) by 13.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,644 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,636 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Progressive were worth $1,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Element Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Progressive Corp (NYSE:PGR) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 138,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $8,408,000.

• [By Max Byerly]

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

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

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Let's talk the top news in the marijuana industry today… including four stocks that could surge up to 1,000% during this election year.�Here's what you need to know…

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Tuesday Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) is leading a busy day of earnings reports on Tuesday. Shares are off 0.4% after the firm despite reporting a 40% year-over-year jump in profits and stronger-than-expected revenue. The firm reported earnings per share (EPS) of $5.98 on top of $9.40 billion in revenue. The Wall Street giant was expected to report EPS of $4.67 on top of $8.71 billion in revenue. The investment bank's first six months of 2018 were its strongest in nine years. The stock slipped after the company announced that president David Solomon will be replacing CEO Lloyd Blankfein when he steps down from his role. Blankfein has been CEO for 12 years. It's fair to say that�Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) went to the dogs on Monday. The company has extended its Prime Day promotion through 3 a.m. on Wednesday. The announcement came after the firm suffered significant outages during the start of the event on Monday afternoon. Rather than get access to deals, many customers were met with pictures of dogs, the firm's standard error page. Finally, pay close attention to events on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The U.S. House Judiciary Committee will question leaders of Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL), Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR), and Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) about how they store and filter user content. Last year, the Senate and House of Representatives slammed the companies for their roles in and responses to Russia's interference in the 2016 election. Three Stocks to Watch Today: CSX, NFLX, KKR CSX Corp.�(Nasdaq: CSX) will help lead today's earnings calendar. Wall Street expects that the company will report EPS of $0.86 on top of $2.98 billion in revenue. Shares of Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) slipped after the firm's user-growth estimates and quart
• [By Logan Wallace]

  OppenheimerFunds Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Progressive Corp (NYSE:PGR) by 0.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,359,477 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 24,573 shares during the period. OppenheimerFunds Inc.’s holdings in Progressive were worth $326,553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2019: Northrim BanCorp Inc(NRIM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Northrim BanCorp Inc (NASDAQ:NRIM)’s share price hit a new 52-week high and low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $40.05 and last traded at $39.85, with a volume of 561 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $40.00.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Capitol Federal Financial (NASDAQ: CFFN) and Northrim BanCorp (NASDAQ:NRIM) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, profitability, valuation and dividends.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Northrim BanCorp (NASDAQ: NRIM) and Hometrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Kearny Financial (NASDAQ: KRNY) and Northrim BanCorp (NASDAQ:NRIM) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:CSPI,VNET,BCEI,PMBC,XOMA, &l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-849890542&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/849890542/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;657&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Warren Buffett (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage)

The much-anticipated release of Warren Buffett&s;s annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)&a;nbsp; shareholders at the end of February ignited the internet with a flurry of market and investment commentary. Some focused on the Berkshire&s;s hefty cash balances against the dearth of acquisition opportunities, while others expanded on the famous ten-year, million-dollar bet Buffett waged&a;mdash;and won&a;mdash;that the S&a;amp;P 500 would outperform a bundle of hedge funds (selected by investor Ted Seides).

Still others, like the &l;em&g;Wall Street Journal&s;s&l;/em&g; &l;a href=&q;https://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2018/03/02/is-warren-buffett-too-big-to-beat-the-market/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Jason Zweig&l;/a&g;, zeroed in on what Buffett chose &l;em&g;not &l;/em&g;to mention in the letter&a;mdash;that over the same ten-year period, Berkshire Hathaway also failed to outperform the S&a;amp;P 500 (returning only 7.7% annually versus the index&s;s 8.5% return). But this has come as no surprise to the billionaire who, writes Zweig, has been warning that &q;size is the enemy of excellence&q; for &q;longer than many investors have been alive.&q; Berkshire has grown so large, Zweig adds, that &q;even a $10 billion deal that doubles in value would barely register in the company&s;s returns.&q;

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: CSP Inc.(CSPI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Headlines about CSP (NASDAQ:CSPI) have been trending somewhat positive this week, according to Accern. The research firm identifies negative and positive media coverage by monitoring more than 20 million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. CSP earned a news sentiment score of 0.07 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave headlines about the information technology services provider an impact score of 44.9831568716707 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the immediate future.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: 21Vianet Group, Inc.(VNET)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) shares jumped 26.5 percent to $6.9042. Blink Charging reported Q1 net income of $2.2 million, versus a year-ago net loss of $3.1 million. Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBIO) shares climbed 17.4 percent to $3.11. Eleven Biotherapeutics posted a Q1 loss of $0.11 per share. Flanigan's Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: BDL) shares jumped 17 percent to $27.97 following Q2 results. Flanigan's Enterprises posted Q2 earnings of $0.75 per share on sales of $29.456 million. Borqs Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRQS) rose 15.8 percent to $8.05 after reporting Q1 results. Abaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABAX) jumped 15.3 percent to $82.75. Zoetis Inc. (NYSE: ZTS) announced plans to acquire Abaxis for $83 per share in cash. 21Vianet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNET) gained 15.1 percent to $6.33. Gemphire Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: GEMP) rose 13.8 percent to $6.27. Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH) gained 12.8 percent to $5.98. H.C. Wainwright initiated coverage on Enphase Energy with a Buy rating. PetIQ Inc (NASDAQ: PETQ) shares surged 12.1 percent to $21.68 after reporting a first-quarter sales beat. NF Energy Saving Corporation (NASDAQ: NFEC) climbed 11.6 percent to $2.399. Allied Healthcare Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: AHPI) surged 11.4 percent to $3.0643. Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BOOT) gained 11.1 percent to $24.40 after the company reported upbeat results for its fourth quarter and issued strong first-quarter earnings guidance. Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) rose 10.9 percent to $3.16. Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) gained 10.1 percent to $11.71 after reporting Q1 results. GEE Group, Inc. (NYSE: JOB) climbed 7.9 percent to $2.61 following Q2 results. The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. (NASDAQ: STKS) gained 7.6 percent to $2.41 after reporting Q1 results. Biolinerx Ltd/S ADR (NASDAQ: BLRX) rose 7.3 percent to $0.8798 after the company was granted a patent approval. The clinical-st
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) shares climbed 31.68 percent to close at $7.19 on Wednesday. Blink Charging reported Q1 net income of $2.2 million, versus a year-ago net loss of $3.1 million. Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBIO) shares gained 24.15 percent to close at $3.29. Eleven Biotherapeutics posted a Q1 loss of $0.11 per share. 21Vianet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNET) shares surged 24 percent to close at $6.82. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) gained 20.25 percent to close at $4.87. HUYA Inc. (NYSE: HUYA) shares surged 18.42 percent to close at $22.50 Abaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABAX) rose 16.15 percent to close at $83.34. Zoetis Inc. (NYSE: ZTS) announced plans to acquire Abaxis for $83 per share in cash. Pain Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTIE) shares jumped 16.07 percent to close at $10.62. Bilibili Inc. (NASDAQ: BILI) rose 16.04 percent to close at $14.11. Gemphire Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: GEMP) gained 14.88 percent to close at $6.33. Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE: FENG) rose 13.96 percent to close at $5.55. Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE: DQ) jumped 13.88 percent to close at $67.27 on Wednesday. Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) jumped 12.59 percent to close at $11.98 after reporting Q1 results. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VKTX) rose 12.01 percent to close at $5.13. Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) gained 11.93 percent to close at $3.19. Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BOOT) climbed 11.66 percent to close at $24.52 on Wednesday after the company reported upbeat results for its fourth quarter and issued strong first-quarter earnings guidance. Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M) rose 10.83 percent to close at $33.17 after the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter and lifted guidance. ChemoCentryx, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCXI) gained 9.36 percent to close at $12.50. Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on ChemoCentryx with a Buy rating. Biolinerx Ltd/S ADR (NASDAQ: BLRX)
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) shares jumped 113.5 percent to $0.6737 after the California Department of Pesticide Regulation proposed to register the company's ContraPest for sale and use in California. AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: UAVS) shares rose 35.34 percent to close at $3.32. Art's-Way Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: ARTW) shares gained 30.36 percent to $3.65. Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: XTNT) shares jumped 25.6 percent to $7.4701 after the company disclosed that it has received the FDA clearance for InTice™-C Porous Titanium Cervical Interbody System. VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY) shares surged 20 percent to $2.495. TransGlobe Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: TGA) surged 17.04 percent to $2.61. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) gained 15 percent to $8.32 after the company announced an exclusive partnership with Multi Touch Interactives to strengthen the development of next generation interactive educational activities. Arcimoto, Inc. (NASDAQ: FUV) gained 15 percent to $3.39. MB Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBFI) rose 13.7 percent to $49.64. Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) agreed to acquire MB Financial for $54.70 per share in cash and stock. FRONTEO, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTEO) shares rose 11.8 percent to $20.956. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) shares jumped 11.1 percent to $3.38. 21Vianet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNET) rose 10.6 percent to $7.41. NII Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NIHD) shares gained 9 percent to $2.32. Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) rose 7.6 percent to $24.19. Northcoast Research upgraded Kelly Services from Neutral to Buy. LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) shares climbed 5.6 percent to $33.70. Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) will buy LaSalle Hotel Properties in a $4.8 billion deal, Bloomberg reported. Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE: AYX) gained 5.5 percent to $32.56. KeyBanc upgraded Alteryx from Sector Weight to Overweight. Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc.(BCEI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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

• [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 Joseph Griffin]

  Bonanza Creek Energy (NYSE:BCEI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at ValuEngine from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

• [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 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

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: Pacific Mercantile Bancorp(PMBC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Pacific Mercantile Bancorp (NASDAQ:PMBC) was downgraded by analysts at ValuEngine from a buy rating to a hold rating.

  Pzena Investment Management (NYSE:PZN) was downgraded by analysts at ValuEngine from a hold rating to a sell rating.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  PNC Financial Services (NYSE: PNC) and Pacific Mercantile Bancorp (NASDAQ:PMBC) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, risk, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: XOMA Corporation(XOMA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

  Get XOMA alerts: Botulism Market Therapeutic Pipeline, H1 2018 Therapy Area, Drug Profile and Major Key Players (talkinvestor.com) Hypoglycemia Market Pipeline Review H1- Target Drug Profile, Top Industry Intelligence, Major Key Players and R&D … (expertherald.com) Hypoglycemia Market Research Report Pipeline Review H1 Assessment by Mechanism of Action, Drug Profile and … (trueindustrynews.com) Anterior Uveitis Market Pipeline Review Development by Therapy Area, Stage of Development and Indication (thefreenewsman.com) Zacks: Analysts Anticipate XOMA Corp (XOMA) Will Announce Quarterly Sales of $4.57 Million (americanbankingnews.com)

  Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on XOMA shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of XOMA from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 16th. HC Wainwright set a $49.00 price objective on shares of XOMA and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 10th. TheStreet upgraded shares of XOMA from a “d” rating to a “c-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 12th. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of XOMA in a research report on Thursday, May 10th. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded shares of XOMA from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $36.33.

• [By Lisa Levin]

    

  Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLSD) shares declined 32.19 percent to close at $9.86 on Thursday. Clearside Biomedical disclosed that its Phase 2 trial of CLS-TA met primary and secondary endpoints met in 6-month trial. scPharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: SCPH) shares dipped 30.1 percent to close at $9.94 on Thursday after the FDA identified deficiencies in the company’s New Drug Application for FUROSCIX. However, the FDA letter did not specify deficiencies identified and notification does not reflect final decision on information under review. Euroseas Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESEA) fell 24.08 percent to close at $1.86. Euroseas announced completion of the spin-off of its drybulk fleet into EuroDry Ltd. Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ: GLNG) fell 25.09 percent to close at $25.98 following Q1 results. Oragenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OGEN) shares dropped 25 percent to close at $1.50 on Thursday. Guess', Inc. (NYSE: GES) dropped 19.44 percent to close at $19.60 following Q1 results. Cantel Medical Corp. (NYSE: CMD) dropped 15.94 percent to close at $109.09 on Thursday following FQ3 results. Fusion Connect, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSNN) shares fell 15.55 percent to close at $3.91. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW) dropped 14.44 percent to close at $8.00 after reporting Q1 results. Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) shares declined 14.28 percent to close at $82.59 after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its first quarter and lowered its FY2018 earnings guidance. Titan Machinery Inc. (NASDAQ: TITN) dropped 13.94 percent to close at $18.09 after reporting Q1 results. Co-Diagnostics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CODX) declined 13.17 percent to close at $2.90 after declining 5.65 percent on Wednesday. Concordia International Corp. (NASDAQ: CXRX) fell 12.89 percent to close at $0.2440 after the company announced that it would be delisted from the Nasdaq. Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) slipped 12.46 percent

Buy Rallis India; target of Rs 271: HDFC Securities

HDFC Securities' research report on Rallis India

Rallis India reported strong results� for 1QFY19. Consolidated revenues stood� at Rs� 5.73bn� (+29.7% YoY), the performance was largely driven by strong� volume� growth� and� marginal� price hike. As the seeds business is largely� Kharif� focused, subsidiary revenues (Metahelix) grew by 11.3% YoY to Rs� 2.20bn. Consolidated EBITDA stood at Rs 831mn (+19.8% YoY), EBITDA margins� declined� by� 120bps YoY to 14.5%. Despite the steep fall in gross margins to 39.6% (-654bps YoY), the drop in employee cost (-146bps YoY) and other� expenditures� (-387bps YoY) owes to operating leverage. Consequently APAT was at Rs 547mn (+20.7% YoY). For 1QFY19,� Rallis� margins� were� under pressure largely on 1) The price� control� on cotton seeds and return of high value inventory by� dealers, 2)� 1QFY19� is more of the generic product sales, which has� low� margins� 3)� Raw� material� supply� constraints because of plant shutdown� in China and 4) The new CSM division, which commissioned in 4QFY18� is� yet� to stabilize.

Outlook
The management has indicated the price� hike in coming quarters. The result of uptick in crop sowing will be reflected more in 2QFY19, which is also crucial quarter for Rallis.

For all recommendations report, click here

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Read More First Published on Jul 18, 2018 04:51 pm

Brokers Issue Forecasts for Simply Good Foods Co’s Q4 2018 Earnings (SMPL)

Simply Good Foods Co (NASDAQ:SMPL) – Equities researchers at SunTrust Banks lifted their Q4 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Simply Good Foods in a research note issued on Tuesday, July 10th. SunTrust Banks analyst W. Chappell now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $0.15 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.14. SunTrust Banks currently has a “Buy” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for Simply Good Foods’ Q4 2019 earnings at $0.15 EPS.

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Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Simply Good Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Simply Good Foods from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Consumer Edge assumed coverage on Simply Good Foods in a research report on Monday, July 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank dropped their price target on Simply Good Foods from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.83.

Simply Good Foods opened at $17.32 on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The company has a quick ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 4.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Simply Good Foods has a 12 month low of $10.93 and a 12 month high of $17.48.

Simply Good Foods (NASDAQ:SMPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, meeting the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.10. The business had revenue of $107.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.24 million. Simply Good Foods had a return on equity of 2.48% and a net margin of 10.02%. Simply Good Foods’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Simply Good Foods during the first quarter worth $143,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Simply Good Foods during the first quarter worth $162,000. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Simply Good Foods during the fourth quarter worth $186,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Simply Good Foods during the first quarter worth $254,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in Simply Good Foods during the fourth quarter worth $260,000. 85.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

In other news, COO Hanno E. Holm purchased 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $12.78 per share, for a total transaction of $51,120.00. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Todd E. Cunfer purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $13.19 per share, with a total value of $131,900.00. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Simply Good Foods

The Simply Good Foods Company develops, markets, and sells branded nutritional foods and snack products in North America and internationally. The company markets nutrition bars, ready-to-drink shakes, snacks, and confectionery products under the Atkins, SimplyProtein, Atkins Endulge, and Atkins Harvest Trail brand names.

99,352 Shares in INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL (SPLV) Acquired by Private Asset Managemen

Private Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL (NYSEARCA:SPLV) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 99,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,667,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SPLV. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL during the first quarter worth $106,000. Certified Advisory Corp lifted its stake in shares of INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL by 177.0% during the first quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 3,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $175,000 after buying an additional 2,393 shares during the period. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL during the first quarter worth $204,000. Kendall Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL during the fourth quarter worth $239,000. Finally, D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL during the first quarter worth $267,000.

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Shares of NYSEARCA:SPLV traded up $0.30 on Tuesday, hitting $48.13. 34,802 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,782,037. INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL has a 1-year low of $44.33 and a 1-year high of $49.36.

The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 19th were paid a dividend of $0.0884 per share. This is an increase from INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL’s previous monthly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 18th.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SPLV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for INVESCO EXCHANG/S&P 500 LOW VOLATIL (NYSEARCA:SPLV).

MiMedx Group Inc (MDXG) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

MiMedx Group Inc (NASDAQ:MDXG) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $13.50.

A number of research firms have issued reports on MDXG. ValuEngine upgraded MiMedx Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 2nd. BidaskClub upgraded MiMedx Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, June 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of MiMedx Group in a report on Thursday, March 15th.

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MiMedx Group traded down $0.41, reaching $3.35, during trading hours on Monday, Marketbeat reports. 6,406,683 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,563,550. The stock has a market cap of $417.49 million, a PE ratio of 17.91 and a beta of 1.56. MiMedx Group has a 12 month low of $3.20 and a 12 month high of $18.25.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MDXG. Consonance Capital Management LP bought a new position in MiMedx Group during the fourth quarter worth about $75,543,000. Senzar Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in MiMedx Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,159,000. UBS Group AG lifted its position in MiMedx Group by 681.0% during the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 758,711 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $5,288,000 after acquiring an additional 661,559 shares during the last quarter. Think Investments LP acquired a new stake in MiMedx Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,826,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in MiMedx Group by 868.0% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 493,749 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $6,226,000 after acquiring an additional 442,744 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.30% of the company’s stock.

About MiMedx Group

MiMedx Group, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, develops and markets regenerative biologics utilizing human placental tissue allografts with patent-protected processes for various sectors of healthcare. It processes the human placental tissue utilizing its proprietary PURION Process to produce allografts.

Hot Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:CMP,EMR,KSS,IBM,XPO,

On paper, Chesapeake Energy (CHK) may look like an attractive investment, considering that its earnings will likely grow meaningfully in 2018 and the stock is one of the cheapest in the industry. But I believe this may be a value trap and investors should avoid this stock.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Performance so far

There��s no denying that Chesapeake Energy has delivered a decent performance in 2017 by improving a number of key financial metrics. In the first nine months of this year, the company managed to grow its revenues from the sale of hydrocarbons by 42.8% from last year to $3.73 billion, thanks to the improvement in energy prices. The company��s total production actually dropped 19.4% in the same period to 145 million boe or around 533,000 boepd. More importantly, this has been a profitable year for Chesapeake Energy. The company has clocked a net profit (as adjusted) of $464 million for the first nine months of this year, which is in contrast to last year when it lost $107 million. Moreover, Chesapeake Energy has booked $273 million of net cash flow from operations for the first nine months of this year, which is markedly higher than just $50 million of cash flows reported for the corresponding period last year.

Hot Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: Compass Minerals Intl Inc(CMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) was downgraded by investment analysts at ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Hot Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: Emerson Electric Company(EMR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. cut its stake in shares of Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 111,625 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,015 shares during the quarter. Emerson Electric makes up approximately 2.4% of Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $7,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Lee Samaha]

  In common with many other industrial companies, like Danaher, Pentair has been taking action to become a more focused investment proposition for investors. The sale of its valves and controls business to Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) in the spring of 2017 turned out to be well-timed for Emerson, as it occurred precisely at the time when oil and gas capital spending started picking up.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Flippin Bruce & Porter Inc. decreased its holdings in Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) by 33.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 33,574 shares during the quarter. Flippin Bruce & Porter Inc.’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $4,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Hot Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Wall Street brokerages expect Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) to post earnings per share (EPS) of $0.49 for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Four analysts have issued estimates for Kohl’s’ earnings. The lowest EPS estimate is $0.39 and the highest is $0.63. Kohl’s posted earnings of $0.39 per share in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 25.6%. The company is expected to report its next earnings report before the market opens on Tuesday, May 22nd.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.97 per share on revenue of $2.91 billion. Kohl's Corporation (NYSE: KSS) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.5 per share on revenue of $3.95 billion. The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.02 per share on revenue of $8.47 billion. AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE: AZO) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $13.01 per share on revenue of $2.72 billion. Dycom Industries, Inc. (NYSE: DY) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.7 per share on revenue of $734.86 million. Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.79 per share on revenue of $425.42 million. Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAB) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.07 per share on revenue of $124.17 million. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.93 per share on revenue of $715.15 million. Radcom Ltd. (NASDAQ: RDCM) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $718.59 million. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.04 per share on revenue of $718.96 million. CYREN Ltd. (NASDAQ: CYRN) is estimated to report quarterly loss at $0.08 per share on revenue of $7.72 million. Ferroglobe PLC (NYSE: GSM) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.16 per share on revenue of $559.15 million. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited (NYSE: RDY) is estimated to report earnings for its fourth quarter. BioLineRx Ltd. (NASDAQ: BLRX) is expected to report quarterly loss at $0.07 per share. Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE: TOL) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.76 per share on revenue of $1.58 billion.

   

• [By JJ Kinahan]

  It’s all retail all the time this week, with Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE: KSS), Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT), Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE: FL), and Tiffany & Co (NYSE: TIF) among the big names scheduled to report. Last week saw mixed signals from retailers, with Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) and Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) both delivering impressive results while J.C. Penney Company Inc. (NYSE: JCP) and Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) received poor reviews from the Street. TGT is arguably the biggest one to watch in the days ahead (see more detail below).

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) Q1 2018 Earnings Conference CallMay. 22, 2018 9:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Ostrum Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 15,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,016,000.

Hot Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

  An IBM (NYSE: IBM) hardware system was used to help complete the project.

  ALSO READ: 12 American Companies That Control Tech

• [By JJ Kinahan]

  After the close yesterday, “Big Blue,” otherwise known as IBM (NYSE: IBM), reported earnings per share of $2.45, beating Wall Street analysts’ consensus estimate of $2.40. Revenue of $19.1 billion beat the third-party consensus view of $18.7 billion, marking the second-straight quarter of year-over-year revenue growth after a more than five-year-stretch of revenue losses. However, a decline in gross margin led some analysts to conclude IBM's shift from legacy hardware and software businesses to cloud computing and "big data" — higher-margin businesses — is not happening fast enough. IBM shares fell over 5 percent in aftermarket trading.

• [By Money Morning Staff Reports]

  A nearly 9% rally on Oct. 18 gave International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) shareholders a long-awaited reprieve from the bear market that was 2017. It was the stock's single best day in nine years.

• [By Daniel B. Kline]

  Lewis:�To give a sense of where we were and where we are now, Dan,�I'm going to run through the largest market-cap companies in 1993, and the largest market-cap companies now.�I think you're going to notice a little bit of a trend here. In�1993, you have GM (NYSE: GM),�ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), Ford Motor (NYSE: F), IBM (NYSE: IBM), General Electric (NYSE: GE). Fast-forward to 2018, you have Apple, Amazon, Alphabet,�Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Facebook. Tech goes from being one of the five to being the entire list, which really speaks to how much this space has taken over the economy and the broad market in general.�

• [By Paul Ausick]

  International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2017 results after markets closed Thursday. For the quarter, the technology giant company posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $5.18 on revenues of $22.54 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $5.01 on revenues of $21.77 billion. First-quarter results compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $5.17 and $22.05 billion in revenues.

Hot Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: Express-1 Expedited Solutions Inc.(XPO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington, Travis Hoium, and Neha Chamaria]

  We asked three top Motley Fool investors exactly that. Read on to learn why they think iQiyi (NASDAQ:IQ), XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO), and Enphase (NASDAQ:ENPH) fit the bill.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO) has been a phenomenal growth story: Over the past decade, its shares have returned 2,000% to investors as demand for freight transportation and logistics services skyrocketed.

• [By Neha Chamaria]

  Right now, I believe Mastercard (NYSE:MA), Brookfield Renewable Partners�(NYSE:BEP), and XPO Logistics�(NYSE:XPO) fall right into place, because each stock has been a multibagger and has strong tailwinds behind it.

Forbes - Investing Information and Investing News - Forbes.com","description":"Forbes is a leading s

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-947967278&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/947967278/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;698&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

&l;strong&g;Deal Overview&l;/strong&g;

On June 27, 2018, The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE:MSG, $303.29, Market Capitalization $7.2 billion), announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company&a;rsquo;s management to explore a possible spin-off of its sports businesses into a separately traded public company. The proposed spin-off would be structured as a tax-free transaction to all MSG shareholders. Upon completion of the contemplated separation, record holders of MSG common stock would receive a pro-rata distribution, expected to be equivalent, in aggregate, to an approximately two-thirds economic interest in the pure-play sports company.

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-1486&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/joecornell/files/2018/06/Price-Performance-1.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;228&q; data-width=&q;640&q;&g; Price Performance

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-1490&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/joecornell/files/2018/06/Spin-Off-Details-1.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;280&q; data-width=&q;640&q;&g; Spin-Off Details

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-1491&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/joecornell/files/2018/06/Top-5-Shareholders-1.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;188&q; data-width=&q;640&q;&g; Top 5 Shareholders

The remaining common stock, expected to be equivalent to an approximately one-third economic interest in the sports company, would be retained by MSG (live entertainment company). The Company has not set a timetable for completion of this spin-off transaction. The completion of the transaction would be subject to various conditions, including certain league approvals, a private letter ruling from the IRS, receipt of a tax opinion from counsel and final MSG Board approval. J.P. Morgan and PJT Partners are serving as financial advisors and Sullivan &a;amp; Cromwell LLP is serving as legal advisor. James L. Dolan is expected to be the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of both companies.

Post the contemplated spin-off, Madison Square Garden (live entertainment business) will include its diverse iconic venues including Madison Square Garden, The Hulu Theater, Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, The Chicago Theatre and Boston&a;rsquo;s Wang Theatre. It will also include MSG Bookings, MSG Productions, majority interests in TAO Group, Boston Calling Events, Strategic entertainment joint ventures - Azoff-MSG Entertainment and Tribeca Enterprises and approximately one-third economic interest in the pure-play sports company; and approximately $1 billion in cash on hand. Along with the NY Knicks NBA and Rangers NHL sports franchises, the pure play sports company would hold The New York Liberty professional WNBA sports franchise (currently on sale); esports franchise Knicks Gaming; majority interest in Counter Logic Gaming and a professional sports training center in Greenburgh, NY.

&l;a href=&q;https://blogs-images.forbes.com/joecornell/files/2018/06/Madison-Square-Garden.png&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-1485&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/joecornell/files/2018/06/Madison-Square-Garden.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;182&q; data-width=&q;640&q;&g;&l;/a&g; Madison Square Garden

&l;strong&g;&l;!--nextpage--&g;Deal Rationale&l;/strong&g;

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-1488&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/joecornell/files/2018/06/Key-Data-1.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;452&q; data-width=&q;640&q;&g; Key Data

Madison Square Garden possesses a collection of unique, world class sports and entertainment assets which are currently undervalued by investors. Hence, MSG shares trade at a substantial discount to the intrinsic valuation of its assets. Hence the proposed spin-off is aimed to bridge this valuation mismatch and create shareholder value for MSG shareholders over a long term. The market embraced this announcement with the stock advancing by approximately 14%, a day after the announcement. The proposed separation of the sports and entertainment businesses in two different companies would enable shareholders to evaluate each company&a;rsquo;s assets and future potential. Similarly both companies on a standalone basis would be able to pursue their own distinct business growth strategies nd capital allocation policy. MSG (live entertainment company) is a leader in live entertainment with a growing portfolio of assets that will include state-of-the-art music and entertainment focused venues - MSG Sphere. The live entertainment company is planning to open its first MSG Sphere in Las Vegas by end of 2020, followed by a second MSG Sphere in London, approximately one year later. The live entertainment company will hold approximately one-third economic interest in the sports company, which would provide an opportunity to raise capital in the future. The pure-play sports company performance will be driven by the Knicks and Rangers franchises.

&l;strong&g;Company Description:&a;nbsp;&l;/strong&g;&l;strong&g;The Madison Square Garden Company (Parent)&l;/strong&g;

The Madison Square Garden Company&a;nbsp; is a world leader in live sports and entertainment experiences. The Company was incorporated on March 4, 2015 as an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of MSG Networks Inc. (&a;ldquo;MSG Networks&a;rdquo;), formerly known as The Madison Square Garden Company. The Company was spun-off from MSG Networks on September 30, 2015. The Company reported revenue of $1.3 billion in the year ended June 30, 2017. The Company classifies its business interests into two reportable segments: MSG Entertainment and MSG Sports. MSG Entertainment includes live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows, performing arts and special events, which are presented or hosted in the Company&a;rsquo;s diverse collection of venues along with live offerings through TAO Group Holdings LLC (&a;ldquo;TAO Group&a;rdquo;) and Boston Calling Events LLC (&a;ldquo;BCE&a;rdquo;). TAO Group is a hospitality group with globally-recognized entertainment dining and nightlife brands: TAO, Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, The Stanton Social, Beauty &a;amp; Essex and Vandal. BCE produces New England&a;rsquo;s premier Boston Calling Music Festival. MSG Entertainment also includes the Company&a;rsquo;s original production - the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes (the &a;ldquo;Christmas Spectacular&a;rdquo;). In November 2017, the Company acquired a 100% controlling interest in Obscura Digital (&a;ldquo;Obscura&a;rdquo;), a creative studio, which is now part of the MSG Entertainment segment. The Company conducts a significant portion of its operations at venues that it either owns or operates under long term leases. The Company owns the Madison Square Garden Arena (&a;ldquo;The Garden&a;rdquo;) and The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Forum in Inglewood, CA and The Chicago Theatre in Chicago. In addition, the Company leases Radio City Music Hall and the Beacon Theatre in New York City, and has a booking agreement with respect to the Wang Theatre in Boston. Additionally, TAO Group operates various restaurants, nightlife and hospitality venues under long-term leases and management contracts in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Australia and Singapore.

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-1489&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/joecornell/files/2018/06/Organization-Structure.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;386&q; data-width=&q;640&q;&g; Organization Structure

&l;strong&g;MSG Sports (Spin-Off)&l;/strong&g;

The pure-play sports company is expected to include all existing businesses within MSG Sports segment. MSG Sports includes the Company&a;rsquo;s professional sports franchises: the New York Knicks (the &a;ldquo;Knicks&a;rdquo;) of the National Basketball Association (the &a;ldquo;NBA&a;rdquo;), the New York Rangers (the &a;ldquo;Rangers&a;rdquo;) of the National Hockey League (the &a;ldquo;NHL&a;rdquo;), the New York Liberty (the&a;ldquo;Liberty&a;rdquo;) of the Women&a;rsquo;s National Basketball Association (the &a;ldquo;WNBA&a;rdquo;), the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (the &a;ldquo;AHL&a;rdquo;) and the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Gatorade League (the &a;ldquo;NBAGL&a;rdquo;). The MSG Sports segment also includes other live sporting events, including professional boxing, college basketball, college hockey , professional bull riding, mixed martial arts, esports, tennis and college wrestling, all of which the Company promotes, produces and/or presents. In July 2017, the Company acquired a controlling interest in Counter Logic Gaming (&a;ldquo;CLG&a;rdquo;), a premier North American esports organization, which is now part of the MSG Sports segment.

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AMC Entertainment (AMC) Upgraded at Wedbush

Wedbush upgraded shares of AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) to a buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning. The brokerage currently has $25.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush also issued estimates for AMC Entertainment’s FY2018 earnings at $0.17 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.51 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $0.66 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on AMC. MKM Partners upped their price target on AMC Entertainment from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 17th. B. Riley upped their price target on AMC Entertainment to $27.50 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded AMC Entertainment from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, May 8th. ValuEngine raised AMC Entertainment from a strong sell rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, June 21st. Finally, Benchmark raised AMC Entertainment from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, June 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $21.42.

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AMC Entertainment opened at $16.80 on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. AMC Entertainment has a twelve month low of $10.80 and a twelve month high of $22.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.88, a PEG ratio of 10.57 and a beta of 0.76.

AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 7th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.12. AMC Entertainment had a negative return on equity of 7.13% and a negative net margin of 9.22%. The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.07 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. sell-side analysts forecast that AMC Entertainment will post 0.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 11th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 8th. AMC Entertainment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -89.89%.

In related news, SVP Carla C. Sanders sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.76, for a total value of $88,560.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $236,041.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Stephen A. Colanero sold 5,364 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.95, for a total value of $85,555.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 69,536 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,109,099.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AMC. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in AMC Entertainment in the 1st quarter valued at $101,000. Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in AMC Entertainment by 445.3% in the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Inc. now owns 9,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 7,660 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in AMC Entertainment in the 1st quarter valued at $142,000. Gargoyle Investment Advisor L.L.C. bought a new stake in AMC Entertainment in the 1st quarter valued at $146,000. Finally, Pitcairn Co. bought a new stake in AMC Entertainment in the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.59% of the company’s stock.

AMC Entertainment Company Profile

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the theatrical exhibition business. The company owns, operates, or has interests in theatres. As of December 31, 2017, it owned, operated, or had interests in 649 theatres with a total of 8,224 screens in the United States; and 365 theatres and 2,945 screens internationally.

Zacks: Analysts Anticipate Evolent Health Inc (EVH) Will Post Quarterly Sales of $141.88 Million

Analysts expect Evolent Health Inc (NYSE:EVH) to report sales of $141.88 million for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Ten analysts have made estimates for Evolent Health’s earnings. The highest sales estimate is $142.75 million and the lowest is $140.70 million. Evolent Health posted sales of $107.32 million in the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year-over-year growth rate of 32.2%. The business is scheduled to report its next quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 6th.

On average, analysts expect that Evolent Health will report full year sales of $578.14 million for the current year, with estimates ranging from $574.40 million to $585.00 million. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the business will report sales of $668.67 million per share, with estimates ranging from $653.96 million to $680.10 million. Zacks Investment Research’s sales calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that that provide coverage for Evolent Health.

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Evolent Health (NYSE:EVH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 9th. The technology company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.06. Evolent Health had a negative return on equity of 2.16% and a negative net margin of 12.11%. The company had revenue of $139.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $140.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.14) EPS. Evolent Health’s quarterly revenue was up 31.5% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EVH. MED upped their target price on Evolent Health from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 18th. SunTrust Banks upped their target price on Evolent Health and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 7th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Evolent Health from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 7th. TheStreet raised Evolent Health from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research report on Monday, June 4th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies started coverage on Evolent Health in a research report on Monday, June 4th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $26.08.

In related news, President Seth Blackley sold 85,596 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.08, for a total transaction of $1,461,979.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Frank J. Williams sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total value of $300,600.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,102,665 shares of company stock valued at $59,506,082 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 4.82% of the company’s stock.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its holdings in shares of Evolent Health by 92.8% during the fourth quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 32,768 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 15,769 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Evolent Health by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 28,263 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 6,609 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Evolent Health by 124.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 23,917 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 13,240 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Evolent Health during the fourth quarter valued at $172,000. Finally, Cortina Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Evolent Health by 43.4% during the fourth quarter. Cortina Asset Management LLC now owns 413,406 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,085,000 after purchasing an additional 125,053 shares during the last quarter.

Shares of Evolent Health traded up $0.35, reaching $23.15, during trading on Tuesday, according to MarketBeat. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,402,232 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,165,431. Evolent Health has a twelve month low of $10.30 and a twelve month high of $27.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.07 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

About Evolent Health

Evolent Health, Inc, through its subsidiary, Evolent Health LLC, provides health care delivery and payment solutions in the United States. The company operates as a managed services firm that supports health systems and physician organizations in migration toward value-based care and population health management.

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Evolent Health (EVH)

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Brokerages Set CTI BioPharma Corp (CTIC) Target Price at $7.10

Shares of CTI BioPharma Corp (NASDAQ:CTIC) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eight research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $7.10.

Several analysts recently commented on CTIC shares. Cann reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $5.00 price objective on shares of CTI BioPharma in a research note on Wednesday, March 7th. Oppenheimer started coverage on CTI BioPharma in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $5.00 price objective on the stock. BidaskClub downgraded CTI BioPharma from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 1st. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on CTI BioPharma in a research note on Monday, March 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $10.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised CTI BioPharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 25th.

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CTI BioPharma traded up $0.18, hitting $5.08, during mid-day trading on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. 5,420,700 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 386,918. The company has a market capitalization of $291.62 million, a PE ratio of -4.10 and a beta of 0.15. CTI BioPharma has a fifty-two week low of $2.45 and a fifty-two week high of $5.28. The company has a current ratio of 5.32, a quick ratio of 5.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

CTI BioPharma (NASDAQ:CTIC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.08) EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of ($0.10) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $10.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.30 million. CTI BioPharma had a negative return on equity of 63.27% and a negative net margin of 71.30%. analysts predict that CTI BioPharma will post -0.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in CTI BioPharma during the 1st quarter worth about $3,068,000. Element Capital Management LLC bought a new position in CTI BioPharma during the 1st quarter worth about $205,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in CTI BioPharma by 9,349.0% during the 1st quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 49,324 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 48,802 shares in the last quarter. Tibra Equities Europe Ltd bought a new position in CTI BioPharma during the 1st quarter worth about $479,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in CTI BioPharma during the 1st quarter worth about $13,542,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.78% of the company’s stock.

CTI BioPharma Company Profile

CTI BioPharma Corp., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the acquisition, development, and commercialization of novel targeted therapies for blood-related cancers in the United States and internationally. It develops PIXUVRI, a novel aza-anthracenedione for the treatment of adult patients with multiply relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma; and pacritinib, an investigational oral kinase inhibitor with specificity for JAK2, FLT3, IRAK1, and CSF1R, which is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis.

The U.S. Education System Is Broken – and Companies Like This One Are Fixing It

Tim Melvin

I want to try a quick relaxation exercise.

This might sound crackpot, but just bear with me for a second.

Let's all take a deep breath, conservatives and liberals alike, and admit, out loud, the one thing that is true, regardless of where you land on the political spectrum.

Say it with me…

The U.S. education system is screwed up beyond what any of us would have thought was possible.

Looking at the results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, we score in the middle of most educational-achievement levels. We once had the best educational system in the world. Now, we're the Oakland Athletics of the global education system – a once-mighty enterprise now lucky to just be mediocre.

The problem has never been a lack of money…

The United States, on average, spends about 30% more per child than the average developed nation. Only Norway, Switzerland, and Austria spend more per kid that we do.

It just seems that the more we spend, the worse it gets. We've been trying to money-whip the education system into line for decades now, and if anything, we're only seeing an inverse relationship grow between money and results.

[URGENT] You could be owed $23,441 in drastically underpaid funds…

But the opposite is true of the education system's fastest-growing area – one that I've been watching like a hawk lately.

In fact, I just found one company in this particular area that's a strong "Buy" right now – and it's set to keep profiting from the fact that the U.S. public school system is, quite frankly, a giant mess…

Public Education Is a Joke, and Our Kids and Teachers Are the Punchline

For years, I helped broker a lot of municipal-bond deals, and that required digging through hundreds of school district bond-offering prospectuses.

Yes, these are often just as boring as they sound. But I highly recommend parsing through your local school board budget every now and then if you really want to get an idea of just how staggeringly wasteful our country's education system has become.

The amount of money poured in at the top and the amount that comes out the bottom in the actual classroom sums up the problem perfectly. Millions in cash are sucked out by an overweight and hyper-productive bureaucracy, and our kids pay the price.

Another part of the problem – and honestly, the most unbelievably infuriating – is the fact that we pay our teachers like serfs.

I saw how the public education system exploits teachers when my daughter was top of her class, won several awards while studying to be a teacher, and received high marks for her teacher-training systems. She worked her ass off for years, and the best offer she received as a first-year teacher was an annual salary less than $30,000.

At the same time, there were hundreds of administrators in the system making over $100,000 annually just to sit in their offices soaking up the benefits of a broken bureaucracy.

We can go on and on about the causes of the problem: the teachers unions' stranglehold on curriculum, standardized-testing issues, and a lack of parental participation, among many, many others. Each is more exasperating than the last.

You Must Act Now: America is headed for an economic disaster bigger than anything since the Great Depression. If you lost out when the markets crashed in 2008, then you are going to want to see this special presentation…

But the point I want to make is that I truly believe these are problems we can all agree on. My right-wing buddies can find as much to hate in the modern educational system as my liberal wingnut friends can.

Universally, our schools are letting our kids down, and more parents are making the decision to homeschool their kids.

Homeschooling has become the answer to the public education system's failings, and it's already showing up in the numbers. The National Center for Education Statistics reported the number of homeschooled kids in the United States grew from 850,000 to 1.8 million between 1999 and 2012. Since then, the number has easily surpassed 2 million.

Make no mistake: there's a lot of money to be made from homeschooling's growing popularity.

And those of us willing to sit toward the front of the classroom can position ourselves to make a killing from this trend.

It all starts with one company that sells a type of homeschooling education software used by nearly half of all high school students in the United States…

Here's How We'll Make Money from the Advent of Homeschooling

Join the conversation. Click here to jump to comments…

Tim Melvin

About the Author

Browse Tim's articles | View Tim's research services

The world's biggest advertiser wants women to produce half of its ads

The world's biggest advertiser is pushing for gender equality in the ad business.

Procter & Gamble, the consumer products conglomerate that makes Tide, Bounty, Old Spice, Pampers and Gillette, set a goal Monday to have women direct at least half its commercials by 2023. Women direct only 10% of commercials today.

P&G, which spends $7 billion a year on ads, also committed to pushing for gender equality in top marketing and creative jobs at advertising agencies. Women fill a little more than 30% of those positions today, according to an Association of National Advertisers study.

P&G doesn't make its own ads, but it's taking steps with ad agencies and partners to fulfill its commitment.

It's teaming with Queen Latifah and Katie Couric, who are both active in supporting female directors in television and movies through their media and entertainment companies. P&G will sponsor a new video project that Couric is leading.

The company is also signing the "Free the Bid" pledge, which aims to ensure that at least one woman is among the finalists to direct every commercial.

P&G hopes its commitment will encourage other companies to advance gender equality in advertising.

"We also know no company can do it alone, so we hope to inspire others to be agents of change to accelerate momentum," chief brand officer Marc Pritchard said in a news release.

P&G also believes it's good for business. Ads that promote gender equality lead to higher sales growth, the Association of National Advertisers study found.

"Some of P&G's best performing brands have the most gender-equal campaigns," Pritchard said. "It's clear that promoting gender equality is not only a force for good, it's a force for growth."

Pritchard pointed to Always' "Like a Girl" and Olay's "Live Fearlessly" ads as examples of gender-equal campaigns that have succeeded.

More people are saving $1 million in their 401(k)s. Here's how you can too

Saving $1 million for retirement may sound like an impossible task that not many people have achieved.

But about 157,000 people have saved at least $1 million in their 401(k)s with Fidelity, according to the company.

Another 148,000 had saved that much in an IRA.

Of those, 2,400 people had saved $1 million in both types of accounts.

So what's the secret to becoming one of them? Time.

Most of these people are Baby Boomers who have saved for at least 30 years.

"I think the most important behavior is to start saving early," said Katie Taylor, vice president of thought leadership at Fidelity.

That's good news for Millennials. If you're still in your 20s or 30s, you can set yourself up now to meet that goal with much less effort than an older person getting a later start.

People who've reached the $1 million mark also are saving a bigger percentage of their salary. Those with $1 million in their 401(k) are saving 24% of their salary each year �� including both employer and employee contributions. Overall, the average 401(k) participant is saving 13%, according to Fidelity, the biggest plan provider by assets.

"The beauty of the 401(k) is that it takes the emotion out of investing," said Chuck Cumello, president and CEO of Essex Financial.

Since money is taken out of your paycheck automatically, you're less likely to try to time the market.

How do you stack up?

Less than 3% of Baby Boomers with a 401(k) at Fidelity have reached $1 million.

In 2016, working households aged 55 to 64 with retirement accounts had saved a median of $120,000, according to the Investment Company Institute.

It's no surprise that those with higher salaries have saved more. Those older households who earned more than $171,000 a year had saved a median of $600,000 while those who earned less than $35,000 a year had saved a median of $18,000. (The report considered assets in all defined contribution accounts, including both 401(k) and IRAs.)

How can you get to $1 million?

Not everyone will need $1 million for retirement, Taylor said. One rule of thumb is to save 10 times your ending salary. If you're far away from retirement age, use an online calculator like this one to get an idea of how much you might need.

There are three common traits shared by those who have saved a lot of money in their 401(k)s, said Cumello.

1. Start saving early.

If you start at age 25, you'll need to save $650 a month to have $1 million by age 65. But you'd need to save $1,200 a month if you wait to start saving until age 35 (assuming a 5% average return).

Calculator: When will I be a millionaire?

2. Work toward saving the maximum allowed.

First, save at least as much to get the full company match, Cumello said.

Then increase your savings rate until you hit the federal limit. This year it's $18,500.

3. Pay attention to your investments.

Most 401(k)s have low-cost fund investment options. Cumello suggests investing in those to create a diversified portfolio. Avoid being too heavily invested in one stock.

Are you on track to save $1 million for retirement? Share your story with CNN Money.

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Maybe the North Korea talks will happen after all. As President Donald Trump departed Washington for the holiday weekend, he mused of revisiting the decision to call off the summit, his latest policy about-face. Meanwhile, one person who won’t be traveling far anytime soon is ex-film mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was arrested.  

Here are today’s top stories

Taiwan is losing friends as China’s efforts to isolate the island nation are accelerating, leaving only 18 countries who recognize the country formally known as the Republic of China.

The People's Republic of China, meanwhile, got some good news—courtesy of Trump. The administration told Congress it will allow Chinese telecom firm ZTE Corp. to remain in business.

In just six weeks, Saudi Arabia has gone from advocating higher oil prices to trying to stop the rally at $80 a barrel. What's going on in Riyadh?

These American workers are still being paid like it’s the 1980s, thanks to the government’s decades-long failure to update the “prevailing wage” for jobs needed on taxpayer-funded projects.

Europe has had enough of Brexit. Leavers hoped to start a continent-wide revolution, but it turns out there are more pressing problems.

Crypto fever may have cooled across much of the globe, but don’t tell that to folks in Caracas. They’re mining coins like crazy in Venezuela.

What's Lorcan Roche Kelly thinking? The Bloomberg Markets editor says the reason a new order in Italy threatens a wider European crisis is because the lessons from the last crisis weren't put into practice.

What you’ll need to know tomorrowApple's famed designer reveals the secrets of the Apple Watch.Malaysian police seized $29 million in raids linked to former Prime Minister Najib Razak.Amazon is scaring the heck out of big box retailers, who suddenly recognize their peril. Amazon is scaring some consumers, because Alexa might be listening.Some of America’s biggest newspapers and online services are cutting off Europe.Trump is rushing to cut the red tape that keeps commercial rockets on the ground.Meanwhile, the firm Jared Kushner ran just sold its stake in some killer courtyard parties.What you’ll want to read tonight

Welcome to America’s most glamorous wine extravaganza. A hair-raising ride with race car driver Danica Patrick, a masked ball at Versailles, a visit to a camel racetrack in Abu Dhabi, and, of course, rare California wines: That’s a tiny taste of what’s on offer at the 38th extravagant Auction Napa Valley.

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Leverage Alert Ringing While Cash Drains From Stock Broker Accounts

Few things evoke fear in markets like a margin call. Now there are signs that many U.S. stock investors are ill-prepared to deal with one.

The issue is net cash in equity brokerage accounts, seen by some as a proxy for how well-cushioned traders are from forced liquidations if stocks start to plummet. It’s calculated by subtracting the amount of debt used to buy securities from money in an account that’s available to buy more.

And right now, it’s perilously low.

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The deficit just reached $317 billion, the widest ever, according to New York Stock Exchange data compiled by Sundial Capital Research Inc. The previous record was set in January, right before the S&P 500 Index suffered its first 10 percent correction in two years.

Cash “seems to provide less of a cushion for any decline in the value of stock,” Jason Goepfert, president of Sundial Capital Research Inc., wrote in a note to clients. “That is clearly concerning.”

There are few topics in the market subject as much demagoguery as margin debt, and a standard critique over the the period of the bull market has been that it’s at untenable levels -- $652 billion, by the NYSE’s last count. What’s usually lost in the discussion is that such debt basically always rises with the value of equities -- the two are virtually synonymous since one collateralizes by the other.

What’s bad is when the expansion of margin comes untethered from the slope of equities, signaling people are taking out loans even faster than stocks are appreciating. That happened in the final year of the last two bull markets, when margin loan growth outpaced share gains by twofold in 2007 and almost four times in 2000.

Nothing like that is happening now. At the same time, a similarly dire picture is evident when cash credits in brokerage accounts are taken into consideration. Available for investors to withdraw at any time, for any purpose, they include proceeds from short sales and extra buying power held in margin accounts. Last month, they fell 3.3 percent to $335 billion, the lowest level in four years.

Think of the money as assets on a balance sheet and stock loans as liabilities. As traders withdrew cash while at the same time raising debt, their financial health, or in Sundial’s term “net wealth,” deteriorates.

“Debt alone doesn’t tell the whole story,” Goepfert said. “The new record in negative net worth is most concerning, just not as concerning as it would be if the growth in debt was more extreme. The latest drop in net worth is due more to a drain of cash out of accounts as opposed to an increase in debt. Maybe that’s just as worrisome.”

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