Somewhat Favorable Media Coverage Somewhat Unlikely to Affect Sienna Biopharmaceuticals (SNNA) Stock

Press coverage about Sienna Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SNNA) has trended somewhat positive on Tuesday, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern identifies negative and positive media coverage by analyzing more than twenty million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Sienna Biopharmaceuticals earned a daily sentiment score of 0.10 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news articles about the company an impact score of 44.5945003731169 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.

Shares of Sienna Biopharmaceuticals traded down $0.11, reaching $15.80, during trading on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 68,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 87,698. The stock has a market capitalization of $350.37 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.04. Sienna Biopharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $13.37 and a 1-year high of $29.25.

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Sienna Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SNNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.70) by ($0.15). equities research analysts forecast that Sienna Biopharmaceuticals will post -2.91 EPS for the current year.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. ValuEngine raised Sienna Biopharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Zacks Investment Research raised Sienna Biopharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $32.25.

In other news, insider Todd Harris sold 18,011 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.08, for a total value of $361,660.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 19,086 shares of company stock valued at $383,161 in the last three months. Insiders own 27.00% of the company’s stock.

About Sienna Biopharmaceuticals

Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of topical products in medical dermatology and aesthetics. The company's lead product candidates include SNA-120, a first-in-class inhibitor of tropomyosin receptor kinase A, which is in a Phase IIb clinical trial for the treatment of pruritus or itch associated with psoriasis, as well as for psoriasis; and SNA-125, a topical janus kinase 3 inhibitor that is in Phase I/II clinical trials for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and pruritus.

Read More: How Short Selling Works

Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:SATS,PAGP,PETM,

As stocks rallied following last week's election, Apple (APPL) , Amazon (AMZN) , Alphabet (GOOGL) and Facebook (FB) bucked the positive stock market momentum and now have negative weekly chart profiles.

Each ended last week below the key weekly moving averages, with weekly momentum readings declining below the overbought threshold of 80.00. Closes this week below $111.00 on Apple, $772.92 on Amazon, $792.05 on Alphabet, and $123.60 on Facebook will keep the weekly charts negative.

Facebook and Alphabet are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells FB or GOOGL? Learn more now.

On Nov. 4, the weekly charts were flashing warnings that these four benchmark momentum stocks were losing their mojo. This makes it extremely important to focus on daily charts, using Fibonacci retracements and key trading levels from my proprietary analytics.

Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2019: EchoStar Corporation(SATS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Teachers Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Echostar Co. (NASDAQ:SATS) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 59,929 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,059 shares during the quarter. Teachers Advisors LLC’s holdings in Echostar were worth $3,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Nomad Foods Limited (NYSE: NOMD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $656.43 million. AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.2 per share on revenue of $720.14 million. Magna International Inc. (NYSE: MGA) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.7 per share on revenue of $10.11 billion. Univar Inc. (NYSE: UNVR) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $2.12 billion. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.14 per share on revenue of $5.78 billion. Owens & Minor, Inc. (NYSE: OMI) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.47 per share on revenue of $2.40 billion. Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PBH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.61 per share on revenue of $255.60 million. Tribune Media Company (NYSE: TRCO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $457.67 million. ArcBest Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCB) is estimated to report quarterly loss at $0.07 per share on revenue of $691.18 million. Genesis Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: GEN) is projected to report quarterly loss at $0.34 per share on revenue of $1.32 billion. Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.55 per share on revenue of $10.14 billion. Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $1.34 billion. NICE Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.01 per share on revenue of $332.93 million. World Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: WRLD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $3.94 per share on revenue of $147.32 million. MAXIMUS, Inc. (NYSE: MMS) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.84 per share on revenue of $616.04 million. Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CH
• [By Shane Hupp]

  Echostar Holding Corp (NASDAQ:SATS) reached a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $51.33 and last traded at $52.44, with a volume of 104714 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $51.79.

Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2019: Plains Group Holdings, L.P.(PAGP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Companies Reporting After The Bell Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $1.22 per share on revenue of $5.72 billion. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $1.04 per share on revenue of $5.68 billion. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $1.68 per share on revenue of $14.05 billion. Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.62 per share on revenue of $441.73 million. Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: JAZZ) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $2.77 per share on revenue of $434.87 million. Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE: SLF) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $6.38 billion. LATAM Airlines Group S.A. (NYSE: LTM) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.16 per share on revenue of $2.70 billion. Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ: LBTYA) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.02 per share on revenue of $4.05 billion. TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.16 per share on revenue of $362.11 million. The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ: WEN) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.1 per share on revenue of $379.98 million. A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRK) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $1.69 billion. Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.4 per share on revenue of $849.38 million. Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.4 per share on revenue of $670.10 million. ScanSource, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCSC) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.7 per share on revenue of $875.91 million. KAR Auction Services, Inc. (NYSE: KAR) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.76 per share on revenue of $923.13
• [By Stephan Byrd]

  TheStreet upgraded shares of Plains GP (NYSE:PAGP) from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report released on Monday morning.

  Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut Plains GP from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $24.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Group cut Plains GP from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 25th. Wolfe Research cut Plains GP from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank began coverage on Plains GP in a report on Thursday, April 19th. They set a buy rating and a $29.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, SunTrust Banks raised Plains GP from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $27.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $25.65.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  News coverage about Plains GP (NYSE:PAGP) has been trending somewhat positive on Sunday, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research firm scores the sentiment of press coverage by monitoring more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Plains GP earned a news impact score of 0.18 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news coverage about the pipeline company an impact score of 46.0549967457103 out of 100, meaning that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.

Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2019: PetSmart Inc(PETM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  An issue of PetSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PETM) bonds fell 1.6% as a percentage of their face value during trading on Wednesday. The high-yield debt issue has a 8.875% coupon and is set to mature on June 1, 2025. The debt is now trading at $49.19 and was trading at $55.47 one week ago. Price changes in a company’s bonds in credit markets often predict parallel changes in its stock price.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  An issue of PetSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PETM) debt rose 1% against its face value during trading on Monday. The high-yield debt issue has a 8.875% coupon and is set to mature on June 1, 2025. The debt is now trading at $67.50 and was trading at $66.25 last week. Price moves in a company’s debt in credit markets often anticipate parallel moves in its share price.

Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport (ETV) Hits New 1-Year High at $15.69

Shares of Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport (NYSE:ETV) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $15.69 and last traded at $15.68, with a volume of 1769 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.64.

Get Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport alerts:

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.111 per share. This is a positive change from Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport’s previous monthly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $1.33 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 23rd.

In other news, insider Jeffrey P. Beale sold 29,389 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.54, for a total transaction of $250,982.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ETV. Csenge Advisory Group purchased a new stake in shares of Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport during the first quarter worth about $153,000. Palladium Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport during the first quarter worth about $191,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport during the first quarter worth about $208,000. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport in the first quarter worth about $218,000. Finally, BB&T Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport in the first quarter worth about $259,000.

About Eaton Vance Tax Managed Buy Write Opport

There is no company description available for Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Buy-Write Opportunities Fund.

Best Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:COO,LAYN,PDCO,USPH,TRIP,

I will review why this helps Net1 UEPS Technologies (UEPS) and cryptocurrencies. I will also review why Net1 UEPS Technologies is undervalued and overlooked.

Stocks that have been affected by the cryptocurrency expansion have seen major rallies. For example, Nvidia (NVDA), 1,000% in 30 months; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), 500% in 21 months; and Overstock.com (OSTK), 333% in 6 months. I do not think Net1 will profit as much as the above stocks, but I am certain that the company will benefit from this recent partnership.

Masterpayment and Bitstamp

Bitstamp is the second largest cryptocurrency trading platform in the world. Bitstamp is the largest Bitcoin exchange in the EU in terms of volume. It holds the world's second largest market share (22%) for bitcoin transactions based on a weighted order book. It is ranked number two for bitcoin exchanges based on numerous factors, including volume, spread, volatility, trades per minute, etc. It also trades Litecoin, Ether, and Ripple.

Best Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2019: Cooper Companies, Inc. (COO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  The Cooper Companies (NYSE:COO) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a buy rating to a hold rating. According to Zacks, “Cooper Companies has recently acquired the assets of The LifeGlobal Group and its affiliates, bolstering its foothold in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) devices market. Meanwhile, the CooperVision business has been delivering impressive results. A raised guidance for fiscal 2018 looks promising. Notably, Cooper Companies completed the acquisition of Paragon Vision Sciences. This added a leading ortho-k technology to the company’s lens portfolio. Considering the outstanding performance of the stock, we expect Cooper Companies to scale higher in the coming quarters. On the flipside, intense competition in the contact lens space will continue to build pricing pressure. Additionally, escalating debt levels and foreign exchange vulnerability are likely to mar the company’s bottom line. Also, the slashed revenue guidance for fiscal 2018 in CSI segment is discouraging. Cooper has underperformed its industry in a year’s time.”

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NYSE:COO)Q2 2018 Earnings Conference CallMay 7, 2018, 5:00 p.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) chief economist Jan Hatzius has a message for the markets. Hatzius said in a research note on Monday that U.S. GDP has likely peaked. "The current pace is probably as good as it gets because we expect the impulse from financial conditions to gradually turn more negative," Hatzius said. The European Union slapped America with roughly $3.3 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods. The tariffs, which are in retaliation to the Trump administration's recent steel and aluminum tariffs on the EU, will go into effect in July. They specifically target products like cigarettes, whiskey, denim, and orange juice. Stocks to Watch Today: AVGO, AGN, GOOGL, TSLA Broadcom Ltd.�(Nasdaq: AVGO) leads a busy day of earnings reports. Wall Street anticipates the firm will report earnings per share of $4.77 on top of $5.00 billion in revenue. Uncertainty still remains on whether the company will be able to purchase industry rival Qualcomm Inc.�(Nasdaq: QCOM) in a deal that would be the largest technology merger in the history of the markets. Shares of Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL) are under pressure due to more regulatory scrutiny by the European Union. Shares were off slightly this morning as investors digested a report from The Financial Times indicating the EU will hit the firm with a antitrust fine. Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) stock popped nearly 10% Wednesday, crushing short sellers of the stock. Investors betting against the stock lost a collective $1 billion on paper yesterday, according to S3 Partners. This week, founder Elon Musk won a battle to maintain his roles as both CEO and chair. He also provided a boost of optimism to TSLA stock over production expectations for the Model 3 vehicle. Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) shares are up 2.4% thanks to its latest activist investor. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn purchased a small stake in the drug maker at a time when other activist investors are pushing for strategic changes by the company.

Best Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2019: Layne Christensen Company(LAYN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

  Get Layne Christensen alerts: Critical Survey: Layne Christensen (LAYN) and Real Goods Solar (RGSE) (americanbankingnews.com) Glass Lewis joins ISS in supporting Layne Christensen buyout (seekingalpha.com) Glass Lewis Joins ISS in Recommending that Layne Christensen Stockholders Vote for the Proposed Merger with Granite (prnewswire.com) Net income boost as investors vote on Layne closure (globalwaterintel.com) Edited Transcript of LAYN earnings conference call or presentation 6-Jun-18 1:00pm GMT (finance.yahoo.com)

  LAYN stock traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $15.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 16,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,366. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $318.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.64 and a beta of 0.50. Layne Christensen has a 12 month low of $8.19 and a 12 month high of $16.96.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Headlines about Layne Christensen (NASDAQ:LAYN) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern ranks the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than 20 million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Layne Christensen earned a news sentiment score of 0.15 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media coverage about the construction company an impact score of 45.8722865003839 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Layne Christensen (NASDAQ:LAYN) by 1,886.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,851 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 53,989 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Layne Christensen were worth $848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Best Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2019: Patterson Companies, Inc.(PDCO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its stake in Patterson Companies (NASDAQ:PDCO) by 18.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 560,300 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 87,800 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC owned 0.59% of Patterson Companies worth $12,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Patterson Companies (PDCO)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Patterson Companies (PDCO)

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

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Shares of Patterson Companies (NASDAQ:PDCO) are up 4.4% at 12:45 p.m. EDT, having been up as much as 12.1%, after the dental and animal health company announced�results of its fourth fiscal quarter that ended on April 28.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Element Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Patterson Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDCO) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 51,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,134,000. Element Capital Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Patterson Companies as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Patterson Companies (NASDAQ:PDCO) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallJun. 21, 2018 10:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

Best Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2019: U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc.(USPH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on U.S. Physical Therapy (USPH)

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

Best Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2019: TripAdvisor, Inc.(TRIP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) has been working hard for a long time to establish itself as a giant in the online travel business, and immense competition has made this task a tough one to accomplish. Having sought to make a transition from focusing on gathering reviews and other travel-related information to instead offering direct booking services, TripAdvisor has to walk a fine line to keep its reputation intact while expanding to become more profitable.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Meanwhile, both TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) and Booking Holdings (NASDAQ:BKNG) reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, but only one of the online travel agencies got a stock uptick. The Fools explain why, and talk about the investment theses for them.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Shares of TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP)�are in a funk.

  Particularly strong in hotel and destination reviews, TripAdvisor remains the most popular travel-related website in the United States by search traffic, scoring an average of 35 million site visits per month last year. But you wouldn't know it from the stock price.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Shares of Tripadvisor Inc Common Stock (NASDAQ:TRIP) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-seven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.28.

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  There are many reasons an investor might be attracted to TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) stock. It boasts an enviable position in the online hotel booking space, after all, and the travel specialist is cultivating new business lines that might soon become significant revenue streams in their own rights.

• [By ]

  I'm talking about returns of 31%, 35%, and more -- all in a matter of weeks rather than months or years. In fact, we just closed a trade on TripAdvisor (Nasdaq: TRIP) for a clean 26.3% in just ten days.

Gig Economy Fails to Equalize Gender Pay Gap

The gig economy was supposed to deliver a variety of benefits. Workers could work when and as much as they wanted while maintaining a work-life balance that made them happy. Would that it were so.

Economist Laurence Michel published a study in May that looked at the ride-sharing service Uber and concluded that the company’s drivers were earning less than $12 an hour after commissions, booking fees and expenses.

A new study by economists at Stanford and the University of Chicago shows that the gig economy has even failed to eliminate the pay gap between men and women, based on a study of Uber workers. Women who drive for Uber earn 7% less per hour than men.

The study’s authors show that the gap “can be entirely attributed to three factors”:

Experience on the platform (learning-by-doing)

Preferences over where to work (driven largely by where workers live and, to a lesser extent, safety)

Preferences for driving speed.

Almost half the difference in pay was due to the fact that men simply drive faster than women. Men are also more likely to have been on the job longer and are more willing to drive in areas with high crime rates than are women. The researchers’ conclusion:

[T]here is no reason to expect the “gig” economy to close gender differences. Even in the absence of discrimination and in flexible labor markets, women’s relatively high opportunity cost of non-paid-work time and gender-based differences in preferences and constraints can sustain a gender pay gap.

The study’s findings line up with earlier studies of gender pay inequality that show self-employed women make about 15% less than men and women who are independent contractors earn 21.5% less than men. The gig economy may be better, but it’s not yet equal.

24/7 Wall St.
Merrill Lynch Issues Top 8 US Stock Ideas for Q3 2018

In Your 60s? 3 Things to Know About Social Security

Many people don't bother concerning themselves with Social Security until filing for it becomes a reality. But if you're in your 60s, those benefits might come into play sooner than expected. Here are a few things all older workers should know about Social Security -- especially during what could end up being the most pivotal decade of your career.

1. You may be coming up on your full retirement age

Though you're allowed to file for Social Security as early as age 62, many workers choose to hold off on benefits until their full retirement age (FRA) rolls around. This way, they get to collect the full monthly benefit their work history entitles them to without having to worry about facing a reduction for filing early. That said, your FRA could be just around the corner, depending on your year of birth.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

If you were born in 1954 or earlier, your full retirement age is 66. FRA then increases slightly for those born later, as follows:

Year of Birth

Full Retirement Age

1943-1954	66
1955	66 and 2 months
1956	66 and 4 months
1957	66 and 6 months
1958	66 and 8 months
1959	66 and 10 months
1960	67

DATA SOURCE: SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION.

Pay attention to your FRA, and develop a filing strategy around that age. This doesn't mean that you should file at your precise full retirement age -- rather, figure out when that age is and determine the best time to start taking benefits in relation to it.

2. You can only delay your benefits for so long

Filing for Social Security at FRA is a good way to ensure that you get your full monthly benefit. At the same time, if you delay benefits past FRA, you'll snag an 8% boost on those payments for each year you hold off.

But don't make plans to delay those benefits indefinitely. Once you turn 70, you can no longer accrue delayed retirement credits that increase your monthly payments, so if you're in your late 60s and haven't yet filed for Social Security, mark your calendar to do so in conjunction with your 70th�birthday.

3. Working longer could boost your benefits

Though the age at which you first file for Social Security can impact your monthly benefits, those payments themselves are calculated based on how much you earned during your top 35 working years. Therefore, if you're eager to boost your benefits in time for retirement, working a bit longer could achieve that key goal.

Imagine you're 66 and are ready to take benefits at full retirement age, but your work record is limited to 33 years. This means that you'll have $0 factored in for two out of 35 years in the formula that establishes your full benefit amount, thereby lowering that number. On the other hand, if you work two extra years and replace those two zeros with an actual salary, your personal formula will change and your monthly benefits will go up.

The same holds true if you're making far more money in your 60s than you were earlier in life. If you're able to replace two years of $25,000 in earnings with two years of $125,000 in earnings, your monthly benefits stand to climb as well.

Your 60s are the perfect time to get serious about Social Security, so even if you're not planning or able to file just yet, it pays to read up on how the program works. The more you learn about Social Security, the better positioned you'll be to make the most of your benefits, no matter when you actually claim them.

Why women need mid-career mentors

You probably have a mental picture of the usual mentor-mentee relationship: a college-aged ingenue sitting at lunch with an industry veteran.

But for some women, that picture isn't accurate. For an older woman looking for mentorship through a career transition, creative stagnation or the second half of her career, there are increasingly few places to turn: there's no alumni network or old boys' club to step in and help.

That's a problem for both women and employers since sponsorship and mentorship can be key to retaining female talent.

Where can women turn if they're looking for guidance at later stages of their career?

Part of it is subverting our ideas of what mentorship looks like, says Nilanjana Dasgupta, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts.

"Mentoring doesn't always happen in a hierarchical way," she says. "Often, mentoring happens in bidirectional ways, and you learn different things from different people."

Particularly for senior women, finding mentors who look like them can be a challenge. For women of color, they feel a dual pressure of wanting to advance in their own careers even as they spend significant time shepherding younger people of color through the ranks, says Laura Sherbin, co-president at the Center for Talent Innovation.

"Everybody looks above them in the company and thinks 'The people who made it there, they figured things out,'" she says. "What's really hard to see when you look at somebody more senior than you �� this is even true for the CEOs �� they're still proving themselves. They're still proving they're not a diversity hire. They're still proving they got the goods. This need to prove yourself never actually goes away."

Mutual mentoring or peer networks are another good source of inspiration for women in leadership. Some programs even pair executive mentees with junior mentors, where the younger employee shares different skills or experiences with the senior worker.

When Boston architect Emily Papparelle first joined a mid-career women's mentoring group, she says she felt "a little embarrassed" to be applying for a mentor nearly 10 years into her career. But after she met her mentor and connected with the other women in the group, her perspective changed entirely.

"I had gotten 10 years into my career and never really had a mentor, let alone a female mentor," she says. "I learned we do still need mentors 10 years into careers. It's not too late. You have been in the same place for 10 years and you start to not really know your place. And someone else says 'No, I have seen your portfolio. I have gotten to know you. You are very valuable, here is your potential.'"

Zimmer Biomet (ZBH) Downgraded by Zacks Investment Research to “Sell”

Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Monday morning.

According to Zacks, “In the past three months, Zimmer Biomet has been observed to underperform its industry. The year-over-year decline in earnings and revenues in the last reported quarter made investors jittery.  Declining sales at Knees, Hips and other segments at CER were a major disappointment. According to the company, slower pace of supply recovery and sales recapture related to major brands within the company’s Knee, Hip and S.E.T. segments marred the quarterly performance. Also, escalating costs and expenses impacted margins.  On the bright side, the company’s consistent efforts in product and renovation through research and development raise hopes. We are optimistic about synergies from the LDR buyout as well. We are also impressed by the strategic and financial goals which the combined entity expects to reach.”

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A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. ValuEngine cut Zimmer Biomet from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, March 23rd. Robert W. Baird cut Zimmer Biomet from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, March 23rd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Zimmer Biomet in a research note on Monday, April 2nd. They issued an in-line rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Zimmer Biomet from $148.00 to $140.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 27th. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on Zimmer Biomet in a research note on Thursday, March 15th. They issued an outperform rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $135.82.

Shares of Zimmer Biomet opened at $111.82 on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Zimmer Biomet has a 52 week low of $104.28 and a 52 week high of $133.49. The company has a market capitalization of $22.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.13.

Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 26th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.02. Zimmer Biomet had a return on equity of 14.36% and a net margin of 21.81%. The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. research analysts predict that Zimmer Biomet will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 28th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. Zimmer Biomet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.96%.

In related news, insider Katarzyna Mazur-Hofsaess sold 8,765 shares of Zimmer Biomet stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.61, for a total transaction of $995,791.65. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 25,447 shares in the company, valued at $2,891,033.67. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Tony W. Collins sold 1,330 shares of Zimmer Biomet stock in a transaction on Monday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.73, for a total value of $155,250.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ZBH. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. bought a new stake in Zimmer Biomet during the first quarter worth $111,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Zimmer Biomet by 8,836.9% during the first quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 127,887 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 126,456 shares during the period. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in Zimmer Biomet by 100.0% during the first quarter. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $131,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. We Are One Seven LLC bought a new stake in Zimmer Biomet during the fourth quarter worth $137,000. Finally, Adviser Investments LLC bought a new stake in Zimmer Biomet during the first quarter worth $144,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.38% of the company’s stock.

Zimmer Biomet Company Profile

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets musculoskeletal healthcare products and solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through four segments: Spine, less Asia Pacific; Office Based Technologies; Craniomaxillofacial and Thoracic; and Dental.

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Don't Blame FAANGs for Tech Looking So Expensive, Bernstein Says

LISTEN TO ARTICLE 1:21 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Last year, a handful of large-cap tech stocks were responsible for most of the valuation expansion in the sector. A different pattern is playing out this year.

High flyers like Amazon.com Inc. and Nvidia Corp. are still handling most of the sector’s outperformance, but what is different this year is that the 10 biggest companies on average are seeing their earnings multiples shrink. It was “primarily the non-FANG stocks that became more expensive,” Bernstein analysts including Toni Sacconaghi said in a research note.

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On a market cap-weighted basis, the earnings multiples of the 10 largest tech companies in the sector have contracted by 2 percentage points this year, data from Bernstein’s quant team show. At the same time, the sector’s broad-based multiple expansion in 2018 has pushed the sector to trade at 1.18 times the market’s price to forward earnings, the highest among its industry peers.

Still, the sector that has advanced 11 percent this year compared with a 2 percent gain in the broader market is a buying opportunity to Bernstein. The bias is now toward value over growth.

“For the first time in years, tech has become meaningfully more expensive,” the analysts said. “We continue to recommend both a modest overweight in tech and a balanced barbell between growth and value… although our bias is to add selectively to the value side of the barbell.”

Tandem Diabetes Keeps Rolling Out the Hits

Tandem Diabetes Care Inc. (NASDAQ: TNDM) shares made a solid gain early on Friday after the firm announced a key approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As we have said before, FDA approvals have the potential to make or break companies, and so far this year Tandem just seems to keep rolling out the hits. This company has absolutely rocked the health care sector and is up over 760% in 2018 alone.

The FDA announced the approval of the t:slim X2 Insulin Pump with Basal-IQ technology, a predictive low glucose suspend feature designed to help reduce the frequency and duration of low glucose events (hypoglycemia).

Note that this is the first automated insulin delivery system approved for use by children as young as six years old, and the first insulin pump designated as compatible with integrated continuous glucose monitoring (iCGM) devices.

The company plans to launch its new product with Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) integration, which requires no fingersticks for calibration or diabetes treatment decisions and was the first CGM device to receive the iCGM designation from the FDA earlier this year.

Tandem expects the t:slim X2 Pump with Basal-IQ technology to be available in August 2018, and all in-warranty t:slim X2 users in the United States will have the option to add the new feature free of charge via remote software update.

What��s interesting about Tandem��s Basal-IQ algorithm is that it is designed to look 30 minutes into the future to predict where glucose levels are heading. The device suspends insulin delivery when low glucose is predicted, then automatically resumes insulin delivery once glucose levels begin to rise.

Shares of Tandem were last seen up about 12% at $22.82, with a consensus analyst price target of $14.75 and a 52-week range of $2.14 to $25.50.

ALSO READ: 12 American Companies That Control Tech

Top Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:HCCI,MRK,NEU,

U.S. equities suffered a wild ride on Wednesday, initially surging higher thanks to a stronger-than-expected payroll report — lifting expectations for Friday’s jobs figures.

ADP reported 263,000 jobs created in March versus 170,000 expected, and even exceeding the 245,000 reported for February. But then, the release of hawkish minutes from the Federal Reserve’s March meeting crushed sentiment, pushing large-caps into the red on concerns policymakers are worried about lofty financial asset valuations (read: stocks are too expensive and bubbly) and could thus start normalizing their $4.5 trillion balance sheet before the end of the year.

As a reminder, before the financial crisis, the Fed’s balance sheet totaled around $1 trillion. Bringing it back to normal, by allowing asset purchased during multiple rounds of quantitative easing, will quickly dry up liquidity in the capital markets.

In the end, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.2%, the S&P 500 lost 0.3%, the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.6% and the Russell 2000 lost 1.2%. Treasury bonds were stronger, the dollar was weaker, gold lost 0.8% despite the risk-off dynamic in play and crude oil couldn’t hold early strength and finished lower.

Top Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019: Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc.(HCCI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Heritage Crystal Clean (HCCI)

  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 Heritage-Crystal Clean (HCCI)

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

Top Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019: Merck & Company, Inc.(MRK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The Dow stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Wednesday was Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) which traded up about 2.55% at $55.12. The stock’s 52-week range is $52.97 to $66.41. Volume was about 30% below the daily average of around 13 million. The company had no specific news.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY decreased its holdings in Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.1% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 186,306 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,090 shares during the period. Merck & Co. accounts for approximately 1.0% of Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY’s holdings in Merck & Co. were worth $10,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Keith Speights]

  All three of these apply to Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), but they also all apply to Merck (NYSE:MRK). Both pharmaceutical companies have successful�products with sizzling sales, but both have experienced headwinds that have weighed on their�overall revenue and earnings growth.�

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Merck & Co. (MRK)

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

Top Financial Stocks To Invest In 2019: NewMarket Corporation(NEU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Neumark (CURRENCY:NEU) traded down 1.5% against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 10:00 AM E.T. on June 8th. In the last seven days, Neumark has traded up 3.6% against the U.S. dollar. One Neumark token can now be purchased for about $0.39 or 0.00005083 BTC on popular exchanges including EtherDelta (ForkDelta), YoBit, Liqui and HitBTC. Neumark has a total market cap of $11.07 million and approximately $118,143.00 worth of Neumark was traded on exchanges in the last day.

Financial Contrast: Echelon (ELON) and Lantronix (LTRX)

Echelon (NASDAQ: ELON) and Lantronix (NASDAQ:LTRX) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

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This is a summary of current ratings for Echelon and Lantronix, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Echelon	0	0	0	0	N/A
Lantronix	0	0	0	0	N/A

Insider and Institutional Ownership

25.9% of Echelon shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 14.9% of Lantronix shares are held by institutional investors. 13.0% of Echelon shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 52.4% of Lantronix shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Echelon and Lantronix’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Echelon	$31.67 million	0.63	-$4.62 million	($1.04)	-4.22
Lantronix	$44.73 million	1.33	-$270,000.00	N/A	N/A

Lantronix has higher revenue and earnings than Echelon.

Profitability

This table compares Echelon and Lantronix’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Echelon	-15.15%	-21.24%	-15.49%
Lantronix	-0.28%	4.78%	3.28%

Volatility and Risk

Echelon has a beta of -0.74, meaning that its share price is 174% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lantronix has a beta of -0.13, meaning that its share price is 113% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Lantronix beats Echelon on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

Echelon Company Profile

Echelon Corporation develops, markets, and sells embedded components, modules, edge servers, and software. The company offers chips, gateways, and design and management software to original equipment manufacturers under the LONWORKS and IzoT brands. It also provides a range of control networking solutions under the LumInsight and Lumewave by Echelon brands that consist of wired and wireless control nodes; smart gateways for interconnecting the control nodes; and a software-based Central Management System, which is used for startup, commissioning, management, and monitoring of the lighting network. The company markets its products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific/Japan through direct sales organization, third-party electronics representatives, value-added resellers, and distributors. Echelon Corporation was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Lantronix Company Profile

Lantronix, Inc. provides secure data access and management solutions for Internet of Things (IoT) assets in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific Japan. The company's IoT products include IoT gateways, which provide secure connectivity and the ability to add integrated device management and advanced data access features; and IoT building blocks that offer basic secure machine connectivity and unmanaged data access. It also offers information technology (IT) management products, which comprise console management, power management, and keyboard video mouse products that offer remote access to IT and networking infrastructure deployed in test labs, data centers, and server rooms; and xPrintServer. The company provides its IT management product line and external IoT solutions through value added resellers, systems integrators, distributors, consumers, online retailers, IT resellers, corporate customers, and government entities, e-tailers, original design manufacturers, and original equipment manufacturers. Lantronix, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2018

tags:USAP,FNV,IBM,

We made a big bet on biotech exactly one year ago.

At the time, it was one of the most unloved sectors on the market. No, the biotech bull never showed its face in 2016.

But in early 2017, we witnessed the beginnings of a powerful rally and hopped onboard for a long-term trade. A fast start out of the gate in 2017 was just what the ailing sector needed to spark a massive bull run, we reasoned.

Fast forward 12 months and the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSE:XBI) is higher by almost 50%. But this rally ain��t over yet. The beginning of 2018 trading is already flashing a new biotech breakout �� a move that could cement these stocks as some of the year��s most explosive market leaders.

The major averages have posted impressive gains to begin 2018 trading. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite has already posted year-to-date gains of more than 2.3%.

But that��s nothing compared to XBI. The small-cap biotech ETF has stormed higher this week with a two-day gain of more than 4%.

Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2018: Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc.(USAP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shares of Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:USAP) traded down 0% on Friday . The company traded as low as $24.22 and last traded at $24.53. 505,097 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 1,278% from the average session volume of 36,661 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.53.

Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2018: Franco-Nevada Corporation(FNV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  ARP Americas LP cut its position in Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV) (TSE:FNV) by 35.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,167 shares during the period. ARP Americas LP’s holdings in Franco-Nevada were worth $507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV) has done a good job recently of expanding its reach. After focusing almost exclusively on streaming agreements with mining partners in gold and other precious and base metals, the company decided recently to boost its exposure to oil and gas considerably. That's proven to be an important move, as weaker gold production has been offset by better performance in its growing energy portfolio.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV) went public in the U.S. market more than a decade ago, and over that time, the company has established itself as a major player in an important niche in the natural resources industry. Franco-Nevada neither mines gold nor drills for oil, but by helping to finance projects that mining companies and oil drillers want to pursue, it ensures it can get a cut of the profits. That's been a winning business model lately, and throughout its history as a publicly traded company, Franco-Nevada has stood out for one thing that it's done consistently well: paying and raising its dividend regularly over time.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Although gold streaming is something of a niche in the precious metals market, the largest competitors have been in the business since the 1980s,�while new entrants are showing up as well (including hedge funds, private equity, and pension funds). Most investors, however, should probably stick with the largest, easiest to trade, and longest-tenured companies for now. Here are the top five.

  Company Market Cap Dividend Yield Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV) $13 billion 1.3% Wheaton Precious Metals (NYSE:WPM) $9 billion 1.7% Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD) $6 billion 1.2% Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. $1.6 billion 1.6% Sandstorm Gold Ltd. $800 million N/A Franco-Nevada

  The largest streaming company by market cap is Franco-Nevada. As noted above, it has investments in nearly 300 mines, 50 of which are producing. However, it has taken diversification further than its peers by investing in around 80 oil and natural gas assets (57 producing), following the same basic business model. It's not as pure a play on metals, but if you are looking for diversification, that non-precious-metals exposure is an interesting addition to the mix. That said, gold provides roughly 70% of its revenue, with silver at 15%, and oil and gas at just 7% (the rest is, effectively, "other"), meaning that gold is still the big driver of performance here. The company has increased its dividend annually for 10 consecutive years.

• [By David Zeiler]

  "If you look back to the 70s, 80s and 90s, in every of those decades the industry found at least one 50+ million ounce gold deposit, at least ten 30+ million ounce deposits and countless five to 10 million ounce deposits. But if you look at the last 15 years, we found no 50 million ounce deposit, no 30 million ounce deposit and only very few 15 million ounce deposits," Pierre Lassonde, chair of gold royalty and income stream company Franco-Nevada Corp. (NYSE: FNV), told German financial newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft last October.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Gold streaming company Franco-Nevada Corporation (NYSE:FNV) offers investors a unique way to gain exposure to precious metals, but when you compare it to peers Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGLD) and Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE:WPM)�it looks relatively expensive. That said, if you are looking to gold for diversification you might still find that Franco-Nevada Corporation stock is a buy.

Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2018: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Earnings will once again dominate the early portion of the trading day, with first quarter reports from Dow components in Action Alerts PLUS holding UnitedHealth (UNH) , Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)  , Goldman Sachs (GS) and IBM Corp. (IBM) . 

• [By Jamal Carnette, CFA]

  By recent metrics, International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had a decent first quarter. The company beat analyst expectations of $2.41 adjusted EPS and revenue of $18.82 billion, according to data from Thomson Reuters, by reporting $2.45 and $19.1 billion, respectively.

• [By Money Morning Staff Reports]

  Through Tom's various strategies, followers had the chance to pocket gains of 195.36% in 16 days on Priceline Group Inc. (Nasdaq: PCLN), 193.39% in 16 days on SPDR Gold Trust (ETF) (NYSE Arca: GLD), 100% in eight days on International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), and even 248.42% in 17 days on SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSE Arca: DIA).

• [By ]

  In Pirates of Silicon Valley, an old made-for-TV movie about the PC industry's early days, the Bill Gates character quips (in reference to IBM's (IBM) willingness to let Microsoft (MSFT)  supply the OS for its PCs) that success is a menace, since it fools smart people into thinking that they can't lose. Bezos's remarks, as well as those made at times by other Amazon execs, suggest Amazon puts a lot of effort into making sure the company doesn't lose its edge on account of its success.

Miners’ Reward Token Trading 27.5% Lower Over Last 7 Days (MRT)

Miners’ Reward Token (CURRENCY:MRT) traded down 0.7% against the US dollar during the one day period ending at 7:00 AM E.T. on May 26th. Over the last week, Miners’ Reward Token has traded down 27.5% against the US dollar. One Miners’ Reward Token token can currently be bought for $0.0906 or 0.00001202 BTC on popular exchanges including Waves Decentralized Exchange and Tidex. Miners’ Reward Token has a market capitalization of $906,014.00 and $3,359.00 worth of Miners’ Reward Token was traded on exchanges in the last day.

Here’s how similar cryptocurrencies have performed over the last day:

Get Miners' Reward Token alerts: Ripple (XRP) traded 0.4% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.62 or 0.00008244 BTC. Stellar (XLM) traded 1.1% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.29 or 0.00003872 BTC. TRON (TRX) traded 2.2% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.0723 or 0.00000960 BTC. IOTA (MIOTA) traded up 0.2% against the dollar and now trades at $1.53 or 0.00020260 BTC. NEO (NEO) traded down 1.1% against the dollar and now trades at $53.46 or 0.00709573 BTC. Tether (USDT) traded 0.1% lower against the dollar and now trades at $1.00 or 0.00013261 BTC. VeChain (VEN) traded down 0.4% against the dollar and now trades at $3.62 or 0.00048084 BTC. Binance Coin (BNB) traded up 1.4% against the dollar and now trades at $13.06 or 0.00173283 BTC. Zilliqa (ZIL) traded up 0.6% against the dollar and now trades at $0.12 or 0.00001633 BTC. Ontology (ONT) traded 0.1% higher against the dollar and now trades at $6.57 or 0.00087214 BTC.

About Miners’ Reward Token

Miners’ Reward Token’s genesis date was March 28th, 2017. Miners’ Reward Token’s total supply is 10,000,000 tokens. Miners’ Reward Token’s official Twitter account is @wavesplatform. Miners’ Reward Token’s official website is wavescommunity.com/miners-reward-token.

Miners’ Reward Token Token Trading

Miners’ Reward Token can be traded on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: Waves Decentralized Exchange and Tidex. It is usually not possible to purchase alternative cryptocurrencies such as Miners’ Reward Token directly using U.S. dollars. Investors seeking to trade Miners’ Reward Token should first purchase Ethereum or Bitcoin using an exchange that deals in U.S. dollars such as Changelly, GDAX or Coinbase. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Ethereum or Bitcoin to purchase Miners’ Reward Token using one of the aforementioned exchanges.

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Best Heal Care Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:SSD,DCIX,LUB,PACB,

ProPhase Labs Inc (NASDAQ:PRPH) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2017. ProPhase Labs Inc is a manufacturer and distributor of homeopathic and health products. It is also engaged in the research & development of potential over-the-counter drug, natural health products, supplements, personal care & cosmeceutical products. ProPhase Labs Inc has a market cap of $32.830 million; its shares were traded at around $2.95 with a P/E ratio of 1.17 and P/S ratio of 2.14.

For the last quarter ProPhase Labs Inc reported a revenue of $4.15 million, compared with the revenue of $17.58 million during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $9.87 million, a decrease of 53% from the previous year. For the last five years ProPhase Labs Inc had an average revenue decline of 12.6% a year.

The reported diluted earnings per share was $2.67 for the year, compared with the loss per share of $0.03 in the previous year. The ProPhase Labs Inc had an operating margin of -40.44%, compared with the operating margin of -12.64% a year before. The 10-year historical median operating margin of ProPhase Labs Inc is -16.54%. The profitability rank of the company is 3 (out of 10).

Best Heal Care Stocks To Buy For 2019: Simpson Manufacturing Company Inc.(SSD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Simpson Manufacturing (SSD)

  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 Simpson Manufacturing (SSD)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Simpson Manufacturing (NYSE:SSD) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $64.25.

Best Heal Care Stocks To Buy For 2019: Diana Containerships Inc.(DCIX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Carver Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: CARV) shares jumped 92.1 percent to $7.01. iPic Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: IPIC) gained 21.6 percent to $9.73. Baozun Inc. (NASDAQ: BZUN) shares jumped 18.7 percent to $53.49 after reporting Q1 results. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) shares jumped 15.9 percent to $50.50. The company's "Smackdown Live" may not be renewed at NBCUniversal network and the company's "Monday Night Raw" program could be worth three times its current value elsewhere, according to a report for The Hollywood Reporter. Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPPI) gained 14.7 percent to $ 20.46 after the company issued further details on Phase 3 ADVANCE study of ROLONTIS. Motus GI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOTS) climbed 13.4 percent to $5.5009. Endocyte, Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) rose 13.3 percent to $ 14.23 after the company announced presentation of Phase 2 data from prostate cancer trial of 177Lu-PSMA-617 at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. Diana Containerships Inc. (NASDAQ: DCIX) gained 12.9 percent to $1.7499 after the company announced the sale of Post-Panamax Container Vessel for $21 million. Essendant Inc. (NASDAQ: ESND) gained 12.7 percent to $12.43. Essendant confirmed receipt of unsolicited proposal from Staples of $11.50 per share in cash. Blink Charging Co (NASDAQ: BLNK) rose 11.8 percent to $8.04 after surging 31.68 percent on Wednesday. OptimumBank Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPHC) gained 11.5 percent to $5.15. Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE: FTK) shares climbed 10.7 percent to $3.74. Farmer Bros. Co. (NASDAQ: FARM) rose 7.9 percent to $25.95 after climbing 7.90 percent on Wednesday. Minerva Neurosciences Inc (NASDAQ: NERV) rose 6.5 percent to $6.93 after Journal of Clinical Psychiatry published positive results of cognitive performance from Phase 2B trial of roluperidone in schizophrenia patients. Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) rose 5.6 percent to $40

Best Heal Care Stocks To Buy For 2019: Luby's, Inc.(LUB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Prothena Corporation plc (NASDAQ: PRTA) shares dipped 69 percent to $11.48 after a disappointing update relating to the company's treatment for AL amyloidosis. Prothena, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on therapies in the neuroscience and orphan categories, said a Phase 2b study of its therapy called NEOD001 failed to achieve its primary or secondary endpoints. Prothena's Phase 2b study explored its NEOD001 therapy versus a placebo in previously-treated patients with AL amyloidosis and persistent cardiac dysfunction. Gridsum Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: GSUM) fell 44.3 percent to $4.06. Gridsum reported suspension of audit report on financial statements. Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE: FTK) shares declined 34.1 percent to $4.16 as the company issued weak revenue forecast for the first quarter. Akorn, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKRX) dropped 32.3 percent to $13.35 after Fresenius terminated its merger deal with Akorn. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE: CBI) fell 31.2 percent to $13.44. Subsea 7 made an unsolicited bid to buy McDermott for $7 per share. However, the acquisition offer is contingent on McDermot terminating its pending merger with Chicago Bridge & Iron. Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: VLRS) dropped 18 percent to $5.76. Controladora Vuela recently reported first-quarter results that showed a loss for the quarter. Imperial Capital downgraded Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from Outperform to In-Line. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) fell 18.2 percent to $2.8797 after declining 19.35 percent on Friday. Alcoa Corporation (NYSE: AA) fell 12.3 percent to $52.63. Luby's, Inc. (NYSE: LUB) shares declined 10.3 percent to $2.448 following Q2 results. Aceto Corporation (NASDAQ: ACET) shares tumbled 10 percent to $2.26. Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) dipped 9.7 percent
• [By Max Byerly]

  Headlines about Luby’s (NYSE:LUB) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern rates the sentiment of media coverage by reviewing more than twenty million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Luby’s earned a news impact score of 0.10 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news coverage about the restaurant operator an impact score of 47.2262144037183 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

Best Heal Care Stocks To Buy For 2019: Pacific Biosciences of California Inc.(PACB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Losers Heat Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTBX) shares tumbled 48.59 percent to close at $1.275 on Thursday after the company priced its $18,000,000 public offering. InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: NVIV) fell 38.77 percent to close at $8.26 on Thursday. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) shares tumbled 27.43 percent to close at $8.81. Achaogen, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAO) dropped 24.76 percent to close at $11.06 in reaction to a disappointing update from an FDA AdCom panel. The FDA panel voted favorably for the company's Plazcomicin for treatment of adults with complicated urinary tract infections, but also voted against the therapy to be used as a treatment for bloodstream infections. Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANIK) shares declined 24.68 percent to close at $34.80 after the company posted downbeat quarterly results. LSC Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LKSD) shares fell 24.22 percent to close at $12.64 following wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) fell 21.42 percent to close at $50.80 following downbeat quarterly profit. Horizon Global Corporation (NYSE: HZN) dropped 20.42 percent to close at $6.00 following downbeat quarterly earnings. Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. (NYSE: HOS) slipped 20.11 percent to close at $2.90 following wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESPR) fell 19.28 percent to close at $36.93. Esperion Therapeutics stock lost roughly a third of its value Wednesday after the company reported mixed Phase III results for its leading drug candidate, bempedoic acid. JP Morgan downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from Neutral to Underweight. Laredo Petroleum, Inc. (NYSE: LPI) declined 17.77 percent to close at $8.98 after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q1 earnings. The Habit Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ: HABT) dipped 16.1 percent to close at $8.60 after the company reported downbeat quarterly results. Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. (N
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ: PACB) rose 11.4 percent to $2.93 in pre-market trading. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) shares rose 6.3 percent to $4.76 in pre-market trading as the company announced the publication of CE Mark multicenter clinical study results on C-Scan® in Gut. Acacia Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACIA) rose 6 percent to $ 35.20 in pre-market trading. Cellect Biotechnology Ltd. (NASDAQ: APOP) rose 6 percent to $7.60 in pre-market trading. Hexindai Inc. (NASDAQ: HX) rose 5.7 percent to $12.70 in pre-market trading. MoSys, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOSY) shares rose 5.3 percent to $2.07 in pre-market trading. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) rose 5 percent to $58.20 in pre-market trading after reporting a $10 billion buyback plan. Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ: GOGL) rose 4.1 percent to $8.63 in pre-market trading. MorphoSys AG (NASDAQ: MOR) rose 3.5 percent to $26.99 in pre-market trading. Cyren Ltd (NASDAQ: CYRN) shares rose 3.4 percent to $2.90 in pre-market trading. after reporting Q1 results. Box, Inc. (NYSE: BOX) rose 3.4 percent to $28.76 in pre-market trading. Kohl's Corporation (NYSE: KSS) shares rose 3.3 percent to $67.60 in the pre-market trading session after the company reported upbeat quarterly earnings. Micro Focus International plc (NYSE: MFGP) shares rose 3.1 percent to $18.40 in pre-market trading.

   

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. (NASDAQ: PACB) slipped about 5.6% to post a new 52-week low of $2.52 Tuesday after closing at $2.67 on Friday. Volume of about 910,000 was about 10% above the daily average. The company had no specific news.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:HBI,PNFP,SPY,PDCE,ZSAN,

Danvers, MA, based Investment company Stonehearth Capital Management, LLC buys Lockheed Martin Corp during the 3-months ended 2017-12-31, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, Stonehearth Capital Management, LLC. As of 2017-12-31, Stonehearth Capital Management, LLC owns 23 stocks with a total value of $72 million. These are the details of the buys and sells.

New Purchases: LMT, Added Positions: AAPL, AOR, VZ, Reduced Positions: DBEF, VWO, VNQ, EEMV, BSV, AOK, CWB,

For the details of Stonehearth Capital Management, LLC's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Stonehearth+Capital+Management%2C+LLC

These are the top 5 holdings of Stonehearth Capital Management, LLCVanguard FTSE Emerging Markets (VWO) - 256,939 shares, 16.37% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 1.31%Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets (VEA) - 218,068 shares, 13.58% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 0.31%iShares MSCI Frontier 100 Fund (FM) - 247,185 shares, 11.36% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.89%Vanguard Small-Cap (VB) - 53,681 shares, 11.01% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.23%Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity (DBEF) - 228,074 shares, 10.06% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 7.75%New Purchase: Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT)

Stonehearth Capital Management, LLC initiated holdings in Lockheed Martin Corp. The purchase prices were between $306.6 and $322.82, with an estimated average price of $315.2. The stock is now traded at around $333.56. The impact to the portfolio due to this purchase was 0.31%. The holdings were 685 shares as of 2017-12-31.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Hanesbrands Inc.(HBI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Mackay Shields LLC bought a new position in Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 61,368 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,130,000.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE: HBI) dropped about 0.7% Friday to post a new 52-week low of $16.38. Shares closed at $13.51 on Thursday and the stock’s 52-week high is $25.73. Volume of about 6.1 million shares was about 15% below the daily average. The company had no specific news but when it reported Q1 results earlier in the week, the outlook for the rest of the year was quite cautious.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Wall Street started the week on a muted note on Monday, as major benchmarks generally closed slightly down. Much of the attention among investors was on the bond market, where 10-year Treasury yields rose as high as 2.99%, signaling to some the possibility of much higher financing costs that could punish companies that overextended their balance sheets with debt when rates were much lower. Yet some individual companies had good news that sent their shares higher. McDermott International (NYSE:MDR), Box (NYSE:BOX), and Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI) were among the best performers on the day. Here's why they did so well.

• [By Max Byerly]

  B. Riley set a $30.00 price target on Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI) in a report issued on Monday. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the textile maker’s stock.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Valeritas Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: VLRX) shares jumped 17 percent to $3.65. Cambium Learning Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABCD) shares rose 13.5 percent to $11.70. McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) gained 11.6 percent to $6.75 after the UK-based offshore oil service company Subsea 7 made an unsolicited bid to buy McDermott for $7 per share. However, the acquisition offer is contingent on McDermot terminating its pending merger with Chicago Bridge & Iron Company. Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE: NLS) shares jumped 11.2 percent to $14.95. Nautilus is expected to release Q1 results on May 7, 2018. Craig-Hallum initiated coverage on Nautilus with a Buy rating and a $19.00 price target. GEE Group, Inc. (NYSE: JOB) shares gained 11 percent to $2.2199. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) surged 10.8 percent to $4.50. Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ: FRSX) rose 10.1 percent to $3.39. Stars Group Inc. (NASDAQ: TSG) climbed 9.6 percent to $32.10. Stars Group Inc (NASDAQ: TSG) announced plans to acquire Sky Betting & Gaming for $4.7 billion. Insmed Incorporated (NASDAQ: INSM) shares jumped 9.1 percent to $25.66. Credit Suisse upgraded Insmed from Neutral to Outperform. Tennant Company (NYSE: TNC) rose 8.4 percent to $75.65 after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and raised its FY18 earnings outlook. Command Security Corporation (NYSE: MOC) shares gained 6.4 percent to $3.0960 after the company disclosed a $23 million five-year contract with LaGuardia Gateway Partners for LaGuardia Airport New Central Terminal Building. Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. (NASDAQ: HMNY) rose 6.2 percent to $2.41 after falling 10.98 percent on Friday. Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC) shares rose 5.7 percent to $69.31. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) announced plans to acquire Vectren for $72 per share in cash. Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE: HBI) gained 4.9 percent to $18.035. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Hanesbrands from Hold to Buy. M

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc.(PNFP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)

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

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  About 25 years after the debut of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: SPY), the exchange traded funds universe finally has a bond fund based on the S&P 500. The ProShares S&P 500 Bond ETF (NYSE: SPXB) debuted Thursday.

• [By Wayne Duggan]

  As would be expected, the stock market tanked Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSE: DIA) down 2.2 percent and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY) down 1.7 percent in mid-day trading. The market leaders and laggards have been somewhat unexpected.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shepherd Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 323,701 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,649 shares during the period. SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust comprises 21.0% of Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust were worth $85,159,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Sandy Spring Bank reduced its stake in SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (NYSEARCA:SPY) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 161,356 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,214 shares during the quarter. SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF makes up approximately 3.8% of Sandy Spring Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF were worth $42,461,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Wayne Duggan]

  Investors are clearly concerned with a potential breakdown in trade negotiations. The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSE: SPY) is down 0.6 percent in the past two days, and the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (ETF) (NYSE: FXI) is down 2 percent.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: PDC Energy, Inc.(PDCE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on PDC Energy (PDCE)

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

Top 5 Value Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Zosano Pharma Corporation(ZSAN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Zosano Pharma (NASDAQ:ZSAN) will announce its earnings results after the market closes on Tuesday, May 15th.

  Zosano Pharma (NASDAQ:ZSAN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($3.80) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.80) by $1.00.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Zosano Pharma Corp. (NASDAQ: ZSAN) dropped about 17% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $0.54 after closing at $0.65 on Friday. Volume was around 720,000, about 10% below the daily average of around 850,000. The company had no specific news.

Associated Banc (ASB) Sets New 1-Year High and Low at $27.85

Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE:ASB) hit a new 52-week high and low on Monday . The company traded as low as $27.85 and last traded at $27.72, with a volume of 68897 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.25.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ASB. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Associated Banc from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 1st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Associated Banc from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 23rd. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Associated Banc from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 20th. Sandler O’Neill upgraded shares of Associated Banc from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Associated Banc from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Associated Banc currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.40.

Get Associated Banc alerts:

The company has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.88.

Associated Banc (NYSE:ASB) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 19th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $300.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $292.49 million. Associated Banc had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 8.53%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. equities analysts expect that Associated Banc-Corp will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 31st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Associated Banc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.47%.

In related news, insider William M. Bohn sold 19,011 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total transaction of $471,853.02. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 59,290 shares in the company, valued at $1,471,577.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Philip B. Flynn sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.72, for a total transaction of $267,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 114,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,064,356.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 151,879 shares of company stock worth $3,971,509. 2.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASB. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Associated Banc by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 924,610 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $23,486,000 after purchasing an additional 59,574 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in Associated Banc in the fourth quarter worth approximately $228,000. James Investment Research Inc. bought a new position in Associated Banc in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,770,000. WoodTrust Financial Corp bought a new position in Associated Banc in the fourth quarter worth approximately $212,000. Finally, Cubic Asset Management LLC raised its position in Associated Banc by 81.8% in the fourth quarter. Cubic Asset Management LLC now owns 30,010 shares of the bank’s stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 13,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.39% of the company’s stock.

Associated Banc Company Profile

Associated Banc-Corp, a bank holding company, provides various banking and nonbanking products to individuals and businesses primarily in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. Its Corporate and Commercial Specialty segment offers deposit and cash management solutions, such as commercial checking and interest-bearing deposit products, cash vault and night depository services, liquidity solutions, payables and receivables solutions, and information services; and lending solutions, including commercial loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, construction loans, letters of credit, leasing, asset based lending, and loan syndications.

Nordstrom, Inc.'s Post-Earnings Stock Slump Is a Buying Opportunity

Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) returned to earnings growth last quarter, as the reduced corporate tax rate helped the upscale retailer post a double-digit increase in earnings per share. Investors still dumped Nordstrom stock in after-hours trading on Thursday, punishing the company for weak comparable-store sales growth.

However, Nordstrom maintained its full-year comp sales guidance and even improved its EPS forecast (albeit just slightly). As a result, Nordstrom stock's 7% after-hours decline seems like a massive overreaction -- and a nice buying opportunity for long-term investors.

Sales momentum slows

In the first quarter, Nordstrom's revenue rose 6.2% to $3.56 billion, boosted by store openings, the timing of a promotional event, and rising credit card income. Comparable-store sales -- a metric that excludes these three factors -- rose 0.6%. This was made up of a 0.7% increase in the full-line segment and 0.4% growth in the Nordstrom Rack off-price business.

Investors were disappointed by this comp sales result. On average, Wall Street analysts had expected 1.1% comp sales growth. Additionally, the 0.6% increase marked a sharp slowdown relative to the fourth quarter, when Nordstrom posted a 2.6% comp sales gain.

Nordstrom saw a sales slowdown in its Nordstrom Rack stores last quarter. Image source: Nordstrom.

On the other hand, Nordstrom's Q1 comp sales gain was roughly in line with its 0.8% full-year increase in fiscal 2017. During the company's earnings call, management attributed the modest slowdown to unseasonably cold weather during parts of the quarter and some changes to the company's marketing.

Profitability holds up nicely

Even if Nordstrom's sales performance was subpar, the company more than made up for it with solid profitability in the first quarter. Operating profit ticked up slightly to $153 million from $151 million a year earlier. A modest decline in gross margin and a modest increase in operating expenses were fully offset by higher sales and a greater than 20% jump in credit card income.

Thanks to the benefit of tax reform, EPS reached $0.51 last quarter. That was up from $0.37 a year earlier, or $0.43 excluding a special charge related to refinancing some debt.

Nordstrom's stable profitability and strong EPS growth was particularly impressive because the company opened its highly regarded flagship men's store in Manhattan last month. As a result, Nordstrom incurred substantial pre-opening costs during the first quarter.

Over the past several years, Nordstrom has experienced severe margin headwinds related to the long-term investments it has been making in its business. The fact that it was able to keep its profit margin roughly stable last quarter despite incurring pre-opening costs for the Manhattan men's store validates management's claim that Nordstrom is finally reaching an inflection point in terms of profitability.

The outlook remains solid

Despite its soft Q1 sales performance, Nordstrom maintained its full-year guidance for 0.5% to 1.5% comp sales growth. Additionally, the company's solid margin performance encouraged management to bump up the low end of the EPS guidance range by $0.05. Nordstrom's new forecast calls for EPS between $3.35 and $3.55 in fiscal 2018.

After falling 7% in after-hours trading on Thursday evening, Nordstrom stock trades for less than 14 times the midpoint of this updated EPS forecast. Furthermore, free cash flow has started to routinely outpace EPS as Nordstrom's capex has moderated, making the stock even cheaper than this earnings multiple would imply.

This makes Nordstrom stock a compelling bargain in light of its recent margin stabilization. As some of its recent investments start to pay off, the company has an opportunity to improve its profitability significantly.

Even if comp sales increases remain modest, a return to margin expansion would drive strong EPS growth, unlocking substantial upside for Nordstrom stock. As a result, I plan to hold on to all of my shares for the foreseeable future, while reinvesting the dividends to gradually add to my stake in Nordstorm.