CSI Compressco (CCLP) Lowered to “Sell” at Zacks Investment Research

CSI Compressco (NASDAQ:CCLP) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

According to Zacks, “CSI Compressco LP offers compression services and equipment for natural gas and oil production, gathering, transportation, processing and storage. Its equipment and parts sales business includes the fabrication and sale of standard compressor packages, custom-designed compressor packages and engine-driven oilfield fluid pump systems designed. The company offers well monitoring and automated sand separation services as well as compressor package reconfiguration and maintenance services. CSI Compressco LP, formerly known as Compressco Partners, L.P., is headquartered in Oklahoma City. “

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Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. BidaskClub lowered CSI Compressco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 14th. ValuEngine upgraded CSI Compressco from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 17th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $7.00 price objective (down from $8.00) on shares of CSI Compressco in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th. Finally, Raymond James set a $8.00 price objective on CSI Compressco and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.50.

Shares of CSI Compressco opened at $5.30 on Wednesday, according to MarketBeat. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.69. CSI Compressco has a 52 week low of $4.19 and a 52 week high of $8.05.

CSI Compressco (NASDAQ:CCLP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 7th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.40) EPS for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.22) by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $85.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $82.69 million. CSI Compressco had a negative net margin of 12.87% and a negative return on equity of 42.32%. research analysts anticipate that CSI Compressco will post -0.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. OppenheimerFunds Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CSI Compressco by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. OppenheimerFunds Inc. now owns 4,095,376 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,733,000 after purchasing an additional 468,241 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of CSI Compressco by 25.8% in the 1st quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 960,222 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,972,000 after purchasing an additional 196,936 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in shares of CSI Compressco by 60,459.8% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 244,056 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 243,653 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of CSI Compressco in the 4th quarter valued at $1,150,000. Finally, Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CSI Compressco by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC now owns 143,900 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.45% of the company’s stock.

About CSI Compressco

CSI Compressco LP provides compression services and equipment for natural gas and oil production, gathering, transportation, processing, and storage applications in the United States and internationally. It fabricates and sells standard and custom-designed compressor packages, oilfield fluid pump systems, and compressor package parts and components, as well as provides aftermarket services, such as operations, maintenance, overhaul, and reconfiguration services.

Featured Story: Price to Earnings Ratio (PE)

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Investors Sell Shares of NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) on Strength on Analyst Downgrade

Traders sold shares of NXP Semiconductors NV (NASDAQ:NXPI) on strength during trading hours on Tuesday after Zacks Investment Research downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a sell rating. $168.86 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $241.16 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $72.30 million out of the stock. Of all companies tracked, NXP Semiconductors had the 0th highest net out-flow for the day. NXP Semiconductors traded up $0.51 for the day and closed at $95.34

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. SunTrust Banks raised NXP Semiconductors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 27th. Drexel Hamilton raised NXP Semiconductors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $110.00 to $127.50 in a report on Thursday, May 3rd. Deutsche Bank raised NXP Semiconductors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $127.50 to $107.00 in a report on Thursday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised NXP Semiconductors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 27th. Finally, Mizuho raised NXP Semiconductors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.40.

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A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Malaga Cove Capital LLC bought a new position in NXP Semiconductors in the 2nd quarter worth $722,000. Aviva PLC raised its holdings in NXP Semiconductors by 60.6% in the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 286,705 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $31,328,000 after purchasing an additional 108,179 shares during the period. Eagle Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in NXP Semiconductors by 23.5% in the 2nd quarter. Eagle Global Advisors LLC now owns 10,500 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in NXP Semiconductors by 91.9% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 54,496 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $5,955,000 after purchasing an additional 26,094 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in NXP Semiconductors by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 99,335 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $10,854,000 after purchasing an additional 5,300 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The firm has a market capitalization of $32.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 2nd. The semiconductor provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.55). NXP Semiconductors had a return on equity of 16.24% and a net margin of 10.35%. The company had revenue of $2.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.35 billion. equities analysts predict that NXP Semiconductors NV will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

NXP Semiconductors Company Profile

NXP Semiconductors N.V., a semiconductor company, provides high performance mixed signal solutions for radio frequency (RF), analog, power management, interface, security, and digital processing products worldwide. The company offers products for audio and visual head-end unit applications, such as single-chip radio solutions, multi-standard radios, audio amplifiers and power analog products, and i.MX applications processors; in-vehicle networking products; two-way secure entry products; various sensors and microcontrollers; power management solutions; and solutions for radar, vision, vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-infrastructure systems.

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Dodge Hellcat shoots flames in holiday video

Pick any holiday, big or small,�and�you'll find car enthusiasts swarming online to�watch videos of their favorite Dodge revving up and rooster tailing down the road.

From the ��Sprinkles Optional�� short film for National Donut Day to the ��Cupid��s Arrow�� web commercial in celebration of Valentine��s Day, each of the Fiat Chrysler brand's�social videos are filled with enough noise and�exhaust to turn your living room into Daytona International Speedway.

And for the first time, car aficionados�can get a glimpse into how those�videos are made.�

On Friday, Dodge gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of its most recent ��Light the Fuse�� July Fourth video featuring the�Charger SRT Hellcat. The brand released�a two-minute docu-style video.

To create the film, Dodge�partnered with The Racing Cowboys production company, which has also produced videos for Lamborghini and Toyota, to create movie magic.

The video seems to�show�the Hellcat spewing flames from the exhaust, igniting�a string of Independence Day fireworks in the process. But�the company revealed that the stunt was achieved by�attaching small remote-control flamethrowers to the top of the vehicle��s exhaust system.

"There were (social media)�inquiries�asking, 'How do you guys pull this off?' So we thought it would be engaging�to share the behind-the-scenes," said Steve Beahm, head of passenger car brands for Dodge.

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That type of�combustion setup is�not exactly advised for everyday driving. The video's director, Nicolai�Iuul,�said that there were�pyrotechnics and fire department personnel on set to�make sure everything was safe.

A team of roughly 40 people, including cops and safety personnel,�worked overnight on the downtown Los Angeles video set, and�it wasn't all easy.

��Part of it was pretty tricky to do actually,�� said Samuel Hubinette, a professional stunt� car driver with 25 years of experience. ��I had to whip around the rear-end of the vehicle several times to get close enough to ignite the firework fuse.

��Thankfully, we walked away with the car�still intact, but it was lots of pressure, of course.��

The�Dodge�brand creates these videos almost exclusively for their loyal social media followers.

��We ...want to give fans reasons to keep coming back to our social channels to see what is next,���Dodge said in an statement.

It seems to be working.

Overall, nearly 3 million people have viewed the holiday videos so far. The July Fourth edition�was by far the fan favorite, with the�St. Patrick's Day and Valentines Day videos tying�for second, according to the company.

��I feel like I have the best job in the world,�� Iuul said.

So, what��s next in the lineup?

Dodge is set to film in the coming weeks and is releasing a video Aug. 17�for Black Cat Appreciation Day, a holiday created to�encourage�pet adoption.�

Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter @Dalvin_Brown�

FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInDodge gets demonic with Challenger Demon FullscreenPost to FacebookPosted!

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Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is so powerful it can lift its front wheels off the ground  DodgeFullscreen Dodge Challenger SRT Demon comes billed as the fastest car yet from zero to 60  DodgeFullscreen 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon   FCA US LLCFullscreen The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is unveiled during a media preview for the New York IAuto Show  Julie Jacobson, APFullscreen The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is unveiled during a media preview for the New York International Auto Show, Tuesday, April 11, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ORG XMIT: NYJJ113  Julie Jacobson, APFullscreen The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the world��s first production car to lift the front wheels at launch. It set the world record for longest wheelie from a standing start by a production car at 2.92 feet, certified by Guinness World Records.  FCA US LLC, FCA US LLCFullscreen The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon sits on display during a media preview for the New York Auto Show,  Julie Jacobson, APFullscreen 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon at the drag strip  FCA US LLC, FCA US LLCFullscreen The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon even lifts its front end off the ground with larger tires  FCA US LLCFullscreenInterested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:Replay1 of 92 of 93 of 94 of 95 of 96 of 97 of 98 of 99 of 9AutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext Slide

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State of Alaska Department of Revenue Acquires 2,910 Shares of PVH Corp (PVH)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in PVH Corp (NYSE:PVH) by 14.6% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 22,780 shares of the textile maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,910 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in PVH were worth $3,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. AMF Pensionsforsakring AB purchased a new position in shares of PVH during the 1st quarter worth about $18,661,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PVH by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,193,528 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $786,454,000 after purchasing an additional 123,001 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PVH during the 1st quarter worth about $11,142,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in shares of PVH by 267.9% during the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 86,136 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $13,044,000 after purchasing an additional 62,722 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of PVH by 72.8% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 137,799 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $20,868,000 after purchasing an additional 58,071 shares during the period. 93.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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In related news, EVP Mark D. Fischer sold 1,100 shares of PVH stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.25, for a total transaction of $180,675.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Francis K. Duane sold 16,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $2,636,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,125 shares of company stock valued at $3,564,789 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Shares of PVH opened at $151.49 on Wednesday. PVH Corp has a 1-year low of $112.17 and a 1-year high of $169.22. The stock has a market cap of $11.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

PVH (NYSE:PVH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 30th. The textile maker reported $2.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.11. PVH had a net margin of 7.00% and a return on equity of 12.66%. The company had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. research analysts forecast that PVH Corp will post 9.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 17th were issued a dividend of $0.0375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 16th. This represents a $0.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.10%. PVH’s payout ratio is 1.89%.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. ValuEngine cut shares of PVH from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 2nd. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of PVH from $178.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 26th. Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of PVH in a research note on Monday, June 25th. They set a “sell” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of PVH in a research note on Thursday, June 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of PVH from $179.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. PVH presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $168.76.

PVH Company Profile

PVH Corp. operates as an apparel company in North America and internationally. The company operates through six segments: Calvin Klein North America, Calvin Klein International, Tommy Hilfiger North America, Tommy Hilfiger International, Heritage Brands Wholesale, and Heritage Brands Retail. It designs, markets, and retails men's and women's apparel and accessories, including branded dress shirts, dresses, suits, neckwear, sportswear, jeans wear, performance and intimate apparel, underwear, swimwear, swim products, handbags, luggage products, footwear, golf apparel, sleepwear and loungewear, eyewear and fragrances, cosmetics, skincare products and toiletries, socks and tights, jewelry, watches, outerwear, small leather goods, and furnishings, as well as other related products.

Featured Article: Should I invest in “strong buy” stocks?

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PVH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for PVH Corp (NYSE:PVH).

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:CSU,NYMT,BYDDY,HA,NFLX, Warren Buffett recently told CNBC he didn't have a good reason for not investing in Amazon stock. Here are a few good reasons why you should.
123RF

Shares of Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN)�have racked up decent gains this year,�and are up by over 13% in under three months. That's more than what the stock eventually returned in 2016 after big intermittent swings on both sides. However, if you're a long term investor, and are considering an investment in AMZN stock, that shouldn't stop you. In spite of the stellar growth it has registered in recent years, Amazon has a lot of room for growth, and the stock is likely to deliver healthy long term returns. Amazon's focus on growth may not go down too well with all types of investors though. For instance, if you're a value investor like the legendary Warren Buffett, Amazon stock may not appeal to you all that much. But if you're chasing influential companies that can deliver high growth rates, you should definitely take a look at Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN).

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: Capital Senior Living Corporation(CSU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lessened its stake in shares of Capital Senior Living (NYSE:CSU) by 5.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 180,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,000 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Capital Senior Living were worth $1,935,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  $900.00 upgraded shares of Constellation Software (TSE:CSU) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning.

  Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. National Bank Financial lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Software from C$850.00 to C$875.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, April 27th. CIBC lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Software from C$865.00 to C$900.00 in a report on Friday, April 27th. lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Software to C$980.00 in a report on Thursday, April 26th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Software from C$880.00 to C$940.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of C$901.88.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Media stories about Capital Senior Living (NYSE:CSU) have trended somewhat positive on Sunday, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research firm rates the sentiment of press coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Capital Senior Living earned a daily sentiment score of 0.01 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned press coverage about the company an impact score of 46.062391046142 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the immediate future.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: New York Mortgage Trust Inc.(NYMT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of NY Mtg Tr Inc/SH (NASDAQ:NYMT) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $6.06.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: BYD Company Limited (BYDDY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Source

  2016 August 2016 - EV monthly news begins. The world's first self-driving taxi service was launched in Singapore, with human drivers as backup. Bloomberg wrote "Why Electric Cars Will Be Here Sooner Than You Think" , and I wrote "Electric Vehicles Will Be Affordable And Popular By 2020 - An EV Portfolio To Consider." BYD Co's (OTCPK:BYDDF) (OTCPK:BYDDY) global bus and taxi expansion continues. BYD enters into the monorail business. BYD ends 2016 as global No 1 electric car seller yet again. Lithium saw its price triple in 2016. Global EV sales finished 2016 at 774,000 for the year, up 40% on 2015, and representing 0.85% of the global market share.

  EV costs declining graph

• [By ]

  BYD Co. (OTCPK:BYDDY), (OTCPK:OTCPK:BYDDF) HK:1211

  BYD is currently ranked the number 2 globally with 9% global market share, and is ranked number 1 in China with 24% market share.

• [By ]

  BYD Co. (OTCPK:BYDDY), (OTCPK:OTCPK:BYDDF) HK:1211

  BYD regained the number 1 ranking globally with 10% global market share, and is ranked number 1 in China with 21% market share.

• [By ]

  BYD Co., Ltd. (OTCPK:BYDDY) (OTCPK:BYDDF) is the world's largest manufacturer of EVs (electric vehicles). It is also a major player in e-buses, e-trucks, solar panels, energy storage and batteries. In addition, last year it launched its "Skyrail" transit system. Founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu surprised the markets when he previously announced a planned ten-fold increase in revenues by 2025.

• [By ]

  Chinese electric-car startup NIO (formerly known as NextEV), which has attracted three of China's famous BATX tech giants, namely, Baidu (BIDU), Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY) (OTCPK:TCTZF), and Xiaomi (XI) as investors, is also based in Shanghai. Singapore's state investment vehicle Temasek Holdings and computing titan Lenovo Group (OTCPK:LNVGY) (OTCPK:LNVGF) are also early backers of NIO. Qoros Automotive, a 50-50 joint venture between Chinese state-owned Chery Automobile and Singaporean investment company Kenon Holdings, is headquartered in Shanghai, while its assembly plant in Changshu is near Shanghai. Looking elsewhere in China, BYD Co. Ltd. (OTCPK:BYDDF) (OTCPK:BYDDY), a Chinese EV-maker backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B), has manufacturing sites in Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shanxi, and Shanghai.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.(HA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Hawaiian (HA)

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

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  At an industry conference last week, Hawaiian Holdings (NASDAQ:HA) CEO Peter Ingram told reporters that Hawaiian Airlines had experienced a modest decline in bookings due to the continued eruption of Kilauea: a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  Hawaiian Holdings (NASDAQ:HA) and Alaska Air (NYSE:ALK) are currently the only two airlines flying nonstop to Hawaii from those cities. Both carriers are fighting back against Southwest's looming arrival in the market by expanding preemptively.

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  After several years of struggling to build a defensible international route network, leisure-focused airline operator Hawaiian Holdings (NASDAQ:HA) has become one of the most profitable airlines in the U.S. in the past few years. Hawaiian's pre-tax margin rose from 6.9% in 2014 to 13.2% in 2015, 18.4% in 2016, and 17.6% in 2017.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: Netflix, Inc.(NFLX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) signed former U.S. President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama to a multiyear deal to produce shows and documentaries for the streaming platform: Link $

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  According to�Money Morning�Capital Wave Strategist Shah Gilani, we shouldn't be surprised. Here's what you need to know to stay out ahead of the next major crash.

  Four Stocks to Watch Today: DIS, JASO, AAPL, GOOGL Shares of The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) are in focus thanks to a record-breaking weekend for its Pixar division. The company's film "Incredibles 2" collected a staggering $180 million during its first weekend in the domestic box office. The massive windfall is the largest opening weekend for an animated film and easily topped the studios previous record for "Finding Dory" ($135.1 million). The e-commerce wars are heating up in China. This morning, Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL) – the owner of Google – announced it would purchase a $550 million stake in�com Inc.�(Nasdaq: JD), a Chinese e-commerce firm and primary rival to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA). Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced it has inked a multiyear deal with Oprah Winfrey to create original content for the company's television division. The deal is the largest content partnership in Apple's history. The company is trying to compete with rivals Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX), com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN), and Time Warner Inc.'s (NYSE: TMX) HBO division. Winfrey is expected to create new shows and to appear on screen. "Together, Winfrey and Apple will create original programs that embrace her incomparable ability to connect with audiences around the world," the company said in a statement. Look for an earnings report from JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq: JASO). Wall Street expects the renewable energy giant will report earnings per share of $0.02 on top of $593 million in revenue.

  Follow�Money Morning�on�Twitter,�Facebook, and�LinkedIn.

• [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

  Oprah Winfrey, perhaps the most famous one-person entertainment company in the world, has signed a deal with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) to create “original” shows. Apple is so far behind Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), the arrangement is Oprah versus the rest of the entertainment world.

• [By ]

  And, of course, the FAANG stocks were at their height. This catchy name stands for Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOGL). This group was supposed to represent the most popular technology stocks of this market.

3 Key U.S. Export Businesses Feeling the Trade War Blues

Many American businesses are already facing disruptions in sales and supply chains as the trade war is setting in. Though U.S. tariffs were supposed to help its businesses, exporters are expected to be negatively affected by them.

Due to the anticipated spike in the price of steel and aluminum, companies that use those raw materials are expecting their cost of production to rise. Meanwhile, due to foreign countries’ retaliatory tariffs, U.S. companies are anticipating higher costs in shipping and lower demand from international customers. 

Some main industries and companies to take note of are Harley-Davidson (HOG ) , the U.S. soybean business, and German motor companies. Let’s take a closer look.

Harley Davidson

Harley-Davidson Inc., a motorcycle maker, is afflicted by both the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum and the European Union’s retaliatory tariffs.

U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum could increase the company’s bill for raw materials by as much as $20 million this year. In addition to that, the 31% tariffs the E.U. enacted would raise the cost of each bike it ships from the U.S by about $2,200.

In response to that, Harley said it will have to shift production of some cycles overseas to offset E.U. tariffs.  This will cost as much as $100 million annually, but with its lowly position in the trade war, the company doesn’t have much choice.

Soybeans

Last Friday, the U.S. imposed tariffs on $34 billion worth of imported Chinese machinery, auto parts, medical devices, and other goods. In response, China said it is going to immediately impose equivalent tariffs that would cover 545 categories of U.S. products—including soybeans.

Soybean farmers are now facing plunging prices. Paul Burke from the U.S. Soybean Export Council told The Wall Street Journal that Chinese importers have mostly stopped buying U.S. soybeans. China imported about $14 billion in U.S. soybeans last year, making soybeans the top item targeted by China’s proposed tariffs, according to Wind Information via the WSJ.  

Auto Companies

Germany’s Mercedes-maker Daimler (DDAIF ) and BMW (BAMXF ) sell U.S.-made sport utility vehicles in China. Starting last Friday, those vehicles were subject to a 40% tariff.

These motor companies, along with Ford (F ) and Tesla (TSLA ) of the U.S., are expected to be most affected from the tariffs as they export a large amount of their vehicles to China.

BMW and Daimler are particularly vulnerable to this tit-for-tat U.S. – China trade war. Both companies have huge factories in the southern U.S., with thousands of employers that build vehicles for export to China and Europe.

The tariffs leave the companies with two choices: raise the price for customers in China or absorb the added costs. Though possible long-term plans include shutting down a plant or shifting production to other markets, such plans take years to plan and require even more additional cost. All in all, these auto companies surely are on the losing front of the trade war.

Bottom Line

As of now, Trump is planning on a second round of tariffs on an additional $16 billion worth of goods, which will probably go into effect in August.

According to The Wall Street Journal, China experts think that the two main sides of this trade war—China and the U.S.—are likely to start negotiations again when the impact of tariffs become too big, and markets begin to react.

U.S. manufacturers will face tough decisions in coming months over whether to raise prices for their consumers or cover the higher costs themselves. As long as there is a possibility for more tariffs on imports from China, U.S. manufacturers will most likely halt their investments on domestic supply chains.

However, there is always a level of uncertainty regarding how the tariff dispute will actually turn out—causing decision making to be even more difficult for these companies.

The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All

Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.

See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>

Arcos Dorados (ARCO) Lifted to “Hold” at ValuEngine

Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO) was upgraded by analysts at ValuEngine from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Separately, Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Arcos Dorados from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $10.20.

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Arcos Dorados stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $7.15. The stock had a trading volume of 317,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 693,640. Arcos Dorados has a twelve month low of $6.75 and a twelve month high of $10.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.74.

Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 9th. The restaurant operator reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.02). Arcos Dorados had a return on equity of 19.72% and a net margin of 2.63%. The firm had revenue of $849.89 million during the quarter. equities analysts forecast that Arcos Dorados will post 0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arcos Dorados announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $60.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to buy up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARCO. Blair William & Co. IL purchased a new stake in Arcos Dorados in the 1st quarter worth approximately $102,000. Usca Ria LLC purchased a new stake in Arcos Dorados in the 1st quarter worth approximately $119,000. Ellington Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Arcos Dorados in the 4th quarter worth approximately $139,000. Element Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Arcos Dorados in the 1st quarter worth approximately $151,000. Finally, Castleark Management LLC purchased a new stake in Arcos Dorados in the 4th quarter worth approximately $158,000. Institutional investors own 37.56% of the company’s stock.

About Arcos Dorados

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc operates as a franchisee of McDonald's restaurants. It has the exclusive right to own, operate, and grant franchises of McDonald's restaurants in 20 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cura莽ao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, the United States Virgin Islands of St.

To view ValuEngine’s full report, visit ValuEngine’s official website.

Top 5 Small Cap Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:ACHN,CNR,PQ,FCEL,

The Q3 2016 earnings report for troubled small cap department store stock J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) is scheduled for before the market opens on Friday (November 11th)�as�shares still have elevated short interest of 25.96%�according to Highshortinterest.com�as the turnaround continues.��

A technical chart for J.C. Penney Company shows shares just below a�top that��s slightly lower than the previous high earlier this year:�

A long term performance chart shows J.C. Penney Company loosing most of its value but also stabilizing while peers Nordstrom, Inc (NYSE: JWN) and Macy's, Inc (NYSE: M) also fell off rather heavily since the middle of last year to sort of stabilize this year:

Top 5 Small Cap Stocks To Invest In 2019: Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ACHN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN)

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

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Avenue Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATXI) rose 29.4 percent to $5.50 in pre-market trading after the company disclosed that its first pivotal Phase 3 trial of IV tramadol achieved the primary and key secondary endpoints. MB Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBFI) rose 16.8 percent to $51.00 in pre-market trading. Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) agreed to acquire MB Financial for $54.70 per share in cash and stock. LiveXLive Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: LIVX) rose 9.3 percent to $5.40 in pre-market trading after falling 28.92 percent on Friday. Celyad SA (NASDAQ: CYAD) shares rose 9 percent to $29.30 in pre-market trading after climbing 3.26 percent on Friday. Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (NYSE: ETH) rose 6.7 percent to $26.40 in pre-market trading after gaining 1.64 percent on Friday. Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN) rose 5.4 percent to $3.90 in pre-market trading after gaining 3.06 percent on Friday. Acacia Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACIA) rose 5.2 percent to $34.70 in pre-market trading after gaining 1.38 percent on Friday. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (NYSE: WAB) rose 5.1 percent to $100 in pre-market trading. General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) agreed to merge its transportation unit with Wabtec. Sunrun Inc. (NASDAQ: RUN) shares rose 4.7 percent to $11.50 in pre-market trading. Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ) shares rose 4.3 percent to $93.98 in the pre-market trading session. LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) shares rose 4.2 percent to $33.25 in pre-market trading. Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) will buy LaSalle Hotel Properties in a $4.8 billion deal, Bloomberg reported. Monro, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNRO) shares rose 4 percent to $58.35 in pre-market trading as the company posted upbeat quarterly earnings and disclosed that it has acquired Free Service Tire. HUYA Inc. (NYSE: HUYA) rose 3.7 percent to $19.75 in pre-market trading after falling 4.80 percent on Friday.

  Find out what's going

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACHN) – Research analysts at B. Riley reduced their FY2018 EPS estimates for shares of Achillion Pharmaceuticals in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 2nd. B. Riley analyst M. Kumar now anticipates that the biopharmaceutical company will earn ($0.58) per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of ($0.55). B. Riley has a “Neutral” rating and a $3.50 price objective on the stock. B. Riley also issued estimates for Achillion Pharmaceuticals’ FY2019 earnings at ($0.64) EPS, FY2020 earnings at ($0.71) EPS, FY2021 earnings at ($0.70) EPS and FY2022 earnings at ($0.84) EPS.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  News articles about Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACHN) have trended somewhat positive this week, Accern Sentiment reports. The research firm ranks the sentiment of press coverage by analyzing more than twenty million blog and news 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. Achillion Pharmaceuticals earned a media sentiment score of 0.16 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news articles about the biopharmaceutical company an impact score of 46.941587509483 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACHN) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.20.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Skeptics might deride a comparison of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:INO) and Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHN) as an exercise in finding the biggest loser. Both companies continue to post huge net losses every quarter, and their stocks are down by at least 30% over the last 12 months.

Top 5 Small Cap Stocks To Invest In 2019: China Metro-Rural Holdings Limited(CNR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  State of Tennessee Treasury Department lessened its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 842,775 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 13,507 shares during the quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department owned about 0.11% of Canadian National Railway worth $61,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) – Cormark raised their Q3 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Canadian National Railway in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, April 10th. Cormark analyst D. Tyerman now expects that the transportation company will post earnings per share of $1.15 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.14.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Brokerages expect Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) to announce earnings of $1.03 per share for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Eight analysts have issued estimates for Canadian National Railway’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $1.10 and the lowest estimate coming in at $0.97. Canadian National Railway reported earnings of $1.00 per share in the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year over year growth rate of 3%. The business is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings report on Tuesday, July 24th.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Wall Street analysts expect that Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) will announce $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Seven analysts have provided estimates for Canadian National Railway’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $1.06 and the lowest estimate coming in at $0.97. Canadian National Railway reported earnings per share of $1.00 in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 2%. The company is expected to announce its next quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 24th.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp cut its position in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 21.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,956,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 522,300 shares during the period. Canadian National Railway accounts for about 1.7% of Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp owned 0.27% of Canadian National Railway worth $184,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR) (NYSE:CNI) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$109.36.

Top 5 Small Cap Stocks To Invest In 2019: Petroquest Energy Inc(PQ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  News headlines about Petroquest Energy (NYSE:PQ) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern identifies negative and positive news coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Petroquest Energy earned a coverage optimism score of 0.05 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news stories about the energy company an impact score of 47.638327846877 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.

Top 5 Small Cap Stocks To Invest In 2019: FuelCell Energy Inc.(FCEL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) posted a decrease of 4% in short interest during the period. Some 7.42 million shares were short as of June 15. The stock closed at $1.37 on Tuesday, down about 1.4% for the day, in a 52-week range of $1.18 to $2.49. Shares traded down more than 10% in the short interest period, and days to cover dropped from 17 to six.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ: ESIO) and FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, dividends and earnings.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  FuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ:FCEL) shares traded up 5.8% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $1.49 and last traded at $1.45. 12,581,855 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 983% from the average session volume of 1,161,380 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1.37.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL) is one of 25 public companies in the “Miscellaneous electrical machinery, equipment, & supplies” industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare FuelCell Energy to related companies based on the strength of its risk, dividends, earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap fuel cell stock�FuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FCEL) reported Q4 and fiscal year ended October 31, 2017 earnings�with�Q4 total revenues�being $47.9 million versus $24.5 million:����

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL) and Integer (NYSE:ITGR) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership and risk.

Top 10 wealth creators of 2018! Should you sell or hold them?

The last six month might not have gone investors�� way, especially after the blockbuster returns seen in 2017. Benchmark indices managed to stay afloat with the Sensex up about 4 percent in the last six months of 2018 but the bigger carnage was seen in the small and midcap space.

If we look at the performers of the last six months, most wealth creators are from the midcap and largecap space. Top 10 stocks that rose 30-80 percent in 2018 despite global and domestic headwinds include: Indiabulls Ventures, Firstsource Solutions, V-Mart Retail, NIIT Technologies, Mindtree, Tech Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro Infotech, KPIT Technologies, Mphasis and Jubilant FoodWorks.

��Stocks which have returned over 50 percent are fundamentally still strong and the momentum in these stocks is expected to continue going forward,�� Ritesh Ashar, Chief Strategy Officer at KIFS Trade Capital, said.

related news Charts: A crazy June ends with a flat Nifty but horrible everything else Technical View: Nifty forms Inside bar pattern, 10,736 crucial for bulls Podcast | An evening walk down Dalal Street: Sensex rallies over 100 points; Nifty ends around 10,700 The way forward

Analysts sound a note of caution for the rest of 2018. The Sensex, which was up about 4 percent in 2018, is still down about 3 percent from its all-time high of 36,443.98. The broader market, which created fortunes for many last year, has seen double-digit cuts in 2018. The BSE Midcap index slipped a little over 13 percent so far in 2018 and the BSE Smallcap index dropped nearly 17 percent in the same period.

Experts feel investors will be better off sticking to quality names in the large and midcap space but advise avoiding smallcaps for now.

"Volatility is likely to continue going forward and midcaps are vulnerable at current levels. They are likely to stay in that state for some more time, thanks to excess valuations, rising cost of capital and global tensions," Bharat Iyer, MD, JP Morgan, told CNBC-TV18.

He advises investors to pare down their expectations from the market in the next 2 years. ��A 10-12 percent return will be good for equity investors amid headwinds related to rising cost of capital both locally and globally.��

So, which midcaps can investors buy now?

Iyer said investors should look at quality names in the midcap space. ��We feel earnings are going to compound by over 15-20 percent in 2-3 years. Any correction in those stocks could be used as a buying opportunity.��

Here is a list of top 10 stocks in the BSE 500 index that rose 30-80 percent in the first six months of 2018.

We have collated views from different brokerage firms for the next 6-12 months

Analyst: Mazhar Mohammad, Chief Strategist �� Technical Research & Trading Advisory, Chartviewindia.in

Indiabulls Venture: Hold| Stop Loss: Rs 450| Target: Rs 544

Most of the up move in the counter occurred in the month of April from the lows of Rs 244 to a high of Rs 544 in just 1 month. Since then, it is in a consolidation mode, and unless it breaks out above Rs 511 a fresh leg of up move can��t be expected. At best it is a 'hold' with a stop below 450 on a closing basis for an initial target of 544.

Firstsource Solutions: Hold| Stop Loss: Rs 67| Target: Rs 93

Recently, this counter registered a breakout above its multi-year consolidation range starting from Rs 50 �� 25 kind of levels and since then it has rallied to meet its pattern targets.

At this juncture, for long-term investors, it can be a hold with a stop below 67 on a closing basis. For a bigger up move, this counter needs to register a sustainable breakout above Rs 84. In such a scenario it can be expected to test its all-time highs placed around Rs 93.

NIIT Technologies: Buy| Target: Rs 1,192| Stop Loss: Rs 1,047

This counter appears to be consolidating in a band of Rs 1,140 �� 972 after registering a lifetime high of Rs 1,192 in April. However, 50-Days EMA it is offering support to the stocks on corrections.

Hence, as long as it sustains above the said average, investors can look for new lifetime highs with initial targets of 1192. Even fresh buying can be considered by short-term traders with a stop below Rs 1,047 on a closing basis.

Analyst: Jayant Manglik, President, Religare Broking Ltd.

V-Mart Retail: Buy| Target: Rs 2760| Stop Loss: Rs 2300

Despite volatility in the index, V-Mart has continuously maintained its upside momentum. Further, at the current juncture, the chart still looks strong and has the potential to make a new record high. One can take fresh longs at the current levels with a stop loss below Rs 2,300. On the upside, the stock is expected to face resistance around Rs 2,760.

MindTree Ltd: Buy| Target: Rs 1,100| Stop Loss: Rs 900

After witnessing a strong rally from Rs 450 to Rs 1,100 levels, currently, MindTree has been witnessing some profit taking. We believe after such a bull run, such correction is always a healthy sign which offers fresh buying opportunities.

We feel fresh long positions can be initiated in the stock on every dip. A stop loss can be maintained around Rs 900 with the initial target of its recent high placed at Rs 1,100.

Technically, most of these stocks are in a solid ��Higher Top Higher Bottom�� cycle which is a positive sign. The weight of the evidence indicates that it is very likely these scrips may continue to outperform in the second half of the year as well, suggest experts.

Analyst: Hadrien Mendonca, Senior Technical Analyst, IIFL

Mphasis: Buy| Target: Rs 1,235| Stop Loss: Rs 1,055

The stock has been in a sublime uptrend for the past seven months. Our longer time frame analysis indicates that stock has already broken out from a ��Multi-Year Pattern��.

Projections of the breakout suggest that the stock has a potential of rallying towards the target of Rs1235, which translates into an upside of 12 percent over the next 8-12 months.

KPIT Technologies: Buy| Target: Rs 335| Stop Loss: Rs 218

At the current juncture, KPIT is going through a consolation phase and is plateauing out. It is quite conventional that after such a solid up move, the stocks do tend to take a breather.

The 50-DEMA has proved to act as a concrete support every time stock was under pressure. Investors can use dips towards Rs245-250 levels to enter the stock.

The stop loss should be maintained at around Rs 218 levels. However, on the upside, we see a potential target of Rs 335 over the next 6-8 months.

L&T Infotech: Buy| Target: Rs 1,760| Stop Loss: Rs 1,594

Since inception, the stock has strongly maintained its higher top higher bottom structure. This suggests that every decline should be a good opportunity to enter the stock.

The 23.6% retracement of the entire up-move from October 2017 lows to recent all-time highs is placed at Rs1500 levels. This should be an ideal zone to enter the stock for a target of the previous peak of Rs1760, translating into an upside of 7 percent.

Analyst: Abhishek Mondal of Guiness Securities Ltd

Jubilant Foodworks Ltd: Hold | Target: Rs 1750 | Stop loss: Rs 1200

On the monthly scale, the stock has given a break out above Rs 1,265-1,270 levels with moderate volumes. The key technical indicators, Relative strength index (RSI) is trading in an overbought zone and MACD is trading above the zero line with positive crossover whereas (+) DI continuously trading above (-) DI which indicates limited downside in the stock.

Based on these observations, traders can hold the stock with a stop loss below Rs 1,200 (closing) for a target of Rs 1,750.

Tech Mahindra Ltd: Hold | Target: Rs 850 | Stop loss: Rs 552

After making a fresh 52-weeks high of Rs 729.50 in April 2018, the stock has been in a profit-booking mode. On the weekly scale, the stock took support at 653 (20 EMA) level recently.

The weekly Relative strength index is trading at 55 levels, making a hinge formation after breakdown from the overbought zone (which is a little bit positive sign) whereas MACD trading above zero line with a negative cross.

At present scenario, the stock is expected to face immediate support around 653 (20 EMA) and 641.50 (23.6 percent retracement of 28th May 2017 to 22nd April 2018 up move) and is likely to find the immediate resistance at 728 (on downtrend line).

Moreover, if price manages to breach Rs 728 levels on the upper side on a closing basis, then it will shift towards 850 level in mid-term. Traders can hold the stock with a stop loss below Rs 552 (closing) for a target of Rs 850.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts 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. First Published on Jul 4, 2018 07:20 am

First Bancorp (FBNC) Cut to “Hold” at ValuEngine

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) was downgraded by stock analysts at ValuEngine from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

FBNC has been the topic of several other reports. Brean Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of First Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, May 3rd. BidaskClub downgraded First Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 12th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded First Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.25.

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FBNC traded up $0.24 during trading on Monday, reaching $41.15. 135,759 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 121,340. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. First Bancorp has a 1 year low of $29.73 and a 1 year high of $42.94. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.24, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.12.

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.17. First Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 23.54%. The business had revenue of $66.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.31 million. analysts predict that First Bancorp will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In related news, insider Eric P. Credle sold 6,270 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.97, for a total transaction of $263,151.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,927 shares in the company, valued at $1,256,036.19. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard H. Moore bought 3,100 shares of First Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $42.16 per share, for a total transaction of $130,696.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 129,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,440,326.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in First Bancorp by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,876,045 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,244,000 after buying an additional 264,581 shares during the period. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp lifted its position in First Bancorp by 2.9% during the first quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 945,019 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,690,000 after buying an additional 26,365 shares during the period. RMB Capital Management LLC lifted its position in First Bancorp by 29.8% during the first quarter. RMB Capital Management LLC now owns 774,817 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,622,000 after buying an additional 177,685 shares during the period. Macquarie Group Ltd. lifted its position in First Bancorp by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 658,191 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,241,000 after buying an additional 39,147 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in First Bancorp by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 512,414 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,093,000 after buying an additional 69,481 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.76% of the company’s stock.

First Bancorp Company Profile

First Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for First Bank that provides banking products and services for individuals and small to medium-sized businesses primarily in North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It accepts deposit products, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits, including certificates of deposits and individual retirement accounts.

To view ValuEngine’s full report, visit ValuEngine’s official website.

Amazon is stacking Whole Foods with execs to weave it into Jeff Bezos' broader vision

A year after Amazon's $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods, the organic grocer's outspoken CEO, John Mackey, remains at the helm.

But Amazon isn't leaving Mackey, who co-founded Whole Foods in 1980, in control of the integration or the future of the business. According to an organization chart viewed by CNBC, Mackey is working alongside two Amazon executives, Rosanna Godden and Heather Dystrup-Chiang, to ensure a smooth transition.

The org chart also paints a clearer picture of Amazon's priorities. Rather than reporting directly to Jeff Wilke, the CEO of Amazon's worldwide consumer business, Mackey, Godden and Dystrup-Chiang work under Steve Kessel. He is in charge of all physical store operations, including Amazon's bookstores and cashierless convenience stores as well as Prime Now, Fresh delivery and Audible.com. Kessel's expanded role was covered by The Wall Street Journal late last year.

The management structure shows that, far from letting Mackey run Whole Foods as an independent operation, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is stacking the business with veterans of the e-commerce company who can weave the grocery chain's 484 stores into his broader vision for the future of physical retail.

It's the latest industry Bezos is working to overhaul by fundamentally changing how people do business. After making internet commerce more convenient than actual shopping, Amazon uprooted the IT market with cloud infrastructure, brought books onto electronic devices and put a voice-powered personal assistant in our living room.

"We see Amazon as transforming Whole Foods, via an iterative process," wrote Tom Forte, an analyst at DA Davidson, in a report in April. "In the future, we believe it will implement its Amazon Go technology at its stores, which enables consumers to purchase products without seeing a cashier." Forte has a "buy" rating on the stock.

Expanding physical retail

Godden, who's worked at Amazon since 2012 and was most recently a senior manager in corporate development, became vice president of strategic business integration at Whole Foods in March, according to her LinkedIn profile. Dystrup-Chiang has been at Amazon for seven years and is now director of product management for Whole Foods (though her LinkedIn page still says she works in devices).

Amazon and Whole Foods representatives didn't respond to requests for comment.

Whole Foods is by far Amazon's largest acquisition in its 24-year history. It marked the company's boldest effort yet to beat brick-and-mortar retail at its own game. Right away, Amazon started cutting prices on certain food items and placing its Echo devices prominently in the front of Whole Foods locations.

At the same time, Amazon has been experimenting with other physical operations. That includes over a dozen bookstores, the Amazon Go mini-grocery, and opening pop-up stores across the country for consumers to test and buy Amazon gadgets.

show chapters Whole Foods to meet with vendors over brand relations    4:11 PM ET Mon, 12 March 2018 | 02:03

Whole Foods is clearly integral to the company's retail future, but meshing with Amazon has had its early challenges. Greg Greeley, a former vice president of Prime, briefly changed jobs to help the Whole Foods integration earlier this year. That job didn't last long, and he soon left to join Airbnb in March.

The Wall Street Journal reported in March on an exodus underway at Whole Foods, with more than a dozen executives leaving since the acquisition. And according to a report on Thursday from Business Insider, Mackey recently told employees that he's had "many, many" clashes with Amazon.

It's far from the cheery attitude Mackey portrayed at a town hall meeting with Amazon executives on June 16, 2017, just after the deal was announced.

When asked by an employee about executive leadership changes, Wilke told the audience, "John will continue to be the CEO." Mackey replied, "Until death do us part," which was followed by laughter.

There are plenty of other changes that have taken place at the combined company in the year since Wilke and Mackey joined each other on stage.

Prime member discounts and delivery options at Whole Foods were widely publicized. But there were other alterations, regarding financial disclosures and supplier relationships, that got less attention because they weren't targeted at consumers.

Source: Whole Foods

For example, while Amazon paid $13.7 billion for Whole Foods, it's actually on the hook for an additional $22 billion in contractually obligated future purchases, according to public filings.

The purchase commitments, which Amazon describes as "firm, non-cancellable," appeared in Whole Foods' financial statement for the first time in November. They are almost entirely tied to Whole Foods' contract with its largest supplier, United Natural Foods, based on CNBC estimates and prior filings.

The commitment runs until 2025, an unusually long tie-up for Amazon, which is known for signing short-term contracts with its suppliers.

On top of that, Amazon allocated roughly 70 percent of the acquisition price to goodwill, or the amount Amazon paid above what's valued on Whole Foods' balance sheet. That suggests Amazon is paying more for the opportunity to expand in the grocery market than for Whole Foods' existing business, experts say.

Amazon also started to break out sales from "physical stores" for the first time in October. The numbers show that almost all of its physical store sales are coming from Whole Foods, meaning all those bookstores and pop-ups aren't generating material revenue. In its most recent quarter, Amazon reported $4.3 billion in physical store sales.

Supplier management

Under Amazon's umbrella, Whole Foods is taking more control over the sourcing of products.

Based on a new supplier agreement, which was obtained by CNBC, Whole Foods is bringing product displays in house and no longer using outside brokers to do the work of making sure there are enough snacks on the shelf or keeping the freshest dairy items on the top rack. Suppliers are the ones footing the bill, as Amazon is charging them 3 to 5 percent of sales to fund the new service. The change was first reported by The Washington Post earlier this year.

"By centralizing the work, we will minimize the complexity of coordination across numerous suppliers and brokers," Don Clark, Whole Foods' global vice president of merchandising, wrote in the agreement.

And in a move that was planned before the acquisition, Whole Foods has also centralized the way it buys food products from suppliers, giving more control to the company's Austin headquarters than to local stores.

For suppliers, just like for Whole Foods executives, many of these changes are disruptive and may leave them wondering where Amazon is going in the future.

In other words, they're learning what it's like doing business with Bezos.

show chapters Jeff Bezos is so much bigger than Amazon — a look at his extraordinary empire    4:10 PM ET Wed, 6 June 2018 | 01:58

Analysts Anticipate ACCO Brands Co. (ACCO) Will Post Earnings of $0.35 Per Share

Equities analysts predict that ACCO Brands Co. (NYSE:ACCO) will post $0.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Five analysts have issued estimates for ACCO Brands’ earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $0.36 and the lowest estimate coming in at $0.34. ACCO Brands posted earnings per share of $0.31 in the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year over year growth rate of 12.9%. The company is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings report on Tuesday, August 7th.

On average, analysts expect that ACCO Brands will report full-year earnings of $1.36 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.35 to $1.39. For the next year, analysts expect that the company will post earnings of $1.47 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.42 to $1.50. Zacks Investment Research’s earnings per share averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that cover ACCO Brands.

Get ACCO Brands alerts:

ACCO Brands (NYSE:ACCO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.01. ACCO Brands had a return on equity of 18.22% and a net margin of 6.94%. The firm had revenue of $405.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $386.94 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.04 EPS. ACCO Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Several research firms recently commented on ACCO. Zacks Investment Research raised ACCO Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday. ValuEngine raised ACCO Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 17th. Barrington Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of ACCO Brands in a research note on Thursday, June 14th. Finally, BWS Financial set a $18.00 target price on ACCO Brands and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $15.50.

ACCO Brands opened at $13.50 on Thursday, according to Marketbeat Ratings. ACCO Brands has a 12 month low of $10.35 and a 12 month high of $13.98. The firm has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 31st. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. ACCO Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.17%.

In other news, SVP Joseph S. Pekala sold 20,473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.52, for a total transaction of $276,794.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.50% of the company’s stock.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of ACCO Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $454,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ACCO Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $220,000. Citadel Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ACCO Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,167,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of ACCO Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $206,000. Finally, Investors Research Corp acquired a new stake in shares of ACCO Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $398,000. 93.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ACCO Brands Company Profile

ACCO Brands Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets, consumer and business products. It operates through three segments: ACCO Brands North America, ACCO Brands EMEA, and ACCO Brands International. The company offers school notebooks, calendars, and whiteboards; storage and organization products, such as lever-arch binders, sheet protectors, and indexes; stapling, punching, laminating, binding, and shredding products; do-it-yourself tools; and computer accessories and others, which are primarily used in schools, homes, and businesses.

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Top Oil Stocks To Buy For 2018

tags:ECA,WLL,RIG,COP,RRC,APA,

Iraq said OPEC should resist pressure to increase oil supplies, strengthening opposition to plans by Saudi Arabia as the group prepares to meet next week.

OPEC’s second-biggest producer said supply curbs by the cartel haven’t yet achieved their purpose, with oil prices still below the desired level. Its defiance follows similar resistance from Iran and Venezuela, meaning three of the five countries that founded OPEC now oppose the Saudi plan.

The U.S. has reportedly asked Saudi Arabia and others to relax output restraints put in place in early 2017 as prices near $80 a barrel pose a threat to economic growth. Last month, the kingdom and partner Russia proposed increasing supplies later this year, without first consulting OPEC members.

“Producers from within and outside OPEC have not yet reached the goals set,” Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi said in a statement. Iraq “rejects unilateral decisions made by some producers which do not consult with the rest.”

Top Oil Stocks To Buy For 2018: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Here are some of the news stories that may have effected Accern Sentiment’s rankings:

  Get Encana alerts: Encana Corp (ECA) Rising Higher 7.95% Over the Past Four Weeks (fisherbusinessnews.com) Encana Corporation (ECA) Most Active Stock Price trades 19.10% off from 200- SMA (nasdaqchronicle.com) Mid-Day Movers ��: Encana Corporation (NYSE:ECA), CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX), MGIC Investment Corporation … (journalfinance.net) Featured Stock: Encana Corporation (ECA) (stockquote.review) Active Stock Evaluation �� Encana Corporation (NYSE: ECA) (financerater.com)

  ECA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Encana from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $15.00 to $18.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Encana from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $10.84 to $16.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 7th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Encana from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Scotiabank raised shares of Encana from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $13.00 to $14.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Goldman Sachs cut their price target on shares of Encana from $17.25 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.28.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  These are some of the media stories that may have effected Accern’s scoring:

  Get Encana alerts: Should You Listen to This Stock? Encana Corporation (ECA) moves 51.44% away from One Year Low (nasdaqchronicle.com) Hot Mover of the Day �� Encana Corporation (NYSE:ECA) (thestockgem.com) Enrapturing Stocks: Encana Corporation, (NYSE: ECA), AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., (NASDAQ: AFSI) (globalexportlines.com) Analysts, Options Traders Love This Lesser-Known Energy Stock (schaeffersresearch.com) Encana Corp (ECA) Expected to Announce Quarterly Sales of $1.12 Billion (americanbankingnews.com)

  ECA traded up $0.27 on Thursday, hitting $12.47. 9,071,326 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,380,907. Encana has a 12 month low of $8.01 and a 12 month high of $14.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 2.00.

• [By ]

  Already, shale companies such as Encana (ECA) , Occidental Petroleum (OXY) and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) , among others, are reporting higher cash flows and earnings on higher oil prices. As a result, they are paying down debt, increasing dividends and engaging in buybacks. This is a dramatic improvement in shareholder yield for the group.

• [By Keith Noonan, Travis Hoium, and Matthew DiLallo]

  We asked three Motley Fool investors to profile some of the best under-the-radar growth stocks on the market today. Read on to see why they selected Encana�(NYSE:ECA), Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), and Baozun (NASDAQ:BZUN) as top growth stocks for in-the-know investors.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

Top Oil Stocks To Buy For 2018: Whiting Petroleum Corporation(WLL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) – Seaport Global Securities increased their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Whiting Petroleum in a report issued on Wednesday, May 23rd. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Kelly now expects that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings of $0.98 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.55. Seaport Global Securities has a “Buy” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Whiting Petroleum’s Q2 2019 earnings at $0.87 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.89 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $3.58 EPS.

• [By Max Byerly]

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

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Friday was a down day on Wall Street, but losses were generally small, and the market closed well above its lowest levels of the session. Initially, investors seemed concerned about further trade tensions between the U.S. and China, but upon further reflection, they appeared to draw comfort from considerable fundamental strength from key sectors of the industrial economy. Even with the overall market recovering from earlier weakness, some stocks still posted substantial declines. Whiting Petroleum (NYSE:WLL), Global Blood Therapeutics (NASDAQ:GBT), and First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) were among the worst performers on the day. Here's why they did so poorly.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Whiting Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: WLL) was reiterated as Overweight and the target price was raised to $56 from $45 (versus a $50.78 close) at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

• [By Max Byerly]

  TCW Group Inc. raised its stake in Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) by 21.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,733 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,618 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Whiting Petroleum were worth $871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

Top Oil Stocks To Buy For 2018: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Quantitative Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 13,609 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $135,000.

• [By Tyler Crowe, Matthew DiLallo, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  While we aren't prognosticators on crude oil prices, there does appear to be a lot�of value in the energy sector at this price level. So we asked three Motley Fool investors to highlight a stock in the sector they like this month. Here's why they picked Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD), Enbridge (NYSE:ENB), and Transocean (NYSE:RIG).�

• [By Logan Wallace]

  American International Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) by 7.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 872,019 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock after buying an additional 62,611 shares during the quarter. American International Group Inc.’s holdings in Transocean were worth $8,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• [By The Ticker Tape]

  TD Ameritrade clients appeared to take some profits in multiple names during the period. Oil companies were popular sells with ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), BP  PLC (ADR) (NYSE: BP), National-Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE: NOV), and Transocean LTD (NYSE: RIG) all net sold. Oil prices traded near three-year highs on higher global demand and possible OPEC-led production cuts. COP and BP both traded at multi-year highs, while NOV and RIG reached 52-week highs, enticing clients to take profits in all four names. Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA) traded at levels not seen since before the financial crisis following proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, and was net sold. For the third month in a row, Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) was net sold after CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress regarding the misuse of user data and a beat on earnings.

• [By Jason Hall, Tyler Crowe, and John Bromels]

  According to three Motley Fool contributors, there are still ample opportunities to profit in the oil and gas segment as some left-behind subsectors start to catch up to the higher price trend. Three in particular that are well-positioned going forward are�Transocean LTD�(NYSE:RIG),�National-Oilwell Varco, Inc.�(NYSE:NOV), and�Devon Energy Corp�(NYSE:DVN).��

• [By John Bromels]

  Unless it's not. Which it may not be. There's a big cloud of uncertainty hanging over the company, in part thanks to its status as a very small fish in a very big deepwater ocean that's full of huge, hungry competitors like�Transocean�(NYSE:RIG) and�Ensco�(NYSE:ESV). Questions also abound about its parent company,�Seadrill�(NYSE:SDRL).

Top Oil Stocks To Buy For 2018: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips' (NYSE:COP) management team has worked tirelessly in recent years to transform the oil company into one that could thrive on lower prices. As a result, it�cashed in during the first quarter�when crude was well above its baseline plan. That strong showing sets the company up for continued success in the coming year -- a key theme running through management's comments on the accompanying conference call, which detailed recent achievements and how they frame what lies ahead.�

• [By ]

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 15.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,978 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,635 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $710,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top Oil Stocks To Buy For 2018: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Global Securities raised their Q4 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Range Resources in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 23rd. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Kelly now anticipates that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings per share of $0.12 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.11. Seaport Global Securities has a “Neutral” rating on the stock. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Range Resources’ Q1 2019 earnings at $0.36 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.26 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $0.98 EPS.

• [By Chris Lange]

  The stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close Monday was Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) which rose about 6% to $16.05. The stock��s 52-week range is $11.93 to $25.96. Volume was 8.6 million compared to the daily average volume of 7.4 million.

• [By Tyler Crowe, Matthew DiLallo, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  So we asked three of our investing contributors to each highlight a company they think has a compelling investment case right now in the oil and gas industry. Here's why they selected Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN), Range Resources (NYSE:RRC), and ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM).

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Media headlines about Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) have been trending somewhat positive on Saturday, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group identifies positive and negative press coverage by monitoring more than twenty million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Range Resources earned a daily sentiment score of 0.07 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media headlines about the oil and gas exploration company an impact score of 46.3371462950661 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near future.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) by 25.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,421 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,839 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank’s holdings in Range Resources were worth $1,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) fell about 4.4% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $14.43 after closing at $15.09 on Monday. The 52-week high is $34.93. Volume of about 15 million was nearly double the daily average of around 7.7 million shares traded. The company had no specific news.

Top Oil Stocks To Buy For 2018: Apache Corporation(APA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close was Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) which rose over 5% to $41.75. The stock��s 52-week range is $33.60 to $51.21. Volume was 4.8 million compared to the daily average volume of 4.4 million.

• [By John Bromels]

  Three companies that the market has walloped are�Apache Corporation�(NYSE:APA),�Magellan Midstream Partners�(NYSE:MMP), and�General Motors�(NYSE:GM). Here's why these stocks look like bargains, and why today might be a good time to scoop up some shares.�

• [By Jason Hall]

  Since oil prices peaked in 2014, both Total and Shell have managed to generate positive total returns for investors who held through the downturn, in large part because of their diverse operations. Neither has come close to outperforming the�S&P 500, but it could have been far worse; one only has to look at some of the biggest independent oil producers, including�Apache Corporation�(NYSE:APA) (down 53%),�Anadarko Petroleum Corporation�(NYSE:APC) (down 33%), and�Continental Resources, Inc.�(NYSE:CLR) (down 12.3%) to appreciate the benefit of Total's and Shell's more diversified operations.�