Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Stock Price Down 0.2% Following Insider Selling

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) fell 0.2% on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $18.27 and last traded at $18.44. 4,705,988 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 64,786,068 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.41.

Specifically, CFO Devinder Kumar sold 113,519 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.14, for a total transaction of $1,491,639.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 521,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,857,135.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Darla M. Smith sold 13,243 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.77, for a total value of $182,356.11. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 19,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $266,986.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,261,341 shares of company stock worth $19,629,914 in the last ninety days. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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Several brokerages recently commented on AMD. Cowen reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price objective (up previously from $21.00) on shares of Advanced Micro Devices in a research note on Thursday, July 26th. TheStreet raised Advanced Micro Devices from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 25th. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Advanced Micro Devices in a research note on Thursday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Advanced Micro Devices in a research note on Thursday, July 26th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on Advanced Micro Devices to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.85.

The firm has a market cap of $18.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 229.13, a PEG ratio of 6.80 and a beta of 2.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 25th. The semiconductor manufacturer reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. Advanced Micro Devices had a return on equity of 52.84% and a net margin of 5.04%. Advanced Micro Devices’s revenue for the quarter was up 52.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.02 EPS. equities analysts forecast that Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. will post 0.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 22.1% during the first quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,570 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 4,085 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Advanced Micro Devices during the second quarter worth about $275,000. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 5.4% during the first quarter. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 86,250 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 33.7% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 18,011 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 4,538 shares during the period. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Advanced Micro Devices by 2.3% during the first quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 206,893 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $2,079,000 after purchasing an additional 4,553 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.57% of the company’s stock.

About Advanced Micro Devices

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc operates as a semiconductor company worldwide. It operates in two segments, Computing and Graphics; and Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom. The company's products include x86 microprocessors as an accelerated processing unit (APU), chipsets, discrete and integrated graphics processing units (GPUs), and professional GPUs; and server and embedded processors, and semi-custom System-on-Chip (SoC) products and technology for game consoles.

See Also: Understanding Analyst Ratings

Papa John's hires Ari Emanuel's ad agency to get past N-word controversy

Papa John's said it has hired a new ad agency to help redefine the brand as it parts ways with controversial founder John Schnatter.

The pizza chain hired Endeavor Global Marketing, which is part of a massive media conglomerate headed by Hollywood heavyweight Ari Emanuel. The deal with Endeavor will replace the company's previous deal with an ad agency called Laundry Service, a Papa John's spokesman confirmed.

Schnatter resigned as the company's chairman last month hours after he apologized for using the N-word on a conference call in May with representatives from Laundry Service. Papa John's removed Schnatter from its commercials and marketing materials and kicked him out of office space at its headquarters.

In his initial statement, Schnatter apologized. But he later expressed remorse over his decision to walk away from the company, and he accused Laundry Service of trying to extort him. Schnatter also accused the board of not "doing any investigation" and said its decision to remove him as chairman was based on "rumor and innuendo," according to a letter he sent to the board earlier this month.

In a lawsuit filed last week, Schnatter's lawyers say he is seeking to inspect company documents "because of the unexplained and heavy-handed way in which the company has treated him since the publication of a story that falsely accused him of using a racial slur."

Schnatter remains on the board as a director. He owns 29% of Papa John's stock.

To prevent the former CEO from gaining more control of the company, the board of directors recently approved a so-called poison pill provision, which could dilute Schnatter's stake if he buys more of the company's stock.

Schnatter claims Laundry Service wanted to hire rapper Kanye West to represent Papa John's in advertising materials, but Schnatter wasn't on board with the idea because West uses the N-word in his lyrics. Schnatter says the agency asked if he was racist, and he used the N-word in describing how KFC's Colonel Sanders used to talk.

Somerset Trust Co Acquires New Position in Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI)

Somerset Trust Co acquired a new position in Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 24,575 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,357,000. Analog Devices comprises 1.3% of Somerset Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ADI. AXA raised its stake in shares of Analog Devices by 31.1% in the fourth quarter. AXA now owns 18,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,687,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the last quarter. Elkfork Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Analog Devices in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,064,000. Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC. raised its stake in shares of Analog Devices by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings LLC. now owns 69,308 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $6,170,000 after purchasing an additional 6,256 shares during the last quarter. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Analog Devices by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 38,773 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,011 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Analog Devices by 30.2% in the fourth quarter. Meadow Creek Investment Management LLC now owns 6,832 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $608,000 after purchasing an additional 1,584 shares during the last quarter. 87.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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In other Analog Devices news, Director Neil S. Novich sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.90, for a total transaction of $719,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,900,016. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Vincent Roche sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.95, for a total value of $869,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 17,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,510,843.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 87,050 shares of company stock valued at $8,230,432. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

NASDAQ ADI traded down $0.83 on Thursday, hitting $98.26. 1,371,155 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,707,014. Analog Devices, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.41 and a 12 month high of $103.59. The firm has a market cap of $36.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 30th. The semiconductor company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.08. Analog Devices had a return on equity of 20.34% and a net margin of 17.72%. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. Analog Devices’s revenue was up 31.8% compared to the same quarter last year. analysts forecast that Analog Devices, Inc. will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 8th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 7th. Analog Devices’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.68%.

ADI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BidaskClub raised Analog Devices from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 11th. Zacks Investment Research raised Analog Devices from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 4th. B. Riley reduced their target price on Analog Devices from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Analog Devices from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 31st. Finally, Loop Capital initiated coverage on Analog Devices in a report on Thursday, June 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $117.00 target price for the company. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Analog Devices has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.63.

About Analog Devices

Analog Devices, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets a portfolio of solutions that leverage analog, mixed-signal, and digital signal processing technology, including integrated circuits (ICs), algorithms, software, and subsystems. It offers data converter products, which translate real-world analog signals into digital data, as well as translates digital data into analog signals; high-performance amplifiers to condition analog signals; and radio frequency ICs to support cellular infrastructure.

Featured Article: What does earnings per share mean?

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ADI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI).

Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA (ML) PT Set at €117.00 by UBS Group

UBS Group set a €117.00 ($136.05) price target on Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA (EPA:ML) in a research report sent to investors on Monday, www.boersen-zeitung.de reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Kepler Capital Markets set a €145.00 ($168.60) target price on Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank set a €150.00 ($174.42) target price on Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 19th. Goldman Sachs Group set a €143.00 ($166.28) target price on Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a €145.00 ($168.60) target price on Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a €129.00 ($150.00) target price on Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of €132.27 ($153.80).

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Shares of Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA opened at €126.65 ($147.27) on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA has a 12-month low of €106.95 ($124.36) and a 12-month high of €130.85 ($152.15).

About Cie Gnrl des Etblsmnts Michelin SCA

Compagnie G茅n茅rale des �tablissements Michelin manufactures, distributes, and sells tires worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires and Related Distribution; Truck Tires and Related Distribution; and Specialty Businesses. It offers tires for cars, vans, trucks, buses, farm machinery, earthmovers, mining and handling equipment, tramways, metros, aircraft, motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles.

3 Tech Stocks Under $10 to Buy Now

Here at Zacks, we don’t generally classify stocks as “cheap” or “expensive”, and rather than looking at the stock’s face value, we have a system that puts an emphasis on earnings estimate revisions to find stocks that will hopefully be winners for investors.

That being said, low-priced stocks can be attractive to smaller investors that can’t necessarily afford large stakes in companies with higher priced stocks.

When looking at these low-priced stocks, we can look at the same trends in growth, value, and momentum and apply the Zacks Rank to properly analyze the potential that these companies have. We are also keenly aware of the latest sector trends and make sure to cover all of the hottest industries.

Today we’ve highlighted three stocks that fall into the broad “technology” sector. Each of these three stocks is currently trading for less than $10 per share and holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) or better. Take a look at the strong estimate revision activity and other factors that make these tech companies stick out right now:

1. IEC Electronics Corp. (IEC )

Prior Close: $6.50

IEC Electronics is a provider of electronic contract manufacturing services, including circuit cards, cable loads, and wire harness assemblies. The stock obviously sticks out because of its Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), but investors might also believe it is undervalued at current share prices for a number of other reasons.

Notably, IEC is trading at just 13x forward earnings, which is sharp discount from its industry’s average of 19.6x. Meanwhile, IEC has a P/S ratio of 0.6, which is also a discount to its industry peers. We should also note that IEC is expected to witness quadruple-digit EPS growth in 2018, and its earnings estimates have trended significantly higher over the past quarter.

 

2. 21Vianet Group, Inc. (VNET )

Prior Close: $9.91

21Vianet is one of China’s leading carrier-neutral internet data center services providers. The firm provides hosting and related services, managed network services, and cloud computing infrastructure. VNET is currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and looks like an interesting pick for anyone trying to find strong Chinese tech stocks.

Shares have added a staggering 54% in the past three months but could break higher if 21Vianet lives up to its growth expectations, with current estimates calling for earnings to improve by 83% in 2018. Meanwhile, the company is seeing cash flow growth of 103% right now. Still, with the stock sporting a P/S ratio of just 2.2, investors are clearly getting a solid price at the moment.

 

3. Vuzix Corporation (VUZI )

Prior Close: $7.80

Vuzix is a supplier of smart-glasses and augmented reality (AR) technologies and products for the consumer and enterprise markets. Its wearable displays are used for 3D gaming, manufacturing training, and military tactical equipment. VUZI is a obviously a member of a trendy growth industry, but the stock is also interesting right now due to its Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Vuzix is still in the red, but the company is inching toward profitability and is expected to improve EPS figures by 31% this year and 29% next year. Meanwhile, revenue growth is expected to touch nearly 200% in 2018 and 93% in 2019.

New products and mainstream adaption should continue to fuel these estimates. VUZI still feels like a speculative growth stock that could be volatile, but an improving outlook is signaling that now is a solid time to buy.

 

Bottom Line

A stock’s market price is not a clear indicator of whether it is a good investment. However, the nice thing about the Zacks Rank is that it can be applied to stocks of any price. For smaller investors looking to find solid tech stocks at lower prices, this list is a great place to start.

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Triumph Bancorp (TBK) Upgraded at Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Triumph Bancorp (NASDAQ:TBK) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday. Zacks Investment Research currently has $46.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock.

According to Zacks, “Triumph Bancorp Inc. is a financial holding company with a diversified line of community banking, commercial finance and asset management activities. It serves its local communities through its two wholly owned bank subsidiaries, Triumph Savings Bank, SSB and Triumph Community Bank, N.A. These operations include a full suite of lending and depository products and services focused on meeting the needs of its customers in its community banking markets. It serves a broad national customer base through its commercial finance brands, which include discount factoring through Triumph Business Capital, equipment lending and general asset based lending through Triumph Commercial Finance, healthcare asset based lending through Triumph Healthcare Finance, commercial insurance through Triumph Insurance Group, institutional asset management services through Triumph Capital Advisors. Triumph Bancorp Inc. is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. “

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Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on TBK. B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of Triumph Bancorp from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 19th. Piper Jaffray Companies restated a buy rating and issued a $49.00 price objective on shares of Triumph Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, March 15th. Wells Fargo & Co cut shares of Triumph Bancorp from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $43.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Triumph Bancorp from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 26th. Finally, BidaskClub cut shares of Triumph Bancorp from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, May 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $40.78.

Shares of Triumph Bancorp opened at $41.75 on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Triumph Bancorp has a 12-month low of $24.40 and a 12-month high of $44.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Triumph Bancorp (NASDAQ:TBK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $52.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $52.34 million. Triumph Bancorp had a net margin of 17.71% and a return on equity of 11.67%. equities research analysts expect that Triumph Bancorp will post 2.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In other Triumph Bancorp news, Director Michael P. Rafferty purchased 750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $29,775.00. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Aaron P. Graft sold 135,000 shares of Triumph Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.50, for a total transaction of $5,332,500.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Triumph Bancorp by 132.4% during the first quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 3,680 shares during the period. A.R.T. Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Triumph Bancorp during the first quarter valued at approximately $431,000. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Triumph Bancorp by 466.6% during the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 28,580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 23,536 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new position in Triumph Bancorp during the first quarter valued at approximately $118,000. Finally, Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Triumph Bancorp by 33.4% during the first quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 33,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 8,440 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 49.19% of the company’s stock.

About Triumph Bancorp

Triumph Bancorp, Inc operates as a financial holding company for TBK Bank, SSB that provides banking and commercial finance products and services to retail customers and small-to-mid-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through Banking, Factoring, and Corporate segments. It offers depository products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; and commercial and industrial loans, loans to purchase capital equipment, and business loans for working capital and operational purposes.

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Triumph Bancorp (TBK)

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

4th of July gas: Don't fill up in these states

So, you're taking a road trip for the Fourth of July weekend, and you're about to leave the state.

Do you fill up on gas now, or do you wait to fill up after you cross the border?

Making the wrong decision could cost you more than $10 a tank, depending on where you're heading.

"Watch out for those state lines," says Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at fuel-station-finding app GasBuddy.

Gas prices averaged $2.86 per gallon Tuesday, according to AAA, hitting a four-year high for Independence Day travel.

Here's some advice before you head out �� all prices according to GasBuddy:

1. Fill up in Arizona, not California

The price disparity between these two states is extreme.

Arizona averaged $3.06 per�gallon as of Tuesday, while California averaged $3.73, according to GasBuddy.

At those prices, a 15-gallon fill-up is $10.06 more expensive in California.

2. Fill up in Texas, not New Mexico

If you're road-tripping in the Southwest, price differences can be significant. This is another good example.

The price of fuel in Texas, where oil�refineries are clustered,�averaged $2.66 on Tuesday. In New Mexico, it was $2.91.

That means you'd save $3.75 in Texas on a 15-gallon tank.

3. Fill up in Louisiana, not Texas

But Texas is more expensive than�Louisiana, which is also a hot spot for refineries.�

Prices averaged $2.59 in Louisiana on Tuesday, compared with $2.66 in Texas.

Generally, though, "anywhere in the South" is a good place to fill up, DeHaan said. "They��re right in oil��s backyard. Plus, low taxes."

4. Fill up in Ohio, not Michigan

Ohio is much more forgiving on the pocketbook than its rival to the north.�

With prices averaging $2.79 on Tuesday, Ohio was sharply lower than Michigan's $2.96.

5. Fill up in Virginia, not West Virginia

Going white-river rafting in West Virginia? Sounds fun.

But fill up first in Virginia, where prices are 21 cents lower at $2.61.

6. Fill up in West Virginia, not Pennsylvania

West Virginia doesn't look so bad when you see prices in Pennsylvania, which averaged $3.01 on Tuesday, compared with West Virginia's $2.82.

7. Fill up in Massachusetts, not Connecticut�

At $2.91, Massachusetts isn't exactly an oasis of cheap gas.

But it's still cheaper than neighboring Connecticut at $3.08.

8. Fill up in South Carolina, not North Carolina

North Carolina is 14 cents higher at $2.66.

Come to think of it, fill up in South Carolina no matter where you're heading. It's the cheapest gas state in the country, according to GasBuddy.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.

Here's What Affects Apple's iPhone Gross Profit Margins

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the world's most profitable smartphone maker by a mile. Apple's high smartphone industry profitability is a product of the company's immense shipment volumes (Apple regularly ships more than 200 million iPhones per year) coupled with its excellent average selling prices and relatively rich gross profit margin percentage.

Total profit is a function of operating expenses (e.g., research and development spending, marketing expenses), revenue, and gross profit margin.

Image source: Apple.

According to analysts with Canaccord Genuity, Apple generated 87% of the smartphone industry's profits during the fourth quarter of 2017, with the rest of the industry -- which is replete with players -- capturing just 13% of the total profit pool.

It's important to note that the fourth calendar quarter of 2017 just so happened to be Apple's peak quarter, while representing the trough for many others as their product launches typically happen in the spring, but it's clear that Apple captures the lion's share of the smartphone market's profits each year.

Here, I'd like to go over two factors that impact Apple's iPhone gross profit margins so investors can have a better idea of what helps drive the profitability of Apple's iPhone business (which made up 66.7% of the company's revenue during the first half of the current fiscal year, fiscal year 2018).

Component costs

Gross profit margin is a function of how much a product sells for and how much that product costs to make. For a product like the iPhone, component costs dominate production costs.

A smartphone typically consists of a screen, several cameras, a multitude of chips (e.g., applications processors, memory chips), haptic feedback motors, and a lot more. Other product costs include the retail packaging as well as the included components such as earbuds.

Typically, the more sophisticated a device is, the more expensive the components it's made up of are. One of Apple's jobs in trying to run a successful business is to strike a good balance between the features it adds (since more features ultimately translate to higher costs) and what the company can try to charge for its product (higher component costs tend to mean higher product selling prices to keep gross profit margin at acceptable levels).

It's not just features that drive component costs, though. A big chunk of a smartphone's bill of materials comes from memory components, such as DRAM and NAND flash, which are used as system memory and storage, respectively. Those commodity prices are dictated by many factors outside of Apple's control such as overall industry supply and demand dynamics.

Apple can control those costs to some degree by being judicious in how much NAND and DRAM it includes in its devices, and optimizing its software to require as little as possible, but ultimately, every computing device needs DRAM and NAND, and the amount required per device continues to increase.

Although component costs are a critical factor in gross profit margin, there's another equally critical factor to consider: device selling prices.

More expensive to make, more expensive to buy

A device that's more expensive to manufacture than another device doesn't necessarily carry lower gross profit margins. In fact, the whole point of cramming in new features and technologies is to make devices more desirable to consumers, which, if done right, should convince them to pay more for the more expensive product while still keeping overall unit demand healthy.

To illustrate, recall that Apple launched three new flagship smartphones last year: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were priced roughly in line with their predecessors, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, respectively. The iPhone X was priced well above them, though, with the model with the smallest storage configuration starting at $999, and the one with larger storage coming in at $1,149.

Despite their high price tags, the smartphones have done relatively well in the marketplace. In fact, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook on the company's most recent earnings call, the iPhone X has been the company's most popular iPhone by unit shipments since it launched, even if total unit shipment demand may have fallen short of its expectations.

"Since we split the line with the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, this is the first cycle in which the top of the line iPhone model has also been the most popular," Cook said.

In this case, Apple made a great business call by building a more expensive iPhone, but betting that customers would be willing to pay that premium for all of the new features and improved aesthetics.

Investor takeaway

Ultimately, gross profit margin is a function of both production costs and selling prices, and a great company like Apple is able to build products that strike a good balance between component costs and selling prices. After all, if a company makes a device that's too expensive, few are going to buy it, but if a company makes a device too cheap, then it may simply not be compelling enough to stand out in an already crowded smartphone market.

Apple's execution during the current iPhone product cycle has been quite good, and I think that as the overall smartphone market continues to see muted unit shipment growth, Apple will continue to optimize its revenue and profitability by trying to build products that ultimately compel customers to buy more expensive, feature-rich devices.

What most people get wrong about credit scores

Credit scores greatly impact a consumer's financial moves �� and how much they'll pay along the way �� yet many don't even know how the rating works.

Around 40 percent believe, incorrectly, that age and marital status play a role in their three-digit score, according to the Consumer Federation of America's credit card survey, which included interviews with some 1,000 people from May 31 to June 3 of this year.

Only around 20 percent of people fully realize how a low credit score can bring on heftier interest-rate charges. Specifically, that borrowers with a low score can pay about $5,000 more on a $20,000, 60-month auto loan than a person with a high score.

Just around half of the people surveyed could identify the three biggest ways they can lift their scores.

Here's how: Keep balances below 25 percent of the credit limit, don't hold too many open accounts at once, and make payments on time.

"If you are four days late on a credit card bill, your score can go down 30 to 40 points," said Steve Brobeck, the executive director of the Consumer Federation of America.

"Most consumers don't seem to understand how important credit scores really are in their financial lives," Brobeck said.

More: Your credit history plays a role in setting your life insurance premiums

More: Your neighborhood bank may now offer short-term, small-dollar loans

More: Some of your credit cards getting dusty? Do this to save and build credit scores

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A financial services company laid out some of the myths consumers face when dealing with their credit score. Veuer's Nick Cardona has the story. Buzz60

Brobeck said that while borrowers tend to know that mortgage lenders and credit card companies factor in their score, they don't realize that many landlords, utility and cellphone companies also use this number to decide whether or not to do business with them �� and on what grounds.

Not surprisingly, people who check their credit scores periodically or have ordered a copy of their report know more about how the credit process works than those who operate blindly, the survey found.

For example, just 53 percent of people who haven't obtained a credit report �� compared with 80 percent of those who have �� know that consumers have more than one score.

The reason you don't have just one score is because different bureaus can have different information on you, and sometimes lenders calculate their own scores.

People should check their credit scores frequently to make sure there are no mistakes and to find out where they stand. Credit reporting services also use an algorithm that scans a consumer's report and can determine ways a score can increase, such as paying down debt or paring down the number of credit cards you have.

To find out how much you know about credit scores, go to CreditScoreQuiz.Org.

漏�CNBC�is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

More from CNBC:
Credit card debt hits record high
Your credit score may have just jumped. Here's why
You're probably using the wrong credit card. Here's how to fix that

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Your credit score is one of the few things that tells banks, yes, they can trust you with their money. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

Is Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX) a Buy?

Necessary in the production of electric vehicles, copper is expected to grow increasingly in demand as auto manufacturers divert their attention from traditional combustion engines. Many investors, consequently, are turning their focus to copper-oriented stocks like Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX), the world's largest publicly traded copper producer. But it's not solely the production of copper that helps the company to keep the lights on -- it's also involved in the production of gold and molybdenum.

Since the start of 2018, shares of the company are down nearly 10% while the S&P 500�has creeped 2% higher.�Despite the stock's poor performance, the Street has remained bullish throughout the year. For example, in May alone, Freeport-McMoRan received two upgrades -- to buy and sector outperform -- from analysts. Does this mean that this miner deserves a place in your portfolio?�Let's dig in a little deeper to find out.

Image source: Getty Images.

The bull case

For a mining company, replenishing its depleted assets is critical to its long-term success. Whereas some companies achieve this through acquisitions, others opt to concentrate on projects that they already have in their portfolios. Keenly focused on the future, Freeport-McMoRan, for example, is pursuing organic growth on several fronts. For one, the company is in the midst of expanding operations at Grasberg, one of the world's largest gold and copper deposits, by way of the Block Cave project, which is expected to begin mineral production in the first half of 2019. Looking farther down the line, management anticipates the Lone Star Oxide Development Project, located in Arizona, will begin copper production by the end of 2020.

Image source: Getty Images.

With copper reserves of about 4.4 billion pounds, Lone Star is estimated to have a mine life of 20 years, during which it would have annual copper production of about 200 million pounds.

Pursuing growth projects is undoubtedly important, but it means little if the company jeopardizes its financial health in doing so. For those familiar with Freeport-McMoRan's history, the subject of debt surely arouses unfortunate memories of the company's failed attempt to prosper in the oil and gas industry. Recognizing its misstep, however, management divested the related assets and, subsequently, has excelled at improving the company's financial position. Whereas the company's net debt-to-adjusted-EBITDA ratio was 4.6 at the end of 2015, management has consistently extinguished debt since then,�resulting in the company arriving at a ratio of 1.1 at the end of Q1 2018. So successful was the deleveraging that management elected to reinstate the cash dividend, which had been suspended since 2015.

The bear case

One significant area of concern for Freeport-McMoRan is the state of the Grasberg mine, the subject of an ongoing dispute between the company, Rio Tinto, and the Indonesian government, which seeks 51% ownership of the asset. Recently, some progress appeared to have been made toward resolving the dispute, as Rio Tinto announced that it would be willing to sell its stake in the mine to the Indonesian government. However, no agreement has been finalized.

Grasberg plays a dominant role in Freeport-McMoRan's operations. According to management's�estimates, for example, Grasberg will account for 30% of the company's copper sales and 100% of gold sales in 2018. In addition to the uncertainty regarding the resolution of the ongoing dispute, there's no guarantee that the Indonesian government won't require the company -- as it did�last year -- to pay higher export duties and royalties, thus compromising Freeport-McMoRan's margin on mineral sales from the mine.

Besides the risks associated with Grasberg, shareholders must be cognizant of the general underperformance of mining stocks compared to the market writ large.

FCX data by YCharts.

Over the past 10 years, the S&P 500 has not only outperformed copper-oriented stocks like Freeport-McMoRan, and Southern Copper, but it has also outperformed gold stocks like Barrick Gold and Newmont Mining.�

Peeking at the price tag

There appear to be valid arguments for both buying and avoiding shares of Freeport-McMoRan, so let's turn to the stock's valuation. Trading at 1.39 times sales, the stock may seem expensive compared to its five-year average price-to-sales ratio of 1.22, according to�Morningstar. The stock, however, seems more attractive in terms of cash flow. Whereas its five-year average price-to-cash-from-operations ratio is 4.87, it currently trades at 4.73 times cash flow.

Considering Freeport-McMoRan in terms of sales and cash flow, it appears that the market is fairly valuing the stock -- definitely no bargain opportunity here.

Penny for some thoughts...

In light of the prominent role that copper will play as the auto industry turns toward electric vehicles, Freeport-McMoRan certainly warrants close consideration. Though the company has one of the world's largest deposits of copper and gold in its portfolio, in addition to several compelling projects on the horizon, and management has done yeoman's service in reducing the company's reliance on leverage, the risks associated with an investment seem to outweigh the potential rewards.

Moreover, since the performance of mining stocks is so often inferior to the market, it seems like investors would be better served investing in a simple S&P 500 index fund than taking a chance on Freeport-McMoRan.

Analysts Set Expectations for Bristow Group Inc’s Q1 2019 Earnings (BRS)

Bristow Group Inc (NYSE:BRS) – Research analysts at Capital One cut their Q1 2019 earnings estimates for Bristow Group in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 24th. Capital One analyst J. Gibney now expects that the oil and gas company will post earnings per share of ($0.70) for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of ($0.68). Capital One also issued estimates for Bristow Group’s Q2 2019 earnings at ($0.36) EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at ($0.29) EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at ($0.60) EPS and FY2019 earnings at ($1.95) EPS.

Get Bristow Group alerts:

Bristow Group (NYSE:BRS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 23rd. The oil and gas company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.66) by $0.18. Bristow Group had a negative net margin of 13.53% and a negative return on equity of 6.20%. The firm had revenue of $341.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $352.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($1.15) earnings per share. Bristow Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on BRS. Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on shares of Bristow Group from $8.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Bristow Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, ValuEngine lowered shares of Bristow Group from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.50.

Shares of BRS opened at $12.55 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Bristow Group has a 12-month low of $6.21 and a 12-month high of $18.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $447.41 million, a P/E ratio of -5.89 and a beta of 2.98.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BRS. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Bristow Group by 661.4% in the first quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 607,187 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,894,000 after acquiring an additional 527,444 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Bristow Group by 2,105.8% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 380,840 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,951,000 after acquiring an additional 363,575 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Bristow Group by 14.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,540,142 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,022,000 after acquiring an additional 315,302 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in Bristow Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,960,000. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Bristow Group by 1,537.2% in the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 149,100 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,008,000 after acquiring an additional 139,993 shares in the last quarter.

In other Bristow Group news, insider L. Don Miller purchased 2,000 shares of Bristow Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.58 per share, with a total value of $25,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 14,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $178,623.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jonathan Baliff purchased 3,900 shares of Bristow Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $12.97 per share, for a total transaction of $50,583.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 73,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $949,974.68. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 10.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Bristow Group

Bristow Group Inc provides industrial aviation services to the offshore energy companies in Europe Caspian, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers helicopter transportation services to transport personnel between onshore bases and offshore production platforms, drilling rigs, and other installations, as well as to transport time-sensitive equipment to these offshore locations.

Paul Krugman Joins Chorus of Doomsayers on Emerging-Market ���Crisis��

Paul Krugman is joining a growing contingent of economists and money managers from Carmen Reinhart to Mark Mobius in warning of a meltdown in emerging markets.

The Nobel Prize-winning economist said the current episode bears some resemblance to the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, when developing-nation stocks slid 59 percent and governments raised interest rates to exceptionally high levels.

"It’s become at least possible to envision a classic 1997-8 style self-reinforcing crisis: emerging market currency falls, causing corporate debt to blow up, causing stress on the economy, causing further fall in the currency," Krugman wrote on Twitter.

In fact, a dozen emerging-market currencies have fallen more since February than they did during the 2013 taper tantrum, which marked its five-year anniversary on Tuesday.

Worse Than Taper Tantrum

Currencies from Turkey, Argentina and Russia down more than 2013 episode

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Still, Krugman was reluctant to forecast full-blown contagion.

"Are we seeing the start of another global financial crisis? Probably not -- but I’ve been saying that there was no hint of such a crisis on the horizon, and I can’t say that anymore," he wrote. "Something slightly scary this way comes."

Even Emerging-Markets Bull Mark Mobius Sees More Pain Ahead
Harvard’s Reinhart Says Emerging Markets Worse Than ’08 Crisis

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Hot Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:LINC,NERV,LLL, Related TSLA Fake Metrics To Fake Accounts: 2016's Big Corporate Scandals A Sampling Of Citron's Most Influential Tweets The New Tesla: The Elon Musk Medicine Show (Seeking Alpha)

Solar stocks have established the tendency over the years of disappointing investors. The name SunEdison still haunts investors, as one of the world's biggest solar power companies declared bankruptcy in 2016. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA)'s acquisition of its sister company SolarCity was viewed by many as being a "bail-out" of the troubled solar energy company.

Despite the well-known troubles of many of the most notable global solar companies, solar power is now a cheaper power-generating alternative in many countries compared to coal.

Hot Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Lincoln Educational Services Corporation(LINC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Lincoln Educational Services Co. (NASDAQ:LINC) – Equities research analysts at Barrington Research cut their Q3 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of Lincoln Educational Services in a report released on Wednesday, May 9th. Barrington Research analyst A. Paris. Jr now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of ($0.02) for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of ($0.01). Barrington Research has a “Buy” rating and a $2.50 price target on the stock. Barrington Research also issued estimates for Lincoln Educational Services’ FY2018 earnings at ($0.14) EPS.

Hot Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Minerva Neurosciences, Inc(NERV)

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

Hot Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.(LLL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lou Whiteman]

  L-3 Technologies (NYSE:LLL) missed out on much of the rally enjoyed by other defense contractors over the last year. The reason for the lagging performance was because the company was in the middle of a transformation plan aimed at propelling it into the ranks of those larger rivals. Judging by its first-quarter results, the efforts are already beginning to show results.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its stake in L3 Technologies (NYSE:LLL) by 20.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 87,847 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 21,981 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of L3 Technologies worth $18,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of L3 Technologies (NYSE:LLL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $223.00.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:SASR,RH,HII,DRIO,MSTR,

On June 21, 2017, an Ethereum "flash crash" sent cryptocurrency owners into a full-fledged panic. The Ethereum price crashed to a low of $0.10 from $319 on the GDAX cryptocurrency exchange. Shortly after the event, GDAX Vice President Adam White wrote in a June 21 blog post that there were no indications of wrongdoing.

The temporary crash, which reportedly took place in a matter of seconds, was caused by a common multimillion-dollar sell order.

More on that in just a bit.

Shocking New Bitcoin Prediction: Some think the idea of Bitcoin topping $1 million is totally insane. But a 36,000% price jump may not be that crazy of a thought… �

The GDAX exchange allows investors to buy and sell digital currencies. It also allows traders to buy on margin and place stop-loss orders on the

Join the conversation. Click here to jump to comments…

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc.(SASR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  LSV Asset Management cut its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 92,100 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 3,200 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Sandy Spring Bancorp were worth $3,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR) Director Mark C. Michael sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.30, for a total value of $41,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 81,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,369,667. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc.(RH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Isaac Pino, CPA]

  On the surface, upscale furniture retailer RH�(NYSE:RH) seems to be doing a lot of things right. The company -- formerly known as Restoration Hardware -- has leaned into the upscale market, thereby differentiating its products from the competition. Its inspired storefronts are a far cry from cookie-cutter shopping malls, and a membership-based business model makes it less reliant on blowout sales.

• [By Isaac Pino, CPA]

  While much has been said about upscale furniture retailer RH's (NYSE:RH) soaring stock price recently, less attention has been paid to the story behind the company's radical overhaul.CEO Gary Friedman is making some intriguing contrarian bets for RH, pursuing experiential stores in an industry that's downsizing its bricks-and-mortar footprint. Meanwhile, Friedman's embracing a membership model, physical catalogs, and a premium market at a time when most everyone else is slashing costs, running promotions, and scrambling to move online.In the company's most recent conference call, Friedman shared his thoughts on the company's business model, the retail industry's herd mentality, and the habits and desires of furniture shoppers. Here are the three takeaways I found most interesting:

• [By Isaac Pino, CPA]

  More and more companies are embracing this model, including upscale furnishings retailer RH�(NYSE:RH). RH charges $100 for members to receive a 25% discount on regular-price items and a handful of other unique perks. It's simple, and customers may find it pays for itself quickly given the sticker price of RH's products. Perhaps that's why customers have embraced it: RH recently noted after only two years, 95% of its core business stems from its members.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.(HII)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Spectrum Asset Management Inc. NB CA acquired a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,995 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $972,000.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII) and Marine Products (NYSE:MPX) are both aerospace companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)

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

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The carriers are being constructed by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (NYSE: HII) at a total acquisition cost of around $55 billion. Work on the carriers provides more than 20,000 jobs at Huntington’s Newport News shipyard.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: DarioHealth Corp. (DRIO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  DarioHealth Corp. (NASDAQ: DRIO) is projected to report quarterly loss at $0.19 per share on revenue of $1.74 million.

  CPI Aerostructures, Inc. (NYSE: CVU) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.1 per share on revenue of $18.50 million.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: MicroStrategy Incorporated(MSTR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on MicroStrategy (MSTR)

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

Match Downplays Facebook and Produces Stunning Growth

There were a lot of questions going into Match Group's (NASDAQ:MTCH) earnings release. Just a week before, reports emerged that Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) planned on adding dating features to its ubiquitous social media site, causing Match's stock to dive 25%.

Facebook has had success at poaching ideas from competitors before, like its development of Instagram Stories, which offered features similar to those found on Snapchat. With more than 2.2 billion monthly active users, it was feared that Facebook could emerge as a major competitor to Match's dating apps, which include Tinder, OkCupid, Match, PlentyOfFish, and many others.

Couples continue to "heart" Match Group. Image source: Getty Images.

Match Group results: The raw numbers

Metric

Q1 2019

Q1 2018

Year-Over-Year Change

Revenue	$407.37 million	$298.76 million	36%
Operating income	$112.23 million	$58.87 million	91%
GAAP earnings per share	$0.33	$0.08	313%

Data source: Match Group First-Quarter 2018 Financial Release. Chart by author.

What happened at Match Group this quarter?

For the just completed first quarter, Match Group said its revenue of $407 million, which increased 36% year over year, was the highest quarter-over-quarter revenue growth since the company went public in November 2015. Earnings per share of $0.33 tripled compared to the prior-year quarter, and the results beat analysts' expectations for revenue of $386 million and earnings per share of $0.19.

Tinder continued to be the main growth driver, with members increasing sequentially by 368,000, and adding 1.6 million over the previous year. The increase drove Tinder's revenue, which increased 150% compared to the prior-year quarter.�Members are also spending more, with average revenue per user (ARPU) up 37% year over year as a result of user adoption of Tinder Gold, the premium version of the app.

Match's total subscribers hit 7.43 million, up 26% year over year, while ARPU of $0.58 grew 8% compared to the prior-year quarter.

"We continue to deliver innovative products that customers across our portfolio of brands find valuable, and we are not slowing down anytime soon," commented Mandy Ginsberg, Match's CEO. "I am highly confident that our product roadmap, particularly at Tinder, will allow us to remain the clear leader in this category and deliver continued growth for Match Group shareholders."

The biggest question, of course, was whether Facebook's move into the dating space would have an adverse impact on the company's business. During the conference call, Ginsberg said, "I don't think that people are going to be comfortable mixing their dating lives with Facebook." She went on to say that most people on Facebook didn't want to share details of their love life, or be contacted by strangers on a site that is primarily used for connecting with friends and family.

Looking ahead

Given the company's impressive results, Match raised its full-year forecast and provided the following guidance:

Total revenue in a range of $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion, up from the $1.5 billion to $1.6 billion it forecast just last quarter, which would represent 24% year-over-year growth at the midpoint of its guidance.� Adjusted EBITDA between $600 million and $650 million -- up from the $550 million to $600 million in its previous forecast, which would represent 33% year-over-year growth at the midpoint of its guidance.

It remains to be seen if Facebook's move into the space will have any meaningful impact on the company's future results. Match is banking on its 20-year head start and innovative products to maintain its significant lead in the space.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:ZSAN,AFSI,DDD,PBR,PAAS,MRO,KOOL,ST,HOMB,DEO, &l;p&g;Retirement.

&a;nbsp;

It&a;rsquo;s not what it was and, sometimes, not what we envision it to be. Not too long ago, it was common to work for a company for 40 years and retire at 65 with a gold watch, a pension, Social Security, and little to no debt, leaving retirees able to enjoy their &a;ldquo;golden years.&a;rdquo;

Today, it&a;rsquo;s not that simple.

Many boomers will have no pension, questionable Social Security benefits, and a hefty mortgage, along with other debt, well into retirement. The one thing we do contribute to more than our parents did is the company retirement savings program: commonly, a 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan.

As we contemplate retirement, we are faced with the most important decision of our lives: How do we turn our retirement savings into a guaranteed lifetime income stream? How can I make sure I will never run out of money?

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-273&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/impactpartners/files/2018/03/GettyImages-495809094.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;427&q; data-width=&q;640&q;&g; How do we turn our retirement savings into a guaranteed lifetime income stream?

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Zosano Pharma Corporation(ZSAN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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.

• [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.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: AmTrust Financial Services, Inc.(AFSI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Carl Icahn fired off a letter to the board of AmTrust Financial Services (NASDAQ: AFSI) Thursday, blasting the firm for pursuing an “opportunistic going-private transaction” that would squeeze out minority shareholders: Link

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Shineco, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYHT) rose 34.7 percent to $2.29 in pre-market trading following Q3 results. Shineco posted Q3 earnings of $0.21 per share on sales of $13.3 million. Carver Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: CARV) rose 15.8 percent to $12.74 in pre-market trading after surging 201.37 percent on Thursday. LiveXLive Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: LIVX) shares rose 11.5 percent to $7.75 in pre-market trading after climbing 64.50 percent on Thursday. Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: EIGR) rose 9 percent to $18.30 in pre-market trading after climbing 41.77 percent on Thursday. AmTrust Financial Services Inc (NASDAQ: AFSI) rose 6.2 percent to $14.25 in pre-market trading after a 13D filing from Carl Icahn shows a new 9.38 percent stake in the company. The filing also shows language from Icahn that strongly opposes a go-private transaction. Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ: CERN) rose 5.6 percent to $64.02 in pre-market trading after the Department of Veterans Affairs reported an agreement with Cerner Government Services, Inc. to provide seamless care for veterans. PetroChina Company Limited (NYSE: PTR) shares rose 5.3 percent to $82.05 in pre-market trading. TC PipeLines, LP (NYSE: TCP) shares rose 5.2 percent to $26.59 in the pre-market trading session. IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: IQV) shares rose 4.8 percent to $102.50 in pre-market trading as the company pulled secondary offering 'in light of recent market conditions'. Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAXN) rose 4.5 percent to $59.70 in pre-market trading. On Thursday, Axon priced its 4.3 million share offering of common stock at $53 per share. The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTD) rose 4.5 percent to $84 in pre-market trading. PetIQ Inc (NASDAQ: PETQ) rose 3.9 percent to $18.96 in pre-market trading after a 13G filing shows a new 5.05 percent stake by the State of New Jersey's Division of Investment. Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) shares rose 3.7 percent to $15.85 in pre-market
• [By Lisa Levin]

  Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:

  Wall Street expects Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) to report quarterly earnings at $0.61 per share on revenue of $2.14 billion before the opening bell. Campbell Soup shares fell 0.18 percent to $39.15 in after-hours trading. Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) reported stronger-than-expected results for its second quarter, but issued weak sales outlook for the third quarter. Applied Materials shares fell 4.48 percent to $51.54 in the after-hours trading session. Analysts are expecting Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) to have earned $3.29 per share on revenue of $9.83 billion in the latest quarter. Deere will release earnings before the markets open. Deere shares dropped 1.23 percent to $145.00 in after-hours trading. AmTrust Financial Services Inc (NASDAQ: AFSI) shares rose over 5 percent in after-hours trading after a 13D filing from Carl Icahn shows a new 9.38 percent stake in the company. The filing also shows language from Icahn that strongly opposes a go-private transaction. AmTrust Financial shares climbed 5.81 percent to $14.21 in the after-hours trading session.

  Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: 3D Systems Corporation(DDD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Short interest in 3D Systems Corp. (NYSE: DDD) fell by 1.9% to 35.03 million shares. Some 32.1% of the company’s float was short. Days to cover rose from 12 to 15. In the two-week short interest period, the share price rose by 27.3%. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $7.92 to $23.70, and shares closed at $10.68 on Wednesday, up about 0.7% on the day.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Short interest in 3D Systems Corp. (NYSE: DDD) rose by 1.3% to 35.05 million shares. Some 32% of the company’s float was short. Days to cover rose from 22 to 23. In the two-week short interest period, the share price rose by 0.7%. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $7.92 to $23.70, and shares closed at $12.02 on Wednesday, up about 9% on the day.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on 3D Systems (DDD)

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

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras(PBR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $1.85 billion. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $3.63 billion. Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.92 per share on revenue of $3.17 billion. Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $926.18 million. The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.24 per share on revenue of $2.98 billion. Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPD) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $1.71 billion. US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $5.98 billion. DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.7 per share on revenue of $3.50 billion. Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.06 per share on revenue of $936.98 million. Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $1.06 billion. Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.14 per share on revenue of $1.21 billion. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.28 per share on revenue of $23.80 billion. JD.com, Inc. (NYSE: JD) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.18 per share on revenue of $15.65 billion. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.6 per share o
• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Improving oil prices mean a "major change" to the investment profile of Brazil-based Petroleo Brasil/ADR (NYSE: PBR), according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Short interest at Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR), or Petrobras, decreased to 32.43 million shares from the previous 34.35 million. The stock traded at $15.95 a share, in a 52-week range of $7.61 to $15.77. Unfortunately, Petrobras may be trading on an entirely different set of fundamentals and sentiment due to its ongoing woes in Brazil.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Short interest at Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR), or Petrobras, increased to 53.95 million shares from the previous 45.15 million. The stock traded at $12.65 a share, in a 52-week range of $7.61 to $13.99. Unfortunately, Petrobras may be trading on an entirely different set of fundamentals and sentiment due to its ongoing woes in Brazil.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Pan American Silver Corp.(PAAS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Pan American Silver (NASDAQ:PAAS) (TSE:PAAS) shares shot up 0.7% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $18.39 and last traded at $18.17. 97,207 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 1,076,284 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.29.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  That ability to organically discover new shale plays has saved it a ton of money. The company was able to quietly gobble up 50,000 acres in Oklahoma over a four-year period for just $750 an acre. Contrast that with rivals�Devon Energy�(NYSE:DVN) and�Marathon Oil�(NYSE:MRO). Devon spent $1.9 billion to buy Felix Energy in late 2015 for the company's 80,000 acres in Oklahoma, paying a whopping $23,750 an acre. Meanwhile, Marathon paid $888 million for PayRock Energy and its 61,000 acres in the state, which amounted to roughly $14,500 an acre. EOG's�deep�knowledge of shale helps it know where to look so it can lock up land for next to nothing before rivals even know what's there.

• [By ]

  Presto, West Texas Intermediate crude rose 3% to $71.18, the highest since December 2014, boosting shares of oil companies including Occidental (OXY) , which gained 4.8%, Marathon (MRO) , up 3.8%, and Apache (APA) , which gained 2.5%. Spot gasoline also rose 2.7% to $2.17 a gallon, boding ill for the summer driving season in the U.S. and potentially eroding any gains middle-class Americans received from the Trump tax cuts.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  That efficiency was evident in the first quarter when companies like Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) and Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) drilled record-breaking wells. In Devon Energy's case, it completed two of the highest-rate wells ever drilled in the nearly 100-year history of the Delaware Basin. Those wells, when combined with some prolific ones in the STACK shale play, enabled Devon to produce a huge profit in the first quarter. Marathon Oil, meanwhile, drilled record-setting wells in two formations of the Bakken region as well as several high-rate ones in the STACK, which fueled strong profits for the driller in the first quarter.�

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: THERMOGENESIS Corp.(KOOL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of Cesca Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: KOOL) were down 21 percent to 0.88 after reporting Q1 results.

  Netshoes (Cayman) Limited (NASDAQ: NETS) was down, falling around 36 percent to $3.27 as the company posted downbeat Q1 results.

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Losers Netshoes (Cayman) Limited (NASDAQ: NETS) shares dipped 43.73 percent to close at $2.87 on Tuesday as the company posted downbeat Q1 results. Cesca Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: KOOL) shares dropped 29.01 percent to close at $0.80 after reporting Q1 results. SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) shares fell 22.2 percent to close at $0.340 after reporting Q1 miss. Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE: VIPS) fell 19.95 percent to close at $12.08 after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its first quarter on Monday. Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISNS) fell 19.68 percent to close at $3.775 after reporting earnings were down year over year. First quarter earnings came in flat, down from 4 cents per share in the same quarter of last year. Sales came in at $3.01 million. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) dropped 18.47 percent to close at $9.62 on Tuesday after surging 77.44 percent on Monday. ENDRA Life Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: NDRA) declined 16.21 percent to close at $2.43. ENDRA Life Sciences is expected to release quarterly earnings today. ALJ Regional Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALJJ) shares fell 16.13 percent to close at $1.79. Switch Inc (NYSE: SWCH) shares dropped 14.93 percent to close at $13.16 following a first-quarter earnings miss. Restoration Robotics Inc (NASDAQ: HAIR) fell 14.42 percent to close at $3.68 after reporting a first-quarter earnings miss. iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICAD) declined 13.01 percent to close at $3.41 following Q1 results. Intersections Inc. (NASDAQ: INTX) fell 12.44 percent to close at $1.97. Histogenics Corporation (NASDAQ: HSGX) declined 12.24 percent to close at $2.15. AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ) fell 12.1 percent to close at $39.60 following Q3 earnings. Hallador Energy Company (NASDAQ: HNRG) fell 11.1 percent to close at $6.49. Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) dropped 10.66 percent to close at $16.93 on Tuesday. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) slipp
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Cesca Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KOOL) shares reached a new 52-week high and low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $0.76 and last traded at $0.88, with a volume of 9160 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $0.83.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Sensata Technologies Holding N.V.(ST)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Sensata Technologies (ST)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  News coverage about Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) has trended somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research firm ranks the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Sensata Technologies earned a news sentiment score of 0.15 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media headlines about the scientific and technical instruments company an impact score of 47.3141406855551 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the next few days.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.51 per share on revenue of $14.62 billion. The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.46 per share on revenue of $7.31 billion. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $2.07 per share on revenue of $11.93 billion. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.11 per share on revenue of $31.22 billion. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $3.42 per share on revenue of $11.28 billion. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $3.15 per share on revenue of $3.94 billion. Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $5.92 per share on revenue of $3.15 billion. 3M Company (NYSE: MMM) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.52 per share on revenue of $8.26 billion. JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ: JBLU) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.2 per share on revenue of $1.75 billion. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.13 per share on revenue of $5.49 billion. Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.88 per share on revenue of $1.25 billion. Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.3 per share on revenue of $2.50 billion. Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.88 per share on revenue of $13.28 billion. The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.77 per share on revenue of $6.75 billion. Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.07 per share on revenue of $2.16 billion. PACCAR Inc (NASDAQ: PCAR) is projected to

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Home BancShares, Inc.(HOMB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Zeke Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home BancShares (NASDAQ:HOMB) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,987 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Home BancShares (NASDAQ:HOMB) was downgraded by ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Headlines about Home BancShares (NASDAQ:HOMB) have trended somewhat positive this week, according to Accern. Accern ranks the sentiment of news 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 closest to one being the most favorable. Home BancShares earned a media sentiment score of 0.11 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media headlines about the financial services provider an impact score of 45.7100995172055 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Diageo plc(DEO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Diageo (NYSE:DEO) was downgraded by equities researchers at ValuEngine from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

Buy ICICI Bank; target of Rs 377: HDFC Securities

HDFC Securities' research report on ICICI Bank

A� ballooning of GNPAs in 4QFY18 (102bps QoQ) overshadowed some significant positives for ICICIBC. Domestic loan growth sustained (+15% YoY) while NIMs improved 10bps sequentially (3.24%). The watchlist nose-dived to ~Rs 47.2bn (vs� ~Rs� 190.6bn� in 3Q) and net stress reduced substantially (~6% vs 9.9% YoY).� Creditable CASA addition (Rs 431bn in FY18), steady growth in retail loans�� (21%� YoY),� fees� (+16%)� and� controlled� opex� (+9%)� were� also encouraging.

Outlook

We expect RoAAs� to pull back 36bps over FY18-20E as a result. Maintain BUY with a TP of Rs 377 (1.7x Mar-20 core ABV of Rs 150 and sub-value of Rs 122).

For all recommendations report, click here

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