Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:RNG,GD,AMCN,IBA,ATU,

Operators who have a large store concentration in B & C type shopping malls are getting crushed, and The Gap (NYSE:GPS) is exposed to these exact locations. In aggregate, monthly mall traffic declines are still averaging mid-single-digit territory so apparel retailers have two options: sustain their store footprint or downsize.

The question is, which is the better long term alternative? Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and other online pure-plays remain a threat to retailers given their lower cost structure and customer convenience factors. Given customer conversion rates can be high for certain brands, it can usually pays off to shutter underperforming locations (see American Eagle's latest conference call transcript). Although this is still up for debate, sustaining a massive store footprint is likely a directional disadvantage, especially in this environment.

A Store Problem

GPS has approximately 3,650 stores worldwide. This footprint is about 3-4x the size of other large competitors with the exception of a few names. Gap currently does not plan on reducing its store footprint, which is problem since keeping physical stores and building out an online presence has caused SG&A to inflate quickly. And these costs are not going away.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Ringcentral, Inc.(RNG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of RingCentral (NYSE:RNG) were up 2.9% during trading on Friday after SunTrust Banks raised their price target on the stock to $80.00. SunTrust Banks currently has a buy rating on the stock. RingCentral traded as high as $81.20 and last traded at $74.55. Approximately 19,219 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 96% from the average daily volume of 485,528 shares. The stock had previously closed at $76.80.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  RingCentral (NYSE: RNG) and Inovalon (NASDAQ:INOV) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: S&P GSCI(GD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on General Dynamics (GD)

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

• [By Lee Jackson]

  This company, like other major defense prime contractors, had a very solid year and is also on the Merrill Lynch US 1 list.�General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) is engaged in business aviation, land and expeditionary combat vehicles and systems, armaments, munitions, shipbuilding and marine systems, and information systems and technologies.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Riverhead Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) by 223.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,328 shares during the period. Riverhead Capital Management LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Lou Whiteman]

  The deal, in effect, makes General Dynamics-owned (NYSE:GD) Gulfstream both a customer of and subcontractor to Triumph on G650 wing box and wing completion work. Wing production work currently being performed at Triumph facilities in Nashville, Tennessee, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, will move to Gulfstream's Georgia facility.

• [By ]

  Finally, General Dynamics Corp. (GD) , along with Lockheed and BAE Systems, could possibly profit from heightened demand ships and other vehicles. 

• [By Logan Wallace]

  These are some of the headlines that may have effected Accern’s analysis:

  Get General Dynamics alerts: U.S. Air Force Awards General Dynamics Cloud Services Contract (finance.yahoo.com) General Dynamics (GD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts (americanbankingnews.com) America Desperately Needs More Submarines. And That Is Good News for General Dynamics. (yahoo.com) GD completes Hawker Pacific acquisition (janes.com) General Dynamics Unit Secures Work for Aircraft Computer System Repairs, Replacement (govconwire.com)

  Shares of NYSE:GD traded up $3.17 on Tuesday, reaching $199.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,149,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,720,029. General Dynamics has a 52-week low of $190.30 and a 52-week high of $230.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.84.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: AirMedia Group Inc(AMCN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  AirMedia Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCN) posted a 52-week low of $1.04 after closing down 23% on Wednesday at $1.35. The 52-week high is $3.30. Volume was about 4 million, nearly 20 times the daily average of around 230,000 million shares. The Chinese outdoor advertising company said yesterday that it is terminating a potential go-private transaction.

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Industrias Bachoco, S.A. de C.V.(IBA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

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

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

Top Performing Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Actuant Corporation(ATU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Actuant (ATU)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Eaton (NYSE: ETN) and Actuant (NYSE:ATU) are both industrial products companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and profitability.

Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware Sells 2,073 Shares of Chevron Co. (CVX)

Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware trimmed its holdings in Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,967 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,073 shares during the period. Chevron makes up approximately 0.9% of Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware’s holdings in Chevron were worth $6,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fusion Family Wealth LLC grew its position in Chevron by 192.6% in the 4th quarter. Fusion Family Wealth LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 838 shares during the last quarter. Lenox Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Chevron by 15,555.6% in the 4th quarter. Lenox Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,409 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $176,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Lesa Sroufe & Co purchased a new position in Chevron in the 3rd quarter valued at $201,000. WCM Investment Management CA purchased a new position in Chevron in the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Independence Trust CO purchased a new position in Chevron in the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. 64.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Chevron alerts:

In related news, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 130,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.00, for a total value of $16,640,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,640,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP R. Hewitt Pate sold 25,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.97, for a total transaction of $3,110,235.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 25,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,110,235. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 386,500 shares of company stock valued at $49,748,880 in the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Shares of Chevron opened at $122.19 on Monday, Marketbeat reports. Chevron Co. has a twelve month low of $102.55 and a twelve month high of $133.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $233.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.02, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 27th. The oil and gas company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.45. Chevron had a net margin of 6.95% and a return on equity of 5.83%. The firm had revenue of $37.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. analysts expect that Chevron Co. will post 7.6 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 11th. Investors of record on Friday, May 18th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 17th. Chevron’s payout ratio is 121.08%.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CVX. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Chevron from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Credit Suisse Group boosted their target price on shares of Chevron from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 30th. Vetr lowered shares of Chevron from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $122.05 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 26th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 7th. Finally, Societe Generale upgraded shares of Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.52.

Chevron Company Profile

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in integrated energy, chemicals, and petroleum operations worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as operates a gas-to-liquids plant.

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

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018

tags:UNLVF,USCR,JJSF,SYPR,ISNS,GSBC,PANW,TDS,MSG,SIGI,

Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Square, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) by 2.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 259,454 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 5,500 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.07% of Square worth $12,765,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in Square by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 400,433 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $13,883,000 after buying an additional 8,626 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its position in Square by 154.3% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 929,100 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,212,000 after buying an additional 563,700 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc. acquired a new position in Square during the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,614,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd acquired a new position in Square during the fourth quarter worth approximately $278,000. Finally, Old Mutual Global Investors UK Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Square in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $637,000. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: Unilever N.V. (UNLVF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  In recent weeks, Procter & Gamble (PG) has received a couple of downgrades following its Q3 FY2018 results announcement. In contrast, its peer in the consumer products space, Unilever (UL)(UN)(OTCPK:UNLNF)(OTCPK:UNLYF)(OTCPK:UNLVF), was upgraded by UBS in late March. Investors also cheered the announcement of a fresh ��6 billion ($7.4 billion) stock buyback program and the raising of its quarterly dividend by 8% to ��0.3872/share from ��0.3585. In 2017, Unilever has already completed a ��5 billion share buyback programme.

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: U S Concrete, Inc.(USCR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey, Nicholas Rossolillo, and Maxx Chatsko]

  We posed that question to a team of Motley Fool investors to identify three stocks our kids will brag about having owned for years, and they picked U.S. Concrete (NASDAQ:USCR), Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC), and Rollins (NYSE:ROL). Read on to find out why these companies deserve that distinction.

• [By ]

  In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Goldman Sachs (GS) , Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) , Ecolab (ECL) , PTC (PTC) , Arista Networks (ANET) , U.S. Concrete (USCR) and Masco (MAS) .

• [By ]

  Sterling Construction Co. Inc (STRL) : "I'm going to stick with U.S. Concrete (USCR) ."

  B&G Foods (BGS) : "No, we're going to stay away. This group is a snake pit."

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: J & J Snack Foods Corp.(JJSF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on J & J Snack Foods (JJSF)

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

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: Sypris Solutions Inc.(SYPR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Sypris Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYPR) is projected to report quarterly loss at $0.07 per share on revenue of $20.35 million.

  Fusion Connect, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSNN) is expected to report quarterly loss at $0.11 per share on revenue of $36.71 million.

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: Image Sensing Systems, Inc.(ISNS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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 Lisa Levin]

  Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISNS) shares dropped 26 percent to $3.5001 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.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISNS) shares dropped 26 percent to $3.5001 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.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Restoration Robotics Inc (NASDAQ: HAIR) fell 19.8 percent to $3.45 in pre-market trading after reporting a first-quarter earnings miss. Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISNS) fell 19.2 percent to $3.80 in pre-market trading 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. Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE: VIPS) fell 15.9 percent to $12.70 in pre-market trading after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its first quarter on Monday. Aptose Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: APTO) shares fell 11 percent to $2.98 in pre-market trading after climbing 2.45 percent on Monday. Sibanye Gold Limited (NYSE: SBGL) shares fell 8 percent to $2.91 in pre-market trading after surging 6.40 percent on Monday. Switch Inc (NYSE: SWCH) shares fell 7.2 percent to $14.36 in pre-market trading following a first-quarter earnings miss. Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) fell 7.1 percent to $64.31 in pre-market trading following mixed Q2 results. Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. (NASDAQ: TNDM) fell 5.8 percent to $10.50 in pre-market trading after rising 25.22 percent on Monday. Carbon Black, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBLK) shares fell 5.1 percent to $22.46 in pre-market trading. Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD) fell 2.4 percent to $186.65 in pre-market trading. Home Depot reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter, while sales missed estimates

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.(GSBC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Great Southern Bancorp (GSBC)

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

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: Palo Alto Networks, Inc.(PANW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nicholas Rossolillo]

  During the first quarter of 2018, Check Point's revenue only rose 4% year over year. Meanwhile, younger competitor Palo Alto Networks (NYSE:PANW) has been growing sales by double digits with aggressive marketing and newer technology.

• [By ]

  European and U.S. online food delivery companies Takeaway.com and Grubhub (GRUB) were hot picks, particularly with M&A expected in the sector. And technology was a central focus for many top investors: Light Street Capital's Glen Kacher suggested that Palo Alto Networks (PANW) is a winner, given that we may see a cyber warfare driven financial crisis in the years to come.

• [By Nicholas Rossolillo]

  The cybersecurity industry is growing, but FireEye's product is viewed as more of an add-on to a company's existing threat-detection system rather than a comprehensive plan. As a result, some of its larger peers like Palo Alto Networks (NYSE:PANW), Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR), and tech giant Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) have fared much better the last few years. In response to its slowdown, FireEye has begun offering�additional services and features to create a more well-rounded menu for its customers.

• [By ]

  From the outside looking in, it seems as if a lack of focus could be hurting Symantec. The company's security product line is enormous, covering everything from gateways to e-mail encryption to malware analysis to forensics to risk analytics. This puts Symantec in competition with many security pure-plays that have been growing rapidly (think Palo Alto Networks (PANW) or Proofpoint (PFPT) ), as well as IT giants who have made growing security sales a major priority (think IBM  (IBM) or Cisco Systems (CSCO) ).

• [By Chris Lange]

  The number of Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NYSE: PANW) shares short was 4.45 million. The previous level was 4.80 million. Shares traded recently at $209.15, within a 52-week trading range of $115.01 to $210.40.

• [By Chris Lange]

  The number of Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NYSE: PANW) shares short was 4.45 million. The previous level was 4.35 million. Shares closed most recently at $191.27, within a 52-week trading range of $107.37 to $197.20.

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc.(TDS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  TokenDesk (CURRENCY:TDS) traded 10.5% lower against the US dollar during the 1 day period ending at 22:00 PM Eastern on May 23rd. One TokenDesk token can currently be bought for about $0.0987 or 0.00001299 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges. During the last seven days, TokenDesk has traded down 43.2% against the US dollar. TokenDesk has a total market cap of $0.00 and $23,424.00 worth of TokenDesk was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: Madison Square Garden Inc.(MSG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of Silver Lake Group, L.L.C.'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Silver+Lake+Group%2C+L.L.C.

  These are the top 5 holdings of Silver Lake Group, L.L.C.GoDaddy Inc (GDDY) - 15,868,908 shares, 21.3% of the total portfolio. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) - 3,587,218 shares, 16.52% of the total portfolio. Sabre Corp (SABR) - 30,019,094 shares, 16.43% of the total portfolio. Broadcom Ltd (AVGO) - 1,618,567 shares, 11.1% of the total portfolio. BlackLine Inc (BL) - 12,543,873 shares, 10.99% of the total portfolio. Share
• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of Silver Lake Group, L.L.C.'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Silver+Lake+Group%2C+L.L.C.

  These are the top 5 holdings of Silver Lake Group, L.L.C.GoDaddy Inc (GDDY) - 15,868,908 shares, 21.3% of the total portfolio. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) - 3,587,218 shares, 16.52% of the total portfolio. Sabre Corp (SABR) - 30,019,094 shares, 16.43% of the total portfolio. Broadcom Ltd (AVGO) - 1,618,567 shares, 11.1% of the total portfolio. BlackLine Inc (BL) - 12,543,873 shares, 10.99% of the total portfolio. Share
• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of Silver Lake Group, L.L.C.'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Silver+Lake+Group%2C+L.L.C.

  These are the top 5 holdings of Silver Lake Group, L.L.C.GoDaddy Inc (GDDY) - 11,868,908 shares, 22.42% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 25.21%Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) - 3,587,218 shares, 20.25% of the total portfolio. SMART Global Holdings Inc (SGH) - 11,256,755 shares, 17.26% of the total portfolio. Sabre Corp (SABR) - 22,470,993 shares, 14.83% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 25.14%The Madison Square Garden Co (MSG) - 1,233,895 shares, 9.33% of the total portf
• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Cedar Fair Entertainment (NYSE: FUN) and The Madison Square Garden (NYSE:MSG) are both mid-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and valuation.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on The Madison Square Garden (MSG)

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

Top 10 Bank Stocks For 2018: Selective Insurance Group, Inc.(SIGI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Selective Insurance (NASDAQ:SIGI) – Boenning Scattergood decreased their Q2 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of Selective Insurance in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, May 3rd. Boenning Scattergood analyst R. Farnam now expects that the insurance provider will earn $0.83 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.96. Boenning Scattergood has a “Hold” rating on the stock. Boenning Scattergood also issued estimates for Selective Insurance’s Q4 2018 earnings at $1.04 EPS, Q1 2019 earnings at $0.88 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.98 EPS and Q4 2019 earnings at $1.05 EPS.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  BidaskClub downgraded shares of Selective Insurance (NASDAQ:SIGI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Monday.

  A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on SIGI. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Selective Insurance from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods set a $62.00 price target on shares of Selective Insurance and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Selective Insurance from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, March 14th. Sandler O’Neill reaffirmed a hold rating and set a $61.00 price objective on shares of Selective Insurance in a report on Friday, April 6th. Finally, Boenning Scattergood reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Selective Insurance in a report on Thursday, May 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $62.50.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:AIM,POT,MRK,

West Africa may not seem likely the location for the�next big gold mining rush for investors in small cap gold stocks, but a couple of small caps in the West Africa mining space have been reporting progress this month.

Just today, small cap Avesoro Resources (OTCMKTS: ARSMF; TSE: ASO) announced production results for the quarter ended March 31,�2017 from its New Liberty Gold Mine in Liberia. The quarter saw continued improvement in both mining and processing operations as management continues the turnaround in operations at New Liberty. Total gold production for the Quarter was 14,906 ounces (as previously guided) while�full year production guidance of 90,000 �� 100,000 ounces�was maintained as is previously advised cash cost guidance of US$750 �� US$800 per ounce and all in sustaining costs (��AISC��) guidance of US$925 �� US$975 per ounce of gold produced. The CEO commented:

Best Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Aerosonic Corporation(AIM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Aimia (TSE:AIM) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$2.67.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.(POT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  PotCoin (CURRENCY:POT) traded 0.6% higher against the US dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 23:00 PM E.T. on May 12th. PotCoin has a total market capitalization of $23.95 million and approximately $62,522.00 worth of PotCoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. During the last seven days, PotCoin has traded 17.8% lower against the US dollar. One PotCoin coin can now be purchased for approximately $0.11 or 0.00001293 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including Cryptopia, CoinExchange, Trade By Trade and Tux Exchange.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Headlines about Potash Co. of Saskatchewan (NYSE:POT) (TSE:POT) have trended positive this week, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group rates the sentiment of news coverage by reviewing more than twenty million news and blog sources. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Potash Co. of Saskatchewan earned a news impact score of 0.43 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media coverage about the fertilizer maker an impact score of 45.4285202328488 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next few days.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Merck & Company, Inc.(MRK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The number of Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) shares short decreased to 22.95 million from 23.67 million in the previous period. Its shares were trading at $60.09, in a 52-week range of $52.83 to $66.41.

• [By Keith Speights]

  First, BMS won Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a new dosing schedule for Opdivo on March 6. This change allows physicians to administer Opdivo to patients every four weeks instead of every two weeks for most of the approved indications for the drug. In addition, Opdivo was approved for a shorter 30-minute infusion for all approved indications. Opdivo now enjoys an advantage related to patient convenience that Merck's (NYSE:MRK) Keytruda doesn't.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  WARNING: “Brokerages Set Merck & Co. (MRK) Target Price at $66.13” was first reported by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this piece of content on another publication, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of United States & international trademark and copyright laws. The legal version of this piece of content can be viewed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3356646/brokerages-set-merck-co-mrk-target-price-at-66-13.html.

• [By Keith Speights]

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

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Merck & Co Inc. (NYSE: MRK) traded up 2.60% at $58.65. The stock’s 52-week range is $52.83 to $66.41. Volume was about 45% above the daily average of around 13.3 million. The company’s lung cancer drug is distancing itself from contenders.

Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Mixed; Deere Misses Q2 Estimates

Following the market opening Friday, the Dow traded up 0.19 percent to 24,761.35 while the NASDAQ declined 0.18 percent to 7,369.13. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.08 percent to 2,717.89.

Leading and Lagging Sectors

Friday morning, the industrial shares rose 0.42 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Deere & Company (NYSE: DE), up 5 percent, and American Woodmark Corporation (NASDAQ: AMWD) up 3 percent.

In trading on Friday, consumer staples shares fell 0.93 percent.

Top Headline

Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) reported weaker-than-expected results for its second quarter.

Deere said it earned $3.14 per share in the first quarter on net sales from equipment operations of $9.747 billion versus Wall Street's estimate of $3.29 per share on revenue of $9.83 billion.

Deere projects Q3 equipment sales to rise 35 percent and FY18 equipment sales to increase 30 percent.

Equities Trading UP

Mannatech, Incorporated (NASDAQ: MTEX) shares shot up 24 percent to $19.70 after the company reported commencement of modified Dutch auction cash tender for up to $16 million of common stock.

Shares of Quotient Limited (NASDAQ: QTNT) got a boost, shooting up 19 percent to $5.56 following commencement of EU blood grouping field trial.

Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: DDE) shares were also up, gaining 14 percent to $2.2999. The stock spiked more than 14 percent Thursday near the close as traders circulate word the Delaware lottery is planning to introduce full sports betting in June.

Equities Trading DOWN

Agile Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGRX) shares dropped 76 percent to $0.6007 after the FDA announced significant concerns regarding the adhesion of Twirla.

Shares of Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) were down 11 percent to $34.85. Campbell Soup reported upbeat Q3 earnings, but sales missed estimates. The company also lowered its FY18 outlook.

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) was down, falling around 10 percent to $48.57. Applied Materials reported stronger-than-expected results for its second quarter, but issued weak sales outlook for the third quarter.

Commodities

In commodity news, oil traded up 0.11 percent to $71.57 while gold traded down 0.19 percent to $1,287.00.

Silver traded down 0.25 percent Friday to $16.44, while copper fell 0.74 to $3.066.

Eurozone

European shares were mostly lower today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 declined 0.14 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.66 percent, while Italy’s FTSE MIB Index dropped 1.32 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX fell 0.12 percent, and the French CAC 40 rose 0.01 percent while U.K. shares fell 0.27 percent.

Economics

The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week will be released at 1:00 p.m. ET.