Ignore The "3-T's" - Try NetLease Real Estate ETF Instead

&l;p&g;With all due respect to anyone renting right now, dealing with tenants can be a giant pain in the neck.

Unless we&a;rsquo;re talking about a slumlord or some other kind of unethical real estate baron &a;ndash; and yes, I fully acknowledge those do exist &a;ndash; most landlords tend to work very hard for their income.

For starters, there&a;rsquo;s the normal, built-into-the-lease expectations they have to manage. This includes timely renovations and building upgrades, staying on top of the regular wear and tear of a building (aka depreciation), and taking care of the toilets, the trash and the taxes.

Those last three are known as the three Ts in this line of business (toilets, trash, and taxes).

Then there are &a;ldquo;those&a;rdquo; kinds of tenants they have to deal with. Tom Chiarella, who was a landlord for almost two decades, has some stories to tell in that regard. According to &l;a href=&q;https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a25120/landlord/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;his article on Popular Mechanics&l;/a&g;, the following details are some of the lesser problems he had to face over the course of his real estate career:

&l;/p&g;&l;blockquote&g;People will flush anything down a toilet. Curlers. Popsicle wrappers. Combs. I&s;m not saying they do it on purpose. Maybe they didn&s;t notice the jet-black comb on the blazingly contrasting white porcelain floor of the toilet bowl. Maybe they just flicked the handle and down it went. Accidents happen. But when you&s;re the one kneeling on a damp bath towel on a Wednesday afternoon, fishing around in a toilet with a thirty-foot snake, I&s;m telling you: You see some stuff. Poker chips. Warning labels. Handfuls of expired vitamins. There was an afternoon when I, the landlord, stood with a plumber as he ground around for about fifteen minutes until he broke through the offending blockage. Moments later, an artichoke leaf floated up, then another, and another. Seriously: artichoke leaves. &q;I don&s;t know anything about that,&q; my tenant told me when I called that night. Paradoxically, he then added, &q;That must have been an accident.&q;&l;/blockquote&g;

For the record, artichokes aren&a;rsquo;t exactly the smallest vegetable available. They&a;rsquo;re much better disposed of in a trash can or compost bin.

&l;strong&g;The Obvious Upside to the Job&l;/strong&g;

Admittedly, those kinds of aggravations can be more on the residential-specific side of the landlord spectrum. However, there are plenty of businesses that are more than capable of creating undesirable, unnecessary &a;ldquo;situations&a;rdquo; in their own special ways.

All things considered, if you&a;rsquo;ve never been a landlord before, you might want to count your blessings.

With that said, there is obviously money to be made out of it. Otherwise, nobody in a free society would ever willingly subject themselves to those kinds of reoccurring headaches and hassles.

When managed with the right goals and the right application, renting out property can bring in the kind of money that can build real estate empires &a;ndash; the very concept that REITs are built on.

People need homes, and businesses need space. Yet not all of them &a;ndash; maybe even most of them &a;ndash; aren&a;rsquo;t always willing or able to buy up their own property in the process. So they rent instead, a decision that provides steady income for hundreds of publicly traded REITs&a;hellip; and reliable dividend returns for investors like you and me&a;hellip;

When everything goes as planned.

While there&a;rsquo;s no way to predict absolutely everything, there is a way REITs can significantly shorten the list of negative possibilities they have to worry about. That&a;rsquo;s through triple net leases.

&l;strong&g;The New Big Deal on the REIT Block&l;/strong&g;

I&a;rsquo;ve long-since noted that, out of all the REITs I cover, the ones that operate with triple net leases are among my favorites (I also have

built over 100 free-standing buildings myself, as a developer). From a landlord&a;rsquo;s perspective, these are about the most favorable leasing conditions around.

Here&a;rsquo;s how I described them in an April 2018 &l;em&g;Forbes &l;/em&g;piece titled, &a;ldquo;3 Highly Predictable REITs to Help You Sleep Well at Night.&a;rdquo; These are rental properties &a;ldquo;with long-term leases (10-25 years)&a;rdquo; signed by &a;ldquo;high credit-quality tenants.&a;rdquo;

They&a;rsquo;re called net leases because:

&l;blockquote&g;&a;ldquo;&a;hellip; they generally use a triple-net lease structure, whereby tenants pay all expenses related to property management: property taxes, insurance, and maintenance. &l;a href=&q;https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fbradthomas%2F2018%2F04%2F09%2F3-highly-predictable-reits-to-help-you-sleep-well-at-night%2F&a;amp;text=Like%20a%20ground%20lease%2C%20triple-net%20leases%20result%20in%20long-term%2C%20relatively%20predictable%20income%20streams.&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Like a ground lease, triple-net leases result in long-term, relatively predictable income streams.&l;/a&g; Similar to a bank, net lease REITs essentially capture the &a;ldquo;spread&a;rdquo; between the acquisition cap rate and their cost of capital. Furthermore, compared to other REITs, net lease REITs function more like a financing company rather than an operating company. These REITs hold the long-term, capital-intensive real estate assets that other companies prefer not to hold on their balance sheets.&a;rdquo;&l;/blockquote&g;

In and of itself, that&a;rsquo;s a fine kind of business structure to bet on. But perhaps better still is how, as of today, there is now officially an ETF on the market that holds absolutely nothing other than triple net REITs.

I&a;rsquo;m extremely excited to tell you all about it&a;hellip;

&l;strong&g;This New REIT Has Elements of the SWAN Elements&l;/strong&g;

Today NetLease Corporate Real Estate ETF (NETL) is launching and the strategy for this fund is that it is the first ETF focused solely on Net Lease REITs, which is one of the fastest growing sectors within the REIT space. Just a few days ago I &l;a href=&q;https://seekingalpha.com/article/4249377-march-madness-nothing-net-lease-reits&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;wrote an article&l;/a&g; explaining,

&l;blockquote&g;&a;ldquo;the backdrop (low rates, slightly higher yields, acquisition abundance) remains favorable for Triple Net REIT transaction volumes and earnings given their cost and access to capital advantage.&a;rdquo;&l;/blockquote&g;

NETL is a pure-play Net Lease REIT ETF that encompasses a variety of REITs that provide sustainable cash flows by leasing their properties through long-term contractual leases on a triple-net lease basis. The leases have terms that are generally 10 years or longer, predetermined rental rate increases, and minimal landlord responsibilities.

This newly created Net Lease ETF is based on the Fundamental Income Net Lease Real Estate Index (NNNLSCTR) which is calculated by Nasdaq and aims to allow investors to benefit from these unique Net Lease REIT fundamentals. The NETLease ETF does not have exposure to multi-tenant malls, traditional office buildings and multifamily owners, all of whom have significant capital expenditures and operating expense obligations.

&a;ldquo;We are thrilled to be working with the Fundamental Income team to bring this timely and innovative fund to market,&a;rdquo; said J. Garrett Stevens, CEO of Exchange Traded Concepts. &a;ldquo;This Fund tracks the Net Lease real estate sector, which exemplifies consistent and predictable cash flows that Net Lease REITs derive from a diverse portfolio of corporate-leased properties. Great colleagues and great ideas are the true drivers of ETF success,&a;rdquo; continued Stevens. &a;ldquo;We&a;rsquo;re very pleased to add Fundamental Income and NETL to our growing list of affiliates and innovative ETF solutions.&a;rdquo; Chris Burbach, co-founder and Partner of Fundamental Income stated,

&l;blockquote&g;&a;ldquo;We started Fundamental Income with a simple view that investments with cash flows built upon identifiable underlying fundamentals, that are stable and predictable, should be worth more than those without a clear foundation or less certainty. Net Lease REITs have the potential to provide investment income and capital preservation, in a market searching for both, which is why we are excited to partner with ETC. We believe this ETF offers investors broad exposure to the tangible U.S. economy through the underlying predictable rents of NETL. The time has come for investors to shift their focus from property appearances to results and for Net Lease real estate to stand on its own &a;ndash; we created the Index to do just that.&a;rdquo;&l;/blockquote&g;

Burbach and co-founder Alexi Panagiokapoulos know the Net Lease REIT sector well as they formerly were employed with Store Capital (STOR) &a;ndash; Burbach was Executive VP of Underwriting and Panagiokapoulos specialized in credit and underwriting.

The new REIT ETF should create plenty of buzz as the portfolio of 24 REITs generates very stable revenues supported by over 23,000+ individual stand-alone properties. The ETF has no more than 3.5% exposure to any one tenant and no more than 20% exposure to any one tenant industry and no more than 5% exposure to any one state in the US (except Texas, which is the outlier at roughly 10%). The fee structure is 60 bps.

KaChing, KaChing&a;hellip;

That means, forget about the frig&a;rsquo;n 3 T&a;rsquo;s, just let NetLease ETF do all of the dirty work.

This new strategy is well thought-out, and I really like the fact that there is tremendous diversification across property sectors (24 REITs in the portfolio). It will be interesting to track this ETF, especially since we also recently created our own Net Lease REIT Index called &l;strong&g;SWANO&l;/strong&g;.

The participants include Store Capital, W.P. Carey (WPC), Agree Realty (ADC), National Retail Properties (NNN), and Realty Income (O). As most know, we also created an equity REIT Index called &l;strong&g;DAVOS&l;/strong&g;.

The participants include Digital Realty (DLR), American Tower (AMT), Ventas, Inc. (VTR), Realty Income (O), and Simon Properties.

In a few weeks (hopefully two) we plan to launch our new website and included in the iREIT Research Lab we will provide real-time results for over 30 REIT ETFs (including NetLease ETF), REIT Benchmarks, and our proprietary tracking indexes such as SWANO, DAVOS, and BLAST (our commercial mortgage REIT Index).

In closing: When it comes to Net Lease investing, there&a;rsquo;s really no need to be a market timer. I have made the argument for years and years on Seeking Alpha, there&a;rsquo;s one simple rule to remember when it comes to Net Lease REITs (Realty Income&a;rsquo;s former CEO, Tom Lewis, taught me this rule): &l;strong&g;5 + 5 = 10&l;/strong&g;

What this means is that when you decide to purchase shares in a Net Lease REIT, there&a;rsquo;s no reason to &a;ldquo;get too cute&a;rdquo;. You are typically going to obtain a dividend yield of approximately 5% (I know, blue chips like O are yielding much less now) and growth of another 5% (on average), and the result is an expected total return of 10%.

That&a;rsquo;s much easier than pulling artichokes out of the toilet, right?

The author does not own shares in NETL, but he does own shares in DLR, VTR, O, SPG, BXMT, LADR, STWD, TRTX, STOR, and WPC.

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These stocks could benefit from Trump's Mueller win

Certain stocks and sectors could see a boost now that the special counsel investigation is over, allowing an unfettered President Donald Trump to turn his focus back to policymaking, both against and, in some cases, with the Democrats, analysts said.

Robert Mueller's 22-month-long probe found no evidence of Trump collusion with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign, lifting the cloud that had been hanging over his presidency since his inauguration.

Infrastructure

One of Trump's long-held goals that has been pushed aside is his trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. Although the plan is somewhat supported on both sides of the political aisle, the parties diverge on how to fund the pricey investment.

However, infrastructure is still on Trump's mind. The president said just last week that he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are still talking about an elusive infrastructure deal.

Strategas has an infrastructure basket consisting of about 20 companies in traditional highway infrastructure that could benefit from any deal. The portfolio was created in 2008 to play President Barack Obama's stimulus in 2009, and the constituents have gained with the passage of highway bills over the years, according to Strategas.

The member stocks include pipeline services company Aegion Corp., general contractor Granite Construction, engineering company KBR and building material company Simpson Manufacturing.

However, a large bipartisan infrastructure bill is unlikely if Trump uses the Mueller outcome against the Democrats, and they in turn keep their intense investigations of the president.

"Is it time for infrastructure? Democrats and the administration are very far apart," James Pethokoukis, economic analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday. "I highly doubt we are going to see anything like that. Maybe if this was like the beginning of last year, now that we are deep into the election season, I don't think so."

Health care

The new development is positive for health insurers as a Democratic sweep in the Senate is now less likely in 2020, alleviating the risks of having big changes to the health-care system, according to one industry analyst.

A divided government post 2020 "reduces market perception of single payer risks," Lance Wilkes, equity analyst at at Bernstein, said in a note. "We see continued pressure on drug prices and middlemen, ongoing Medicaid expansion at a state level, and the potential for stabilization of public exchange funding and policies."

Bernstein noted insurers and government Managed Care Organizations took a hit since the introduction of the "Medicare-for-all" bill in the House as Anthem, UnitedHealth, Centene and Humana were down as much as 11 percent.

"We would see this environment as positive for government Managed Care Organizations, Anthem and its company specific earnings drivers, and continued policy pressure on Pharmacy benefit managements," Wilkes said.

Defense

Stocks overall have had an epic run since Trump's election at the end of 2016, with the S&P 500 gaining more than 30 percent as Trump's overhaul of corporate taxes gave an unprecedented boost to corporations. One of the biggest winners has been defense stocks as the White House continuously upped its military budget over the past two years.

The SPDR S&P Aerospace and Defense ETF is up 55 percent since the Nov. 8 election and has returned more than 13 percent year to date.

Many of the large defense stocks including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have posted double-digit gains on the improved outlook for U.S. defense spending under the Trump administration.

The administration has approved two defense-friendly budget bills that have elevated the Pentagon's spending power to $700 billion in 2018 and $717 billion in 2019.

During Trump's State of the Union address last month, he pledged to increase the Pentagon's budget and reassess military alliances and agreements with foreign nations.

ONGC, CCL Products gain on interim dividend announcement

Share price of CCL Products India and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) gained after companies declared interim dividend for the financial year 2018-19.

ONGC board declared an interim dividend of Re 1 per equity share and fixed March 27 as the record date for determining the eligibility of shareholders for payment of interim dividend, as per company release.

The said dividend is proposed to be paid w.e.f. 29.03.2019 onwards.

CCL Products India declared an interim dividend of Rs 1.75 per equity share of nominal value of Rs 2 each for the financial year 2018-19, company said in a BSE release.

related news Time Technoplast gains 3% on major order win James Warren Tea locked at lower circuit on buyback approval

It also approved April 3 as a record date for the purpose of payment of interim dividend and the interim dividend will be paid within 15 working days from the date of the declaration.

At 1145 hours, CCL Products India was quoting at Rs 284.80, up 0.81 percent and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation was quoting at Rs 153.35, up 0.52 percent on the BSE.

For more market news, click here

First Published on Mar 25, 2019 12:33 pm

Zagg Inc (ZAGG) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Zagg Inc  (NASDAQ:ZAGG)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallMarch 12, 2019, 5:00 p.m. ET

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

Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the ZAGG Fourth Quarter 2018 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later we will conduct a question-and-answer session and instructions will follow at that time. (Operator Instructions) As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded.

I would now like to introduce your host for today's conference, Brendon Frey. Sir, you may begin.

Brendon Frey -- Managing Director

Thank you, Ashley. Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us today to review the ZAGG fourth quarter 2018 financial results.

On the call today, we have Chris Ahern, Chief Executive Officer; Brad Holiday, Chief Financial Officer; as well as Taylor Smith, Vice President of Finance Accounting and incoming CFO. Following Chris and Brad's prepared comments, we will open the call up for a question-and-answer session.

Our fourth quarter earnings press release issued today after the market closed at approximately 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. As a follow on to the earnings release, we published a supplemental financial information on our Investor Relations website. We also furnished this document to the SEC on Form 8-K. You can find all our earnings documents on our Investor Relations website at www.zagg.com in the Quarterly Results section under the Financials tab.

We are recording this call, and a podcast of the conference call will be archived at the ZAGG Investor Relations webpage under the Events tab for one year.

Before we begin, we'd like to remind everyone that the prepared remarks contain certain forward-looking statements and management may make additional forward-looking statements in response to your questions. These statements include, but are not limited to, our outlook for the Company and statements that estimate or project future results of operations for the performance of the Company. These statements do not guarantee future performance and speak as of the date hereof.

For a more detailed discussion on the factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements, we refer all of you to the risk factors contained in ZAGG's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ZAGG assumes no obligation to revise any forward-looking statements that may be made in today's release or call.

Please note that on today's call, in addition to discussing the GAAP financial results and the outlook for the Company, we will discuss adjusted EBITDA and diluted operating earnings per share, both non-GAAP financial measures. An explanation of ZAGG's use of these non-GAAP financial measures in this call and the reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP measures required by SEC Regulation G is included in ZAGG's press release today, which again, can be found on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website. The non-GAAP information is not a substitute for any performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP and the use of such non-GAAP measures has limitations, which are de

Now Trading Below Book Value: Molson Coors And 3 Other Dividend Payers

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-623294244&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/623294244/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;710&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g;

Once a month I screen for a certain type of value stock and was surprised to see a local Colorado favorite showing up on the list: the modern form of the old Adolph Coors brewing operation known these days as Molson Coors. That one and 3 other stocks made the grade with lower-than-the-market price/earnings ratios and now trading at a below book value price.

With the market as a whole selling at &l;a href=&q;http://www.multpl.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;a multiple of 21&l;/a&g;&a;nbsp;(and &l;a href=&q;http://www.multpl.com/shiller-pe/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;the Schiller p/e at 31&l;/a&g;), it&s;s interesting to find profitable, dividend-paying businesses with p/e&s;s of half that or about half. &l;a href=&q;https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/106835.The_Intelligent_Investor&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Benjamin Graham wrote books&l;/a&g; about finding such situations -- here&s;s what seems to fit that basic value criteria right now:

&l;strong&g;Molson Coors&a;nbsp;&l;/strong&g;is New York Stock Exchange traded with the symbol, naturally, of TAP. The big beer operation is available for purchase at a 4% discount from its book value. The price/earnings ratio sits at 11.7. They are showing positive earnings last year and the 5-year record is positive as well.

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-5195&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/johnnavin/files/2019/03/TAP-weekly-3-13-19.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;928&q; data-width=&q;1240&q;&g; Molson Coors Brewing weekly price chart.

Problem: long-term debt exceeds shareholder equity. That&s;s a concern. Molson Coors is paying a 2.72% dividend. The short float is a big higher than you might expect at 4.9% -- if those shorts are ever forced to cover, that might cause something of a rally.

&l;strong&g;Diamondback Energy&a;nbsp;&l;/strong&g;is trading on the NASDAQ at a 10% discount to book value and with a price/earnings ratio of 12.6. Last year&s;s earnings were solidly green. The same can be said of the independent oil company&s;s 5-year record of earnings.

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-5194&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/johnnavin/files/2019/03/FANG-weekly-3-13-19.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;928&q; data-width=&q;1240&q;&g; Diamondback Energy weekly price chart.

Shareholder equity is greater than long-term debt, a positive. Diamondback&s;s dividend comes to .50%. JP Morgan analysts resumed their &q;overweight&q; rating for the company on March 11th.

&l;strong&g;SM Energy Company&a;nbsp;&l;/strong&g;is another independent oil and gas company that may qualify as a value stock. This one is trading on the New York Stock Exchange at a steep 39% discount to its book value. The price/earnings ratio is 3.5. It&s;s a concern that the company&s;s long-term debt exceeds shareholder equity.

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-5192&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/johnnavin/files/2019/03/SM-weekly-3-13-19.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;928&q; data-width=&q;1240&q;&g; SM Energy weekly price chart.

That might be part of the reason for SM Energy&s;s short float of 9.15% -- again, if forced to cover at some point, shorts can provide fuel for a rally. The company is paying a .63% dividend. In February, Macquarie analysts downgraded the stock from &q;outperform&q; to &q;neutral.&q; Barclay&s;s initiated an &q;overweight&q; rating in January.

&l;strong&g;The Greenbrier Companies&a;nbsp;&l;/strong&g;is NYSE-traded and now goes for a 2% discount to book. The railroad company has a price/earnings ratio of 9.8. Although the most recent quarter-to-quarter earnings are negative, last year&s;s earnings were positive and the 5-year record is green.

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-5191&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/johnnavin/files/2019/03/GBX-weekly-3-13-19.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;928&q; data-width=&q;1240&q;&g; Greenbrier Companies weekly price chart.

Shareholder equity exceeds long-term debt. The short float at 15% is higher than most NYSE stocks. That could be fuel for a rally if those with shorts are ever forced to cover. Meantime, Greenbrier pays a dividend of 2.64%.

Value stocks require the patience of a long-term investor.

Stats courtesy of &l;a href=&q;https://finviz.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;FinViz.com&l;/a&g;.

&l;em&g;I do not hold positions in these investments.&a;nbsp;No recommendations are made one way or the other.&a;nbsp;&a;nbsp;If you&s;re an investor, you&s;d want to look much deeper into each of these situations. You can lose money trading or investing in stocks and other instruments. Always do your own independent research, due diligence and seek professional advice from a licensed investment advisor. I consult -- contact me at jnavin@gmail.com.&l;/em&g;&l;/p&g;

New family leave plan would require you to delay Social Security benefits

Senate Republicans are pushing a new way for families to access paid leave when they have a child.

But in order to take time off, parents must be willing to take their Social Security retirement benefits a little later.

Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) unveiled the plan, called the CRADLE Act, on Tuesday. Under terms of the proposal, new parents would be able to take anywhere from one to three months of paid leave, as long as they agreed to postpone the start of their Social Security retirement benefits.

It's not the first time paid family leave and Social Security benefits have been tied together. Last year, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) also pushed a family leave proposal that would require parents to delay taking their retirement benefits down the road.

The proposals come as paid parental leave policies are gaining broader support, including from President Donald Trump, who touted the proposed benefits in the White House budget released this week. Democrats in Congress have also pushed their own version with the FAMILY Act, which was reintroduced in February.

"The U.S. is one of the few countries that doesn't have paid family leave, and it's clearly a need and can often cause families hardship around the time of a birth," said Melissa Favreault, senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a non-partisan economic and social policy research organization.

How it would work

Under the CRADLE Act, parents would be required to notify the Social Security Administration that they plan to take paid parental leave benefits.

That written notice would have to be submitted to the agency between six months to one month before a new child is expected to arrive, either through child birth or adoption. At the same time, applicants would be expected to give their employers 30 days' written notice.

Other rules would apply, including that applicants must be citizens or permanent residents. In addition, individuals must have a qualifying work record. That includes having worked four out of four, or five out of six, of the most recent quarters. Individuals who have worked for at least 20 quarters in total could also receive benefits.

Under the plan, parents could elect to take one, two or three months off. The amount of benefits they would receive during that time would be calculated based on Social Security's current disability formula, which generally provides a higher payout on your current work history compared to calculations for retirement benefits.

For every month of paid parental leave they receive, their retirement benefits would be postponed by two months.

The plan is aimed at being budget neutral, meaning that it would not detrimentally affect Social Security or the national debt.

Why it could work

If this debate gets additional traction, it could help inspire a broader Social Security discussion that's long overdue, said Joe Elsasser, president and founder of Covisum, a provider of Social Security software.

That is because there's speculation Social Security may not be on a stable, long-term footing financially, Elsasser said. The trust funds which help pay for retirement and disability benefits are projected to run out of cash reserves by 2034.

Even without any changes, the system would still be able to pay more than 70 cents on every promised dollar, Elsasser noted.

show chapters Santelli Exchange: Social Security and Medicare's downward spiral    11:59 AM ET Fri, 22 June 2018 | 03:10

Some states have or are developing policies to address paid family leave. The question is whether it would make sense to tie Social Security to this issue.

"It's probably very reasonable," Elsasser said. "They're already paying benefits.

"The mechanics of supporting programs like this are generally in place."

Addressing family leave on a federal level would eliminate the need for employers to have to deal with a patchwork of different rules from various states, Elsasser said.

Who could be vulnerable

Like most policies, the plan would not benefit all workers equally, which means that some families could be vulnerable, Favreault said.

Taking money now and having to delay benefits later would essentially work like a loan — and one that many individuals can't be sure they'll be able to pay back until they reach that life stage, Favreault said.

While some people may be able to afford to wait a couple of months to take their benefits, others may have to still take them at their earliest eligibility age. That would result in them having reduced benefits for the rest of their lives, Favreault said.

More from Personal Finance:
Trump touts paid family leave in budget; taxpayers worry
Why secret cash nanny payments could backfire on taxes
Money moves to make now before your new baby arrives

These risks could be higher for families who have multiple children, and therefore take leave multiple times — further pushing off their retirement benefits.

The discussion could also broaden out to include other proposals, such as using Social Security deferrals to help pay off student loans.

"I worry about the precedent of opening up that piggy bank that so many people rely on in their retirement," Favreault said. "Any one thing that's small, you can make that argument that that's not dangerous.

"You could be opening up a Pandora's box."

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:ADUS,NSP,TDOC,HCOM,NSRGF,IRL,AROC,REIS,NCOM,BOOM, I'm in my early 60s and have about $400,000 in savings. I tend to stick to bank money-market accounts and CDs, as I was scammed in the past. What's the safest way for me to invest this money?--Maria

Your urge to play it safe is perfectly understandable. You already know from bitter experience that there are people out there who prey on inexperienced (or even experienced) investors by conning them outright or putting them into investments that may be inappropriate for their situation, and expensive to boot.

Such conduct aside, the financial markets in and of themselves can be scary, even when you're limiting yourself to perfectly legitimate investments. Even though the stock market's been going gangbusters since rebounding from the financial crisis some eight and a half years ago and has been hitting new records of late, at some point stock prices will tumble big time, as they have many times in the past.

Bonds aren't as volatile as stocks, but they too are somewhat vulnerable in that bond prices go down when interest rates go up (although as with stock setbacks, no one knows for sure when or how much bond yields will rise).

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: Addus HomeCare Corporation(ADUS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Addus HomeCare Corp  (NASDAQ:ADUS)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallMarch 05, 2019, 9:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  BidaskClub upgraded shares of Addus Homecare (NASDAQ:ADUS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

  Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens set a $56.00 price target on shares of Addus Homecare and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 price target on shares of Addus Homecare and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 14th. ValuEngine raised shares of Addus Homecare from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Finally, Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Addus Homecare from a buy rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Monday, June 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $51.00.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Addus Homecare (ADUS)

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

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: Insperity, Inc.(NSP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  KBC Group NV lowered its holdings in Insperity Inc (NYSE:NSP) by 92.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,064 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 13,154 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Insperity were worth $101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Mackay Shields LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Insperity Inc (NYSE:NSP) by 29.9% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 30,670 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 13,100 shares during the period. Mackay Shields LLC’s holdings in Insperity were worth $2,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Insperity Inc (NYSE:NSP) SVP Daniel D. Herink sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.34, for a total value of $646,700.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 28,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,709,471.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: Teladoc, Inc.(TDOC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  The very last one is Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC)[TDOC] which I know you've talked a lot about on Market Foolery and Motley Fool Money, and I know Jason Moser has been a fan of Teladoc. I am, too. It's a pick in Rule Breakers. [We offer a lot of benefits to our employees, and those employees don't always have time to wait in line at the doctor's]. Just to pick up a phone and talk about something. Start a relationship with somebody who's part of your corporate benefits if you're employed and it's part of your health approach, your health strategy. I think that's a good business.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC) and Envision Healthcare (NYSE:EVHC) are both mid-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings and profitability.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Teladoc Health (TDOC)

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

• [By Beth McKenna]

  Teledoc Health (NYSE:TDOC) stock jumped 11.4% in September, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence . (It gave back those gains, however, in the first week of October. Shares dropped 12.2% last week, a period in which high-flying growth stocks, particularly in the tech realm, were hit hard.)

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Teladoc Inc (NYSE:TDOC) insider Adam C. Vandervoort sold 5,549 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.25, for a total transaction of $373,170.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,934 shares in the company, valued at $197,311.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc.(HCOM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  News coverage about Hawaiian Telcom HoldCo (NASDAQ:HCOM) has been trending somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group identifies positive and negative 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 negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Hawaiian Telcom HoldCo earned a news impact score of 0.06 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media coverage about the utilities provider an impact score of 46.776618457707 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the near future.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: Nestlé S.A. (NSRGF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  A year ago July, I recommended ASBFY a BUY along with Nestlé (OTCPK: NSRGY) (OTCPK: NSRGF). Briefly, ASBFY is

  A diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with sales of more than $32.6B operating in 50 countries on six continents Owner of brands including Mazola, Karo Syrup, Fleischmann Yeast, Durkee, Twinings Ovaltine, Tip Top Bakeries and more A huge producer of sugar and bioethanol fuels from China to Spain, and Africa's largest sugar producer with factories in six countries A supplier of products and tech services to farmers, feed and food manufacturers, processors and retailers A producer of yeast and bakery ingredients operating plants in 32 countries and selling into 92 countries, plus it manufactures and markets enzymes, lipids, yeast extracts, and cereal specialties Primark is the ASBFY signature fashion chain with more than 300 stores in the UK and across Europe that bolsters ASBFY by accounting for half the company's revenue and profit. Share Price Slump Is An Opportunity

  Shares last July were selling in the $39 range, rose to $45 close to November 2017, then began a slow but steady slide downhill opening August '18 at just above $31. July 5, '18 ASBFY announced "group revenue from continuing businesses for the 40 weeks ended 23 June 2018 was 3% ahead of the same period last year at constant currency and 2% ahead at actual exchange rates. Excluding Sugar, sales growth the developed from continuing businesses was 6% ahead of last year at constant currency and 5% ahead at actual exchange rates." The grocery business pushed ahead 4% in the quarter with margins expected to increase for the full year. Ingredients revenue was up 4% and revenue from agriculture in the third quarter was +12% ahead of last year. Sales at Primark were +6% as sales space expanded.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: New Ireland Fund, Inc. (IRL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  IrishCoin (CURRENCY:IRL) traded 1.6% lower against the US dollar during the 1-day period ending at 10:00 AM E.T. on October 7th. During the last week, IrishCoin has traded 6% lower against the US dollar. IrishCoin has a market cap of $167,948.00 and $146.00 worth of IrishCoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One IrishCoin coin can currently be purchased for about $0.0047 or 0.00000071 BTC on exchanges.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  IrishCoin (CURRENCY:IRL) traded down 14.1% against the dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 18:00 PM Eastern on May 15th. One IrishCoin coin can now be purchased for approximately $0.0082 or 0.00000097 BTC on major exchanges. Over the last week, IrishCoin has traded 34.1% lower against the dollar. IrishCoin has a market capitalization of $291,706.00 and $248.00 worth of IrishCoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Media headlines about The New Ireland Fund (NYSE:IRL) have been trending somewhat positive on Saturday, Accern Sentiment reports. Accern scores the sentiment of press coverage by analyzing more than 20 million news and blog sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. The New Ireland Fund earned a news sentiment score of 0.19 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news headlines about the financial services provider an impact score of 45.0473493496562 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the next few days.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  IrishCoin (CURRENCY:IRL) traded down 4.5% against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 20:00 PM ET on June 22nd. In the last week, IrishCoin has traded 7.3% higher against the U.S. dollar. IrishCoin has a total market capitalization of $229,642.00 and $26.00 worth of IrishCoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One IrishCoin coin can now be bought for about $0.0065 or 0.00000107 BTC on exchanges.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  The New Ireland Fund, Inc. (NYSE:IRL) Director Margaret Duffy acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $9.85 per share, for a total transaction of $19,700.00. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: Archrock, Inc.(AROC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Transcribing]

  Archrock (NYSE:AROC) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 20, 2019 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of Archrock Inc (NYSE:AROC) by 138.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 695,393 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 403,838 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN’s holdings in Archrock were worth $8,345,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  News stories about Archrock (NYSE:AROC) have trended somewhat positive on Saturday, according to Accern Sentiment. The research firm identifies positive and negative media coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Archrock earned a coverage optimism score of 0.12 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave headlines about the energy company an impact score of 47.3449329112104 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the next few days.

• [By Max Byerly]

  COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “Bailard Inc. Has $381,000 Holdings in Archrock Inc (AROC)” was first reported by Ticker Report and is the property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this piece of content on another domain, it was stolen and republished in violation of international copyright & trademark legislation. The original version of this piece of content can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4150167/bailard-inc-has-381000-holdings-in-archrock-inc-aroc.html.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  After years of struggling with the precipitous decline in oil prices and an onerous debt load, management at Archrock (NYSE:AROC) decided to bite the bullet and buy out its subsidiary master limited partnership Archrock Partners. According to management, the deal would free up some cash and lower its cost of capital. The combination of these two things would make it easier to grow the business and take advantage of the monumental growth of natural gas production in the U.S.

• [By ]

  As it happens, I am familiar with about half of these stocks. Archrock (Nasdaq: AROC), Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM), Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB, and Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN) are all interesting names that I've either owned in the past or have written about recently over at High-Yield Investing.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: Reis, Inc(REIS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Reis (NASDAQ:REIS) was upgraded by research analysts at ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Reis (REIS)

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

• [By Rich Smith]

  Shares of commercial real estate data provider Reis, Inc. (NASDAQ:REIS) soared 32.2% to close at $23 on the nose today, after Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO) announced it would acquire the company for (drumroll, please)...$23 a share!

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of Reis (NASDAQ:REIS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning.

  Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Reis from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Friday, May 11th. BidaskClub raised Reis from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 6th. Finally, B. Riley lowered their target price on Reis to $26.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $22.00.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Emerald Expositions Events (NYSE: EEX) and Reis (NASDAQ:REIS) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: National Commerce Corporation(NCOM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of National Commerce Corp (NASDAQ:NCOM) by 0.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 223,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,798 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 1.29% of National Commerce worth $9,714,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  National Commerce (NASDAQ:NCOM) was downgraded by BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Citigroup Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of National Commerce Corp (NASDAQ:NCOM) by 44.5% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,703 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,171 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in National Commerce were worth $118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on National Commerce (NCOM)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  ValuEngine downgraded shares of National Commerce (NASDAQ:NCOM) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Thursday.

  NCOM has been the subject of several other reports. BidaskClub upgraded shares of National Commerce from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, May 31st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of National Commerce from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $53.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 27th. Finally, Stephens reiterated a hold rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of National Commerce in a research report on Thursday, July 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $48.67.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2019: Dynamic Materials Corporation(BOOM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  DMC Global Inc. (NASDAQ: BOOM) shares shot up 25 percent to $39.55 after the company reported upbeat Q1 results and issued upbeat Q2 guidance.

  Shares of Knowles Corporation (NYSE: KN) got a boost, shooting up 15 percent to $12.83 as the company reported Q1 results.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  DMC Global Inc. (NASDAQ: BOOM) shares shot up 26 percent to $39.85 after the company reported upbeat Q1 results and issued upbeat Q2 guidance.

  Shares of eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) got a boost, shooting up 19 percent to $19.04 as the company posted upbeat Q1 results.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Dmc Global (NASDAQ:BOOM) in a research note issued on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $53.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target suggests a potential upside of 38.20% from the company’s current price.

Best China Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:ATAI,SINA,SOL,NTES, LISTEN TO ARTICLE 1:28 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

As if the rollback of rich-world monetary stimulus and a U.S.-China trade war weren’t enough, some key emerging markets are about to run the gantlet of potentially game-changing elections.

Turkey goes to the polls June 24, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- who’s pressed for lower interest rates -- battling for reelection. Mexico and Indonesia also contest in the next two weeks. Colombia has already passed its election hurdle, with market-favorite Ivan Duque’s victory this month helping make the peso the best-performing emerging currency so far in 2018.

Best China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ATA Inc.(ATAI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  ATA Inc. (NASDAQ: ATAI) traded down about 14% Monday to set a new 52-week low of $0.82, based on revalued shares that closed at $0.72 on Friday but traded up about 250% on Monday at $2.53. Volume was more than 200 times the daily average of around 42,000. You’re on your own here to figure this one out.

Best China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sina Corporation(SINA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Transcribing]

  Sina (NASDAQ:SINA) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallMarch 5, 2019 7:10 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Leo Sun]

  JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) recently partnered with SINA (NASDAQ:SINA), one of China's top portal sites, to pool the two companies' user data and resources together. JD.com will help SINA optimize its algorithms to match its readers with more relevant content -- which could help its portal sites lock in more users.

• [By Leo Sun]

  Shares of SINA (NASDAQ:SINA) and Weibo (NASDAQ:WB) have both tumbled this year, mainly due to escalating trade tensions between the United States and China. Yet their sell-offs seem overdone, since both tech companies are well insulated from a potential trade war.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE: BUD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $13.06 billion. SINA Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $433.32 million. Weibo Corporation (NASDAQ: WB) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.47 per share on revenue of $342.39 million. Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $1.55 billion. Mylan N.V. (NASDAQ: MYL) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.98 per share on revenue of $2.75 billion. Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.31 per share on revenue of $1.51 billion. ADT Inc. (NYSE: ADT) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.24 per share on revenue of $1.11 billion. Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.13 per share on revenue of $2.18 billion. Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: PNK) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.31 per share on revenue of $644.94 million. Conduent Incorporated (NYSE: CNDT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.21 per share on revenue of $1.44 billion. Delphi Technologies PLC (NYSE: DLPH) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.16 per share on revenue of $1.25 billion. Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.08 per share on revenue of $2.72 billion. Global Partners LP (NYSE: GLP) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.13 per share on revenue of $2.33 billion. Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $530.99 million. Performance Food Group Company (NYSE: PFGC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $4.46 billion. Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) is projected to report
• [By Logan Wallace]

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

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

• [By Leo Sun]

  SINA (NASDAQ:SINA), one of China's oldest internet companies, generates nearly 80% of its revenues from the social network Weibo (NASDAQ:WB). It spun off Weibo in 2014, but maintained a majority voting stake in the company. The rest of its revenue come from its network of portal sites and its fledgling fintech business.

Best China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Renesola Ltd.(SOL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Sola Token (CURRENCY:SOL) traded up 26.7% against the US dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 22:00 PM E.T. on September 28th. One Sola Token token can currently be bought for $0.0085 or 0.00000131 BTC on popular exchanges including Tidex and OpenLedger DEX. Sola Token has a market capitalization of $0.00 and approximately $3,239.00 worth of Sola Token was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. During the last week, Sola Token has traded flat against the US dollar.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  These are some of the media headlines that may have impacted Accern’s scoring:

  Get ReneSola alerts: ReneSola Sells North Carolina Solar Project To Greenbacker (solarindustrymag.com) ReneSola (SOL) Rating Increased to Neutral at Roth Capital (americanbankingnews.com) ReneSola (SOL) Q1 Earnings in Line, Revenues Top Estimates (zacks.com) ReneSola’s (SOL) CEO Xianshou Li on Q1 2018 Results – Earnings Call Transcript (seekingalpha.com) ReneSola (SOL) Releases Earnings Results (americanbankingnews.com)

  Shares of ReneSola traded up $0.08, hitting $2.76, during trading on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The stock had a trading volume of 124,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,565. The firm has a market capitalization of $102.11 million, a PE ratio of 21.23 and a beta of 2.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. ReneSola has a 12 month low of $2.12 and a 12 month high of $3.79.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on ReneSola (SOL)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Sola Token (CURRENCY:SOL) traded 17.9% lower against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 16:00 PM E.T. on October 11th. One Sola Token token can now be bought for about $0.0054 or 0.00000087 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including Tidex and OpenLedger DEX. Sola Token has a total market cap of $153,306.00 and $1,856.00 worth of Sola Token was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. In the last seven days, Sola Token has traded down 12.2% against the dollar.

Best China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Netease.com Inc.(NTES)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  NetEase Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) fell by about 9.7% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $240.08 after closing at $266.00 on Wednesday. The 52-week high is $377.64. Volume of about 4.4 million was more than 4 times the daily average of about 1 million. The reported a profit that missed expectations last night.

• [By Max Byerly]

  KAMES CAPITAL plc decreased its holdings in shares of NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) by 68.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,800 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 39,277 shares during the period. KAMES CAPITAL plc’s holdings in NetEase were worth $4,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Even the best growth stocks have slumps from time to time, and Chinese video game giant NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) has gone through a particularly tough environment lately. Since last December, the company's shares have lost more than a third of their value, and macroeconomic concerns about the trade relationship between China and the U.S. have weighed on investor sentiment about Chinese stocks more generally.

Summit Materials Inc (SUM) Stake Increased by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Summit Materials Inc (NYSE:SUM) by 46.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 150,864 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,582 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.14% of Summit Materials worth $1,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SUM. Vanguard Group Inc increased its holdings in shares of Summit Materials by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 10,023,710 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $182,230,000 after purchasing an additional 253,306 shares in the last quarter. Crestline Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Summit Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,757,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Summit Materials by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,791,576 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $32,571,000 after purchasing an additional 199,491 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Summit Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $744,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Summit Materials by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,023,710 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $182,230,000 after purchasing an additional 253,306 shares in the last quarter.

Get Summit Materials alerts:

In other news, CFO Brian James Harris purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.00 per share, with a total value of $26,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $969,592. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas W. Hill purchased 31,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.25 per share, for a total transaction of $507,812.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 135,652 shares in the company, valued at $2,204,345. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SUM. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Summit Materials in a report on Wednesday, December 19th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Summit Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 15th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Summit Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $24.00 price target on shares of Summit Materials in a report on Thursday, November 8th. Finally, Scotiabank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Summit Materials in a report on Thursday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $24.00.

NYSE:SUM opened at $17.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Summit Materials Inc has a twelve month low of $11.25 and a twelve month high of $32.68. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 117.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.88.

Summit Materials (NYSE:SUM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 6th. The construction company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.20). Summit Materials had a net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The business had revenue of $491.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $459.58 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Summit Materials Inc will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

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Summit Materials Company Profile

Summit Materials, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells construction materials and related downstream products. Its products include aggregates, cement, ready-mix concrete, asphalt paving mixes, and concrete products. The company also provides paving and related services to private and public infrastructure sectors.

Further Reading: How to use beta for portfolio diversification

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

Will Sprint's New AI-Based Customer Service Tool Be the Right Answer for Businesses?

Automating customer service has been a goal for businesses for decades. It makes good financial sense -- every employee is a recurring expense on the books, so a digital solution that provides customers with the assistance they need and doesn't require human intervention will theoretically (over time) save a company money.

Thus far, however, the systems that have come to market have largely been lacking. Sometimes, they don't "understand," while in other cases, they're just not sophisticated enough to give callers the answers they're looking for. A company may purchase such a system with the best of intentions, but too often, instead of streamlined customer service, what they produce are customers who get progressively angrier while yelling "Representative!" into their phones.

All of the four major U.S. wireless carriers have used (and continue to use) some level of automation to respond to customers. Such systems are fine if you're looking to hear how much you owe or do something simple. They can be frustrating, however, if your situation is even slightly more complex.

But Sprint (NYSE:S) is upping its game with a new offering for its business customers. The No. 4 wireless carrier just launched Sprint Smart Messaging, which it describes as "a solution to help businesses communicate with their customers through an Artificial Intelligence (AI) text messaging system."

Sprint is offering an AI-based customer service solution for business customers. Image source: Getty Images.

Easy answers?

The Sprint system uses AI technology from NumberAI to learn all about the client's business; once it's online, customers can text it  questions such as what hours the business is open, or whether a certain item is in stock and (in theory) the AI will instantly provide the correct answer. But the telecom asserts that Sprint Smart Messaging can also deal with more complicated interactions, such as scheduling appointments or taking delivery orders.

Ideally, by handling more of those relatively straightforward customer-service tasks, the AI will free up staff for the more complex problems.

"Voice is an inefficient way to communicate with customers. We are moving toward a 'WeChat' like world where consumers and business interact and conduct commerce over messaging," said Number AI CEO Tasso Roumeliotis in a press release.

One of the most important features Sprint Smart Messaging offers is what the telecom refers to as "Call Rescue." If a customer phones the business and their call doesn't get answered, the AI texts them back.

"Statistics show that 62% of calls to small business are left unanswered," the company noted in the press release. "Sprint Smart Messaging automatically texts the customer back, reengaging them and increasing their interest. With Sprint Smart Messaging, 50% of customers whose call didn't go through are saved from going to a competitor."

What could possibly go wrong?

In theory, this type of solution should help businesses engage more effectively with their customers. "Our business customers can run their operations more efficiently by responding to messaging requests in parallel and in real-time," said Sprint Vice President Sasha Gorman in a press release.

The challenge is that while AI and automation can increase convenience, they can also send people into a spiral of dissatisfaction. If the AI too often fails to give customers what they want, Sprint will merely have put a new spin on an old method for frustrating customers.

Offering this new tool could help Sprint strengthen its relationship with business customers. That's wise: In a market where changing service providers is fairly easy, proprietary offerings that tie customers to a carrier are valuable.

The challenge isn't really for Sprint, but for the businesses that use the Smart Messaging service. They need to start from the recognition that AI -- even well-trained, cutting-edge AI -- can't always offer the level of service a human does. It may enhance a businesses' customer service by handling the basics fast, but if a company wants to really keep folks happy, it needs to make it easy to opt out of automation and into human interaction.

How The Pieces Add Up: The SPDR S&P MIDCAP 400 ETF Targets $379

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-1133168113&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/1133168113/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Getty

Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at &l;a href=&q;https://www.etfchannel.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;ETF Channel&l;/a&g;, we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself.&a;nbsp; For the SPDR S&a;amp;P MIDCAP 400 ETF, we found that the implied analyst target price for the ETF based upon its underlying holdings is $378.54 per unit.

With MDY trading at a recent price near $343.07 per unit, that means that analysts see 10.34% upside for this ETF looking through to the average analyst targets of the underlying holdings. Three of MDY&s;s underlying holdings with notable upside to their analyst target prices are Penn National Gaming, AutoNation and Oceaneering International. Although PENN has traded at a recent price of $23.22/share, the average analyst target is 39.97% higher at $32.50/share. Similarly, AN has 33.60% upside from the recent share price of $34.43 if the average analyst target price of $46.00/share is reached, and analysts on average are expecting OII to reach a target price of $18.50/share, which is 25.00% above the recent price of $14.80.

Below is a summary table of the current analyst target prices discussed above:

&a;nbsp;

&l;/p&g;&l;div class=&q;table-wrapper&q;&g;&l;table class=&q;hctblstyle&q; border=&q;0&q; cellspacing=&q;0&q; cellpadding=&q;0&q;&g;&l;tbody&g;&l;tr&g;&l;th&g;Name&l;/th&g; &l;th align=&q;center&q;&g;Symbol&l;/th&g; &l;th align=&q;right&q;&g;Recent Price&l;/th&g; &l;th align=&q;right&q;&g;Avg. Analyst 12-Mo. Target&l;/th&g; &l;th align=&q;right&q;&g;% Upside to Target&l;/th&g; &l;/tr&g;&l;tr&g;&l;td&g;&l;b&g;SPDR S&a;amp;P MIDCAP 400 ETF&l;/b&g;&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;center&q;&g;&l;b&g;MDY&l;/b&g;&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;&l;b&g;$343.07&l;/b&g;&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;&l;b&g;$378.54&l;/b&g;&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;&l;b&g;10.34%&l;/b&g;&l;/td&g; &l;/tr&g;&l;tr&g;&l;td&g;Penn National Gaming Inc&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;center&q;&g;PENN&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;$23.22&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;$32.50&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;39.97%&l;/td&g; &l;/tr&g;&l;tr&g;&l;td&g;AutoNation, Inc.&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;center&q;&g;AN&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;$34.43&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;$46.00&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;33.60%&l;/td&g; &l;/tr&g;&l;tr&g;&l;td&g;Oceaneering International, Inc.&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;center&q;&g;OII&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;$14.80&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;$18.50&l;/td&g; &l;td align=&q;right&q;&g;25.00%&l;/td&g; &l;/tr&g;&l;/tbody&g;&l;/table&g;&l;/div&g;

Are analysts justified in these targets, or overly optimistic about where these stocks will be trading 12 months from now? Do the analysts have a valid justification for their targets, or are they behind the curve on recent company and industry developments? A high price target relative to a stock&s;s trading price can reflect optimism about the future, but can also be a precursor to target price downgrades if the targets were a relic of the past. These are questions that require further investor research.

&l;a href=&q;http://www.etfchannel.com/slideshows/ten-etfs-with-most-upside/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Click here to find out 10 ETFs With Most Upside To Analyst Targets &a;raquo;&l;/a&g;

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:CNI,CM,ST,BRD,PPL,

Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC) and Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQOTH:ACBFF) are locked in a heated battle to dominate the Canadian marijuana market. The two companies boast the biggest marijuana production capacity in Canada, and that means they're both in line to win a significant share of Canada's fast-approaching recreational marijuana market. Is one of these two cannabis companies a better buy now?

Prepping for the future

Canada's medical marijuana market is tiny compared with the potential size of its adult-use market. Last year, only about 10% of the $4.3 billion spent by Canadians on marijuana was for medical marijuana. The rest was spent on black-market purchases for recreational use.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now: Canadian National Railway Company(CNI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 1,956 put options on the company. This is an increase of 1,818% compared to the typical volume of 102 put options.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

• [By Eric Volkman]

  The problem is that owning and maintaining rail assets is ferociously expensive, and transporting humans isn't as lucrative as hauling cargo. The major and successful publicly traded rail companies -- Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) and CSX (NASDAQ:CSX), to name two -- all concentrate on moving stuff rather than people.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Compass Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,535 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce(CM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSE:CM) (NYSE:CM) – Analysts at Desjardins reduced their Q2 2018 earnings per share estimates for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, May 2nd. Desjardins analyst D. Young now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $2.85 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.86.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSE:CM) (NYSE:CM) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$130.33.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM)Q3 2018 Earnings Conference CallAug. 23, 2018, 8:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Max Byerly]

  Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM) (TSE:CM) by 54.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 911,300 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 320,800 shares during the quarter. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce comprises approximately 1.0% of Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce were worth $103,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  We're about to reveal a little wealth secret that could unlock the trade of a lifetime. Money Morning Special Situation Strategist Tim Melvin takes you inside what could easily be a 10-bagger for investors in the weeks ahead. Read more right here.

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Tuesday The Euro has plunged to its lowest point against the U.S. dollar in 2018 thanks to political problems in Europe. The breakdown of power in Italy has raised new concerns about the nation's ability to repay its debts, as the spread between German and Italian bonds has widened. Market instability has also spread to Spain where the nation's parliament is preparing to vote on whether to oust Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his party. Oil prices slid one news that OPEC and Russia will consider hikes in production during a meeting in Vienna, Austria on June 22nd. The news accompanied reports that U.S. production is expected to rise throughout the summer. The price of WTI oil sat at $67.20 per barrel. The Brent crude oil price recovered this morning, adding 1% to hit $76.12. Canadian banks are under pressure this morning over a major breach by cyber criminals. The Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO) and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE: CM) – the two largest banking institutions in the country – announced that roughly 90,000 customers' data may have been stolen. This would be the first major cybersecurity event to happen in Canada involving financial firms. Three Stocks to Watch Today: CRM, SBUX, MOMO com (NYSE: CRM) will lead a busy day of earnings reports on Wall Street. The cloud computing giant is set to report fiscal first quarter 2019 numbers after the bell on Tuesday. The average analyst projection calls for a 46% jump in EPS of $0.46 on top of a 23% gain in revenue to $2.94 billion. Starbucks' Corporation (Nasdaq: SBUX) will temporarily close about 8,000 locations on Tuesday to train roughly 175,000 employees on racial bias. The training sessions were

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now: Sensata Technologies Holding N.V.(ST)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine downgraded shares of Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

  Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on ST. Zacks Investment Research lowered Sensata Technologies from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, June 28th. Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on Sensata Technologies in a research report on Friday, August 3rd. They set a buy rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $69.00 target price on shares of Sensata Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, September 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Sensata Technologies from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $55.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Monday, September 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Sensata Technologies presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $59.00.

• [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 Stephan Byrd]

  Canaccord Genuity assumed coverage on shares of Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST) in a note issued to investors on Friday, The Fly reports. The firm set a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  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

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now: Apollo Gold Corporation(BRD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded 20.4% lower against the US dollar during the 1 day period ending at 22:00 PM ET on September 5th. Bread has a total market cap of $25.52 million and $314,664.00 worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last day. During the last week, Bread has traded down 19.7% against the US dollar. One Bread token can currently be purchased for about $0.29 or 0.00004486 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including Tokenomy, Kucoin, OKEx and Cobinhood.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded up 0.8% against the US dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 22:00 PM Eastern on September 1st. Over the last week, Bread has traded 3.1% higher against the US dollar. Bread has a market cap of $32.33 million and $367,357.00 worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last day. One Bread token can currently be purchased for about $0.36 or 0.00005097 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Kucoin, Cobinhood, Binance and OKEx.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Bread (CURRENCY:BRD) traded 10.1% lower against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 15:00 PM ET on May 6th. Bread has a market cap of $73.13 million and approximately $1.09 million worth of Bread was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Bread token can currently be purchased for about $0.82 or 0.00008683 BTC on popular exchanges including OKEx, Binance and Cobinhood. In the last seven days, Bread has traded 3.3% higher against the U.S. dollar.

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now: PPL Corporation(PPL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Pembina Pipeline Corp (NYSE:PBA) (TSE:PPL) by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 244,445 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,602 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Pembina Pipeline were worth $8,458,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By ]

  2) Review your goals. Are you retired and managing your portfolio for income and realize you're loaded up with low- to no-yield growth stocks? It's time to make some adjustments. As the second half of the year encounters choppier waters, many equity strategists have recommended reducing risk by pivoting toward more defensive stocks in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, utilities, and consumer staples. Some great names that are currently trading at attractive levels include health care giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), power producer PPL Corp (NYSE: PPL) and food giant General Mills (NYSE: GIS). Weighted equally, all three yield an average of 4.3% and trade with a forward PE of just 14.17.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  PPL Corp. (NYSE: PPL) posted a 52-week low of $30.74 after closing Tuesday at $30.76. The 52-week high is $40.20. Volume was about 3.2 million, about 25% below the daily average of around 4.5 million shares. The electric utility company had no specific news.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 17,988,914 shares, a decrease of 18.2% from the April 13th total of 22,001,974 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,372,103 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days. Approximately 2.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of Pembina Pipeline Corp (TSE:PPL) (NYSE:PBA) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$52.22.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Too many investors shun boring stocks, particularly if their biggest allure is slow and steady dividend growth. That pretty much describes utilities like Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK), Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D), and PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL). However, with all three offering yields that are more than twice what you can get from an S&P 500 Index fund and sporting solid prospects for continued (albeit slow) dividend growth no matter what happens in the stock market, they might provide the diversification you need as the broader market averages hit fresh all-time highs. Here's why you can count on these three dividend stocks, even if the market pulls back.

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Has $268,000 Position in Eiger Biopharmaceuticals Inc (EIGR)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Eiger Biopharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:EIGR) by 55.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,350 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 9,450 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in Eiger Biopharmaceuticals were worth $268,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Eiger Biopharmaceuticals by 2.4% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 224,650 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,695,000 after buying an additional 5,372 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP bought a new position in Eiger Biopharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $194,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Eiger Biopharmaceuticals by 55.4% during the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 87,427 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,049,000 after buying an additional 31,161 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Eiger Biopharmaceuticals by 0.6% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,263,978 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $15,168,000 after buying an additional 7,477 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Eiger Biopharmaceuticals by 21.1% during the third quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 278,813 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,346,000 after buying an additional 48,584 shares during the last quarter. 46.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get Eiger Biopharmaceuticals alerts:

Eiger Biopharmaceuticals stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $13.78. 50 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 111,370. Eiger Biopharmaceuticals Inc has a 52-week low of $8.20 and a 52-week high of $18.00. The stock has a market cap of $265.07 million, a PE ratio of -2.86 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 4.59 and a current ratio of 4.59.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EIGR shares. BidaskClub downgraded shares of Eiger Biopharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 14th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Eiger Biopharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 5th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Eiger Biopharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 15th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Eiger Biopharmaceuticals from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 19th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of Eiger Biopharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.88.

In related news, Director Thomas John Dietz bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $11.26 per share, for a total transaction of $56,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $56,300. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders acquired 10,227 shares of company stock worth $109,408. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: This news story was published by Ticker Report and is the property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this news story on another website, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of U.S. & international copyright & trademark laws. The original version of this news story can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4199360/tocqueville-asset-management-l-p-has-268000-position-in-eiger-biopharmaceuticals-inc-eigr.html.

Eiger Biopharmaceuticals Profile

Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of targeted therapies for rare diseases in the United States and internationally. The company's lead program is Lonafarnib, an orally bioavailable, small molecule, which is in Phase III clinical trial for treating hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection.

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