Top 5 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:LTRPA,BCPC,RMGN,ICCC,BBRG,

The legal cannabis industry is budding before our eyes. In just under three months, thanks to the passage of the Cannabis Act by our neighbor to the north, adults will be able to legally purchase recreational marijuana. In fact, when the green flag officially waves on Oct. 17, it'll allow Canada to become the first industrialized nation in the world to allow the sale of adult-use cannabis.

We've also witnessed big changes to the south, with Mexico giving the green light to medical cannabis in June 2017. Globally, more than two dozen countries have passed broad-based legislation allowing physicians to prescribe medical weed to patients.

Image source: Getty Images.

Despite being federally illegal, 30 states have passed broad-based medical weed laws

But in the United States, we have a murky mess. At the federal level, marijuana is still an entirely illicit drug that's deemed highly prone to abuse and has no recognized medical benefits. Yet, in spite of this Schedule I classification according to the Controlled Substances Act, 30 states -- the newest of which is the red-leaning Oklahoma -- and Washington, D.C., have passed sweeping medical marijuana laws since 1996.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc.(LTRPA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Liberty Tripadvisor Holdings Inc Series A (NASDAQ:LTRPA) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,070,644 shares, an increase of 47.7% from the May 15th total of 1,402,097 shares. Currently, 2.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 839,315 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares shot up 31 percent to $12.10 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat.

  Shares of ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) got a boost, shooting up 34 percent to $15.3628 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares jumped 31.6 percent to $12.18 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat. ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) rose 26.5 percent to $14.55 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings. OPKO Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPK) shares gained 25 percent to $4.0234 following Q1 beat. Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAXN) jumped 23.5 percent to $55.12 following a big Q1 beat. The company raised its fiscal 2018 sales growth guidance from 16-18 percent to 18-20 percent. Penn Virginia Corporation (NASDAQ: PVAC) gained 23.3 percent to $59.00 after reporting Q1 results. TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) rose 22.5 percent to $47.51 after the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Tuesday. Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) shares surged 21.7 percent to $3.36. Amazon.com's partnership with Sears started in 2017 with an agreement to sell Kenmore-branded appliances online. On Wednesday, the companies announced an extension of their relationship to now include tire delivery and installations. EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE) jumped 21.3 percent to $2.68 following Q1 results. LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC) surged 20.4 percent to $3.395 following better-than-expected Q1 earnings. Superior Industries International, Inc. (NYSE: SUP) gained 19 percent to $15.82 after reporting Q1 results. Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLCM) shares rose 18.5 percent to $8.13 following Q1 results. Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO) rose 18.3 percent to $52.47 after the company posted strong quarterly results. Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ: CERS) shares jumped 18.3 percent to $6.47 following quarterly results. IEC Electronics Corp. (NYSE: IEC) shares climbed 17 percent to $4.68 after reporting better-than-expected quarterly earnings. New Relic, Inc. (NYSE: NEWR) rose 16.8 percent to $90.10 following Q4 results. Gulfport Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: GPOR)
• [By Lisa Levin]

  Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares shot up 30 percent to $12.05 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat.

  Shares of ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) got a boost, shooting up 26 percent to $14.48 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares shot up 32 percent to $12.175 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat.

  Shares of ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) got a boost, shooting up 27 percent to $14.60 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Balchem Corporation(BCPC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 20.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,196 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 12,487 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Balchem were worth $5,985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Shares of Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) hit a new 52-week high and low on Monday . The company traded as low as $97.20 and last traded at $96.87, with a volume of 107919 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.52.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) shares reached a new 52-week high and low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $96.61 and last traded at $96.33, with a volume of 2460 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $95.08.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Carillon Tower Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC) by 656.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,884 shares during the period. Carillon Tower Advisers Inc. owned about 0.17% of Balchem worth $4,510,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Nearly every business Balchem�(NASDAQ:BCPC) is in has seen strong growth in 2018, and that's driving the company's financial results higher. Fracking is seeing the biggest growth, but human and animal health continue to be great businesses for the company.�

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: RMG Networks Holding Corporation(RMGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Media coverage about RMG Networks (NASDAQ:RMGN) has trended somewhat positive on Sunday, according to Accern. The research firm ranks the sentiment of news coverage by analyzing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. RMG Networks earned a news sentiment score of 0.08 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news articles about the business services provider an impact score of 45.2069122997124 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the next few days.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ImmuCell Corporation(ICCC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ImmuCell (NASDAQ:ICCC) released its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The biotechnology company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, Bloomberg Earnings reports. ImmuCell had a negative net margin of 1.61% and a negative return on equity of 0.79%.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc.(BBRG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Media coverage about Bravo Brio Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:BBRG) has trended positive on Saturday, Accern Sentiment reports. The research firm identifies positive and negative news coverage by monitoring more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Bravo Brio Restaurant Group earned a daily sentiment score of 0.39 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media coverage about the restaurant operator an impact score of 45.847415840944 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the next few days.

Bank of America Corp (BAC) is Factory Mutual Insurance Co.’s 9th Largest Position

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. raised its stake in Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,461,262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 27,600 shares during the quarter. Bank of America comprises approximately 1.7% of Factory Mutual Insurance Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings in Bank of America were worth $153,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Bank of America by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 104,558,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,086,572,000 after acquiring an additional 5,720,403 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Bank of America by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 44,255,820 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,327,233,000 after acquiring an additional 452,837 shares in the last quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. raised its holdings in Bank of America by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 39,813,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,175,286,000 after acquiring an additional 1,403,412 shares in the last quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Bank of America by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 34,514,599 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,035,093,000 after acquiring an additional 247,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management raised its holdings in Bank of America by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 29,892,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $896,477,000 after acquiring an additional 221,600 shares in the last quarter. 67.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BAC shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Bank of America from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 24th. ValuEngine lowered Bank of America from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of Bank of America in a research note on Tuesday, April 17th. Vetr lowered Bank of America from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $33.17 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, April 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Bank of America in a research note on Thursday, April 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Shares of Bank of America opened at $30.13 on Friday, according to MarketBeat. The firm has a market capitalization of $303.93 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.32. Bank of America Corp has a 52-week low of $22.75 and a 52-week high of $33.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $22.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 10.06% and a net margin of 20.86%. Bank of America’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. equities research analysts expect that Bank of America Corp will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 29th. Investors of record on Friday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 31st. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. Bank of America’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.23%.

Bank of America announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, June 28th that permits the company to buyback $20.60 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Bank of America Company Profile

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM), Global Banking, and Global Markets.

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

Hill-Rom (HRC) Sets New 1-Year High at $94.72

Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HRC) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $94.72 and last traded at $94.23, with a volume of 536165 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $91.38.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HRC. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Hill-Rom in a report on Tuesday. ValuEngine downgraded Hill-Rom from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 16th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $106.00 price objective (up from $105.00) on shares of Hill-Rom in a report on Monday, April 30th. Zacks Investment Research raised Hill-Rom from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $96.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, April 5th. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Hill-Rom in a report on Wednesday, April 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.00.

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The firm has a market cap of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Hill-Rom (NYSE:HRC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 27th. The medical technology company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $710.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $707.54 million. Hill-Rom had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 6.85%. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. research analysts anticipate that Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. will post 4.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 29th. Investors of record on Friday, June 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 21st. Hill-Rom’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.73%.

In related news, SVP Paul Sherwood Johnson sold 5,168 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.88, for a total transaction of $469,667.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $369,245.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alton Shader sold 16,812 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.70, for a total value of $1,575,284.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 54,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,143,942.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HRC. Vigilant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hill-Rom during the second quarter worth $109,000. Three Peaks Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hill-Rom during the first quarter worth $111,000. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Hill-Rom by 1,978.1% during the first quarter. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,330 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,266 shares during the period. We Are One Seven LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hill-Rom during the fourth quarter worth $188,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hill-Rom during the first quarter worth $203,000. 81.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hill-Rom Company Profile

Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc operates as a medical technology company worldwide. It provides medical surgical beds, intensive care unit beds, bariatric patient beds, lifts and other devices, non-invasive therapeutic products and surfaces, and communications technologies and software solutions; and medical equipment management services, as well as sells equipment service contracts for its capital equipment.

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Walmart, Microsoft Join Forces for One-Two Punch at You-Know-Who

Two Dow 30 stocks have signed a strategic partnership deal to take on a company that threatens the businesses of both. Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) has inked a five-year deal with Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) that provides the world’s largest retailer with cloud solutions and services.

The common foe is Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), which gets about half of all U.S. e-commerce sales and has a first-mover position in cloud services with its Amazon Web Services (AWS) offering. The first is a threat to Walmart’s growth and the second is a threat to Microsoft’s.

In fact, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called the two companies’ battle with Amazon “absolutely core” to the just-signed deal. In an interview reported by The Wall Street Journal, Nadella elaborated: “How do we get more leverage as two organizations that have depth and breadth and investment to be able to outrun our respective competition?”

Walmart already uses Microsoft technology, and the new deal extends Walmart’s ties to include Microsoft Azure and 365 products. The retailer sees Azure as a continuation of its use of cloud computing and expects to move “hundreds of existing applications to cloud-native architectures.”

By scaling up its cloud integration, Walmart says it will build a global internet of things (IoT) platform on Azure to reduce energy use in thousands of U.S. stores. The expansion also will enable Walmart to apply machine learning to routing trucks in its supply chain.

The primary emphasis in today’s announcement is on cutting costs and making Walmart more productive. One thing not included in the Microsoft deal is a cashierless store similar to the Amazon Go store being tested now.

Walmart is testing customer acceptance of an app that allows them to scan and pay for items without going through a checkout line. Walmart previously tested other variations of cashierless checkout, but neither was a raging success.

Cashierless technology is also expensive and unproven. While it might work in an Amazon Go store of around 2,000 square feet, it hasn’t yet, and scaling such a system up to a Walmart supercenter-sized store would be massively expensive.

That’s not to say that a cashierless system may not be in the back of Walmart executives’ minds, but if Microsoft and Walmart do a deal to bring cashierless checkout to the world’s largest retailer, that will come later and build on the achievements of the next five years.

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$757.25 Million in Sales Expected for Legg Mason Inc (LM) This Quarter

Analysts expect that Legg Mason Inc (NYSE:LM) will post $757.25 million in sales for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks reports. Two analysts have issued estimates for Legg Mason’s earnings. The lowest sales estimate is $756.49 million and the highest is $758.00 million. Legg Mason posted sales of $793.84 million in the same quarter last year, which suggests a negative year over year growth rate of 4.6%. The firm is scheduled to report its next quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, July 25th.

On average, analysts expect that Legg Mason will report full year sales of $3.04 billion for the current financial year, with estimates ranging from $2.96 billion to $3.09 billion. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the business will post sales of $3.16 billion per share, with estimates ranging from $3.03 billion to $3.23 billion. Zacks’ sales calculations are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that that provide coverage for Legg Mason.

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Legg Mason (NYSE:LM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 25th. The asset manager reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.15. Legg Mason had a net margin of 11.21% and a return on equity of 7.86%. The company had revenue of $785.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $755.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis.

LM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Legg Mason from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Legg Mason from $39.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Legg Mason from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 26th. TheStreet lowered shares of Legg Mason from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 7th. Finally, ValuEngine lowered shares of Legg Mason from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.50.

In related news, VP Thomas C. Merchant sold 2,537 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.80, for a total value of $98,435.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 65,940 shares in the company, valued at $2,558,472. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Patricia Lattin sold 898 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.95, for a total value of $34,977.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 41,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,614,282.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,771 shares of company stock worth $1,349,563 in the last 90 days. 4.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LM. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Legg Mason by 269.3% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,655,666 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $69,505,000 after buying an additional 1,207,280 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Legg Mason by 1,113.7% during the first quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 809,424 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $32,904,000 after purchasing an additional 742,731 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new position in Legg Mason during the first quarter valued at approximately $19,329,000. Mackay Shields LLC acquired a new position in Legg Mason during the first quarter valued at approximately $17,757,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Legg Mason during the first quarter valued at approximately $16,491,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.86% of the company’s stock.

LM stock opened at $33.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Legg Mason has a one year low of $33.35 and a one year high of $47.13. The stock has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.06, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.98.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 12th were given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.05%. This is a positive change from Legg Mason’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 11th. Legg Mason’s dividend payout ratio is 36.56%.

About Legg Mason

Legg Mason, Inc is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides investment management and related services to company-sponsored mutual funds and other investment vehicles including pension funds, foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, private banks, family offices, individuals, as well as to global, institutional, and retail clients.

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Solar Capital (SLRC) Cut to “Sell” at BidaskClub

BidaskClub cut shares of Solar Capital (NASDAQ:SLRC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on SLRC. National Securities reissued a buy rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Solar Capital in a research note on Friday, May 11th. ValuEngine cut shares of Solar Capital from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, July 2nd. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Solar Capital from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $23.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Solar Capital currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $23.67.

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Solar Capital opened at $20.66 on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $876.49 million, a PE ratio of 12.75, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. Solar Capital has a 1-year low of $19.70 and a 1-year high of $22.55.

Solar Capital (NASDAQ:SLRC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $38.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.99 million. Solar Capital had a net margin of 49.57% and a return on equity of 7.69%. analysts expect that Solar Capital will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 21st were paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 20th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.94%. Solar Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.23%.

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can acquired a new stake in Solar Capital during the 1st quarter worth $228,000. Geode Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Solar Capital during the 4th quarter worth $347,000. TCW Group Inc. boosted its stake in Solar Capital by 86.2% during the 1st quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 24,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 11,200 shares during the last quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Solar Capital by 295.6% during the 4th quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 38,315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 28,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. acquired a new stake in Solar Capital during the 2nd quarter worth $991,000. 60.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Solar Capital

Solar Capital Ltd is a business development company that seeks investment opportunities in middle market companies located in the US. The fund targets companies operating in the fields of aerospace & defense, automobile, banking, beverage, food & tobacco, buildings & real estate, broadcasting & entertainment, cargo transport, chemicals, plastics & rubber, containers, packaging & glass, diversified or conglomerate manufacturing, diversified financial services, electronics, farming & agriculture, finance, grocery, healthcare, education & childcare, home, office furnishings & durable consumer products, hotels, motels, inns & gaming, insurance, IT services, leisure, amusement & entertainment, machinery, mining, steel, iron & non-precious metals, personal & nondurable consumer products, personal, food &services, personal transportation, professional services, retail stores, software, telecommunications, textiles and leather, and utilities.

Summit Asset Management LLC Increases Position in Procter & Gamble Co (PG)

Summit Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG) by 11.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,220 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,635 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 1.0% of Summit Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Summit Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 159,637,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,667,526,000 after buying an additional 793,096 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,189,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,492,983,000 after buying an additional 882,109 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 17.9% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,922,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,790,000 after buying an additional 2,115,777 shares during the period. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,850,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,180,687,000 after buying an additional 1,064,665 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,149,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $840,668,000 after buying an additional 269,402 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.39% of the company’s stock.

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Shares of PG opened at $77.86 on Tuesday. Procter & Gamble Co has a 12 month low of $70.73 and a 12 month high of $94.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $199.94 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.58.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 19th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 20.72% and a net margin of 15.17%. The firm had revenue of $16.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.96 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble Co will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

In related news, insider Steven D. Bishop sold 2,075 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.87, for a total value of $149,130.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,056,199.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary A. Coombe sold 1,529 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.25, for a total value of $113,528.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,235 shares in the company, valued at $388,698.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,938 shares of company stock valued at $1,604,483. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

A number of analysts have weighed in on PG shares. Barclays set a $84.00 target price on Procter & Gamble and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 15th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Procter & Gamble from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 5th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Procter & Gamble from $100.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Procter & Gamble from $85.00 to $83.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.21.

Procter & Gamble Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods to consumers in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Greater China, Latin America, India, the Middle East, and Africa. The company's Beauty segment offers hair care products, including conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments; and skin and personal care products, such as antiperspirant and deodorant, personal cleansing, and skin care products.

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Sean A. Mccarthy Sells 2,028 Shares of CytomX Therapeutics Inc (CTMX) Stock

CytomX Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:CTMX) CEO Sean A. Mccarthy sold 2,028 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.09, for a total transaction of $50,882.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,109,843.19. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Sean A. Mccarthy also recently made the following trade(s):

Get CytomX Therapeutics alerts: On Monday, July 2nd, Sean A. Mccarthy sold 13,052 shares of CytomX Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.42, for a total transaction of $305,677.84.

CytomX Therapeutics traded up $0.17, reaching $25.15, during trading hours on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. 323,500 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 390,321. The stock has a market cap of $972.77 million, a PE ratio of -21.53 and a beta of 0.92. CytomX Therapeutics Inc has a 12 month low of $13.09 and a 12 month high of $35.00.

CytomX Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CTMX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 9th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $14.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.77 million. CytomX Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 92.68% and a negative net margin of 67.88%. equities analysts expect that CytomX Therapeutics Inc will post -1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

CTMX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of CytomX Therapeutics to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 8th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of CytomX Therapeutics from $34.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $40.00 price objective on shares of CytomX Therapeutics and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 8th. BidaskClub cut shares of CytomX Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 30th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of CytomX Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. CytomX Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $38.38.

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in CytomX Therapeutics by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,646,599 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $55,870,000 after purchasing an additional 586,698 shares in the last quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CytomX Therapeutics by 79.1% during the 4th quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 2,490,381 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $52,571,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100,000 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in CytomX Therapeutics by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 837,415 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $17,678,000 after purchasing an additional 212,423 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in CytomX Therapeutics by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 715,100 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $15,096,000 after purchasing an additional 177,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in CytomX Therapeutics by 40.7% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 457,619 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $9,660,000 after purchasing an additional 132,454 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.24% of the company’s stock.

About CytomX Therapeutics

CytomX Therapeutics, Inc operates as an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company in the United States. The company develops a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on its Probody technology platform for the treatment of cancer. Its product candidates in clinical stage include CX-072, a Probody therapeutic targeting programmed cell death ligand 1 anti-cancer target; CX-2009, a Probody drug conjugate (PDC) against CD166 novel tumor antigen; BMS-986249, a CTLA-4 Probody therapeutic drug; CX-2029, a PDC targeting CD71; and CX-188, a Probody therapeutic targeting PD-1 anti-cancer target.

Best Value Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:MEI,MPO,AMTD,FMCN,IPI,

Stocks were little changed on Monday, echoing the very small moves in the market last week.

Shawn Baldwin/Bloomberg News

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.92 points, or 0.01%, to 20658.02, while the S&P 500 Index is up 1.62 points, or 0.07%, to 2357.16, and the Nasdaq gained �3.11 points, or 0.05%, to 5880.93.

Markets are in a bit of a lull as they wait for the beginning of the first-quarter earnings season later this week.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, analysts expect S&P 500 companies to grow earning about 9% year over year.

James Investment Research argues that investors should be looking on currency headwinds as the U.S. dollar remains strong:

Earnings�season is underway and the strong U.S. Dollar appears to be a concern for some companies in the S&P 500. The U.S. Trade Weighted Dollar is up 3.4% over the last 12 months and the strength looks to be weighing on�earnings. FactSet reports 23 companies in the S&P 500 have reported�earnings�and 11 of them note the negative impact the strong dollar has had.�Currency fluctuations can have an enormous impact on the�earnings�of large companies. Recently, a few companies point to the devalued peso as a headwind for sales and�earnings. Proposed tax reform and trade policies also appear to be impacting these companies. This could be beneficial for smaller companies with greater domestic based revenues.�

Best Value Stocks To Own For 2019: Methode Electronics, Inc.(MEI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  ValuEngine cut shares of Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning.

  MEI has been the topic of several other research reports. Zacks Investment Research lowered Methode Electronics from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird reissued an outperform rating and set a $51.00 target price (up previously from $48.00) on shares of Methode Electronics in a research report on Friday, March 2nd. Finally, TheStreet lowered Methode Electronics from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Friday, March 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $48.75.

• [By Logan Wallace]

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

  Get Methode Electronics alerts: Analysts Expect Methode Electronics (MEI) Will Announce Quarterly Sales of $242.88 Million (americanbankingnews.com) Methode Electronics (MEI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages (americanbankingnews.com) Analysts Anticipate Methode Electronics (MEI) Will Post Earnings of $0.74 Per Share (americanbankingnews.com) Commit To Buy Methode Electronics At $35, Earn 5.8% Annualized Using Options (nasdaq.com)

  Shares of Methode Electronics opened at $41.75 on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. Methode Electronics has a 12-month low of $41.85 and a 12-month high of $42.60. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 4.03 and a quick ratio of 3.47.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEI) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallJun. 21, 2018 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Methode Electronics (MEI)

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

Best Value Stocks To Own For 2019: Midstates Petroleum Company, Inc.(MPO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Press coverage about Midstates Petroleum (NYSE:MPO) has trended somewhat positive this week, according to Accern. The research firm ranks the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Midstates Petroleum earned a daily sentiment score of 0.03 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news headlines about the energy producer an impact score of 46.005644497441 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Shane Hupp]

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

  Get Midstates Petroleum alerts: Centerbridge Credit Partners M Sells 109,893 Shares of Midstates Petroleum (MPO) Stock (americanbankingnews.com) Midstates Petroleum (MPO) Major Shareholder Centerbridge Credit Partners M Sells 171,200 Shares (americanbankingnews.com) Midstates Petroleum (MPO) CAO Richard Wayne Mccullough Sells 3,170 Shares (americanbankingnews.com) Midstates Petroleum (MPO) Director Michael Reddin Purchases 10,100 Shares (americanbankingnews.com) Midstates Petroleum (MPO) CEO David J. Sambrooks Acquires 15,300 Shares (americanbankingnews.com)

  A number of research firms recently commented on MPO. TheStreet downgraded shares of Midstates Petroleum from a “c-” rating to a “d” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 14th. ValuEngine downgraded shares of Midstates Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 1st.

Best Value Stocks To Own For 2019: TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation(AMTD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, April 23rd, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of 0.21 per share by the financial services provider on Tuesday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 7th.

• [By ]

  TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (AMTD) has made crypto history as the first firm ever to place an advertisement on the blockchain. "Through a series of transactions we became the first brand to place an ad in the blockchain. Why? Well, we love finding new ways to use emerging technology. So we decided to have a little fun and plant our flag," TD wrote on its website, where it included a photo of the ad embedded right into the blockchain code. The process took 68 transactions and TD used the OP_Return feature in bitcoin's protocol to insert characters as one might write a memo on a check. The resulting transactions were invalid, but they remain preserved on the blockchain ledger for as long as it exists.

• [By Spencer Israel]

  Panel moderator John Hart, Director of Trading at TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ: AMTD), asked what the future of public and private blockchains are. He wondered whether we will live in a world where there are a few public chains that everybody uses, or will you just pick a chain off a shelf like an Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) server?

• [By Jordan Wathen]

  The discount broker now has its sights set on a larger demographic of investors who use exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to invest. Firstrade rolled out commission-free trades on more than 700 ETFs, including some popular ETFs from issuers like Vanguard, which are hard to find in fee-free form after they were culled from TD Ameritrade's (NASDAQ:AMTD)�list of�commission-free ETFs last year.

• [By Wayne Duggan]

  The cryptocurrency market lacks a company that combines currency mining and currency exchange, Dede said. No companies are creating ties between digital currency exchanges and mainstream consumer-focused brokerages, such as TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: AMTD) and E*TRADE Financial Corp (NASDAQ: ETFC), he said. 

Best Value Stocks To Own For 2019: Focus Media Holding Limited(FMCN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  An issue of Focus Media Holding Limited (NASDAQ:FMCN) debt fell 1.1% against its face value during trading on Tuesday. The debt issue has a 7.5% coupon and is set to mature on April 1, 2025. The debt is now trading at $97.63 and was trading at $98.50 last week. Price changes in a company’s debt in credit markets sometimes anticipate parallel changes in its stock price.

Best Value Stocks To Own For 2019: Intrepid Potash, Inc(IPI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  On Wednesday, the materials shares rose 0.86 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI), up 8 percent, and Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) up 6 percent.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Intrepid Potash (NYSE:IPI)’s share price was down 5.8% on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $4.00 and last traded at $4.05. Approximately 1,663,655 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 53% from the average daily volume of 1,087,289 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.30.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  While the global fertilizer industry continues to struggle with imbalanced markets, efforts hyper-focused on operational efficiency have begun to pay off for several producers. Investors can count small cap Intrepid Potash (NYSE:IPI) among them.