Hot Heal Care Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:EFX,CRMT,DRAD,BX,UNT,RP,

News articles about Rush Enterprises, Inc. Class A (NASDAQ:RUSHA) have been trending somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment. Accern rates the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than 20 million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Rush Enterprises, Inc. Class A earned a media sentiment score of 0.05 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave press coverage about the company an impact score of 45.2723297824199 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.

Hot Heal Care Stocks To Watch Right Now: Equifax, Inc.(EFX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close was Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) which rose 6% to $124.70. The stock��s 52-week range is $89.59 to $147.02. Volume was 2.6 million compared to the daily average volume of 1 million.

• [By Money Morning News Team]

  In just the first six months of 2017, there were 230% more data breaches in the United States than the prior year. Some of the major U.S. companies that experienced breaches include Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), and Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX).

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Companies that get a bad reputation from consumers often do so because they don't have to make their experience better to keep customers. Great examples of this are a cable company that operates as a monopoly in many areas, like Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), or a bank you just can't get away from, like Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC). Or even a company with all kinds of data about you that doesn't seem to manage that data carefully, like Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX).�

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 23.1% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 18,673 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 5,595 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Equifax were worth $2,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Hot Heal Care Stocks To Watch Right Now: America's Car-Mart Inc.(CRMT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  America’s Car-Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRMT) – Research analysts at Jefferies Group cut their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for America’s Car-Mart in a research note issued on Tuesday, May 22nd. Jefferies Group analyst J. Hecht now expects that the company will post earnings of $1.08 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.21. Jefferies Group also issued estimates for America’s Car-Mart’s Q3 2019 earnings at $0.75 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $4.40 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.96 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.95 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $5.10 EPS.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of America's Car-Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) got a boost, shooting up 17 percent to $63.76 after reporting upbeat Q4 results.

  Precipio, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPO) shares were also up, gaining 18 percent to $0.4944 after the nano-cap specialty diagnostics company said it saw an acceleration of sales in its Pathology services in April. The company now expects to see a sequential double digit quarterly sales growth.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Forward Pharma A/S (NASDAQ: FWP) shares gained 88.18 percent to close at $4.14 on Tuesday. Regional Health Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RHE) shares jumped 18.04 percent to close at $0.3010 on Tuesday. Precipio, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPO) shares gained 16.61 percent to close at $0.49 after the nano-cap specialty diagnostics company said it saw an acceleration of sales in its Pathology services in April. The company now expects to see a sequential double digit quarterly sales growth. Arcturus Therapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ: ARCT) rose 16.09 percent to close at $7.00 on Tuesday. America's Car-Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) gained 14.53 percent to close at $62.65 after reporting upbeat Q4 results. NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSTG) shares surged 12.64 percent to close at $13.19. Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) gained 12.12 percent to close at $4.07 on Tuesday. Quotient Limited (NASDAQ: QTNT) shares climbed 11.58 percent to close at $6.55 on Tuesday. American Equity Investment Life Holding Company (NYSE: AEL) rose 11.23 percent to close at $32.28 following a report from Reuters that the company is looking for a sale. iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) gained 11.15 percent to close at $22.52. Veracyte, Inc. (NASDAQ: VCYT) rose 10.4 percent to close at $7.11. Stein Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) gained 10.26 percent to close at $3.33. Stein Mart is expected to release quarterly earnings on May 23. MiMedx Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDXG) shares rose 10.11 percent to close at $8.06. The Container Store Group, Inc. (NYSE: TCS) gained 8.2 percent to close at $8.18. Container Store reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter after the closing bell. Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAB) shares gained 7.69 percent to close at $9.10 after the company reported upbeat Q2 results. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) rose 6.4 percent to close at $59.03 after reporting a $10 billion buyback plan.

   

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Markets have been under pressure once again by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Inflation levels are going through the roof… but the people in charge of managing it have been lying to Americans for years. Now, it's time to get even.�Money Morning�Liquidity Specialist Lee Adler has the perfect way to make a lot of money when no one is looking.�Read it here.

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Monday Markets are cheering news that the supposed trade war between the United States and China is "on hold," according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Mnuchin and U.S. President Donald Trump's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, announced that both nations have reached an agreement, one that established a framework to help address ongoing trade imbalances between the two countries. The prices of crude oil is in focus after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro won reelection over the weekend. The election featured a very low turnout and a very large outcry that the vote was rigged. Maduro has a 75% disapproval rating and has been the face of the OPEC member's widespread mismanagement and economic collapse. Prior to the election, a member of the Trump administration said that the United States would not recognize the authenticity of the election. The United States is considering additional sanctions on Venezuela. Today is a major day for mergers and acquisition activity. Today, Blackstone Group LP�(NYSE: BX) announced plans to purchase U.S. hotel operator LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) for a whopping $3.7 billion. The deal comes at a time that the travel industry is experiencing one of the best periods in a decade. If you're looking for a way to make money ahead of Memorial Day weekend, we show you how here. Four Stocks to Watch Today: GOOGL, GE, MBFI, FITB Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL) is under pressure this morning after a harsh piece aired last night on "60 Minutes." The segment discussed the organization's power and influence. It also featured inter

Hot Heal Care Stocks To Watch Right Now: Digirad Corporation(DRAD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Some of these are even smaller nano-caps, such as medical device maker Digirad (Nasdaq: DRAD), whose entire market value is just $36 million.

  There is absolutely nothing wrong with small businesses. I own shares of quite a few in my personal account. But for the most part, I use them to fill out the growth sleeve of my portfolio and don't consider them stable income producers.

Hot Heal Care Stocks To Watch Right Now: The Blackstone Group L.P.(BX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Gramercy Property Trust (NYSE: GPT) shares were also up, gaining 16 percent to $27.52 after the company agreed to be acquired by Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) for $27.50 per share.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  In a related announcement, the world’s largest asset management firm, BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BX) has said it will talk to gunmakers and distributors “to understand their response” to the Parkland shooting. According to a report from Reuters, BlackRock owns about 17% of Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (NYSE: RGR) and 11% of American Outdoor Brands Corp. (NASDAQ: AOBC), maker of Smith & Wesson firearms, mostly in index funds. BlackRock did not indicate that it planned to divest its positions.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) shares jumped 113.5 percent to $0.6737 after the California Department of Pesticide Regulation proposed to register the company's ContraPest for sale and use in California. AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: UAVS) shares rose 35.34 percent to close at $3.32. Art's-Way Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: ARTW) shares gained 30.36 percent to $3.65. Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: XTNT) shares jumped 25.6 percent to $7.4701 after the company disclosed that it has received the FDA clearance for InTice™-C Porous Titanium Cervical Interbody System. VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY) shares surged 20 percent to $2.495. TransGlobe Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: TGA) surged 17.04 percent to $2.61. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) gained 15 percent to $8.32 after the company announced an exclusive partnership with Multi Touch Interactives to strengthen the development of next generation interactive educational activities. Arcimoto, Inc. (NASDAQ: FUV) gained 15 percent to $3.39. MB Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBFI) rose 13.7 percent to $49.64. Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) agreed to acquire MB Financial for $54.70 per share in cash and stock. FRONTEO, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTEO) shares rose 11.8 percent to $20.956. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) shares jumped 11.1 percent to $3.38. 21Vianet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNET) rose 10.6 percent to $7.41. NII Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NIHD) shares gained 9 percent to $2.32. Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) rose 7.6 percent to $24.19. Northcoast Research upgraded Kelly Services from Neutral to Buy. LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) shares climbed 5.6 percent to $33.70. Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) will buy LaSalle Hotel Properties in a $4.8 billion deal, Bloomberg reported. Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE: AYX) gained 5.5 percent to $32.56. KeyBanc upgraded Alteryx from Sector Weight to Overweight. Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:
• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Oil prices are at levels we haven't seen in years. U.S. crude topped $70 for the first since 2014, as U.S. President Donald Trump appeared increasingly likely to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and reinforce sanctions on Tehran. In addition, OPEC has announced plans to bolster prices and cap production. For oil investors, Money Morning�Global Energy Strategist Dr. Kent Moors says it's time to buckle up. According to Moors, revoking the Iran deal would cause "price chaos" around the globe. And that's right as driving season starts in the United States. Here's more on the coming chaos for oil. In deal news, Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) announced it will purchase Gramercy Property Trust (NYSE: GPT) for $7.6 billion in cash. Grammercy manages commercial real estate. While this may seem like a boring deal, Blackstone is buying a business that churns out cold hard cash for its investors. We want to keep this deal on your radar, because there are many other deals like this coming down the pipeline. We're going to be discussing one of the best real estate opportunities available very soon – so keep an eye out for updates. Three Stocks to Watch Today: AMZN, AAPL, TSN, SBUX Shareholders of Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) cheered statements made by Warren Buffett over the weekend. The Oracle of Omaha said he messed up by not investing in Amazon and Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL). "I made the wrong decisions on Google and Amazon," Buffett said on Saturday. "We've looked at it. I made the mistake in not being able to come to a conclusion where I really felt that at the present prices that the prospects were far better than the prices indicated." Buffett says he now has a "very, very, very high opinion" of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The Oracle believes that Bezos has created something that is "close to a miracle." Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) added another 0.6% Monday, to reach $185.00 per share – a new 52-week high. The uptick came after Warren Buffett announced
• [By Paul Ausick]

  With all the shares of Cheniere Holdings in its pocket, Cheniere Energy can begin to reel in Cheniere Partners, of which it holds more than half of publicly traded common units and a 100% interest in the general partner of Cheniere Partners. A subsidiary of Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) owns 40.3% of Cheniere Partners’ common units.

• [By ]

  In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on The Blackstone Group (BX) , Nvidia  (NVDA) , Amgen (AMGN) , Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) , Hasbro (HAS) and Waste Management (WM) .

Hot Heal Care Stocks To Watch Right Now: Unit Corporation(UNT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Media stories about Unit (NYSE:UNT) have been trending somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment. Accern scores the sentiment of press coverage by reviewing more than twenty million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Unit earned a coverage optimism score of 0.09 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media coverage about the oil and gas company an impact score of 46.1985485817341 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the immediate future.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Unit (NYSE:UNT) received a $30.00 target price from Cowen in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Cowen’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 16.50% from the company’s current price.

Hot Heal Care Stocks To Watch Right Now: RealPage, Inc.(RP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

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

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  RealPage Inc (NASDAQ:RP) Chairman Stephen T. Winn sold 752,793 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.24, for a total value of $44,595,457.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,945,439 shares in the company, valued at $115,247,806.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  RealPage (NASDAQ:RP) had its target price increased by KeyCorp from $61.00 to $65.00 in a research note published on Friday morning. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the software maker’s stock.

Comparing MDU Resources Group (MDU) and Zenyatta Ventures (ZENYF)

MDU Resources Group (NYSE: MDU) and Zenyatta Ventures (OTCMKTS:ZENYF) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, risk and dividends.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

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64.3% of MDU Resources Group shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of MDU Resources Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares MDU Resources Group and Zenyatta Ventures’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MDU Resources Group	6.39%	10.59%	3.99%
Zenyatta Ventures	N/A	-7.94%	-7.90%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for MDU Resources Group and Zenyatta Ventures, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MDU Resources Group	0	0	1	0	3.00
Zenyatta Ventures	0	0	0	0	N/A

MDU Resources Group currently has a consensus price target of $29.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.75%. Given MDU Resources Group’s higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe MDU Resources Group is more favorable than Zenyatta Ventures.

Dividends

MDU Resources Group pays an annual dividend of $0.79 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Zenyatta Ventures does not pay a dividend. MDU Resources Group pays out 63.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. MDU Resources Group has increased its dividend for 8 consecutive years.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares MDU Resources Group and Zenyatta Ventures’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MDU Resources Group	$4.44 billion	1.28	$281.20 million	$1.25	23.38
Zenyatta Ventures	N/A	N/A	-$2.16 million	N/A	N/A

MDU Resources Group has higher revenue and earnings than Zenyatta Ventures.

Summary

MDU Resources Group beats Zenyatta Ventures on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

MDU Resources Group Company Profile

MDU Resources Group, Inc. engages in regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. The company operates through five segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline and Midstream, Construction Materials and Contracting, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. As of December 31, 2017, it served 142,901 residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in 178 communities and adjacent rural areas. The Natural Gas Distribution segment distributes natural gas in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, as well as Idaho, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington; and offers related value-added services. It served approximately 938,867 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 335 communities and adjacent rural areas. The Pipeline and Midstream segment provides natural gas transportation, underground storage, and gathering services primarily in the Rocky Mountain and northern Great Plains regions. It also provides cathodic protection and other energy-related services. The Construction Materials and Contracting segment mines, processes, and sells construction aggregates; produces and sells asphalt mix; and supplies ready-mixed concrete in the central, southern, and western United States, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. The Construction Services segment designs, constructs, and maintains overhead and underground electrical distribution and transmission lines, substations, external lighting, traffic signalization, and gas pipelines; electrical and communication wiring and infrastructure, and fire suppression systems; and renewable energy projects. It also offers utility excavation, and mechanical piping and services; and manufactures and distributes transmission line construction equipment and other supplies. The company was founded in 1924 and is based in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Zenyatta Ventures Company Profile

Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of properties for the mining of precious and base metals in Canada. The company primarily explores for graphite. It holds interest in the Albany property located in Northern Ontario, Canada. The company was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Air Lease Corp (AL) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Air Lease Corp (NYSE:AL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $53.81.

AL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Air Lease from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Air Lease from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 12th. Finally, ValuEngine cut shares of Air Lease from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 23rd.

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Shares of Air Lease traded up $0.84, reaching $43.85, during mid-day trading on Friday, according to MarketBeat.com. 6,003 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 588,971. Air Lease has a 52 week low of $38.46 and a 52 week high of $50.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $4.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.74.

Air Lease (NYSE:AL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 10th. The transportation company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.05. Air Lease had a net margin of 50.86% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $381.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $379.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. analysts forecast that Air Lease will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 5th were given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 4th. Air Lease’s payout ratio is presently 10.96%.

In other Air Lease news, EVP John D. Poerschke sold 12,144 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.98, for a total value of $546,237.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,500 shares in the company, valued at $1,956,630. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marc H. Baer sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.52, for a total transaction of $227,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 132,891 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,049,198.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 44,144 shares of company stock worth $1,990,187. 9.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Air Lease by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,555,116 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $364,619,000 after purchasing an additional 239,216 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Lease by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,024,171 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $171,509,000 after purchasing an additional 54,450 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Air Lease by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,127,392 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,050,000 after purchasing an additional 11,507 shares in the last quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Lease by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LLC now owns 868,182 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,002,000 after purchasing an additional 24,993 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its stake in shares of Air Lease by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 588,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,099,000 after purchasing an additional 25,720 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.98% of the company’s stock.

Air Lease Company Profile

Air Lease Corporation, an aircraft leasing company, engages in the purchase and leasing of commercial jet transport aircraft to airlines worldwide. The company also sells aircraft from its operating lease portfolio to third parties, including other leasing companies, financial services companies, and airlines.

Featured Story: Book Value Of Equity Per Share �� BVPS Explained

$1.06 EPS Expected for C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc (CHRW) This Quarter

Equities research analysts expect that C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc (NASDAQ:CHRW) will post $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Eight analysts have issued estimates for C.H. Robinson Worldwide’s earnings. The lowest EPS estimate is $1.00 and the highest is $1.10. C.H. Robinson Worldwide reported earnings per share of $0.78 in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 35.9%. The company is scheduled to announce its next earnings report after the market closes on Tuesday, July 31st.

On average, analysts expect that C.H. Robinson Worldwide will report full-year earnings of $4.38 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.21 to $4.50. For the next financial year, analysts expect that the business will post earnings of $4.85 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.27 to $5.04. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS averages are an average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that follow C.H. Robinson Worldwide.

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C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 1st. The transportation company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.01. C.H. Robinson Worldwide had a return on equity of 36.63% and a net margin of 3.41%. The business had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.86 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis.

CHRW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BidaskClub upgraded C.H. Robinson Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 22nd. ValuEngine upgraded C.H. Robinson Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 2nd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded C.H. Robinson Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $103.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $70.00 to $68.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a research note on Tuesday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.60.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide traded up $0.40, hitting $87.70, during trading hours on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. 1,265,900 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,456,065. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. C.H. Robinson Worldwide has a one year low of $63.41 and a one year high of $100.18. The stock has a market cap of $12.08 billion, a PE ratio of 25.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.42.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 31st. C.H. Robinson Worldwide’s payout ratio is 52.87%.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, May 10th that allows the company to buyback 15,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 11,163,127 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,046,098,000 after purchasing an additional 248,268 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 6,449,795 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $604,410,000 after purchasing an additional 42,487 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,553,291 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $145,559,000 after purchasing an additional 66,810 shares during the period. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 17.3% during the 1st quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 904,307 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $84,743,000 after purchasing an additional 133,193 shares during the period. Finally, Saratoga Research & Investment Management raised its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 707,153 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $66,267,000 after purchasing an additional 6,093 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.59% of the company’s stock.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Company Profile

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc, a third party logistics company, provides freight transportation services and logistics solutions to companies in various industries worldwide. The company operates through three segments: North American Surface Transportation, Global Forwarding, and Robinson Fresh. It offers transportation and logistics services, such as truckload; less than truckload transportation which include the shipment of single or multiple pallets of freight; intermodal transportation, which is shipment service of freight in trailers or containers by a combination of truck and rail; and non-vessel ocean common carrier or freight forwarding services, as well as organizes air shipments and provides door-to-door services.

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Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW)

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Alta Mesa Resources Inc Forecasted to Post Q2 2018 Earnings of $0.13 Per Share (AMR)

Alta Mesa Resources Inc (NASDAQ:AMR) – Analysts at Imperial Capital boosted their Q2 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Alta Mesa Resources in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 10th. Imperial Capital analyst I. Haas now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.13 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.10. Imperial Capital also issued estimates for Alta Mesa Resources’ Q3 2018 earnings at $0.19 EPS, Q4 2018 earnings at $0.25 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $0.57 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.29 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.35 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $1.20 EPS.

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A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on AMR. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Alta Mesa Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 25th. Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Alta Mesa Resources in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $8.25 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Alta Mesa Resources in a research note on Thursday, April 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $13.00 price objective for the company. Finally, ValuEngine cut shares of Alta Mesa Resources from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.69.

Alta Mesa Resources opened at $6.81 on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Alta Mesa Resources has a one year low of $6.35 and a one year high of $10.79.

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Alta Mesa Resources during the 1st quarter valued at $105,000. Quantitative Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Alta Mesa Resources during the 1st quarter valued at $143,000. Citigroup Inc. bought a new stake in Alta Mesa Resources during the 1st quarter valued at $161,000. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in Alta Mesa Resources during the 1st quarter valued at $186,000. Finally, Barclays PLC bought a new stake in Alta Mesa Resources during the 1st quarter valued at $257,000. 49.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Alta Mesa Resources

Alta Mesa Resources, Inc focuses on the acquisition and development of unconventional oil and natural gas reserves in the Anadarko Basin. It also offers midstream energy services, including crude oil and gas gathering, processing, and marketing to producers of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, and condensate in the STACK Play region of Oklahoma.

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (LECO) Shares Bought by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 22.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 15,737 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $7,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 202.5% in the 1st quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 225,238 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,260,000 after buying an additional 150,782 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 129.6% in the 1st quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 18,919 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,702,000 after buying an additional 10,679 shares during the last quarter. Amundi Pioneer Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 43.4% in the 1st quarter. Amundi Pioneer Asset Management Inc. now owns 890,911 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $80,138,000 after buying an additional 269,550 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 2,482.0% in the 1st quarter. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,291 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 1,241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 24,481 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,202,000 after buying an additional 935 shares during the last quarter. 66.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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A number of analysts have issued reports on LECO shares. BidaskClub lowered Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 22nd. ValuEngine lowered Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 2nd. Zacks Investment Research lowered Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $93.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, April 13th. Finally, Wellington Shields raised Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “gradually accumulate” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $105.56.

NASDAQ LECO opened at $89.09 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.10. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $81.48 and a 1-year high of $101.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $757.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $737.87 million. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 28.83% and a net margin of 9.01%. The company’s revenue was up 30.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 4.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 13th. Investors of record on Friday, June 29th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 28th. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.16%.

In related news, Director G Russell Lincoln sold 22,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.11, for a total transaction of $2,004,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 214,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,581,634.53. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.27% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products worldwide. It operates through three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. The company's welding products include arc welding power sources, plasma cutters, wire feeding systems, robotic welding packages, integrated automation systems, fume extraction equipment, consumable electrodes, fluxes and welding accessories, and specialty welding consumables and fabrication products.

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

Walnut Private Equity Partners, Llc Buys EQT Midstream Partners LP

Omaha, NE, based Investment company Walnut Private Equity Partners, Llc buys EQT Midstream Partners LP during the 3-months ended 2018-06-30, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, Walnut Private Equity Partners, Llc. As of 2018-06-30, Walnut Private Equity Partners, Llc owns 22 stocks with a total value of $130 million. These are the details of the buys and sells.

Added Positions: EQM, WMB, MPLX,

For the details of WALNUT PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS, LLC's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=WALNUT+PRIVATE+EQUITY+PARTNERS%2C+LLC

These are the top 5 holdings of WALNUT PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS, LLCEnergy Transfer Equity LP (ETE) - 1,439,714 shares, 19.11% of the total portfolio. Blackstone Group LP (BX) - 600,000 shares, 14.85% of the total portfolio. Magellan Midstream Partners LP (MMP) - 219,405 shares, 11.66% of the total portfolio. KKR & Co Inc (KKR) - 438,235 shares, 8.38% of the total portfolio. ONEOK Inc (OKE) - 153,745 shares, 8.26% of the total portfolio. Added: EQT Midstream Partners LP (EQM)

Walnut Private Equity Partners, Llc added to a holding in EQT Midstream Partners LP by 92.03%. The purchase prices were between $51.32 and $62.6, with an estimated average price of $56.56. The stock is now traded at around $52.91. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.98%. The holding were 51,643 shares as of 2018-06-30.

Here is the complete portfolio of WALNUT PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS, LLC. Also check out:

1. WALNUT PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS, LLC's Undervalued Stocks
2. WALNUT PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS, LLC's Top Growth Companies, and
3. WALNUT PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS, LLC's High Yield stocks
4. Stocks that WALNUT PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS, LLC keeps buying

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:ENBL,TGB,TIPT,APC,MITL,

Call it global warming. Call it climate change. Maybe it’s a nuance, or maybe your political stance determines how you feel about this debate. 24/7 Wall St. has tracked investment in clean energy and renewable energy for years.

It turns out that 2016 broke the growth cycle for investing in clean energy — and then some.

With a new Trump administration about to take office, it looks like there is a night and day views on climate change versus the Obama administration. That makes this report something which likely cannot be ignored. After all, it was only known for less than two months that Hillary Clinton’s clean energy trends would not continue what was seen under the Obama administration. Still, it’s a big world and many other nations outside of the United States have�a serious�role in clean energy.

The news at the start of 2017 is showing a stark difference for 2016. Bloomberg New Energy Finance now shows that the total dollars of new investments into clean energy fell a whopping 18% down to $287.5 billion in 2016. While the prior year was a record of $348.5 billion, what stands out here now is that the 2016 figure is also represented as being 9% lower than the $315 billion invested into clean energy in 2014.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Enable Midstream Partners, LP(ENBL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Enable Midstream Partners LP (NYSE:ENBL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.75.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Enable Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: ENBL) is raised to equal weight from underweight at Barclays. The 52-week trading range for the stock has been $12.89 to $17.67. The consensus price target is set at $17.18. The price of shares at the market’s close on Monday was $17.02.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Enable Midstream Partners (NYSE: ENBL) and EnLink Midstream Partners (NYSE:ENLK) are both mid-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Taseko Mines Limited(TGB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Taseko Mines (NYSEAMERICAN:TGB) (TSE:TKO) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Tiptree Financial Inc.(TIPT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: “Tiptree (TIPT) Raised to C at TheStreet” was posted by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are reading this piece of content on another site, it was stolen and reposted in violation of United States and international copyright & trademark law. The original version of this piece of content can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3350618/tiptree-tipt-raised-to-c-at-thestreet.html.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation(APC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Anadarko Petroleum Co. (NYSE:APC) by 258.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 65,409 shares of the oil and gas development company’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,140 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Anadarko Petroleum were worth $3,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is one of these leaders. The U.S. oil giant announced a multi-billion-dollar buyback in late 2016, which has helped catapult its stock 55% higher since then, vastly outperforming the nearly 23% gain from the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT:IEO), which holds more than 60 U.S.-focused oil and gas stocks. Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), meanwhile, has rallied almost 60% since unveiling a multi-billion-dollar buyback last fall, doubling the return of the iShares E&P ETF.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Northern Trust Corp decreased its stake in shares of Anadarko Petroleum Co. (NYSE:APC) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,343,268 shares of the oil and gas development company’s stock after selling 152,810 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp’s holdings in Anadarko Petroleum were worth $383,197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  This top company is still down a stunning 30% from highs printed in 2014, the last time oil traded at $70. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) operates through three segments. The Oil and Gas Exploration and Production segment explores for and produces natural gas, oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The other segments are�Midstream and Marketing.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

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

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Mitel Networks Corporation(MITL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Sanmina Corp (NASDAQ: SANM) shares rose 15.2 percent to $31.90 in pre-market trading as the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its second quarter on Monday. Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) rose 12.4 percent to $41.30 in pre-market trading after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and issued a strong Q2 forecast. Aeglea BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGLE) rose 10.8 percent to $8.75 in pre-market trading. Mitel Networks Corporation (NASDAQ: MITL) rose 8.8 percent to $11.05 in pre-market trading after the company agreed to be acquired by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners for $2.0 billion. Galectin Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GALT) rose 7.3 percent to $3.70 in pre-market trading. Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) shares rose 6.9 percent to $7.00 in pre-market trading after declining 1.50 percent on Monday. Hallmark Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALL) rose 6.5 percent to $10.68 in pre-market trading. Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BOOT) rose 5.2 percent to $20.40 in pre-market trading after gaining 4.53 percent on Monday. New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: EDU) rose 5 percent to $91.16 in pre-market trading after reporting Q3 results. Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG) rose 5 percent to $167.98 in pre-market trading after Bloomberg reported that Takeda is nearing a preliminary agreement to acquire Shire after sweetened bid. Outfront Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT) shares rose 5 percent to $19.00 in pre-market trading. Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) rose 4.3 percent to $4.18 in pre-market trading after gaining 5.80 percent on Monday. SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) rose 3.7 percent to $109.80 in pre-market trading after the company posted strong quarterly results and raised its outlook for the year. Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ: GOGL) shares rose 3.7 percent to $8.70 in pre-market trading after gaining 1.45 percent on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE: D
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) shares jumped 104.82 percent to close at $14.87 on Tuesday. EVINE Live Inc. (NASDAQ: EVLV) rose 31.25 percent to close at $1.06. The pay-TV home shopping company was named as a potential acquisition target by TechCrunch. According to the publication, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is exploring ways of marketing its products and services to consumers beyond the internet. SemiLEDs Corporation (NASDAQ: LEDS) shares climbed 27.16 percent to close at $4.26 on Tuesday. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) gained 27.09 percent to close at $3.80. Atossa Genetics disclosed that it has Received positive interim review from the Independent Safety Committee in Phase 1 Topical endoxifen dose escalation study in men. Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII) surged 17.13 percent to close at $37.95 as the company posted upbeat results for its first quarter. Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC) shares gained 15.91 percent to close at $18.21 following upbeat quarterly earnings. Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) shares jumped 15.73 percent to close at $7.58 on Tuesday after declining 1.50 percent on Monday. Sanmina Corp (NASDAQ: SANM) shares gained 14.62 percent to close at $31.75 as the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its second quarter on Monday. Orchids Paper Products Company (NYSE: TIS) jumped 12.86 percent to close at $7.37. Orchids Paper Products is expected to report its Q1 financial results on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE: HLX) rose 12.8 percent to close at $7.05 following strong quarterly results. Avid Bioservices, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDMO) rose 12.72 percent to close at $3.81. Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) gained 12.61 percent to close at $5.00. Obalon Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OBLN) rose 12.39 percent to close at $3.72. NextDecade Corporation (NASDAQ: NEXT) shares climbed 11.88 percent to close at $7
• [By Max Byerly]

  Mitel Networks Corp (NASDAQ:MITL) (TSE:MNW) saw a significant drop in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 860,264 shares, a drop of 26.0% from the May 15th total of 1,162,149 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,306,634 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.4 days.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Mitel Networks Corp (NASDAQ:MITL) (TSE:MNW) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the eight research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.58.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers SemiLEDs Corporation (NASDAQ: LEDS) shares rose 35.8 percent to $4.55. EVINE Live Inc. (NASDAQ: EVLV) gained 28.8 percent to $1.04. The pay-TV home shopping company was named as a potential acquisition target by TechCrunch. According to the publication, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is exploring ways of marketing its products and services to consumers beyond the internet. Sanmina Corp (NASDAQ: SANM) shares surged 19.1 percent to $33.00 as the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its second quarter on Monday. Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII) gained 14.9 percent to $37.22 as the company posted upbeat results for its first quarter. Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC) shares climbed 14 percent to $17.90 following upbeat quarterly earnings. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE: HLX) climbed 14 percent to $7.12 following strong quarterly results. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) gained 13.6 percent to $8.25. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) rose 11.8 percent to $3.34. Atossa Genetics disclosed that it has Received positive interim review from the Independent Safety Committee in Phase 1 Topical endoxifen dose escalation study in men. Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) gained 11.6 percent to $40.99 after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and issued a strong Q2 forecast. Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) climbed 11.2 percent to $4.9363. Mitel Networks Corporation (NASDAQ: MITL) rose 10.5 percent to $11.23 after the company agreed to be acquired by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners for $2.0 billion. Systemax Inc. (NYSE: SYX) rose 10.2 percent to $30.86. Sidoti & Co. upgraded Systemax from Neutral to Buy. Orchids Paper Products Company (NYSE: TIS) surged 9.2 percent to $7.13. Orchids Paper Products is expected to report its Q1 financial results on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: EDU) rose

Why I Hope Micron's Stock Declines...Even Though I'm a Shareholder

The objective of investing is, of course, for your stocks to go up over time (a shocking revelation, I know!). However, because Foolish, long-term investors advocate holding stocks for years, there might actually be times when you wish a stock you own would go down for an extended period, even if you already have a full position. I believe that's currently the case with Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), which has been one of my best-performing stocks this year. Read on to see why a drop in price could lead to good things for Micron investors.

Why I like Micron

Micron's stock has been all the rage recently, nearly doubling in price over the past 12 months. As one of only three producers of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and one of only six producers of NAND flash memory, Micron has benefited greatly from soaring memory prices. While the industry has traditionally been tied to the mobile and PC markets, demand for memory has expanded (even exploded) to cloud data centers, artificial intelligence workloads, and specialty embedded chips in connected devices and self-driving cars.

Micron is not without skeptics, though, especially those who believe we're at a peak in memory pricing. That's why Micron trades at a shockingly low forward price-to-earnings ratio of 5.5. Memory has been cyclical -- sometimes violently so -- and investors seem to be nervous about granting Micron an earnings multiple in line with the overall market, which currently trades at a forward P/E of 17.3, more than triple that of Micron.

That's fine by me, though. In fact, I hope Micron's valuation remains under pressure for the foreseeable future.

Why do I want Micron's stock to go down? Image source: Getty Images.

Paying owners $10 billion

After years of carrying billions in debt, Micron's recent success should allow the company to become "net debt neutral" -- having as much cash as debt -- by the end of this quarter. That would be the first time in many years that's happened.

MU Net Total Long Term Debt (Quarterly) data by YCharts.

Now that its balance sheet has been repaired, Micron will begin returning cash to shareholders in the form of a massive $10 billion share repurchase program that was announced at the company's May analyst and investor event.

There's one small catch, though: These stock buybacks won't kick in until the beginning of Micron's next fiscal year, which begins in September. Until then, Micron will pay down its secured debt, some of which is denominated in foreign currencies, requiring expensive currency hedges. After that point, the company's plan is to return at least 50% of its free cash flow to shareholders.

Go ahead, Mr. Market, make my day

In Warren Buffett's 2016 letter to shareholders, he discussed the topic of share repurchases at length, writing in part:

... repurchases only make sense if the shares are bought at a price below intrinsic value ... Consider a simple analogy: If there are three equal partners in a business worth $3,000 and one is bought out by the partnership for $900, each of the remaining partners realizes an immediate gain of $50. If the exiting partner is paid $1,100, however, the continuing partners each suffer a loss of $50. The same math applies with corporations...

Since we now know that Micron plans to begin buying back stock come September, I'm hoping for shares to languish. The lower the price, the more shares Micron can buy, and the larger the "gains" for us remaining owners. At the current $70 billion market capitalization, $10 billion could buy back almost 15% of the company.

And I may not have to wait that long for results -- the company could feasibly generate $10 billion in cash flow just in the upcoming year, should memory pricing remain stable.

But I need to be right

Of course, if my take on the memory industry is wrong, Micron's intrinsic value would not be as high as I might think, and the upcoming repurchases would be wasted on buying overpriced stock.

But despite recent gains, I still think Micron is undervalued, and that favorable changes to the memory industry will last longer than others think. Past cycles have caused the industry to consolidate to only a handful of players, and with demand for memory and storage exploding, I think profitability can hold up throughout the cycle better than in the past.

We'll find out more about the company's financial performance when Micron reports earnings on June 20. If profits continue to grow, retiring shares at today's prices should greatly benefit all shareholders. And if the company can retire shares at even lower prices come September, all the better for us long-term believers.

Here��s why markets are worried about Italian politics �� again

Italy��s politicians didn��t get a three-day weekend, but instead stayed active and helped spark selling for stocks and other riskier assets.

Investors on Tuesday are worried about the potential for another Italian election within a few months. In particular, they��re worried a win for populist parties could lead to the euro zone��s third-biggest economy leaving the shared currency �� which would represent quite a shakeup to Europe��s status quo.

That election looks to be in the cards, as an attempt to form a caretaker government led by International Monetary Fund veteran Carlo Cottarelli faces resistance.

Cottarelli was put into that role on Monday by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who had essentially blocked a coalition government of two big antiestablishment parties �� the 5 Star Movement and the League. The president on Sunday vetoed the appointment of a euroskeptic economy minister, Paolo Savona, who had been backed by the populist coalition.

Now the 5 Star and League appear to be spurning Cottarelli, making him unlikely to win a vote of confidence in parliament. Instead, he likely will lead a caretaker government as prime minister only until another general election is called, possibly for September. Italians last went to the polls only a few months ago, in March.

Matteo Salvini, the League party��s head, is already framing the ballot as a way for voters to show their support for leaving the euro.

��It won��t be an election,�� Salvini said Sunday, according to a Wall Street Journal report. ��It will be a referendum between Italy and those on the outside who want us to be a servile, enslaved nation on our knees.��

Why it matters to European and U.S. investors

Analysts have been warning that an Italian effort to abandon the shared currency could rattle not just European investors, but also U.S. markets SPX, -0.24% �.

��Even an Italian populist government��s failed attempt to ditch the euro would bring a halt to not only the ��euroboom,�� but also the process of U.S. monetary normalization, with the market reaction comparable to the eurozone debt crisis,�� Oxford Economics analysts Jamie Thomson and Nicola Nobile said in a recent note.

Other analysts suggest fears about a ��Quitaly�� or ��Italexit�� scenario may be overblown.

��Personally, I don��t think Italy will leave the euro,�� said Marshall Gittler, chief strategist at ACLS Global, in a note Tuesday. ��According to the European Commission��s Eurobarometer survey, support for the euro in Italy has never been below 58%, and most recently was 59%, with only 31% opposed.��

Check out: 4 ways the ECB is preventing an Italian rerun of the euro crisis �� for now

But Gittler still sounds bearish on the unit: ��Nonetheless, currencies have to price in risk, and Italian politics is the big risk nowadays. I think EUR is likely to remain weak until things have settled down there.��

How are markets moving

The euro EURUSD, -0.5420% recently changed hands at $1.1572 , as it touches levels last seen in November.

Italy��s FTSE MIB stock benchmark I945, -2.64% was down nearly 3% to 21,324 on Tuesday, falling to levels last seen in July 2017. It has tumbled 11% so far in May, flipping into the red for 2018 and cutting its 12-month gain to 2.4%.

The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 Index SXXP, -1.28% was down 1.3% to 384.77 on Tuesday. It��s down 1.2% so far this year and off by 1.7% over the past 12 months.

The yield on the 10-year Italian bond TMBMKIT-10Y, +15.79% was recently at 2.942%. That represents the highest level since 2014, but it��s still far from it peak above 7% hit in 2011 amid the eurozone debt crisis.

Read: In topsy-turvy Italian markets, sovereign debt seen as riskier than corporate bonds

U.S. stock futures were losing ground, with Dow Jones Industrial Average YMM8, -0.63% and S&P 500 ESM8, -0.63% falling by about 0.9%.

Victor Reklaitis

Victor Reklaitis is a London-based markets writer for MarketWatch. Follow him on Twitter @VicRek.

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Comment Related Topics U.S. Stocks Markets NY Stock Exchange NASDAQ Quote References SPX -6.43 -0.24% EURUSD -0.0063 -0.5420% I945 -579.98 -2.64% SXXP -4.98 -1.28% TMBMKIT-10Y +0.42 +15.79% YMM8 -155.00 -0.63% ESM8 -17.05 -0.63% Show all references MarketWatch Partner Center

US Bancorp DE Increases Stake in Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc (KNX)

US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc (NYSE:KNX) by 7.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,734 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,794 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Knight-Swift Transportation were worth $3,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 79.5% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,007 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $131,000 after acquiring an additional 1,332 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New acquired a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Atria Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Finally, Quantitative Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $278,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.31% of the company’s stock.

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Several analysts recently commented on KNX shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Knight-Swift Transportation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $52.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Cowen raised their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $38.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Buckingham Research raised their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group raised their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.22.

Shares of NYSE KNX opened at $40.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.45. The firm has a market cap of $7.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.31, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.72. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc has a 1 year low of $32.88 and a 1 year high of $51.94.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 25th. The transportation company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. Knight-Swift Transportation had a return on equity of 5.75% and a net margin of 13.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 368.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.18 EPS. equities research analysts forecast that Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc will post 2.29 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 31st. Knight-Swift Transportation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.39%.

In other news, COO Kevin Quast sold 4,508 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.98, for a total transaction of $180,229.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kevin P. Knight sold 69,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.04, for a total value of $2,771,448.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 98,794 shares of company stock valued at $3,954,288. Corporate insiders own 27.50% of the company’s stock.

Knight-Swift Transportation Company Profile

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides truckload transportation and logistics services in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The company operates through six segments: Knight Trucking, Knight Logistics, Swift Truckload, Swift Dedicated, Swift Refrigerated, and Swift Intermodal.

LendingTree (TREE) Stake Decreased by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers decreased its position in LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) by 13.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,988 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,252 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in LendingTree were worth $4,590,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth $153,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in LendingTree by 34.8% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 639 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth $227,000. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth $234,000. Finally, Shelton Capital Management purchased a new position in LendingTree in the 4th quarter worth $244,000. Institutional investors own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

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Shares of LendingTree stock opened at $259.85 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. LendingTree has a twelve month low of $154.60 and a twelve month high of $404.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.77.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.12 by ($0.02). LendingTree had a net margin of 6.04% and a return on equity of 11.81%. The business had revenue of $181.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.13 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. LendingTree’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.6% on a year-over-year basis. analysts forecast that LendingTree will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LendingTree declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

In other LendingTree news, Director G Kennedy Thompson purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $248.13 per share, for a total transaction of $248,130.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 11,252 shares in the company, valued at $2,791,958.76. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven Ozonian sold 500 shares of LendingTree stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $180,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,196,440. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 232,047 shares of company stock valued at $68,655,060. 20.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

TREE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. SunTrust Banks reduced their price objective on LendingTree to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 27th. BidaskClub upgraded LendingTree from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 17th. Stephens lifted their price objective on LendingTree from $385.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 19th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. ValuEngine lowered LendingTree from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, April 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on LendingTree from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $339.57.

LendingTree Company Profile

LendingTree, Inc, through its subsidiary, LendingTree, LLC, operates an online loan marketplace for consumers seeking loans and other credit-based offerings in the United States. Its mortgage products comprise purchase and refinance products. The company also provides information, tools, and access to various conditional loan offers for non-mortgage products, including auto loans, credit cards, home equity loans, personal loans, reverse mortgages, small business loans, and student loans.

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

TCF Financial: M&A Target With Improving Fundamentals

TCF Financial (TCF) has recently released its financial results for the first quarter. The numbers were strong across the board and management raised FY18 guidance for several metrics. Despite a solid run, we still think that TCF looks attractive, especially given its outstanding revenue generation.

Back To Growth

Last November, TCF announced that it would discontinue all indirect auto loan originations. We believe it was a game-changer for the bank as its auto loan portfolio was a major concern for investors due to sub-par credit quality metrics. In addition, the exiting of the auto business should lead to a more conservative funding profile and a lower cost/income ratio. In our previous article on TCF, we also illustrated that the discontinuation of the auto would have a moderate impact on the bank's NIM.

In our view, the only negative outcome from the exiting of the auto was lower loan growth, given that TCF's auto book had been growing at a double-digit rate since 2013. However, management has already done a good job of replacing auto book with inventory finance loans.

Source: Company data

Even though inventory finance growth was partly driven by seasonal factors, TCF expects it to print at 8-10% range in the second quarter. Most importantly, the growth should come organically.

Brian Maass

We've continued to add other programs in previous years as well. So I would look at the majority of that increase, a lot of that increase that happened in Q1 is seasonal. So you should see a lot of that coming down from a reduction perspective. So when you are trying to think about what the 2Q level should be, I would guide you towards looking at 2Q of last year and then think about you know some level of 8% to 10% potential higher than that.

Source

As a result, while in terms of credit growth, TCF will most likely underperform its peers, the loan origination outlook has significantly improved as inventory finance will partially offset the ongoing run-off in the auto.

Source: Company data

Improved Margin Guidance

On the 1Q call, management raised its margin guidance. TCF had previously expected its NIM to decline in 2018. However, thanks to rising rates, the company now believes that the margin will stay flat or decline just by a couple of basis points in 2018.

You know I said that there would be some potential pressure on the margin over time meaning that that would build over time. However to the extent that we have interest rates going higher, you know as I said, there is a chance that those you know can offset it.

So if I was to stand back and look at, it's easier for me to kind of speak to at even on our full year guidance. Last year we were at $454 million for full year. I think there's a chance that these other offsetting factors and possibly even make it so that our net interest margin stays flat on a year-over-year basis or we'll only see a couple of basis points off on that.

Source

As noted earlier, the discontinuation of auto has had a moderate effect on the NIM. In fact, as shown below, auto finance has a lower yield compared to the group's total credit portfolio.

Source: Company data

One may argue that lower inventory finance growth in the second quarter could lead to margin pressure. While it is a valid point, we note that TCF has an asset-sensitive balance sheet. In fact, it is of the biggest beneficiaries of higher rates among the US regional banks. Variable- and adjustable-rate portfolios represent 46% of the company's credit book.

Source: Company data

Moreover, around 64% of TCF's loan book is expected to re-price in the next twelve months. In other words, we believe that the ongoing re-pricing of the bank's credit portfolio will more than offset weaker loan growth.

Source: TCF 10-Q

On the liabilities side, TCF enjoys a low-cost granular deposit base. Notably, 87% of the bank's deposit balances are consumer deposits. In addition, around 63% of the bank's deposits are low or no cost deposits. Thanks to such an attractive funding mix, TCF's deposit costs have increased by only 21% since the first quarter of 2015.

Source: Company data

This is a crucial competitive advantage in a rising interest rate environment.

Still An Attractive M&A Target

Most importantly, we believe TCF Financial remains an attractive takeover target, given its high-quality deposit base, an asset-sensitive balance sheet, and impressive revenue generation. As we have said in our prior articles, TCF has outstanding revenue generation capability, measured as total revenues against total assets.

Source: Bloomberg, Renaissance Research

Final Thoughts

It is also worth noting that TCF has recently increased its dividend from $0.30 to $0.60 per share. In addition, the company announced a $150mn buyback. Although the stock has had a good run, it is still reasonably valued. TCF is trading at 13x forward earnings, which we view as a very appealing multiple.

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Please note that we will provide full coverage of M&A activity in the US banking sector, including potential targets, for Banking on Financials subscribers. Sign up now to receive access to this exclusive coverage; we look forward to having you on board.

Disclosure: I am/we are long TCF.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.