Thursday, March 14, 2019

Stein Mart Earnings: SMRT Stock Pops as Retail Chain Turns Profit

It was a solid end to 2018 for Stein Mart (NASDAQ:SMRT) as the company’s fourth quarter saw it turn a profit after tallying a loss in the year-ago period, lifting SMRT stock after hours.

Stein Mart EarningsStein Mart EarningsThe Jacksonville, Fla. department and discount store chain reported net income of $4.4 million for the last three months of its fiscal year, or 9 cents per diluted share. In the year-ago period, the business brought in a net loss of $400,000, or a penny per diluted share.

On an adjusted basis, Stein Mart’s net income reached $3.4 million, or 7 cents per diluted share. a slight touch below its year-ago adjusted profit of $3.5 million, or 8 cents per diluted share.

For the fiscal year, the company had a net loss of $6 million, or 13 cents per diluted share, which is 75.3% narrower than its 2017 net loss of $24.3 million, or 52 cents per diluted share. On an adjusted basis, its net loss for 2018 was $4.5 million, or 10 cents per share, a fraction of the year-ago adjusted net loss of $19.9 million, or 43 cents per share.

Stein Mart’s revenue for the quarter was $340.8 million, an 11.5% decline from the $384.9 million from the year-ago quarter. For the fiscal year, net sales were $1.26 billion, below the $1.32 billion it raked in during its fiscal 2017. Eight underperforming stores closed in its fiscal 2018.

SMRT stock was surging roughly 3.4% during regular trading Wednesday. The strong earnings report saw Stein Mart’s stock momentum continue after Wall Street closed, gaining 2.5% after hours.

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Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Why NVIDIA, XPO Logistics, and Infinera Jumped Today

Monday was an extremely strong day for the stock market, as major indexes finished well above where they started the session. Favorable economic data on retail sales renewed confidence that the U.S. economy continues to do well despite headwinds elsewhere around the world, and investors were pleased to see the U.S. and China discuss their respective currencies as part of their broader trade talks. Some benchmarks rose as much as 2%, but certain individual stocks saw even larger gains. NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO), and Infinera (NASDAQ:INFN) were among the top performers. Here's why they did so well.

NVIDIA makes a purchase

Shares of NVIDIA rose 7% after the chip giant announced a major acquisition. NVIDIA said it would spend $6.9 billion in cash to purchase Mellanox Technologies (NASDAQ:MLNX), giving Mellanox shareholders $125 in cash for every share they own. NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang commented, "We're excited to unite NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform with Mellanox's world-renowned accelerated networking platform under one roof to create next-generation data center-scale computing solutions." Mellanox shares were also higher by 8%, suggesting that investors see positives for both sides from the combination.

CD drive with top taken off to reveal chip board.

Image source: NVIDIA.

XPO gets an invitation

XPO Logistics saw its stock climb 8% following an announcement that the logistics company's shares will join a well-known index. S&P Dow Jones Indices announced late Friday that the company would join the S&P MidCap 400 index, as the index provider downgraded some shrinking companies to make space for XPO. For its part, XPO has struggled lately, as a key customer has looked at alternatives in getting its deliveries made. Yet even with that headwind, XPO is well-positioned within a growing industry, and favorable trends like rising volumes of e-commerce-related shipments should bode well for the delivery specialist's long-term prospects.

Infinera enjoys an upgrade

Finally, shares of Infinera picked up more than 9%. The company received favorable comments from analysts at MKM Partners, who upgraded their rating on the stock from neutral to buy. MKM also set a $6 price target, arguing that Infinera has a solid backlog of orders that includes some key new customers. Moreover, with a healthy pipeline toward getting more business, the fiber-optic specialist seems to be moving in the right direction. With signs that customers are finally starting to invest in IT infrastructure, Infinera stands to benefit greatly as its clients seek the best technology available.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Top Low Price Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:UTMD,FCPT,ROP,

Ford (NYSE:F) is known for its attractive valuation, it currently trades at around 7 times its 2017 projected earnings and has an attractive dividend yield of 5.36 percent. It also has a very low price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) compared to most other companies on the S&P 500. The stock trades at around $11 during the time I am writing this. However, after digging a little deeper, I have found that the future looks bearish for Ford.

The automobile industry is known to be a very cyclical industry and I, along with many other people, believe that the cycle has peaked after years of high demand. We are witnessing a downtrend in automobile demand. In March, US auto sales fell 1.6 percent; 1.56 million cars and trucks were sold in March, falling below the projected sales of 1.62 million cars and trucks. Sales are down 1.6 percent compared to the same month last year. Ford only sold 236,250 cars; this is a 7 percent decrease in sales compared to the prior month.

Top Low Price Stocks To Buy For 2019: Utah Medical Products, Inc.(UTMD)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Max Byerly]

    Utah Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UTMD) Director Ernst G. Hoyer sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $168,517.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Utah Medical Products (NASDAQ:UTMD) was upgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

  • [By Max Byerly]

    Utah Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UTMD) CEO Kevin L. Cornwell sold 8,080 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.07, for a total value of $865,125.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Top Low Price Stocks To Buy For 2019: Four Corners Property Trust, Inc.(FCPT)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Joseph Griffin]

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

    Get Four Corners Property Trust alerts: FCPT Closes 46 Chili's Restaurant Properties for $149.8 million as part of Previously Announced Brinker Sale-Leaseback Transaction (finance.yahoo.com) FCPT Announces Acquisition of a Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurant Property for $1.7 million (finance.yahoo.com) Four Corners Property Trust (FCPT) vs. Sutherland Asset Management (SLD) Head to Head Analysis (americanbankingnews.com) FCPT Announces Acquisition of an Arby's Restaurant Property for $1.6 million (finance.yahoo.com) Four Corners Property Trust Inc (FCPT) Expected to Post Quarterly Sales of $35.62 Million (americanbankingnews.com)

    Shares of Four Corners Property Trust traded down $0.16, hitting $26.01, during trading hours on Friday, according to MarketBeat Ratings. The stock had a trading volume of 360,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 479,703. The company has a current ratio of 6.59, a quick ratio of 6.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.13 and a beta of -0.04. Four Corners Property Trust has a 12-month low of $21.28 and a 12-month high of $26.96.

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Boenning Scattergood set a $30.00 target price on Four Corners Property Trust (NYSE:FCPT) in a research report released on Friday morning. The firm currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Four Corners Property (FCPT)

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

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Neuberger Berman Group LLC trimmed its position in Four Corners Property (NYSE:FCPT) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,843 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC owned 0.10% of Four Corners Property worth $1,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Four Corners Property Trust (FCPT)

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

Top Low Price Stocks To Buy For 2019: Roper Technologies, Inc.(ROP)

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Geneva Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE:ROP) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $310,000.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Shares of Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE:ROP) have earned an average rating of “Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $303.58.

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Norinchukin Bank The lifted its holdings in Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE:ROP) by 15.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,423 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The’s holdings in Roper Technologies were worth $2,645,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

  • [By Neha Chamaria]

    Using the above method, I believe the following five stocks are some of the best Dividend Aristocrats to consider today.

    Dividend Aristocrat Payout Ratio (Last 12 Months) 5-Year Dividend CAGR*  10-Year Dividend CAGR* Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) 30.2% 12.9% 12.3% W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) 45.7% 10.6% 14.2% Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) 23.7% 19.8% 13.1% Roper Technologies (NYSE:ROP) 14.6% 20.4% 18.5% A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) 33.6% 25.5% (2.2%)

    *Compound annual growth rate. Data source: S&P Global Market Intelligence. Table by author.

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE:ROP) by 57.1% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 61,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 22,444 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Roper Technologies were worth $17,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

  • [By Garrett Baldwin]

    Shares of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) are in focus after the company reported earnings before the bell. GE stock popped 5.6% after the firm topped earnings per share (EPS) estimates by $0.05 and backed its 2018 outlook. The firm reported EPS of $0.16 on top of $28.66 billion in revenue. GE stock had been off nearly 18% from its last earnings report on January 24 due to ongoing financial and legal problems. Crude oil prices dipped Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at OPEC. Trump accused the cartel of keeping oil prices "artificially high" despite "record amounts of oil all over the place." Brent crude and WTI crude oil both hit three-year highs this week after Saudi Arabia suggested that it was working to press oil prices back above $100 per barrel. Three Stocks to Watch Today: PM, MO, WFC Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) fell this morning after the firm experienced its worst trading day since its spin-off from Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO). Shares of PM fell as much as 16% after the firm fell short of revenue expectations after the bell. MO stock fell roughly 6% on the day. Shares of Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) are under pressure after The New York Times reported that the firm may be facing a $1 billion fine. The fines would cover a variety of "alleged" misdeeds that include the firm's push on customers to purchase auto insurance they didn't need and charging mortgage customers fees for services that they were not using. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will most likely announce the fine today. Money Morning Capital Wave Strategist Shah Gilani weighed in on the topic this week, and he offers a scorching indictment. Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) is on the move today after the semiconductor giant announced plans to lay off 1,500 employees. The cuts are expected to hit employees in California and cities around the globe. The cuts are part of the fi

Monday, March 11, 2019

'As long as Nifty holds 10,800, any dip is likely to bought into'

Manali Bhatia

Slowdown in global economy is evident with factors such as lower GDP number for China, surge in US trade deficit to a record high, disappointing US jobless data and subdued Asian cues. Besides, decoupling on the domestic front is expected.

We suggest accumulating quality stocks in fewer quantities. Awaited elections, if favourable, then one can lock on the stated gain.

Around USD 2.37 billion were poured in by FIIs in the equity market in February, indeed this healthy buying still exists in March as well. It increases sentiment as FII "net seller" has now been the "net buyer" in the equity market.

related news Buy or Sell | Positive on market, banks likely to outperform Buying advisable in pharma with long-term view: Kotak Securities 'Level of 11,200 on Nifty could be make or break for this week'

Also, upswing in Nikkei India Composite PMI output index from 53.6 in January to 53.8 in February reflected a stronger and accelerated increase in private sector activity in the country. Strengthening of rupee at 70/dollar level followed by softening in crude oil prices to provide further comfort.

Furthermore, as inflation rate is already lower than estimated, RBI is expected to lower the interest rate in May thereon. With this, liquidity crisis is expected to polish off sooner than later.

The Pulwama attack, or to be slated as Indo Pak tensions, is mark under controlled. War situation has presently blown off. Intrepid actions taken by the current government on the same embark favourable winning chances in the upcoming elections.

On an upside, if 11,050 is traded on higher side, we can expect the rally to continue till previous top i.e. 11,118 and above this any breakout could result in pre-election rally till 11,324 and 11,550. Taking the broader view into perspective, Nifty is well placed above all major moving averages and until 10,800 holds, any dip is likely to bought into.

Here are the top stock trading ideas which can give good returns in the long term:

Exide Industries: Buy | CMP: Rs 224 | Target: Rs 262 | Return: 17%

Q3 numbers for Exide did not turn out to be very fruitful. Net profit stood at Rs 155 crore, mainly due to higher tax rate. Revenue stood at Rs 2497 crore against Rs 2278 crore, registering growth of 10 percent against previous year. EBITDA margin improved marginally 11bps at 12.5 percent against 12.4 percent in the previous year quarter primarily due to higher other expenses. Though, volumes in Automotive, Motorcycle, UPS and Solar Batteries in Q3 have grown well.

Going forward, the company's cost control measures and technology up gradation strategies would help to improve the bottom-line. Also, tie up for batteries having lithium-ion cell technology at its plant is expected to become operational by mid-2020 would add to improve company's performance and lower the raw material cost to some extent.

As, electric vehicles to be the next leg for growth combined with 2W growth expected to remain strong in the years to come due to increase in consumption & rural income. We remain positive for the sector and Exide industries to maintain its market share.

However, continued escalation in lead prices remains a major concern. Adding to that, muted auto sales numbers and competition pressures are also pulling back the margins.

Asian Paints: Buy | CMP: Rs 1384 | Target: Rs 1575 | Return: 14%

Asian Paints delivered Q3 results in line with our expectations; Volume growth has also picked up significantly, though business continued to face pressure from rising raw material prices.

Although crude oil prices were uptick during Q3 results, it had softened currently and is expected to remain range bound which would help improving the margins front.

Going forward, the commissioning of the Mysore plant as well as Vizag plant on board is expected to hit the market. Having said that is not enough, to stand out of the queue, it has entered home décor business as well- AP homes, to bring décor options under one roof and is planning to open up four more stores by the middle of July next year.

Also, company's products & market strategies are well on streamed. It has been repeatedly throwing various campaigns. One amongst is Royale Health Shield as the Gold Standard for aesthetics and protection for every home with Anti-Bacterial technology, keeping in mind consumer awareness and choices that are safe and hygienic, to establish.

Moreover, campaign launch to establish Ultima Protek as the 'Gold Standard' in protection for the exteriors of every home is expected to gain consumers traction. We expect all this efforts could make Asian Paints a unique moat among other competitors and outperform ahead.

The author is Senior Research Analyst at Rudra Shares & Stock Brokers

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. First Published on Mar 11, 2019 01:04 pm

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Currency Hedges Serve FMI International Well

It's been a rough half-decade for international stocks. Over the past five years, the MSCI EAFE index, a proxy for stocks in developed foreign countries, has returned an annualized 2.1%. That return reflects stock returns as well as currency movements—specifically, a rising dollar that has sapped the returns of U.S. investors in foreign firms. (A stronger dollar means that overseas earnings translate into fewer greenbacks here.) Account for those currency swings (funds typically try to hedge them by trading derivatives), and the index's return jumps to 6.6%.

See Also: 39 European Dividend Aristocrats for International Income Growth

FMI International (FMIJX, which employs a currency hedge, has therefore trounced the unhedged EAFE in recent years. But the fund, classified as a mix of growth and value stocks, also has an excellent track record against the hedged version of the benchmark. Since International's 2011 inception, its 8.3% annualized return beats the MSCI EAFE 100% Hedged index by more than a percentage point per year, with 23% less volatility.

The managers favor firms with competitive advantages in their industries; experienced, shareholder-friendly management teams; little debt; and robust returns on invested capital (a measure of profitability). Preferring to take deep dives into companies' finances, the managers avoid firms that may not adhere to strict financial disclosure or accounting practices. To be considered, a stock must trade at a discount relative to its own price history as well as to its peers. Plus, the managers must be convinced that the discount is due to a temporary problem that the firm can overcome.

Safran, the French maker of jet engines, is an example of such a firm. FMI added the stock to the portfolio in early 2018, after Safran acquired aerospace firm Zodiac. Trepidation about the deal had unfairly deflated Safran's stock price, as had investor concerns over narrowing profit margins, says FMI research director Jonathan Bloom. Safran has returned nearly 31% since the fund purchased it.

FMI International lags when foreign stocks are going gangbusters but makes up ground when stocks slide. In 2011, when the MSCI 100% Hedged index surrendered 12.1%, the fund lost only 1.8%.

Data as of February 15. **Closed to new investors. DATA SOURCE: Morningstar Inc.

See Also: The Best Emerging-Markets Stocks for 2019 Show comments