Three Bullish ESG Stocks This Week

&l;p&g;Each weekend I scan hundreds of stock charts in the ESG space. I focus mainly on environmental stocks in my research. I believe the sector is setting up for a long bull run after working through a lot of the hangover from the bursting of the 2007 green stock bubble. To me, it&a;rsquo;s analogous to how tech stocks suffered a lost decade after the dotcom bubble burst and have roared ahead this decade.&a;nbsp; Compiling my top stocks of the week like this is my first step &a;ndash; I look for good stock action first, then drill down into further research to determine to buy or not.&a;nbsp; My three bullish stock&a;nbsp;eco stocks for this week.

&l;strong&g;Chart Confluence:&a;nbsp;Aqua Metals&l;/strong&g;

The chart I&a;rsquo;m most intrigued by today is &l;a href=&q;https://www.aquametals.com/about-us/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Aqua Metals&l;/a&g;, maker of a novel way of recycling lead batteries. As a technical analyst, I love to see a confluence of indicators, especially traditional ones like AQMS is&a;nbsp;displaying&a;nbsp;now. The three-month daily chart below is showing shares just completed a golden cross, with the faster, 50-day moving average crossing over the slower one. Here the 50-day (blue line) cross the 200-day (yellow line). These are simple moving averages, the average of the closing prices over their periods. One of the better-known indicators, my experience is that golden crosses can be overrated, so I ignore them unless both averages are trending higher. The 200-day has yet to turn higher here, but my preferred long-term moving average, the half-year 126-day MA has, so this golden cross has significance to me.

&l;a href=&q;http://kinsaleinsights.com/?p=413&a;amp;preview=true&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;&l;img class=&q;wp-image-1548 size-medium&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/brendancoffey/files/2019/03/koyfin_20190317_075517535-300x150.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;150&q; data-width=&q;300&q;&g;&l;/a&g; AQMS daily chart. Click through for larger version.

Along with this, the longer-term chart shows that Aqua Metals is finishing off a double bottom formation that started in the latter part of 2017, the two sets of golden lines here. If shares can push through the low $4 area, I think you could see a run to the next area of resistance, near $7. That&a;rsquo;s a big if though.

&l;a href=&q;http://kinsaleinsights.com/?p=413&a;amp;preview=true&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;&l;img class=&q;wp-image-1553 size-medium&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/brendancoffey/files/2019/03/koyfin_20190317_075446520-300x150.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;150&q; data-width=&q;300&q;&g;&l;/a&g; Long term AQMS chart shows shares are closing off a double-bottom. Click through for larger version

Lead mining can be an environmentally unfriendly process (and the smelting of lead moreso). But lead is a necessity, for batteries and roofing products, primarily. U.S. manufacturers shipped 3% more car batteries in 2018 over the prior year, but domestic production at the country&a;rsquo;s 10 mines has been falling steadily, down 31% since 2014, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior&a;rsquo;s commodity service. Aqua Metals is a small developing company that has a way of recycling lead in a closed loop recycling method in room temperature water. The company&a;rsquo;s really just gearing up now, with plans to expand the number of recycling kettles it has. It generated just $4 million in sales in 2018. It looks like the progress is coming along enough for investors &a;ndash; shares started this latest leg of their move with earnings released February 28.

&l;strong&g;Bigger and Brighter: Universal Display Corp.&a;nbsp;&l;/strong&g;

A few weeks back I cleared out my living room for a fresh coat of paint, but my kids really wanted to watch a Harry Potter movie. So I set up our flat screen TV up in another room and we watched about half an hour or so before it was bedtime. As I rose to take the TV off the dining room chair I had set it on, it fell straight over, smashing the screen. I had made a silly &a;ndash;&a;nbsp;and expensive &a;ndash;&a;nbsp;mistake. Five years ago when&a;nbsp;I bought&a;nbsp;that doomed&a;nbsp;TV, OLED (organic light emitting diode) TVs were the next big thing. Now there are lots of OLED TVs available and just about all of the two dozen top picks in my &l;em&g;Consumer Reports&l;/em&g; buying guide are OLEDs. They&a;rsquo;re not cheap &a;ndash;&a;nbsp;they generally start in the mid-$1,000 range and go much higher &a;ndash; but not prohibitive either. OLEDs provide superior picture while using less operating voltage &a;ndash; they use about one third less than same-sized plasma TVs of last decade and maybe two-thirds less than the old tube TVs. That energy use gain is offset a bit by the fact OLEDs allow for much larger TVs, but so far still seems to be a net efficiency gain. More significantly, OLEDs are used in mobile devices, a much larger market where OLED&a;rsquo;s flexibility and longer brightness life are highly valued. The &q;organic&q;&a;nbsp;in OLEDs means it&s;s made of carbon-based&a;nbsp; materials.

That brings us to another good-looking stock chart this week: &l;a href=&q;https://oled.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Universal Display Corp.&l;/a&g;, with the ticker OLED. &a;nbsp;OLED gapped higher in late February from earnings announced on February 22. That leap is a bullish move that looks even better long term because the $128 area had been established as significant resistance multiple times. Like AQMS, it looks like OLED has closed off a bottom formation that began last August. Likely that $128 region is now support and OLED could work higher. The improved volume since the jump higher is encouraging too.

&l;a href=&q;http://kinsaleinsights.com/three-bullish-esg-charts-this-week/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;&l;img class=&q;wp-image-1557 size-medium&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/brendancoffey/files/2019/03/koyfin_20190317_021054190-300x150.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;150&q; data-width=&q;300&q;&g;&l;/a&g; OLED daily chart. Click through for larger version.

&a;nbsp;

&l;strong&g;Water&s;s Gushing: American Water Works&l;/strong&g;

Water related stocks have been the strongest sector of environmental-focused investing lately, appealing to both utility-minded investors and macro investors who expect climate change to make water access and rights increasingly valuable. The largest water-focused ETF, the&l;strong&g; Invesco Water Resources Fund (PHO)&l;/strong&g; is up 19%. That return is pretty much identical to &l;a href=&q;https://amwater.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;&l;strong&g;American Water Works&l;/strong&g; &l;/a&g;for the year, but over time shares (ticker: AWK) have been less volatile than the ETF with as-good or better returns depending on the time frame. It&s;s worth considering cherry picking individual issues that show long, constructive advances like here, even as PHO is a fine fund itself. The three-year daily AWK chart here shows a good long term effort at working higher. What caught my eye this week is the massive volume shares did last week. The grey bars at the bottom of the chart show AWK saw the most action Friday that it has in years (since March 2016 to be exact). It&a;rsquo;s intriguing to see a utility attract that much buying, especially a large cap. American Water Works is a geographically diverse U.S. operator of water utilities and wastewater treatment facilities.

&l;a href=&q;http://kinsaleinsights.com/three-bullish-esg-charts-this-week/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;&l;img class=&q;wp-image-1559 size-medium&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/brendancoffey/files/2019/03/koyfin_20190317_021516605-300x150.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;150&q; data-width=&q;300&q;&g;&l;/a&g; AWK daily chart. Click through for larger version

&a;nbsp;

&a;nbsp;&l;/p&g;

Stock Market News: Ford Builds Suspense; Will Tilray Go to Pot?

The stock market saw more volatility on Friday morning, with mixed economic data and the delay of the U.K.'s move to exit the European Union creating conflicting messages for investors. Nevertheless, as of 11:35 a.m. EDT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) was up almost 100 points to 25,807. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) rose 11 points to 2,819, and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) picked up 60 points to 7,691.

The auto industry has gone through upheaval lately, as up-and-coming pioneers make innovative advances in areas like electric vehicles. Yet Ford (NYSE:F) proved last night that it wasn't content to sit in the shadows while competitors were squarely in the spotlight. At the same time, investors in marijuana stock Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY) are anxiously awaiting the cannabis company's latest report on its financial performance, and with the stock down 75% from its highs, some fear that more bad news could be devastating.

Ford lets the horse out of the barn

Shares of Ford Motor didn't make any major moves on Friday, falling less than 1% and continuing the lackluster performance the stock has suffered through for years. Yet the automaker is intent on getting itself moving in the right direction again, and it took advantage of an opportunity to poke fun at a competitor in order to make its case.

Image source: Ford.

Just as many people were watching Elon Musk unveil the new Model Y electric sport utility vehicle, Ford decided to seize the chance to tease a vehicle of its own. The automaker took to Musk's Twitter haunting grounds to post a simple image of its Mustang logo in electric blue, with the comment, "Hold your horses." Fans immediately speculated that an electric-powered version of the iconic sports car might be forthcoming.

Ford has already hinted at an electric SUV that could borrow from the Mustang's legacy, with a possible release date that could end up beating the Model Y to market. Shareholders hope that such a move, along with other initiatives, could help the stock get back its positive momentum. However, investors have waited a long time for that day to come without yet seeing success, and it'll take more than a three-word tweet to turn things around for the auto giant.

Tilray looks for a new high

In the marijuana industry, Tilray's stock moved modestly higher on Friday morning. Investors have anxiously awaited the cannabis company's latest quarterly results, and they'll finally get their wish on Monday in its fourth-quarter report.

Tilray investors fully expect huge sales gains from the company, because it will be the first quarter in which the Canadian company will include revenue from recently legalized recreational cannabis sold in Canada. They also expect to get more color on some of the strategic moves that Tilray has made lately, including its most recent acquisition of hemp-based food specialist Manitoba Harvest.

Nothing Tilray says Monday is likely to send the marijuana stock back to its heady days from last fall, and many analysts have concerns about its inability to attract a major consumer-goods partner or to make a particular splash in the recreational market. Yet it'd be a mistake to count CEO Brendan Kennedy out, especially given his experience and dedication to the company.

3 Ways To Adopt The Right Retirement Savings Behavior

&l;p&g;When it comes to retirement, we often don&s;t &l;em&g;behave&l;/em&g; right.

It&s;s not that we throw a tantrum when we see percentage signs or big numbers. The big problem is that we rarely have an emotional connection to them, so we don&s;t behave wisely.

I know. It&s;s hard to get attached to things like compound interest or expense ratios. They sound really dull, although they&s;re always important. Yet there is a way to better see numbers and save more for retirement.

&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-1132238755&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/1132238755/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;659&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Getty

The National Foundation for Employee Benefit Plans &l;a href=&q;https://www.ifebp.org/pdf/ten-ways-behavioral-finance.pdf&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;recently published&l;/a&g; a mini-white paper on behavioral finance and retirement security. Although the paper was for 401(k) sponsors, there were some useful nuggets on improving savings behavior:

&l;strong&g;-- Frame how you will &l;em&g;gain&l;/em&g;, rather than lose by saving for retirement.&l;/strong&g; Not surprisingly, many see their monthly 401(k) contribution as &l;em&g;lost&l;/em&g; money instead of an investment in their future. Behavioral finance research suggests that we can &q;re-frame&q; how we see that contribution.

&q;Stress what could be gained or lost. A chief tenet of behavioral finance is that people are loss-averse. People are highly motivated to avoid what they consider a loss. In fact, losing hurts worse than winning feels good.&q;

How much will you gain at retirement by saving more upfront or when you get a raise? What will it mean in total dollars at the end of 30 years?

&l;strong&g;-- Ask About Success Stories.&l;/strong&g; Ask those who are comfortable in retirement how they got there. How much did they save every year? If we can model our savings strategy on those who did well, that makes a difference.

&q;When making choices, people tend to do what they think most other people are doing because they believe there is less chance they will make a wrong choice. They are also influenced by what they think is expected or socially acceptable.&q;

&l;strong&g;-- Envision Your Retirement.&l;/strong&g; Where do you want to be? What do you want to be doing? Have a picture of your lifestyle.&a;nbsp; If you have a distinct idea of your preferred retirement lifestyle, it will motivate you to save.

&q;Having a personal retirement picture helps people avoid temptations to spend today, which can derail their retirement.&q;

Still stymied on what to do? You can always work with a &l;a href=&q;https://www.napfa.org/find-an-advisor&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;fee-only financial planner &l;/a&g;if you need help. Even better, if your employer offers access to financial planners, you can start there.

&a;nbsp;&l;/p&g;

Jamie Dimon says we've split the US economy, leaving the poor behind

J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said that the U.S. economy has essentially been split into those benefiting from thriving corporations and those who are left behind.

"I don't want to be a tone deaf CEO; while the company is doing fine, it is absolutely obvious that a big chunk of [people] have been left behind," Dimon said. "Forty percent of Americans make less than $15 an hour. Forty percent of Americans can't afford a $400 bill, whether it's medical or fixing their car. Fifteen percent of Americans make minimum wages, 70,000 die from opioids" annually.

"If you travel around to most neighborhoods where companies live, they're doing fine," Dimon said. "So we've kind of bifurcated the economy."

Dimon was speaking at an event at the bank's New York headquarters to unveil a new $350 million program to boost job prospects for people in under-served communities. The J.P. Morgan chairman and CEO has frequently voiced concern about the declining labor force participation rate and the shortfalls of the educational system in preparing people for emerging roles.

Making progress against these issues involves companies working with local organizations to provide skills outside of the university context, he said.

Dimon called the education system "broken" and said his bank stopped giving philanthropic dollars to colleges years ago.

"Harvard and Princeton are not a philanthropy," Dimon said. "Helping these kids is."

Best Tech Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:CBRL,LPSN,PRMW, &l;p&g;According to a previously undisclosed Internal Revenue Service (&a;ldquo;IRS&a;rdquo;) document, the IRS plans to spend $291 million updating 140 computer systems to help it implement the new tax law. Those information-technology costs and other back-office operations will consume more than 90% of the money Congress is giving the IRS for implementation. Overall, the IRS budget is estimated to be $11.4 billion in the next fiscal year.

For the IRS, keeping up with changes in the tax law and new technology can be quite expensive. The internet has created many positive changes for the IRS, including reducing costs for many services, such as tax return filing, data analysis and the exchange of information.&a;nbsp; However, it seems that once again a new technology revolution is upon us; blockchain.

&l;img class=&q;dam-image shutterstock size-large wp-image-1103873993&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/1103873993/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Shutterstock

Best Tech Stocks To Invest In 2019: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc.(CBRL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBRL) by 8.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,548 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store were worth $711,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Max Byerly]

  COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “Cracker Barrel (CBRL) Stake Decreased by TIAA CREF Investment Management LLC” was reported by Ticker Report and is the property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this story on another website, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of US & international copyright & trademark laws. The legal version of this story can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3353524/cracker-barrel-cbrl-stake-decreased-by-tiaa-cref-investment-management-llc.html.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In a recent show devoted to southern restaurant and gift store chain Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ:CBRL), the Motley Fool Industry Focus podcast team analyzes the company's juicy shareholder returns, which include rising dividend payments and, over the last few years, annual special dividends. While shareholders aren't likely to pass up these attractive payouts, would the money be better spent on new locations?

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ:CBRL) has a customer traffic problem. The restaurant chain recently posted a significant sales volume slump in the fiscal fourth quarter, which pushed revenue lower for the period. The decline caught management by surprise and contributed to a weak operating outlook for the new fiscal year, with Cracker Barrel projecting revenue at existing locations to be roughly flat in 2019.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc  (NASDAQ:CBRL)Q2 2019 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 26, 2019, 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

Best Tech Stocks To Invest In 2019: LivePerson Inc.(LPSN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Mobileye (OTCMKTS: MBBYF) and LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings and risk.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPSN) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $25.50.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The technology company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, Bloomberg Earnings reports. LivePerson had a negative return on equity of 2.93% and a negative net margin of 6.95%. The company had revenue of $58.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.22 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. LivePerson updated its Q2 guidance to $0.00-0.01 EPS and its FY18 guidance to $0.11-0.15 EPS.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  In other LivePerson news, CEO Robert P. Locascio sold 45,837 shares of LivePerson stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.06, for a total value of $827,816.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 266,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,821,965.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert P. Locascio sold 3,405 shares of LivePerson stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.82, for a total value of $64,082.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 312,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,887,535.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 52,472 shares of company stock valued at $953,572. 11.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

  COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “LivePerson, Inc. (LPSN) Stake Lessened by Castleark Management LLC” was posted by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this report on another site, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of international trademark & copyright law. The legal version of this report can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4205672/liveperson-inc-lpsn-stake-lessened-by-castleark-management-llc.html.

  LivePerson Company Profile

Best Tech Stocks To Invest In 2019: Primo Water Corporation(PRMW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Primo Water (NASDAQ:PRMW) was upgraded by research analysts at ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Primo Water Corp. (NASDAQ: PRMW) was started with an Outperform rating at William Blair. BMO Capital Markets maintained its Market Perform rating but the price target was raised to $16 from $15.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Primo Water (NASDAQ:PRMW) CFO David J. Mills sold 5,934 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.50, for a total value of $80,109.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 79,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,074,924. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Primo Water (PRMW)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Primo Water (PRMW)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Primo Water (NASDAQ:PRMW) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $15.00 to $16.00 in a research note issued on Thursday. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target points to a potential upside of 0.88% from the company’s current price.