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#BoardOfDirectors Valmont Appoints Two New Members to Its Board of Directors and Announces Lead Director Succession – Valmont Appoints Two New Members to Its Board of Directors and Announces Lead Director Succession GuruFocus.comFull coverage http://bit.ly/2z67uXI
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) December 21, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Shopify COO Harley Finkelstein joins CBC board of directors – Shopify COO Harley Finkelstein joins CBC board of directors BetaKitFull coverage http://bit.ly/2yZxTX9
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) December 20, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Cybersecurity Oversight Remains a Challenge for Board Directors – Cybersecurity Oversight Remains a Challenge for Board Directors Wall Street JournalFull coverage http://bit.ly/2kIuebi
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) December 19, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Ruby Tuesday Board of Directors Rejects Highly-Conditional and Not Fully-Financed Acquisition Proposal – Ruby Tuesday Board of Directors Rejects Highly-Conditional and Not Fully-Financed Acquisition Proposal GlobeNewswire (press rel… http://bit.ly/2kg8vrz
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) December 19, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Peloza chosen to National League of Cities board of directors – Peloza chosen to National League of Cities board of directors Auburn ReporterFull coverage http://bit.ly/2kK4WcO
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) December 19, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Zosano Announces Resignation of Bruce Steel from Board of Directors – Zosano Announces Resignation of Bruce Steel from Board of Directors satPRnews (press release)Full coverage http://bit.ly/2k8Xc4K
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) December 18, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors QPR directors tender resignation from holding company board – QPR directors tender resignation from holding company board getwestlondonFull coverage http://bit.ly/2kFKjP5
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) December 18, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Share Buyback Plan Authorized by MarketAxess Holdings (NASDAQ:MKTX) Board of Directors http://bit.ly/2iwilnC
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) November 5, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors CREW Network elects 2018 Board of Directors http://bit.ly/2ze8w5V
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) November 4, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors MGEX Announces Board Of Directors Election Results – Exchange News Direct http://bit.ly/2z23zfJ
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) October 6, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Four New Members Join The American Turkish Society's Board Of Directors – Markets Insider http://bit.ly/2y3tgi2
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) October 6, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Uber Chaos as Current, Former CEO Battle over Board of Directors – Breitbart News http://bit.ly/2xPPvIH
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) October 4, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Agria Corporation Announces Resignation of Wah Kwong Tsang … – GlobeNewswire (press release… http://bit.ly/2wb6gd5
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) September 23, 2017
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#BoardOfDirectors Central Kentucky Ag Credit adds new board member – The Lane Report http://bit.ly/2fh69Gl
— Muzaffaruddin Alvi (@Muzaffar1969) September 23, 2017
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After another crazy day of trading for Pandora Media P, shares of the internet radio pioneer closed about 1% higher on Tuesday. As investors continue to digest the company’s new investment deal with SiriusXM SIRI, it looks like we could be in store for continued volatility.
Overall, the stock has slumped over the past few weeks, and it now sits comfortably near its 52-week low. Of course, now—especially considering the renewed attention on the company—many investors may be starting to feel that Pandora is entering into “oversold” territory.
So should you buy Pandora stock on the dip, or has the stock rightfully been sold-off because of its inherent weakness? Let’s dig into some of its fundamentals first:
As we can see, Pandora is displaying a VGM grade of “C,” which means several of its key fundamental metrics are relatively mediocre. The stock is currently sporting an “F” for Value, primarily because its lack of profits has dragged down several of its key value-related ratios—especially compared to its “Internet-Services” industry peers.
One fundamental metric to note, however, is the company’s P/S ratio of 1.20. This ratio is often preferred for young companies that may not be posting profits yet—or firms in the IT sector that may not have many tangible assets. It is certainly encouraging that Pandora is displaying strength here, and it is worth noting that our current consensus estimates call for double-digit revenue growth in both the current and upcoming fiscal year.
Nevertheless, it is understandable that many investors are concerned about the current state of Pandora’s business model. The company’s internet radio concept revolutionized digital music listening, but it was quickly overshadowed by the more personal and customizable platforms of Spotify and Apple’s AAPL Apple Music.
According to Pandora’s latest earnings report, total active listeners fell from 79.4 million in the first quarter of 2016 to just 76.7 million in the first quarter. However, the company recently launched a Spotify-like platform and it is seeing nice gains in its subscription services segment.
And while that last bit may seem like a great sign for Pandora’s future, every bit of good news about the company seems to be met with another piece of bad news. For example, investors weren’t too excited that Pandora decided to sell its Ticketfly business—a segment it just acquired less than two years ago—for a $250 million loss on Friday.
Also, we should note that Pandora is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Remember, the Zacks Rank is heavily influenced by earnings estimate revisions, so let’s check out a quick snapshot of the revision activity we have seen for Pandora recently:
As was the case for Pandora’s fundamental metrics, the company’s estimate revisions have been relatively mediocre. An 83% negative revision agreement, which has sent Pandora’s current-quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate nearly 10 cents lower, is certainly not a good sign, and there is very little encouraging trends to be found here.
Sure, revisions haven’t had much an effect on the company’s full-year earnings outlook, but things do look to be pretty sluggish for the next fiscal year. Is a new partnership with SiriusXM going to be enough to overcome its earnings challenges? How will shedding the profitable ticket servicing unit impact earnings in the long-term? Only time will tell.
But remember, we were also trying to figure out whether Pandora has been oversold. To do that, let’s take a peek at some technical charts that are often used for determining “overbought” or “oversold” status:
As we already know, the stock has been fading for some time, and it now sits at its lowest levels in past the six months—and beyond that. Right now, the Relative Strength Index and the Williams %R charts indicate that the stock is currently sitting at what are typically considered the “oversold” thresholds, but it doesn’t seem like either indicator is signaling a bullish move just yet.
For one, most traders like to look at the RSI in conjunction with trends, as trend support can often coincide with RSI support. However, share prices have had little to no support recently, and we’ve seen the stock continue to linger in the weaker RSI territory as it has dipped lower and lower.
Also, it’s worth noting that traders looking at a Williams %R chart tend to regard a move from “oversold” territory back across the -50 threshold as a bullish indicator. As we can see, P has some work to do before it gets there, and it’s not like the stock has proven its ability to stay above -50 for very long either.
And finally, these pieces of analysis will all depend on your preferred method of trading. . Regardless, it will be incredibly interesting to see how shares of this once-innovative music platform can perform at these levels.
Want more stock market analysis from this author? Make sure to follow @Ryan_McQueeney on Twitter!
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Pandora Media, Inc. (P): Free Stock Analysis Report
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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
June 14, 2017 at 05:09AM
from Ryan McQueeney
The U.S. is slated to enter a period of medical cost equilibrium, where the forces that drive up health costs are offset by a demand for value-based health care system, according to a report released to The Daily Caller News Foundation Tuesday morning by PriceWaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute . PwC projects the medical cost trend to be 6.5 percent in 2017, a growth rate nearly half that of 2007.
June 14, 2017 at 04:45AM
from
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today’s Research Daily features new research reports on 17 major stocks, including Amazon (AMZN), Visa (V), Verizon (VZ) and Citigroup (C).These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.
You can see all of today’s research reports here >>>
Amazon’s shares have outperformed the broader market in the year-to-date period (the stock is up +30.6% vs. the +8.8% gain for the S&P 500 as a whole). The company delivered strong first quarter results with both earnings and revenues beating expectations.
The Zacks analyst likes the company’s solid loyalty system in Prime and its FBA strategy, and content addition continues to add selection to Prime memberships. Also, the AWS generates much higher margins than retail, so it has a very positive impact on Amazon’s profitability. Devices and IoT is also a potential growth area. However, Prime saturation in the U.S. market and competition in online retail remains concern.
(You can read the full research report on Amazon here >>>) .
Shares of Visa have outperformed the Zacks Financial Transaction Services industry as well as MasterCard in the year-to-date period (Visa is up +21.2% vs. +18.5% gain for MA and +15.7% for the industry). Driving this momentum is the acknowledgement that Visa’s brand, global network, and leading market share position it to be a key beneficiary of the secular global shift to electronic transactions. Initial concerns about a changing competitive landscape, large on account of new payment options, have also started receding.
The company’s strong results in recent quarters reflect this favorable backdrop. On the flip side, forex volatility, increased client incentives and global economic uncertainty are some of the headwinds.
(You can read the full research report on Visa here >>>).
Verizon’s shares have been laggards over the past year — the stock is down 11.9% over the past 12 months vs. AT&T’s 3.5% decline and the +17% gain for the S&P 500 index. Verizon’s latest deal to acquire Straight Path Communications for $3.1 billion is part of its recent efforts to maintain its wireless leadership while branching out into adjacent opportunities.
The company’s decision to launch FiOS Prepaid plan, FiOS Internet service and to zero-rate its data on FiOS Mobile App should help it gain subscribers while unlimited data plans have heated up the wireless industry.
The Verizon-Yahoo deal underwent a discount revision of $350 million, but is part of the company’s efforts to add content; a TV streaming service is reportedly being contemplated. In the updated research report issued today, the Zacks analyst discusses the pros & cons of investing in Verizon shares at this stage.
(You can read the full research report on Verizon here >>>).
Shares of Citigroup have gained around +8.8% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Major Banks industry, which has gained +2.8% over the same period. The Zacks analyst likes the company’s restructuring and streamlining efforts, strategic investments in core business and expense management. Recently, the firm has entered into an agreement to vend its Fixed Income Analytics and Index Businesses to London Stock Exchange Group plc in order to focus on core operations.
Moreover, the recently approved Financial Choice Act which seeks to eradicate a number of core financial regulations will act as a tailwind for the company in coming quarters. However, several issues including a substantial litigation burden remain concerns.
(You can read the full research report on Citigroup here >>>).
Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Morgan Stanley (MS), Walgreens (WBA) and Duke Energy (DUK).
Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?
Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.
Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we’re targeting>>
Mark Vickery
Senior Editor
Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here>>>
CBRE (CBG) to Acquire Caledon, Global Uncertainty Remains
Per the Zacks analyst, CBRE Group’s efforts to broaden its service offerings and focus on strategic acquisitions are aiding it. But, uneasiness in certain global economies is a concern.
Duke Energy’s (DUK) Infrastructural Plans Will Drive Growth
Per the Zacks analyst, Duke Energy invests heavily in infrastructure and expansion projects. Its current investment plan will support the company’s targeted earnings growth rate of 4%-6% through 2021.
Kinder Morgan (KMI) to Grow on Fee-Based Deals, Debts High
Kinder Morgan expects majority of its cash flow in 2017 to be generated from stable fee-based contracts. However, high dependence on debt financing could hurt the company, per the covering analyst.
Diversification Efforts Buoy DISH (DISH), Customer Loss a Woe
Per the Zacks analyst, DISH’s efforts to diversify its business from a satellite-TV operator to an Internet TV operator looks impressive.
Margin Growth and Buyouts to Aid Parker-Hannifin (PH)
Per the Zacks analyst, Parker-Hannifin’s revamped “Win Strategy” will continue to boost margins, going ahead.
Electronic Arts (EA) to Benefit from Strong Digital Business
The covering analyst opines that growing digital business, strength in franchises (like EA Sports titles, Battlefield and Star Wars) and cost optimization initiatives will boost revenues going forward.
Dollar Tree (DLTR) to Gain from Family Dollar’s Integration
Per the Zacks analyst, Family Dollar’s integration, store expansion and renovation plans should benefit Dollar Tree.
Royal Caribbean (RCL) Rides on Bookings, Double-Double Plan
Per the Zacks analyst, solid booking trends are likely to lead to revenue growth at Royal Caribbean in 2017. Its Double-Double program is helping to control costs and improve revenue yields.
Volume Growth, Cost Cut Efforts Drive Norfolk Southern (NSC)
The covering analyst likes the improving coal scenario, which is aiding overall volumes at Norfolk Southern. The company’s prudent cost management and shareholder-friendly moves also raise optimism.
Morgan Stanley’s (MS) Project Streamline To Boost Profits
Per the Zacks analyst, Morgan Stanley remains on track to reduce expenses through the implementation of its cost control plan, Project Streamline, thus improving profitability in the quarters ahead.
Legg Mason’s (LM) Continued AUM Outflow Raises Concern
Per the Zacks analyst, Legg Mason has experienced equity AUM outflows over the last few years due to poor investment management performance. Also, strict regulations in the industry remain a headwind.
Manulife Financial (MFC) Hurt By Soft Canadian Operations
Per the covering analyst Manulife Financial’s earnings will be weighed on by soft Canadian operations as the segment’s core earnings will be impacted in the near term due to lower group benefit sales.
Walgreens (WBA) – Rite Aid Deal in Doubt under FTC Hassle
The Zacks analyst worries about the unclear fate of the impeding Walgreens- Rite Aid merger. If the deal fails, it will be a big blow as the merger expects a synergy of $1 billion.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA): Free Stock Analysis Report
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Free Stock Analysis Report
Visa Inc. (V): Free Stock Analysis Report
Morgan Stanley (MS): Free Stock Analysis Report
Duke Energy Corporation (DUK): Free Stock Analysis Report
Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
June 14, 2017 at 05:09AM
from Mark Vickery
http://ift.tt/eA8V8J
by Andrew Hoffman Today, let’s start with one of my “favorite” topics, given my strong belief that OPEC’s highly visible death throes presage the epic level of chaos the gold Cartel will eventually experience…
June 14, 2017 at 05:01AM
from IWB
The coal industry remains beleaguered, with challenges from all quarters domestic and international. In the U.S., strong competition from natural gas, stringent regulations and additional impetus to solar and wind power generation through the extension of tax credits are steadily luring away utility operators from coal.
Higher coal producing countries like Australia and Indonesia, and, importantly, a stronger greenback, are making the export market fiercely competitive for the U.S. coal players.
Even without the Clean Power Plan, utilities like NextEra Energy (NEE) and Dominion Resources (D) were already investing hugely to create a green energy generation portfolio, and have enhanced their focus on electricity from clean fuel sources.
The Clean Power Plan has been repealed by President Trump. Even still, new investments are being directed toward natural gas and renewable-based power production due to the clean-burning nature of natural gas and tax credits provided to produce more electricity from solar and wind.
Failing to cope with the continuous fall in demand and declining prices of coal, some coal miners have filed for bankruptcy. Companies like Patriot Coal and Walter Energy had tried all possible means to remain solvent, but the harsh reality is that coal demand is gradually going down.
In response to the anti-carbon drive, utility operators are shutting down coal-based power plants and are directing fresh investments toward constructing natural gas facilities and adding more renewables. U.S. coal production touched its lowest levels in 2016 to 739 million short tons (MMst) since 1978.
Here are some of the severe headwinds that the coal industry is up against:
Environmental Legislations: Coal has been losing importance as a fuel source over the last few years, particularly in the U.S., in comparison with other sources that are less harmful to the environment. Concerns over the emission of greenhouse gases and global climate change have resulted in the formulation of new legislations and policies which emphasize the use of environment-friendly fuel sources, particularly in the power sector.
This has considerably slowed down the expansion of coal-fired capacity in the power sector, with utility companies now building new natural gas-fired plants and resorting to alternative sources of energy generation like wind, solar and hydro power.
The Trump administration is trying to ease regulations that are hurting the coal industry. Will the U.S. be able to work in isolation ignoring the emission agreements directed at benefiting everyone? The answer to this question actually holds the key to the coal industry’s prospects.
American Electric Power Co., Inc. (AEP), a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, has eliminated over 5,500 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired capacity from its generation portfolio. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Natural Gas Substituting Coal: A major substitute for coal in energy generation is another fossil fuel: natural gas. Coal is being dumped in favor of natural gas, which due to extensive exploration and production, and a shale gas boom in onshore U.S., is witnessing significantly lower prices than in the past.
Natural gas is an attractive choice for new generating plants because of its relative fuel efficiency, low emissions, quick construction timelines and low capital costs. This trend is encouraging power generating utilities to not only convert their existing plants to gas-fired ones but to build new units.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects natural gas to contribute to 32% of the total energy generation in 2017, while coal represents 31%. However, in 2018, the share of natural gas is expected to improve 33% while coal’s share will remain unchanged.
Besides power generation, natural gas is being utilized in new projects in the fertilizer and chemical sectors.
Competition from Alternative Energy Sources: Apart from natural gas, the coal industry has been losing a major share of its electric generation demand to renewable sources of energy. Usage of alternate energy is on the rise, with more utility-scale solar projects being commissioned across the country.
The EIA report reveals combined electricity generation from conventional hydroelectric and renewable will reach 1.753 billion KWh per day in 2017, exhibiting growth of 5.9% from 2016 levels. The production from the alternate sources is anticipated to reach 1.845 billion KWh per day in 2018, reflecting growth of 5.2%.
These renewable additions will eat into coal’s share of electricity generation. Production of power from renewable sources is supported by most of the U.S. states though there is no national consensus regarding the percentage of renewables in the total energy mix.
The extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar and Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind will drive expansion of renewable generation units at the cost of coal. Making use of the government support, NextEra Energy expects to bring online nearly 2,800–5,400 MW of new wind projects over the 2017–2018 timeframe.
Rising Competition, Stronger Dollar: Besides competition from renewables and natural gas, U.S. coal producers are also affected by rising export from Indonesia and Australia as well as a stronger dollar, which is making this commodity dearer in the international markets. International players enjoy the benefit of low mining and transportation costs, consequently making the coal cheaper than their American peers.
Bankers Retreat: Capital-intensive coal projects are gradually losing favor among primary funders like banks and financial institutions. Banks are distancing themselves from coal projects and are rather getting involved in natural gas-based power projects.
To Conclude
In “Coal Industry Poised to Benefit from Trump’s Accommodations” we focused on factors that can drive the industry forward.
Even though President Trump has taken steps to boost the prospects of the coal industry, it will be an uphill task for the new administration to repair the damage already caused to it. The new policies from the Trump administration might bring in temporary relief for the coal miners, but we are skeptical about the long-term viability of the new policies.
Billions of dollars are already invested to produce electricity from clean energy sources and more projects are being lined up for approvals, so the question arises for policy makers whether it will be feasible to revive the coal industry in the long run. Carbon emissions are a serious threat to the future of the planet, according to a vast majority of climate scientists.
A recent release from Energy Trend Tracker indicates that 24 coal fired production units in 14 power plants producing 6,989 MW of energy is lined up for closure in 2017.
At present, we will advise investors to stay away from Natural Resource Partners LP (NRP) which not only carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), but has also delivered negative earnings surprises in two of the trailing four quarters. Additionally, its 2017 estimates have gone down by 40.4% in the last 30 days to $3.54 per share.
To overcome difficulties and remain viable, coal producers are idling coal mines, lowering headcount, delaying capital expenditure plans and even resorting to selling their mines. Despite these initiatives, coal producers are bracing themselves for an extended down-cycle, as demand for coal might improve marginally in near term but its share in fuel mix is likely to down over the long term.
3 Stocks to Ride a 588% Revenue Explosion
At Zacks, we’re mostly focused on short-term profit cycles, but the hottest of all technology mega-trends is starting to take hold… By last year, it was already generating $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it’s predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce “the world’s first trillionaires,” but that should still leave plenty of money for those who make the right trades early. See Zacks’ Top 3 Stocks to Ride This Space >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Natural Resource Partners LP (NRP): Free Stock Analysis Report
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Dominion Resources, Inc. (D): Free Stock Analysis Report
American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
June 13, 2017 at 04:53AM
from Zacks Equity Research
http://ift.tt/eA8V8J
By Michael Snyder Did you know that the sixth largest bank in Spain failed in spectacular fashion just a few days ago? Many are comparing the sudden implosion of Banco Popular to the collapse…
June 13, 2017 at 04:52AM
from IWB
