Diplomat Pharmacy (DPLO) Downgraded to Market Perform at Svb Leerink

Svb Leerink cut shares of Diplomat Pharmacy (NYSE:DPLO) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday. The brokerage currently has $6.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $24.00.

DPLO has been the subject of several other reports. William Blair lowered Diplomat Pharmacy from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report on Monday, January 7th. ValuEngine lowered Diplomat Pharmacy from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Monday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird raised Diplomat Pharmacy from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and upped their target price for the company from $10.00 to $15.00 in a report on Friday, December 7th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Diplomat Pharmacy from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Tuesday, November 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Diplomat Pharmacy from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and reduced their target price for the company from $9.00 to $8.00 in a report on Friday, February 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $13.78.

Get Diplomat Pharmacy alerts:

DPLO stock opened at $6.31 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $446.82 million, a PE ratio of 7.51 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Diplomat Pharmacy has a 12-month low of $5.56 and a 12-month high of $28.74.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DPLO. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Diplomat Pharmacy during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Diplomat Pharmacy by 43.4% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Diplomat Pharmacy during the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado grew its holdings in Diplomat Pharmacy by 142.2% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 6,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,703 shares during the period. Finally, Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB bought a new position in Diplomat Pharmacy during the fourth quarter valued at $155,000. 84.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diplomat Pharmacy Company Profile

Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc operates as an independent specialty pharmacy in the United States. The company stocks, dispenses, and distributes prescriptions for various biotechnology and specialty pharmaceutical manufacturers. It also provides specialty infusion pharmacy, patient care coordination, clinical, compliance and persistency program, patient financial assistance, specialty pharmacy training/consulting, benefits investigation, prior authorization, risk evaluation and medication strategy, retail specialty, and hub services, as well as clinical and administrative support services to hospitals and health systems.

Recommended Story: Why is cost of goods sold important?

3 Key Things From Canopy Growth's Earnings Call That Investors Should Know

Last week, Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC), a leading Canadian cannabis company, reported its third-quarter results for fiscal 2019.

Net revenue soared 282% year over year to 83 million Canadian dollars, driven by the opening of Canada's recreational marijuana market in mid-October. Sales to this new market accounted for about CA$59 million, or 71% of total net revenue; sales to medical patients, primarily in Canada, but also in international markets, notably Germany, brought in $16.5 million, or 20% of net revenue; and sales of devices, merchandise, and clinic services generated CA$7.5 million, or 9% of net revenue. Breaking out by product type, oils accounted for 33% of product revenue, up from 23% in the year-ago quarter. This shift in product mix is a positive since oils generate higher gross margins.

The profit picture wasn't nearly as pretty because Canopy is investing heavily in growth initiatives, thanks largely to the $4 billion it received last fall when alcoholic beverage giant Constellation Beverages brought its ownership stake in Canopy up to 38%. Canopy's net income jumped 581% to CA$74.9 million, or CA$0.22 per basic share. However, the positive net income is only because of the changes in fair value from the company's financial assets and financial liabilities. Canopy had an operating loss of CA$157.2 million and a loss per fully diluted share of $0.38. 

Earnings releases only tell part of the story. Here are three things from Canopy Growth's fiscal Q3 call that you should know. (Transcript via Seeking Alpha.) 

Image source: Getty Images.

Facility for production of cannabis-infused beverages expected to be complete by May 1

From founder and co-CEO Bruce Linton's remarks:

We have a building that's a little bit more than 150,000 square feet which is being put up right now... The building is expected to be complete May 1, which means that we can then begin to put all of the equipment inside so that we can then begin to make the beverages, which will use the science that we've been creating for four years to go into brand extensions of Tweed and a bunch [of brands] that are behind the curtain [not being revealed yet] that I think... consumers will love.

Cannabis-infused beverages, along with edibles, aren't yet legal in Canada, but they're widely expected to get the regulatory green light this year. It seems that Canopy Growth will be ready to start pumping out these beverages as soon as it's legally permitted to do so. These beverages are expected to have higher gross margins than the cannabis products Canopy is now legally permitted to sell -- dry flower and oils -- so they should help boost the company's overall gross margin.

Hemp-derived CBD products targeted for commercial availability in the U.S. by calendar Q4 2019

The following quote is from Linton's remarks to an analyst who asked if management still believed that Canopy would have hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products commercially available in the U.S. by the fourth quarter of this year, as Linton said he believed would be the case when he spoke at a stock analyst event in December. (CBD, which can be extracted from both marijuana and hemp, is a nonpsychoactive chemical that's been associated with a host of medicinal benefits.)

I think we're still on a track ... to have products in the [U.S.] markets where they're permissible. So maybe New York State will be a terrific market. Perhaps California will be a tougher one and that's more about regulation. But we're on track with acquiring the building, having third-party growers, having processing [operations], and whether or not it's Q4 [2019], Q1 [2020] ... [is] a function of a few things having to go right.

For background, on Jan. 14, Canopy Growth announced that it received a license from New York State to process and produce products derived from hemp. This move into the U.S. cannabis market was made possible by the U.S. Farm Bill, which became effective on Jan. 1, 2019. This legislation "removed industrial hemp from the federal government's list of controlled substances, making it legal across the country to grow and process it and opening up a potentially massive market for hemp-derived CBD products," as I wrote earlier this month.

CFO transition 

From CFO Tim Saunders' remarks:

I've made the decision to retire from the CFO role at Canopy later this calendar year... I really believe now is an appropriate time to hand the reigns over to a new financial executive to shape and drive financial capabilities over the next three to five years as the country prepares for its next phase of growth. 

The departure of a CFO can sometimes be a bad sign, but there doesn't appear to be anything worrisome here. Saunders seems to be leaving his position on good terms, as he'll reportedly be staying on in a strategic advisor role. He said that top management expects his successor to be "named in the coming months." It's fairly common for a company's CFO to change at the stage Canopy Growth is now in, with revenue growth just starting to explode. 

In short, 2019 promises to be another exciting year for Canopy, with the company beginning operations in the U.S. this year, and anticipating rolling out new, higher-margin products beginning later this year. 

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:REAL,HBNC,YUMA,AGEN,SNH,BIIB,VTGN,BNCL,PCRFY,MASI,

September 21, 2018: Markets opened higher again Friday but only the blue chips appear to be in position to end the day with a gain. There was no significant economic news today, and the tariff battle between the U.S. and China is easy to ignore what with consumer confidence and corporate profits both rocking along. Cyclical stocks traded lower Friday while defensive sectors like consumer staples and utilities did their best to prop up the indexes.

WTI crude oil for November delivery settled at $70.78 a barrel, up about 0.7% for the day and WTI added 2.6% over the course of the week. December gold dropped about 0.8% to settle at $1,201.30 but a small gain for the week. Equities were heading for a mixed close about 10 minutes before the bell as the Dow traded up 0.26% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.04%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded down 0.60%.

Bitcoin futures (XBTU8) for September delivery traded at $6,730, up about 5.1% on the Cboe after opening at $6,420 this morning. The trading range today was $6,420 to $6,765.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: (REAL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  REAL (CURRENCY:REAL) traded down 6.1% against the US dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 22:00 PM Eastern on May 31st. REAL has a market capitalization of $4.59 million and approximately $4,914.00 worth of REAL was traded on exchanges in the last day. One REAL token can currently be purchased for approximately $0.46 or 0.00006075 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including BitFlip and EtherDelta (ForkDelta). Over the last seven days, REAL has traded up 13.8% against the US dollar.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Real Matters (TSE:REAL) had its price target lowered by research analysts at Canaccord Genuity from C$8.00 to C$7.50 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 46.77% from the stock’s current price.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  REAL (CURRENCY:REAL) traded down 14.6% against the US dollar during the 1-day period ending at 22:00 PM ET on May 14th. One REAL token can currently be purchased for about $0.32 or 0.00003633 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including EtherDelta (ForkDelta) and BitFlip. REAL has a total market cap of $3.17 million and approximately $6,871.00 worth of REAL was traded on exchanges in the last day. In the last seven days, REAL has traded 24.7% lower against the US dollar.

• [By Max Byerly]

  REAL (CURRENCY:REAL) traded down 13.4% against the US dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 18:00 PM Eastern on June 23rd. One REAL token can now be bought for $0.34 or 0.00005397 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including EtherDelta (ForkDelta) and BitFlip. Over the last week, REAL has traded 10% lower against the US dollar. REAL has a market capitalization of $3.39 million and $5,895.00 worth of REAL was traded on exchanges in the last day.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: Horizon Bancorp (IN)(HBNC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Horizon Bancorp (HBNC)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Horizon Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:HBNC)’s share price hit a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $32.91 and last traded at $32.80, with a volume of 3008 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.48.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: Yuma Energy, Inc.(YUMA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Breaking news

  Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMPH) disclosed that it received the FDA approval for Calcium Chloride injection. Rapid7, Inc. (NASDAQ: RPD) reported a proposed offering of 3 million shares. Yuma Energy Inc (NYSE: YUMA) reported a Q1 loss of $0.16 per share on sales of $5.646 million. The company also disclosed that it is actively seeking strategic alternatives. NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) disclosed a 24.96 million share common stock offering via selling holders.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of Yuma Energy, Inc. (NYSE: YUMA) were down 60 percent to $0.4520 after the company late Friday reported it was not in compliance with its debt to EBITDAX covenant and announced limited liquidity levels. The company also reported Q1 earnings down year-over-year and disclosed that it is exploring strategic alternatives.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: Agenus Inc.(AGEN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Cory Renauer]

  Harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer is a big deal and Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ:AGEN) looks like a great way to follow the trend. This stock trades like a small-cap biotech, but a couple of candidates coming through its pipeline could help push annual revenue past the $1 billion mark. Plus, by this time next year, the company could have half a dozen or so new candidates in clinical trials.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

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

  Get Agenus alerts: Agenus Inc. (AGEN): Stock Have a Latest Story: (bitcoinpriceupdate.review) P/E and PEG Value Under Consideration – Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ:AGEN) (nasdaqjournal.com) Sizzling Spotlight- Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS), Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ:AGEN), The Hartford Financial Services … (journalfinance.net) Checking on Key Pivot Levels for Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ:AGEN): Woodie Pivot at 3.175 (stocknewscaller.com) Watch List Stock— Agenus Inc. (AGEN) (stockmarketstop.com)

  Shares of AGEN traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2.70. 6,890,759 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,149,867. The firm has a market capitalization of $280.80 million, a P/E ratio of -2.20 and a beta of 1.70. Agenus has a 12-month low of $2.70 and a 12-month high of $6.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of -0.11.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Agenus (NASDAQ:AGEN) was downgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of Agenus (NASDAQ:AGEN) dropped 9.8% during trading on Monday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock traded as low as $3.30 and last traded at $3.32. Approximately 2,421,286 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 53% from the average daily volume of 1,586,724 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.68.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: Senior Housing Properties Trust(SNH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Feroldi, Matthew Frankel, and Dan Caplinger]

  Retirees should favor companies that operate in stable industries and offer their shareholders a predictable stream of income. So which stocks in particular do we think can fulfill their needs? We asked a team of Motley Fool investors to weigh in, and they picked Senior Housing Properties Trust (NASDAQ:SNH), Prologis (NYSE:PLD), and 3M (NYSE:MMM). 

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Senior Housing Properties Trust (NASDAQ:SNH) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,793,719 shares, a decrease of 25.8% from the July 31st total of 5,110,763 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,457,039 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  The baby boom generation is cresting into retirement, with this demographic wave driving demand for healthcare assets for decades to come. That's the backstory for healthcare real estate investment trusts, or REITs, like 5.6% yielding HCP, Inc. (NYSE:HCP) and 8.3% yielding Senior Housing Properties Trust (NASDAQ:SNH). Since REITs are a dividend-focused asset class, you might be tempted to buy the healthcare REIT with the highest yield, but don't make that mistake. Dig into the story a little bit more.

• [By Cory Renauer]

  The number of Americans over 65 years of age is expected to double to around 98 million by 2060. Senior Housing Properties Trust (NASDAQ:SNH), Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE:OHI), and Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) are all real estate investment trusts (REITs) that own medical buildings and housing facilities that an aging country is going to need a lot more of in the years to come. Here's why they're perfect investments for retirees or those of you excited about being one soon.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: Biogen Idec Inc(BIIB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Biogen (BIIB)

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

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Likewise, Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS), which have the only SMA drug on the market, are feeling the heat from the promising data with shares down 5.6% and 7.3%, respectively.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Surprising only begins to describe the latest clinical study results announced by Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) and its partner, Japanese drugmaker Eisai (NASDAQOTH:ESALY). On July 5, the two companies reported positive topline results from a phase 2 clinical study of experimental Alzheimer's disease drug BAN2401 at 18 months.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (VTGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Money Morning News Team]

  While exciting, CODX and our other penny stocks to watch this week are unlikely to tack on any additional gains this week. But don't worry. After looking at our 10 top penny stocks to watch, we'll show you a stock with serious profit potential in its future…

  Penny Stock Current Share Price Last Week's Gain Co-Diagnostics Inc. (Nasdaq: CODX)  $4.35 192.07% Viking Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: VKTX)  $9.37 95.78% DHI Group Inc. (NYSE: DHX)  $3.10 67.57% Axovant Sciences Ltd. (Nasdaq: AXON)  $1.76 60.00% Netlist Inc. (Nasdaq: NLST)  $0.21 53.79% Link Motion Inc. (NYSE LKM)  $1.23 47.73% CorMedix Inc. (NYSE: CRMD)  $0.26 44.44% Vistagen Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: VTGN)  $1.34 40.21% J. Jill Inc. (NYSE: JILL)  $8.30 36.55% Adomani Inc. (Nasdaq: ADOM)  $1.52 34.86%

  In order to make sure we protect ourselves from any substantial losses from investing in penny stocks, we follow five rules for penny stock investing. Take look at them on the right.As these stocks demonstrate, there are penny stocks that have tremendous growth potential that can easily dwarf your initial investment. However, most penny stocks lack the solid underlying financials necessary to generate a significant return.
  Fast Money: This powerful secret made one man a millionaire. Now he's sharing it live on camera – find out how you could use it to become $2,918 richer in less than a minute. Click here…

• [By Max Byerly]

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

  Get Vistagen Therapeutics alerts: Investor’s Alert (Earnings Per Share) – VistaGen Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: VTGN) (stocksmarketcap.com) Stock Technical’s & Performances to Explore – VistaGen Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: VTGN) (stockspen.com) US STOCKS ON THE MOVE-Media and telecom stocks, H & R Block, TAL Education (nasdaq.com) Tracking the HMA Level on These Shares: VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (:VTGN): HMA Reading 1.4214792 (stocknewscaller.com) Keep Your Eyes on Hot Stock of Yesterday— VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (VTGN) (stockmarketstop.com)

  Vistagen Therapeutics traded down $0.02, reaching $1.46, on Tuesday, according to MarketBeat Ratings. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,201,613. The stock has a market cap of $34.35 million, a P/E ratio of -0.95 and a beta of 0.29. Vistagen Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $0.69 and a 52 week high of $2.65.

• [By Money Morning News Team]

  Take VistaGen Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VTGN) for example. While not necessarily a scam, this one didn't do investors any favors.

  In Dec. 2017, shares jumped 177.17%, from $0.92 to $2.55 in just one day. Investors who bought at $2.55 ended up losing over 50% of their money when the stock quickly went back down to $1.05 in less than two weeks.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: Beneficial Mutual Bancorp Inc.(BNCL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Entegra Financial (NASDAQ: BNCL) and Beneficial Bancorp (NASDAQ:BNCL) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability, dividends and institutional ownership.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Beneficial Bancorp (NASDAQ: BNCL) and Home Bancorp (NASDAQ:HBCP) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends and valuation.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Beneficial Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:BNCL) Director Thomas J. Lewis sold 973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $16,054.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: Panasonic Corporation (PCRFY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  The production issue for batteries may improve with added input from partner Panasonic (OTCPK:PCRFY). They currently produce battery cells for Tesla in Nevada, and in Japan. At their recent earnings call CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga said they were looking at manufacturing battery cells at a new plant in China in conjunction with Tesla. They also predicted their automation energy business profit would double this year. This can be seen as a vote of confidence in Tesla and a bullish sign for Tesla stock. However, according to reports in the Nikkei Asian Review, there is as yet no definite commitment for a joint venture in China. Panasonic is the world's largest battery supplier for EV's.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Panasonic (OTCMKTS:PCRFY) was downgraded by equities researchers at ValuEngine from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

• [By SEEKINGALPHA.COM]

  JOLED is a company that was established in 2014 by by Japan Display, Sony (NYSE:SNE) and Panasonic (OTCPK:PCRFY). And they are not the only ones:

  During an OLED display Seminar in Korea, UniJet's CEO Kim Seok-Soon said that new advances in Ink-Jet printing technologies could enable displays that are over 500 PPI - and so make printing a viable technology to produce small and medium-sized OLED panels.

• [By ]

  However, Panasonic (OTCPK:PCRFY) announced this week that it was happy to consider further investment in the Nevada facility. A similar move in China is not unlikely. Tesla expects to triple its energy storage business this year but its problem has been getting supply to meet the demand. Panasonic's announcement is probably connected to a very substantial energy storage contract win just announced by the company.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now: Masimo Corporation(MASI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Masimo Co. (NASDAQ:MASI) insider Ramshorst David J. Van sold 1,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $165,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,325 shares in the company, valued at $290,625. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  SONOVA Hldg AG/ADR (OTCMKTS:SONVY) and Masimo (NASDAQ:MASI) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, dividends and institutional ownership.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Masimo Co. (NASDAQ:MASI) by 57.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 43,714 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,898 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Masimo were worth $3,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of Masimo Co. (NASDAQ:MASI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the nine analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.00.

$0.53 EPS Expected for NEWTEK Business Services Corp (NEWT) This Quarter

Equities analysts expect NEWTEK Business Services Corp (NASDAQ:NEWT) to post earnings of $0.53 per share for the current quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Two analysts have made estimates for NEWTEK Business Services’ earnings. NEWTEK Business Services posted earnings of $0.51 per share in the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year-over-year growth rate of 3.9%. The firm is scheduled to announce its next earnings report after the market closes on Monday, March 4th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that NEWTEK Business Services will report full-year earnings of $1.91 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.90 to $1.91. For the next year, analysts anticipate that the business will report earnings of $2.05 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $2.03 to $2.07. Zacks’ EPS calculations are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that that provide coverage for NEWTEK Business Services.

Get NEWTEK Business Services alerts:

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NEWT. Zacks Investment Research upgraded NEWTEK Business Services from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised NEWTEK Business Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, December 28th. Raymond James raised NEWTEK Business Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $15.68 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 24th. BidaskClub lowered NEWTEK Business Services from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 18th. Finally, ValuEngine lowered NEWTEK Business Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. NEWTEK Business Services currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.74.

In related news, CEO Barry Sloane purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.46 per share, for a total transaction of $49,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,012,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,672,515.06. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 6,812 shares of company stock valued at $119,794. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NEWT. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of NEWTEK Business Services by 4.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 460,629 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,646,000 after acquiring an additional 19,665 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of NEWTEK Business Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $470,000. Eagle Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of NEWTEK Business Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $341,000. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of NEWTEK Business Services by 50.0% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 46,953 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $983,000 after acquiring an additional 15,653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wiley BROS. Aintree Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of NEWTEK Business Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,388,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.59% of the company’s stock.

NEWT opened at $19.79 on Friday. NEWTEK Business Services has a 12-month low of $15.59 and a 12-month high of $24.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.38 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.40 million, a PE ratio of 14.96, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.39.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.08%. NEWTEK Business Services’s payout ratio is 112.99%.

NEWTEK Business Services Company Profile

Newtek Business Services Corp. is a business development company specializing in providing financial and business services to the small-and medium-sized business market in the United States. The firm also seeks to invest in early stage businesses. The firm seeks to makes both debt and equity investments.

Featured Story: Google Finance Portfolio

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on NEWTEK Business Services (NEWT)

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

Donegal Group (DGICA) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Tuesday

Donegal Group (NASDAQ:DGICA) is scheduled to post its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Tuesday, February 19th. Analysts expect Donegal Group to post earnings of $0.27 per share for the quarter.

NASDAQ DGICA opened at $13.56 on Monday. Donegal Group has a one year low of $12.74 and a one year high of $17.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $384.62 million, a P/E ratio of 45.20 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Get Donegal Group alerts:

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 1st were issued a $0.1425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 31st. This represents a $0.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.20%. Donegal Group’s payout ratio is 190.00%.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Donegal Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 1st. BidaskClub downgraded Donegal Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 28th. ValuEngine downgraded Donegal Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 22nd. Finally, Boenning Scattergood reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Donegal Group in a report on Wednesday, October 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.00.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: “Donegal Group (DGICA) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Tuesday” was posted by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this report on another publication, it was stolen and republished in violation of United States & international copyright and trademark laws. The correct version of this report can be viewed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4160156/donegal-group-dgica-scheduled-to-post-earnings-on-tuesday.html.

Donegal Group Company Profile

Donegal Group Inc, an insurance holding company, provides property and casualty insurance to businesses and individuals in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, New England, and southern states. It operates through four segments: Investment Function, Personal Lines of Insurance, Commercial Lines of Insurance, and Investment in DFSC.

Read More: How Do Investors Open a Backdoor Roth IRA?

Is Baozun a Buy?

Baozun (NASDAQ:BZUN) is a Chinese e-commerce company that's posted big stock gains since its market debut in 2015, with shares having more than tripled since its IPO. However, it has recently hit some turbulence, and it's not unreasonable to expect that the stock will continue to be volatile.

BZUN data by YCharts.

Shares hit a lifetime high of $67 last summer thanks to consistently encouraging sales and earnings performance, progress on the company's transition to a higher-margin and more software-focused model, and investor appetite for growth potential in China's e-commerce industry. But Baozun's summer run was cut short amid a broader downturn for Chinese stocks -- as intensifying trade tensions with the U.S. raised potential roadblocks to growth, and were followed by data showing that China's economic growth was slowing.

The shifting economic dynamics dampened the market's outlook on Baozun, and today, shares trade in the $34 range. While the market now appears to be pricing in slower growth and more risk, much of the core bullish thesis remains intact, and Baozun stock deserves a look from risk-tolerant investors. 

Image source: Getty Images.

An e-commerce platform with big growth potential

Baozun is a company that's playing a key role in helping Western brands crack China's large and fast-growing online-retail market. The business provides customizable e-commerce websites, warehousing and order fulfillment, and customer-management services. In addition to these features, Baozun can offer tie-in sales portals across China's largest e-commerce connection points -- including platforms like Alibaba's Tmall, Tencent's WeChat, and JD.com. This makes the company a sort of one-stop shop for brands looking to quickly deploy and scale up in China's online retail market.

Baozun counts companies including Nike, Starbucks, and Microsoft among its 170-plus brand partners. And there's big potential for sales and earnings expansion as it adds new partners and as it benefits from merchandise-volume growth for stores already on its platform. Management says that it has major new partners in the apparel, luxury, and fast-moving consumer goods categories joining the platform in the near future. It's feasible that the company will be able to continue growing its customer base over the long term. And a pivot away from warehousing and order fulfillment in favor of prioritizing software and services should continue to be a beneficial margins catalyst. 

Shifting macro trends shouldn't sink Baozun

While Baozun did report lower-than-expected sales growth on Singles Day (China's biggest shopping holiday) followed by rising third-quarter expenses in November, the big sell-offs over the last six months may have had more to do with shifting sentiment about the overall growth outlook in China. Chinese stocks got absolutely crushed last year (after impressive performance in 2017), and the country's tech sector was particularly hard hit.

Shares of the Invesco China Technology ETF, which combines 70 different tech stocks from the country and is a good benchmark for industry performance, fell 35% across 2018. Amid that backdrop, it's far from shocking that Baozun has lost ground, but there are still good reasons to like the company and the long-term outlook for online retail in China. 

China already has the world's largest e-commerce market, with its $1.15 trillion in 2017 sales accounting for roughly half of global spending in the year. Research firm eMarketer reports that its e-commerce market grew to roughly $1.5 trillion in 2018 and expects that the country's online retail market will climb to nearly $2 trillion this year. A slowdown for the Chinese economy and the possibility that trade disputes with the U.S will continue to inhibit growth could weigh on the stock, but there's big opportunity for risk-tolerant investors with a long time horizon.

Cheaply priced growth in a promising industry

Baozun is delivering solid sales growth and impressive earnings momentum even as it incurs expenses related to its business transition and investment in new technologies. The company's chief financial officer mentioned during the last earnings call that the company could have grown its non-GAAP operating income 90% year over year in the quarter (compared with the 48.6% growth it actually recorded) if it excluded its innovation-expenses investments. The company sees research and development expenses growing at a substantially slower rate in 2019, so shareholders may see earnings accelerate in the not-too-distant future. 

The average analyst estimate as polled by Reuters targets a five-year earnings growth rate of roughly 48%. If Baozun can deliver on that hypothetical trajectory, the passage of time will cast shares as a steal at current prices. The company should continue to benefit from strong growth for online retail and improving margins as it pivots away from merchandise warehousing and prioritizes its software and services platform. And shares have appealing upside, trading at roughly 22 times this year's expected earnings.

Is Baidu a Buy?

Long-term Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) shareholders have enjoyed stellar performance from the stock; its shares are up more than 1,200% over the last decade. However, its run over the last several years has been characterized by volatility. The Chinese search engine and online advertising leader saw its stock price hit a lifetime high in 2018, but a slowdown for China's economy and concerns that its stock market had become overheated prompted steep sell-offs in the year's latter half.

Baidu stock is off roughly 40% from its high and now trades at roughly 16.5 times this year's expected earnings -- a multiple that looks enticing in comparison to recent historical context and the company's ample growth potential. The Chinese tech stock's risk profile won't be a great fit for every investor, but for those who are intrigued by the long-term growth potential in the country and aren't put off by volatility, there's a compelling case for buying Baidu.

Image source: Baidu.

Search still looks solid

Baidu has often been referred to as the "Google of China," and like the American search giant, it commands a dominant position in the search space and makes money by serving up targeted, keyword-based advertising. China's digital-ad market grew more than 25% in 2018, and Baidu claimed roughly a 70% share of the search market that's at the center of online advertising.

The company is looking to cloud and artificial intelligence services to power its next big growth leaps, in part because the strong ecosystems of companies like Tencent Holdings present a long-term threat, but the search business still looks solid. It would be unwise to completely write off competition considering existing competitors like the Tencent-partnered Sogou are offering alternatives and the possibility that Google will re-enter the Chinese market, but Baidu's position continues to look strong.

Baidu built its lead in the space by delivering a superior user experience, and the nature of the search algorithms and artificial intelligence systems at the core of its engine mean that these advantages tend to become self-reinforcing. The more data is pumped through Baidu's channels, the more its algorithms are refined and its performance improves -- and the harder it becomes for rival offerings to catch up. In that way, many of the same dynamics that have helped Google dominate in America and Europe continue to work in Baidu's favor in the Chinese market.

Baidu's growth businesses

In addition to its core search business, the company is branching out into cloud services and has positioned itself as an early leader in the artificial intelligence space. The company counted 141 million users for its DuerOS voice operating system at the end of September, up from 100 million users early in August, and its favorable position in search and voice-based operating systems makes the company a likely candidate to benefit from the rise of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in the country.

Concepts like artificial intelligence and IoT can sometimes come across a bit nebulous and futuristic, but Baidu is making real progress with initiatives in those fields. These businesses stand to see substantial growth over the next decade and tap into the type of wide-sweeping, hugely influential trends that should be of interest to growth-focused tech investors.

The company's Apollo autonomous driving operating system is already being used to test self-driving taxis and other connected-road solutions in the country's Changsha municipality, and it's working on a range of AI and smart-city initiatives with a very important partner.

Investors are right to home in on the role that the Chinese government will continue to play in shaping the country's online content and technology industries. The headaches created by medical advertising scandals and moves made by regulators have not been forgotten by Baidu shareholders. The company also owns a roughly 60% stake in iQiyi -- a video-streaming company that it spun off last March that has to contend with the country's content regulation policies.

However, there's another side to the government dynamic -- a positive one that may be underappreciated by the market.

Baidu is partnered with the Chinese government on smart-city and autonomous-vehicle projects that could turn into real performance drivers. Its Apollo smart-car platform has been adopted as the official operating system of the country's self-driving vehicle projects, positioning Baidu to play an influential role in shaping the country's IoT and autonomous-driving markets. China has an interest in building up its AI and smart-city technologies, and the fact that it's made Baidu one of its key corporate partners on these initiatives bodes well for the company.

Baidu's growth is cheaply priced

While its share price fell steeply in the second half of 2018, Baidu's earnings performance over the last year was generally encouraging thanks to good results from the core advertising business and fast growth for emerging product categories. The third quarter saw the company's sales increase 27% year over year and earnings rise 47% compared to the prior-year period. Overall, online advertising services grew at roughly 18% last quarter, while sales for its other-businesses revenue grew 69%.

Growth for the core business is moderating but still healthy, and its younger businesses are pulling their weight. The average analyst estimate as compiled by Reuters projects that the company will increase earnings at an annual rate of roughly 18% over the next five years. That's attractive growth given that the company trades at decade-low earnings multiples and has avenues to surpassing that expansion target if its search strength holds and payoff from its investments in AI and cloud accelerates.

BIDU PE Ratio (TTM) data by YCharts.

The company's growth is cheaply priced. Earnings momentum has moderated, but the company's trailing price-to-earnings growth ratio sits at just 0.2, and its forward ratio sits at roughly 0.5, suggesting that investors are still getting a deal on the stock.

The Chinese tech sector can present more risk and volatility than many investors will be comfortable with, and there are good reasons to be concerned about economic slowdown and unpredictable moves by government regulators -- in addition to the usual competitive pressures inherent to fast-shifting, innovation-focused industries. For investors who are OK with taking on that profile in pursuit of big returns, Baidu stock's risk-to-reward proposition is worth taking.

Comparing Devon Energy (DVN) and Energen (EGN)

Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) and Energen (NYSE:EGN) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

Get Devon Energy alerts:

82.8% of Devon Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.9% of Energen shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.6% of Devon Energy shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Energen shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Devon Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Energen does not pay a dividend. Devon Energy pays out 50.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Devon Energy and Energen’s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Devon Energy	$13.95 billion	0.95	$898.00 million	$0.63	45.11
Energen	$961.04 million	7.32	$306.82 million	$0.75	96.16

Devon Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Energen. Devon Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Energen, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Devon Energy and Energen, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Devon Energy	1	12	16	0	2.52
Energen	1	10	7	0	2.33

Devon Energy presently has a consensus target price of $46.76, suggesting a potential upside of 64.54%. Energen has a consensus target price of $81.69, suggesting a potential upside of 13.27%. Given Devon Energy’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Devon Energy is more favorable than Energen.

Profitability

This table compares Devon Energy and Energen’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Devon Energy	16.62%	6.40%	2.91%
Energen	31.37%	8.70%	5.78%

Volatility and Risk

Devon Energy has a beta of 2.23, indicating that its share price is 123% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Energen has a beta of 1.5, indicating that its share price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Energen beats Devon Energy on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Devon Energy

Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, primarily engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States and Canada. It operates approximately 14,600 gross wells. The company also offers gathering, transmission, processing, storage, fractionation, and marketing to upstream oil and natural gas producers; and owns natural gas pipelines, plants and treatment facilities. Devon Energy Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

About Energen

Energen Corporation, through its subsidiary, Energen Resources Corporation, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas. The company has operations within the Midland Basin, the Delaware Basin, and the Central Basin Platform areas of the Permian Basin in west Texas and New Mexico. As of December 31, 2017, it had a total proved reserves of 444 million barrel of oil equivalent. The company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:NGD,CME,GSS,ORE,NXG,

MakeMyTrip (NASDAQ:MMYT) was downgraded by research analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on MMYT. Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of MakeMyTrip from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $41.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, June 12th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of MakeMyTrip from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, June 15th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of MakeMyTrip from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 24th. Nomura upgraded shares of MakeMyTrip from a “reduce” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of MakeMyTrip from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $36.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $36.40.

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: NGD) dropped about 3.8% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $2.28. Shares closed at $2.37 on Wednesday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 5.9 million shares. The company had no specific news.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its holdings in shares of New Gold Inc (Pre-Merger) (NYSEAMERICAN:NGD) by 5.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,015,289 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 101,852 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI owned about 0.35% of New Gold Inc (Pre-Merger) worth $4,192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSE: NGD) dropped about 4.7% Friday to post a new 52-week low of $2.05. Shares closed at $2.15 on Thursday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. Volume was about 50% higher than the daily average of 4.2 million. The junior gold miner had no specific news.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  News articles about New Gold (NASDAQ:NGD) have trended somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group ranks 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 nearest to one being the most favorable. New Gold earned a news impact score of 0.01 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media coverage about the company an impact score of 46.1175522193993 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near future.

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: CME Group Inc.(CME)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Money Morning Staff Reports]

  Bitcoin prices slumped under $6,000 per coin on a day when futures contracts expired at CME Group Inc. (NYSE: CME).

  But despite the recent downturn, many cryptocurrency bulls expect that institutional investors will pour into the market.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Q1 2018 Earnings Conference CallApril 26, 2018 8:30 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc (NASDAQ:CME) by 51.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,545,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 528,198 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $249,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  CME Group Inc (NASDAQ:CME) Director Ronald A. Pankau sold 260 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.17, for a total transaction of $42,424.20. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $636,363. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) was downgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: Golden Star Resources Ltd(GSS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Golden Star Resources Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:GSS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in September. As of September 28th, there was short interest totalling 10,021,831 shares, an increase of 6.9% from the September 14th total of 9,371,344 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,038,207 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.7 days. Approximately 4.7% of the company’s shares are sold short.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Golden Star Resources (GSS)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Golden Star Resources (GSS)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Golden Star Resources (GSS)

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

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: Orezone Gold Corp (ORE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Galactrum (ORE) is a PoW/PoS coin that uses the
  Lyra2RE hashing algorithm. It was first traded on December 13th, 2017. Galactrum’s total supply is 2,781,952 coins and its circulating supply is 2,061,952 coins. Galactrum’s official website is galactrum.org. Galactrum’s official Twitter account is @galactrum.

• [By Peter Graham]

  Sandstorm's due diligence is thorough, they don't just invest in any company. They like West Africa because they understand the area and the opportunities that exist there. Sandstorm is a royalty and streaming company, so they make these investments and receive cashflow deals that often kick in much later on. But they have already established a presence in Burkina and have deals in place with larger companies like Orezone Gold (TSXV: ORE) and Endeavour Mining (TSX: EDV). Sandstorm's investment also potentially gives us access to their marketing department through something they call Launch Lab, and it looks like it will really benefit our own marketing efforts and will expose us to more opportunities over the coming year.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Galactrum (ORE) is a PoW/PoS coin that uses the
  Lyra2RE hashing algorithm. It launched on November 11th, 2017. Galactrum’s total supply is 2,092,679 coins and its circulating supply is 1,372,679 coins. Galactrum’s official Twitter account is @galactrum. Galactrum’s official website is galactrum.org.

• [By Jim Robertson]

  Finally, Richard Seville, the CEO of Brisbane-based Orocobre Ltd (ASX: ORE) which began lithium sales in 2015 from northern Argentina and also experienced difficulty boosting output, commented that an "inability to access traditional funds has delayed the development of the sector" and that "these projects aren't easy -- so the banks just don't want to go there."

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: Northgate Minerals Corporation(NXG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of NEX Group PLC (LON:NXG) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 696 ($9.21).

Top 5 High Tech Stocks For 2019

tags:ARNA,STAA,ELLI,TCBK,MSI,

The picks below are part of Kiplinger's Personal Finance's annual Best List, a roundup of the best values in all the areas we cover — from funds, stocks and ETFs to credit cards and bank accounts to cars, college, kid stuff, phone plans, travel and health. Discover all our Best List picks here.

Start with funds on Schwab's OneSource list for breadth of choice. Many of them come with $100 min­imums and no transaction fee. One such fund is Schwab Total Stock Market Index (SWTSX); it charges a low annual fee of 0.09% to boot.

For super-low minimums, invest in an ETF. You can buy one share of WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend (DOL) commission-free through E*Trade for just $43. And $47 buys a single share of Vanguard Total International Stock (VXUS) at Vanguard without commission. Buy just one share of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) through Fidelity or TD Ameritrade and you'll pay no commission, just the $124 price of the fund. All three are members of the Kiplinger ETF 20. (Prices are as of September 30.)

Top 5 High Tech Stocks For 2019: Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(ARNA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Macquarie Group Ltd. lifted its position in Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARNA) by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 490,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 20,900 shares during the period. Macquarie Group Ltd.’s holdings in Arena Pharmaceuticals were worth $21,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By ]

  Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA) : "I like specialty pharma. This is a good one, too."

  Dominion Energy (D) : "You have to buy it. It's time to think long-term."

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARNA) by 41.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 51,175 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,115 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Arena Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Arena Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARNA) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 37,698 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 1,810 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Arena Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,489,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks For 2019: STAAR Surgical Company(STAA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA) shares shot up 28 percent to $21.40 after reporting upbeat Q1 results.

  Shares of Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) got a boost, shooting up 57 percent to $34.52. The nano-cap low-float stock skyrocketed over 1,300 percent on Wednesday on no company specific news which would support the surge. The move higher is consistent with what was seen in other low-float stocks over the past few months.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Shares of STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA) were up 21.5% as of 11:25 a.m. EDT on Thursday. The big jump occurred after the maker of implantable lenses announced its second-quarter earnings results on Wednesday evening.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) hit a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $28.55 and last traded at $28.42, with a volume of 6590 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $27.80.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Three big healthcare winners this week were STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA), Tenet Healthcare (NYSE:THC), and Portola Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PTLA). Each of these stocks jumped more than 24% over the last few days. Are STAAR Surgical, Tenet, and Portola smart picks for investors after the stocks' huge gains?

Top 5 High Tech Stocks For 2019: Ellie Mae, Inc.(ELLI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Monday saw a solid start to the week for the stock market, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a triple-digit gain and the Nasdaq Composite managed to rise more than 1%. Earnings season continues to move forward, and many investors are looking to Tuesday's State of the Union address as an opportunity to see whether the Trump administration changes course with its plans following the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives in January. Meanwhile, though, consolidation is taking hold in several key sectors of the economy, and many companies are seeing their share prices move dramatically in response to potential deals. Ultimate Software Group (NASDAQ:ULTI), Cronos Group (NASDAQ:CRON), and Ellie Mae (NYSE:ELLI) were among the top performers today. Here's why they did so well.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Ellie Mae (ELLI)

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Ellie Mae Inc (NYSE:ELLI) Director Jeb S. Spencer sold 2,415 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.79, for a total transaction of $257,897.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $703,852.89. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In this week's installment of "One to Watch," Fool.com contributor Matt Frankel, CFP, explains why retail real estate investment trust Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT) is at the top of his watchlist. And, host Jason Moser suggests that listeners keep an eye on Ellie Mae (NYSE:ELLI) -- just hours before it announced it was being acquired!

• [By Mac Greer]

  Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) reported fantastic numbers -- for a growing business, at least -- and the market doesn't seem to care. A Bank of America Merrill Lynch survey found that professional investors bulked up their cash positions in a big way. Under Armour (NYSE:UA) (NYSE:UAA) reported strong international sales, but the U.S. picture remains weak. Ellie Mae (NYSE:ELLI) just may be going private in an all-cash buyout. Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) acquired router maker Eero, sparking Facebook (NASDAQ:FB)-adjacent concerns over just how much information the FAANG elite really gather from their customers. Tune in to hear more.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks For 2019: TriCo Bancshares(TCBK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on TriCo Bancshares (TCBK)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ:TCBK) and FB Financial (NYSE:FBK) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on TriCo Bancshares (TCBK)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  News articles about TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ:TCBK) have trended somewhat positive on Sunday, Accern Sentiment reports. The research group scores the sentiment of media coverage by analyzing more than twenty million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. TriCo Bancshares earned a media sentiment score of 0.19 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news stories about the financial services provider an impact score of 46.135433392334 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near term.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks For 2019: Motorola Solutions, Inc.(MSI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Motorola Solutions Inc  (NYSE:MSI)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 07, 2019, 5:00 p.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Motorola Solutions (MSI)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its position in Motorola Solutions Inc (NYSE:MSI) by 26.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,809 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,612 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Motorola Solutions were worth $4,749,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

With a potential shutdown deal in place, experts weigh in on trade deadline

U.S. markets are rallying Tuesday as lawmakers have reached a preliminary deal to avoid another partial shutdown of the federal government. The Dow rose nearly 1.5 percent while the S&P 500 crossed above its 200-day moving average for the first time since Dec. 4. But as one deadline passes, the next looms.

Four experts weigh in on what to expect as the March 2 deadline for a trade deal with China closes in:

• John Bilton, head of global multi-asset strategy at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, thinks that, even if a resolution between the U.S. and China is reached, plenty of loose ends could remain untied for the foreseeable futures. "We want to see a deal, absolutely," Bilton said. "Will it unwind the tariffs that have been put in place, or address some of the key questions around intellectual property rights, cybersecurity, etc.? Maybe not. This could rumble on for a while."

• UBS' chief U.S. equity strategist, Keith Parker, questions whether China's economic stimulus activity can help global trade activity turn over. "I think we see signs that China is stimulating their economy, and I think a key is, do we get trade activity – which turned negative in the fourth quarter – that source of external demand stimulus for many countries, does that turn positive to help turn the global manufacturing sector?" Parker asked.

• James Paulsen, chief investment strategist at The Leuthold Group, actually questions whether or not a deal that shrinks the United States trade deficit with China would actually boost U.S. stocks. "We're all hoping that President Trump can win the trade war against China and others, and there's this unwritten assumption that if he does, it will be good for us and it will be good for the stock market and the like, but if you look back, historically, to 1970, and you look at the relative performance of U.S. against foreign stocks, there's a really close relationship between that and what our trade deficit does, and it's almost the opposite of what you'd expect," Paulsen said. "U.S. stocks have outperformed foreign stocks when our trade deficit worsens, historically … but when our trade deficit improves, international stocks outperform the U.S."

• Ron Sanchez, chief investment officer at Fiduciary Trust, thinks that, at least in the near term, economic indicators point toward a bullish outlook. "At least for the balance of the year and into 2020, I don't believe that we retest the lows that we had on Dec. 24," Sanchez said, citing clarity from the Federal Reserve and positive news on avoiding a potential government shutdown. However, Sanchez thinks we need to clear the hurdles of a trade deal with China and the March 31 Brexit deadline before reaching any concrete conclusions. "I think in both of those instances, in our expectation, we don't see escalation … I'm not sure you get a great deal on March 1, maybe they continue talking, but I do think that it will be good enough news."

Why Bitauto Holdings Limited Fell 21.6% in January

What happened

Shares of Bitauto Holdings (NYSE:BITA) shed 21.6% of their value in January, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The stock climbed roughly 34% in December (a time when many other Chinese tech stocks were selling off), but it couldn't hold on to the gains as the outlook for the country's auto industry worsened. 

BITA data by YCharts

The company's platform provides dealers with online-store creation tools, automobile advertising services, and financing options for customers. Discouraging data for China's auto industry appears to have shifted Bitauto stock into reverse, and shares currently trade in the neighborhood of five-year lows. 

Image source: Getty Images.

So what

Bitauto stock has seen volatile swings as investors try to determine how to weigh the slowdown in the country's automotive market and broader economy against the long-term potential of automotive e-commerce in the Middle Kingdom. December auto sales in China fell 19% annually, and full-year sales for 2018 were down roughly 6%. While China's auto industry is seeing a rare downturn, the long-term outlook for the company's automotive e-commerce market is more enticing. 

Now what

Bitauto stock has continued to move lower in February, with shares trading down roughly 5.9% in the month so far.

BITA data by YCharts

Shares have lost roughly a third of their value over the last year, and now trade at roughly 11 times this year's expected earnings and 0.75 times expected sales. Bitauto is slated to report fourth-quarter earnings next month and expects sales to come in between $425.5 million and $432.4 million, representing roughly 18% growth at the midpoint of the target.

Hot Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:OPGN,AREX,BCOM,

Tim Melvin

The U.S. government is allowing American infrastructure to crumble before our eyes.

It's been frustrating to watch. But it's only a matter of time before Congress gets its act together.

And when it does, this top infrastructure stock could skyrocket. In fact, analysts are already projecting a 93% share price gain over just the next 12 months…

Why Congress Will Have to Break the Bank on Infrastructure

Infrastructure spending is something politicians love to talk about during election season. After all, infrastructure spending creates jobs, raises the tax rolls, and makes life a little easier for all of us.

But if you've flown into either of the New York City airports or ridden Amtrak from Washington, D.C., to Boston, you know the talk stops when the election is over.

We have driven from Orlando to South Texas several times in the last few years, and I can tell you that parts of I-10 through the South feel more like a wagon path than a modern highway.

Hot Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019: OpGen, Inc.(OPGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  OpGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPGN) shares shot up 22 percent to $2.55. OpGen completed rapid testing clinical trial in Colombia and expanded international operations.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Laboratory Corp. of America (NYSE: LH) and OpGen (NASDAQ:OPGN) are both medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation, institutional ownership and dividends.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  OpGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPGN) shares shot up 15 percent to $2.41. OpGen completed rapid testing clinical trial in Colombia and expanded international operations.

• [By Max Byerly]

  First Choice Healthcare Solutions (NASDAQ: OPGN) and OpGen (NASDAQ:OPGN) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends and analyst recommendations.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Shares of OpGen Inc (NASDAQ:OPGN) shot up 6.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $2.30 and last traded at $2.20. 537,199 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 21% from the average session volume of 445,546 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.06.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  OpGen Inc (NASDAQ:OPGN)’s share price shot up 7.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $2.80 and last traded at $2.61. 1,150 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 100% from the average session volume of 392,647 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.81.

Hot Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019: Approach Resources Inc.(AREX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Approach Resources Inc. (NASDAQ:AREX) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $2.02 and last traded at $2.04, with a volume of 2875 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $2.08.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Media headlines about Approach Resources (NASDAQ:AREX) have trended somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment. The research firm identifies negative and positive press coverage by analyzing more than twenty million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Approach Resources earned a coverage optimism score of 0.02 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave press coverage about the energy company an impact score of 46.8987147373518 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the immediate future.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Approach Resources (AREX)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Approach Resources (AREX)

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

Hot Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019: B Communications Ltd.(BCOM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Monday afternoon, the telecommunication services shares climbed 0.69 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included B Communications Ltd (NASDAQ: BCOM), up 5 percent, and China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited (NYSE: CHU), up 3 percent.

Metlife (MET) Shares Gap Down to $45.20

Shares of Metlife Inc (NYSE:MET) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $46.54, but opened at $45.20. Metlife shares last traded at $43.52, with a volume of 7179901 shares.

Several analysts have weighed in on MET shares. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Metlife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 12th. Wells Fargo & Co set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Metlife and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Metlife from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Metlife from $57.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 17th. Finally, Sandler O’Neill raised shares of Metlife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 2nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $53.16.

Get Metlife alerts:

The stock has a market cap of $44.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.14.

Metlife (NYSE:MET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $15.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.84 billion. Metlife had a net margin of 7.62% and a return on equity of 9.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Metlife Inc will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 5th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 4th. Metlife’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.33%.

Metlife declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

In other news, Director Carlos M. Gutierrez bought 6,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $39.04 per share, for a total transaction of $249,856.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $182,238.72. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MET. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Metlife by 4,191.8% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 12,828,417 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 12,529,511 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Metlife by 12.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,498,328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,452,721,000 after acquiring an additional 5,760,379 shares during the last quarter. MERIAN GLOBAL INVESTORS UK Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Metlife by 2,954.4% in the fourth quarter. MERIAN GLOBAL INVESTORS UK Ltd now owns 2,311,734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $94,919,000 after acquiring an additional 2,236,048 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its stake in Metlife by 4,778.5% during the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 1,324,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,350,000 after buying an additional 1,297,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in Metlife by 833.5% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,235,142 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,711,000 after buying an additional 1,102,832 shares during the last quarter. 77.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: “Metlife (MET) Shares Gap Down to $45.20” was reported by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this piece on another domain, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of United States & international copyright & trademark law. The correct version of this piece can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4134416/metlife-met-shares-gap-down-to-45-20.html.

About Metlife (NYSE:MET)

MetLife, Inc engages in the insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management businesses. It operates through five segments: U.S.; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short- and long-term disability, individual disability, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and stable value products, including general and separate account guaranteed interest contracts, and private floating rate funding agreements.

See Also: Coverage Ratio

Cramer's game plan: Next week's action hinges on US-China trade

U.S.-China trade talks will color the stock market's action next week as earnings season winds down on Wall Street, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Friday as stocks dipped on lingering fears around the negotiations.

A Wall Street Journal report that the two countries haven't yet drafted their deal proposals pressured the major averages on Friday. The news came one day after President Donald Trump confirmed that he will not meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before the March 2 deal deadline.

"We're now at the tail-end of earnings season," Cramer said. "It's been a blast, at least until this past week when we got some iffy news about trade. Sadly, I bet we'll be on the same hook next week. If we get good trade vibes, well, these [stocks] all go higher. [...] If we get bad trade vibes, well, guess what? Lower still."

With that backdrop in mind, the "Mad Money" host turned to his game plan for the week ahead:

Monday: Restaurant Brands, Norfolk Southern analyst meeting

Restaurant Brands: The Burger King and Popeye's parent kicks off the week's earnings wave on Monday morning with its quarterly results. Cramer saw the stock as having greater value than the stock of competitor McDonald's.

"It's got a 3.2 percent yield, it's incredibly well-run and it's got a superior growth trajectory," he said. "Let's hear what they have to say."

Norfolk Southern: An analyst meeting at Norfolk Southern could see the railroad operator unveil its own version of precision railroading, a train-scheduling system that aims to improve service while eliminating waste, Cramer said.

"Both CSX and Union Pacific have adopted ... precision railroading, and I bet Norfolk Southern will have something similar up its sleeve," he noted. "That should allow its stock to roar like the other rails."

Tuesday: Under Armour, Molson Coors, Occidental Petroleum, Twilio, Activision Blizzard

Under Armour: Cramer still preferred competitor Nike's stock over Under Armour's ahead of the latter's Tuesday earnings report.

"It's Under Armour's bad luck that they compete against one of the best-run businesses on earth," he said.

Molson Coors: The "Mad Money" host also didn't expect much from Molson Coors' quarterly results, though he did note that the beer brewer's report could affect pot stocks.

"I think the cannabis stocks could be in play because this company understands it may need to take a bigger plunge into the marijuana market than the tire-kicking it's done so far," he argued. "See, the Canadian cannabis stocks started to roll over this week after an incredible run, but the fact is they are really serving as beer replacement[s] in a lot of states."

Occidental Petroleum: Even though he called Occidental "one of the healthier ... oil companies" out there, with "fabulous" properties in Texas' oil-rich Permian Basin, Cramer preferred a different energy play.

"I like BP more if you want to own an oil because it has a higher, 5.8 percent yield," he said. "That's a full percentage point above [Occidental]. Believe me, with oil looking like it is going back to the $40s, you're going to need some yield protection."

Twilio: The action in shares of Twilio, a cloud-based communication enabler that works with the likes of Airbnb and Lyft, concerned Cramer ahead of the company's Tuesday earnings report.

"[Twilio] represents, I think, maybe the best growth stock in tech right now," he said, adding that he'd like to buy shares for his charitable trust. "But [...] the stock is running right up into what we call 'the print' — it gained more than 4 [basis] points today alone."

"I want this stock to be lower to buy, but I bet the quarter's a legit blowout like the last one," he added.

Activision Blizzard: Could this video game maker be capitalizing on the battle royale trend set by Fortnite like some of its peers? Cramer's eager to find out when Activision issues its quarterly results Tuesday evening.

"Activision's stock has lost nearly half of its value since October, but I think EA put a floor under the group today, which means this one might be worth speculating on," he said.

Wednesday: Barrick Gold, Cisco Systems

Barrick Gold: The new combination of Barrick and Randgold is "the best of the lot" when it comes to gold stocks, Cramer said ahead of its Wednesday report.

"I like the gold stocks here, as you know, even as the price of gold's been stalled as the dollar's been getting higher," he said. "I bet CEO Mark Bristow — yes, of Randgold fame — delivers a good quarter."

Cisco: Cramer was more concerned about Cisco's guidance than its quarterly results, which he figured would be "fine."

"I am concerned about the forecast because so many hedge fund managers own this one ... and they are a mighty hard group to please. We already own it for the charitable trust, but if you don't own any, I suggest now you've got to wait [and] see what happens," he said. "If Cisco pulls back, that might be your buying opportunity."

Thursday: Coca-Cola, Nvidia, Applied Materials

Coca-Cola: "I'm expecting still one more strong quarter from [Coca-Cola CEO] James Quincey" on Thursday, the "Mad Money" host said. "Only a strong dollar could impede what I expect will be mid-single-digit worldwide growth."

Nvidia: Nvidia's "really bad" earnings pre-announcement may have successfully "de-risked" the stock ahead of the chipmaker's actual quarterly report, Cramer said.

"You don't slam yourself again after that kind of guide-down. You get much more muted," he said. "However, Nvidia has major exposure in China and it's also got some gaming issues, so it's kind of caught up in a couple of negative themes right now."

Applied Materials: Cramer was less confident about Applied Materials' results.

"We know this semiconductor equipment maker has had its share of hardship of late," he acknowledged. "I don't expect a good number, but I do expect a more upbeat appraisal than what we've heard from them in the past."

Friday: PepsiCo, Deere, Newell Brands

PepsiCo: PepsiCo's Friday earnings report will see a big change from past quarters: former CEO Indra Nooyi will not be on the post-earnings conference call.

"I will miss Indra, who did such a fabulous job reinventing this company to stay current by offering good-tasting and good-for-you items, as well as great-for-you profits and dividends," Cramer lamented. "I think PEP will put up good numbers. [But] I want to hear how new CEO Ramon Laguarta handles himself before I make a judgment."

Deere: Cramer expects a strong report from this manufacturer, so much so that he recommended buying shares ahead of the quarterly results.

"Demand is very strong for farm equipment, and right now, that means Deere's stock is poised to go higher," he said. "Only the lack of a resolution in the trade talks with China keeps me from being even more aggressive."

Newell Brands: But "it's still too risky" to get into this consumer products stock ahead of the company's Friday earnings release, Cramer warned.

"CEO Mike Polk is earnest. He's been trying to de-lever ... from all the debt he took down to acquire Jarden. It's been a very tough road," he explained. "Given how many moving parts there are here and how much there is still for sale in the portfolio, I think it's still too risky to buy Newell ahead of the quarter, even though it's got that 4 percent yield. We're just going to listen."

WATCH: Cramer's game plan for a trade-tinted earnings week show chapters Cramer's game plan: Next week's action hinges on US-China trade    1 Hour Ago | 12:54

Disclosure: Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of BP and Cisco.

Questions for Cramer?
Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up!
Mad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram

Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com