Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now

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Stocks gave back all their earlier gains as Wednesday’s Fed decision approaches.

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The S&P 500 finished little changed at 2,139.12 today, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 3.63 points to 18,120.17. The Nasdaq Composite declined 0.2% to 5,235.03. The S&P 500 had been up as much as 0.7% earlier today.

But really: Who wants to be long the market when the Fed will be making its rate announcement in two days? Deutsche Bank’s Alan Ruskin argues that “simply getting the FOMC meeting out the way should be helpful for global risk appetite.” He explains why:

There are at least three reasons to argue against a September Fed ‘hawkish hold’ thesis:

i) The Fed does not like to signal more than one meeting ahead. Given they are extremely unlikely to act just before the election in November, if the Fed passes on a hike in September as expected, they will not have the level of confidence to signal too hard about a rate hike in December…

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Wells Fargo & Company(WFC)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By ]

    San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) , struggling to recover from a series of regulatory penalties over allegedly aggressive sales practices, posted a 5.5% profit increase on a preliminary basis, noting that legal costs might have to be revised higher pending discussions with regulators over as much as $1 billion of new penalties related to auto insurance and mortgage-related violations.

  • [By Chris Lange]

    Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) short interest grew to 43.99 million shares from the previous reading of 35.55 million. Shares were trading at $55.51 within a 52-week range of $49.27 to $66.31.

  • [By Shah Gilani]

    The social media behemoth has approached megabanks like Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), and others, hoping to sweet-talk them into sharing customers’ card transaction history, their checking account balances, and other personal data.

  • [By Matthew Frankel, CFP]

    Plus, Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) CEO Tim Sloan just got a $1 million raise — did he deserve it? And why does conglomeration seem to work so well for companies like Berkshire Hathaway and Markel, but not for General Electric? All this and more on this week’s episode.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBA)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Max Byerly]

    HSBC Holdings plc (LON:HSBA) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 768.33 ($9.80).

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    HSBC (LON:HSBA) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Shore Capital from GBX 721 ($9.60) to GBX 625 ($8.32) in a report issued on Tuesday. The brokerage presently has a “sell” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Shore Capital’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 14.71% from the company’s previous close.

  • [By Max Byerly]

    Credit Suisse Group set a GBX 720 ($9.32) price target on HSBC (LON:HSBA) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

  • [By Max Byerly]

    HSBC (LON:HSBA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Credit Suisse Group to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The firm presently has a GBX 720 ($9.38) target price on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their previous target price of GBX 680 ($8.86). Credit Suisse Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 5.82% from the company’s previous close.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce(CM)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM)

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

  • [By Motley Fool Staff]

    Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM)Q2 2018 Earnings Conference CallMay 23, 2018, 8:00 a.m. ET

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

    Operator

  • [By Max Byerly]

    Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM) (TSE:CM) by 54.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 911,300 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 320,800 shares during the quarter. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce comprises approximately 1.0% of Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce were worth $103,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: First Commonwealth Financial Corporation(FCF)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

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

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

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

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Barclays PLC increased its holdings in First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) by 24.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,717 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 6,593 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in First Commonwealth Financial were worth $476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

    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 First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

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

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

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

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation(AP)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By ]

    The 2018 Infiniti Q50, a luxury sedan that has a significant discount going into Memorial Day weekend. Though it's not as polished as some rivals, the Q50 is stylish and desirable all the same. (Photo: AP)

  • [By ]

    The 2018 Subaru Outback, one of the original SUV alternatives. Subaru is well-known for offering cars that can handle themselves when the going gets rough, and its Outback lies squarely in that tradition. (Photo: AP)

  • [By ]

    Vatican City (AP) — Pope Francis has recognized as martyrs 19 people who were slain in Algeria in the 1990s, including a bishop killed by a car bomb and beheaded monks.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now

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Yesterday, small cap specialty chassis and vehicle design stock Spartan Motors Inc (NASDAQ: SPAR) surged 20.99% after announcing an analyst and investor day for Wall Street analysts and institutional investors to unveil the Company’s long-term growth objectives. Spartan Motors is a leading designer, engineer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty vehicles, specialty chassis, vehicle bodies and parts for the fleet and delivery, recreational vehicle (RV), emergency response, defense forces and contract assembly (light/medium duty truck) markets. The Company’s brand names (Spartan Motors, Spartan Specialty Vehicles, Spartan Emergency Response, Spartan Parts and Accessories, Smeal and its family of brands, including Ladder Tower™ and UST®; and Utilimaster®, a Spartan Motors Company) are known for quality, durability, performance, customer service and first-to-market innovation. The Company employs approximately 2,200 associates, and operates facilities in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Dakota; Saltillo, Mexico; and Lima, Peru. 

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: FuelCell Energy Inc.(FCEL)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap fuel cell stock FuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FCEL) reported Q4 and fiscal year ended October 31, 2017 earnings with Q4 total revenues being $47.9 million versus $24.5 million:    

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ: ESIO) and FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, dividends and earnings.

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL) is one of 25 public companies in the “Miscellaneous electrical machinery, equipment, & supplies” industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare FuelCell Energy to related companies based on the strength of its risk, dividends, earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    FuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ:FCEL) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $3.80.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) posted a decrease of 25.7% in short interest during the period. Some 5.86 million shares were short as of April 30. The stock closed at $1.93 on Wednesday, up about 1.6% for the day, in a 52-week range of $0.80 to $2.49. Shares traded down about 7.8% in the short interest period, and days to cover rose from six to eight.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ATA Inc.(ATAI)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    ATA Inc. (NASDAQ: ATAI) traded down about 14% Monday to set a new 52-week low of $0.82, based on revalued shares that closed at $0.72 on Friday but traded up about 250% on Monday at $2.53. Volume was more than 200 times the daily average of around 42,000. You’re on your own here to figure this one out.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Petroquest Energy Inc(PQ)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    News headlines about Petroquest Energy (NYSE:PQ) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern identifies negative and positive news coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Petroquest Energy earned a coverage optimism score of 0.05 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news stories about the energy company an impact score of 47.638327846877 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: China Metro-Rural Holdings Limited(CNR)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Max Byerly]

    Press coverage about Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) has been trending somewhat positive on Thursday, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. Accern identifies positive and negative press coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Canadian National Railway earned a coverage optimism score of 0.15 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media coverage about the transportation company an impact score of 47.5112066080017 out of 100, meaning that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the immediate future.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 134,917 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,692 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $11,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 1,956 put options on the company. This is an increase of 1,818% compared to the typical volume of 102 put options.

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Canadian National Railway (TSE: CNR) in the last few weeks:

    2/11/2019 – Canadian National Railway was given a new C$117.00 price target on by analysts at Morgan Stanley. 1/31/2019 – Canadian National Railway was given a new C$116.00 price target on by analysts at BMO Capital Markets. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock. 1/30/2019 – Canadian National Railway had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Raymond James. They now have a C$125.00 price target on the stock. 1/30/2019 – Canadian National Railway had its price target raised by analysts at TD Securities from C$125.00 to C$130.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock. 1/30/2019 – Canadian National Railway had its price target raised by analysts at CIBC from C$118.00 to C$119.00. 1/30/2019 – Canadian National Railway had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from C$116.00 to C$119.00. 1/14/2019 – Canadian National Railway had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from C$112.00 to C$116.00. 1/7/2019 – Canadian National Railway had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from C$114.00 to C$115.00. 1/2/2019 – Canadian National Railway had its price target lowered by analysts at CIBC from C$120.00 to C$118.00. 12/19/2018 – Canadian National Railway had its price target lowered by analysts at National Bank Financial from C$119.00 to C$110.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock. 12/18/2018 – Canadian National Railway had its price target lowered by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from C$122.00 to C$112.00. 12/17/2018 – Canadian National Railway had its price target lowered by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from C$130.00 to C$128.00.

    Shares of CNR stock traded up C$1.79 during tr

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ACHN)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACHN) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.20.

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACHN) – Research analysts at B. Riley reduced their FY2018 EPS estimates for shares of Achillion Pharmaceuticals in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 2nd. B. Riley analyst M. Kumar now anticipates that the biopharmaceutical company will earn ($0.58) per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of ($0.55). B. Riley has a “Neutral” rating and a $3.50 price objective on the stock. B. Riley also issued estimates for Achillion Pharmaceuticals’ FY2019 earnings at ($0.64) EPS, FY2020 earnings at ($0.71) EPS, FY2021 earnings at ($0.70) EPS and FY2022 earnings at ($0.84) EPS.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN)

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

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN)

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

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    BidaskClub upgraded shares of Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACHN) from a strong sell rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning.

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sky-mobi Limited(MOBI)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Mobius (CURRENCY:MOBI) traded 12.4% lower against the US dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 17:00 PM E.T. on September 25th. One Mobius token can now be bought for approximately $0.0265 or 0.00000414 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Gate.io, Kucoin, BitMart and GOPAX. Over the last week, Mobius has traded up 8.8% against the US dollar. Mobius has a market cap of $10.22 million and approximately $69,762.00 worth of Mobius was traded on exchanges in the last day.

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Mobius (CURRENCY:MOBI) traded 5.5% higher against the dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 16:00 PM E.T. on February 21st. Mobius has a market cap of $6.06 million and $37,433.00 worth of Mobius was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Mobius token can now be purchased for $0.0118 or 0.00000298 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including GOPAX, Gate.io, BitMart and Stellarport. Over the last seven days, Mobius has traded up 22.4% against the dollar.

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Mobius (CURRENCY:MOBI) traded 1.2% lower against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 14:00 PM E.T. on August 21st. In the last week, Mobius has traded down 1.1% against the dollar. One Mobius token can now be bought for about $0.0291 or 0.00000452 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including GOPAX, BitMart, Gate.io and Stellar Decentralized Exchange. Mobius has a total market capitalization of $11.23 million and approximately $78,528.00 worth of Mobius was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Mobius (CURRENCY:MOBI) traded up 0.1% against the dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 18:00 PM ET on February 11th. In the last week, Mobius has traded 3.1% lower against the dollar. One Mobius token can now be bought for approximately $0.0095 or 0.00000260 BTC on exchanges including OTCBTC, Gate.io, Stellar Decentralized Exchange and BitMart. Mobius has a total market capitalization of $4.89 million and approximately $19,445.00 worth of Mobius was traded on exchanges in the last day.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Media coverage about Sky-mobi (NASDAQ:MOBI) has trended somewhat positive this week, according to Accern Sentiment. The research group ranks the sentiment of media coverage by analyzing more than twenty million news and blog sources. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Sky-mobi earned a news impact score of 0.06 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news stories about the software maker an impact score of 45.6853785900783 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near term.

Louisiana Pacific: A Lot Of Value In The Wood

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Investment thesis

Shares of Louisiana Pacific (LPX) have recently corrected from their all-time high, which presents an unparalleled opportunity for share accumulation as the company’s fundamentals have a solid base, and the management pursues a shareholder value-focused approach to capital allocation.

Corporate profile

Louisiana Pacific Corporation is a leading manufacturer of building products; most of which are made from wood and lumber. The company currently has approximately 5,000 employees, with about a fifth being part of labor unions. The company’s sales are classified into 6 segments – Siding, OSB, Engineered wood products, South America, Other and Intersegment sales, with Siding and OSB accounting for the majority of revenues (~79 percent). In terms of Adj. EBITDA margins, OSB and Siding also belonged to the most profitable segments – with 21 and 32 adjusted EBITDA margins, respectively. Geographically, most of the company’s revenues are originated in the United States (~72 percent) and Canada (~22 percent).

Key takeaways from the latest quarterly earnings call

Reading through the company’s latest earnings call transcript, one can quickly find that the company is currently undergoing a business transition from a pure commodity OSB producer to a more diversified cash-generative business. On this front, the key part of the company’s strategy is to expand its siding business, with a long-term annual revenue growth target of 12 to 14 percent. Brad Southern, Chief Executive Officer of the company, also sees a favorable demographic trend wave arising from the entry of millennial workforce into the housing market. Lastly, the management identified several areas that present a significant opportunity for a geographic expansion outside the Midwest, including the Eastern shore and the southern and southwest part of the United States, and seems to ready to take action to seize this opportunity.

Improving profitability metrics, strong cash flow growth, and liquidity position

Over the last ten years, the management has gradually lifted the company’s profitability metrics from the negative to the positive territory to exceptional figures. The company’s trailing twelve months ROA, ROI, and ROE currently total 16, 18, and 24 percent, respectively. Besides rising profitability, the company’s financial statements display a remarkable inflection point in net operating cash flow growth. With respect to its balance sheet sum and market capitalization of little over $3.2 billion U.S. dollars, Louisiana Pacific has also a strong cash position, consisting of $678 million excess cash and $350 million of potential incremental debt capacity.



Source: WSJ Quotes

Shareholder-friendly policy

Louisiana Pacific is a company with a shareholder-friendly policy. Last month, the company launched its accelerated $400 million share repurchase program, which is part of a $600 million share repurchase plan authorized alongside with fourth-quarter earnings announcement. As can be observed in the output below, the company started buying back shares just recently – early in 2018. Should the company fully use the program, the number of shares outstanding can decrease by roughly 24 million to 111 million.

Sluggish digital marketing

On the other hand, one thing at which the company seems to be momentarily struggling is digital marketing. Based on SimilarWeb statistics, the company’s website traffic has been deteriorating. According to a different website analytics tool – Google PageSpeed Insights – Louisiana Pacific’s website speed is average to slow compared to other pages in Google’s sample.


Source: Similarweb.com


Source: Google PageSpeed Insights

Valuation

Plugging in Louisiana Pacific’s financial statements’ figures into my DCF template, the company’s shares seem to be severely undervalued. Under perpetuity growth method, with a terminal growth rate of 2 percent, constant 10 percent annual revenue growth over the next five years and 19 percent EBIT margin, fair value of the stock comes at 63 USD. Under the EBITDA multiple approach of a discounted cash flow model, the intrinsic value per share of the company stands roughly at 40 USD if we assume that the appropriate exit EV/EBITDA multiple in five years’ time is around 5x.


Source: Author’s own Excel model

From a different perspective working with operating earnings multiples, Louisiana Pacific’s shares are also tremendously undervalued. Using the Fast Graphs forecasting calculator, with a 25 percent adjusted operating earnings growth rate assumption, the company’s intrinsic value by the end of November FY2024 is forecasted to reach up to US$43. This implies a total annualized rate of return upside potential up to 16 percent.


Source: F.A.S.T. Graphs

In the light of revenue variation of Peter Lynch’s popular earnings line for the projection of probable per share values of the company, Louisiana Pacific’s shares long run potential seems to be skewed to the positive territory. According to my model, assuming 10 percent annual revenue growth, zero percent annual equity dilution factor, a price-to-sales PS ratio of around 1.2x, the company’s share price by the end of 2022 could hover around US$38. This scenario suggests an annualized rate of return potential as much as 11 percent in the following years.

Source: Author’s own Excel model

Key risks The company’s business heavily relies on the condition of North American new home construction and repair market, and any fluctuations or downward changes in the general economy could adversely affect the company’s operations and financial results. Despite efforts to grow other business lines, the company still has a high degree of product concentration in OSB – a highly commoditized market – generating more than half of the company’s total revenues. The company is subject to various environmental regulations and compliance expenditures that could limit the company’s operations and negatively affect financial results. Any breaches of the company’s internal information systems or technology could negatively impact the company’s reputation and financial results. The company’s operations may be harmed by potential shortages of raw materials or increases in raw material costs such as wood fiber. Intense competition could put pressure on the company’s profit margins and prevent it from increasing or sustaining its net sales and profitability. Should any of the above-mentioned or other risks materialize, the company’s current valuation assumptions might be considerably revised which would diminish the company’s implied upside potential. The bottom line

To sum up, Louisiana Pacific is a very niche business in the home construction market. The company has a sound expansion intention which could be accelerated if new home construction is stimulated by a catalyst such as a reversal in tightening interest rate policy or revived digital presentation. Lastly, ongoing shareholder policy indicates that the company has not only a strong financial position but also a great willingness to share its resources with its shareholders.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: Disclaimer: Please note that this article has an informative purpose, expresses its author’s opinion, and does not constitute investment recommendation or advice. The author does not know individual investor’s circumstances, portfolio constraints, etc. Readers are expected to do their own analysis prior to making any investment decisions.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now

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Investors have neglected consumer goods giant General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) for a long time. But I think it is time to start paying attention to General Mills stock.

This is a defensive name in a consumer goods market with enduring demand. The company has a massive moat, a dirt-cheap valuation, a big dividend and growth prospects that are starting to turn around.

Meanwhile, the rest of the market has growth prospects that are starting to erode.

Over the past several years, hyper-growth tech stocks like Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) have led the S&P 500 to massive gains.

But this bull market is now 10 years old. And cracks are starting to show up in the foundation supporting the bull thesis. From Facebook’s data breach to Netflix and Amazon’s triple-digit earnings multiples to Google’s big fines, there are certainly reasons to be worried about the longevity of this bull market.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Express-1 Expedited Solutions Inc.(XPO)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Daniel Miller]

    Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball for investors to see into the future — otherwise investing would be so much easier. Predicting how businesses and trends will play out over the coming years can be difficult, but Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) and XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO) seem well-positioned to thrive over the next decade. One is benefiting from a rise in esports, the other from ever-increasing e-commerce deliveries.

  • [By Matthew Frankel, Neha Chamaria, and Matthew DiLallo]

    While there’s no way to know for sure which stocks will become the next Amazon, three of our contributors think BofI Holding (NASDAQ:BOFI), XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO), and iQiyi (NASDAQ:IQ) have pretty good chances.

  • [By Steve Symington, Jeremy Bowman, and Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

    So we asked that question to three top Motley Fool investors. Read on to learn why they put New Relic (NYSE:NEWR), XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO), and Ebay (NASDAQ:EBAY) on their short lists of stocks capable of outperforming a five-bagger.

  • [By Motley Fool Staff]

    By following an aggressive acquisition strategy known as a rollup, XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO) has grown its revenue by 100 times in recent years.

    In the following segment from Industry Focus: Energy, Motley Fool Asset Management’s Bill Barker and host Nick Sciple discuss how Barker discovered XPO, the advantages and risks of a rollup strategy, and the basics of XPO’s business.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    The holiday season is typically a busy one for XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO). With the rise of e-commerce, it’s more important than ever to have efficient ways of getting goods where they need to go, and XPO has played a key role in helping to facilitate that movement. However, XPO has been dealing with some issues affecting one of its major customers, and that could have long-lasting negative impacts on its growth potential.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sirius XM Radio Inc.(SIRI)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Mac Greer]

    In today’s episode of Market Foolery, host Mac Greer and Motley Fool contributor Matt Argersinger hit on a few of the market’s biggest stories. Sirius XM (NASDAQ:SIRI) announced plans to acquire Pandora (NYSE:P), finally putting an end to a real bummer of an era for Pandora shareholders. Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) offered a massive bid for Sky, while Disney (NYSE:DIS) positioned itself exactly where it wants to be with regard to that.

  • [By Motley Fool Staff]

    The latest earnings report from satellite radio monopoly Sirius XM (NASDAQ:SIRI) had to please its shareholders, especially given that it delivered record revenue for the period. But as it continues its integration of Pandora, which it acquired last year, there remain some questions, particularly about what is in store for the company in the post-Howard Stern era. (The iconic shock jock’s contract includes only a couple more years of him as a on-air personality.)

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    We’re now more than a year removed from when Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) abandoned plans to buy Pandora outright, taking a minority stake instead. Now that streaming stocks in general and Pandora in particular are hot again, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Sirius XM or any tech giant wanting an audience of more than 70 million streaming accounts snaps up Pandora. 

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    If Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ:SIRI) and Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) were playing a concert, it wouldn’t be easy to decide which one is the headliner and which one has to settle for being the opening act. The two music services draw tens of millions of premium subscribers apiece, but each company is singing in a different key.

  • [By ]

    Remember, Apple (AAPL) had run because its service-revenue stream made the tech giant part of an elite group of companies. It joined Costco (COST) , Netflix (NFLX) , and SiriusXM (SIRI) , Spotify (SPOT) and Amazon (AMZN) (home of Amazon Prime) as companies that charge you recurring fees that you don’t seem to notice or care about. So, Apple’s stock no longer represents the tug to the group, and each company has to develop a separate power base away from Cupertino.

  • [By Evan Niu, CFA]

    In happier news, Sirius XM (NASDAQ:SIRI) finally acquired Pandora (NYSE:P). Tune in to find out what this deal will mean for shareholders, what these companies are trying to achieve by joining forces, and why some analysts and investors are skeptical.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: S&P GSCI(GD)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By ]

    Finally, General Dynamics Corp. (GD) , along with Lockheed and BAE Systems, could possibly profit from heightened demand ships and other vehicles. 

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) dropped about 2.1% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $187.32. Shares closed at $191.40 on Wednesday and the stock’s 52-week high is $230.00. Volume was 25% higher than the daily average of around 1.6 million. The defense giant had no specific news.

  • [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

    Shipbuilding and services specialist Huntington Ingalls (NYSE:HII) was spun off from Northup Grumman in early 2011. General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) is roughly six times larger and offers a far more diversified list of products and services that includes submarines, aircraft, and armored vehicles, among other things. Both, however, provide key products and services to the U.S. military. That’s normally a fairly consistent business driven by large and often very long contracts. With a supportive administration in the White House, it would seem like now is a good time to take a look at this pair of stocks. But which of these two military-industrial companies is a better buy? Using a Benjamin Graham lens, the answer may not be what you want to hear.

  • [By Lou Whiteman]

    Contractors including Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC), General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), and Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) have been richly rewarded over the last two years. The current-year Pentagon budget, at $700 billion, is the largest in history and represented a 15.5%, or $94 billion, jump from the year prior. That’s the largest single-year jump since a 26.6% gain in 2002.

  • [By Chris Dier-Scalise]

    What gives? Well, all of the top six holdings in the fund—Boeing Co (NYSE: BA), United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX), Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT), General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD), Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), and Northrup Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC)—all either met or exceeded Q4 earnings estimates. Together, those six companies make up about 45 percent of the fund.

  • [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

    Code Pink takes issue with BlackRock's investments in aerospace and defense companies such as General Dynamics Corp.(NYSE: GD), Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC).

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc.(WEN)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Shane Hupp]

    Wedbush reissued their hold rating on shares of Wendys (NASDAQ:WEN) in a research report report published on Monday. Wedbush currently has a $17.50 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock.

  • [By Lee Jackson]

    This is another top burger chain that constantly fights for market share through promotional efforts. Wendy’s Co. (NYSE: WEN) is the third largest hamburger quick service restaurant chain. The company is trying to reinforce its historical brand positioning as a premium quick service restaurant brand through major remodels and product differentiation. Wendy’s is increasing its franchise mix and trying to restart unit growth in North America and internationally, where the brand has very little presence.

  • [By Logan Wallace]

    Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) major shareholder Edward P. Garden sold 764,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.53, for a total value of $12,628,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 240,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,973,233.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

  • [By Mac Greer]

    He still has 29% of the company, he’s still plastered on the pizza boxes and the marketing — although, that’s really been pulled back. Then, it’s also come out this week that Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) and Papa John’s, before all of this stuff came up over the past couple of months, they’re actually in talks to have some sort of merger. Going forward, if you’re the board of directors at Papa John’s, I think you have to really consider that possibility. Maybe the best step forward for the company is to look for a merger or a sale, because, man, this seems like a train wreck that keeps accelerating. When you have Schnatter on the board, he would have to be in favor of a buyout or a merger for it to go through. 

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    A.R.T. Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Wendys Co (NASDAQ:WEN) by 19.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,664 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 36,036 shares during the period. A.R.T. Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of Wendys worth $2,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

  • [By Joseph Griffin]

    Hsbc Holdings PLC lowered its position in shares of Wendys Co (NASDAQ:WEN) by 91.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,590 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 299,154 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Wendys were worth $484,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: USG Corporation(USG)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    ValuEngine upgraded shares of USG (NYSE:USG) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday.

    A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of USG from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the company from $35.00 to $24.00 in a research note on Friday, April 27th. Jefferies Group reiterated a hold rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of USG in a research note on Monday, April 23rd. SunTrust Banks boosted their target price on shares of USG from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 17th. Buckingham Research boosted their target price on shares of USG from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 16th. Finally, Nomura boosted their target price on shares of USG from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $39.00.

  • [By Max Byerly]

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

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

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

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

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

Top Safest Stocks To Buy For 2019

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The stock market’s relentless march upward has pushed the prices of many companies higher. As investors bid up good and bad businesses alike, it can be hard to discern which companies are the best for long-term investors.

That’s especially true in the world of dividend stocks, where income-starved investors face greater temptation by the day to reach for high dividend stocks that offer juicy yields.

Fortunately, Simply Safe Dividends identified 10 super-safe dividend growth stocks that investors can rely on for secure, fast-growing income.

These companies all have very healthy Dividend Safety Scores, which measure a firm’s most important financial metrics to gauge how likely it is to cut its dividend in the future.

Let’s take a look at 10 of the safest dividend growth stocks in the market. These companies generate excellent free cash flow, maintain safe payout ratios, are committed to rewarding shareholders with healthy dividend increases and have bright long-term outlooks.

Top Safest Stocks To Buy For 2019: ESSA Pharma Inc.(EPIX)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on ESSA Pharma (EPIX)

    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 ESSA Pharma (EPIX)

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

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    Avid Bioservices (NASDAQ:CDMO) and ESSA Pharma (NASDAQ:EPIX) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, dividends, institutional ownership and profitability.

Top Safest Stocks To Buy For 2019: iShares MSCI Europe Financials Sector Index Fund(EUFN)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

    The iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF (NASDAQ: EUFN) is down just over 1 percent year-to-date. While it's not alarming decline by any mean, it's a broad view: a more focused look at EUFN reveals the exchange traded fund resides about 11 percent below the 52-week high it set in February.

Top Safest Stocks To Buy For 2019: eBay Inc.(EBAY)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

    Payment company PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) was once owned by eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY). The two operations were joined at the hip, and eBay used PayPal as its nontraditional way to spend money at the online auction site. In July 2015, eBay spun off PayPal into a new public company, but many people expected the core relationship would go on indefinitely.

  • [By Adam Levy]

    eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) notably offers strong reach, but sellers are completely responsible for fulfillment, and most customer service responsibilities fall in their court as well. Small sellers are moving away from eBay as an alternative to Amazon, according to a recent survey from Feedvisor. 65% of Amazon merchants also sold on eBay in 2017, but that number fell to just 52% in 2018.

  • [By Brian Feroldi]

    Broadly speaking, there are four main types of competitive advantage:

    Network effect: When a new customer joins a network, it creates additional value for all other members of that network. A classic example is eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY). As more buyers joined eBay’s network it created additional demand for goods. Sellers signed on to eBay to meet that growing demand and added even more goods to the network in the process. That attracted even more buyers to the platform. This cycle repeated itself until eBay became a premier destination to buy and sell goods online. High switching costs: If it is costly in terms of time or money to switch to a competing product, customers tend to stay loyal even in the face of price increases. A great example of this is in consumer banking. Once a person’s paycheck and bills become linked to their checking account, it becomes a large pain for them to consider switching to another bank, even if the interest rate they earn is lower or their fees are higher. This fact keeps many customers loyal to their banks for years. Low-cost producer: If a company enjoys a technological, scale, or geographic advantage that allows it to produce a good service for a lower cost than its competition, it can charge a lower price and still earn good returns. Walmart is the classic example of a company that uses its huge buying power and an ultra-efficient supply chain to sell consumers goods at a much lower price than its competition. Intangible assets: This is a catch-all category that includes things like patents, branding, trade secrets, and regulatory protection. A great example of this is Tiffany’s & Co’s use of its strong brand name to convince consumers to pay a huge premium for its jewelry.

    The best growth stocks have at least one competitive advantage working for them that will keep their profits protected from market forces.

  • [By Jeremy Bowman]

    The behemoth claims nearly half of the market. Amazon is expected to control 49.1% of U.S. e-commerce sales in 2018, up 43.5% from the prior year, according to eMarketer. Its strong position has been fortified by Amazon’s Whole Foods acquisition and rapid growth of the company’s third-party marketplace. Its e-commerce market share dwarfs that of its closest competitor, eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), at 6.6%, while Apple and Walmart (NYSE:WMT) follow at 3.9% and 3.7%, respectively. E-commerce as an industry continues to take share from brick-and-mortar retail, with online sales in the U.S. growing about 15% per year since the recession, while overall retail growth, which includes e-commerce, has averaged just 4.3%. 

Top Safest Stocks To Buy For 2019: 1st Source Corporation(SRCE)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on 1st Source (SRCE)

    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 1st Source (SRCE)

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

  • [By Stephan Byrd]

    1st Source (NASDAQ:SRCE) was downgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Top Safest Stocks To Buy For 2019: Reliv’ International Inc.(RELV)

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ethan Ryder]

    Headlines about Reliv International (NASDAQ:RELV) have trended somewhat positive recently, according to Accern. The research group ranks the sentiment of news 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 -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Reliv International earned a news sentiment score of 0.06 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news articles about the company an impact score of 46.5816094320485 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.