There are a lot of moving parts going on in Novartis AG (ADR)(NYSE:NVS) at present, but I still see strong growth coming down the track. The company announced its second-quarter earnings this week where the surprise was definitely the growth of the company’s Alcon division. Alcon has been earmarked for either a sale or a spin-off for many months now, but its recent unexpected growth has left management very tight-lipped about its future plans. Investors on the earnings call looked for any clues on Alcon’s forward looking fundamentals with respect to the segment’s recent healthy margins. Growth in Q2 definitely came as a respite as the company in recent quarters has had to rely on product launches to stem losses from Alcon as well as Gleevec.
Existing drugs such as Entresto and Cosentyx performed very well in the quarter. In fact initial sales targets of $500 million for Entresto and $2 billion for Cosentyx still look on the cards for this fiscal year. Novartis’ share price trajectory, though, (which we continue to hold in our portfolio) will come down to whether its attractive pipeline can fulfill its potential. The Sandoz generics division looks like it will continue to face strong pricing pressure headwinds in the US. We all are expecting growth from next year on, but the question is by how much? I still see this stock undervalued. Here are some reasons why.
Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2018: RXI Pharmaceuticals Corporation(RXII)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Jim Robertson]
Yesterday, our Under the Radar Moversnewsletter suggested small cap clinical-stage biotech RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp (NASDAQ: RXII) as a long/bullish trade for our short-term portfolio:
Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2018: Oshkosh Corporation(OSK)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Rich Smith]
I first named Oshkosh my top stock pick back in September, when the stock cost $42 and change. Since then, the stock has gone down, and sells for $3 less. So am I supposed to dislike Oshkosh stock now?
No. To the contrary, I like it even more. (About $3 more, in fact).
You see, even in the process of picking Oshkosh back then, I warned investors: "I don’t know whether Oshkosh will be the best-performing stock in the world in the month of September, but I’ve got a strong hunch about the next six months." And that hunch remains — because the facts have not changed.
This past summer, Oshkosh was named the winner of the Pentagon’s contract to build a next-gen "Humvee" — an armored Joint Light Tactical Vehicle that will serve the U.S. military for decades to come. Oshkosh won an initial award to produce 17,000 vehicles for $6.7 billion. Ultimately, though, this is a contract that could swell to $30 billion or more for production, maintenance, and upgrade of approximately 55,000 JLTVs across all military branches.
So why hasn’t Oshkosh stock moved in response to the contract? Mainly because rival bidderLockheed Martin threw a monkey wrench into the contracts process, first protesting the JLTV award to Oshkosh, and then, when that protest was rejected, filing suit in court to try to win the contract away from its rival.
Personally, I think Lockheed Martin will lose that suit as well. After all, Lockheed’s forte is in fighter jets, while Oshkosh is the military’s premier supplier of trucks like JLTV, as well as the Army’s M-ATV vehicle (a small, all-terrain MRAP). Perhaps recognizing this, AM General, the other company that bid against Oshkosh on JLTV and lost, declined to protest the award. Lockheed took the other road, but I expect it will be a dead end for Lockheed as well.
- [By WWW.THESTREET.COM]
Oshkosh (OSK) was downgraded to neutral from buy at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. $62 price target. The valuation is less attractive, as the stock is trading at 21x expected 2017 earnings, analysts said.
- [By Shanthi Rexaline]
The six companies that met the criterion are:
Oshkosh Corp (NYSE: OSK). Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX). SpartanNash Co (NASDAQ: SPTN). Suncor Energy Inc. (USA) (NYSE: SU). Washington Federal Inc. (NASDAQ: WAFD). Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS).
Oshkosh
Oshkosh is a manufacturer of specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies and is based in Wisconsin. The company operates under four business segments, namely access equipment, defense, fire and emergency, and commercial.
Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2018: Unifirst Corporation(UNF)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Monica Gerson]
UniFirst Corp (NYSE: UNF) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.26 per share on revenue of $362.62 million.
Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.29 per share on revenue of $93.15 million.
- [By Monica Gerson]
General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.60 per share on revenue of $3.86 billion.
Pier 1 Imports Inc (NYSE: PIR) is projected to post a quarterly loss at $0.05 per share on revenue of $420.05 million.
Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $2.03 per share on revenue of $847.79 million.
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $2.40 per share on revenue of $4.49 billion.
Worthington Industries, Inc. (NYSE: WOR) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $692.48 million.
Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.29 per share on revenue of $94.64 million.
UniFirst Corp (NYSE: UNF) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.34 per share on revenue of $366.28 million.
Exfo Inc (NASDAQ: EXFO) is expected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $60.87 million.
OMNOVA Solutions Inc. (NYSE: OMN) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.14 per share on revenue of $205.40 million.
8Point3 Energy Partners LP (NASDAQ: CAFD) is estimated to post a quarterly loss at $0.01 per share on revenue of $11.60 million.
Park Electrochemical Corp. (NYSE: PKE) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.22 per share on revenue of $35.30 million.
Xplore Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: XPLR) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.01 per share on revenue of $24.00 million.
Investors Real Estate Trust (NYSE: IRET) is expected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.14 per share on revenue of $56.87 million.
Tel-Instrument Electronics Corp. (NYSE: TIK) is estimated to post earnings for the latest quarter.
Aethlon Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: AEMD) is expected to post a quarterly loss at $0.20 per share.
Ossen Innovation Co Ltd (ADR) (NASDAQ: OSN) is projected to post ea - [By Monica Gerson]
Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.
AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) posted upbeat earnings for its fourth quarter, but the company missed analysts’ sales expectations. AeroVironment shares dipped 7.37 percent to $26.40 in the after-hours trading session.
Analysts are expecting Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) to have earned $2.03 per share on revenue of $847.79 million in the latest quarter. Acuity Brands shares rose 0.04 percent to $244.75 in after-hours trading.
CalAmp Corp. (NASDAQ: CAMP) reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter and reported a $25 million buyback plan. The company also issued a weak sales forecast for the current quarter. CalAmp shares gained 0.35 percent to $14.14 in the after-hours trading session.
UniFirst Corp (NYSE: UNF) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $1.34 per share on revenue of $366.28 million. UniFirst shares slipped 0.72 percent to close at $105.44 on Tuesday.
A Schulman Inc (NASDAQ: SHLM) reported better-than-expected earnings for its third quarter. A Schulman shares rose 1.61 percent to $21.51 in the after-hours trading session.
Posted-In: Stocks To WatchEarnings News Guidance Pre-Market Outlook Markets Trading Ideas
Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2018: Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.(MMC)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Reuters]
Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
NEW YORK — Walgreen is moving 120,000 employees to a private health insurance exchange from coverage provided directly from carriers, the company will announce Wednesday.
The pharmacy chain will join 17 other large employers on the Aon Hewitt Corporate Health Exchange as part of a growing movement to offer employees fixed dollar amounts to purchase their own plans on such exchanges.
The end-cost to employees depends on the plan chosen, but they typically get more options than under traditional arrangements. Private exchanges mimic the coverage mandated as part of the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in the public exchanges starts Oct. 1.
“What happens to employer contributions over time? Will they put in as much as they put in the past? These are unanswered questions but potential negatives,” says Paul Fronstin, a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The benefit to Walgreen and other employers is unknown at this point, as their cost-savings aren’t clear.
Of the 180,000 Walgreen (WAG) employees eligible for health care insurance, 120,000 opted for coverage for themselves and 40,000 family members. Another 60,000 employees, many of them working part-time, weren’t eligible for health insurance.
Aon Hewitt (AON) says other participants in its program include retailer Sears Holding (SHLD) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). These new additions raise enrollment to 330,000 from 100,000 last year, and Aon Hewitt estimates enrollment will jump to 600,000 next year, a fivefold increase from 2012.
By 2017, nearly 20 percent of employees nationwide could get their health insurance through a private exchange, according to Accenture Research (ACN). A recent report by the National Business Group on Health said that 30 percent of large employers are considering moving active employees to exchanges by 2015.
Other major providers of private exchanges include Mercer, a division of Marsh & Mc
Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2018: NxStage Medical, Inc.(NXTM)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Lisa Levin]
In trading on Thursday, healthcare shares dipped by 0.51 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included NxStage Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTM), down 8 percent, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE: VRX), down 9 percent.
