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Three big Western companies are investigating allegations that prisoners in China made packaging bearing their brand names.
Household products group 3M, and fashion retailers H&M and C&A are responding to an article published by the Financial Times last week in which a British corporate investigator who was imprisoned in China said he witnessed fellow inmates making packaging that carried the names of the companies.
Peter Humphrey was arrested in China in 2013 on charges that his risk consultancy firm illegally acquired private data of Chinese citizens while doing work for corporate clients. He has consistently denied the charges, but was found guilty in 2014 and spent nearly two years behind bars.
“Our men made packaging parts. So much for corporate social responsibility,” Humphrey wrote in the Financial Times article, referring to his fellow prisoners. “I recognized well-known brands — 3M, C&A, H&M.”
Humphrey wrote that the firms involved may not have known prison labor was being used to make their products. The inmates earned about 120 yuan ($19) a month for their work, he added. That’s a fraction of average wages in China’s vast manufacturing industry.
Top 5 China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Tenaris S.A.(TS)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Logan Wallace]
ValuEngine upgraded shares of Tenaris (NYSE:TS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning.
Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Jaffray set a $40.00 target price on Tenaris and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, March 10th. Guggenheim restated a buy rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Tenaris in a research report on Friday, March 2nd. Barclays restated a buy rating and set a $41.00 price objective on shares of Tenaris in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Tenaris from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, March 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Tenaris from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $43.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Tenaris currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $39.08.
- [By Ethan Ryder]
Tenaris (NYSE:TS)’s share price reached a new 52-week high and low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $40.64 and last traded at $40.38, with a volume of 99958 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $39.90.
Top 5 China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cedar Fair, L.P.(FUN)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Stephan Byrd]
Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Cedar Fair Entertainment (FUN)
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- [By Brian Feroldi, Leo Sun, and Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
Want proof? We asked these Motley Fool investors to highlight a dividend stock that pays a higher yield than Verizon. Here’s why they pickedTanger Factory Outlets (NYSE:SKT), Cedar Fair (NYSE:FUN), andSTORE Capital (NYSE:STOR).
- [By Joe Tenebruso]
Cedar Fair (NYSE:FUN) reported first-quarter financial results on May 2. The amusement park master limited partnership is enjoying strong early-season sales, and management is confident that it will hit its annual distribution growth targets.
- [By Rick Munarriz]
We now have the quarterly updates for all five of the country’s leading theme park and regional amusement park operators, and it’s safe to say the first three months of 2018 blew out the same three-month period of 2017. Six Flags (NYSE:SIX), Cedar Fair(NYSE:FUN), andSeaWorld Entertainment(NYSE:SEAS)joined the theme park segments of Disney (NYSE:DIS) and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) in posting double-digit revenue growth in the latest quarter.
- [By Joseph Griffin]
Cedar Fair Entertainment (NYSE: FUN) and The Madison Square Garden (NYSE:MSG) are both mid-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and valuation.
Top 5 China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CACI International, Inc.(CACI)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Max Byerly]
Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO) and CACI (NYSE:CACI) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and valuation.
Top 5 China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Astec Industries, Inc.(ASTE)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Logan Wallace]
Douglas Dynamics (NYSE: PLOW) and Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) are both small-cap auto/tires/trucks companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.
- [By Logan Wallace]
Dean Investment Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) by 5.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 59,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,870 shares during the period. Dean Investment Associates LLC’s holdings in Astec Industries were worth $3,256,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
- [By Stephan Byrd]
Shares of Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $67.25.
Top 5 China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Flowers Foods, Inc.(FLO)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Shane Hupp]
Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 14.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,940,432 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 246,581 shares during the period. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $42,418,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
- [By Stephan Byrd]
Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO) was upgraded by analysts at Consumer Edge from a neutral rating to an outperform rating.
Hawaiian Electric Industries (NYSE:HE) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a buy rating to a hold rating. According to Zacks, “Hawaiian Electric kick started 2018 on a mixed note. While the company’s first-quarter earnings came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, revenues beat the consensus mark. The company is the largest provider of electricity in the state of Hawaii, as a result of which it outperformed the broader industry in past twelve months. It continues to make systematic investments in utility infrastructure development projects, primarily adding new generation facilities, replacing aging infrastructure and restoring transmission and distribution assets. However, Hawaiian Electric depends heavily on third-party suppliers for fuel and purchased power. With the Federal Reserve set to hike interest rate thrice in 2018, Hawaiian Electric’s operational performance may get hampered in coming days. Fluctuations in the oil price in the global market tend to push up Hawaiian Electric’s expenses.”
- [By Lisa Levin]
Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:
Wall Street expects Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M) to report quarterly earnings at $0.35 per share on revenue of $5.39 billion before the opening bell. Macy's shares fell 0.47 percent to $29.79 in after-hours trading.
Analysts are expecting Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) to have earned $0.65 per share on revenue of $12.43 billion in the latest quarter. Cisco will release earnings after the markets close. Cisco shares declined 0.07 percent to $45.45 in after-hours trading.
Boot Barn Holdings Inc (NYSE: BOOT) reported upbeat results for its fourth quarter and issued strong first-quarter earnings guidance. Boot Barn shares climbed 9.97 percent to $24.15 in the after-hours trading session.
After the markets close, Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.31 per share on revenue of $1.20 billion. Flowers Foods shares dropped 0.37 percent to $21.70 in after-hours trading.
Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.
- [By Max Byerly]
Novare Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE:FLO) by 35.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,835 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,115 shares during the quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Flowers Foods were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
- [By Garrett Baldwin]
Yesterday, North Korean officials threatened to pull out of next month’s summit with President Donald Trump over demands tied to its nuclear weapons program. The announcement comes when tensions are already high over increasing inflation fears, Japan’s economic contraction, and uncertainty around trade between the U.S. and China. Markets are likely to continue to react with uncertainty as the global political climate continues to grow increasingly volatile. WTI crude oil remained near $71.00 despite concerns as markets look to the Energy Information Administration on the state of U.S. inventory levels. Oil prices have been under pressure after the U.S. announced it would pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. The American Petroleum Institute projected Tuesday that U.S. stocks increased by 4.9 million barrels to 435 million barrels. The EIA will release its official report later this morning.
Three Stocks to Watch Today: M, SBUX, AMZN
Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) will lead another busy day of earnings reports. The retail company’s stock surged more than 12% this morning after a huge earnings report that crushed Wall Street expectations. The firm reported EPS of $0.48, topping expectations of $0.37 by 11 cents. The company also beat revenue expectations by roughly $100 million and experienced a huge jump in same-store sales. It doesn’t look like the U.S-China trade dispute will impact Starbucks Corporation (Nasdaq: SBUX). The coffee giant announced plans to build 3,000 new stores in China in the coming years. The company aims to double its store-front presence by the end of 2022 and hopes to double its profits and triple its revenue in the nation in the process. Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) is back in the news as it continues its slash-and-burn campaign against rival grocery store operators. This morning, the company announced it was slashing Whole Foods prices for its Prime members. The new price list includes 10% discounts on hundreds of items. The perks are rolling ou
