Royal Mail Plc, which traces its origins back five hundred years has been a member of the FTSE 100, the UKs index of blue chip companies, since shortly after being privatized in 2013, only narrowly escaped relegation in the most recent quarterly review this June. But could it now be relegated? Some pundits have ventured as much.
Todays British postal that was founded in 1516 when Henry VIII created a Master of the Posts was the darling of the stock market following its full privatization in 2013 and debut on the London Stock Exchange.
But after shares reached the giddy heights of £6.15 in January 2014 concerns have grown about its speed of restructuring, falling letter volumes and on-going negotiations with unions around closing its expensive Defined Benefit (DB) pension scheme.
These worries have contributed to the shares falling to £3.97 a pop of late, which equates to a decline of 20% year to date. And, since hitting the highs back then the share price drop equates to c.35%.
Top Blue Chip Stocks To Watch For 2018: Graco Inc.(GGG)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Joel Elconin]
At this time, the only relevant news to the Gold market and Gold stocks was the halt of Graco Inc. (NYSE: GGG), which was down $0.80 at $84.64 and just reopened at $82.20.
- [By Lisa Levin]
In trading on Thursday, industrials shares fell by 0.83 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Graco Inc. (NYSE: GGG), down 9 percent, and Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV), down 11 percent.
Top Blue Chip Stocks To Watch For 2018: Starz(STRZA)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Starz (STRZA) has jumped 14% to$32.16 after agreeing to be purchased by Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF) in a deal that values Starz at about $4.4 billion. Lions Gate has climbed 9.4% to $22.90.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Here we think names trading in the mid-single digit multiple range such as AMC Networks (AMCX) should benefit the most as should Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF) / Starz (STRZA), Viacom (VIAB), Viacom (VIA) and Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI).
Top Blue Chip Stocks To Watch For 2018: Long Island Iced Tea Corp. (LTEA)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Garrett Baldwin]
William may be right about a sell-off in stocks… in the cryptocurrency space. Over the last week, companies that have billed themselves as blockchain-focused saw their stocks surge. One firm – Long Island Iced Tea changed its name to Long Island Blockchain and watched its stock surge more than triple digits. But today, firms with this exposure are cratering. MGT Capital Investments Inc. (OTCMKTS: MGTI), Long Island Iced Tea Corp. (Nasdaq: LTEA), Riot Blockchain Inc. (Nasdaq: RIOT), and Siebert Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: SIEB) all fell by more than 12% Friday.
Top Blue Chip Stocks To Watch For 2018: ConAgra Foods, Inc.(CAG)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Laurie Kulikowski]
CONAGRA FOODS INC reported significant earnings per share improvement in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. But, we feel it is poised for EPS growth in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, CONAGRA FOODS INC swung to a loss, reporting -$1.49 versus $0.35 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($2.26 versus -$1.49).
- [By Trey Thoelcke]
Conagra Brands Inc.’s (NYSE: CAG) fiscal second-quarter report is scheduled for first thing Thursday. Wall Street is looking for $0.52 in EPS and $2.06 billion in revenue. Shares closed trading at $37.76 on Friday, in a 52-week range of $32.16 to $41.68. The consensus price target is $40.43.
- [By Lisa Levin]
Conagra Brands Inc (NYSE: CAG) reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its third quarter.
Conagra reported Q3 earnings of $0.48 per share on revenue of $1.98 billion. Analysts were expecting earnings of $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.98 billion.
- [By Laurie Kulikowski]
The debt-to-equity ratio is very high at 2.34 and currently higher than the industry average, implying increased risk associated with the management of debt levels within the company. Along with this, the company manages to maintain a quick ratio of 0.25, which clearly demonstrates the inability to cover short-term cash needs.
- [By Lisa Levin]
Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:
Wall Street expects Accenture Plc (NYSE: ACN) to report quarterly earnings at $1.3 per share on revenue of $8.34 billion before the opening bell. Accenture shares gained 0.41 percent to $127.00 in after-hours trading.
Analysts expect Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) to post quarterly earnings at $0.85 per share on revenue of $4.64 billion after the closing bell. Micron shares gained 0.88 percent to $26.29 in after-hours trading.
Five Below Inc (NASDAQ: FIVE) reported better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter on Wednesday. Five Below shares climbed 8.23 percent to $41.27 in the after-hours trading session.
Before the markets open, Conagra Brands Inc (NYSE: CAG) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.98 billion. Conagra shares rose 1.73 percent to $41.18 in after-hours trading.
PVH Corp (NYSE: PVH) posted upbeat earnings for its fourth quarter and issued a strong earnings forecast. PVH shares surged 7.15 percent to $97.35 in the after-hours trading session.
Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.
- [By Laurie Kulikowski]
We rate CONAGRA FOODS INC as a Hold with a ratings score of C+. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed – some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company’s strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, revenue growth and growth in earnings per share. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, generally higher debt management risk and disappointing return on equity.
.jpg)