Asia's ride-hailing market gets another $1 billion investment

Grab just got another $1 billion to expand its war chest in Asia.

The Singapore-based ride-hailing company, which recently bought out Uber's business in southeast Asia, said Thursday that it had raised fresh funding from big investors including Wall Street's Oppenheimer and China's Ping An.

Grab said it will use the cash infusion to help grow the number of services its app offers, particularly in Indonesia, a big regional market where it is battling local player GoJek.

The company announced last month it was opening its app to outside developers and adding grocery deliveries to its suite of services. The new app will include a news feed and feature content like restaurant reviews, short films and games.

Its goal is to get people to use Grab for as many things as possible.

Jakarta-based GoJek has been making a similar push in Indonesia. GoJek users can buy movie tickets, connect with pharmacies and order on-demand hair and makeup stylists.

The latest Grab fundraising round was billed as $2 billion, but includes a $1 billion injection from Toyota (TM), which was announced in June.

Grab is now valued at $11 billion, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to CNNMoney.

Grab �� which operates car, motorbike, and carpooling services �� spans several countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Grab's main office in Singapore.

In March, it bought Uber's business in the region in the latest international retreat for the US ride-hailing company, which sold its operations in China in 2016 and its Russia business in 2017.

Under the deal, Uber received a 27.5% stake in Grab �� worth several billion dollars �� in exchange for the US company's operations in eight southeast Asia countries.

But the deal has come under scrutiny from regulators in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, who are concerned the merger could reduce competition.

-- Rishi Iyengar and Sherisse Pham contributed to this report.

Britannia Industries Q1 PAT seen up 26.1% YoY to Rs. 272.3 cr: KR Choksey

KR Choksey has come out with its first quarter (April-June�� 18) earnings estimates for the FMCG sector. The brokerage house expects Britannia Industries to report net profit at Rs. 272.3 crore up 26.1% year-on-year (up 3.2% quarter-on-quarter).

Net Sales are expected to increase by 11.3 percent Y-o-Y (down 0.7 percent Q-o-Q) to Rs. 2,519.5 crore, according to KR Choksey.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) are likely to rise by 25.4 percent Y-o-Y (up 3.7 percent Q-o-Q) to Rs. 411.9 crore.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Read More First Published on Jul 22, 2018 05:47 pm

Hudson Pacific Properties (HPP) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE:HPP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday. Zacks Investment Research currently has $38.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

According to Zacks, “Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. is a full-service, vertically integrated real estate company focused on owning, operating and acquiring office properties and media and entertainment properties in select growth markets primarily in Northern and Southern California. These markets include Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and the East Bay. The Company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. “

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Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report on Wednesday, May 23rd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 25th. Barclays restated a buy rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties in a report on Tuesday, April 17th. DA Davidson set a $45.00 price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, May 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $37.83.

HPP stock opened at $33.86 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.70. Hudson Pacific Properties has a 52 week low of $28.25 and a 52 week high of $36.06.

Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE:HPP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $174.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.65 million. Hudson Pacific Properties had a return on equity of 2.44% and a net margin of 13.47%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. analysts anticipate that Hudson Pacific Properties will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 19th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 18th. Hudson Pacific Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.25%.

In other Hudson Pacific Properties news, EVP Arthur X. Suazo sold 10,000 shares of Hudson Pacific Properties stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.53, for a total value of $355,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 102,995 shares in the company, valued at $3,659,412.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sanford Dale Shimoda sold 5,000 shares of Hudson Pacific Properties stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.96, for a total transaction of $179,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 89,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,217,628.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 78,213 shares of company stock valued at $2,794,149 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.93% of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HPP. Piermont Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 15.7% in the first quarter. Piermont Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,540 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $440,000 after purchasing an additional 1,840 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 9.2% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 23,242 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 12,527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 2,106 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 18.1% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 16,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,512 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 2.7% in the first quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 97,771 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,180,000 after purchasing an additional 2,547 shares during the period.

About Hudson Pacific Properties

Hudson Pacific Properties is a vertically integrated real estate Company focused on acquiring, repositioning, developing and operating high-quality office and state-of-the-art studio properties in select West Coast markets. Hudson Pacific invests across the risk-return spectrum, favoring opportunities where it can employ leasing, capital investment and management expertise to create additional value.

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McDonald's Earnings: 3 Things to Watch

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD)�has treated investors to market-thumping growth in its last few quarterly reports. And those gains have combined with surging profitability to send earnings far higher.

Yet shareholders saw evidence of a slowdown when the fast-food giant kicked off its fiscal 2018 in a late April report. That potential shift raises the stakes around Mickey's D's second-quarter report, due out before the market opens on Thursday, July 26.

Let's take a closer look.

Image source: Getty Images.

Growth trends

Comparable-store sales held steady at an industry-leading 5.5% last quarter, which kept McDonald's well ahead of rivals including Starbucks, Yum! Brands, and Dunkin' Brands. Management credited improvements to the menu, aggressive pricing, and faster service for powering the company's 11th consecutive quarter of positive comps. "More customers are recognizing that we are becoming a better McDonald's, appreciating our great tasting food, fast and friendly service, and compelling value," CEO Steve Easterbrook said�.

Traffic change by fiscal year. Data source: McDonald's.�Chart by author.�

However, while customer traffic trends were positive on a global basis, they slipped into negative territory in the key U.S. market. All of its peers are struggling with the same challenge, but the restaurant chain is still hoping to get back to growth with help from menu innovations like the national rollout of its fresh-beef Quarter Pounder. On Thursday, we'll find out if these traffic-boosting initiatives worked, or if McDonald's trends were again pinched by the negative trends in the broader fast-food industry.

Profit margin

Mickey D's has been aggressively whittling down the proportion of restaurants that it operates in favor of relying more heavily on franchising. Its company-owned locations stood at just 8% last quarter compared to 15% in the year-ago period.

The refranchising move has pushed overall revenue lower while lifting profits as McDonald's trades low-margin food sales for high-margin rent, royalties, and franchise fees. As a result, operating margin has shot up to 41% of sales from 31% just a year ago. Investors are looking for more gains on this score, but at a slightly slower pace than in recent quarters.

By 2019, in fact, management is targeting operating margin in the mid-40% range, which should support its annual earnings growth target in the range of 7% to 9%. McDonald's is aiming to get its company-owned restaurant proportion down to about 5% over the long term, and it will likely announce more progress along those lines this week.

Modernization updates

McDonald's planned capital expenditure outlay in 2018 is up 20% over last year's rate, to $2.4 billion. And while that extra spending might not sound like a lot, it amounts to an aggressive investment pace, even for the industry leader.

The chain is modernizing and upgrading around 1,000 stores each quarter in the core U.S. market, or about the same total as its entire footprint in Australia. Executives believe this is the best way to improve customer traffic and average spending metrics while preparing the restaurants for a shift toward digital ordering and, down the line, home delivery.

The spending reflects just how quickly tastes are changing in the fast-food industry. It also shows that McDonald's is determined to avoid repeating the mistakes that contributed to a painful multiyear stretch for the business that included a brutal 4% drop in customer traffic in fiscal 2014. The chain aims to protect its hard-won leadership position this time, and that will require a more flexible, and aggressive, competitive stance.

Why NetEase, Inc. Stock Has Lost 27% in the First Half of 2018

What happened

Shares of�NetEase, Inc.�(NASDAQ:NTES) have dipped 26.8% in the first six months of 2018, according to data from�S&P Global Market Intelligence.

So what

The online games developer and internet services provider has seen its growth sag in recent quarters as its game titles list shows signs of age.�The first quarter of 2018, which the company reported on in May, is quite representative. Revenue increased just 3.9% over the first quarter of 2017, to $2.3 billion. This modest improvement paled against Q1 2017's revenue leap of 72% versus its own comparable 2016 quarter.

Image source: Getty Images.

Online game services, NetEase's largest segment, experienced a top-line slump of 18% during the first three months of the year, to $1.4 billion.�Gross margin in online games dropped 1.8 percentage points to 62.1%, which the company blamed on a lower revenue contribution from its in-house-developed mobile games. Specifically, NetEase identified weaker sales in its Onmyoji game and the mobile-based version of New Ghost, which dampened the relative success of the Knives Out and Chu Liu Xiang titles.

Of course, for a company that derives the lion's share of its revenue from gaming, revenue can be cyclical, as the success of individual products fluctuates. However, without enough bona fide new hits, NetEase has lost profitability as it allocates higher selling costs and marketing expense to generate equivalent levels of revenue. For example, first quarter 2018 cost of revenues jumped 33% to $1.3 billion, and marketing expenses roughly doubled to $397.1 million, even as revenue barely advanced.

Now what

As my colleague Harsh Chauhan points out in a more extensive piece on NetEase's current state, NetEase will likely continue to invest in marketing to win back market share, especially as competitors like Tencent have recently achieved levels of growth in online gaming that used to typify NetEase's prospects.

Still, the company has many opportunities to turn its fortunes around, from traction in massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) like�Chu Liu Xiang, to additional monetization of its Minecraft license. NetEase now claims 60 million Minecraft users in China, and it's opening up a platform for third-party developers to increase content on the site, which should advance revenue opportunities. Overall, it's not out of the question for NetEase's vaunted research and development department to re-energize the top line with new hit titles as it builds on core properties. The company is next set to report earnings on Aug. 8.�

Analysts Set AngloGold Ashanti Limited (AU) Target Price at $11.50

AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $11.50.

Several research firms have weighed in on AU. Zacks Investment Research downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, June 25th. ValuEngine downgraded AngloGold Ashanti from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd.

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AngloGold Ashanti traded down $0.03, hitting $8.59, during midday trading on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,480,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,628,488. AngloGold Ashanti has a 12 month low of $7.81 and a 12 month high of $12.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 143.17 and a beta of -1.00.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 38.5% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 25,975,108 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $246,504,000 after acquiring an additional 7,226,555 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti by 3.1% in the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 19,455,936 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $184,637,000 after purchasing an additional 583,710 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,718,774 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $120,701,000 after buying an additional 91,160 shares during the period. Oaktree Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 0.4% during the first quarter. Oaktree Capital Management LP now owns 3,384,965 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $32,123,000 after buying an additional 14,643 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of AngloGold Ashanti by 233.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,336,817 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $34,002,000 after buying an additional 2,334,622 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 32.96% of the company’s stock.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

AngloGold Ashanti Limited operates as a gold mining company. The company also produces silver, uranium oxide, and sulphuric acid. Its portfolio includes 17 operations and 3 projects in 10 countries in South Africa, Continental Africa, the Americas, and Australasia. AngloGold Ashanti Limited was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Avoid These 10 Public Service Loan Forgiveness Mistakes

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image shutterstock size-large wp-image-1129942907&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/1129942907/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;516&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Shutterstock

It&s;s no secret that student loan forgiveness is a hot topic.

When it comes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness, in particular, the requirements can be tricky.

That&s;s why it&s;s critical to ensure you know the details and are not headed down the wrong path.

Here are the 10 most common public service loan forgiveness mistakes to avoid at all costs.

&l;strong&g;1. Thinking Public Service Loan Forgiveness is automatic&l;/strong&g;

Nope. Thinking that you work in &q;public service&q; and are performing a &q;public service&q; job won&s;t cut it.

The &l;a href=&q;https://www.makelemonade.co/public-service-loan-forgiveness-guide/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program&l;/a&g; is a federal program that forgives federal student loans for borrowers who are employed full-time (more than 30 hours per week) in an eligible federal, state or local public service job or 501(c)(3) non-profit job who make 120 eligible on-time payments.

Those &q;eligibility&q; requirements bring us to our second common mistake.

&l;strong&g;2. Not completing the Employment Certification Form&l;/strong&g;

The number one thing you can do to ensure you&s;re on track for public service loan forgiveness is to complete the &l;a href=&q;https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/public-service-employment-certification-form.pdf&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Employment Certification Form&l;/a&g;.

The next question is: how often should I submit the employment certification form for public service loan forgiveness?

You should submit this form:

&l;/p&g;&l;ul&g;&l;li&g;when you begin a job in public service&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;when you switch employers&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;annually&l;/li&g; &l;/ul&g;

It&s;s important to submit this form annually to keep the U.S. Department of Education aware of your employment to ensure you&s;re on the right track.

&l;strong&g;3. Submitting an Employment Certification Form with errors&l;/strong&g;

This sounds like a no-brainer, but your employment certification form could be rejected if there are errors.

Here are a few common mistakes:

&l;ul&g;&l;li&g;information on one form that does not match previous forms&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;missing information such as an employer address&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;not completing all the required fields&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;correcting errors on the form, and then failing to place your initials next to the corrected errors&l;/li&g; &l;/ul&g;

This all may sound bureaucratic, but better safe than sorry.

&l;strong&g;4. Not having your employment certification form signed by your employer&l;/strong&g;

Your employment certification form must be signed by an authorized official at your employer.

Make sure it is that person who signs the form, not the person who sits next to you at work.

&l;strong&g;5. Not enrolling in an income-driven federal student loan repayment plan&l;/strong&g;

To be eligible for public service loan forgiveness, you must be enrolled in an income-driven federal student loan repayment plan.

Remember, only federal student loans (not private student loans) are eligible for public service loan forgiveness). You also must make a majority of the 120 required payments while enrolled in a federal student loan repayment plan.

While the 10 Year Standard Repayment Plan qualifies for public service loan forgiveness, your federal student loans would be paid off after 10 years so there would be no more student loans to forgive.

How do you know which income-driven student loan repayment plan is best for you? Well, it depends on your specific financial situation.

This &l;a href=&q;https://www.makelemonade.co/calculators/public-service-loan-forgiveness-calculator/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;public service loan forgiveness calculator&l;/a&g; shows you which income-driven student loan repayment plan will maximize your student loan forgiveness.

&l;strong&g;6. Forgetting to consolidate your student loans, if necessary&l;/strong&g;

Remember, only Direct student loans qualify for public service loan forgiveness.

So, if you have Perkins Loans, FFEL Loans or you borrowed student loans before 2011, you may need to consolidate these federal student loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan.

How do you know if you have Direct student loans?

You can check at &l;a href=&q;https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/?login=true&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Federal Student Aid&l;/a&g;. If you don&s;t see the word &q;Direct&q; next to your student loans, then you may need to consolidate those student loans.

How do you consolidate those student loans?

If you decide to consolidate those student loans, you can do so through &l;a href=&q;https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/launchConsolidation.action&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;StudentLoans.gov&l;/a&g;.

&l;strong&g;7. Not taking advantage of Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness&l;/strong&g;

Were you denied public service loan forgiveness because you were enrolled in the wrong student loan repayment plan?

Congress has set aside an extra &l;a href=&q;https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2018/05/29/public-student-loan-forgiveness-apply/#5683d23b367d&q;&g;$350 million of public service loan forgiveness&l;/a&g; for this exact situation.

&l;strong&g;8. Failing to re-certify your income each year&l;/strong&g;

As the name suggests, your income-driven student loan repayment plan is based on your income.

As your income may change each year, the federal government wants to ensure that you are still eligible for that income-driven student loan repayment plan.

Therefore, make sure to re-certify your income each year at studentloans.gov. At the same time, you can submit your annual Employer Certification Form.

&l;strong&g;9. Skipping student loan payments&l;/strong&g;

While your 120 student loan payments under public service loan forgiveness do not have to be consecutive, you need to submit each payment within 15 days of the due date for that payment to count.

&l;strong&g;10. Thinking your job is what qualifies you for public service loan forgiveness, when it&s;s your employer that matters&l;/strong&g;

Remember, it&s;s your employer that matters, not your role.

If you work with a non-profit, but are employed by a private company, this would not qualify for public service loan forgiveness.

Now that you&s;re in the know, hopefully the path toward public service loan forgiveness will be smoother.

Somewhat Favorable Media Coverage Somewhat Unlikely to Affect Goldman Sachs BDC (GSBD) Share Price

News headlines about Goldman Sachs BDC (NYSE:GSBD) have trended somewhat positive on Thursday, Accern Sentiment reports. The research group identifies positive and negative press coverage by monitoring more than 20 million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Goldman Sachs BDC earned a coverage optimism score of 0.11 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news coverage about the financial services provider an impact score of 46.3769468004989 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GSBD shares. National Securities upgraded shares of Goldman Sachs BDC from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, May 7th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Goldman Sachs BDC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 14th. Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Goldman Sachs BDC from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Goldman Sachs BDC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Goldman Sachs BDC in a research report on Wednesday, May 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Goldman Sachs BDC has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $23.00.

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NYSE:GSBD traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $21.14. 114,100 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 130,144. Goldman Sachs BDC has a 12 month low of $18.78 and a 12 month high of $23.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $842.08 million, a P/E ratio of 10.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.78.

Goldman Sachs BDC (NYSE:GSBD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 3rd. The financial services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47. Goldman Sachs BDC had a net margin of 38.13% and a return on equity of 11.09%. The firm had revenue of $35.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.19 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. equities analysts predict that Goldman Sachs BDC will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 28th. Goldman Sachs BDC’s dividend payout ratio is currently 86.96%.

Goldman Sachs BDC Company Profile

Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc is a closed-end management investment company. The Company is a specialty finance company, which is focused on lending to middle-market companies. The Company’s investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation primarily through direct originations of secured debt, including first lien, including first lien, unitranche, including last out portions of such loans, and second lien debt, and unsecured debt, including mezzanine debt, as well as through select equity investments.

Why PriceSmart Is Friday’s Big Earnings Loser

When PriceSmart Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) released its fiscal third-quarter financial results late on Thursday, the company said that it had $0.61 in earnings per share (EPS) and $782.2 million in revenue. Consensus estimates had called for $0.63 in EPS and $777.1 million in revenue. The same period of last year reportedly had EPS of $0.62 and $730.3 million in revenue.

During the latest quarter, net warehouse club sales increased 5.6% year over year to $750.5 million. Also, this came from 41 warehouse clubs in operation this quarter, up from 39 last year.

Separately, the company released its sales for the month of June just after the third quarter ended in May. In this time, net warehouse club sales increased 5.9% to $243.7 million, from $230.1 million in June a year earlier.

For the 10 months ended June 30, 2018, net warehouse club sales increased 5.2% to $2,556.1 million, from $2,429.2 million for the 10 months ended June 30, 2017.

For the month of June, comparable warehouse sales increased only 0.6%. For the past 10 months, comparable warehouse sales increased 2.8%.

Shares of PriceSmart were last seen down about 10% at $83.80, with a consensus analyst price target of $95.00 and a 52-week trading range of $77.50 to $94.45.

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2018 Dow Laggards Could Offer Material Upside Into 2019

Dow poised to slide as tariffs kick in and jobs report nears

U.S. stock futures dipped Friday, following the implementation of much-anticipated import tariffs by the Trump administration and China.

Investors are also focused on a closely watched monthly jobs report.

What are the main benchmarks doing?

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures YMU8, -0.35% slipped by 55 points, or 0.2%, to 24,288, while S&P 500 futures ESU8, -0.19% edged down by 3.60 points, or 0.1%, to 2,735. Nasdaq-100 futures NQU8, -0.21% shed 10.75 points, or 3.60 points, to 7,115.

On Thursday, the Dow DJIA, +0.75% , S&P 500 SPX, +0.86% and Nasdaq Composite COMP, +1.12% closed higher. The three gauges are on track for gains of 0.4% or more for the holiday-shortened week, as of Thursday��s close.

What��s driving markets?

The Trump administration officially imposed tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports at midnight Eastern Time, and Beijing reportedly had implemented tariffs on the same value in American goods, as promised.

Asian equity markets closed with gains Friday amid talk that a trade war was finally underway. Some analysts said that action was classic �� sell the rumor, buy the news. For weeks, stock markets have been selling off worldwide, hurt by worries that a global trade war is developing and could weigh on economic growth.

Meanwhile, the June release on U.S. nonfarm payrolls is due to arrive at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Economists polled by MarketWatch forecast the country added 200,000 jobs last month.

Read more: What to watch in the June jobs report

What are strategists saying?

��Given the historically low levels of unemployment, which is expected to remain constant at 3.8% in June, a miss on the headline job creation number is not going to cause too much distress,�� said Jasper Lawler, head of research at London Capital Group, in a note.

Lawler added that investors also are watching for trade-related news, including any sign of the U.S. or China backing down, saying that ��seems incredibly unlikely at this late stage, but with Trump at the helm you never know.��

What are other markets doing?

The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.13% was modestly lower, while China��s Shanghai Composite SHCOMP, +0.49% finished up by 0.5% on Friday, paring its weekly drop to 3.5%.

European stocks SXXP, -0.14% were trading mixed, as gold futures� GCQ8, -0.25% edged lower, failing to attract much haven demand even as the tariffs kicked in. Oil futures CLQ8, -0.80% were losing ground.

Victor Reklaitis

Victor Reklaitis is a London-based markets writer for MarketWatch. Follow him on Twitter @VicRek.

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Comment Related Topics U.S. Stocks Markets NY Stock Exchange NASDAQ Quote References YMU8 -85.00 -0.35% ESU8 -5.25 -0.19% NQU8 -15.00 -0.21% DJIA +181.92 +0.75% SPX +23.39 +0.86% COMP +83.75 +1.12% DXY -0.12 -0.13% SHCOMP +13.35 +0.49% SXXP -0.54 -0.14% GCQ8 -3.10 -0.25% CLQ8 -0.58 -0.80% Show all references MarketWatch Partner Center Most Popular Trump threatens massive escalation as U.S., China tariffs take effect Brace for a lost decade for U.S. stocks, warn Morningstar strategists Mortgage rates fall to 3-month low as flight to safety rolls on The U.S. is the most obese nation in the world, just ahead of Mexico No snoozing as stock-market investors await crucial 24 hours Community Guidelines ��

Zacks: Brokerages Expect Tower International Inc (TOWR) to Announce $1.08 Earnings Per Share

Analysts expect that Tower International Inc (NYSE:TOWR) will announce earnings per share (EPS) of $1.08 for the current quarter, Zacks reports. Four analysts have provided estimates for Tower International’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $1.09 and the lowest estimate coming in at $1.07. Tower International reported earnings per share of $0.97 in the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year over year growth rate of 11.3%. The company is expected to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, July 25th.

On average, analysts expect that Tower International will report full-year earnings of $4.12 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.07 to $4.15. For the next fiscal year, analysts forecast that the firm will report earnings of $4.35 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.13 to $4.85. Zacks Investment Research’s earnings per share averages are an average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that cover Tower International.

Get Tower International alerts:

Tower International (NYSE:TOWR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The auto parts company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $563.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $546.67 million. Tower International had a return on equity of 28.77% and a net margin of 2.32%. The company’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.76 EPS.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. ValuEngine raised Tower International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 16th. Roth Capital assumed coverage on Tower International in a report on Thursday, May 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $41.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded Tower International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Tower International presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.50.

Shares of TOWR stock traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $34.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 248,815 shares, compared to its average volume of 90,443. The company has a market cap of $697.15 million, a PE ratio of 9.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 2.28. Tower International has a fifty-two week low of $21.25 and a fifty-two week high of $34.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.12.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 10th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 9th. Tower International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.77%.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Tower International during the 4th quarter valued at $217,000. Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new position in Tower International during the 4th quarter worth $253,000. MetLife Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Tower International during the 4th quarter worth $319,000. Element Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Tower International during the 1st quarter worth $387,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in Tower International during the 1st quarter worth $493,000. 90.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Tower International

Tower International, Inc manufactures and sells engineered automotive structural metal components and assemblies primarily for original equipment manufacturers. It operates in two segments, North America and Europe. The company provides body structures and assemblies, including structural metal components, which comprise body pillars, roof rails, and side sills; and Class A surfaces and assemblies that consist of body sides, hoods, doors, fenders, and pickup truck boxes.

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Tower International (TOWR)

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

3 Tips for Getting a Car Loan That Won't Kill Your Financial Future

Getting a car loan isn't great for your finances because you have to�pay interest on an asset that's depreciating in value from the moment you drive it off the lot. Expensive car payments can also make accomplishing other goals harder.

Still, despite the fact car loans have downsides,�most people get them anyway for a very simple reason: they need cars and can't afford to buy them with cash.

If you're shopping for a car loan, you can do so responsibly -- you just need to be smart about where and how you secure financing. Here are three steps to take to ensure you're a responsible borrower when you buy a car.�

Image source: Getty Images

1. Shop for financing outside the dealership

Far too many borrowers get financing through their car dealer without giving a second thought to whether this is really the best deal. Because dealers often advertise special promotional financing, it's very tempting to just take out a loan and hope for the best.

In some cases, you'll get a pretty good deal by borrowing through the dealer -- especially if you have good credit. But, dealers also make a profit on financing and the rates and terms they offer aren't always the best.�

Instead of defaulting to dealer financing, price out the car you want to buy and explore all your loan options through banks, credit unions, and online lenders. Compare interest, the length of the loan, loan origination fees, and any prepayment penalties for repaying early. If you can get a better deal outside the dealership, take it.�

You may also decide to get creative with vehicle financing. If you're going to pay off the car within around a year of buying it, you may be able to use a credit card to pay for at least part of it. You could use a balance transfer and get a check from your credit card -- which usually comes with around a 3% transaction fee -- and essentially do a cash deal with the car dealer using this money. You could also pay for part of the car on a card with a 0% introductory rate on purchases, but dealers will limit how much of the car you can charge.�

2. Borrow the minimum

If you have to borrow to buy a car, you shouldn't be buying a very expensive vehicle. Unfortunately,�Experian's recent report on the state of auto financing revealed the average new car borrower financed $31,445 in the first quarter of 2018 -- a new record and an amount that slightly exceeds per capita incomes.�That means people are borrowing more to buy a car than they make in a year!

With record high balances and average interest rates up to 5.17% --�an increase of about a third of a percentage point compared with a year ago -- borrowers are paying more than ever for new vehicles with monthly payments reaching a record-high of $523.

This is�way�too much money so just don't do it. If you instead borrowed $15,000 to buy a used car, a loan at 5.6% repaid over four years would give you a monthly payment of $350 and leave you with $173 extra per month to invest.

If you put $173 monthly into a retirement account earning 8% from age 30 to age 65, you'd end up with almost $400,000. Would you rather have a nicer car or a 401(k) worth more than double the average pre-retiree's savings?�

3. Don't stretch out your loan term

Experian also revealed another troubling statistic: Borrowers are taking out loans that last longer than ever.�

Average loan lengths for new vehicles reached 69 months in the first quarter of 2018, but 72-month loans still remain the most popular term. Troublingly, almost one-quarter of borrowers took loans lasting between 85 and 96 months. In 2008, only 10% of borrowers took loans they'd be repaying for so long.�

If you take eight years to repay your car, or even 5.7 years, chances are good that you'll be itching for a new car as soon as it's paid off. You may never get any time when you don't have car payments and could devote your income to building wealth.�

Furthermore, stretching out your loan over a long time means you're going to end up paying a lot more interest. If you took the average $31,445 car loan at 5.6% and financed the car over different periods of time, here's what the math looks like:

Loan Term (In Months)

Monthly Payments

Total Loan Cost

48	$733	$35,171
60	$602	$36,125
69	$534	$36,852
72	$515	$37,096
84	$453	$38,082
96	$407	$39,085

Chart and calculations by author.

While the $407 monthly payment may seem much more affordable than the $733 payment, you'd pay almost $4,000 more for the same car!�

If $733 seems like too high a payment, that's where borrowing just $15,000 helps. Consider the math on a $15,000 car loan over the same time period at the same interest rate.�

Loan Term (In Months)	Monthly Payments	Total Loan Cost
24	$662	$15,891
36	$454	$16,330
48	$350	$16,777
60	$287	$17,233

Chart and calculations by author.

As you can see, shorter loan terms are much more affordable. You could pay off the car sooner, save your "car payments" to pay cash for your next vehicle, and still have money left over.�

Be smart about your car loan

Driving a safe and reliable car is important, but that doesn't mean you should borrow a fortune for one. Finance your car with the lender offering the best deal, buy the cheapest car you're comfortable with, and finance a car for the shortest term you can afford, and you'll be in much better shape for the long-term.

Traders Sell Shares of iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund (TIP) on Strength (TIP)

Traders sold shares of iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund (NYSEARCA:TIP) on strength during trading on Tuesday. $54.05 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $151.27 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $97.22 million out of the stock. Of all companies tracked, iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund had the 5th highest net out-flow for the day. iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund traded up $0.18 for the day and closed at $112.35

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 4th were paid a dividend of $0.3358 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 1st. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Vista LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,554,000. Peak Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund by 16.7% during the first quarter. Peak Capital Management LLC now owns 4,802 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Suntrust Banks Inc. grew its stake in shares of iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund by 52.4% during the first quarter. Suntrust Banks Inc. now owns 229,437 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $25,937,000 after buying an additional 78,915 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund by 667.8% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 39,072 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $4,418,000 after buying an additional 33,983 shares during the last quarter.

iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund Company Profile

iShares TIPS Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Barclays Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Bond Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) Index (Series-L) (the Index).

Hot Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:MHLD,PLX,EL,LIVE,GD,TCPC,

When fear and volatility rear their ugly heads, investors will traditionally turn to more conservative investments -- such as gold. Presumably, this is what happened during the bitterly fought presidential campaign. In 2016, the price of gold, which ended the year up about 8%, had climbed as much as 28% at one point.

Similarly, many gold stocks enjoyed quite the ride last year -- rides that have extended into the new year, leaving some companies trading at seriously low prices. Of course, this doesn't mean these companies are worthy of investment. So let's grab our pickaxes and see what we can uncover.

Image source: Getty Images.�

Minding the miners

When considering gold-mining companies' stocks, it's important to recognize that the traditional price-to-earnings ratio doesn't have as much merit. Because of non-cash charges -- like depreciation -- it's not uncommon for companies to take large writedowns on their assets, resulting in skewed earnings figures. Yamana Gold, for example,�recorded non-cash impairment charges of $2.6 billion.�In the company's annual report, management acknowledged that "the largest contributor to the impairment was the writedown of values relating to exploration land�and potential ounces."

Hot Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2019: Maiden Hldgs Ltd(MHLD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Companies Reporting After The Bell Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $10.67 per share on revenue of $2.87 billion. CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.19 per share on revenue of $6.00 billion. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $1.21 per share on revenue of $803.36 million. Spectra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: SEP) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.81 per share on revenue of $751.57 million. IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IAC) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.8 per share on revenue of $923.80 million. Open Text Corporation (NASDAQ: OTEX) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.62 per share on revenue of $691.75 million. Tutor Perini Corporation (NYSE: TPC) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.29 per share on revenue of $1.09 billion. Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOXA) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $7.41 billion. ICU Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICUI) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $1.84 per share on revenue of $346.28 million. TechnipFMC plc (NYSE: FTI) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.33 per share on revenue of $3.13 billion. Synaptics Incorporated (NASDAQ: SYNA) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.91 per share on revenue of $401.76 million. The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation (NYSE: DNB) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $1.07 per share on revenue of $386.91 million. Matrix Service Company (NASDAQ: MTRX) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.07 per share on revenue of $285.16 million. Maiden Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MHLD) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.21 per share on revenue of $739.31 million. tronc, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRNC) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $428.25 million. Copa Holdings,
• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Losers Netshoes (Cayman) Limited (NASDAQ: NETS) shares dipped 43.73 percent to close at $2.87 on Tuesday as the company posted downbeat Q1 results. Cesca Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: KOOL) shares dropped 29.01 percent to close at $0.80 after reporting Q1 results. SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) shares fell 22.2 percent to close at $0.340 after reporting Q1 miss. Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE: VIPS) fell 19.95 percent to close at $12.08 after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its first quarter on Monday. Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISNS) fell 19.68 percent to close at $3.775 after reporting earnings were down year over year. First quarter earnings came in flat, down from 4 cents per share in the same quarter of last year. Sales came in at $3.01 million. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) dropped 18.47 percent to close at $9.62 on Tuesday after surging 77.44 percent on Monday. ENDRA Life Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: NDRA) declined 16.21 percent to close at $2.43. ENDRA Life Sciences is expected to release quarterly earnings today. ALJ Regional Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALJJ) shares fell 16.13 percent to close at $1.79. Switch Inc (NYSE: SWCH) shares dropped 14.93 percent to close at $13.16 following a first-quarter earnings miss. Restoration Robotics Inc (NASDAQ: HAIR) fell 14.42 percent to close at $3.68 after reporting a first-quarter earnings miss. iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICAD) declined 13.01 percent to close at $3.41 following Q1 results. Intersections Inc. (NASDAQ: INTX) fell 12.44 percent to close at $1.97. Histogenics Corporation (NASDAQ: HSGX) declined 12.24 percent to close at $2.15. AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ) fell 12.1 percent to close at $39.60 following Q3 earnings. Hallador Energy Company (NASDAQ: HNRG) fell 11.1 percent to close at $6.49. Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) dropped 10.66 percent to close at $16.93 on Tuesday. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) slipp

Hot Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2019: Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.(PLX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: “Protalix Biotherapeutics (PLX) Shares Up 6.8%” was first posted by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are reading this story on another site, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of U.S. & international trademark and copyright laws. The legal version of this story can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3355139/protalix-biotherapeutics-plx-shares-up-6-8.html.

Hot Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2019: Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. (EL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  With this in mind, I thought I would share three companies that I recently added to my portfolio: uniform rental company Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS), beauty and personal care product retailer Estee Lauder Company (NYSE:EL), and global market maker Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE). Here's why I think they are great investments and why they made it into my portfolio.

• [By Motley Fool Staff and Asit Sharma]

  The Industry Focus�crew recently debuted coverage of�Est茅e Lauder (NYSE:EL), and an Ulta Beauty�(NASDAQ:ULTA) shareholder wants to know:

  We hold Ulta and have watched its stock go on sale over these months, unfortunately. It was interesting that Est茅e Lauder hadn't listed them as a competitor. I guess these companies thrive together, then. Both are staking their growth on premium products like MAC, for example. I hadn't anticipated anything like the decline in Ulta, and I'm further surprised at its contrast with Est茅e Lauder. Can you square the market's perspective here?

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  The Industry Focus�team concludes its discussion of�Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA)�with a look at the company's tight margin structure -- from the cost of running physical stores -- and how that stacks up against profitability at fellow skincare and cosmetics leader Est茅e Lauder�(NYSE:EL).

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Est茅e Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by Wells Fargo in a note issued to investors on Monday. They currently have a $168.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo’s target price points to a potential upside of 13.61% from the company’s previous close.

Hot Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2019: Live Ventures Incorporated(LIVE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Live Ventures (NASDAQ: LIVE) and PennantPark Investment (NASDAQ:PNNT) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, profitability and institutional ownership.

Hot Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2019: S&P GSCI(GD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Traders sold shares of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) on strength during trading on Friday. $52.91 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $170.65 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $117.74 million out of the stock. Of all stocks tracked, General Dynamics had the 0th highest net out-flow for the day. General Dynamics traded up $0.76 for the day and closed at $202.52

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Riverhead Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) by 223.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,328 shares during the period. Riverhead Capital Management LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By ]

  Moreno was also upbeat on General Dynamics (GD) , which just made a bullish crossover, but felt that Raytheon had the best chart of them all.

  Cramer agreed, saying he's bullish on all of these names.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on General Dynamics (GD)

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

Hot Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2019: TCP Capital Corp.(TCPC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  TCP Capital (NASDAQ:TCPC)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities research analysts at National Securities in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday. They presently have a $17.00 price objective on the investment management company’s stock. National Securities’ price target indicates a potential upside of 17.24% from the stock’s previous close.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  TCP Capital (NASDAQ:TCPC) was upgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Samantha Bee apologizes for vulgar remark about Ivanka Trump: 'I crossed a line'

Samantha Bee has apologized for calling White House senior adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump a "feckless c****" on her TBS show Thursday.

"I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it," Bee said in a statement.

Bee had gone after Trump for failing to take action to stop the separation of undocumented families.

"Ivanka Trump, who works at the White House, chose to post the second most oblivious tweet we've seen this week," Bee said on her show. "You know, Ivanka, that's a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless c***!"

Bee added that the president listens to Ivanka and said that she should "Put on something tight and low-cut and tell your father to f***ing stop it. Tell him it was an Obama thing and see how it goes, OK?"

TBS and CNN are both owned by Turner, a subsidiary of Time Warner.

Best Value Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:THM,ABCD,SCHW,UPS,SPNS,

As 2016 draws to a close, we can look back and say that the U.S. restaurant space has not been too enticing to investors. In fact, same-store sales growth has been rather dull in a difficult sales environment.

However, investors should not totally shy away from investing in this space. In fact, there are several companies with a decent performance history and strong fundamentals, that seem to be unperturbed by the plight, thereby signaling a profitable investment opportunity.

One such company is Dallas-based Wingstop Inc (WING) that continues to reflect strength in several areas ever since its IPO in Jun 2015 and should thus make a value addition to your portfolio.

Why is Wingstop a Solid Choice?

Stock Price Movement: Wingstop’s shares have outperformed the broader Zacks categorized Retail-Restaurants industry, year to date. While the stock gained over 30% the broader industry grew nearly 1% in the same time frame.

Best Value Stocks To Buy Right Now: International Tower Hill Mines Ltd(THM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  International Tower Hill Mines Ltd (NYSEAMERICAN:THM) (TSE:ITH) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 689,433 shares, a growth of 3.8% from the April 30th total of 663,894 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 155,359 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.4 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

• [By Money Morning News Team]

  While a 209% gain is exciting, FunctionX's gains are in the past. After looking at the 10 top penny stocks to watch this week, we'll show you a small-cap stock with serious profit potential ahead of it…

  Penny Stock Current Share Price Law Week's Gain FunctionX Inc. (OTCMKTS: FNCX) $0.03 209% Turtle Beach Corp. (Nasdaq: HEAR) $4.48 52.73% DPW Holdings Inc. (NYSE: DPW) $1.16 51.31% Energy XXI Gulf Coast Inc. (Nasdaq: EGC) $5.62 49.33% MYnd Analytics Inc. (Nasdaq: MYND) $1.91 49.21% Kingtone Wirelessinfo Solutions Holding Ltd. (Nasdaq: KONE) $6.43 48.42% Rennova Health Inc. (OTCMKTS: RNVA) $0.02 44.30% International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (NYSE: THM) $0.72 41.64% Blonder Tongue Labs Inc. (NYSE: BDR) $1.13 41.14% Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: BLCM) $8.87 40.53%

  As the gains above suggest, penny stocks can provides tremendous returns for investors very quickly. However, it's important to note that investing in penny stocks is also inherently risky.

Best Value Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cambium Learning Group Inc.(ABCD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Cambium Learning Group (NASDAQ:ABCD) Q1 2018 Earnings Conference CallMay. 14, 2018 9:00 a.m. ET

  Contents: Prepared Remarks Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

  Operator

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Valeritas Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: VLRX) shares jumped 17 percent to $3.65. Cambium Learning Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABCD) shares rose 13.5 percent to $11.70. McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) gained 11.6 percent to $6.75 after the UK-based offshore oil service company Subsea 7 made an unsolicited bid to buy McDermott for $7 per share. However, the acquisition offer is contingent on McDermot terminating its pending merger with Chicago Bridge & Iron Company. Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE: NLS) shares jumped 11.2 percent to $14.95. Nautilus is expected to release Q1 results on May 7, 2018. Craig-Hallum initiated coverage on Nautilus with a Buy rating and a $19.00 price target. GEE Group, Inc. (NYSE: JOB) shares gained 11 percent to $2.2199. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) surged 10.8 percent to $4.50. Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ: FRSX) rose 10.1 percent to $3.39. Stars Group Inc. (NASDAQ: TSG) climbed 9.6 percent to $32.10. Stars Group Inc (NASDAQ: TSG) announced plans to acquire Sky Betting & Gaming for $4.7 billion. Insmed Incorporated (NASDAQ: INSM) shares jumped 9.1 percent to $25.66. Credit Suisse upgraded Insmed from Neutral to Outperform. Tennant Company (NYSE: TNC) rose 8.4 percent to $75.65 after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and raised its FY18 earnings outlook. Command Security Corporation (NYSE: MOC) shares gained 6.4 percent to $3.0960 after the company disclosed a $23 million five-year contract with LaGuardia Gateway Partners for LaGuardia Airport New Central Terminal Building. Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. (NASDAQ: HMNY) rose 6.2 percent to $2.41 after falling 10.98 percent on Friday. Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC) shares rose 5.7 percent to $69.31. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) announced plans to acquire Vectren for $72 per share in cash. Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE: HBI) gained 4.9 percent to $18.035. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Hanesbrands from Hold to Buy. M
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) shares rose 78.82 percent to close at $7.26 on Monday. GEE Group, Inc. (NYSE: JOB) shares jumped 18 percent to close at $2.36. McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) climbed 15.7 percent to close at $7.00 after the UK-based offshore oil service company Subsea 7 made an unsolicited bid to buy McDermott for $7 per share. However, the acquisition offer is contingent on McDermot terminating its pending merger with Chicago Bridge & Iron Company. Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ: FRSX) gained 17.21 percent to close at $3.61. Stars Group Inc. (NASDAQ: TSG) rose 14.16 percent to close at $33.45. Stars Group Inc (NASDAQ: TSG) announced plans to acquire Sky Betting & Gaming for $4.7 billion. China Internet Nationwide Financial Services Inc. (NASDAQ: CIFS) shares jumped 12.79 percent to close at $25.58. Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE: NLS) shares gained 11.52 percent to close at $15.00. Nautilus is expected to release Q1 results on May 7, 2018. Craig-Hallum initiated coverage on Nautilus with a Buy rating and a $19.00 price target. Box, Inc. (NYSE: BOX) rose 10.94 percent to close at $22.91. Insmed Incorporated (NASDAQ: INSM) shares rose 10.76 percent to close at $26.05. Credit Suisse upgraded Insmed from Neutral to Outperform. NextDecade Corporation (NASDAQ: NEXT) shares rose 10.02 percent to close at $6.48. Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. (NASDAQ: HMNY) shares gained 8.37 percent to close at $2.46 on Monday after falling 10.98 percent on Friday. Cambium Learning Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABCD) shares gained 7.81 percent to close at $11.11. Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC) shares rose 7.26 percent to close at $70.31. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) announced plans to acquire Vectren for $72 per share in cash. Tennant Company (NYSE: TNC) rose 6.66 percent to close at $74.45 after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and raised its FY18 earnings outlook. Hanesbrands Inc.
• [By Logan Wallace]

  Here are some of the media stories that may have impacted Accern Sentiment Analysis’s rankings:

  Get Cambium Learning Group alerts: WMMS teacher up for National History Day award (dailyprogress.com) ValuEngine Upgrades Cambium Learning Group (ABCD) to Buy (americanbankingnews.com) John F. Campbell Sells 20,809 Shares of Cambium Learning Group (ABCD) Stock (americanbankingnews.com) Cambium Learning Group to Announce First Quarter 2018 Financial Results (feeds.benzinga.com)

  Several brokerages have commented on ABCD. BidaskClub raised Cambium Learning Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 13th. ValuEngine raised Cambium Learning Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Finally, B. Riley assumed coverage on Cambium Learning Group in a research report on Thursday, March 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $12.50 price target for the company.

Best Value Stocks To Buy Right Now: The Charles Schwab Corporation(SCHW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  The ongoing trade rift between the United States and China continues to plague international markets. Despite reports that both countries are working behind the scenes to prevent additional detrimental trade policies, both countries recently proposed tens of billions in new tariffs on one another. The United States has accused China of widespread intellectual property theft, while China has accused the United States of unfair trade practices, including price manipulation in the agricultural industry. This morning, it's worth noting that proposed tariffs on U.S. business jets will likely not provide a competitive advantage to foreign competition. Reuters reports that Chinese aviation executives do not see the layer of protectionism as a way to bolster the nation's local market. Check back to Money Morning today for more insight on how the ongoing trade war could affect your investments. Finally, investors will continue to monitor ongoing developments in Washington around the presidency of Donald Trump. The White House has asked a federal judge to block prosecutors from reviewing any files seized from his lawyer's office during a raid by the FBI last week. The agency seized a trove of documents from lawyer Michael Cohen's office as part of an investigation into a payment of hush money. The spat between the White House and the FBI continues a day after former FBI Director James Comey called Trump "morally unfit to be president." Three Stocks to Watch Today: BAC, NFLX, AAPL Shares of Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) added nearly 1% after the nation's largest bank by deposits topped Wall Street earning expectations. The financial institution leads a busy day of earnings reports on Wall Street and hopes to keep its positive momentum from previous quarters. The firm reported earnings per share of $0.62 on top of $23.27 billion in revenue. That topped expectations of $0.59 on top of $22.91 billion thanks to strong growth in its consumer loan business and the r
• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) by 1.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 253,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $13,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• [By ]

  Darn hard to not like the numbers out of Action Alerts PLUS holding JPMorgan & Chase (JPM) . Profits up nicely in all segments vs. the fourth quarter. Big year-over-year spikes in return on assets and equity from a year ago. Trading revenue up thanks to the return of volatility in the first quarter (can't wait to see the blowout quarters from TD Ameritrade (AMTD) and Schwab (SCHW) ). Good card revenue growth from the fourth-quarter bodes well for retailer's first-quarter results.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: “Credit Suisse Group Trims Charles Schwab (SCHW) Target Price to $60.00” was originally 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 US and international trademark & copyright laws. The correct version of this piece can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3356662/credit-suisse-group-trims-charles-schwab-schw-target-price-to-60-00.html.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 11,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $605,000.

Best Value Stocks To Buy Right Now: United Parcel Service Inc.(UPS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Usca Ria LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) by 26.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,856 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 14,313 shares during the period. Usca Ria LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,067,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By ]

  United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) posted better-than-expected revenue for the first quarter despite winter weather costs that weighed on operating results. Earnings totaled $1.55 a share, in line with analysts' expectations. Revenue gained 10% annually to $17.1 billion, topping Wall Street predictions.

• [By ]

  Thursday brought a host of interviews for TheStreet that may (hopefully) spark interest during your weekend planning. UPS (UPS) Chief Financial Officer told us the shipping giant will unveil a transformation plan in coming months. Instinct tells me this could be a cost-cutting plan designed to help the company's under-performing stock. Dunkin' Donuts (DNKN) CEO shot back at noted short-seller Jim Chanos, who disclosed a year-long short position in the restaurant chain on Thursday. Chanos' response to me via email: "Wow, a promotional CEO and his execs don't agree with a short-seller....? Imagine that." Yep. Hopped on the phone with Hasbro's (HAS) CEO for a piece to hit over the weekend. Came away thinking retailers are preparing for a rather upbeat holiday season. The impact of Toys 'R' Us' liquidation will likely weigh on Hasbro in the second quarter, then taper off in the back half of the year. 

• [By ]

  United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) rose on Monday, May 14, as the Atlanta-based company's transformation plan could lead to improved margins, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Personal Capital Advisors Corp lessened its holdings in United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) by 3.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 279,188 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 8,732 shares during the quarter. Personal Capital Advisors Corp’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $29,220,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Best Value Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sapiens International Corporation N.V.(SPNS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Sapiens International (NASDAQ: SPNS) and NetSol Technologies (NASDAQ:NTWK) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends and risk.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Sapiens International Co. (NASDAQ:SPNS) – William Blair boosted their Q2 2018 earnings per share estimates for Sapiens International in a report issued on Tuesday, May 8th. William Blair analyst B. Suri now forecasts that the technology company will post earnings of $0.11 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.10. William Blair currently has a “Market Perform” rating on the stock. William Blair also issued estimates for Sapiens International’s FY2018 earnings at $0.47 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $0.54 EPS.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Sapiens International (NASDAQ:SPNS) issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The technology company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.03, Briefing.com reports. Sapiens International had a net margin of 0.13% and a return on equity of 6.81%. The business had revenue of $71.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.02 EPS. Sapiens International’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas Grows Holdings in ResMed (RMD)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in ResMed (NYSE:RMD) by 65.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 64,284 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,316 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in ResMed were worth $6,330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in shares of ResMed by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 61,142 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,178,000 after purchasing an additional 7,216 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of ResMed by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 323,758 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,419,000 after purchasing an additional 23,960 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in shares of ResMed by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 30,150 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares during the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ResMed by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 8,100 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 1,643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of ResMed by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 204,634 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $17,326,000 after purchasing an additional 40,447 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.27% of the company’s stock.

Get ResMed alerts:

In related news, CFO Brett Sandercock sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.53, for a total transaction of $197,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 73,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,199,784.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gary W. Pace sold 28,403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total transaction of $2,765,600.11. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 128,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,558,879.97. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 41,823 shares of company stock valued at $4,070,426 in the last ninety days. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

ResMed opened at $102.72 on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.85 and a current ratio of 3.48. ResMed has a 52 week low of $69.59 and a 52 week high of $104.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43 and a beta of 0.91.

ResMed (NYSE:RMD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 26th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.07. ResMed had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 23.72%. The business had revenue of $591.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $575.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.71 earnings per share. ResMed’s revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. analysts predict that ResMed will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 9th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. ResMed’s dividend payout ratio is 49.65%.

Several equities analysts have commented on RMD shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of ResMed from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of ResMed in a research note on Wednesday, March 7th. Citigroup downgraded shares of ResMed from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 4th. UBS downgraded shares of ResMed from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 24th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of ResMed in a research note on Monday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. ResMed currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.83.

About ResMed

ResMed Inc develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets medical devices and cloud-based software applications that diagnose, treat, and manage respiratory disorders comprising sleep disordered breathing, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neuromuscular disease, and other chronic diseases. It offers various products and solutions for a range of respiratory disorders, including technologies to be applied in medical and consumer products, ventilation devices, diagnostic products, mask systems for use in the hospital and home, headgear and other accessories, dental devices, portable oxygen concentrators, and cloud-based software informatics solutions to manage patient outcomes, as well as provides customer and business processes.