Interactive Brokers Group (IBKR) Price Target Lowered to $71.00 at SunTrust Banks

Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ:IBKR) had its price target cut by SunTrust Banks to $71.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday. They currently have a $65.34 rating on the financial services provider’s stock. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for Interactive Brokers Group’s Q3 2018 earnings at $0.54 EPS, Q4 2018 earnings at $0.59 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $2.34 EPS, Q1 2019 earnings at $0.60 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.70 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $2.60 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Interactive Brokers Group from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating and set a $83.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, April 20th. BidaskClub downgraded Interactive Brokers Group from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, June 1st. Wells Fargo & Co restated an underperform rating and set a $60.00 price target (up previously from $52.00) on shares of Interactive Brokers Group in a report on Wednesday, April 18th. ValuEngine upgraded Interactive Brokers Group from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Finally, Compass Point initiated coverage on Interactive Brokers Group in a report on Tuesday, June 5th. They set a neutral rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $69.86.

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Shares of Interactive Brokers Group traded down $0.01, reaching $62.66, during midday trading on Wednesday, according to MarketBeat.com. The company had a trading volume of 532,441 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,007,268. Interactive Brokers Group has a one year low of $37.04 and a one year high of $80.32. The firm has a market cap of $25.80 billion, a PE ratio of 40.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.97.

Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ:IBKR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. Interactive Brokers Group had a return on equity of 2.29% and a net margin of 5.19%. The company had revenue of $445.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $409.02 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. Interactive Brokers Group’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. sell-side analysts anticipate that Interactive Brokers Group will post 2.32 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 14th. Investors of record on Friday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 30th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Interactive Brokers Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.14%.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Interactive Brokers Group by 528.9% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 918,832 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,782,000 after acquiring an additional 772,732 shares during the period. Cantillon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Interactive Brokers Group by 24.6% during the 1st quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,541,244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $170,873,000 after acquiring an additional 501,191 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Interactive Brokers Group by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,026,103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,194,000 after acquiring an additional 255,296 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Interactive Brokers Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $13,002,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Interactive Brokers Group by 27.5% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 801,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,902,000 after acquiring an additional 172,755 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

About Interactive Brokers Group

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc operates as an automated electronic broker in approximately 120 electronic exchanges and market centers worldwide. It specializes in executing and clearing trades in securities, futures, foreign exchange instruments, bonds, and mutual funds. The company custodies and services accounts for hedge and mutual funds, registered investment advisors, proprietary trading groups, introducing brokers, and individual investors.

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Berkshire Hathaway Hints Share Buybacks Could Happen Soon

&l;p&g;Berkshire Hathaway updated its share repurchase program Tuesday to eliminate its previous rule that it would buy back shares only at a price less than 20% above book value.

Instead, the company will repurchase shares at any time they trade below Chairman and CEO&l;span&g;&a;nbsp;&l;/span&g;Warren Buffett&a;nbsp;and Vice Chairman&l;span&g;&a;nbsp;&l;/span&g;Charlie Munger&a;rsquo;s &a;ldquo;conservatively determined&a;rdquo; estimate of intrinsic value. Berkshire Hathaway authorized its share repurchase program at 110% of book value in September 2011. It has acted on the plan once, buying 9,200 Class A shares for $131,000 each in 2012, when it increased its buyback restriction to 120% of book value.

Berkshire&a;rsquo;s book value was $211,829 at the end of the first quarter, which means the share price would have to sink as low as $254,194 to come within the 120% threshold for repurchase under the previous authorization. One Class A share of Berkshire stock traded for $303,210 per share Wednesday, down 2.45% year to date.

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Buffett has said previously that the company&a;rsquo;s intrinsic value &a;ldquo;far exceeds&a;rdquo; its book value, signaling that the share price now could be closer to the amended line to trigger a buyback.

Berkshire also placed a second condition on its repurchases, saying that it would not buy back shares if it would reduce the value of Berkshire&a;rsquo;s cash holdings and U.S. Treasury Bills below $20 billion. The company was sitting on $108 billion in cash at first quarter-end.

In the past, Buffett has applauded some types of corporate share repurchases. In his 2016 shareholder letter, he wrote:

&a;ldquo;From the standpoint of exiting shareholders, repurchases are always a plus. Though the day-to-day impact of these purchases is usually minuscule, it&a;rsquo;s always better for a seller to have an additional buyer in the market.

For continuing shareholders, however, repurchases only make sense if the shares are bought at a price below intrinsic value. When that rule is followed, the remaining shares experience an immediate gain in intrinsic value. Consider a simple analogy: If there are three equal partners in a business worth $3,000 and one is bought out by the partnership for $900, each of the remaining partners realizes an immediate gain of $50. If the exiting partner is paid $1,100, however, the continuing partners each suffer a loss of $50. The same math applies with corporations and their shareholders. Ergo, the question of whether a repurchase action is value-enhancing or value-destroying for continuing shareholders is entirely purchase-price dependent.&a;rdquo;

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A company should also avoid purchasing its shares when a business acquisition or other investment option &a;ldquo;offers far greater value&a;rdquo; than the undervalued shares, he said.

&a;ldquo;My suggestion: Before even discussing repurchases, a CEO and his or her Board should stand, join hands and in unison declare, &a;lsquo;What is smart at one price is stupid at another,&a;rsquo;&a;rdquo; Buffett wrote.

If Berkshire does decide to repurchase its shares, it will not happen until after its second-quarter earnings are released on Aug. 3.

Berkshire Hathaway shares rose 5.1% Wednesday. The company has a price-earnings ratio of 12.53 and price-book value of 1.42.

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This article originally appeared &l;a href=&q;https://www.gurufocus.com/news/709600/berkshire-hathaway-hints-share-buybacks-could-happen-soon&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;HERE&l;/a&g;. Follow the author on Twitter &l;a href=&q;https://twitter.com/hollyla_fon&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;here&l;/a&g;.&l;/p&g;

Homebuilder Confidence Still Solid in July, but Not Rising

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo housing market index (HMI) for July came in unchanged from June’s index reading of 68. The HMI posted an 18-year high of 74 in December 2017. Economists polled by Bloomberg were expecting an index reading of 68 for July.

NAHB Chair Randy Noel said that while demand remains strong, builders continue to be burdened with rising materials costs. Random length framing lumber fell to below $550 per thousand board feet (nearly 7%) earlier this month after rising by about 85% over the past two years.

The index is based on an NAHB monthly survey of homebuilder perceptions of current single-family home sales and expectations for sale in the next six months. An index reading above 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good than view them as poor.

The current sales conditions subindex for July was unchanged at 74, and the subindex that estimates prospective buyer traffic rose two points to 52. The subindex measuring sales expectations for the next six months dropped from 75 to 73.

NAHB chief economist, Robert Dietz, said:

Builders are encouraged by growing housing demand, but they continue to be burdened by rising construction material costs. Builders need to manage these cost increases as they strive to provide competitively priced homes, especially as more first-time home buyers enter the housing market

In the NAHB’s regions, three-month moving average indexes dipped in two of four regions. The South’s index score fell one point to 70 and the West’s score fell from 76 to 75. In the Midwest remained unchanged at 65, and the index rose one point to 57 in the Northeast.

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Deutsche Bank warns Netflix may miss second-quarter subscriber expectations

Netflix��s stunning rally so far this year may be due for a breather, according to Deutsche Bank.

The firm told its clients Thursday the internet video streaming giant could miss Wall Street��s second-quarter subscriber expectations next week.

Netflix shares are the second best-performing member of the S&P 500 this year. It's up 115 percent year to date through Thursday versus the market��s 5 percent return.

��We see limited upside and even some downside to 2Q guidance/consensus,�� analyst Bryan Kraft said in the report Thursday. ��We don't see 2Q earnings as a positive catalyst for the stock; in fact, we see some near term downside risk.��

The company's stock is down 0.5 percent in Friday's premarket session.

The analyst predicts Netflix��s second-quarter global net subscriber additions will be within a range of 1 million below to 500,000 above the Wall Street consensus. He estimates US net member additions will either match analyst��s expectations or miss by up to 500,000 subscribers for the same quarter.

Kraft said with Netflix shares up so dramatically this year there is potential for weak performance next week.

��The stock has doubled this year, and added another $50B of market capitalization over the past quarter. Without meaningful positive estimate revisions, or 3Q subscriber guidance coming in ahead of expectations, it seems unlikely that the stock will move higher next week," he said. ��The stock might see a pull back in the short term (i.e. next week), but we see significant long term, multiyear value creation ahead.��

As a result, Kraft reiterated his buy rating and $360 price target for Netflix shares. The stock closed at $413.50 Thursday.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company is slated to report its second-quarter earnings results Monday.

On Wednesday UBS lowered its rating to neutral from buy for Netflix shares, citing the internet company��s high valuation.

Disclaimer

Crude Oil's Relentless Price Climb

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-170501340&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/170501340/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;633&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Photo by MyLoupe/UIG via Getty Images

When taking a glance at the performance of investments in stocks, currencies, and commodities -- which is compiled by the &l;em&g;Wall Street Journal&l;/em&g; for the second quarter of 2018 -- one is struck by the fact that all of the top five performers were commodities. Lean hogs took the top honors, followed by crude oil.

Crude&a;rsquo;s position didn&a;rsquo;t surprise me. Way back in February 2016 -- when West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading at $26/bbl. -- I was confident that crude oil would make a relentless climb. How could I have been so confident then, and confident now, that today&a;rsquo;s WTI price of $69.50/bbl. will climb to $75/bbl. by year&a;rsquo;s end?

To answer these questions, we must have a model -- a way of thinking about the problem. In this case, the starting point is Roy W. Jastram&a;rsquo;s classic study,&a;nbsp;&l;a href=&q;https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Constant-American-Experience-1560-2007/dp/1847202616&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;&l;em&g;The Golden Constant: The English and American Experience 1560-2007&l;/em&g;&l;/a&g;. In that work, Jastram finds that gold maintains its purchasing power over long periods of time, with the prices of other commodities adapting to the price of gold.

Taking the broad lead from Jastram, I developed a model that employs the price of gold as a long-term benchmark for the price of oil. So, if the price of oil changes dramatically, the ratio of the oil price to the price of gold (the oil-gold price ratio) will change and move away from its long-term value. Forces will then be set in motion to move supply and demand, so that the price of oil changes and the long-term oil-gold price ratio is re-established. This represents nothing more than a reversion to the mean. And the mean value for the oil-gold ratio, which is calculated by dividing the price of a barrel of oil by the price of an ounce of gold.

In support of this model, it is worth pointing out that a free-market economic system is an organism, and operates as such. Each organism is organized to maintain a certain &a;ldquo;state&a;rdquo; of homeostatis, to borrow a term from physiology. Any disturbance from the equilibrium sets in motion behavior within the organism which tends to re-establish the desired state of equilibrium. For example, the human body has a complex physiochemical equilibrium, which involves, among other things, a constant body temperature. If the equilibrium is disturbed, the body acts to restore the homeostatis or equilibrium.

There is a homeostatis in the structure of commodity prices, too. Any disturbance in this structure, which is anchored with the price of gold, sets in motion forces which will restore the status quo. So, the homeostasis of the commodity price system explains why the oil-gold price ratio reverts back to its mean of 0.0704 when the ratio has been disturbed.

The easiest, and best, way to determine whether a disturbance has occurred in the oil-gold price ratio is to construct a histogram of the ratios. The histogram below shows that when the oil price collapsed to $26/bbl. in February 2016, the oil-gold price ratio plunged, too. Indeed, it moved to 0.021, which is way to the left of the distribution of the oil-gold price ratios on the histogram. With that extreme reading of the ratio, we knew that forces would kick in to restore the homeostatis of the commodity price structure. In short, the oil-gold price ratio would start reverting to its mean, with most of the work being done by price increases in oil.

&l;img class=&q;size-full wp-image-330&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/stevehanke/files/2017/07/Histogram-of-Oil-Gold-Ratios.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;788&q; data-width=&q;844&q;&g;

Just what forces kicked in to start crude&a;rsquo;s relentless price climb and force the oil-gold price ratio to revert back to its mean? Well, at bargain basement prices, the quantity of crude demanded increased. And, on the supply side, the major oil companies slashed capital expenditures for drilling and exploration. The majors reined in their capital spending appetites by 40-50%. Indeed, now few mega projects are on the drawing boards. Not surprisingly, oil and gas field discoveries are at &l;a href=&q;https://www.ft.com/content/ed432e26-8290-11e8-96dd-fa565ec55929&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;a 60-year low&l;/a&g;. So, the disturbance of the homeostatis set in motion supply-demand forces to restore the status quo.

To understand the adjustment, consider my old Professor Ken Boulding&a;rsquo;s &l;a href=&q;https://www.amazon.com/economics-peace-Kenneth-Ewart-Boulding/dp/B0007DL4UU&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Bathtub Theorem&l;/a&g;: If production (the flow from the faucet) is less than consumption (the flow down the drain), it is clear that the oil in inventory (the economic bathtub) must fall. That&a;rsquo;s just what&a;rsquo;s been going on as the oil-gold price ratio re-establishes itself and reverts towards its homeostatis.

But, how long will it take for the ratio to mean revert? My calculations (based on post-1972 data) are that a 50 percent reversion of the ratio will occur in 12.3 months. This translates into a price per barrel of WTI of $75 by January 2019. It is worth noting that, like Jastram, I find that oil prices have reverted to the long-run price of gold, rather than the price of gold reverting to that of oil. So, the oil-gold price ratio primarily reverts to its mean via changes in the price of oil.

At present, the oil-gold price ratio is 0.05581 ($69.59/$1247=0.05581), suggesting that oil&a;rsquo;s relentless bull market has a ways to run, as the chart below shows.

&l;img class=&q;size-large wp-image-909&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/stevehanke/files/2018/07/Crude-1200x749.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;749&q; data-width=&q;1200&q;&g;&l;/p&g;

Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:FCNCA,PCYO,JBSS,

Sarasota, FL, based Investment company Donald L. Hagan, LLC buys iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond, iShares Russell 1000 Growth, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets, Tractor Supply Co, Vanguard FTSEEuropean, Halliburton Co, McKesson Corp, Monro Inc, SPDR S&P 500, sells iShares Core S&P 500, PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active Exchange-Trad, iShares Floating Rate Bond, iShares Russell 1000 Value, iShares Russell 2000 Value during the 3-months ended 2017-12-31, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, Donald L. Hagan, LLC. As of 2017-12-31, Donald L. Hagan, LLC owns 70 stocks with a total value of $116 million. These are the details of the buys and sells.

New Purchases: IEMG, TSCO, HAL, MCK, MNRO, SPY, YEXT, SGYP, Added Positions: AGG, IWF, IJR, VGK, AAPL, TJX, LOW, APA, KSS, MU, Reduced Positions: IVV, MINT, FLOT, IWD, IWN, AAXJ, CVX, FB, IWO, CSQ, Sold Out: VWO, WMT, CAH, PDCO, WDR, OMI, COST, EEM, MRO,

For the details of Donald L. Hagan, LLC's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Donald+L.+Hagan%2C+LLC

Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2019: First Citizens BancShares, Inc.(FCNCA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Capital City Bank Group (NASDAQ: CCBG) and First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings and analyst recommendations.

• [By Max Byerly]

  American Century Companies Inc. reduced its holdings in First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,209 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,294 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.26% of First Citizens BancShares worth $12,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2019: Pure Cycle Corporation(PCYO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Artesian Resources Co. Class A (NASDAQ: ARTNA) and Pure Cycle (NASDAQ:PCYO) are both small-cap utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability and earnings.

Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2019: John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.(JBSS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBSS) shares reached a new 52-week high and low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $71.43 and last traded at $70.96, with a volume of 1305 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $69.72.

• [By Max Byerly]

  The Hershey (NYSE: HSY) and John B. Sanfilippo & Son (NASDAQ:JBSS) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation and profitability.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  BidaskClub upgraded shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son (NASDAQ:JBSS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday.

Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:CBOE,SHBI,IYF,AGII,UVSP,

Shutterstock

 

At first glance, it might seem like a great gift for parents to fund 100% of their child’s college education.

College can provide a leg-up in the world, and what a joy for a student to graduate without loans! Especially now, when students in the class of 2015 graduated with an average of $35,000 in student loan debt, according to an analysis of government data by Edvisors.

This line of thinking is reasonable if the parents can afford to pay for college in full. However, when students don’t have any financial skin in the game, an opportunity for an impactful teaching moment is lost. Deciding on a career track, applying to college, and learning how to pay for it are the first major financial decisions a young person has to make.

It’s a great time for parents to educate children just when kids need financial education the most! After all, there is a reason financial planners, like me, when advising parents on their estate planning documents, never recommend leaving an 18-year-old full access to life insurance proceeds or an inheritance.

Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CBOE Holdings Inc.(CBOE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Asit Sharma]

  Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBOE) reported expansive earnings growth in its first-quarter 2018 report, issued on May 3. In addition to revenue tacked on from its acquisition of Bats Global Markets in March 2017, Cboe enjoyed increased volume in trading of the company's proprietary VIX (Cboe Volatility Index) futures and options.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Deutsche B枚rse (OTCMKTS: DBOEY) and Cboe Global Markets (NASDAQ:CBOE) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Last December, two major futures exchanges started offering futures contracts on bitcoin. CBOE Global Markets (NASDAQ:CBOE) was the first to market with its futures offering, and CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) didn't waste any time coming out with its own version of a bitcoin contract.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  State of Tennessee Treasury Department lessened its stake in shares of Cboe Global Markets Inc (NASDAQ:CBOE) by 23.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 110,676 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 33,675 shares during the quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department’s holdings in Cboe Global Markets were worth $12,628,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $3.46 billion. Aon plc (NYSE: AON) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.8 per share on revenue of $2.93 billion. American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AXL) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.81 per share on revenue of $1.75 billion. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.88 per share on revenue of $9.27 billion. LifePoint Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPNT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.13 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion. V.F. Corporation (NYSE: VFC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $2.90 billion. Newell Brands Inc. (NYSE: NWL) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.26 per share on revenue of $3.05 billion. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.04 per share on revenue of $407.27 million. Boise Cascade Company (NYSE: BCC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.45 per share on revenue of $1.09 billion. Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE: LNG) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.39 per share on revenue of $1.59 billion. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.24 per share on revenue of $308.05 million. ITT Inc. (NYSE: ITT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $683.96 million. Fred's, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRED) is expected to report quarterly loss at $0.19 per share on revenue of $551.00 million. Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIRT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.52 per share on revenue of $288.31 million. Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: CQP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $1.38 billion. Genesis Energy, L.P

Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Shore Bancshares Inc(SHBI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  LSV Asset Management increased its stake in Shore Bancshares Inc (NASDAQ:SHBI) by 134.4% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 157,489 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 90,289 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Shore Bancshares were worth $2,970,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Press coverage about Shore Bancshares (NASDAQ:SHBI) has been trending somewhat positive this week, according to Accern Sentiment. Accern identifies negative and positive news coverage by monitoring more than twenty million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Shore Bancshares earned a coverage optimism score of 0.15 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news headlines about the bank an impact score of 46.3784121307224 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near future.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Media coverage about Shore Bancshares (NASDAQ:SHBI) has trended somewhat positive on Sunday, Accern reports. The research firm rates the sentiment of news coverage by analyzing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Shore Bancshares earned a media sentiment score of 0.09 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media headlines about the bank an impact score of 47.376414932679 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the near term.

Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Ishares Trust Dj Us Financial (IYF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  The challenges facing EUFN may indicate the ETF will be challenged to deliver compelling risk-reward for investors. EUFN's three-year standard deviation is 18.23 percent, or more than 500 basis points above the same metric on the iShares U.S. Financials ETF (NYSE: IYF).

Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Argo Group International Holdings Ltd.(AGII)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Argo Group (NASDAQ:AGII) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 840,251 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $48,230,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC owned approximately 2.49% of Argo Group as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Argo Group (NASDAQ: AGII) and Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Barclays PLC raised its stake in Argo Group (NASDAQ:AGII) by 25.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,691 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,754 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Argo Group were worth $499,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania(UVSP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Univest Co. of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 65.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 353,718 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 139,590 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Univest Co. of Pennsylvania were worth $9,799,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Univest Co. of Pennsylvania (UVSP)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

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$1.12 Earnings Per Share Expected for Wells Fargo & Co (WFC) This Quarter

Brokerages predict that Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) will post $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Five analysts have issued estimates for Wells Fargo & Co’s earnings. The lowest EPS estimate is $1.05 and the highest is $1.18. Wells Fargo & Co reported earnings per share of $1.07 during the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year-over-year growth rate of 4.7%. The business is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Friday, July 13th.

On average, analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Co will report full-year earnings of $4.46 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.24 to $4.57. For the next year, analysts expect that the business will report earnings of $5.13 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.79 to $5.60. Zacks’ EPS averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that follow Wells Fargo & Co.

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Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 13th. The financial services provider reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.74 billion. Wells Fargo & Co had a net margin of 22.80% and a return on equity of 12.46%. The business’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 EPS.

WFC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Macquarie raised shares of Wells Fargo & Co from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 30th. UBS Group raised shares of Wells Fargo & Co from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. Vetr upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Co from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $54.10 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 5th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Co from $71.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 16th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Co from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Wells Fargo & Co presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.82.

Wells Fargo & Co stock traded up $1.81 on Friday, reaching $55.44. 43,870,876 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,212,528. The firm has a market cap of $261.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Wells Fargo & Co has a twelve month low of $49.27 and a twelve month high of $66.31.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 4th were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. Wells Fargo & Co’s payout ratio is currently 37.96%.

In related news, EVP Petros G. Pelos sold 25,567 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.76, for a total value of $1,400,048.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avalon Advisors LLC grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Co by 27.2% during the first quarter. Avalon Advisors LLC now owns 411,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $21,544,000 after buying an additional 87,876 shares during the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Wells Fargo & Co during the first quarter worth about $2,645,000. Greenline Partners LLC grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Co by 3.1% during the first quarter. Greenline Partners LLC now owns 227,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,942,000 after buying an additional 6,812 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Wells Fargo & Co during the first quarter worth about $750,000. Finally, Altium Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Co by 37.7% during the first quarter. Altium Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 1,985 shares during the last quarter. 76.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Wells Fargo & Co

Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides retail, commercial, and corporate banking services to individuals, businesses, and institutions. The company's Community Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts; credit and debit cards; and automobile, student, mortgage, home equity, and small business loans.

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