Hot Performing Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:CONN,LGND,OSIS,AWR,EGOV,

As strong as the economy is in many ways after our nine-year-long expansion, there are still plenty of hazards out there that can hammer good companies, and in this MarketFoolery podcast, host Chris Hill and Motley Fool senior analyst Jeff Fischer discuss a number of them. First off, they tackle the troubles faced by iconic U.S. motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG): trade wars and the tweeted ire of President Trump.

Next, they weigh in on the major moves General Electric (NYSE:GE) is making to get out from under its long-standing problem of having grown too unwieldy to be well-managed. And finally, they look to Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), which is closing underperforming stores and adjusting its growth plan to better match demand -- choices that, while natural, have somewhat spooked the market.

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on June 26, 2018.

Chris Hill: It's Tuesday, June 26th. Welcome to Market Foolery! I'm Chris Hill, and thankfully, I'm joined in studio by Jeff Fischer.

Hot Performing Stocks To Watch For 2019: Conn's, Inc.(CONN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Miller]

  Shares of Conn's, Inc. (NASDAQ:CONN), a specialty retailer selling merchandise such as furniture, electronics, and home office supplies, are jumping 18% as of 11:26 a.m. EDT, after the company easily topped analysts' earnings estimates during the fiscal 2019 first quarter.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Money Morning Special Situation Strategist Tim Melvin provides his latest list of stocks that will help you get rich… and stay rich. Check them out right here.

  Three Stocks to Watch Today: WDAY, AMZN, NKE Workday Inc. (Nasdaq: WDAY) leads a busy day of earnings reports Tuesday. The firm will present its quarterly report after the bell. Wall Street expects that the company will report earnings per share of $0.26 on top of $633.1 million in revenue. Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) will be generating a lot of buzz today. The e-commerce giant apparently has its eyes on the $88 billion online advertising industry. The firm plans to take direct aim at rivals Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL) and Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB). Amazon is very close to becoming the second company to surpass the $1 trillion threshold for market capitalization. Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) is making headlines the week before the NFL's opening week starts. The sports apparel giant announced that former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be one of the faces of its 30th anniversary commemorations for its "Just Do It" campaign. Kaepernick has been one of the NFL's most polarizing figures after he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police abuse against African Americans and other social injustices. Look for earnings reports from Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (NYSE: RH), Casey's General Stores Inc. (Nasdaq: CASY), Conns Inc. (Nasdaq: CONN), Caleres Inc. (NYSE: CAL), HealthEquity Inc. (NYSE: HQY), and Coupa Software Inc. (Nasdaq: COUP).

  Follow Money Morning on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Brokerages expect Conn’s Inc (NASDAQ:CONN) to post sales of $376.86 million for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Three analysts have issued estimates for Conn’s’ earnings, with the highest sales estimate coming in at $384.13 million and the lowest estimate coming in at $369.84 million. Conn’s reported sales of $366.65 million in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year-over-year growth rate of 2.8%. The firm is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Thursday, September 6th.

• [By Daniel Miller]

  Shares of home furnishings specialist Conn's Inc. (NASDAQ:CONN) are falling today, down 13.7% as of 3:19 p.m. EDT, after investors digested second-quarter results that had initially sent the stock 7% higher during pre-market trading.

• [By Chris Lange]

  When Conn's Inc. (NASDAQ: CONN) reported its fiscal first-quarter financial results before the markets opened on Thursday, the retailer said that it had $0.40 in earnings per share (EPS) and $358.4 million in revenue. Consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters had called for $0.27 in EPS on revenue of $354.84 million. In the same period of last year, Conn’s said it had a net loss of $0.05 per share and $355.83 million in revenue.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) chief economist Jan Hatzius has a message for the markets. Hatzius said in a research note on Monday that U.S. GDP has likely peaked. "The current pace is probably as good as it gets because we expect the impulse from financial conditions to gradually turn more negative," Hatzius said. The European Union slapped America with roughly $3.3 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods. The tariffs, which are in retaliation to the Trump administration's recent steel and aluminum tariffs on the EU, will go into effect in July. They specifically target products like cigarettes, whiskey, denim, and orange juice. Stocks to Watch Today: AVGO, AGN, GOOGL, TSLA Broadcom Ltd. (Nasdaq: AVGO) leads a busy day of earnings reports. Wall Street anticipates the firm will report earnings per share of $4.77 on top of $5.00 billion in revenue. Uncertainty still remains on whether the company will be able to purchase industry rival Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) in a deal that would be the largest technology merger in the history of the markets. Shares of Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL) are under pressure due to more regulatory scrutiny by the European Union. Shares were off slightly this morning as investors digested a report from The Financial Times indicating the EU will hit the firm with a antitrust fine. Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) stock popped nearly 10% Wednesday, crushing short sellers of the stock. Investors betting against the stock lost a collective $1 billion on paper yesterday, according to S3 Partners. This week, founder Elon Musk won a battle to maintain his roles as both CEO and chair. He also provided a boost of optimism to TSLA stock over production expectations for the Model 3 vehicle. Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) shares are up 2.4% thanks to its latest activist investor. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn purchased a small stake in the drug maker at a time when other activist investors are pushing for strategic changes by the company.

Hot Performing Stocks To Watch For 2019: Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated(LGND)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  These are some of the news stories that may have effected Accern Sentiment’s scoring:

  Get Ligand Pharmaceuticals alerts: Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) Insider Sells $1,488,722.03 in Stock (americanbankingnews.com) Geron (GERN) Q1 Loss Narrows Y/Y, Revenues Fall, Shares Down (finance.yahoo.com) Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) Upgraded to A- by TheStreet (americanbankingnews.com) Ligand to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences (finance.yahoo.com) Ligand Pharmaceuticals Shows Rising Price Performance With Jump To 87 RS Rating (investors.com)

  A number of research firms recently issued reports on LGND. TheStreet raised Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “c+” rating to an “a-” rating in a research report on Wednesday. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Zacks Investment Research raised Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $171.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. BidaskClub cut Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Roth Capital lifted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $158.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.00.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:LGND) COO Matthew W. Foehr sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.88, for a total transaction of $3,286,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 105,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,863,665.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

• [By Keith Speights, Chuck Saletta, and Brian Feroldi]

  That's the question we presented to three Motley Fool contributors. They identified Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND), Portola Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PTLA), and Supernus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SUPN) as top biotech stocks to buy in September. Here's why these biotechs stood out:

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer, Keith Speights, and Brian Stoffel]

  That's certainly the case with surprisingly diversified biotech company Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND), out-of-favor outlet mall owner Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE:SKT), and expanding software-maker New Relic, Inc. (NYSE:NEWR). Take the time for a deep dive, and you might find that one of these three mid-cap stocks is just right for your portfolio today.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:LGND) by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 311,147 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,961 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp’s holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals were worth $64,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Hot Performing Stocks To Watch For 2019: OSI Systems, Inc.(OSIS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  OSI Systems (NASDAQ:OSIS) had its target price boosted by Roth Capital from $77.00 to $89.00. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

  Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE:PAA) was upgraded by analysts at US Capital Advisors from a hold rating to an overweight rating.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on OSI Systems (OSIS)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shares of OSI Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSIS) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $84.38.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Here are some of the headlines that may have impacted Accern’s rankings:

  Get OSI Systems alerts: OSI Systems (OSIS) Rating Increased to Buy at Zacks Investment Research (americanbankingnews.com) OSI Systems (OSIS) Downgraded by BidaskClub (americanbankingnews.com) OSI Systems (OSIS) Downgraded by Zacks Investment Research to Hold (americanbankingnews.com) $274.42 Million in Sales Expected for OSI Systems, Inc. (OSIS) This Quarter (americanbankingnews.com) Zacks: Analysts Expect OSI Systems, Inc. (OSIS) Will Post Earnings of $0.94 Per Share (americanbankingnews.com)

  OSIS has been the subject of several research reports. Sidoti initiated coverage on OSI Systems in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Zacks Investment Research raised OSI Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $69.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 4th. ValuEngine lowered OSI Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd. Jefferies Group lowered OSI Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $79.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, BidaskClub lowered OSI Systems from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.20.

• [By Max Byerly]

  OSI Systems (NASDAQ:OSIS) issued an update on its FY19 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $3.80-4.00 for the period, compared to the Thomson Reuters consensus earnings per share estimate of $3.84. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.125-1.165 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.12 billion.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Millennium Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of OSI Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSIS) by 40.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 255,483 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 170,680 shares during the quarter. Millennium Management LLC owned about 1.41% of OSI Systems worth $16,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Hot Performing Stocks To Watch For 2019: American States Water Company(AWR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Neha Chamaria and Jason Hall]

  Two such amazing but little-known dividend-paying companies that our Motley Fool contributors have identified are American States Water (NYSE:AWR) and Caretrust REIT Inc. (NASDAQ:CTRE). Read along to know why you should have these stocks on your radar.

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) has increased its dividend each and every year for 63 consecutive years. That's a feat unmatched by its water utility rivals, and most other companies for that matter. But that incredible run of dividend hikes doesn't mean that American States is a good investment. Here's the background you need in order to make a better call here.   

• [By Neha Chamaria]

  In terms of dividend growth, only four of the above stocks -- 3M, Colgate-Palmolive, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble -- feature among the 10 fastest dividend-growth kings. In other words, there are six other stocks from the dividend kings list that have grown their dividends at a faster pace than most stocks in the above table in the past decade, some even at double-digits.  

  Six top dividend kings by dividend growth Dividend King 10-Year Dividend CAGR Current Dividend Yield Payout Ratio (TTM) Lowe's Companies  18.5% 2% 34.5% Hormel Foods  16.3% 2.1% 39.2% Parker-Hannifin Corp (NYSE:PH) 14% 1.7% 35.2% Nordson Corporation  12.2% 0.9% 13.3% Dover Corp (NYSE:DOV) 9% 2% 37.4% American States Water (NYSE:AWR) 7.6% 1.9% 54.8%

  TTM: Trailing 12 months. Data sources: YCharts and Yahoo! Finance. Table by author.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  AWARE (CURRENCY:AWR) traded 3.3% lower against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 9:00 AM E.T. on June 5th. During the last week, AWARE has traded down 0.7% against the U.S. dollar. One AWARE token can now be bought for about $0.0294 or 0.00000396 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including BigONE, Bibox and Allcoin. AWARE has a total market cap of $0.00 and $1.37 million worth of AWARE was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

• [By Neha Chamaria]

  Contrary to what many believe, it's easier to find stocks to invest in when you're in your 60s. That's because your choices narrow down significantly as you filter out young, aggressive companies that typically carry higher risk. As you near retirement, you need a portfolio choc-a-block with mature, established businesses that have a visible growth path and preferably offer solid dividends to supplement your income. Three interesting stocks that fit the bill are American States Water (NYSE:AWR), A.O. Smith (NYSE:AOS), and Realty Income (NYSE:O).

Hot Performing Stocks To Watch For 2019: NIC Inc.(EGOV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of NIC Inc. (NASDAQ:EGOV) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.00.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  BidaskClub upgraded shares of NIC (NASDAQ:EGOV) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Friday morning.

  Several other research firms also recently commented on EGOV. Zacks Investment Research downgraded NIC from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. ValuEngine downgraded NIC from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Barrington Research restated a hold rating on shares of NIC in a report on Monday, April 30th. TheStreet downgraded NIC from a b- rating to a c rating in a report on Thursday, March 8th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price objective on NIC to $14.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $18.33.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  NIC Inc. (NASDAQ:EGOV) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.00.