The top 10 things to watch in the stock market Monday

The top 10 things to watch Monday, Dec. 11

1. U.S. stocks are muted Monday following last week’s push to a new 52-week high in the S&P 500, helped by a stronger-than-expected jobs report Friday. Good economic news is good news for the stock market, for now, with investors looking ahead to Tuesday’s consumer price index report. But we’ll learn what the Federal Reserve makes of the state of the labor market and inflation when the central bank convenes this week for its final meeting of the year.

2. Bank stocks like Club name Wells Fargo became “extraordinary performers” last week, according to Jim Cramer’s Sunday column. “The percentage gains for bank shares and the pretty stock charts, all wondrous, look like they are in their infancy,” he writes.

3. Health insurer Cigna abandons its pursuit to acquire Club holding Humana — a deal that was misguided from the start because it never would have received regulatory approval. Cigna announces a new $10 billion stock buyback. And shares of Humana rally roughly 2% in premarket trading.

4. Occidental Petroleum announces plans to buy privately held CrownRock for $12 billion in cash and stock, while raising its quarterly dividend by 4 cents, to 22 cents per share. Before the deal announcement, Morgan Stanley had upgraded Occidental to overweight from equal weight, with an unchanged price target of $68 a share.

5. More analysts are warming up to energy stocks after last week’s carnage. Citi upgrades Club holding Coterra Energy, along with EQT and Southwestern Energy, to a buy. Coterra is the firm’s top large cap pick, with a $30-per-share price target based on capital-efficiency improvements.

6. Goldman Sachs upgrades Abbvie to buy from neutral, with a $173-per-share price target. The firm cites revenue that has proved more resilient than expected, along with the drug maker’s recent deployment of capital to build out its pipeline. Over the past two weeks, Abbvie has shelled out nearly $20 billion in cash to acquire ImmunoGen and Cerevel Therapeutics.

7. JPMorgan raises its price targets on a handful of cybersecurity stocks, including CrowdStrike (to $269 a share from $230), Club name Palo Alto Networks ($326 from $272) and Zscaler ($212 from $200).

8. Citi upgrades Nike to buy from neutral, while raising its price target on the stock to $135 a share, up from $100. The firm sees margin recovery beginning in the second quarter of next year through 2025, helped by easing freight costs, leaner inventories and a shift to direct-to-consumer.

9. Jefferies upgrades Best Buy to buy from hold, while raising its price target to $89 a share, up from $69. Analysts at the bank think this call won’t take much to work, with expectations low and the stock cheap and yielding a 5% dividend.

10. Citi resumes coverage of Club holding Broadcom with a buy rating and $1,100-a-share price target. The firm sees the chipmaker’s artificial-intelligence business offsetting the cyclical downturn in the semiconductor business, along with strong accretion from its recent acquisition of VMware. We thought the company reported a better quarter last Thursday than what the market gave it credit for. 

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Top Wall Street analysts say these stocks have the best growth prospects

CrowdStrike IPO at the Nasdaq exchange June 12, 2019.

Source: Nasdaq

While macro uncertainty continues to distract investors, it is prudent to focus on companies that are well-positioned to navigate challenges with their solid execution and deliver attractive growth over the long term by capitalizing on secular trends. 

Here are five such stocks chosen by Wall Street’s top analysts, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.

Zscaler

First, we will look at cybersecurity solutions provider Zscaler (ZS). Earlier this month, the company reported its fiscal fourth-quarter results and outlook, which topped Wall Street’s expectations. That said, management cautioned that deals are taking longer to close due to a challenging macro backdrop.

Praising Zscaler’s performance, TD Cowen analyst Shaul Eyal said that the rising demand for the company’s Zero Trust solutions and disciplined spending drove the fourth-quarter outperformance.

The analyst noted that over the past seven quarters, Zscaler’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) has doubled to $2 billion from $1 billion. Other interesting points that the analyst focused on included the company’s large deals, a strong pipeline, and growing federal contracts. (Zscaler serves 12 of the 15 U.S. cabinet-level agencies.)  

Further, the company continues to invest in AI and sees huge growth potential for its AI-powered features. It provides data protection capabilities to prevent the leakage of sensitive data through generative AI.  

Overall, the analyst reiterated a buy rating on ZS stock with a price target of $195, saying, “Investments in AI, Cloud and go-to-market are set to accelerate growth.”

Eyal holds the 9th position among more than 8,500 analysts tracked on TipRanks. In all, 70% of his ratings have been profitable, with each generating an average return of 25.5%. (See Zscaler’s Financial Statements on TipRanks)

CrowdStrike Holdings

Another cybersecurity stock in this week’s list is CrowdStrike (CRWD), which recently reported upbeat fiscal second-quarter results and issued solid guidance.

In reaction to the impressive performance, Needham analyst Alex Henderson raised his price target for CRWD stock to $200 from $170 and reiterated a buy rating on the stock. The analyst noted that the company achieved strong growth in new products under its Identity, Cloud, and LogScale Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) offerings.

The analyst also highlighted management’s commentary about the company’s generative AI cybersecurity product called Charlotte AI, which they believe can immensely improve execution for customers by automating workflows. He added that the use of AI helped the company enhance its own adjusted operating margin, which increased by 472 basis points to 21.3% in the fiscal second quarter.

Henderson called CRWD one of his top recommendations in cybersecurity and said, “Crowd is taking market share with relatively stable pricing and strong new product uptake.”

The analyst also said that the company’s managed services, which are core to the Falcon Complete offering, are enjoying high demand and differentiate the platform from others like Microsoft (MSFT).    

Henderson ranks 162nd among more than 8,500 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 58% of the time, with each rating delivering a return of 15.1%, on average. (See CrowdStrike’s Technical Analysis on TipRanks) 

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Next up is Mexican fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG). Baird analyst David Tarantino, who ranks 357 out of more than 8,500 analysts on TipRanks, said that CMG remains his top idea for investors with a 12-month horizon.

The analyst observed that the stock has pulled back since the mixed second-quarter results due to concerns about late Q2 2023 and early Q3 traffic, subdued Q3 restaurant margin outlook, and macro factors. Nevertheless, he feels that this pullback has created an attractive opportunity to buy CMG stock based on multiple positive catalysts that could emerge in the months ahead.

“Specifically, we expect signs of strong same-store traffic momentum and further pricing actions to lead to an upward bias to EPS estimates and support robust valuation metrics on CMG heading into year-end,” said Tarantino.

Additionally, he sees the possibility of CMG accelerating its unit growth to the high end of its target of 8% to 10% annually, supported by the hiring of additional construction managers this year. Tarantino estimates that a combination of about 10% unit growth and mid-single-digit comparable sales could drive low-to-mid teens revenue growth and more than 20% EPS increase, a profile which he believes deserves a premium valuation.

Tarantino reaffirmed a buy rating on CMG stock with a price target of $2,400. His ratings have been successful 62% of the time, with each rating delivering an average return of 10%. (See CMG Hedge Fund Trading Activity on TipRanks).

Lululemon

Athletic apparel retailer Lululemon (LULU) impressed investors with its fiscal second-quarter performance and improved outlook. The company experienced strong momentum in North America and a spike in its international business, mainly due to robust sales in China.

Commenting on the 61% growth in sales from Greater China, Guggenheim analyst Robert Drbul said that he continues to believe that China holds significant growth potential for Lululemon, as the company aims to quadruple international revenues by 2026. He also highlighted that Lulu intends to open a majority of its 35 new international stores, scheduled for this year, in China. 

The analyst raised his Fiscal 2023 and 2024 earnings estimates and believes that demand for the company’s merchandise remains strong, as competitive pressures from upcoming athletic brands seem overestimated.  

Drbul maintained a buy rating on LULU and a price target of $440, justifying that the company “stands to benefit from favorable secular tailwinds (health, wellness, casualization, and fitness, including at-home).”

Drbul ranks No. 958 out of more than 8,500 analysts tracked on TipRanks. Additionally, 57% of his ratings have been profitable with an average return of 5%. (See Lululemon Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks)

Acushnet Holdings

The last stock on this week’s list is Acushnet Holdings (GOLF), a manufacturer of golf products. Tigress Financial analyst Ivan Feinseth believes that the company is well-positioned to benefit from the ongoing growth in golf, driven by product launches and biannual new golf ball design introductions.

The analyst highlighted that GOLF’s strong brand name continues to be a growth catalyst, as its Titleist brand golf balls remain the preferred choice of PGA and LPGA Tour players. He also noted the strong growth in Titleist golf clubs, Titleist gear, and FootJoy golf wear segments, fueled by a wide range of innovative launches, including new TSR models that rapidly emerged as the most-played model on the PGA tour.

Feinseth increased his price target for GOLF to $68 from $62 and reiterated a buy rating, while emphasizing that the company is enhancing shareholder returns through ongoing dividend increases and share repurchases.

“GOLF’s incredible brand equity, driven by its best-in-class and industry-leading product lines, including FootJoy and Titleist, are major assets and the primary drivers of its premium market valuation,” said Feinseth.  

Feinseth holds the 289th position among more than 8,500 analysts tracked on TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 58% of the time, with each rating delivering an average return of 10.9%. (See Acushnet Stock Chart on TipRanks)

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Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Spotify, RTX, General Electric and more

Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.

3M – Shares of the chemical manufacturer rose 5.5% following the company’s latest earnings report. 3M posted $7.99 billion in revenue, beating analysts’ estimates of $7.87 billion, according to Refinitiv. The company also raised its full-year earnings guidance and reaffirmed its revenue guidance.

Spotify — The music streaming platform tumbled 14% following weaker-than-expected revenue and guidance. Spotify reported revenue of €3.18 billion, below the consensus estimate of €3.21 billion from analysts polled by Refinitiv. Full-year revenue guidance was also softer than analysts forecasted. The results follow the company’s announcement that it will raise prices for premium subscription plans.

Alaska Air — Shares of Alaska Air shed 12%, even as the airline beat estimates on top and bottom lines for the second quarter. The airline reported $3 in adjusted earnings per share on $2.84 billion in revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting $2.70 in earnings per share on $2.77 billion in revenue. The airline’s full-year earnings guidance of $5.50 to $7.50 per share was roughly in-line with the average analyst estimate of $6.65, according to FactSet.

RTX – Shares of the defense contractor sank more than 12% after it disclosed an issue affecting a “significant portion” of its Pratt & Whitney engines that power Airbus A320neo models. Elsewhere, RTX reported second-quarter earnings that topped Wall Street expectations, posting $1.29 in adjusted earnings per share on $18.32 billion in revenue. Analysts polled by Refinitiv called for $1.18 in earnings per share and $17.68 billion in revenue.

F5 — Shares of the cloud software company rallied 5.7%. Late Monday, F5 posted a top- and bottom-line beat in its fiscal third quarter. The company reported adjusted earnings of $3.21 per share on revenue of $703 million. Analysts called for $2.86 in earnings per share and revenue of $699 million, according to Refinitiv.

NXP Semiconductors — Shares rose 4% following the chipmaker’s quarterly earnings announcement Monday after hours. NXP reported $3.43 in adjusted earnings per share on $3.3 billion in revenue. Analysts had estimated $3.29 earnings per share and revenue of $3.21 billion, according to Refinitiv. The company’s projected third-quarter earnings also topped analysts’ estimates. 

General Electric — Shares of the industrial giant popped more than 5% to hit a 52-week high after the company posted stronger-than-expected earnings for the second quarter. GE reported adjusted earnings of 68 cents per share on revenue of $16.7 billion. Analysts called for earnings of 46 cents per share on revenue of $15 billion, according to Refinitiv. GE also boosted its full-year profit guidance, saying it’s getting a boost from strong aerospace demand and record orders in its renewable energy business.

Whirlpool — Whirlpool slid more than 3% a day after reporting weaker-than-expected revenue in its second quarter. The home appliance company posted revenue of $4.79 billion, lower than the consensus estimate of $4.82 billion, according to Refinitiv. It did beat on earnings expectations, reporting adjusted earnings of $4.21 per share, higher than the $3.76 estimate.

Biogen — Shares of the biotech company declined 3.8% after its second-quarter earnings announcement. Biogen posted adjusted earnings of $4.02 per share on revenue of $2.46 billion. Analysts polled by Refinitiv anticipated earnings of $3.77 per share and revenue of $2.37 billion. Revenue for the biotech company was down 5% year over year. The company also announced it would slash about 1,000 jobs, or about 11% of its workforce, to cut costs ahead of the launch of its Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi. 

Progressive — The insurance company’s shares lost nearly 2% following a downgrade by Morgan Stanley to underweight from equal weight. The firm cited too many negative catalysts as its reason for the downgrade. 

MSCI — Shares gained 9% after the company’s second-quarter earnings and revenue came above analysts’ estimates. The investment research company posted $3.26 earnings per share, excluding items, on revenue of $621.2 million. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected $3.11 earnings per share on $602.5 million. 

General Motors — The automaker’s stock dipped about 4.5%. GM’s latest quarterly results included a surprise $792 million charge related to new commercial agreements with LG Electronics and LG Energy Solution. Separately, he company lifted its 2023 guidance for a second time this year. GM also reported a second-quarter beat on revenue, posting $44.75 billion compared to the $42.64 billion anticipated by analysts polled by Refinitiv.

UPS – Shares of UPS rose about 1% after the Teamsters union announced a tentative labor deal with the shipping giant on Tuesday.

Invesco — The investment management firm’s shares fell 5% after it posted adjusted earnings of 31 cents per share in the second quarter, while analysts polled by FactSet estimated 40 cents per share. President and CEO Andrew Schlossberg said the company would focus on simplifying its organizational model, strengthening its strategic focus, as well as aligning its expense base. 

Xerox – Shares of the workplace products and solutions provider gained more than 7% after the company raised its full-year operating margin and free cash flow guidance. Xerox now anticipates adjusted operating margin of 5.5% to 6%, compared to earlier guidance of 5% to 5.5%. It also calls for at least $600 million in cash flow, compared to its previous outlook of at least $500 million.

Packaging Corp of America — The packaging products company’s stock surged more than 10%, reaching a new 52-week high. In the second quarter, the company posted earnings of $2.31 per share, excluding items, beating analysts’ estimates of $1.93 per share, according to Refinitiv. The company cited lower operating costs from efficiency, as well as lower freight and logistics expenses. Its revenue of $1.95 billion, meanwhile, came below analysts’ estimates of $1.99 billion, according to FactSet.

Zscaler — Shares of the IT security company popped 4.5% after a BTIG upgrade to buy from neutral. “Our fieldwork leads us to believe that demand in the Secure Service Edge (SSE) has sustainably improved and that large projects which were put on hold in late 2022/early 2023 are starting to move forward again,” BTIG said in a note.

Sherwin-Williams – Shares added more than 3% after the company reported record revenue for the second quarter to $6.24 billion. Analysts called for $6.03 billion in revenue, according to FactSet. The company notched adjusted earnings per share of $3.29, while analysts estimated $2.70 per share.

— CNBC’s Yun Li, Samantha Subin, Sarah Min, Tanaya Macheel, Brian Evans and Alex Harring contributed reporting

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Top analysts are bullish on these five stocks in uncertain times

Clifton Pemble, President and CEO, Garmin at the NYSE December 7, 2021.

Source: NYSE

Investors have no shortage of worries, be it the economy slipping into a recession due to higher interest rates or the havoc that whiplashed financial stocks last week.

Nevertheless, there are buying opportunities for those who know where to look.

Here are five stocks to weather the storm, according to Wall Street’s top professionals on TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.

Snowflake

Cloud companies are experiencing a marked slowdown in their growth rates as macro challenges affect enterprise spending. Despite the ongoing pressures, cloud-based data warehouse company Snowflake (SNOW) delivered upbeat quarterly results.

Snowflake expects its product revenue to grow by 40% in fiscal 2024, marking a deceleration from the 70% rise recorded in fiscal 2023 (ended Jan. 31, 2023). Nonetheless, Snowflake continues to be optimistic about its growth in the years ahead and expects to achieve its product revenue target of $10 billion in fiscal 2029.

Deutsche Bank analyst Brad Zelnick agrees that Snowflake is “not immune from cloud growth moderation.” (See Snowflake Blogger Opinions & Sentiment on TipRanks)

That said, Zelnick reiterated a buy rating on Snowflake with a price target of $170, saying, “We still firmly believe the long-term outlook remains intact for Snowflake, with its unique multi-cloud architecture, rich platform features, data sharing capabilities and native app development tools positioning it to capture the massive Data Cloud opportunity.”

Zelnick ranks 85th out of more than 8,000 analysts followed on TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 69% of the time, generating a 14.9% average return.

Salesforce

Let’s move to another cloud company, Salesforce (CRM), which recently reported solid results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 (ended Jan. 31, 2023). The company expects fiscal 2024 revenue to grow by about 10%. While that number indicated a slowdown compared to the 18% growth seen in fiscal 2023, it did come in ahead of analysts’ estimates.

Moreover, Wall Street experts welcomed the company’s profitability projections. Salesforce has been under pressure from several activist investors, including Elliott Management and Starboard Value, to improve its profitability. (See Salesforce Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks)

Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz, who holds the 264th position among more than 8,000 analysts on TipRanks, said that he is “encouraged by the recent activism in CRM over recent months.” The analyst also highlighted the company’s restructuring efforts and its fiscal 2024 operating margin outlook of 27%, which he observed was “even well above the most bullish expectations.”

“Notwithstanding macro challenges, we reiterate that CRM remains well situated to help its vast customer base manage revenue and process optimization via digital transformation,” said Moskowitz.    

Moskowitz reaffirmed a buy rating and raised his price target for CRM stock to $225 from $200. Per TipRanks, 55% of Moskowitz’s ratings have generated profits, with each rating bringing in a return of 13.1%, on average.

Hibbett

Next on our list is athletic goods retailer Hibbett (HIBB), which sells footwear, apparel and equipment from top brands like Nike and Adidas. The company’s fiscal 2023 fourth-quarter results missed expectations due to macro pressures, higher costs, supply chain issues and increased promotional activity.

Hibbett expects mid-single-digit sales growth in fiscal 2024, driven by its assortment of high-demand footwear. Also, the company is conducting a “systematic review” of its operating expense structure to improve profitability. (See Hibbett Stock Chart on TipRanks)

Williams Trading analyst Sam Poser highlighted that Hibbett’s relationships with key brands, mainly Nike, are very strong. Additionally, the analyst thinks that the retailer has “the best in class omni-channel, consumer facing operation” in his coverage, which is reflected by the 21.4% rise in digital sales in the fiscal fourth quarter.

Poser lowered his fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025 earnings per share estimates, given that the company’s recent results lagged guidance. Nonetheless, he reiterated a buy rating on Hibbett and a price target of $82 because he is “confident that HIBB’s guidance is far more realistic, prudent, and conservative than it has been in some time.”

Poser is ranked No. 144 among more than 8,000 analysts tracked on TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 55% of the time, with each rating delivering a return of 17.6%, on average.

Zscaler

Cybersecurity company Zscalers (ZS) fiscal second-quarter results crushed the Street’s expectations, with a 52% increase in revenue.

Nevertheless, ZS stock fell as investors seemed concerned about the company’s billings guidance of about a 9% sequential decline in the fiscal third quarter, compared to the mid-single digit declines seen over the last few years. Delays in large deals due to macro woes impacted the company’s outlook.

TD Cowen analyst Shaul Eyal remains bullish about Zscaler and reiterated a buy rating with a price target of $195 following the results. “In our view, despite macro uncertainty and elevated deal scrutiny, ZS occupies a strong competitive position as it addresses a $72B market opportunity,” said Eyal.      

The analyst thinks that the company is well positioned to achieve its longer-term targets, including annual recurring revenue of $5 billion, operating margin of 20% to 22%, and free cash flow margin of 22% to 25%. (See Zscaler Hedge Fund Trading Activity on TipRanks)

Eyal holds the 15th position among more than 8,000 analysts on TipRanks. Additionally, 66% of his ratings have been profitable, with an average return of 24.1%.

Garmin

Garmin (GRMN) is a leading provider of GPS-enabled-based devices and applications. Last month, the company reported a decline in its fourth-quarter revenue due to currency headwinds and lower demand for its fitness products.

Tigress Financial analyst Ivan Feinseth expects the company’s ongoing innovation and new launches, strength in aviation, and growing opportunities in wellness and automotive OEM (original equipment manufacturer) businesses to reaccelerate trends.  

Feinseth is particularly confident about Garmin emerging as an industry-leading automotive OEM supplier. The company’s automotive OEM revenue increased by 11% to $284 million in 2022. The analyst expects the automotive segment to see annual growth of 40%, reaching a revenue run rate of $800 million by 2025. He expects this growth to be led by the company’s industry-leading product categories of in-cabin domain controllers, infotainment systems and other in-cabin connected interfaces.

Feinseth, who ranks 189th on Tipranks, reiterated a buy rating on Garmin stock with a price target of $165. The analyst’s ratings have been profitable 62% of the time, with an average return of 12.2%. (See Garmin Financial Statements on TipRanks)

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