Elite Stocks

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BWXT - >>> Cathie Wood Loads Up On This Nuclear Play As The Senate Announces Industry Support In Trump Bill


Investor's Business Daily

by KIT NORTON

06/17/2025


https://www.investors.com/news/cathie-wood-nuclear-stock-market-senate-industry-support-in-trump-bill/?src=A00220


The Senate Finance Committee released recommendations for key elements of the Republican budget bill late Monday that would boost investment in nuclear energy. The news followed Monday stock market action in which Cathie Wood and Ark Invest loaded up on nuclear reactor supplier BWX Technologies (BWXT), a stock that hovered in a buy zone.

Wood's ARK Innovation (ARKK) ETF on Monday purchased 215,830 shares of BWX Technologies for an estimated $30.14 million, according to Wood's ETF daily trade disclosures.

BWX Technologies traded in a buy zone on Monday, advancing 1.2% to 139.67. Aggressive investors would read the stock as extended, up more than 60% from an April low, according to analysis of MarketSurge charts.

The stock edged up 0.3% to 140.15 on Tuesday, just above a traditional 136.31 buy point from a cup base, according to MarketSurge. The company supplies the U.S. Navy with nuclear reactors and also has a strong position in the supply chain for Canada's nuclear energy program. William Blair analysts wrote in late May that BWX could "expand its commercial nuclear power business" into small modular reactor, or SMR, technology.

Wood and Ark Invest also have positions in Canada-based uranium refiner Cameco (CCJ) and SMR startup Oklo (OKLO). Wood's ARK Autonomous Tech (ARKQ) ETF trimmed Cameco and Oklo holdings in late May as nuclear-related stocks soared broadly following President Donald Trump's nuclear executive orders.

The changes sharpen the cuts to Medicaid designed into the House bill, leading to some pushback among House and Senate GOP leaders, according to Politico.

The committee also aimed to eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, tax credits, but would also increase investment in nuclear energy. The House version of the bill keeps a full phaseout of solar and wind energy tax credits by 2028.

The committee's recommended changes to Trump's signature tax and spending bill would end the $7,500 tax credit for EVs 180 days after becoming law. That's vs. the House's end-of-2025 cutoff. In either case, the loss of credits is likely to hit Tesla (TSLA) and other auto manufacturers.

Oklo Stock Soars After First-Quarter Earnings; OpenAI Deal Potential

While the legislation would strip away tax credits for EVs along with incentives for wind and solar energy, the bill makes modifications to clean energy production tax credits to allow nuclear, hydro and geothermal to continue receiving incentives, in some form, if facility construction starts before 2036.

The House and Senate aim to deliver a reconciled budget proposal to the White House by July 4.

Trump Executive Orders Fuel Nuke Stocks

The inclusion of pronuclear carve-outs in the Senate spending bill comes after Trump in late May signed four executive orders to support the nuclear energy sector and put in place a "total and complete reform" of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the NRC. The executive orders also look to speed up the deployment of new nuclear power reactors in the U.S.

The May 23 executive orders directed the government to cut down on regulations and fast-track licenses for reactors and power plants to shrink a multiyear process to 18 months, the Financial Times reported.

Trump's 'Consequential' Shift In Energy Policy Fuels Upgrades For These Stocks

The Trump White House defines artificial intelligence as a national security objective and stipulates that the Department of Energy and Defense work with the private sector to accelerate deployments of SMRs, to power AI.

Big Tech has been bullish on investing in SMRs to power AI data centers. SMRs aim to provide power at the site level, drastically reducing the time and cost of permitting, constructing and operating full-scale nuclear facilities.

Cathie Wood-backed Cameco is placed to be a major beneficiary of these executive orders. Cameco has a partial ownership of Westinghouse.

Westinghouse is reportedly the "top pick" to construct the mandated 10 new large nuclear reactors by 2030.

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>>> Heico price target raised to $315 from $285 at RBC Capital


TipRanks

May 30, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heico-price-target-raised-315-125514015.html


RBC Capital analyst Ken Herbert raised the firm’s price target on Heico (HEI) to $315 from $285 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The company reported a “strong” Q2 with 11% organic growth rate while its Flight Support Group – FSG – segment showed particularly strong results in the quarter with organic growth of 14%, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The commentary on the FSG outlook was also notably bullish, and the risks associated with slower airline growth are not materializing, RBC added.

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>>> Amazon.com -

5-19-25

https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/265114/5-warren-buffett-stocks-to-watch-after-berkshire-hathaways-latest-filing-.aspx

Morningstar Rating: 4 stars
Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: Wide
Morningstar Capital Allocation Rating: Exemplary
Industry: Internet Retail

Berkshire Hathaway doesn’t own a ton of Amazon’s stock; in fact, it’s only been invested in Amazon since the first quarter of 2019. Buffett has admitted in the past that while he always admired Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, he was reluctant to invest in the company early: He couldn’t imagine it would turn into the retail juggernaut that it did. Amazon has carved out its wide economic moat not just on its retail business but also on Amazon Web Services. The stock looks attractive, trading 12% below our $240 fair value estimate.

Morningstar senior analyst Dan Romanoff said this after Amazon’s first-quarter earnings release:

Amazon reported first-quarter results that beat the high end of guidance on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue grew by 10% year over year in constant currency to $155.7 billion, while operating margin was 11.8% versus 10.7% a year ago. Currency hurt sales growth by $1.4 billion.

Why it matters: Results were generally good, with upside broadly on the top and bottom lines, which we think is positive in the face of looming tariffs. We see some prebuying behavior ahead of tariffs, which is worth monitoring if the tariff situation persists beyond the second quarter.

The bottom line: We maintain our fair value estimate of $240 per share as we see good results in conjunction with mixed guidance, and we see shares as attractive.

Coming up: Overall guidance is mixed, with revenue solid and profitability light relative to our model. Satellite launch costs for Project Kuiper will likely pressure margins for a couple quarters, while new AWS capacity coming online later this year will have a similar impact.

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Constellation Brands -

5-19-25

https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/265114/5-warren-buffett-stocks-to-watch-after-berkshire-hathaways-latest-filing-.aspx

Morningstar Rating: 5 stars
Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: Wide
Morningstar Capital Allocation Rating: Standard
Industry: Beverages—Brewers

Berkshire Hathaway initiated a position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter of 2024. Constellation Brands has carved out a wide moat with its portfolio of top-selling Mexican beer brands that underpin strong brand equity and tight distributor partnerships, explains Morningstar analyst Dan Su. We expect the company’s beer brands to fuel growth, while the turnaround with its wine and spirits will take time. The stock is trading 32% beneath our $274 fair value estimate.

Here’s Su’s take on Constellation Brands after its recent earnings release.

Constellation Brands posted 2% sales growth for fiscal 2025 while adjusted earnings per share rose 11% on efficiency gains in the beer segment. For the next three years, it expects low- to mid-single-digit sales growth, below its prior midterm target of 6%-8%.

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>>> Coinbase stock soars 24% as inclusion in S&P 500 signals 'dramatic turnaround' for crypto industry


Yahoo Finance

by Ines Ferré

May 13, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coinbase-stock-soars-24-as-inclusion-in-sp-500-signals-dramatic-turnaround-for-crypto-industry-201230743.html


Coinbase (COIN) stock surged nearly 24% on Tuesday as Wall Street cheered the inclusion of the first and only crypto exchange in the S&P 500 (^GSPC) — a major milestone for the company and an industry once in the crosshairs of regulators.

"Coinbase has gone from being in an intense litigation with the SEC just a few months back (later dropped by the SEC under the Trump regime) to being the latest addition to S&P 500," Bernstein managing director Gautam Chhugani wrote on Tuesday morning.

"This event symbolises the dramatic turnaround in fortunes for the crypto industry and its rising significance as the frontier of financial innovation," he added.

The significance of formally joining the S&P 500 on May 19 was not lost on company executives either.

"This is a major milestone, not just for Coinbase, but also for the entire crypto industry," wrote Alesia Haas, Coinbase's CFO, on Monday afternoon. "Joining this prestigious index reflects how far Coinbase and the industry have come and is a signal of where the world is heading."

The announcement came days after Bitcoin (BTC-USD) crossed the $100,000 level to reach its highest level since late January.

The cryptocurrency has rallied since President Trump won the White House last year and put in place key figures to forge ahead with a token-friendly framework, a promise on which he campaigned.

One of those moves included placing cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins at the helm of the SEC after Gary Gensler stepped down on Jan. 20.

In late February, Coinbase announced the SEC had agreed to drop its enforcement case against the company.

Under Gensler, the agency had charged Coinbase with operating as an unregistered national securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency.

Coinbase shares rallied to all-time highs in December, surging 90% since Trump's election. The stock declined to pre-election levels in April as the overall market sank following Trump's tariff policy unveiling.

Year to date, Coinbase shares are up more than 3%.

Bernstein has a Buy rating on the stock with a $310 price target. The analysts point to the crypto exchange's $320 billion in assets with around 10 million active users.

"With the Trump Administration’s aspiration to make America the ‘crypto capital of the world’, Coinbase remains the dominant platform (66% U.S market share) to ride the tailwinds," wrote Chhugani.

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>>> Pfizer Divests Remaining Stake in Haleon

3-21-25

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pharma-stock-roundup-pfes-final-162600943.html

Pfizer divested 7.3% remaining stake in Haleon, or approximately 662 million shares, to institutional investors and Haleon itself for £3.85 per ordinary share (around £2.5 billion). Pfizer sold 618 million ordinary shares of HLN to institutional investors worth around $3.1 billion (around £2.4 billion). Per a previous share buyback plan, Pfizer sold around 44.14 million shares worth approximately $220 million (£170 million) directly to Haleon.

Haleon was a consumer health joint venture jointly created by Pfizer and GSK in 2019. GSK owned a controlling stake of 68% in the Consumer Healthcare JV (CHC JV). GSK/Pfizer divested the CHC JV to form Haleon in July 2022. GSK, which initially owned a nearly 13% stake in Haleon, sold its entire stake in May 2024. Pfizer originally held a 32% stake in Haleon, which it had started gradually reducing since 2022.

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>>> Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) -- Spun off as an independent company from PepsiCo, Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) is a multinational corporation that owns KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill.

Yum! Brands reported revenues of $2.36 billion, up 16% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and same-store sales in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is up 8.3% since reporting and currently trades at $142.15.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/traditional-fast-food-stocks-q4-090313316.html



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>>> Oracle -- Although Oracle is not currently included among the major AI stock picks, this situation may soon change. With the stock down nearly 35% from its 52-week high, it now looks like an attractive pick for long-term investors, especially considering its critical role in building global AI infrastructure and the robust growth momentum of its cloud services.

Oracle's Remaining Performance Obligations (RPO), a metric highlighting the company's future revenue lock-in, is undoubtedly the most compelling reason to buy the stock. RPO soared 62% year over year to $130 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2025 (ended Feb. 28, 2025) -- despite not including contracts from the $500 billion multicompany AI infrastructure initiative Project Stargate. Hence, when Project Stargate materializes, it will dramatically boost the company's already-high RPO.

Oracle's cloud infrastructure unit is also growing at breakneck speed -- 51% year over year, far outpacing several hyperscaler competitors. The company is strategically building AI training infrastructure by creating a massive 64,000 GPU deployment with Nvidia's chips. The company has developed the Oracle AI Data Platform, enabling its vast customer base to analyze data stored in Oracle's existing databases using AI models from several prominent providers. This capability lets customers derive insights from data while keeping it private and secure. Management expects this to be a significant competitive advantage while targeting the rapidly expanding AI inferencing market.

Thanks to several solid tailwinds, management is guiding for 15% revenue growth in fiscal 2026 and 20% in 2027. The company has also raised its quarterly dividend by 25%, highlighting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Despite the many tailwinds, Oracle trades at 19.1 times forward earnings, far lower than its five-year average multiple of 32.6x. Considering its robust cloud infrastructure, strategic AI initiatives, and broad geographical presence, the valuation seems cheap -- opening an opportunity to buy the stock now.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-no-brainer-stocks-buy-100000917.html



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>>> Amazon -- Although e-commerce is a significant part of Amazon's business, its ecosystem is much more than that. It encompasses the AWS cloud computing platform, digital advertising, and several AI-powered initiatives. Hence, although the escalating trade war, recession fears, and tariff uncertainties between the U.S. and China will disrupt supply chains for Amazon's e-commerce business, Amazon's long-term growth story is mostly intact.

The AWS cloud computing business is undoubtedly Amazon's primary profit-generating engine. Although it accounted for 17% of the revenue mix in 2024, AWS contributed over 58% of the company's operating income. AWS reached an annualized revenue run rate of $115 billion in 2024 -- an impressive performance despite capacity constraints such as slower chip deliveries, disruptions from the new launch of the company's proprietary hardware and silicon, and a shortage of some essential components.

Amazon has also been moving at a breakneck speed on the AI front. The company invested $8 billion in Anthropic and launched a custom AI Trainium2 chip with 30% to 40% better price performance than traditional GPUs for AI workloads. The company is also working (either built or being built) on over 1,000 different generative AI applications. Meanwhile, increasing adoption of automation and robotics across business lines is expected to boost productivity while reducing costs.

Amazon's e-commerce business also expanded same-day delivery sites by 60% year over year in 2024 to cover more than 140 metro areas. By working on offering improved delivery speeds and convenience, more customers will prefer to buy from the company repeatedly. Amazon's advertising business is also making its presence felt and has doubled to a $69 billion annual run rate in just four years.

Amazon's share price has tanked by almost 29% from its all-time high in early February 2025. Subsequently, it is trading at a forward PE of about 31.3x --far lower than its five-year average of 55.4x.

The current share price dip seems an excellent opportunity for long-term investors to acquire a stake in this resilient company.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-no-brainer-stocks-buy-100000917.html



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>>> Sezzle Inc. (SEZL) operates as a technology-enabled payments company primarily in the United States and Canada. The company offers payment solution in-store and at online retail stores; and through proprietary payments solution that connects consumers with merchants for instantly extends credit at the point-of-sale.

It also provides Sezzle Platform that provides a payments solution for consumers that extends credit at the point-of-sale allowing consumers to purchase and receive the ordered merchandise at the time of sale while paying in installments over time;

Pay-in-Four, which allows consumers to pay a fourth of the purchase price up front and then another fourth of the purchase price every two weeks thereafter over a total of six weeks;

Pay-in-Full that allows consumers to pay for the full value of their order up-front through the Sezzle Platform without the extension of credit; and

Pay-in-Two and other alternative installment options, which allow consumer to pay half of the value of their order up-front and the second half in two weeks.

In addition, the company offers Sezzle Virtual Card that allows consumers to access the Sezzle Platform in the form of merchants in-store and online with merchants that are not directly integrated with Sezzle;

Sezzle Anywhere, a paid subscription service that allows consumers to use their Sezzle Virtual Card at any merchant online or in-store;

Sezzle On-Demand, a service that allows consumers who are not subscribed to Sezzle Anywhere to use the Sezzle Platform at any merchant online or in-store;

Sezzle Premium, a paid subscription service that allows its consumers to access large, non-integrated premium merchants; and

Sezzle Up, an opt-in feature of the Sezzle Platform.

Further, the company offers Long-Term Lending through collaboration with third-party lenders and Product Innovation. Sezzle Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SEZL/news/


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>>> Sezzle Announces Six-for-One Stock Split and $50 Million Stock Repurchase Program


GlobeNewswire · Sezzle

March 10, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sezzle-announces-six-one-stock-200900811.html


Minneapolis, MN, March 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sezzle Inc. (NASDAQ: SEZL,) (Sezzle or Company) // Purpose-driven digital payment platform, Sezzle, today announced that the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) declared a six-for-one split of the Company’s common stock in the form of a stock dividend to make ownership more accessible to investors and employees. Each Sezzle stockholder of record at the close of business on March 21, 2025, will receive a dividend of 5 additional shares of common stock for every share held on the record date, to be distributed after the close of trading on March 28, 2025. Trading is expected to begin on a stock split adjusted basis on March 31.

Additionally, the Board has authorized the Company to repurchase up to $50.0 million of the Company’s common stock. The repurchase program has no fixed expiration, allowing flexibility in execution based on market conditions and other factors.

Repurchases under the program will be made in open market transactions in compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-18 and federal securities laws. The stock repurchase program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and it may be extended, suspended or discontinued at any time at the Company’s discretion.

Contact Information

Lee Brading, CFA

Investor Relations

[phone]

[e-mail]

Erin Foran

Media Enquiries

[phone]

[e-mail]

About Sezzle Inc.

Sezzle is a fintech company on a mission to financially empower the next generation. Sezzle’s payment platform increases the purchasing power for millions of consumers by offering interest-free installment plans at online stores and select in-store locations. Sezzle’s transparent, inclusive, and seamless payment option allows consumers to take control over their spending, be more responsible, and gain access to financial freedom.

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Xena - I meant to say - >> Too much bad mouthing of the I-Hub Admin (Shelly) would do it, since they (she) tend to be control freaks to some extent <<



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Hi Xena, Good to see you out of the I-Hub 'slammer' :o) I did a stint in there years ago, but only for 2 weeks. Your transgressions must have been more serious. Too much bad mouthing of the I-Hub moderators would do it, since they tend to be control freaks to some extent.

Just curious what you think of the current market, investment strategies for 2025, etc? Sure looks like a tough year, especially with Trump's ongoing tariff chaos. Everyone is hoping he comes to his senses and backs off, but it might take the arrival of a bear market and recession first. In recent years I've been mostly using a 'buy the dip' approach, but this year could require just sitting in cash / T-bills for extended periods.

Anyway, glad to see you back on I-Hub :o)








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>>> The Descartes Systems Group Inc. (DSGX) provides cloud-based logistics and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Its Logistics Technology platform offers a range of modular, interoperable web and wireless logistics management solutions. The company provides a suite of solutions that include routing, mobile, and telematics; transportation management; ecommerce, shipping, and fulfillment; customs and regulatory compliance; global trade intelligence; broker and forwarder enterprise systems; and B2B messaging and connectivity services. It also offers its customers to use its modular, software-as-a-service, and data solutions to route, schedule, track, and measure delivery resources; plan, allocate, and execute shipments; rate, audit, and pay transportation invoices; access and analyze global trade data; research and perform trade tariff and duty calculations; file customs and security documents for imports and exports; and various other logistics processes. In addition, the company provides consulting, implementation, and training services, as well as maintenance and support services. It serves transportation providers, such as air, ocean, and truck modes; logistics service providers, including third-party logistics providers, freight forwarders, and customs brokers; and distribution-intensive companies, such as manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and mobile business service providers through subscription, transactional or perpetual license basis. The Descartes Systems Group Inc. was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in Waterloo, Canada.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DSGX/profile/

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>>> The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX), together with its subsidiaries, operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International.

The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, furniture, rugs, lighting products, giftware, soft home products, decorative accessories, tabletop, and cookware, as well as expanded pet, and gourmet food departments; jewelry and accessories; and other merchandise. It offers its products through stores and e-commerce sites.

The TJX Companies, Inc. was incorporated in 1962 and is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/TJX/profile/

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>>> TJX price target raised to $145 from $133 at BMO Capital


TipRanks

February 28, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tjx-price-target-raised-145-151010765.html


BMO Capital raised the firm’s price target on TJX (TJX) to $145 from $133 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The company saw a top- and bottom-line earnings beat, with all segments having better-than-expected comp performance coupled with a healthy gross margin beat, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The management also noted unfavorable weather to start Q1 but saw improvement as it normalized, the firm adds.

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>>> TJX price target raised to $136 from $135 at Morgan Stanley


TheFly

Feb 27, 2025

https://www.tipranks.com/news/the-fly/tjx-price-target-raised-to-136-from-135-at-morgan-stanley?utm_source=finance.yahoo.com&utm_medium=referral

TJX price target raised to $136 from $135 at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley analyst Alex Straton raised the firm’s price target on TJX (TJX) to $136 from $135 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares following a Q4 beat that featured “universal comp upside across segments.” Q1 and fiscal year guidance was set below the Street, but “screens conservative,” according to the analyst, who argues that the stock’s 2% move despite below-consensus guidance confirms TJX is “viewed as a scarce, high-quality investment option in Retail.”

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>>> TransDigm Group Incorporated (TDG) designs, produces, and supplies aircraft components in the United States and internationally.

The Power & Control segment offers mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, specialized pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, specialized AC/DC electric motors and generators, batteries and chargers, databus and power controls, sensor products, switches and relay panels, hoists, winches and lifting devices, delivery systems and electronic components, and cargo loading and handling systems. This segment serves engine and power system and subsystem suppliers, airlines, third party maintenance suppliers, military buying agencies, and repair depots.

The Airframe segment provides engineered latching and locking devices, engineered rods, engineered connectors and elastomer sealing solutions, cockpit security components and systems, cockpit displays, engineered audio, radio and antenna systems, lavatory components, seat belts and safety restraints, engineered and customized interior surfaces and related components, thermal protection and insulation products, lighting and control technology, parachutes, specialized flight, wind tunnel and jet engine testing services and equipment, and testing and instrumentation solutions. This segment serves airframe manufacturers, cabin system and subsystem suppliers, airlines, third party maintenance suppliers, military buying agencies, and repair depots.

The Non-aviation segment offers seat belts and safety restraints; mechanical/electromechanical actuators and controls; hydraulic/electromechanical actuators and fuel valves; refueling systems; and turbine controls. This segment serves off-road vehicle and subsystem suppliers, child restraint system suppliers, and satellite and space system suppliers; and manufacturers of heavy equipment.

TransDigm Group Incorporated was founded in 1993 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/TDG/profile/

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>>> UBS upgrades TransDigm on margin expansion, capital deployment


Investing.com

February 24, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ubs-upgrades-transdigm-margin-expansion-185344518.html


Investing.com -- UBS upgraded TransDigm Group Inc, now rated "Buy" from "Neutral," on stabilised aftermarket growth, margin expansion, and increased capital deployment.

The bank forecasts aftermarket growth between 10 and 11%, easing concerns of further deceleration. It also projects EBITDA margins to expand by 100 basis points per year, above consensus estimates of 40-60 basis points, while still conservative compared to historical trends.

“TransDigm is a compounder of earnings organically and inorganically, with a recurring and often sole-source business model. A more M&A friendly environment could be further upside to our numbers,” analyst said.

UBS noted that TransDigm's net leverage of 5X, within its 5-7X target range, could result in $12 billion in available capital by year-end and $24 billion by fiscal 2027.

The price target was raised to $1,595 from $1,502, reflecting higher EBITDA assumptions and a revised 21.0X 5-8 quarter EV/EBITDA multiple.

“We expect aftermarket growth to stabilize and accelerate from F1Q, with above-consensus margin expansion and the potential for a step-up in capital deployment,” analyst at UBS said.

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>>> Winmark Corporation Announces Year End Results


Business Wire

February 19, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/winmark-corporation-announces-end-results-153200853.html


MINNEAPOLIS, February 19, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Winmark Corporation (Nasdaq: WINA) announced today net income for the year ended December 28, 2024 of $39,954,200 or $10.89 per share diluted compared to net income of $40,178,100 or $11.04 per share diluted in 2023. The fourth quarter 2024 net income was $9,583,100 or $2.60 per share diluted compared to net income of $9,716,800 or $2.64 per share diluted for the same period last year. Revenues for the year ended December 28, 2024 were $81,289,100, down from $83,243,500 in 2023. 2024 results were impacted by the Company’s decision in May 2021 to run-off its leasing portfolio.

Winmark - the Resale Company®, is a nationally recognized franchisor focused on sustainability and small business formation. - We champion and guide entrepreneurs interested in operating one of our award winning resale franchises: Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Play It Again Sports®, Style Encore® and Music Go Round®. At December 28, 2024, there were 1,350 franchises in operation and over 2,800 available territories. An additional 79 franchises have been awarded but are not open.

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>>> Steel ETFs' Surge May Not Last After Trump's Tariffs

Steel and metals ETFs rocketed higher Monday, but the action might not last.


ETF.com

by Sumit Roy

Feb 11, 2025


https://www.etf.com/sections/features/steel-etfs-surge-may-not-last-after-trumps-tariffs


Exchange-traded funds that hold shares of steel and aluminum companies surged Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he would impose 25% tariffs on imports of the two metals.

The VanEck Steel ETF (SLX) and the SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) gained 3% and 4%, respectively, on the news.

Big gains in shares of American steel producers, like Nucor Corp. (NUE), Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF) and U.S. Steel Corp. (X) were the biggest drivers of the $75 million SLX on Monday—but even foreign steel companies, like Ternium Sa (TX) and Posco Holdings Inc. (PKX), contributed to the upside action.

The across-the-board rally in steel stocks is curious. It makes sense that domestic steel companies would rise on news that their foreign competitors would get hit with big new tariffs. But why would stocks of those same foreign rivals increase as well?

A bit of bargain hunting across the industry could be the reason for the jump. Steel stocks in general have been struggling lately; good news for one group of stocks in the industry could have been enough to spark a rally across the industry.

That said, if Trump follows through with his tariffs, investors might become more discerning, which has implications for SLX and other metals-focused exchange-traded funds.

The ETF’s geographical focus is split between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Any upside in shares of US-focused steel companies could be offset by losses in stocks of foreign steel firms.

Case in point: on Monday, as shares of other steel stocks surged, India-based Tata Steel was trading down by 3%.

While I’m a strong advocate for ETFs, this is a situation where investors who want more direct exposure to American steel companies specifically, might be better off buying a basket of individual stocks.

Metals ETFs to Be Buffeted by Competing Forces

As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any ETFs that exclusively hold US steel companies (nor are there any ETFs that focus on aluminum companies, US-based or otherwise).

There are, however, broader US-focused metals ETFs, like the aforementioned XME, which has $1.7 billion in AUM.

XME tracks an equal-weighted basket of US metals and mining companies. But its broader mandate means that it holds stocks of much more than just steel firms, including everything from gold miners to coal producers.

Still, the ETF jumped nearly 4% Monday, underlying the idea that Trump’s tariffs boosted sentiment across the whole metals and mining industry.

Again, don’t count on the across-the-board rally continuing (at least based on the Trump tariff news). As investors start separating the winners from the losers, metals ETFs will start to feel the push and pull of competing forces.

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>>> Sezzle Inc. (SEZL) operates as a technology-enabled payments company primarily in the United States and Canada. The company provides payment solution in-store and at online retail stores; and through proprietary payments solution that connects consumers with merchants. It also offers Sezzle Platform that provides a payments solution for consumers that extends credit at the point-of-sale allowing consumers to purchase and receive the ordered merchandise at the time of sale while paying in installments over time; Pay-in-Four, which allows consumers to pay a fourth of the purchase price up front and then another fourth of the purchase price every two weeks thereafter over a total of six weeks; Pay-in-Full that allows consumers to pay for the full value of their order up-front through the Sezzle Platform without the extension of credit; and Pay-in-Two and other alternative installment options, which allow consumer to pay half of the value of their order up-front and the second half in two weeks. In addition, the company provides Sezzle Virtual Card that allows consumers to access the Sezzle Platform in the form of close-end installment loans and shop with merchants that are not integrated with Sezzle; Sezzle Anywhere, a paid subscription service that allows consumers to use their Sezzle Virtual Card at any merchant online or in-store; Sezzle Premium, a paid subscription service that allows its consumers to access large, non-integrated premium merchants; and Sezzle Up, an opt-in feature of the Sezzle Platform. Further, it offers Long-Term Lending through collaboration with third-party lenders and Product Innovation. Sezzle Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SEZL/profile/

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>>> Generac Stock Rises After Earnings Beat. Power Outages Helped.


Barron's

By Al Root

Feb 12, 2025


https://www.barrons.com/articles/generac-price-earnings-stock-power-outages-844ffd83?siteid=yhoof2


Generac stock was down about 26% over the past three months, but only 1% over the past six months, as it entered Wednesday. Shares tend to be volatile around extreme weather events.

More extreme weather and power outages mean more earnings for generator maker Generac

The company reported fourth-quarter earnings per share of $2.80 from sales of $1.2 billion on Wednesday. Wall Street was looking for $2.53 and $1.2 billion, respectively.

Sales rose 16% year over year, up from about 10% growth in the third quarter. Residential sales grew 28% year over year. Commercial sales were flat.

CEO Aaron Jagdfeld said in a news release that the results showed it capitalized on the strong demand for portable generators when there were power outages in the second half of the year. “The mega-trends that support our long-term expectations were on full display in 2024 as power quality continued to deteriorate and power prices continued to increase,” he said.

Power outage hours in the U.S. were the highest since 2010 when Generac started tracking the metric.

Generac stock was up 1.6% in early trading at $143.96, while the S&P 500 and DJIA were down about 1% and 0.9%, respectively. The market fell after monthly inflation data came in hotter than expected.

Coming into Wednesday’s trading, Generac stock was down about 26% over the past three months. Shares are down only 1% over the past six months. Generac stock tends to be volatile around extreme weather events such as hurricanes and wildfires.

Looking ahead, Generac expects sales growth of 3% to 7% and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or Ebitda, profit margins of between 18% and 19%.

That implies sales and Ebitda of about $4.5 billion and $835 million, respectively. Wall Street currently projects $4.6 billion and $877 million, respectively, according to FactSet.

Guidance is a little below the Street, but investors don’t seem to mind.

Management hosts a conference call at 10 a.m. Eastern time to discuss results. Investors and analysts will want to hear more about the demand for backup power in 2025 and beyond.

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>>> Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDNS)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cadence-design-systems-inc-cdns-220153503.html

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 53

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDNS) is an American multinational technology and computational software company that delivers hardware, software, and IP for electronic design. On January 22, the leading EDA and Intelligent System Design provider announced that MediaTek, a Taiwanese semiconductor company, has adopted Cadence’s AI-driven tools Cadence® Virtuoso® Studio and Spectre® X Simulator on the NVIDIA accelerated computing platform for its 2nm development. MediaTek will be leveraging Cadence’s AI-driven custom/analog design solutions to achieve a 30% productivity gain, resulting in faster and more accurate chip design processes.

“MediaTek’s validation of our latest Virtuoso Studio release and Spectre X Simulator on NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform demonstrates that Cadence’s continued investment in enhancing our industry-leading custom design solutions and AI tools is a game changer for our customers’ most challenging 2nm designs. Bringing the power of AI and GPUs to Spectre X enables MediaTek to solve its large-scale verification simulation challenges even more quickly, without sacrificing accuracy”.

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>>> Comfort Systems Stock Looks Hot As It Cools Data Centers


IBD

by KIMBERLEY KOENIG

01/17/2025


https://www.investors.com/stock-lists/ibd-big-cap-20/data-centers-comfort-systems-stock-fix/?src=A00220


Servers in data centers use a large amount of heat and require specialized cooling systems. Building and cooling services company Comfort Systems USA (FIX) is tapping into the growing market for these much-needed systems.

Comfort Systems provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing and ventilation services for data centers, pharmaceutical, health care and industrial facilities. It employs around 18,000 plumbers, welders, pipe fitters and electricians, plus technology for robotic welding. It also makes modular cooling units used in data centers.

The IBD Big Cap 20 and IBD 50 company sees hefty demand for its construction business stretching into 2026. Comfort Systems also sees opportunity in its modular delivery business, used primarily for data centers, which is currently only about 17% of its overall business.

The company builds modular cooling units used in data centers, which can be shipped for on-site construction by workers or even robots.

Comfort Systems ranks No. 1 out of 13 stocks in IBD's Building-A/C & Heating Products industry group.

Comfort Systems Back Near Record High

The stock is forming a late-stage cup base with a 510.79 buy point, according to MarketSurge pattern recognition. That's a mark of leadership that may help offset the risk of being a late-stage pattern.

Shares retook the 10-week moving average in a 14% climb the past week as they try to complete the right side of the cup. The bounce off the 10-week line offered an early entry around 465.

Its relative strength line has reached a 52-week high, as shown by the blue dot on its IBD MarketSurge charts. The stock has climbed a healthy 17% so far in January, after more than doubling in 2024 and more than quadrupling since January 2023.

Its 1.5 up/down volume ratio indicates positive demand for the stock over the last 50 days.

Data Center Cooling Provider Shows Robust Profit Growth

Comfort Systems beat third-quarter earnings estimates but missed sales forecasts on Oct. 24. It saw an increase in its technology-sector sales from data centers and chip plants. Its average project takes six to nine months to complete.

"We are happy to report record earnings and cash flow this quarter," said President and CEO Brian Lane in the earnings release. The company also reported a backlog of $5.68 billion as of Sept. 30, down from $5.77 billion on June 30.

Third-quarter earnings grew 49% following gains of 78% and 94% in the prior two quarters. And its Q3 sales lifted 32% after rising 31% and 40% in Q1 and Q2.

Forecasts call for a 30% pop in its Q4 sales, then tapering to 14% and 9% over the following two quarters. Analysts estimate 2024 earnings to grow 64% after a 65% burst in 2023. For this year, the consensus estimate is for a 20% earnings increase.

Its IBD Earnings Stability factor of 15 out of 99 possible (lower is better), shows stable earnings over the last three to five years. It also holds a perfect 99 EPS Rating and a 98 Composite Rating.

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>>> Trane Technologies (TT) Stock Trades Down, Here Is Why


StockStory

by Anthony Lee

January 27, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trane-technologies-tt-stock-trades-184601026.html


Trane Technologies (TT) Stock Trades Down, Here Is Why

What Happened?

Shares of HVAC company Trane (NYSE:TT) fell 8.6% in the afternoon session as stocks heavily tied to the AI market took a hit after Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek released a new large language model that ranks competitively on key global benchmarks, uses less advanced semiconductor chips, costs significantly less to build, and has already achieved strong adoption after topping the iPhone App Store for AI apps. TT in particular supplies HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) to the datacenter market, which is being buoyed by AI.

Notably, DeepSeek has also open-sourced this model, a move that may make it harder for rivals to justify huge upfront expenditures on hardware, software, and expertise to develop similar systems. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella praised DeepSeek's efforts, calling the new model "super impressive" for its open-source design, efficient inference-time computing, and high compute efficiency. "We should take the developments out of China very, very seriously," he added.

Nadella's comments suggest that upstarts like DeepSeek could reshape the competitive landscape of AI. DeepSeek's announcement disrupts long-held assumptions in key ways: 1.) It undercuts the narrative that bigger budgets and access to top-tier chips are the only ways forward for AI development. 2.) By using less advanced hardware, DeepSeek opens the door for innovators who face high chip costs or export restrictions, reaffirming they can still compete. 3.) The model's success bring uncertainty to the growth narrative of companies that develop AI powered chips and the infrastructure that supports the production and maintenance of these AI tools, including datacenter servers, as well as the HVAC and water systems providers that cool datacenters.

Overall, today's news shows that the market sees more uncertainty in demand as DeepSeek shows that top-tier infrastructure may not be as needed.

The shares closed the day at $367.74, down 8.3% from previous close.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks. Is now the time to buy Trane Technologies?

What The Market Is Telling Us

Trane Technologies’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 2 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

Trane Technologies is down 1.7% since the beginning of the year, and at $367.62 per share, it is trading 12.3% below its 52-week high of $419.14 from November 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Trane Technologies’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $2,849.

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>>> Why CACI International and Other Defense IT Stocks Fell Today


by Lou Whiteman

Motley Fool

January 23, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-caci-international-other-defense-175611353.html


Government IT investors have been on edge since the U.S. election and the subsequent announcement of the waste-cutting initiative that Donald Trump calls the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

This earnings season provides sector leaders a platform to comment on the potential impact, and an initial attempt to do so appears not to have provided much comfort.

Shares of CACI International (NYSE: CACI) traded down as much as 10% on Thursday morning following the company's earnings release, and were down 5% as of 11 a.m. ET. Shares of rivals Leidos Holdings (NYSE: LDOS) fell as much as 8%, and Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) and Science Applications International (NASDAQ: SAIC) fell as much as 7% apiece, as investors pondered what the future holds for this sector.

An uncertain future

CACI, Leidos, SAIC, and Booz Allen are four of the largest so-called "Beltway Bandits," or companies that run IT networks and provide other services to military and civilian government agencies. Investors aren't certain whether the new administration's talk of streamlining government will be a positive or negative to the sector: It could mean more outsourcing opportunities, or it could mean a slowdown in contract spending.

CACI beat top- and bottom-line estimates in its fiscal second quarter ending Dec. 31, but the focus was more on what is to come. The company made its case that its strategy is "purpose-built" for DOGE, noting that CACI already has several contracts to implement software to modernize government agencies and make them more efficient.

"We don't need to ask to be included in this transformation; we are already leading it," the company said in its presentation to investors.

But the post-earnings call spooked investors instead of reassuring them, sending shares of CACI down sharply and leading Leidos, SAIC, and Booz Allen shares down in sympathy. The most likely culprit was talk of changing the way the government awards contracts.

Currently, a significant portion of defense IT work is arranged as "cost-plus" contracts, meaning the contractor has assurances they will receive full reimbursement for their expenses, plus some amount of profit margin. There has been talk of DOGE shifting awards to fixed-price, where the contractor has more responsibility for any cost overruns that might zap profitability.

CACI management seemed to acknowledge such a shift was possible. CEO John Mengucci argued that in areas where CACI has operated in the past, the company is well positioned to know its costs beforehand and can still generate strong profits in a fixed-price world.

Are defense IT stocks buys right now?

Lost in some of the speculation was the fact that CACI produced a strong quarterly beat and raised its full fiscal-year earnings and revenue expectations. The company ended the period with a backlog of $31.8 billion in future business, up 18% from $26.9 billion a year ago.

The concerns are understandable, and defense IT investors should expect continued volatility from here as the market deals with the uncertainties created by the transition in Washington. But as CACI shows, the industry has a strong backlog of future business, as well as the opportunity to play a significant role in whatever transformation occurs.

For those interested in defense stocks and have the patience to ride out near-term volatility, these dips could be buying opportunities.

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>>> Southern Copper Corporation (SCCO) engages in mining, exploring, smelting, and refining copper and other minerals in Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile. The company is involved in the mining, milling, and flotation of copper ore to produce copper and molybdenum concentrates; smelting of copper concentrates to produce blister and anode copper; refining of anode copper to produce copper cathodes; production of molybdenum concentrate and sulfuric acid; production of refined silver, gold, and other materials; and mining and processing of zinc, copper, molybdenum, silver, gold, and lead.

It operates the Toquepala and Cuajone open-pit mines, and a smelter and refinery in Peru; and La Caridad, an open-pit copper mine, as well as a copper ore concentrator, a SX-EW plant, a smelter, refinery, and a rod plant in Mexico. The company also operates Buenavista, an open-pit copper mine, as well as two copper concentrators and two operating SX-EW plants in Mexico. In addition, it operates underground mines that produce zinc, lead, copper, silver, and gold; a coal mine; and a zinc refinery. The company has interests in 156,818 hectares and 502,688 hectares of concessions in Peru and Mexico; and 168,200 hectares and 28,453 hectares of exploration concessions in Argentina and Chile. Southern Copper Corporation was incorporated in 1952 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Southern Copper Corporation is a subsidiary of Americas Mining Corporation.

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>>> Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) manufactures and sells containerboard and corrugated packaging products in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other.

The Packaging segment offers various containerboard and corrugated packaging products, such as conventional shipping containers used to protect and transport manufactured goods; multi-color boxes and displays that help to merchandise the packaged product in retail locations; and honeycomb protective packaging products, as well as packaging for meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, processed food, beverages, and other industrial and consumer products. This segment sells its corrugated products through a direct sales and marketing organization, independent brokers, and distribution partners.

The Paper segment manufactures and sells commodity and specialty papers, as well as communication papers, including cut-size office papers, and printing and converting papers. This segment sells white papers through its sales and marketing organization.

The Corporate and Other segment includes corporate support staff services and related assets and liabilities; and transportation assets, such as rail cars and trucks for transportation.

Packaging Corporation of America was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/PKG/profile/

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>>> Texas Pacific Land Corporation (TPL): A Bull Case Theory


Insider Monkey

by Ricardo Pillai

December 31, 2024


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/texas-pacific-land-corporation-tpl-155802106.html


We came across a bullish thesis on Texas Pacific Land Corporation (NYSE:TPL) on Special Situation Investing’s Substack by Six Bravo. In this article, we will summarize the bulls’ thesis on TPL. Texas Pacific Land Corporation (NYSE:TPL)'s share was trading at $1107.43 as of Dec 30th. TPL’s trailing and forward P/E were 56.82 and 37.74 respectively according to Yahoo Finance.

Texas Pacific Land (NYSE:TPL) has experienced a whirlwind of developments in recent months, presenting a compelling narrative for its shareholders. The company recently completed its second consecutive quarter of acreage acquisitions, spending $286 million on approximately 7,490 net royalty acres primarily in the Midland Basin. These newly acquired assets, operated largely by Exxon Mobil and Diamondback Energy, boast current production of around 1,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with promising prospects for near-term development and production growth. Given that over 80% of the acquired acreage overlaps or is adjacent to existing TPL holdings, the acquisitions align strategically with the company’s portfolio, providing strong visibility into future cash flows. Management estimates these deals will yield a double-digit cash flow return at a conservative $70 oil price, potentially adding $45.5 million to TPL’s annual free cash flow.

The third-quarter results showcased the company’s operational strength, particularly in its water segment, which continues to flourish. TPL is on track to collect royalties on an estimated one billion barrels of water through 2024, matching last year’s record income of $100 million from this segment.

Moreover, TPL’s transition from the S&P 400 to the S&P 500 in late November marks a milestone, introducing passive investment tailwinds but also market volatility risks. Since joining the index, TPL’s stock price has fallen approximately 33%. While some attribute this to lower oil prices or index-related technical factors, these dynamics have not deterred long-term investors. In fact, the recent dip has been seen as a buying opportunity, underpinned by confidence in the company’s robust fundamentals and strategic acquisitions.

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Titan, You mentioned owning MLPX on another board, and I was wondering if there have been any tax related consequences with it, since it holds MLPs?

For pipeline related stocks I was looking at ENB and TRP to avoid the Ltd Partnership tax issues, but since MLPX is an ETF, perhaps that avoids the tax problems? Also, as I understand it, holding MLPs in an IRA doesn't necessarily escape from the K-1 hassle (?)

Thanks for any insights :o)



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>>> Boise Cascade Company (NYSE:BCC)

https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/12-best-land-and-timber-stocks-to-buy-according-to-analysts-1415148/6/

Average Price Target Upside Potential According to Analysts: 22.02%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 29

Boise Cascade Company (NYSE:BCC) is a significant player in the North American lumber industry, specializing in engineered wood products and plywood. The company is committed to managing forests responsibly as it relies heavily on timber from forests to produce its products. It also serves as a major wholesale distributor of building materials for both residential and commercial construction.

In the third quarter of 2024, Boise Cascade Company (NYSE:BCC) reported sales of $1.7 billion, down from $1.8 billion in the same period last year. Net income also decreased to $91 million compared to $143.1 million in Q3 2023. This decline reflects a challenging market, with total US housing starts down by 3% and single-family starts down by 1% year-over-year compared to Q3 2024. In the face of market pressures, Boise Cascade Company (NYSE:BCC) has shown resilience by adapting to moderate demand conditions.

In the first three quarters of 2024, Boise Cascade Company (NYSE:BCC) returned $220.5 million to shareholders through dividends and repurchased over 1.2 million shares of its common stock for $158.5 million. This commitment to returning capital demonstrates confidence in its long-term prospects.

On December 10, 2024, the company announced the acquisition of the Parksite door shop in Lakeland, Florida. This strategic move is aimed at expanding the company’s millwork operations to 15 locations and enhancing its product offerings in the state of Florida. Boise Cascade Company’s (NYSE:BCC) focus on strategic investments and shareholder returns positions it well for future growth. The company’s ability to navigate a challenging market while maintaining strong financial practices makes it an attractive stock.

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>>> Sylvamo Corporation (NYSE:SLVM)

https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/12-best-land-and-timber-stocks-to-buy-according-to-analysts-1415148/4/

Average Price Target Upside Potential According to Analysts: 17.37%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 18

Sylvamo Corporation (NYSE:SLVM) is a significant player in the paper industry, producing paper for education, communication, and entertainment. The company operates mills in Europe, Latin America, and North America, and manages over 294,000 acres of forest in Brazil. Sylvamo is dedicated to sourcing all its fiber from sustainably managed forests. SLVM is one of the best land and timber stocks to buy according to analysts.

In the third quarter of 2024, Sylvamo Corporation (NYSE:SLVM) reported a net income of $95 million, or $2.27 per diluted share, an increase from $83 million in the second quarter of 2024. The company achieved an adjusted EBITDA of $193 million, reflecting a 20% margin, up from 18% in the second quarter. This strong performance was driven by higher shipment volumes in North America.

The company is focused on optimizing its operations. Sylvamo Corporation (NYSE:SLVM) is terminating a supply agreement with International Paper for uncoated freesheet, bristols and specialty papers, effective December 31, 2024. This move is part of a broader strategy to streamline operations and enhance efficiency.

Sylvamo Corporation (NYSE:SLVM) has also made significant strides in returning value to shareholders. In 2024, the corporation has repurchased $30 million of its shares and plans to return at least 40% of its free cash flow to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share in the fourth quarter, which was paid in October. Year-to-date, Sylvamo Corporation (NYSE:SLVM) has distributed $62 million through four quarterly dividends. With its commitment to sustainability, strong financial results, and strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and shareholder value, Sylvamo Corporation (NYSE:SLVM) is well-positioned for future growth.

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>>> Simpson Manufacturing Co. Inc. (NYSE:SSD)

https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/12-best-land-and-timber-stocks-to-buy-according-to-analysts-1415148/2/

Average Price Target Upside Potential According to Analysts: 15.62%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 22

Simpson Manufacturing Co. Inc. (NYSE:SSD) designs, engineers, and manufactures wood construction products. The company’s extensive product range includes connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners, and shear walls. Simpson Manufacturing Co. Inc. (NYSE:SSD) works closely with manufacturers of engineered wood and composite laminated timber. It also manufactures concrete construction products. SSD is one of the best timber stocks to buy.

For Q3 2024, Simpson Manufacturing Co. Inc. (NYSE:SSD) reported net sales of $587.2 million, showing a slight increase year-over-year despite ongoing challenges in the housing markets in both the US and Europe. The company achieved a notable 500 basis point volume growth in North America by outperforming US housing starts over the past year. To improve profitability amid market pressures, Simpson Manufacturing Co. Inc. (NYSE:SSD) is focused on aligning its costs with current conditions.

The company is investing in its facilities to boost production capabilities, with an expansion of its Columbus, Ohio facility set to be operational by early 2025 and a new fastener facility in Gallatin, Tennessee expected to be completed by late 2025. Additionally, Simpson Manufacturing Co. Inc. (NYSE:SSD) acquired QuickFrames USA during the third quarter of 2024. This acquisition strengthens its market position and expands its product offerings in engineered structural roof frames across North America.

With strategic capital allocations and acquisitions, Simpson Manufacturing Co. Inc. (NYSE:SSD) is well-positioned for future growth. Its proactive approach to adapting to market challenges while enhancing operational capacity makes it an attractive stock.

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>>> Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) is a well-diversified healthcare company, with four distinct units: Medical devices, diagnostics, nutrition, and established pharmaceuticals. This is great because it means if one of these businesses faces tough times, another could compensate and maintain overall growth.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-no-brainer-healthcare-stocks-091500419.html

This is actually happening right now. With coronavirus testing on the decline, the diagnostics business has seen revenue fall. But in the recent quarter, the medical devices unit delivered double-digit revenue growth, helping Abbott to report a 5% increase in revenue to $10.6 billion. Over time, Abbott has delivered gains in revenue and profit.

Abbott sells market-leading products across its businesses, from the Ensure brand in its nutrition business to the FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system in its medical devices unit. In fact, Abbott's sales of glucose monitoring systems generated more than $1.6 billion in the recent quarter for a year-over-year increase of about 20%.

The company also has a full pipeline of innovations to keep the growth going. It most recently launched Lingo, a continuous glucose monitoring platform for wellness purposes. Without a prescription, you can gain access to this system to monitor your metabolic health.

Abbott shares trade for about 23x forward earnings estimates. That's a very reasonable price to pay for a company that has a strong track record of growth, market-leading products, and solid long-term prospects.

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>>> Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) is the global leader in robotic surgery. With a compound annual growth rate of about 15%, this market is expected to reach more than $25 billion by 2030, according to Meticulous Research. Intuitive's flagship product is the da Vinci, a system used in a wide variety of surgeries, from cardiac, gynecology, and urology to general surgery such as hernia procedures.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-no-brainer-healthcare-stocks-091500419.html

Intuitive suffered early in the pandemic as hospitals worldwide postponed surgeries, but in more recent times, procedure volume has been going strong. In the recent quarter, da Vinci procedures increased 18% year over year, and revenue climbed 17% to more than $2 billion. Importantly, Intuitive grew its installed base by 15% to more than 9,500 systems as of the end of September.

I like Intuitive's strong moat, or competitive advantage, which has two parts. First, surgeons train on the da Vinci and are used to the platform, so it's unlikely they'll want to switch to a rival. Second, after spending more than $1 million on a robot, hospitals will probably continue using the platform, aiming to amortize the investment over a period of years.

I also like the idea that Intuitive makes most of its revenue not from selling the actual robots, but from selling instruments and accessories required for the procedures. This is positive because it offers the company a form of recurrent revenue, so revenue from the da Vinci doesn't end with the purchase or leasing of the actual platform.

Intuitive may look expensive, trading at more than 75x forward earnings estimates, but it's worth the price considering its leadership, moat, and guarantee of recurrent revenue.

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>>> Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide.

Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.

The company's Resource Industries segment provides electric rope and hydraulic shovels, draglines, rotary drills, hard rock vehicles, tractors, mining trucks, wheel loaders, off-highway and articulated trucks, wheel tractor scrapers and dozers, fleet management products, landfill and soil compactors, machinery components, autonomous ready vehicles and solutions, work tools, and safety services and mining performance solutions, as well as related parts and services.

Its Energy & Transportation segment offers reciprocating engine powered generator sets; reciprocating engines, drivetrain, and integrated systems and solutions; turbines, centrifugal gas compressors, and related services; and diesel-electric locomotives and components, and other rail-related products.

The company's Financial Products segment provides operating and finance leases, installment sale contracts, revolving charge accounts, repair/rebuild financing services, working capital loans, and wholesale financing; and insurance and risk management products and services.

Its All Other Operating segment offers filters and fluids, undercarriage, ground engaging tools, fluid transfer products, precision seals, and rubber sealing and connecting components; parts distribution; logistics solutions and distribution services; brand management and marketing strategy services; and digital investments services. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/CAT/profile/


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>>> Accenture plc (ACN) provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. It offers systems integration and application management; security; intelligent platform; infrastructure; software engineering; data and AI; and automation services. The company also operates business processes; and designs, manufactures, and assembles automation equipment, robotics, and other commercial hardware products. It serves communications, media, and technology; banking and capital markets, and insurance; health and public service; consumer goods, retail, travel services; industrial; life science; chemicals, natural resources, energy, and utilities sectors. It has collaboration agreement with Kyoto University to advance learning, research, and innovation in human-centered AI. The company was founded in 1951 and is based in Dublin, Ireland.

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Palo Alto Networks - >>> Nancy Pelosi's Stock Pick Palo Alto Networks Gets A Downgrade From Top Investment Bank As Sector-Wide Consolidation Down-Cycle Weighs on Sentiment


Benzinga

by Rishabh Mishra

January 9, 2025


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nancy-pelosis-stock-pick-palo-193012254.html


Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) was downgraded to ‘hold’ by Deutsche Bank because the cybersecurity stock owned by Nancy Pelosi could be affected by a sector-wide “consolidation down-cycle”. This follows Pelosi’s February 2024 purchase of nearly $1.25 million in call options of PANW, which expire on Jan. 17.

What Happened: In its 2025 Software Outlook, Deutsche Bank predicts that the cybersecurity sector will underperform broader software this year after a strong 2024. The bank believes that the market overestimated the impact of consolidation in 2024. “We expect 2025 will remain in a consolidation down-cycle,” stated Deutsche’s research note dated Jan. 7.

Ahead of its expiry on Jan. 17, Nancy Pelosi’s call options have a strike price of $200 apiece and the current share price of $172.83, as of Wednesday’s close, is still below the strike price.

Cybersecurity consolidation is the process of centralizing and streamlining cybersecurity tools, technologies, and processes to improve an organization’s security posture. The goal is to create a unified, more efficient, and cost-effective security infrastructure.

“Consolidation is no doubt a powerful force, but it’s subject to cyclical peaks and troughs,” the report said. The bank also said that it struggles to see fundamentals living up to last year’s expansion. “We expect market preference in 2025 will tilt in favor of best-of-breed vs. best-of-suite platforms,” it added.

“After a year where Security stocks outperformed Apps and Infrastructure, the overall category is more likely to underperform broader Software in 2025, in our view,” the note added.

Why It Matters: Deutsche Bank cited four factors contributing to this consolidation slowdown, which include easing IT spending, a surge in AI innovation, a temporary pause in mergers and acquisitions following a July 19 outage, and increased competition in pricing.

The disruption on July 19 resulted in flight cancellations globally and impacted sectors such as banking, healthcare, and hospitality.

Despite the downgrade, Deutsche Bank acknowledged the strength of Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike as leading cybersecurity companies. However, the bank believes that the current market conditions favor smaller, more innovative players.

According to Benzinga, Palo Alto has a consensus price target of $373.63 apiece based on the ratings of 42 analysts.

The high is $450 per share issued by RBC Capital on Nov. 21, 2024, and the low is $130 apiece issued by Guggenheim on Jan. 7, 2025.

The average price target of $150 between Deutsche Bank and Guggenheim implies a 13.14% downside for PANW.

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>>> VeriSign, Inc. (VRSN), together with its subsidiaries, provides domain name registry services and internet infrastructure that enables internet navigation for various recognized domain names worldwide. The company enables the security, stability, and resiliency of internet infrastructure and services, including providing root zone maintainer services, operating two of thirteen internet root servers; and offering registration services and authoritative resolution for the .com and .net domains, which supports global e-commerce. It operates directory for .name and .cc; and back-end systems for .edu, domain names. VeriSign, Inc. was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VRSN/profile/


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Cbiz - >>> A new top 10 firm? Two top 15 firms band together


Journal of Accountancy

By Bryan Strickland

November 7, 2024

https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2024/nov/cbiz-marcum-merger.html#:~:text=When%20the%20firms%20announced%20a,clients%20and%20attract%20new%20business.

Two of the nation's top 15 accounting firms have joined forces with the completion of CBIZ's acquisition of Marcum LLP.

According to a news release, CBIZ has acquired the nonattest business of Marcum, and CBIZ CPAs has acquired Marcum's attest business. CBIZ CPAs (formerly Mayer Hoffman McCann) is a national independent CPA firm with a long-standing administrative service agreement with CBIZ.

The acquisitions create an expected combined annualized revenue of approximately $2.8 billion, which could vault CBIZ into the top seven accounting firms based on 2023 revenue.

"Now, with over 10,000 team members, we will offer our clients an enhanced breadth of services and depth of expertise unmatched in our industries all aimed at helping them grow their business," Jerry Grisko, president and CEO of CBIZ, said in the news release. "With even deeper subject matter expertise, industry resources, service lines, and insights, we can provide actionable advice and new and innovative data-driven products and solutions."

When the firms announced a definitive agreement over the summer, Jeffrey Weiner, Marcum's chairman and CEO, said: "By joining forces, we will capitalize on our strengths and leverage our similar models to bring more diversified services and even greater subject matter expertise to our clients and attract new business. We both have a proven track record of growth through successful acquisitions, and we are excited to bring these two best-in-class organizations together."

Before the acquisition, CBIZ & MHM ranked 11th in revenue in 2023 at $1.42 billion, while Marcum ranked 13th at $1.33 billion. Grant Thornton, which struck a major private-equity deal earlier this year, ranked seventh in 2023 revenue at $2.36 billion.

Private-equity interest in large firms continues. In the last month, Armanino struck a deal, and Cohen & Co. recently did the same.

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>>> Is Moody’s Corporation (MCO) the Best Stock In Buffett Stock Portfolio?


Insider Monkey

by Ashar Jawad

October 16, 2024


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/moody-corporation-mco-best-stock-142943897.html


We recently compiled a list titled Buffett Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks for 2024. In this article, we will look at where Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) ranks among the top 10 stocks in Buffet's portfolio.

Warren Buffet is one of the most accomplished investors in the history of Wall Street. According to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index 2024, the Oracle of Omaha has a net worth of $143 billion, making him the ninth richest person in the world. His wealth would have been much more had he not decided to donate most of his vast fortune to charities. Since 2006, Buffet has donated over $55 billion to various charitable organizations, with a majority of the gifts going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Buffet rose to prominence in 1965, after transitioning his investment firm into a conglomerate that held stakes in companies belonging to a broad range of industries. Between then and 2023, his firm earned average annual returns of 19.8%, outperforming most stock indices that delivered returns around the 10 percent mark during this period. However, this year, Buffet seems to be in a defensive mode and is currently in the news for his sell-off spree, significantly reducing his investments in several notable companies.

There have been mixed opinions about Buffet hunkering down on stocks. Edward Jones analyst, Jim Shanahan, said that the actions make him ‘concerned’ about Buffet’s outlook for the stock market and the American economy. In contrast, Daniel Ives, a Wedbush analyst, is less worried and believes that despite the selling spree, Berkshire still holds the top positions in those stocks by large margins, which should not be viewed as a ‘smoke signal for bad news ahead’.

So what will Warren Buffet do with all that cash? Andrew Bary, the associate editor at Barron’s, recently stated that the billionaire has been on the look for a major acquisition for some while now, which has so far proven elusive. He believes the Berkshire CEO may just hold the cash for some while, earn interest on Treasury Bills, and wait for potential opportunities to grab in the stock market.

Another factor that has likely contributed to Warren Buffet dumping stake in some of his top stocks is the speculation around the increase in capital gains tax. The debate on the tax rate has been on for some time now and has even become a talking point in the run-up to the presidential elections. Vice President, Kamala Harris, during a speech in New Hampshire this month, proposed to raise the long-term capital gains tax for wealthy individuals to 28%.

The current tax rate is 21% when a gain is realized. Massive gains over the long term result in a large tax. Warren Buffet invested in stocks he is currently selling a long time ago, and hence, is sitting on handsome gains. The rationale behind selling these stocks could be to capitalize on the gains as much as possible on the current low tax rate, instead of paying hefty taxes later if the rate were to be increased.

Methodology
We scanned Warren Buffet’s portfolio, as of June 30, 2024, and picked the top 10 stocks according to their stake value. The figures were sourced from the Insider Monkey Database.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Stake Value as of Q2 2024: $10,384,249,654

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is an American business and financial services company, headquartered in New York City, which specializes in providing data, intelligence, and analytical tools to mitigate risks and help financial experts make confident and informed decisions. It is the parent company of credit rating agency, Moody’s Ratings, which is considered among the three best credit rating agencies alongside S&P and Fitch.

Moody’s is among some of the oldest holdings in Warren Buffet’s portfolio and still generates substantial value through dividend gains and share price appreciation. As of June 30 this year, Berkshire Hathaway had investments worth $10.4 billion in the company, making it one of the top picks from the Buffet stock portfolio.

During Q2 2024, the company reported a revenue of $1.8 billion, representing a 22% increase year-over-year. Adjusting operating margins for the quarter were close to 50%. Net income stood at $600 million, with an EPS of $3.28, comfortably beating analysts’ expectations of $3.03 per share. The strong results were driven by a 36% increase in revenue in Moody’s Investor Services division and an 8% growth in the Analytics segment’s revenue.

Looking ahead in the year, Moody’s expects revenue growth to be in the low-teens percent range, with expenses expected to be around the high single-digit range. Adjusted operating margin is forecasted to be between 46-47%. The company has also raised its full-year EPS guidance and now anticipates earnings to be between $11 to $11.40, representing a 50-cent increase at the midpoint. The free cash flow guidance is now also expected to be $2.2 billion, instead of the initial guidance of $2 billion.

The company has also entered into strategic partnerships and collaborations with industry giants such as MSCI, Zillow, and Google, to enhance the insights available to its customers. Moreover, in September this year, Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) further bolstered its risk assessment strategy with the acquisition of Praedicat, a risk analytics company, with casualty and liability modeling capabilities. The terms of the deal were not made public.

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is one of the best stocks to buy now, with 59 hedge funds having a stake in the company, according to Insider Monkey’s database for Q2 2024. There is also a consensus on the stock’s Buy rating among Street analysts, who expect a 2% upside in its share price in the coming months.

Overall, MCO ranks 8th among the Buffett Stock Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks for 2024. While we acknowledge the potential of MCO as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MCO but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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>>> Moody’s Acquires Numerated Growth Technologies, Expanding Lending Technology Solutions


Business Wire

November 21, 2024


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/moody-acquires-numerated-growth-technologies-130000091.html


NEW YORK, November 21, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) announced today that it has acquired Numerated Growth Technologies (Numerated), a loan origination platform for financial institutions. The transaction further expands Moody’s Lending Suite capabilities across the credit lifecycle, providing banking customers with a powerful end-to-end loan origination and monitoring solution.

The acquisition builds on a partnership announced in January 2024 that integrated Numerated’s front office, decisioning, and loan operation technologies with Moody’s credit assessment, underwriting, and monitoring expertise. Numerated will be integrated into Moody’s Lending Suite, creating a full loan origination workflow.

"As our banking customers undergo digital transformation programs to enhance their user experience, automate processes, and provide their front office functions with more data, they’re looking for a credible end-to-end lending solution," said Rob Fauber, President and Chief Executive Officer of Moody’s. "By bringing Numerated and its technology and expertise in-house, we’ll accelerate our Lending Suite capabilities to equip customers across asset classes with more of our industry-leading risk data and analytical solutions."

Numerated uses data and artificial intelligence to streamline and enhance bank lending – improving the application, decision-making, and closing processes through enhanced data integrity. Financial institutions with a combined $3 trillion in assets use Numerated, and since its inception, over 500,000 businesses and 30,000 financial institution associates have used its platform to process over $65 billion in lending.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and it is not expected to have a material impact on Moody’s 2024 financial results.

About Moody’s Corporation

In a world shaped by increasingly interconnected risks, Moody’s (NYSE: MCO) data, insights, and innovative technologies help customers develop a holistic view of their world and unlock opportunities. With a rich history of experience in global markets and a diverse workforce of approximately 15,000 across more than 40 countries, Moody’s gives customers the comprehensive perspective needed to act with confidence and thrive. Learn more at moodys.com.

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>>> Buffett Favorite Heico Reports Increased Revenue Despite Unit Sales Drop


Investopedia

by Bill McColl

August 27, 2024


https://www.investopedia.com/buffett-favorite-heico-reports-increased-revenue-despite-unit-sales-drop-8701903


Key Takeaways

Aircraft parts and electronics supplier Heico posted higher revenue despite a drop in sales at its Electronic Technologies Group unit. Fiscal third-quarter sales at Heico's Flight Support unit set a record high.

Investing guru Warren Buffett is a fan of Heico, adding the stock to his Berkshire Hathaway portfolio in the second quarter.

Shares of Warren Buffett-backed Heico (HEI) edged higher Tuesday after the aircraft parts and electronics supplier posted better-than-expected third-quarter profit despite declining Electronic Technologies Group sales.

Heico reported that fiscal 2024 third-quarter revenue rose 37% year-over-year to a record $992.2 million, a tick below analysts' consensus estimate of $992.7 million compiled by Visible Alpha. Earnings per share (EPS) of 97 cents came in above forecasts of 91 cents.

Sales in the Electronic Technologies Group declined 1% to $322.1 million. The company said the drop "principally reflects lower other electronics and medical products net sales." At the same time, Heico's Flight Support segment sales jumped 68% to an all-time high of $681.6 million.

Acquisitions Credited With Boosting Results

Heico Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Laurans Mendelson said that along with gains in the Flight Support group, the company's latest results were boosted by "strong contributions from our fiscal 2023 and 2024 acquisitions."

Heico shares, which hit a record-high $258.84 on Aug. 15, edged higher to $246.70 as of 1:15 p.m. ET Tuesday. They are up about 38% this year.

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>>> Broadcom (AVGO) shares skyrocketed 24.4% to an all-time high, lifting the company's market capitalization above the $1 trillion level after the chipmaker beat revenue and profit estimates with its fiscal fourth-quarter results. The company said its artificial intelligence (AI) sales in fiscal 2024 more than tripled year-over-year, and several analysts raised their price targets on the stock, citing its AI revenue growth. Friday's gains made Broadcom the top daily performer in the S&P 500.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/p-500-gains-losses-today-221516641.html

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Xena, >> Covid <<

The question of Covid seems like an example of a - 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'. There is little question it came out of a lab, but beyond that is still not clear. Was it an accidental leak, or a deliberate release? There is considerable evidence suggesting foreknowledge, and if we assume it was deliberately released, then what would be the motivation?

I won't go into all the evidence of foreknowledge, but one plausible motivation for a deliberate release would be to alleviate the world's ominous demographic problem (too many old people), since this threatens the world's financial system, and also the US dollar reserve system, which is the basis for US world hegemony.

The weight of Social Security and Medicare will soon swamp the financial system and economy, and hasten the end of US world dominance. The US debt bomb is looming, but if us 'useless eaters' can be culled, it could greatly prolong the US' world hegemony. Other countries with big demographic problems would also benefit (Europe, China, Japan, etc). Anyway, that's my working hypothesis. How the vaccines could fit in is another question.



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[XenaLives]

Honestly, I don't think any stock in the market is immune to AI manipulation. I also believe that COVID was domestic terrorism... so what do I know, LOL!!!

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Xena, It looks like the Milton Hershey School was initially set up for orphans, and it has some Christian elements. Also, Milton Hershey apparently put most of his fortune into the school's funding, making it the best funded private school in the country. The school has had a few controversies over the years, but compared to the typical public school (Drag Queen hour, after school Satanist clubs, etc), the Hershey School sounds pretty good in comparison -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Hershey_School

Fwiw, I've had Hershey stock on my 'Contrarian Value' list for a while, and Warren Buffett reportedly had some interest in the stock over the years due to its strong brand. The zooming price of cocoa is the main cause of the stock's tailspin in recent years, so Mondelez might be snatching up a relative bargain. But Mondelez was interested before and the deal terms were rejected by Hershey, so we'll see what happens this time.



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[XenaLives]

Ultimate funky.....

Allowing your children to be programmed by an instituion.

Human drones can be the only result.

https://www.mhskids.org/

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>>> Tesla stock closes at all-time high as 69% surge since Trump's win cements dramatic turnaround


Yahoo Finance

by Pras Subramanian

December 11, 2024


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-stock-closes-at-all-time-high-as-69-surge-since-trumps-win-cements-dramatic-turnaround-211555458.html


Tesla (TSLA) shares closed at an all-time high on Wednesday as the EV maker continues its relentless run higher since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.

Tesla stock is up an eye-popping 69% since Trump’s election win last month. CEO Elon Musk’s big bet on a Trump win, and the resulting influence he is seen as having on the new administration, has investors bullish on Tesla’s prospects.

Tesla stock closed at $424.77, and touched an intraday high of $424.88. Tesla's previous record close was $409.97, which occurred over three years ago on Nov. 4, 2021. (See the chart below for real-time and historical results.)

Aside from the Trump victory and Musk's big bet paying off with an expected role in the new administration, there are other reasons for Tesla's march to new highs.

Late Tuesday night, Tesla’s China unit said it sold 21,900 EVs on the mainland during the first week of December, its highest weekly sales thus far in Q4. The disclosure comes after Tesla revealed November was its best month of the year, with 73K units sold, Reuters reported. Tesla’s big month and early December have come with the company offering incentives like 0% interest loans for five years and 10,000 yuan (approximately $1,400) for new Model Y loans.

Many analysts believe a more open administration will make it easier for Tesla to get approval for its FSD (full self-driving) software and Robotaxi service on the federal level, though state and local governments hold sway here.

Analysts like Edison Yu and Deutsche Bank, John Murphy of BofA, and Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley have improved their price targets for the stock over the past few days.

“We raise our price target from $295 to $370, mainly assigning greater value to Tesla's autonomy efforts,” Yu wrote yesterday in a note to clients, adding that “given our belief the new US administration can streamline federal regulations around deployment of robotaxi, we increase our robotaxi forecasts.”

Yu also said Tesla’s so-called “Model Q” cheap EV was on track for debut next year.

Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas reiterated his Tesla ‘top pick’ call and upped his price target to $400 from $310.

“From our ongoing client discussions, we hear enthusiasm for all things AI, data-centers, renewable energy, robotics and on-shoring,” Jonas wrote, noting that Musk’s emergence on the political scene may expand Tesla’s sphere of influence beyond cars.

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Titan, Good to see you here :o)

The 'Elite Stocks' board is a companion board to several others (links below), and includes stocks from my long term portfolio, plus additional stocks of possible interest (see I-Box section for full list, broken down by sector and sub-sector). The companion boards have the core stocks listed by market cap, alphabetically, and by sector -

Alphabetically - https://investorshub.advfn.com/Best-Long-Term-Stock-Ideas-25585

Market Cap - https://investorshub.advfn.com/Buy-Hold-Stocks-42434

By Sector - https://investorshub.advfn.com/5G-Telecom-Sector-37555


Note - A blue rectangle to the right indicates a potential turnaround stock. This was a fairly new category, and I haven't updated the lists in 3-4 months, so some of those 'turnarounds' have continued falling, and I subsequently lost some interest in trying to pick turnarounds, lol.

I've also decided to mainly use the S+P 500 for the stock allocation, but these stock lists could provide a good starting point for researching long term buy / hold stock prospects. A key selection criteria I used for most of the stocks is the steadiness and trajectory of their 10-15 year chart. I did get a little carried away, lol..

Other stock ideas, which for various reasons didn't make the cut (as of 3-4 months ago anyway) -

https://investorshub.advfn.com/Investment-Ideas-38154

https://investorshub.advfn.com/Portfolio-Ideas-40985


And still more that are even further down the list (see I-Box section)

https://investorshub.advfn.com/The-Debt-Bomb-43019


I definitely got carried away with these lists, but figure it's better than hanging out at the bar, getting in fights, and chasing floozies, etc :o)



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