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Closing INTC with a loss fast was a good example of the first loss is the least loss. It is heading down below 30 again. Comfort zone? Lol.
GOOG beats and INTC misses.
This was my busiest day of trading for the year, several had a double rt and a couple with a triple round trip.
Too many to report today.
MSFT beats and is up.
I hope they will not have a shortage again like two years ago, when Amazon and others were bilking the customers, hiking some prices 300% above the release price.
Alphabet options imply 5.0% move in share price post-earnings
THE FLY 1:49 PM ET 4/25/2024
Pre-earnings options volume in Alphabet is 1.6x normal with calls leading puts 10:9. Implied volatility suggests the market is anticipating a move near 5.0%, or $7.81, after results are released. Median move over the past eight quarters is 6.5%.
I could use one or two.
Nice recovery in the markets, gained back over 300 points from early morning.
Added ALGN via puts and just made a rt. as a bit of fear dissipated. Will have to sell those puts again, just waiting for my signal from PPO and RSI. I like the price negative and these signals just turning up.
RT in IBM and closed ALSN, it reports tonight after the close and I am a little concerned whether it will have a positive surprise and better yet a forecast for the rest of the year.
Another rt in DUOL.
Closed ORN it missed in earnings. It was down 15% for me and that is a hard line in the sand. The first loss is usually the smallest loss.
The nice part of this system once you set it up, with an occasional fine tuning, it buys back calls and sells puts, making $$$ both ways. It is taking advantage of human nature: Fear and Greed, the more extremes the better.
Added a small position in TXO, RMNI and TAK 500 shares each.
Some new positions: URI, BURL, OC, PPC all via sold Puts, actually URI just made a rt. for a 30% gainer.
There is fear, thus it will be a good morning to sell Cash Covered Puts, looking at first: VLO, IBM, VRT, DUOL, AZZ. The ones who reported and beat estimates recently.
Slower GDP at 1.6 than anticipated at 2.4.
2YR yields 5.002%.
PepsiCo call buyer realizes 285% same-day gains
THE FLY 8:00 AM ET 4/25/2024
Symbol Last Price Change
PEP 177.41down 0 (0%)
QUOTES AS OF 04:00:00 PM ET 04/24/2024
Notable profits for the buyer who lifted the $0.43 offer for 1,999 PepsiCo(PEP) May-24 180 calls yesterday at 10:11ET when underlying shares were trading at $172.36. Shares closed at $177.41, and the calls at $1.65 for a mark-to-market profit of 285%, or $245K, on the $86K outlay.
SPX responded to the economic numbers and is down now nearly 60.
Q1 Core PCE is +3.7%.
The top question in most holders of MO stock is how long can MO pay that nice, juicy dividend. Or are we looking at a slowly dying buggy whip maker?
Altria's Marlboro Shipment Volume Plunges 8.7% In Q1 - What's Going On?
BENZINGA 8:28 AM ET 4/25/2024
Symbol Last Price Change
MO 42.92up 0 (0%)
QUOTES AS OF 04:10:00 PM ET 04/24/2024
Altria Group Inc (MO) reported a first-quarter FY24 sales decline of 2.5% year-on-year to $5.58 billion, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $4.71 billion.
The revenue decrease was primarily driven by lower net revenues in the smokeable products segment, partially offset by higher net revenues in the oral tobacco products segment and the all other category.
Revenues net of excise tax decreased 1% to $4.7 billion. Revenue for smokeable products decreased by 3.6%, and oral tobacco products grew by 3.7%.
Smokeable products segment reported domestic cigarette shipment volume decrease of 10%, with Marlboro down 8.7%.
Gross profit fell 1.5% Y/Y to $3.280 billion. The operating income for the quarter decreased by 3% to $2.7 billion.
Adjusted EPS of $1.15 was in line with the consensus estimate.
In the first quarter, the company paid dividends of $1.7 billion. After the completion of the accelerated share repurchase program, Altria(MO) expects to have $1 billion remaining under the currently authorized $3.4 billion share repurchase program.
Altria (MO) held $3.6 billion in cash and equivalents as of March-end. Total debt of Altria(MO) amounted to $25.042 billion.
“In spite of the absence of an effective regulatory environment, we saw continued early momentum from NJOY and believe our businesses are on track to deliver against full-year plans,” said CEO Billy Gifford.
Outlook Reaffirmed: Altria(MO) sees FY24 adjusted EPS of $5.05 – $5.17 versus an estimate of $5.08.
The company expects 2024 adjusted EPS growth to be weighted to the second half of the year.
Price Action: MO shares are trading higher by 0.19% at $43.00 in premarket at the last check Thursday.
Photo via Shutterstock
Looks like the SPX will start the trading day at -30+ points. The Bears are back, at least for a while.
IBM Q1 Earnings: Revenue Miss, EPS Beat, HashiCorp Acquisition, AI Strategy Strength And More
BENZINGA 4:23 PM ET 4/24/2024
Symbol Last Price Change
IBM 184.1up +1.91 (+1.0484%)
HCP 31.41down +2.26 (+7.753%)
QUOTES AS OF 04:10:00 PM ET 04/24/2024
International Business Machines Corp (IBM) reported first-quarter financial results after the market close on Wednesday. Here’s a look at the key metrics from the quarter.
Q1 Earnings: IBM’s first-quarter revenue increased 1% year-over-year to $14.46 billion, which missed the consensus estimate of $14.55 billion, according to Benzinga Pro. The company reported quarterly adjusted earnings of $1.68 per share, which beat analyst estimates of $1.60 per share.
Software revenue was up 5% year-over-year, consulting revenue was flat and infrastructure revenue was down 1%.
Cash flow from operations totaled $4.2 billion in the quarter. Free cash flow came in at $1.9 billion. IBM(IBM) ended the quarter with $19.3 billion in cash and marketable securities, up $5.8 billion from year-end 2023.
“We began the year with solid revenue and free cash flow growth, reflecting the strength of our hybrid cloud and AI strategy. We continue to capitalize on the excitement and demand for enterprise AI from our clients,” said Arvind Krishna, chairman and CEO of IBM(IBM).
“Our book of business for watsonx and generative AI again showed strong momentum, growing quarter over quarter, and has now eclipsed one billion dollars since we launched watsonx in mid-2023. As a result, for the full year, we continue to expect revenue performance in line with our mid-single digit model and about $12 billion in free cash flow.”
Outlook: IBM (IBM) expects full-year constant currency revenue growth in the mid-single digit range. The company also reiterated expectations for generating $12 billion in free cash flow in 2024.
In a separate press release, IBM(IBM) announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire HashiCorp Inc(HCP)for $35 per share in cash, representing an enterprise value of $6.4 billion.
The boards of directors of IBM(IBM) and HashiCorp(HCP) have both approved the transaction. The acquisition is subject to approval by HashiCorp(HCP) shareholders. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024.
Management will hold a conference call to discuss its quarterly results at 5 p.m. ET.
Check This Out: Visa Delivers ‘Solid’ Earnings Beat, 6 Analysts Provide Key Takeaways: ‘Blame Easter For Softer Trends’
IBM Price Action: IBM (IBM) shares were down 4.14% after hours at $176.40 at the time of publication, according to Benzinga Pro.
Photo: Shutterstock.
I am holding the responsibility fort 3 Puts sold. We shall see how we are doing tomorrow.
Closed AMH ahead of earnings report on 5/02.
Many May Put options are getting bought up among teck traders, which shows a concern ahead of earnings.
I added AGNC in the REITS to the portfolio. It is ranked well and may have set a bottom recently at 9. Also it is going ex on 4/29 and pays over 15%. I will probably soon drop a less well liked REIT. Just checking the ex date.
IBM Earnings Are Imminent; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call
BENZINGA 10:12 AM ET 4/24/2024
Symbol Last Price Change
IBM 181.79up -0.4 (-0.2196%)
QUOTES AS OF 12:30:36 PM ET 04/24/2024
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is expected to release earnings results for its first quarter, after the closing bell on April 24, 2024.
Analysts expect the Armonk, New York-based company to report quarterly earnings at $1.60 per share, up from $1.36 per share in the year-ago quarter. IBM(IBM) is projected to report quarterly revenue of $14.55 billion, compared to $14.25 billion in the year-earlier period, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
On Jan. 30, IBM's(IBM) board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.66 per common share.
IBM (IBM) shares rose 0.2% to close at $182.19 on Tuesday.
Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.
Let's have a look at how Benzinga's most-accurate analysts have rated the company in the recent period.
Jefferies analyst Brent Thill maintained a Hold rating and cut the price target from $215 to $210 on April 23, 2024. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 78%.
UBS analyst David Vogt maintained a Sell rating and raised the price target from $125 to $130 on April 22, 2024. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 76%.
B of A Securities analyst Wamsi Mohan maintained a Buy rating and increased the price target from $200 to $220 on March 14, 2024. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 75%.
BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman maintained a Market Perform rating and boosted the price target from $155 to $210 on Jan. 25, 2024. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 78%.
Evercore ISI Group analyst Amit Daryanani upgraded the stock from In-Line to Outperform and increased the price target from $165 to $200 on Jan. 19, 2024. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 73%.
B. Riley Securities Maintains Buy on AudioEye, Raises Price Target to $18.5
BENZINGA 8:43 AM ET 4/24/2024
Symbol Last Price Change
AEYE 15.04down +1.56 (+11.5727%)
QUOTES AS OF 12:19:52 PM ET 04/24/2024
B. Riley Securities analyst Zach Cummins maintains AudioEye(AEYE) with a Buy and raises the price target from $14 to $18.5.
No sign of oil going away any time soon.
Namibia excites oil firms by opening up new frontier basin
REUTERS 6:57 AM ET 4/24/2024
Symbol Last Price Change
CVX 162.84up -0.01 (-0.0061%)
XOM 120.74up -0.29 (-0.2396%)
QUOTES AS OF 12:10:48 PM ET 04/24/2024
By Wendell Roelf
WINDHOEK, April 24 (Reuters) - Oil companies are flocking to Namibia, excited by the country's plans to open up a major new frontier basin with recent offshore finds ranking among the largest this century.
Namibia, which has yet to produce any oil or gas, has become an exploration hotspot after offshore discoveries by TotalEnergies and Shell, and wants to accelerate the milestone of the country's first output.
The southern African country is planning for its first oil production from TotalEnergies' giant Venus field in 2029/2030, its petroleum commissioner Maggy Shino said.
In the most recent strike, Portugal's Galp Energia said it had found at least 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent in its Mopane field, in the largely unexplored Orange Basin.
"It is one of the newest and most attractive areas being explored by the industry and we are very excited by the discoveries so far," James Parr, vice president for new ventures exploration and development at Woodside Energy, told Reuters.
"The oil is potentially some of the lowest carbon barrels being found currently so on the spectrum of oil its very attractive. There seems to be abundant gas which is also part of our transition and a big focus for Woodside," Parr added.
Woodside is evaluating data before committing to drill in PEL 87 offshore Namibia and expects to make a decision by June or July, he said on the sidelines of an energy conference.
Energy Minister Tom Alweendo said any clean energy shift should factor in Namibia's goals and priorities as it also strives towards net zero carbon emissions.
"We deserve an energy transition that takes a pragmatic approach to resolving energy poverty by making our own natural resources part of the solution," he told delegates at the event.
U.S. oil major Chevron(CVX) is expected to begin exploration in Namibia later this year, with Exxon Mobil(XOM) aiming to follow in 2025, commissioner Shino said.
Moving onshore, Shino said there are plans for a multi-drilling campaign by Reconnaissance Energy Africa in the ecologically sensitive Okavango region. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning and Alexander Smith)
Opened small positions in AEYE and EBAY.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4685466-realty-income-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chaff?mailingid=35140246&messageid=2800&serial=35140246.12010&utm_campaign=rta-stock-article&utm_medium=email&utm_source=seeking_alpha&utm_term=35140246.12010
Still holding O and selling Covered Calls on the shares.
VRT hit the ball out of the park and I bought back my 10 Puts for a 78% gain.
Closed: NLOP for a 100% gain and also closed CGTX for a small one.
Very well said Eric.
We need to find a livable planet in the next 100 years, to move to and then mass that one up also, probably.
We should be testing the 50dayMA in SPX, however I expect a few to many Bears to show up around 5130, if they fail in their try to push the prices down, we should hit new highs by June.
I do not have a Roth account, so I never followed those rules.
Very few people escaped the penalties of trading violations. I did not, actually 2 years ago I was in the penalty box for 90 days. I do not go on margin, but several stocks I hold are on a margin account.
The last few days I have been mostly trying to get over by that freight train called earnings. I still hold a few teck stocks ahead of those reports, so we shall see.
Opened a small position in GEO.
What Analysts Are Saying About PepsiCo's Q1 Earnings?
BENZINGA 2:39 PM ET 4/23/2024
Symbol Last Price Change
PEP 172.43up -4.03 (-2.2838%)
QUOTES AS OF 02:51:10 PM ET 04/23/2024
On Tuesday, PepsiCo Inc(PEP) reported first-quarter FY24 sales growth of 2.3% year-on-year to $18.25 billion, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $18.079 billion.
Adjusted EPS of $1.61 beat the consensus estimate of $1.52.
Below are comments from analysts, along with current ratings and price targets.
BofA Securities – Reiterates Buy, $210 price target
Analyst Bryan D. Spillane said the 5% year-on-year increase in pricing helped drive 40 basis points of gross margin expansion to 55.7%.
Organic sales growth of +2.7% was in line with the analyst’s +2.6% estimate.
Softer volume by -100bps each in PBNA and Latam was offset by better volume in QFNA, AMESA, and APAC, with FLNA and Europe volumes in line, opined the analyst.
The analyst noted that first-quarter is PEP’s smallest, accounting for only 20% of full-year revenue. The price target reflects a P/E multiple of approximately 24x CY25 EPS estimate.
The analyst noted that PEP’s premium to nonalcoholic beverage peer average of 23x is warranted by its strengthened position and pricing power to manage the ongoing inflationary environment.
Goldman Sachs – Reiterates Buy, $200 price target
Analyst Bonnie Herzog said PEP reported stronger-than-expected topline growth and sequential volume improvement despite ongoing headwinds from the QFNA recall.
Healthy organic topline growth helped drive core f/x neutral EPS up 7% to $1.61 and gross margin expansion, said the analyst.
Since investor expectations were lower, today’s better-than-feared results could be enough to drive the stock higher, asserted the analyst.
Given the challenging operating environment, the analyst expected the management to maintain its FY24 guidance.
According to the analyst, volume pressures will likely continue to be a concern until trends moderate further, which could weigh on the stock in the near term.
The analyst noted PEP remains very well positioned given its strong brand portfolio and long-term growth opportunities in Beverages, given its revenue growth management capabilities.
Price Action: PEP shares are trading lower by 2.36% at $172.30 at the last check Tuesday.
Photo by ja-san-miguel for Unspalsh
AI boom to fuel natural gas demand in coming years, report says
REUTERS 2:24 PM ET 4/23/2024
Symbol Last Price Change
KMI 18.8down -0.02 (-0.1063%)
ET 15.89down +0.06 (+0.379%)
CHK 88.75down +0.34 (+0.3846%)
QUOTES AS OF 02:28:19 PM ET 04/23/2024
April 23 (Reuters) - A spike in power usage from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers could significantly boost natural gas demand in the second half of the decade, analysts at investment banker Tudor Pickering Holt & Co said in a report on Tuesday.
As much as 8.5 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas could be required additionally to match the rise in demand, the report added.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
U.S. power and technology companies have expressed concerns that the country's electrical systems are not expanding fast enough to meet the rapidly growing power needs of technology such as Generative AI, prompting data center businesses to sometimes bypass utilities and strike deals directly with power producers or build their own supply.
The uptick in overall demand has added to a nationwide queue of requests for power generation and energy storage projects to connect to the grid, which swelled to 2,600 gigawatts in 2023 from 2,000 gigawatts in 2022, according to the latest data from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
CONTEXT
According to the report, natural gas prices could average $4 per million British thermal units during the second half of the decade.
Natural gas prices touched a three-and-a-half-year low in February to $1.61 per mmbtu largely due to mild winter weather, forcing many producers to curtail their production.
The analysts expect pipeline operators such as Kinder Morgan(KMI) , Williams and Energy Transfer(ET) to be in the best position to take advantage of the growing gas demand, while gas producers such EQT and Chesapeake Energy(CHK) would also benefit.
BY THE NUMBERS
The report estimates current power demand from data centers at 11 gigawatts (GW), which, in the base case, is expected to grow to 42 GW by 2030.
The report added that, at its base case, around 2.7 bcfd of incremental natural gas would be required by 2030.
(Reporting by Sourasis Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Ravi Prakash Kumar)
I look at the markets with an open mind and do not care where I find a company that can make me money. I got 6 powerful computers that are running 24/7 and mostly looking for this information. When they find a company that possibly fits the mold then I start the long research into that one. If it fits that type of company then I look at the technicals for a good entry point.
Looking back over the last 75 years, it shows that election years are choppy until June and then they rally. Be careful in a trendless market. Jesse Livermore knew when to buy or sell or just go fishing.
Doubled up on DEC.
I found that buying stock after a good surprise report for the last Q and for the Yr, is safer to buy, especially on a pullback a day or two later. Buying before the earnings had been very risky of late, in a down trending market even more so, where even some positive reports get hit hard.
You are not a blind squirrel, I saw how you research before buying or selling. You would also do well with Covered Calls to boost your returns.