TORONTO, Jan. 18, 2021 /CNW/ -
Monday 18/01/2021
PICK-2: 3 8
PICK-3: 7 5 5
PICK-4: 6 6 8 1
ENCORE: 4711254
DAILY KENO
1, 9, 10, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 26, 35,
38, 39, 40, 43, 50, 55, 56, 57, 62, 64.
SOURCE OLG Winners
View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2021/18/c9507.html
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 index are up 0.7% and 0.3%, respectively, so far this year.
Wall Street may be facing an uncomfortable four years after President-elect Joe Biden's team confirmed on Monday it planned to nominate two consumer champions to lead top financial agencies, signaling a tougher stance on the industry than many had anticipated. Gary Gensler will serve as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Federal Trade Commission member Rohit Chopra will head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Progressives see the agencies as critical to advancing policy priorities on climate change and social justice.
See what the experts anticipate for home borrowers under the new administration.
To this end, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Fortune magazine created the Fortune Future 50, "the global companies with the best prospects for future growth." The top five names on Fortune Future 50's list include ServiceNow (NOW), Veeva Systems (VEEV), Atlassian (TEAM), Workday (WDAY), and Splunk (SPLK). ServiceNow is an enterprise software company, focusing on digital workflows.
What can you make of the market’s standard disclaimer, ‘past performance cannot guarantee future returns.' Should you avoid every stock that has shown enormous growth in recent months? Or should you ignore it, and focus on the fast-appreciating equities? The savvy investor takes a smart middle path, treating stocks as individuals and evaluating them case by case. Past performance is no guarantee, but it can be an indicator, especially consistent, long-term performance. But that is only one part of the growth stock picture. Investors should also look for Wall Street’s view – are the analysts impressed by the stock? And in addition to that, how does the upside potential look like? Now we have useful profile for monster growth stocks: gangbusters gains, Buy ratings from the Wall Street analyst corps, and considerable upside for the coming year. Three stocks in the TipRanks database are flagging all those signs of strong forward growth. Here are the details. OptimizeRx Corporation (OPRX) The ongoing health crisis has had a heady impact on our digital world, accelerating the move to put records and information online. OptimizeRx operates a digital platform that facilitates communication between the various branches of the health care environment – doctors, pharmacies, patients – at the point of care. The value of this service is clear from the stock’s massive gains in recent months: over the past 52 weeks, OPRX shares are up 277%. It’s not just share gains that are high. Since 3Q19, the company has reported top-line revenue gains in every quarter. The most recent, 3Q20, saw revenues of $10.52 million, a record for the company. The year-over-year gain was 110%; for the first 9 months of 2020, the company’s revenues were $26.9 million – another record, and up 56% from the same period in 2019. In other metrics, OptimizeRx reported having $12 million in cash on hand at the end of Q3, and reported that it had closed two additional enterprise deals in the quarter, bringing the total value of annualized recurring revenue to $21 million. Roth Capital analyst Rick Baldry is impressed by OprimizeRx’s rapid growth, and is not shy about saying so. “Given its RFP pipeline doubled yr/yr in 3Q20, we believe OPRX could accelerate organic growth to 100% in 2020… [We] note that OPRX's RFP pipeline growth may not fully reflect its growth potential in 2021 given its recent machine-learning platform extension announcement (and related data partnership with Komodo Health which tracks 320M patients annually) was hidden from prospects while R&D and patents were pursued," Baldry opined. Overall, the 5-star analyst summed up, "Given we expect both material upside to current forecasts, OPRX is our 2021 Top Pick.” In line with these bullish comments, Baldry rates OPRX a Buy, and his $70 price target implies an upside potential of 77% for the next 12 months. (To watch Baldry’s track record, click here) Wall Street clearly agrees with Baldry, as shown by the unanimous Strong Buy consensus rating, based on 3 recent analyst reviews. The shares are selling for $39.54, and their $53.33 average price target suggests room for ~35% growth this year. (See OPRX stock analysis on TipRanks) The Lovesac Company (LOVE) Next up is a furniture company, known for its modular seating systems and beanbag seats. Lovesac offers customers an easily customizable seating arrangement capable of fitting any room, home, or style – and easily adaptable to owners’ changing moods. The company has been named one of the fasted growing furniture makers of the past decade, and reported $165.9 million in total revenue for fiscal 2019. Lovesac’s growing revenues were clear in 3Q20, when the company reported net sales growth of 43.5% year-over-year, to $74.7 million. Net income switched from a $6.7 million loss in the year-ago quarter to a $2.5 million profit in this year’s Q3. Gross margins improved 10% yoy to 55.3%. That strong sales and financial performance drove a share appreciation of 283% over the past 52 weeks. Covering LOVE for BTIG, analyst Camilo Lyon says, “LOVE is leveraging the current COVID-19 crisis and the work from home environment as consumers shift their purchases to home-related goods. The company has successfully shifted its resources to support online sales, even redeploying its full-time associates to interacting with customers online through instant messaging and product demos on social media.” Lyon believes the company’s moves are successfully positioning it to thrive in a post-COVID world, modeling "27% annual revenue growth for the next two years as brand awareness grows, new customers come to the brand, and new product introductions give existing customers more reasons to shop the brand.” To this end, Lyon puts a Buy rating on LOVE, while his $62 price target implies room for 26% upside growth in 2021. (To watch Lyon’s track record, click here) Overall, there are 4 recent reviews on LOVE and all are Buys, making for a unanimous Strong Buy analyst consensus rating. LOVE's share appreciation has pushed the stock price close to the $56.75 average target, leaving room for 16% upside from the $48.88 current trading price. (See LOVE stock analysis on TipRanks) Kirkland’s (KIRK) The ongoing corona crisis has done more than just push white-collar workers into remote office and telecommuting situations. By forcing large numbers of people to stay home, the pandemic – and the government response – has made potential home furnishings customers take a long look at their living quarters. Lovesac, above, is not the only company that has benefitted; Kirkland’s, a diversified home décor and furnishings retailer with over 380 stores in 35 states plus a vigorous online presence, is another. Kirkland’s, like the other stocks on this list, has shown strong earnings growth and share appreciation in the past year. The company’s most recent quarterly results, for 3Q20, revealed top-line revenue of $146.6 million, just over the analyst forecast and up slightly year-over-year. Earnings showed a stronger gain. Q3 EPS was 66 cents per share, far better than the 53-cent loss recorded in 3Q19. Share appreciation has paralleled these gains, to say the least. KIRK is up a whopping 1500% in the past 12 months, an enormous gain that reflects the company’s success in adapting to the increased importance of online sales. The strong growth here has attracted notice from Craig-Hallum analyst Jeremy Hamblin. “[Kirkland’s] continues to fire on all cylinders… While the company is likely benefitting from some industry tailwinds, it’s clear that strategic initiatives to improve margins have sustainability while investments in an improved E-commerce platform (up 50% in Q3) should help offset store closures… we … note that KIRK generally has a stronger balance sheet with a better FCF yield (mid-teens) than its peer group,” Hamblin wrote. Accordingly, Hamblin rates KIRK stock a Buy and sets a $32 price target, implying a one-year upside of 65% from the share price of $19.38. (To watch Hamblin’s track record, click here) Some stocks fly under the radar, and KIRK is one of those. Hamblin's is the only recent analyst review of this company, and it is decidedly positive. (See KIRK stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for growth stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
The mostly ASIC devices used to mine bitcoin are said to have been consuming 95 megawatts per hour of electricity at a reduced rate.
New retirees are like recent college graduates — they’re on their own after years of the same routine, and they have to find a new path to follow. This type of retiree ventures into the unknown, taking on a new job they’ve never done before.
Congressional leaders plan to get "right to work" on it. How soon could you get the cash?
The company has been on an acquisition binge since October, scooping up six cloud computing and fintech firms.
Some traditions are too time-honored to shirk, and on Wall Street, the annual ‘top picks’ are one. Usually made at the very end or very beginning of a year, the Street’s analysts publish reviews on the stocks they believe will show the best performance in coming months – their top picks. The analysts have been analyzing each stock carefully, looking at its past and current performance, its trends on a variety of time frames, management’s plans – they take everything into account. Their recommendations provide valuable direction for building a resilient portfolio in the new year. With this in mind, we used TipRanks' database to identify three stocks which the analysts describe as their ‘top picks’ for 2021. Talos Energy (TALO) The Gulf of Mexico has long been known as one of the world’s great hydrocarbon production regions, and Talos Energy, which produces some 48,000 barrel of oil equivalent per day from offshore operations in the Gulf, is an important player in the area. Talos finished the third quarter of 2020 running a net loss, but revenues, at $135 million, were up 53% sequentially. The company reported over $353 million in accessible liquidity to end the quarter, including $32 million in cash on hand and $321 million in available credit. In December of last year, and continuing into this January, Talos has firmed up its liquidity situation through issues of senior secured notes. The December issue, of $500 million at 12%, will be used mainly to pay down a previous note issue which comes due next year. The January issue, an additional $100 million, will be used to cover outstanding debt on the reserves-based lending facility. Both note issues are due in 2026. Highlighting TALO as his top E&P pick for 2021, Northland analyst Subash Chandra wrote, "TALO is one of the few companies that we are aware of trading at trailing PDP values without a good reason, in our view. The company has addressed the maturity wall and credit facility stresses with a December equity offering and refi. They enter 2021 with breathing room to cross the finish line with Zama and look for scaling opportunities in GoM." To this end, Chandra rates TALO an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and puts a $19 price target, indicating the potential for 91% growth in the coming months. (To watch Chandra’s track record, click here) Overall, with five analyst reviews on file, including 4 Buys and a single Hold, Talos gets a Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus. Shares are priced at $9.96, and their $14.33 average target gives ~44% upside on the one-year horizon. (See TALO stock analysis on TipRanks) Twilio (TWLO) Next up is Twilio, a Silicon Valley cloud communications company. Twilio’s software services allow customers to run their telecom service through their office computer servers, making available not just phone calls but chats, texts, and video conversations. The service includes security features such as user verification. The COVID pandemic, and the shift to remote work that was enforced on the economy, has been a boon to Twilio. The shift put a premium on stable and reliable remote connections and telecommuting, and the company’s revenues, which were already strong and showing sequential gains in every quarter, rose to $447 million in 3Q20. Subsequently, Twilio’s shares have skyrocketed 225% over the past 52 weeks. Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kiddron sees the company on a solid foundation for continued growth, writing, “While some puts and takes are in place in 1Q21, Twilio's long-term opportunity remains underappreciated by investors. We believe the company's differentiated product portfolio (communications/data) and evolving GTM approach (hiring/GSI) can drive G2K/int'l adoption/expansion and enable >30% rev. growth at scale (>$4B/$6B) through CY23/24.” The 5-star analyst chooses TWLO as a ‘top pick,’ based on his upbeat analysis of Twilio. That comes with an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating and a $550 price target implying one-year growth of 41%. (To watch Kiddron’s track record, click here) How does Kiddron's bullish bet weigh in against the Street? Overall, Wall Street likes Twilio, a fact clear from the 21 analyst reviews on record. No fewer than 18 of those are Buys, against just 3 Holds. However, the stock’s recent share gains have pushed the price up to $388.65, leaving room for just 2% upside before hitting the $396.88 average price target. (See TWLO stock analysis on TipRanks) SI-Bone (SIBN) Medical tech is a field of near-endless possibility, and SI-Bone has found a niche. The company specializes in the diagnosis sand treatment of pain and dysfunction in the sacroiliac joint between the lower back and pelvis. The company’s revenues dropped off between 4Q19 and 2Q20, as the corona crisis put a damper on elective medical procedures. That turned around in Q3, when the economy began to open up; many industries, including the medical field, saw a burst of pent-up demand that has not yet dissipated. In raw numbers, SIBN reported a 42% sequential revenue increase for Q3, with the top line at $20.3 million. Year-over-year, revenues were up 26%. During the quarter, the company passed 50,000 iFuse procedures, handled by 2,200 surgeons around the world. The company had $132 million in liquid assets available at the end of the quarter, against $39.4 million in long-term debt. Looking forward, the company guides toward an 8% to 10% yoy gain in full-year revenue for 2020, expecting that top line at $73 million to $74 million. Analyst David Saxon, covering the stock for Needham, says, “SIBN has shown resiliency during the pandemic, and we believe its growth drivers can allow it to beat consensus revenue throughout 2021. Further, we expect SIBN's 2021 sales force expansion, building momentum in surgeon training, upcoming product launches, and direct-to-patient marketing will all contribute to strong revenue over the next few years.” Saxon uses these points to support his ‘top pick’ status for SIBN. His average price target is $35, suggesting an upside of 23%, and fitting nicely with his Buy rating. (To watch Saxon's track record, click here) All in all, SI-Bone gets a Strong Buy from Wall Street, and it is unanimous – based on 5 positive reviews. The shares are selling for $28.48, and their $33.80 average target implies room for ~19% growth over the course of 2021. (See SIBN stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
* This weekend's Barron's cover story offers thoughts and stock picks from the latest Barron's Roundtable. * Other featured articles examine the cutting edge in biotech stocks, an outlier bubble forecast and growing corporate political activism. * Also, the prospects for a struggling retailer, a luxury homebuilder, an oil giant and more.Cover story "Welcome to the Roaring '20s, but Maybe Not for Stocks, Our Experts Say" by Lauren R. Rublin offers thoughts from 10 investment pros on the Barron's Roundtable on how lofty valuations could limit the market's gains this year. The article includes nine stock picks from the roundtable. See if Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) is one of them.Connor Smith's "GameStop Stock Doubled Last Week--But Challenges Remain" points out that Barron's recently argued that GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) shares looked pricey at $18, but now they are nearly $40. See why the downbeat view on the videogame retailer's stock remains the same.In "Intel's New CEO Has a Tough Task," Max A. Cherney makes the case that Pat Gelsinger's most pressing issue will be tackling the manufacturing issues at Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC). See why there is no easy fix for a company that has long insisted on doing things in-house.The pandemic has reminded people of means that space and amenities in their homes have real value. So says "Why Toll Brothers Is a Play on the 'Single-Family Supercycle'" by Andrew Bary. See why Barron's believes Toll Brothers Inc (NYSE: TOL) can build on the housing boom, as the nation's largest luxury homebuilder offers rising returns and a low valuation.In Bill Alpert's "With Rare Speed, Gene Editing Emerges as Biotech's New Cutting Edge," the focus is on why stocks of companies wielding tools that allow them to edit DNA and attack genetic diseases and cancer are suddenly hot. Are Crispr Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ: CRSP) or Editas Medicine Inc (NASDAQ: EDIT) worth a look now?"3M Stock Is Unloved and Underpriced. Here's Why It Could Shoot Up Higher" by Ben Levisohn discusses why 3M Co (NYSE: MMM) stock could be poised to ride an economic rebound. After all, the conglomerate makes the adhesives, abrasives and chemicals that companies need in order to do what they do.See also: Benzinga's Weekly Bulls And Bears: AMD, Marathon, Tesla, Uber, Walgreens And MoreA renowned investor argues that stocks are too high, the Fed's promise of low interest rates is just a nice story, and Wall Street is always upbeat, according to Jack Hough 's "Jeremy Grantham's Bubble Forecast Is an Outlier. Is He Right?" See what Barron's thinks comes next for the likes of General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) and Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE: PG).In "Companies Are the New Activists After Capitol Riot," Leslie P. Norton examines how recent events have prompted America's corporations, from Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX), to wade decisively into politics with a range of activist initiatives.Avi Salzman's "The Dow Dropped Exxon Mobil in August. But as Oil Prices Rise, So Does Its Stock" explains why it looked like Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) might have to cut its dividend, but now rising oil prices give it time to cut costs and its $65 billion in debt. Find out why Barron's says Wall Street is giving it a second look.Also in this week's Barron's: * The 2020 Barron's Roundtable report card * Experts on how Biden can fix the COVID-19 vaccine rollout * How much presidents actually influence the economy * ESG activists' new focus on diversity in corporate leadership * What is next now that fear has come to the markets * What the outgoing administration meant for the economy * Whether higher dividend taxes for top earners are coming * Why "bridges" to maximize Social Security benefits should be built into 401(k)s * How Mexican resorts got creative during the pandemicAt the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.Photo by Mike Mozart on Flickr.See more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Notable Insider Buys Of The Past Week: Conagra Brands Plus Plenty Of Biotech Activity * Benzinga's Weekly Bulls And Bears: AMD, Marathon, Tesla, Uber, Walgreens And More(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Gold prices dropped to their lowest level since late November at the start of the first trading session in London.
Major bitcoin mining operation Bitmain filed an application to become a public company in 2018, with a market capitalization of $40 billion to $50 billion. This attempt to go public on the HKSE ultimately failed.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), one of the world's largest technology companies, was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in a garage in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Five years later, Gates and Allen were hired to provide the operating system for IBM's first personal computer, followed in 1985 by Microsoft's launch of its now ubiquitous Windows software product. In 1986, the company raised $61 million in an initial public offering (IPO) that some analysts referred to as "the deal of the year." While Microsoft began as a software company, it has expanded its reach into broad areas of the tech industry.
Some taxpayers get tripped up assuming expenses are tax deductible when they aren't. Here are eight items that can lead to unpleasant surprises during an audit.
The Biden administration has pledged to ramp up infrastructure investment. Here are two stocks that should directly benefit.
Most financial markets will be closed for the celebration of the civil rights leader's life, the first one since protests over the killing of George Floyd touched off massive protests across the nation.
These are the energy stocks with the best value, fastest growth, and most momentum for February 2021.
Hexavest of Montreal slashed each of its positions in Apple, Intel, and Microsoft stock, and initiated a small position in electric-vehicle firm Nio in the fourth quarter.
BlackBerry Limited (BB) is somewhat of an enigma in the investment world, full of great promise but at the same time, it has let shareholders down time and again. The company is armed with a huge patent portfolio, and offers several cutting-edge products in cybersecurity, Internet-of-Things (IoT), and automotive technology. What’s more, shares have surged 32% in the last two sessions after BlackBerry announced that it has sold 90 smartphone technology patents to Huawei, as part of its shift away from the mobile phone space. But while BlackBerry gushes with potential, it also disappoints quarter after quarter. In the most recent quarter, BlackBerry missed on revenue and GAAP EPS. Most concerning were the drop in revenue, down 20% year-over-year, and the sizeable increase in GAAP operating loss of $127 million, up from the $29 million loss one year ago. To be fair, some of the performance issues were pandemic-related, particularly with regards to the auto sector where plant shutdowns have translated to fewer automobile deliveries, and hence, lower QNX licensing fees. However, the company’s revenue has been shrinking for several years before the pandemic. The five-year growth rate for example is -20.8%. Company Transformation The story is not all bad. Glimmers of hope are emerging in what may yet shape up to be a multi-year turnaround story that started in 2013, the year that John Chen took the reigns of BlackBerry as CEO. At that time, BlackBerry was a $6 billion Titanic, immersed in red ink after hitting an iceberg called the Apple iPhone. After taking charge, John Chen proceeded to monetize the company’s patent portfolio, and transform the mobile phone manufacturer into a much more modest $1 billion software company. The transformation has taken place over several years, with half a dozen acquisitions along the way, including Cylance, Good, and AtHoc. These companies have been assimilated and worked into BlackBerry's product streams, but also have resulted in a significant write down of goodwill, including $500 million earlier in 2020. BlackBerry has at least stabilized its financial situation, and now has positive free cash flow and adjusted EBITDA. That said, the turmoil surrounding the company has affected its stock price and resulted in an attractive valuation. BlackBerry also boasts some promising technologies that could lead to strong revenue growth down the road. This may be a great time to invest in BlackBerry. Valuation Metrics BlackBerry’s low valuation should come as no surprise given its past troubles. The company has superior metrics versus the software industry on a number of fronts, summarized in the table below. MetricBlackBerryIndustryPrice/Sales Ratio5.8511.31Price/Book Ratio3.0711.44Gross Margin74.2%70.9%Operating Margin-9.2%-23.6%Current Ratio2.271.57Total Debt/Equity0.330.55 Metrics such as price/sales and price/book ratio suggest that BlackBerry is quite undervalued, with a strong likelihood that the stock will outperform once the company’s future potential is recognized by the market. It is not at all unreasonable to expect a 2x - 3x stock price increase from its current level. BlackBerry IVY BlackBerry’s recent announcement regarding its strategic alliance with Amazon Web Services (AWS) may be enough to kick-start the company’s stock price. The exclusive partnership provides instant credibility along with a ‘Big Data’ mindset to vehicle data, resulting in unlimited potential for third-party applications in areas such as car insurance, maintenance, EV charging, and connected vehicles. The AWS platform gives BlackBerry IVY cloud-connectivity, scalability, and a global reach. This initiative will provide BlackBerry with a new source of recurring revenue in the automotive market, where it already has software installed in over 175 million cars. Spark Suite Apart from BlackBerry IVY, there are several other promising technologies emerging from BlackBerry, including Spark Suite, which combines Endpoint Management with Endpoint Security, a logical step in the evolution of mobile devices. Spark Suite provides Zero Trust, an emerging concept in cybersecurity that is becoming a necessity for enterprises as mobile devices such as wearables become the norm within the workplace. In addition to IVY and Spark Suite, BlackBerry has several other more mature product offerings including QNX, BlackBerry AtHoc, and BlackBerry SecuSUITE. While not as exciting as BlackBerry's recent initiatives, they provide a steady and increasing revenue stream. Wall Street’s Take From Wall Street analysts, BlackBerry earns a Hold analyst consensus based on 3 Hold ratings. Additionally, the average price target of $8 puts the downside potential at 18.7%. (See BlackBerry stock analysis on TipRanks) Summary and Conclusions BlackBerry has had a turbulent past, downsizing from a $6 billion hardware company into a $1 billion software company over the last seven years. Revenue was down 20% year-over-year in the latest quarter, but much of the poor performance can be attributed to the soft auto sector resulting from the pandemic. QNX licensing fees and royalties will pick up as the global economy improves. Despite several years of disappointing results, the company has stabilized its financial situation and appears to be positioned to capitalize on several leading-edge technology ventures, including its exclusive partnership with AWS and enterprise mobility management and security. Given the very low valuation, this could be an ideal time to invest in BlackBerry. Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this article should be taken as a solicitation to purchase or sell securities.
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