Top Performing Stocks To Own For 2018

tags:HOFT,IBB,NSM,VPV, Snapchat is finally sharing analytics with its most high-profile users as it steps up efforts to compete with Instagram.

Parent company Snap (SNAP) on Wednesday announced it will give users such as celebrities and so-called social media influencers more data about how their posts are performing.

The data will include total Story views and the time Snapchat users spent watching posts. Snapchat will also provide gender and geographic breakdowns.

Previously, celebrities and influencers could only see total views for a current Story on Snapchat, a metric to which all users have access. Stories are photos and videos shared by users that disappear after 24 hours.

Brands are less likely to partner with influencers on campaigns if they don't have access to detailed data. Without such information, brands can only know how many people their messages have reached, but not whether they've been seen by the kinds of people they're targeting. For instance, a makeup company looking to add younger customers will want to know that when they pay a particular celebrity to promote their makeup, millenial women see the Story.

Top Performing Stocks To Own For 2018: Hooker Furniture Corporation(HOFT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Press coverage about Hooker Furniture (NASDAQ:HOFT) has been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern identifies negative and positive news coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Hooker Furniture earned a news impact score of 0.04 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media headlines about the company an impact score of 46.2727604348836 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG) and Hooker Furniture (NASDAQ:HOFT) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, risk and profitability.

Top Performing Stocks To Own For 2018: iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund(IBB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  After eking out a modest gain in the week ended April 27, the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (ETF) (NASDAQ: IBB) pulled back this week amid some not-so-encouraging earnings reports and negative regulatory decisions: Link

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Biotech stocks had a big day, with the�iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) jumping 2.8%. The broad technology sector slipped, and the�Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLK)�lost 0.1%.

• [By ]

  The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSE:XBI) �� a good measure of small-cap biotech stocks �� gained almost 6% yesterday. Meanwhile, the large-cap iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) jumped almost 4%. The biotech buying frenzy helped lift the Nasdaq Composite to a gain of almost 1% in Monday��s session.

• [By Brian Feroldi, Keith Speights, and Sean Williams]

  The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB)�-- which is an exchange-traded fund that holds nearly 200 biotech stocks -- has drastically underperformed the S&P 500 over the last three years. That fact suggests that there are bargains to be found in the biotech space.

Top Performing Stocks To Own For 2018: Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc.(NSM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  LSV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Nationstar Mortgage (NYSE:NSM) by 28.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 282,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 62,900 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 0.29% of Nationstar Mortgage worth $5,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Top Performing Stocks To Own For 2018: Invesco Pennsylvania Value Municipal Income Trust(VPV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  News stories about Invesco Pennsylvania Value Mncpl Incm Tr (NYSE:VPV) have been trending very positive recently, Accern reports. The research group scores the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than twenty million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Invesco Pennsylvania Value Mncpl Incm Tr earned a news impact score of 0.65 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news articles about the financial services provider an impact score of 48.6094961265878 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near future.

The $100 a Barrel Oil Wager Comes Back to the Options Market

Some options traders are betting on $100 oil again.

Whether it’s the specter of sanctions on Iran, Venezuela’s output plunge, or a momentum play on the back of the past year’s 46 percent surge in Brent, there are now the equivalent of about 93 million barrels wagering on the global benchmark hitting $100 at some point in the next 12 months.

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While triple-digit oil may be a way off in practice, talk that prices could top that barrier over the next 12 months is gaining traction. Bank of America said earlier this month that oil could rally to $100 by the middle of next year, a view echoed by veteran developing-nation investor Mark Mobius. Meanwhile Pierre Andurand, one of the most prominent hedge fund managers in the oil market, recently said that $300 a barrel was “not impossible”. Among the rationale behind those views are shrinking global oil stockpiles and more hawkish U.S. foreign policy.

“You’ve seen geopolitical events that are there around Venezuela, around Iran that will take supply off the market and the demand environment so far is holding up,” said Harry Tchilinguirian head of commodity-markets strategy at BNP Paribas. “What you certainly have is this interest in out-of-the-money calls on the speculative side, or further down the curve from consumers.”

The most held Brent crude oil options contract remains the $80 call, after a spate of buying ahead of President Trump’s decision to renew sanctions on Iran earlier in May. That’s followed by $100 and $90 calls, both of which have seen their holdings increase significantly over the past month, while the number of $80 calls has declined.

Growth in bullishness in the more obscure corners of the oil market hasn’t been confined to options. Crude oil futures as far as five years forward have been surging in price in recent weeks. Prices for December 2020 neared $70 a barrel this week, the highest level since 2015, and a signal that the “lower for longer” price mantra may be coming to an end.

In the meantime, the short-term wildcards for crude are growing. Traders are still awaiting clarity over President Trump’s decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran, while the U.S. also took new measures against Venezuela this week. OPEC will also decide whether to prolong its oil output cuts at a meeting in Vienna next month.

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TheStreet Upgrades Kosmos Energy (KOS) to C-

TheStreet upgraded shares of Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report released on Wednesday.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on KOS. Barclays raised shares of Kosmos Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $9.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Group lowered shares of Kosmos Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $7.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, May 8th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Kosmos Energy from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $8.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Kosmos Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $10.00 target price on shares of Kosmos Energy and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Kosmos Energy has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $9.33.

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KOS stock opened at $7.83 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.25. Kosmos Energy has a twelve month low of $5.15 and a twelve month high of $8.62. The company has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.73 and a beta of 1.52.

Kosmos Energy (NYSE:KOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 7th. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.07. Kosmos Energy had a negative net margin of 39.90% and a negative return on equity of 11.16%. The company had revenue of $127.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $125.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.11) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.3% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KOS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Kosmos Energy by 51.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 21,144 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $169,000 after buying an additional 7,144 shares during the last quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Kosmos Energy by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 947,554 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,491,000 after buying an additional 118,411 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Kosmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $114,000. Eqis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Kosmos Energy by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 99,877 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $684,000 after buying an additional 31,627 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its position in Kosmos Energy by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 8,938,750 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $61,230,000 after buying an additional 219,195 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.24% of the company’s stock.

Kosmos Energy Company Profile

Kosmos Energy Ltd. explores for and produces oil and gas in Africa and South America. Its asset portfolio includes production and other development projects in offshore Ghana and Equatorial Guinea; and exploration potential in offshore Mauritania and Senegal, as well as exploration licenses in offshore Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, Sao Tome and Principe, and Suriname.

Zacks: Analysts Anticipate Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) Will Announce Earnings of -$0.26 Per Share

Analysts expect Diamond Offshore Drilling (NYSE:DO) to report ($0.26) earnings per share for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Nine analysts have issued estimates for Diamond Offshore Drilling’s earnings. The highest EPS estimate is $0.07 and the lowest is ($0.46). Diamond Offshore Drilling posted earnings per share of $0.45 during the same quarter last year, which indicates a negative year-over-year growth rate of 157.8%. The firm is expected to announce its next quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 30th.

On average, analysts expect that Diamond Offshore Drilling will report full year earnings of ($0.53) per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from ($0.95) to ($0.05). For the next financial year, analysts expect that the business will post earnings of ($0.30) per share, with EPS estimates ranging from ($0.65) to $0.10. Zacks’ earnings per share calculations are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that follow Diamond Offshore Drilling.

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Diamond Offshore Drilling (NYSE:DO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 30th. The offshore drilling services provider reported ($0.16) EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.19) by $0.03. Diamond Offshore Drilling had a net margin of 1.00% and a return on equity of 1.78%. The company had revenue of $295.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $295.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

DO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. ValuEngine raised shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. TheStreet raised shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $17.00 target price on shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Susquehanna Bancshares set a $15.00 target price on shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, B. Riley set a $13.00 target price on shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Diamond Offshore Drilling currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.93.

In related news, insider Marc Gerard Rex Edwards sold 78,265 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.95, for a total transaction of $1,561,386.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 120,953 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock worth $2,249,000 after acquiring an additional 8,100 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling in the 4th quarter worth $427,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling by 104.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 623,703 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock worth $11,595,000 after acquiring an additional 319,119 shares during the period. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling in the 4th quarter worth $7,542,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling by 77.5% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 11,957 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 5,219 shares during the period.

Shares of NYSE DO traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $18.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,552,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,774,367. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 4.51 and a quick ratio of 4.51. The company has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.15 and a beta of 1.16. Diamond Offshore Drilling has a 52-week low of $18.96 and a 52-week high of $19.26.

About Diamond Offshore Drilling

Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc provides contract drilling services to the energy industry worldwide. It provides services in floater market, including ultra-deepwater, deepwater, and mid-water. The company operates a fleet of 17 offshore drilling rigs, which comprises 4 drillships, 7 ultra-deepwater, 4 deepwater, and 2 mid-water semisubmersibles.

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