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    Is It Time To Short Symantec?

    Photo Credit: Symantec Symantec Corporation (SYMC) Information Technology – Software | Reports May 12, After Market Closes Key Takeaways The Estimize community is looking for earnings of a quarter per share on $887.54 million in revenue, 1 cent higher than Wall Street on the bottom line and $5 million on top Symantec has been hit hard by a weak PC market, unfavorable exchange rates and a rapidly changing environment Internet and endpoint security are two of the fastest growing markets which Symantec is making a play in What are you expecting for SYMC? Get your estimate in here! The next biggest threat will not likely be on the groun...
    On May 11, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    5 Low Price-To-Sales Stocks For Outsized Long-Term Returns

    The use of ratios to determine value stocks is not new in the investment world. Among the ratios generally used, Price-to-Sales has surfaced as an important tool to determine the value of stocks that are suffering losses or are in the early cycle of development, generating little or no profits.   Though a loss-making company tends to lose investor attention with a negative Price-to-Earnings ratio, its Price-to-Sales could indicate the hidden strength in its business. This underrated ratio is also used to identify recovery situations or to ensure that a company’s growth is not overvalued. Price-to-Sales is often preferred over Price-to-...
    On May 11, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Gold Daily And Silver Weekly Charts – The Gathering Storm

    “Some touch of the artist wells up within me, and calls insistently for a well-staged performance. Surely our profession, Mr. Mac, would be a drab and sordid one if we did not sometimes set the scene so as to glorify our results. The blunt accusation, the brutal tap upon the shoulder – what can one make of such a denouement?  But the quick inference, the subtle trap, the clever forecast of coming events, the triumphant vindication of bold theories – are these not the pride and the justification of our life’s work? At the present moment you thrill with the glamour of the situation and the anticipation of the hunt. Whe...
    On May 11, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    The Safety Net: Is Merck’s Dividend Safe?

    In the world of stocks, big pharmaceutical companies are often viewed as relatively safe. Their business model is reliable, and they make the drugs people need. If chronic disease and old age were treatable with donuts, then Dunkin’ Brands (Nasdaq: DNKN) would be considered the safest stock in the world. Who wouldn’t follow a doctor’s orders to “take one Boston cream” and call him in the morning? Unfortunately, we’re not getting any younger, and as we age, we tend to require more medicine. This keeps the revenue and cash flow going for big pharma companies. This week, let’s look at one of the largest of the big pharma companie...
    On May 11, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    S&P 500 Snapshot: Retail Jitters Erase Most Of Yesterday’s Gain

    Five steps forward, four steps back. That’s a close analogy for we’ve seen so far this week. The S&P 500 rose 1.25% yesterday and then dropped 0.96% today. The index dropped at the open, made a week recovery attempt during the first hour of trading and then sold off steadily throughout the day to close at its -0.96% intraday low. What changed? Weak earnings from Disney and Macy’s have perhaps caused a rethinking of consumer spending, the backbone of the economy. The retail ETF XRT plunged 4.44%. In addition, volatile oil prices are adding to the confusion. West Texas Crude was up about 5.5% today. As for consumer spend...
    On May 11, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    The Shortest Intuitive Leap

    It was an impressive rebound from the doldrums of February 11. Stocks managed to get back nearly even, as the S&P 500 closed above 2,100 on successive days April 19 and 20. Since then it has been more of a struggle; sideways to slightly lower. Gold has remained near and above $1,250 while funding markets and UST’s have been bid once again. The 10-year US treasury had its yield move as high as 1.94% by April 26, now the yield falls as stocks toil having settled again to less than 1.74% today. There has been unusual upset emanating from Japan, but the systemic turn here seems to indicate something beyond that. It is in many ways more fa...
    On May 11, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Could Shake Shack Crumble On Earnings This Quarter?

    Photo Credit: Lucas Richarz Shake Shack Inc (SHAK) Consumer Discretionary – Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure | Reports May 11, Before Market Opens Key Takeaways The Estimize consensus is calling for earnings per share of 7 cents on $53 million in revenue, 1 cent higher than Wall Street on the bottom line and right in line on top In the last 4 quarters, SHAK has posted an average EPS surprise of 162%, and YoY growth of 200 – 900% Shake Shack continues to attract new customers and increase traffic with new menu items such as the Chick’N Shack What are you expecting for SHAK? Get your estimate in here! Shake Shack’s cult fol...
    On May 11, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Going To Bat Once More: BATS Global Markets Makes Another Attempt At IPO

    Bats Global Markets (Pending:BATS) expects to raise ~$200 million in its upcoming IPO. Based in Lenexa, Kansas, Bats Global Markets is the largest U.S. equities market operator with four exchanges: the Bats BZX Exchange, BYX Exchange, EDGA Exchange, and EDGX Exchange. In addition, the company operates two U.S. equity options exchanges, the pan-European stock market and a global market for trading foreign exchange products. Bats expects to price its IPO between $17 and $19; however, Bats itself will not issue shares in the IPO, rather it will allow current shareholders to sell up to 11.2 million shares. Lead Underwriters: Citigroup and Morg...
    On April 12, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    March 2016 Small Business Optimism Remains At Two-Year Low. Is A Recession Warning Signal Flashing?

    From the National Federation of Independent Business The Index of Small Business Optimism fell 0.3 points from February, falling to 92.6. Statistically, no change. Four of the 10 Index components posted a gain, six posted small declines, the biggest gain was in Expected Business Conditions, a 4 point improvement to a still very negative number. The market was expecting the index between 93.5 to 93.9 with consensus at 93.6 – versus the actual at 92.6. NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg states: Small Business owners remain extremely pessimistic about the economy, and rightfully so. Cost-increasing regulations seem to multiply overnight ...
    On April 12, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Is The 9-Year Drought For Value Investing History?

    The notion that value outperforms in the long run is a staple in the financial literature, and for an obvious reason: the historical record tells us so. But the last nine years tell a different story, based on the return spread for the Russell 1000 Value Index less the Russell 1000 Growth Index. As AJO Partners in Philadelphia advised in an investment note last week, the current run of growth’s outperformance in the US large-cap space is the longest period of superior results over value since the history of the Russell indexes, which dates to the 1970s. Growth’s enduring outperformance isn’t a total surprise, according to AJO. In the ...
    On April 12, 2016 / By