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  • Tesla Stock Is Falling Again. There’s Too Much Going On.
    Business
    Barrons.com

    Tesla Stock Is Falling Again. There’s Too Much Going On.

    The electric-vehicle pioneer has run into a China roadblock, and the federal government is investigating a string of crashes. Then there's Wall Street.

  • Analysts Say ‘Buy the Dip’ in These 3 Stocks
    Business
    TipRanks

    Analysts Say ‘Buy the Dip’ in These 3 Stocks

    Smart stock investing shouldn’t be emotional, but investors are only human, after all, making it difficult to follow a rational trading strategy. Investors should remember the advice of Warren Buffett: “We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.” What Buffett is advocating is the oldest of market advice: buy low and sell high. Taking this into consideration, we set out on our own search for compelling investment opportunities trading at a discount. Using TipRanks database, we were able to find 3 stocks that are down from their recent peaks, while some Wall Street analysts are recommending to ‘buy the dip.’ Let's take a closer look. Teladoc Health (TDOC) We'll start with Teladoc, a remote medical care service, which makes use of online networking to connect patients with doctors for non-emergency matters, including ear-nose-throat issues, lab referrals, basic medical advice and diagnoses, and prescription refills for non-addictive medications. In the company’s words, it’s “remote house calls by primary care doctors,” using digital technology to offer an old-fashioned service. Teladoc’s service is in high demand, and the corona year saw the company thrive – its business model was a perfect fit for COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Full-year revenues in 2020 grew 98% year-over-year, to 1.09 billion, and total patient visits increased by 156%, to 10.6 million. In addition, the company in October completed its merger with competitor Livongo, in a deal worth $18.5 billion. Teladoc shareholders now control 58% of the combined company. While the move adds to Teladoc’s capabilities and potential patient base, it also meant the company incurred large costs during Q4. Teladoc had to pay up in cash for the merger, and as a result, the Q4 earnings results showed a heavy EPS loss of $3.07 per share. In addition to the Q4 net loss, investors are also worried by the 2021 membership guidance. Specifically, the figure is likely to be between 52 million and 54 million, which implies growth of +3.4-7.4% year-over-year. This is way down from +40% in 2020 and +61% in 2019. The stock has slipped 37% since its recent peak in mid-February, but Canaccord's 5-star analyst Richard Close says to 'buy this dip.' “Bright spots such as multi-product sales, increasing utilization, new registration strength, and visit growth in noninfectious areas trump the membership metric when all is said and done. Opportunities have presented themselves in the past to jump into (or accumulate shares of) Teladoc -- we believe this is one of the opportunities,” Close confidently noted. Close backs these comments with a Buy rating and $330 price target that implies an upside of 78% in the coming 12 months. (To watch Close’s track record, click here) Overall, Teladoc has engendered plenty of Wall Street interest. There are 21 reviews on the stock, of which 13 are to Buy and 8 are to Hold, giving TDOC a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The stock is selling for $185.43, while its $255.05 average price target suggests a one-year upside of ~38%. (See TDOC stock analysis on TipRanks) Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) From medical care we'll move on to the mining industry, because sometimes owning a gold mine is the next best thing to owning the gold. Agnico Eagle is a Canadian gold miner in the business for over 60 years. The company has active mining operations in Canada, Mexico, and Finland, and showed strong production in 2020. The company’s Q4 report detailed over 501,000 ounces of gold produced, at a production cost of $771 per ounce – against an ‘all-in sustaining cost’ of $985 per ounce. That quarterly performance was duplicated for the full year 2020. Total gold production came in at more than 1.73 million ounces, the top end of the previously published yearly guidance, and the production cost per ounce, $838, was well below the year’s all-in sustaining cost of $1,051 per ounce. High production – the fourth quarter number was a company record – led to high income. Agnico reported Q4 net income of $205.2 million, which came out to 85 cents per share. For the full year, income came in at $511.6 million, or $2.12 per share. This figure included the 9-cent per share loss in Q1, and was still 6% higher than the 2019 figure. Despite the strong 2020 full-year figures, AEM shares have slipped since the earnings release, falling some 21% of their value. While the company is profitable, and production is meeting expectations, earnings in Q4 were down 7.6% sequentially and 38% year-over-year. Covering this stock for CIBC, analyst Anita Soni writes, “In our view, the market reaction on the back of quarterly earnings was overdone and we would recommend investors add to positions on the dip… We continue to favor Agnico for its track record of prudent capital allocation, largely organic growth strategy, exploration expertise (evident in the strong reserve replenishment and resource additions in a COVID impacted year), project pipeline, and strong management.” In light of these comments, Soni set a price target of $104 to go along with an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating. Her target implies a one-year upside potential of 73% from current levels. (To watch Soni’s track record, click here) Overall, Agnico Eagle gets a Strong Buy analyst consensus rating, based on 12 recent reviews that include 9 Buys against 3 Holds. The shares are priced at $60.12 and their $85.62 average price target implies a 42% upside potential for the coming year. (See AEM stock analysis on TipRanks) Redfin (RDFN) Last but not least is Redfin, a Seattle-based, online real estate broker, with a business model based on modest fees (in the 1% to 3%) for sellers to list their homes and for closing the sale. The company aims to make the home tour, listing debut and escrow processes faster and easier. Redfin reported a 4.7% year-over-year revenue gain in Q4, with the top line reaching $244 million. EPS, at 11 cents, was far above the 8-cent net loss recorded in the year-ago quarter. Both numbers beat the Wall Street estimates by substantial margins. For the full year 2020, the net loss came in at $18.5 million, or less than one-fourth of the 2019 figure. Since the earnings were released, RDFN shares are down 25%. Investors are somewhat spooked by the company’s Q1 guidance, for a quarterly loss in the $36 million to $39 million range. This is higher than 2020’s total loss, and there is some worry that Redfin is slipping away from profitability. The company is facing growth headwinds from two factors, a lack of agents and a lack of properties to list. The first factor can be met by a hiring drive, but the second is out of the company’s control – and only partly compensated for by higher property values. Ygal Arounian, 5-star analyst with Wedbush, wrote a note on Redfin titled, ‘Buy the Dip, There’s a Lot to Like Here.’ “The strength in the housing market is continuing to drive material benefits to Redfin, where it is having trouble keeping up with demand. Customers seeking service from agents was +54 y/y, even after Redfin made changes to its site that discouraged customers from requesting tours when an agent was unlikely to be available," Arounian wrote. The analyst added, "Redfin still doesn't have nearly the amount of agents it needs for the level of demand it is seeing and is hiring aggressively to get there. Agent recruiting increased by ~80% for lead agents in Dec/ Jan vs. Sep/Oct. Redfin is also seeing increasing repeat rates and referrals, which can support growth for longer.” To this end, Arounian put a $109 price target on the stock, indicating his confidence in a 57% one-year upside, and backing his Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating. (To watch Arounian’s track record, click here) Redfin’s shares have 10 recent reviews on file, with a break down of 4 Buys and 6 Holds, for an analyst consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The average price target is $87.71, implying a 27% upside from the $69.22 trading price. (See RDFN 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.

  • IRS: We’ll delay April 15 tax-filing deadline by one month — but there’s one caveat
    U.S.
    MarketWatch

    IRS: We’ll delay April 15 tax-filing deadline by one month — but there’s one caveat

    The Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday it’s pushing the tax-filing deadline from April 15 to May 17. After a later-than-usual Feb. 12 start to the income tax filing season, the April 15 deadline was arriving too soon, according to accountants, certain lawmakers and advocates for elderly taxpayers. On Tuesday, more than 100 members of the House of Representatives signed a letter asking the IRS to postpone the deadline.

  • Bitcoin Could Boom 430% but Ethereum May Still Steal its Thunder
    Business
    Benzinga

    Bitcoin Could Boom 430% but Ethereum May Still Steal its Thunder

    Bitcoin believers may have new reason to rejoice following the stimulus checks, but Ethereum has use cases on its side. U.S. President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID Relief Bill has passed congress and stimulus checks are soon to be distributed. Early signs indicate recipients are ready to buy Bitcoin. A survey by Mizuho Securities showed that out of 235 participants who expect to receive stimulus checks from the COVID Relief Bill, 10% are interested in investing in Bitcoin. It's a small sample size, but according to the survey investing in Bitcoin was a more popular response than investing in traditional stocks. If that kind of runaway popularity doesn't move you in itself, consider that it could translate into $40 billion dollars running like a river directly from Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package into Bitcoin. In the same week, Bank of America strategists suggested to Bloomberg that the price of BTC can be moved 1% for just $93 million. Bank of America strategists said in a note to Bloomberg on Wednesday: "Bitcoin is extremely sensitive to increased dollar demand. We estimate a net inflow into Bitcoin of just $93 million would result in price appreciation of 1%, while the similar figure for gold would be closer to $2 billion or 20 times higher. In contrast, the same analysis for the 20-year-plus Treasuries shows that multibillion money flows do not have a significant impact on price, pointing to the much larger and stable nature of the U.S. Treasuries markets," If you take the survey and projections on face value, you could surmise Bitcoin prices will be moved by over 430% by the influx of $40,000,000 flowing in from invested U.S. COVID Relief money. It seems reasonable to expect the 12 month Bitcoin bull run to continue, making it the crypto success story of 2021, right? DeFi Could Steal Bitcoin's Thunder Before the Bitcoin bull run, DeFi was a strong competitor as the most dominant story in crypto. BTC's new price heights have made the world's most famous cryptocurrency again the center of attention. Bitcoin may always be the star of the cryptoworld and certainly has seen wide popularity and acceptance as a store of value, but Ethereum's fortunes have generally kept pace with and possibly exceeded Bitcoin since the end of last year. Since December 2020, Bitcoin has risen from over $28,000 to more than $58,000 (up roughly 207%). Ethereum has traveled from more than $746 to over $1800 (up roughly %240). This week, Bank of America published a report titled "Bitcoin's Dirty Little Secrets". Excerpts from the report are unflattering to the world's most famous cryptocurrency. Some of the statements coming from the report include: "The main argument for Bitcoin is not diversification, stable returns, or inflation protection, but sheer appreciation..." "There is no good reason to own BTC unless you see prices going up..." And they point out Bitcoin's environmental impact is not desirable, stating: "we calculate that a $1bn dollar inflow into Bitcoin is equal to 1.2mn cars driven over the course of a year or 12.7mn barrels of oil." They go on to extol the virtues of Ethereum, stating in the report: "Bitcoin is the most talked about cryptocurrency but Ethereum [the blockchain] has more features, including being more flexible in its hosting of decentralized finance (DeFi) than the Bitcoin blockchain." "DeFi does, however, show the opportunity which (distributed ledger technology) offers to finance. We believe that one of the best differences against being disintermediated by DeFi would be mainstream finance grasping these opportunities." The Hopes and Fears of DeFi... As a digital currency, Bitcoin is simply designed with a more limited range of use cases compared to Ethereum which has smart contract capabilities. Arguably, Ethereum is the needed sequel to Bitcoin's success. But how will their performances compare in 2021? "Bitcoin is the asset of choice for investors looking for a store of value investment characteristics in the cryptocurrency market. Success then is an ongoing price appreciation for this asset. And appreciate it will as long as investors continue to believe in the future of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Ethereum, on the other hand, is not only a cryptocurrency. It is a network that supports smart contracts, Dapps (decentralized applications), and Defi (decentralized finance) projects. Investors that are looking to invest in up-and-coming tech should pay extra attention to this crypto asset. Over 41 Billion dollars is currently locked in DeFi projects on Ethereum blockchain compared with 4 Billion only 8 months ago. That's what success continues to look like for Ethereum this year as well -- ongoing expansion and innovation," Tally Greenberg, Head of Business Development at Allnodes said. Phase 0 of Ethereum 2.0 -- known as "Serenity" -- launched on December 1, 2020. The hope for this upgrade to the Ethereum network is meant to address the needs for speed, efficiency, and scalability. "BTC is unlikely to be dethroned as the leading cryptocurrency, but the growth shown on the Ethereum blockchain is hard to bet against. They will naturally be compared 'against' one another although this makes little sense from a functional point of view since each is vying for separate and mutually beneficial use-cases. BTC's 'digital gold' narrative is straightforward which is beneficial for attracting new users who may be intimidated by the apparently more complex and dynamically evolving ETH narrative," Jason Peckham, Analyst at Invictus Capital said. Ethereum 2.0 is moving from Proof of Stake to Proof of Work but is still essentially in test stages. It remains to be seen whether it will handle the need for speed to support the DeFi range of use cases. "To me, Ethereum looks very attractive for long-term purchases, since it has a much greater technical potential for application than Bitcoin. The Ethereum blockchain programmability offers incredible growth opportunities. Bitcoin with its limited emission is rather a tool for saving and paying. Ethereum, in turn, is a tool for real usage of blockchain technology in third-party projects," Dyanis Zabauski, CEO of Coinmatics said. But nevermind the actual real-world uses -- can Ethereum compete with Bitcoin's price performance? "I think it's highly likely that ETH will beat BTC in terms of price performance in 2021... Ethereum has not fully realized the benefit from the growing popularity of DeFi services and NFTs. The exploding NFT market will directly benefit the value of ETH and I think that ETH has room to grow until its price encompasses the current excitement around NFTs," Noam Levenson cryptocurrency writer and founder of Narrow Straight Writing. Some experts point to lagging performance as a reason to keep an eye on Ethereum, as we may see much more movement in 2021. "From a relative performance standpoint, ETH the second-biggest cryptocurrency is lagging Bitcoin up only 20% from it's All-Time Highs vs Bitcoin 175%. In previous cycles, we have seen ETH catch up to BTC growth when BTC begins to correct because the profits taken from BTC are cycled into altcoins. Because ETH is one to two cycles back from BTC in its growth cycle it makes sense that return on the laggard would outperform the larger market cap of BTC from here," Jake Wujastyk Chief Market Analyst at TrendSpider said. Until Ethereum 2.0 is a known quantity, there will be doubts about its ability to meet the already tremendous need for bandwidth to support transactions. "Ethereum might beat Bitcoin in terms of percentage gain this year. So far in 2021, ETH has increased by value by nearly 150%, while bitcoin has gone up around 90%. However, it is unlikely that ETH will take over in terms of market capitalization because bitcoin is the cryptocurrency with the most people behind it in terms of adoption and use. Many view bitcoin as digital gold and major corporations and institutional investors are adding it to their balance sheets. Ethereum is unscalable in its current iteration and acts more as a platform for decentralized applications than a store of value" Ben Weiss, president and COO of CoinFlip said. The launch of an improved Ethereum network is a testament to the strength of the project -- but also represents change. Change conveys risk -- while Bitcoin is simple, immutable, and constantly rising in value. "I am not yet convinced DeFi is as groundbreaking as its followers deem it to be. The idea of yield farming sounds a great deal like smart contract hot potato with investors jumping from project to project, hoping they aren't the last ones to hold the bag," Don Wyper, COO at DigitalMint said. Institutional investors have been key to driving the value of Bitcoin over the past 12 months. Will those same traditional investing giants turn their attention to Ethereum? "Eventually some institutional investors will acquire ETH in order to expand their crypto exposure, while others will trade the recently launched CME ETH futures (interest is still low with volumes 8% of the CME BTC Futures). Others will acquire ETH in order to utilize and experiment with some of the applications, particularly in DeFi. However, I don't see much movement comparable to bitcoin in the near term," Jason Lau, COO at OKCoin said. Conclusion As many respondents pointed out, comparisons between Ethereum and Bitcoin make sense from an investor point of view, but the comparisons don't go much further than that. "BTC and ETH are different: BTC is a currency token while the ETH is a utility token. If mainstream institutional investors get into ETH, it would mean that mainstream institutions validate not only the current value of ETH, but also the Ethereum ecosystem as a whole. We have not seen signs of mainstream institutions being involved in Ethereum's applications. So, in order for institutional investors to get on board, it would take more time and market education throughout 2021 and beyond," Haohan Xu, CEO of Apifiny said It may take a shift in mainstream understanding -- or even a mild learning curve -- to get traditional investors who have tried the familiar Bitcoin to understand the power of DeFi, but it seems the mighty bull run market is raising all ships in the cryptoworld and institutional investors are already getting on board. "Institutional investors are already getting on board with Ethereum. Just recently, Grayscale, the world's largest Crypto asset manager, purchased more Ethereum than Bitcoin for a change. Chinese public firm Meitu also grabbed 15K of Ether not too long ago. Galaxy Digital's ETH funds raised 32 Million in less than a month. The launch of Ethereum Futures on the CME, the launch of Canadian ETH ETFs, and we're just scratching the surface here... I anticipate a further surge of institutional investments in Ethereum. This is just the beginning," Greenberg said. Cover image modified from photo by Mater Miliano from Pixabay See more from BenzingaClick here for options trades from BenzingaNFTs - From Digital Gold to Gold Foil CollectiblesWomen Leaders in Blockchain are Good for Business© 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.