Top Ranked Income Stocks to Buy for March 20th

Barrons.com
GM and Ford Stock Finally Capture Some of Tesla’s Heat. Why This Is Only the Beginning.
Investors are finally giving these traditional auto makers credit for their electric-vehicle and autonomous-driving investments. It’s their best start to the year since 1987.
1h ago
Yahoo Finance
GameStop closes up 51% after chaotic day of trading
GameStop (GME) shares closed 51% higher at $65.01 each on Friday after an apparent crush on short-sellers.
7h ago
Bloomberg
Biden’s Student Loan Freeze Shows Path to Erase Billions of Debt
(Bloomberg) -- Thanks to vagaries of the accounting world, Donald Trump’s administration had a chance in the final weeks of the presidential race to cancel more than $200 billion of student loans with no immediate hit to the Department of Education’s massive portfolio. Yet it didn’t do it.Now, perhaps Joe Biden will.For years, bean counters at the department have been writing down the value of its $1.4 trillion portfolio of student debt as they adopted ever-more-pessimistic views of how much borrowers will repay. In September, the analysts made their biggest adjustment yet, valuing loans at just 82 cents on every dollar owed, down from 104 cents in 2015, records show. The debt is now worth $258 billion less than the amount outstanding.Had officials under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos decided to identify some of the borrowers least likely to repay, and then forgiven those debts, it wouldn’t have put a major dent in the remaining portfolio’s value. Such losses were, theoretically, already reflected anyway.By Wall Street standards, the government’s loan writedowns are gigantic, amounting to $98 billion in September alone. While they have gone virtually unnoticed in the political realm so far, they are almost sure to attract attention now, as consumer advocates urge Biden’s new administration to ease the burden on young professionals and jump-start the pandemic-stricken economy.Some are starting to ask: If the government doesn’t expect to collect hundreds of billions of dollars from borrowers, why not try to erase it now?“Betsy DeVos has already decided that a bunch of this debt is not going to be paid back,” said Mike Pierce, director of policy at the nonprofit Student Borrower Protection Center and a former official at the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “That makes it much easier for the Biden administration to justify canceling.”The Education Department didn’t respond to messages seeking comment both before and after the change in administration.Loans or RentShortly after his inauguration as U.S. president on Wednesday, Biden asked the department to extend his predecessor’s pandemic policy of waiving interest and to continue letting borrowers skip monthly payments on government-owned student loans until at least the end of September. About 24 million borrowers have stopped payments, department data show.Biden has expressed sympathy for borrowers but suggested he’s reluctant to wipe away debt without an act of Congress. In November, he said student-loan burdens are “holding people up. They’re in real trouble. They’re having to make choices between paying their student loan and paying their rent.”While Wall Street often values its debt holdings based on the prices they would fetch in the market, the government’s markdowns mainly reflect “amounts not expected to be recovered.” From a valuation perspective, that means there wouldn’t be much immediate difference between forgiving doomed loans and waiting for borrowers to turn out their empty pockets.Still, there’s the issue of moral hazard: If authorities offer relief to struggling borrowers, it could create an incentive for others to stop repaying too, causing more of the portfolio to sour.Rush for ReliefMuch of the gap between what is owed and what the government reckons will be repaid stems from loan programs that cap monthly payments relative to borrowers’ incomes. Income-based repayment plans promise the possibility of loan forgiveness after two decades of steady payment, or one decade for public-service workers. As annual borrower defaults climbed past 1 million, Barack Obama’s administration made the repayment plans increasingly generous. Enrollment has tripled since 2014.The anticipated cost of income-based plans has risen, too. The Education Department recently realized borrowers in the plans were earning “substantially” less than it had forecast. So the government cut its projections of borrowers’ future income by 35%, boosting the estimated tab to be forgiven in later years.“There already is significant loan forgiveness,” said Constantine Yannelis, who researches student debt and teaches finance at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. “We’re just talking about moving it up or giving it to borrowers who wouldn’t qualify for it under current rules.”Yannelis said he recently found that debt owed by lower-income borrowers had a lower present value to the federal government than debt owed by high-income borrowers.Rising OddsAcross-the-board loan cancellations make little sense, but the government has all the information it needs to target forgiveness, said Adam Looney, a finance professor at the University of Utah whose research on student loans dates to his time as a tax official at the U.S. Treasury Department. In fact, he said, the Education Department’s own valuation reflects a belief the government will eventually cancel large amounts owed by people earning little or at least too little relative to their debts.Forgiving loans could encourage future students to over-borrow on the hope that their debts will be wiped away, advisers to the federal consumer bureau warned in a report this month. And that could, in turn, remove some of the pressure on colleges to lower their costs.But there is a growing expectation in the public anyway that relief is coming. In a December survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, respondents estimated there is a 39% chance -- more than ever in five years of polling -- that the federal government will cancel some amount of student loans over the next year.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
14h ago
MoneyWise
Dave Ramsey says these are 10 reasons you're not getting ahead
The financial expert and radio host says these money blunders can be costly.
1d ago
MarketWatch
Stock-market legend sees few weeks of ‘putting your last, desperate chips into the game’—then pop
In an interview with Bloomberg TV's “Front Row,” the storied investor, Jeremy Grantham, who is often credited with several prescient market calls over the past two decades, insists that a steady rise in stocks, fostered by free money from the Federal Reserve and the government can't continue without consequences.
6h ago
MoneyWise
With Biden, you could get a 'stimulus check' for health insurance
The $1.9 trillion relief bill could slash your premiums by hundreds of dollars.
4h ago
Investor's Business Daily
Palantir Stock, IBD Stock Of The Day, Claws Back As Other Top Software IPOs Struggle
Snowflake, Palantir and C3.ai marked three of last year's biggest IPOs. All three software growth stocks corrected in late 2020. But Palantir stock has clawed back and boasts high ratings.
5h ago
TipRanks
Top Cannabis Analysts Share Why They Are Bullish on These 2 Stocks
Joe Biden has been inaugurated as the 46th President, just two weeks after the Democrats locked down control of the Senate with wins in both Georgia Senatorial runoff elections. These events give the Dems control of both Houses of Congress and the White House. While their Congressional margins are narrow – the narrowest possible in the Senate, where new Vice President Kamala Harris will have to cast tie-breaking votes in a 50-50 chamber – the Democrats do have the votes needed to push through their legislative agenda. And part of that agenda is Federal cannabis legislation. Don’t expect it to happen right away, as Congress and President Biden will have plenty of other priorities to handle first. But Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, a leading politician of the Democrats’ progressive wing, promised state-level legalization in his State of the State address – and like California, New York tends to be a trendsetter. In addition, Biden has tapped Federal judge Merrick Garland as his choice to head the Department of Justice; Garland is generally seen as centrist, but he has a judicial record from the Federal bench of respecting state-level cannabis legalization regimes. “[With] room for equity valuations to continue moving higher, we remain bullish on US cannabis and believe 2021 will be a pivotal year for the industry… We think investors will increasingly benefit from better visibility into company-specific growth rates and operational metrics through 2021... We also look for a continuation of state-led legalization initiatives,” Cormark Securities' Jesse Pytlak noted. Bearing this in mind, we used TipRanks’ database to take a closer look at two cannabis stocks backed by top cannabis analysts. These names received enough support from the analyst community to earn a “Strong Buy” consensus rating. Aphria, Inc. (APHA) Headquartered in Leamington, Ontario, Aphria is one of the giants of Canada’s legal cannabis sector. The company boasts a market cap exceeding CA$4 billion, and reported over CA$160.5 million in its last fiscal quarter, a year-over-year gain of 33%. That figure was a company record. The company announced in December an agreement for merger and acquisition with competing firm Tilray, a move that will create the world’s largest cannabis company, with a market value of CA$5 billion. The agreement will see all Aphria shareholders receive 0.8381 shares of Tilray. The merged entity will operate under the TLRY stock ticker when the move is completed. In the meantime, investors can take comfort in Aphria’s share growth. The stock is up 124% over the past 52 weeks. A significant portion of that gain has come in the 5 weeks since announcing the Tilray deal; APHA shares have appreciated 58% in that time. Aphria has caught the eye of 5-star Cantor analyst Pablo Zunaic, who believes that the company’s prospects are “[all] about what APHA + TLRY can do in a fast-deregulating cannabis world.” Zunaic added, “The leading Canadian company (16% APHA rec share plus TLRY 4% share), with a budding international unit (exporting to Israel, Germany Poland, Malta; production in Germany/Portugal; owned German distribution), plus ancillary assets that may be useful depending on the shape of future deregulation, should deserve a premium…” In line with these comments, the analyst rates APHA an Overweight (i.e. Buy), and his CA$26 price target implies a 59% upside potential from current levels. (To watch Zunaic’s track record, click here) Zunaic isn’t the only analyst bullish on Aphria. The company has 10 recent reviews, and their breakdown is 8 Buys against 2 Holds, making the analyst consensus view a Strong Buy. However, the recent share appreciation has pushed the trading price above the CA$15.09 average price target; APHA shares are now priced at CA$16.32. (See APHA stock analysis on TipRanks) Trulieve Cannabis (TCNNF) Trulieve is a $5.23 billion medical cannabis company, operating in California, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The company’s headquarters are in Florida, the nation’s third-largest state by population, where it commands a 51% market share in the medical cannabis sector. The rapid growth of medical cannabis has fueled a tremendous growth in Trulieve’s share price over the past year. Trulieve shares have gained a truly impressive 296% over the past 12 months. Medical cannabis is a profitable and growing market, and Trulieve’s revenues reflect that. The company has reported a steadily increasing top line for the past two year, with the most recent quarterly report, 3Q20, showing $136.3 million, a company record and a 13% gain quarter-over-quarter. Matt McGinley, 5-star analyst from Needham, sums up a bullish case on Trulieve, noting: “While our fundamental outlook for the industry and this company have not materially changed into '21, prospects for federal reforms have improved as have prospects for funding that growth based on recent capital markets activity. As such, we believe multiples will re-rate higher to more appropriately reflect the high rate of growth of the industry.” Unsurprisingly, the analyst rates TCNNF an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and sets a price target of $60.50, suggesting that the stock will grow ~38% over the next 12 months. (To watch McGinley’s track record, click here) The Strong Buy analyst consensus rating on this stock shows that Wall Street agrees on the value of Trulieve. The rating is based on 6 unanimous Buy reviews. The average price target of $49.49 suggests an upside of ~13% from the current trading price of $43.93. (See Trulieve stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for cannabis 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.
7h ago
Yahoo Finance
This former Michigan State University basketball player started selling mortgages in his 20s now he's worth more than $11 billion
The country's leader in the wholesale mortgage market is now a public company. Here's what the company's CEO Mat Ishbia told Yahoo Finance.
8h ago
MoneyWise
Never got a stimulus check? A new Biden executive order aims to fix that
The president has ordered the Treasury to get money to those who are still waiting.
3h ago
Investor's Business Daily
What Is A Dividend? Plus The 5 Best Dividend Stocks Now
What is a dividend and which companies have the best-yielding dividends? Read on for a primer on how best to approach this method of investing.
13h ago
TechCrunch
EVgo to go public via SPAC in bid to power EV charging expansion
EVgo, the wholly owned subsidiary of LS Power that owns and operates public fast chargers for electric vehicles, has reached a deal to become a publicly traded company through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company Climate Change Crisis Real Impact I Acquisition Corporation. The combined company, which will be listed under the new ticker symbol "EVGO" will have a market valuation of $2.6 billion. LS Power and EVgo management, which today own 100% of the company will be rolling all of its equity into the transaction.
9h ago
TipRanks
2 “Strong Buy” FAANG Stocks to Watch Heading Into Earnings
Big Tech has been in the news lately, and not necessarily for the right reasons. Accusations of corporate censorship have hit the headlines in recent weeks. While serious, this may have a salutary effect – the public discussion of Big Tech’s role in our digital lives is long overdue. And that discussion will get underway just as the Q4 and full-year 2020 financial numbers start coming in. Of the FAANG stocks, Netflix has already reported; the other four will release results in the next two weeks. So, the upcoming earnings will garner well-deserved attention, and Wall Street’s best analysts are already publishing their views on some of the market’s most important components. Using TipRanks’ database, we pulled up the details on two members of the FAANG club to find out how the Street thinks each will fare when they publish their fourth quarter numbers. According to the platform, both have received plenty of love from the analysts, earning a “Strong Buy” consensus rating. Facebook (FB) Let’s start with Facebook, the social media giant that has redefined our online interactions. Along with Google, Facebook has also brought us targeted digital marketing and advertising, and the mass monetization of the internet. It’s been a profitable strategy for the company. Facebook’s market cap is up to $786 billion, and in the third quarter of 2020, the company reported $21.5 billion at the top line. Looking ahead to the Q4 report, due out on January 27, analysts are forecasting revenues at or near $26.2 billion. This would be in-line with the company’s pattern, of rising quarterly performance from Q1 to Q4. At the predicted sum, revenues would rise 24% year-over-year, roughly congruent with the 22% yoy gain already seen in Q3. The key metric to watch out for will be the growth in daily active users; this metric slipped slightly from Q2 to Q3, and further decline will be taken as an ominous sign for the company’s future. As it stands now, Facebook’s daily average user number is 1.82 billion. Ahead of the print, Oppenheimer analyst Jason Helfstein boosted his price target to $345 (from $300), while reiterating an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating. Investors stand to pocket ~26% gain should the analyst's thesis play out. (To watch Helfstein’s track record, click here) The 5-star analyst commented, "[We] anticipate 4Q advertising revenue will handily top Street estimates. We now forecast 4Q advertising revenue +30% y/y vs. Street's +25% estimate based on a regression of US Standard Media Index Data (r-squared 0.95) and accelerating global CPM data from Gupta Media (4Q +35% y/y vs. 3Q's -12%). Additionally, we are very bullish on FB's eCommerce opportunity following conversations with our checks and our initial work conservatively estimating Shops is a $25–50B opportunity vs. current $85B revs. We believe shares currently trading at 7.1x EV/NTM sales offers the most favorable risk/ reward in internet large cap." Overall, the social media empire remains a Wall Street darling, as TipRanks analytics showcasing FB as a Strong Buy. This is based on 34 recent reviews, which break down to 30 Buy ratings, 3 Holds, and 1 Sell. Shares are priced at $276.10 and the average price target of $327.42 suggests a one-year upside of ~19%. (See FB stock analysis on TipRanks) Amazon (AMZN) Turning to e-commerce, we can’t avoid Amazon. The retail giant has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, making it one of just four publicly traded companies valued over the trillion-dollar mark. The company’s famously price is famously high, and has grown 74% since this time last year, far outpacing the broader markets. Amazon’s growth has been supported by increased online sales activity during the ‘corona year.’ Globally, online retail has grew 27% in 2020, while total retail slipped 3%. Amazon, which dominates the online retail sector, is projected to end 2020 with $380 billion in total revenue, or 34% year-over-year growth, outpacing the global e-commerce gains. Cowen analyst John Blackledge, rating 5-stars by TipRanks, covers Amazon and is bullish on the company’s prospects ahead of the earnings release. Blackledge rates the stock Outperform (i.e. Buy), and his price target, at $4,350, indicates confidence in a 31% upside on the one-year time horizon. (To watch Blackledge’s track record, click here) “We forecast 4Q20 reported revenue of $120.8BN, +38.2% y/y vs. +37.4% y/y in 3Q20 led by AWS, advertising, subscription and 3P sales [..] We estimate US Prime sub growth accelerated in 4Q20 (reaching 76MM subs in Dec '20 and ~74MM on avg in 4Q20), helped by pandemic demand, Prime Day in Oct, & elongated shopping period, as well as 1 Day delivery [...] In '21, we expect strong top-line growth to continue driven by eCommerce (helped by COVID pull forward in Grocery), adv., AWS & sub businesses," Blackledge opined. That Wall Street generally is bullish on Amazon is no secret; the company has 33 reviews on record, and 32 of them are Buys, versus 1 Hold. Shares are priced at $3,301.26 and the average price target of $3,826 implies that it will grow another 16% this year. (See AMZN 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.
10h ago
Yahoo Finance
Powerball winner in Maryland should remember this before cashing the $730 million ticket: expert
Be wise with how you allocate your money, $730 million Powerball winner.
1d ago
MarketWatch
AT&T earnings to kick off a defining year for telecom giant
AT&T Inc. is at the beginning of a pivotal year as it tries to navigate the pandemic and beyond. AT&T’s (T) Warner Bros. film studio was arguably the most aggressive in moving films to its streaming platform, and the company is expected to have spent heavily at a recent wireless spectrum auction that was crucial to defining the 5G landscape. Theater closures have hurt the film business, while a more limited slate of live television programming has increased the subscriber erosion at DirecTV.
3h ago
Investor's Business Daily
Microsoft Steps Closer To A Breakout; When To Buy Alibaba, Epam, Thermo Fisher
As the uptrend continues, now is the time to build your watchlist and look for actionable ideas. Veeva Systems is the newest addition to the IBD Long-Term Leaders list.
3h ago
Benzinga
3 Top Cloud Software Picks From Goldman Sachs Among 12 Initiations
Plenty of opportunity exists in the $1-trillion global cloud software market, but investors should be careful about how they approach the space, according to Goldman Sachs. The Cloud Analyst: Kash Rangan initiated coverage of 12 cloud software stocks with the following ratings:salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE: CRM) initiated at Buy, $315 price target.Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) initiated at Buy, $285 price target.Workday Inc (NASDAQ: WDAY) initiated at Buy, $300 target.Adobe Inc (NASDAQ: ADBE) initiated at Buy, $580 target.ServiceNow Inc (NYSE: NOW) initiated at Buy, $670 target.Splunk Inc (NASDAQ: SPLK) initiated at Buy, $240 target.Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) initiated at Neutral, $430 target.Snowflake Inc (NYSE: SNOW) initiated at Neutral, $310 target.Elastic NV (NYSE: ESTC) initiated at Neutral, $190 target.VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) initiated at Neutral, $150 target.Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) initiated at Sell, $270 target.Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) initiated at Sell, $60 target.Related Link: BofA Reinstates Coverage Of Cloud Stocks, Names Top Picks For 2021The Cloud Thesis: The big run in most software stocks has skewed Goldman's bullish coverage toward attractively valued, high-quality growth stocks, Rangan said in a Thursday initiation note. Salesforce, Workday and Splunk will likely see improvements in their backlogs and an acceleration of free cash flow growth due to easy year-over-year comps, the analyst said.Goldman is modeling 24% year-over-year FCF growth for Salesforce and 33% FCF growth for Workday in the second half of 2021.In addition, Rangan said the market may be underestimating the potential for Microsoft Azure revenue growth to bounce back after dipping below 50%, boosting the company's overall margins and profitability."We believe fundamentals continue to be strong as Digital Transformation catalyzes Cloud adoption and propels the sector, pandemic or not," the analyst said. The global cloud services market could be up to seven times larger than it is today in the long-term as more companies digitize their businesses, he said. Benzinga's Take: The pandemic rapidly sped up the economic digital transformation by forcing many companies to adapt to a remote working environment.Some companies will likely return to their old way of doing things once the pandemic ends, but the vast majority will not.See more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Here's How Much Investing ,000 In Morgan Stanley Stock 5 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today * Citron's Andrew Left Says GameStop Is 'Pretty Much In Terminal Decline'(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
10h ago
TipRanks
2 “Strong Buy” Penny Stocks That Could See Outsized Gains
Well, it’s official. Joe Biden is now President, and he’ll be backed – at least for the short term – by Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress. Wall Street is taking the measure of the new Administration, and sees, among its first moves, a boost in fiscal stimulus that is likely to goose consumer spending, bump corporate profits, and provide general economic support in the first half of 2021. Covering the situation for Goldman Sachs is investment strategist David Kostin, who is bullish on the near-term prospects for fiscal stimulus. In light of it, Kostin sets the Goldman outlook for this year at 6.4% GDP growth; he sees continued high growth next year, and sets the 2022 prediction at 4%. These outlook numbers are up from the previously published 5.9% and 3.7%. To this end, Kostin sees S&P 500 reaching 4,300 by year’s end, which would be a gain of 12% from current levels. “Elections have consequences. Democratic control of Washington, D.C. after January 20 will bring greater fiscal spending, faster GDP growth, more inflation, and higher interest rates than we had previously assumed,” Kostin noted. With markets looking up, investors are looking for the stocks that are ready for gains. Penny stocks, equities priced at less than $5 per share, are a natural place to search for potential winners. Their low price means that even a small incremental gain will translate into large percentages. However, before jumping right into an investment in a penny stock, Wall Street pros advise looking at the bigger picture and considering other factors beyond just the price tag. For some names that fall into this category, you really do get what you pay for, offering little in the way of long-term growth prospects thanks to weak fundamentals, recent headwinds or even large outstanding share counts. Taking the risk into consideration, we used TipRanks’ database to find compelling penny stocks with bargain price tags. The platform steered us towards two tickers sporting share prices under $5 and “Strong Buy” consensus ratings from the analyst community. Not to mention substantial upside potential is on the table. AzurRx BioPharma (AZRX) We’ll start with a company specializing in gastrointestinal disease, AzurRx. This company is focused on creating non-systemic, targeted recombinant therapies for GI ailments. AzurRx has a pipeline of three drug candidates, at several levels of the development process. The key pipeline candidate, MS1819, is being investigated as a treatment for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency for patients also suffering from cystic fibrosis. MS1819 is a recombinant lipase, derived from a yeast strain. The drug is designed to target fat molecules in the digestive tract, allowing patients to absorb the broken-down fats for nutritive value. The drug is currently in Phase 2 trials, which are scheduled for completion in the first half of this year. As of January 21, the first two patients in the Phase 2b OPTION 2 extension study have been dosed with the treatment, and the Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) “remains supportive of the program.” In another important development, AzurRx announced earlier this month that it is entering a partnership with First Wave Bio to study oral and rectal formulation of Niclosamide to treat immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated colitis (ICI-AC) and COVID-19 related gastrointestinal infections. The estimated market for Niclosamide as a treatment for COVID-related GI problems exceeds $450 million. Based on multiple potentially significant clinical catalysts as well as its $0.98 share price, several members of the Street think that now is the right time to pull the trigger. Jonathan Aschoff, of Roth Capital, is bullish on AzurRx, basing his longer-term forecasts on the probable success of MS1819. “We base our valuation for AZRX on projected future U.S. sales from MS1819 for the treatment of EPI due to CF and CP, using an initial annual price of about $18,000, a price that is consistent with currently available PERTs. We project MS1819 to be commercialized in the U.S. in 2023, generating sales of $272 million in 2030. Ex-U.S. commercial success for MS1819, or commercial success from the early-stage beta-lactamase program would provide upside to our valuation,” Aschoff noted. The analyst also looks forward to initial clinical results of Niclosamide in COVID-19 GI infection and in ICI-AC potentially, noting: "Niclosamide was FDA approved in 1982 to treat intestinal tapeworm infections and is on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. Given the millions of patients that have taken the drug, the safety profile has largely been established, thereby lowering developmental risk.” Given all of the above, Aschoff rates AZRX as a Buy, and his $7 price target suggests a sky-high 608% upside for the year ahead. (To watch Aschoff’s track record, click here) Overall, the analyst consensus on AZRX shares is a Strong Buy; the stock has 4 recent reviews, including 3 Buys and a single Hold. In addition, the $4 average price target brings the upside potential to 304%. (See AZRX stock analysis on TipRanks) ProQR (PRQR) ProQR is a biotechnology company focused on treatments for congenital progressive blindness. Specifically, the firm is working on medications to reverse a group of genetic sight disorders called inherited retinal diseases. These diseases currently have no effective treatments. The company has a research pipeline of five drug candidates, in varying stages of the research process. The two that are farthest along are QR-110 (Sepofarsen), and QR-421. Of those two, QR-110 is currently in Phase 2/3 studies. This candidate is an RNA therapy designed to correct the most common CEP290 gene mutation causing Leber congenital amaurosis 10 (LCA10). This is a severe genetic retinal disease that affects as many as 3 in 100,000 children. QR-421 is another RNA therapy, this one focused on exon 13 mutations in the USH2A gene. These mutations cause blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa and/or Usher syndrome. QR-421 is in Phase 1/2 studies, with an aim of restoring lost vision or preventing the loss in the first place. Covering the stock for JMP, analyst Jonathan Wolleben points to Sepofarsen as a key component of his bullish thesis. “We continue to feel good about sepofarsen’s chance of success in Illuminate for multiple reasons: 1) Phase 1/2 confirmed the target registrational dose and dosing interval (6 months); 2) patients had clinically significant and durable BCVA improvements after 12 months – pivotal primary endpoint; 3) supportive secondary efficacy measures (FST, mobility); 4) similar responses seen in second treated eyes; 5) long-term safety confirms positive risk/benefit; and 6) Illuminate patient population was enriched based on Phase 1/2 results (baselinevision of >/=hand motion). We assign sepofarsen a 60% POS and model LCA10 as an ~$300M opportunity to PRQR at peak penetration," Wolleben opined. In line with his upbeat outlook, Wolleben puts a $20 price target on the stock, implying a 384% one-year upside, along with an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating. (To watch Wolleben’s track record, click here) All in all, PRQR gets a unanimous Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus, based on 3 positive stock reviews. Shares are currently trading for $4.13, and their $20.67 average price target is slightly more bullish than Wolleben’s, suggesting an upside of 400% for the coming 12 months. (See PRQR stock analysis at TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny 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.
1d ago
MarketWatch
If I inherit a Roth IRA, are the distributions taxed?
Q: When the inheritor of a Roth IRA receives the funds, is it true that the distributions would not be taxed? It would be unusual for any taxes to be due on an RMD from an inherited Roth IRA. The only portion of an inherited IRA that could be subject to tax is earnings.
1d ago
Benzinga
JPMorgan Upgrades Ford: 'Incoming Tide Of Hot New Products'
A great week for Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) got even better on Friday when the stock got a major upgrade from a big name Wall Street bank.The Ford Analyst: JPMorgan analyst Ryan Brinkman upgraded Ford's stock from Neutral to Overweight and raised his price target from $11 to $14.The Ford Thesis: Brinkman said Ford's "incoming tide of hot new products," including the Mustang Mach-E, the F-160 pickup and the Bronco, will likely drive near-term earnings upside. He said the new F-150 will have the biggest impact on Ford's financials starting in the second quarter of 2021."Additional factors working in Ford's favor are a new CEO laser focused on improving execution, a budding turnaround in China, and the recent bold move to restructure its South American operations, thereby freeing capital for more profitable growth initiatives," Brinkman wrote in a note.JPMorgan is calling for 2021 Ford EPS of $1.45, well ahead of Wall Street consensus estimates of just $1.02.Related Link: How Option Traders Are Playing Ford Following .7B Rivian EV Truck InvestmentThe upgrade comes the same week Ford electric truck investment Rivian raised more than $2.7 billion at a $28 billion valuation. Ford has an undisclosed stake in Rivian after investing $500 million in the company at a much lower valuation back in April 2019. Ford has said it's spending more than $11.5 billion in EVs through 2022.Ford shares are higher by 12% in the past week, but Brinkman sees additional upside ahead for both Ford and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM). Earlier this week, Brinkman reiterated an Outperform rating for GM and raised his price target from $49 to $63.On Friday, Brinkman also raised his price target for Neutral-rated Ferrari NV (NYSE: RACE) from $180 to $195 and for Underweight-rated Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) from $105 to $125.Benzinga's Take: EV stocks have been some of the hottest investments in the market in the past couple of years, but Ford has been mostly left out of that rally. However, if Ford investor sentiment is finally starting to turn, the stock has a long way to go to close the valuation gap with other EV stocks.Latest Ratings for F DateFirmActionFromTo Jan 2021JP MorganUpgradesNeutralOverweight Nov 2020Morgan StanleyDowngradesOverweightEqual-Weight Nov 2020UBSMaintainsNeutral View More Analyst Ratings for F View the Latest Analyst RatingsSee more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * How Option Traders Are Playing Ford Following .7B Rivian EV Truck Investment * This Day In Market History: Alan Greenspan Issues Dot-Com Bubble Warning(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
9h ago

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