Abbott Laboratories (ABT) stock forecast and price target

Rapidly rising inflation in 2022 knocked stocks into a bear market. While growth strategies suffered the most, value strategies also declined. Even bond prices were lower last year. Stocks have recovered thus far in 2023, but gains have been largely driven by only a handful of high-tech companies. Inflation remains high and the Fed continues to raise rates. Is a recession in the offing? With all the uncertainty, is it time for investors to cash in their chips? We note that investors exit the stock market at their own peril, as long-term returns from equities consistently have outpaced long-term returns from other asset classes, such as fixed income and cash. Argus believes that Min Vol is an all-weather strategy that is timely in any investing climate. Academic literature and, more to the point, returns history, indicate that Min Vol can deliver market-matching returns on an absolute basis and superior returns on a risk-adjusted basis over various time periods.

Stocks fell in late trading on Thursday, giving up early gains, as investors weighed more 2Q earnings reports and new GDP and employment data. The Commerce Department, in its advance estimate, said that the U.S. economy expanded at a 2.4% annualized rate in 2Q23, up from a revised 2.0% in 1Q and above the Bloomberg consensus forecast of 1.8% growth. On the employment front, first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 221,000 for the week ended July 22, below the Bloomberg consensus of 235,000. Continuing claims fell by 59,000 to 1.69 million. The Dow fell 0.67%, the S&P 0.64%, and the Nasdaq 0.55%. Crude oil rose more than 1% to $80 per barrel, while gold fell $26 to $1944 per ounce.

Sustainable Impact Investing, or ESG investing, is gaining traction not only with Argus Research clients but also with the global investment community. BlackRock CEO Lawrence Fink, who oversees approximately $9 trillion in assets, announced in January 2020 that his firm would be investing in companies that are making progress on sustainability. He doubled down in his January 2021 letter, calling on company managements to disclose their plans for making their businesses "compatible with a net-zero economy" by 2050. As assets have flowed in over the past 40 years, Sustainable Impact Investing has evolved. The discipline, originally known as Socially Responsible Investing, focused at first on excluding companies that conducted business in South Africa, or participated in industries such as tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. Performance of these initial strategies lagged, and the approach has been modified. Now, instead of merely identifying industries to avoid, the discipline promotes "sustainable" business practices across all industries that can have an "impact" on global issues such as climate, hunger, poverty, disease, shelter, and workers' rights.

Monday Tee Up: Is Inflation Slowing?

Stocks were mixed on Thursday morning, a day after the Fed's 25-basis-point rate hike and comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell drove a strong afternoon rally. Mr. Powell boosted sentiment by stating that 'the disinflationary process' had started, though he also cautioned that further rate hikes were forthcoming and that he did not expect the Fed to cut rates this year. Following the Fed's increase, the European Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 2.5% and said that it would raise rates by a similar amount at its next meeting in March. The Dow fell 0.3%, the S&P rose 1.5%, and the Nasdaq rose 3%. Crude oil fell 0.5% to $76.04 per barrel, while gold fell $5 to $1937 per ounce.

Rapidly rising inflation 2022 knocked stocks into a bear market. While growth strategies suffered the most, value strategies also declined. Even bond prices were lower last year. Volatility, which has dropped from the highs of 2020, still has not returned to pre-COVID levels. Is it time for investors to cash in their chips? We note that investors exit the stock market at their own peril, as long-term returns from equities consistently have outpaced long-term returns from other asset classes, such as fixed income and cash. As well, those fixed-income returns are from eras when the 10-year Treasury bond yield was much higher than the current 3.5% level. So what's a potential equity strategy for investors amid all the uncertainty? Argus believes that Min Vol is an all-weather strategy that is timely in any investing climate.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Sustainable Impact Investing, or ESG investing, is gaining traction not only with Argus Research clients but also with the global investment community. BlackRock CEO Lawrence Fink, who oversees approximately $9 trillion in assets, announced in January 2020 that his firm would be investing in companies that are making progress on sustainability. He doubled down in his January 2021 letter, calling on company managements to disclose their plans for making their businesses "compatible with a net-zero economy" by 2050. As assets have flowed in over the past 40 years, Sustainable Impact Investing has evolved. The discipline, originally known as Socially Responsible Investing, focused at first on excluding companies that conducted business in South Africa, or participated in industries such as tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. Performance of these initial strategies lagged, and the approach has been modified. Now, instead of merely identifying industries to avoid, the discipline promotes "sustainable" business practices across all industries that can have an "impact" on global issues such as climate, hunger, poverty, disease, shelter, and workers' rights.

Investors who are hunting for stocks that reasonably balance long-term growth prospects and current value characteristics might want to look first at companies that are in the Energy, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Industrial sectors. These are among the industry groups that are currently selling for PEGY ratios -- (price/earnings)/(growth+yield) -- that are at or below the S&P 500's ratio of 2.0. To generate the PEGY ratios, we use the P/E ratio for each sector (based on forward earnings) for the numerator. For the denominator, we average the growth rates for the past five years along with two years of forward estimates, this in order to achieve a smoother and less-volatile earnings trend. We then add the current yield, so as to approximate total return. Premium-valued sectors with low growth rates include the Consumer Staples and Utilities industries. Our over-weight sectors include Healthcare, Industrial, Basic Materials and Energy. Our under-weight sectors include Consumer Staples and Communication Services.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Last week was the busiest of the quarter for corporate earnings, with a fair number of sharp moves in stock prices following above- or below-consensus results or changes in company guidance. Through October 25, Refinitiv reports that 129 S&P 500 companies have announced earnings, with 74% of those coming in ahead of the EPS consensus. The blended (reported and estimated) growth rate for the full quarter, however, is now at 3.3%. That's down from the 4.5% that was expected at the start of the quarter, which is likely a combination of the magnitude of the earnings misses as well as earnings estimates still coming down for those still scheduled to report. Sectors with the strongest beat rates so far have been Healthcare and Communication Services, where 100% of companies reporting have come in ahead of consensus. The biggest laggard has been Consumer Discretionary, where only 47% have exceeded consensus. Energy dominates, with a 119% blended earnings growth rate versus 3Q21, while Financials are at the other end with a 16% earnings decline. Our analysts are always on the lookout for companies that boost their outlooks during earnings season. Management's ability to "raise guidance" can often be a catalyst to strong returns in the quarters ahead. Here is an initial list of BUY-rated companies in Argus coverage for which management has raised guidance or increased its outlook during the 3Q22 EPS reporting season.

Stocks rose on Tuesday morning as investors weighed a new round of 3Q earnings reports. General Motors shares rose after the automaker posted strong third-quarter revenue and earnings, though management maintained its full-year EPS guidance. UPS also rose after posting above-consensus earnings, while GE fell after disappointing results, driven by losses in its renewable energy business. Growth in housing prices continued to slow. The Case-Shiller index reported a 13% year-over-year increase in home prices in August, down from 15.6% growth in July and below the consensus forecast. The Dow rose 0.6%, the S&P 1.0%, and the Nasdaq 1.6%. Crude oil rose more than 1% to $85.50 per barrel, while gold rose $9 to $1664 per ounce.

Last week was the busiest of the quarter for earnings, with many sharp stock-price moves following above- or below-consensus results or changes in guidance. Through July 26, Refinitiv noted that 133 S&P 500 companies had reported earnings, with 76% beating expectations, above the long-term average of 66%. The blended (actual for those reporting and consensus for those still to report) growth rate is 6.2%, near the 5.6% expectation and indicating the "beats" have not been robust. But the sour mood coming into the quarter is being greeted with relief that profit shortfalls and lowered guidance are not rampant. Our analysts always look for companies that boost outlooks during earnings season. Raising guidance can be a catalyst for strong returns in the quarters ahead. Here is an initial list of BUY-rated companies in Argus coverage with raised guidance or increased outlooks during the 2Q22 EPS reporting season.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Rapidly rising inflation in 2022 has knocked the stock market into a bear market. While growth strategies have suffered the most, value strategies also have declined. Even year-to-date bond prices are lower. Volatility, which has dropped from the highs of 2020, still has not returned to pre-COVID levels. Is it time for investors to cash in their chips? We note that investors exit the stock market at their own peril, as long-term returns from equities consistently have outpaced long-term returns from other asset classes, such as fixed income and cash. As well, those returns are from eras when the 10-year Treasury bond yield was much higher than the current 3.0% level. So what's a potential equity strategy for investors amid all the uncertainty? Argus believes that Min Vol is an all-weather strategy that is timely in any investing climate. Academic literature and, more to the point, returns history, indicate that Min Vol can deliver market-matching returns on an absolute basis and superior returns on a risk-adjusted basis over various time periods.

Second-Quarter Earnings Season: First Look

Sustainable Impact Investing, or ESG investing, is gaining traction not only with Argus Research clients but also with the global investment community. BlackRock CEO Lawrence Fink, who oversees approximately $9 trillion in assets, announced in January 2020 that his firm would be investing in companies that are making progress on sustainability. He doubled down in his January 2021 letter, calling on company managements to disclose their plans for making their businesses "compatible with a net-zero economy" by 2050. As assets have flowed in over the past 40 years, Sustainable Impact Investing has evolved. The discipline, originally known as Socially Responsible Investing, focused at first on excluding companies that conducted business in South Africa, or participated in industries such as tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. Performance of these initial strategies lagged, and the approach has been modified. Now, instead of merely identifying industries to avoid, the discipline promotes "sustainable" business practices across all industries that can have an "impact" on global issues such as climate, hunger, poverty, disease, shelter, and workers' rights.

Vickers Stock Research, a subsidiary of Argus Research Group, tracks and analyzes insider trading and institutional ownership trends. Form 13-Fs are due 45 days after the end of calendar quarters, and have now come in from 1Q22. We like to review the 13Fs of the major activist investors, including Carl Icahn, Trian Fund Management, Jana Partners, and ValueAct Holdings, among others. Activist investing has evolved in recent years and is now less about generating a short-term return on an underpriced stock and more about achieving long-term returns through an active management/investor partnership. Here are some recent new purchases and key holdings of activist investors, according to the data from Vickers.

Stocks continued to fall on Monday morning following Friday's sharp selloff, as investors weighed prospects for aggressive Fed rate hikes along with a widening COVID outbreak in China. On the earnings front, Coca-Cola posted better-than-expected first-quarter sales and earnings, helped by price hikes, and reaffirmed its full-year guidance. The Dow fell 1.0%, the S&P 1.0%, and the Nasdaq 0.2%. Crude oil fell more than 5% to $97 per barrel, while gold traded near $1895 per ounce.

Our rating on the Healthcare sector is Over-Weight. Consumers are now more willing to spend on lifestyle enhancements along with necessary spending on life-saving treatments. In addition, the survival of the Affordable Care Act has kept the ranks of insured U.S. citizens above the historical average, further increasing consumer spending on healthcare services and products. Meanwhile, companies with experience in diagnostic testing, vaccines, and antiviral medicines, as well as suppliers of protective equipment and other hospital products, should benefit from efforts to contain the pandemic. The sector accounts for 13.7% of the S&P 500, and includes companies in the pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare services, and insurance industries. The sector is outperforming the market thus far in 2022, with a gain of 1.3% through early April, while the S&P 500 has declined 6%. The following are examples of how we use our analysts' Healthcare sector ideas in our Focus List and Model Portfolios. All stocks are rated BUY at Argus.

At the Federal Reserve meeting last month, Chairman Powell and other Fed governors again pointed toward a faster pace of short-term interest rate increases, this as record-high inflation rates persist. Since the meeting, short-term rates have moved higher but the long end of the curve has hardly budged on growth concerns (due to the Omicron variant). As the economy opens back up, there are now concerns that the Fed may "overtighten," stunting future growth. For 2022, the market is pricing in a minimum of 3-4 rate hikes beginning in March. Meanwhile, the central bank's balance sheet continues to grow, topping the $8.87 trillion mark at the end of December from $7.3 trillion at the beginning of the year and $4 trillion pre-pandemic. The balance sheet consists of $6.2 trillion of U.S. Treasuries and $2.6 trillion in agency mortgage-backed securities. We expect the balance sheet to total almost $8.9 trillion once tapering is done. Future balance-sheet reductions may be done as a proxy for raising rates and to keep the yield curve steeper. We expect the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield to range between 1.4% to 2.85% in 2022. Our call is that the Federal Reserve will hike short-term interest rates three times in 2022, and two-to-three times in 2023, before moving to the sidelines once the federal funds rate approaches 1.75%-2.00% in 2024.

The onset of the coronavirus in 2020 knocked stocks into a bear market. Though equities have recovered, the U.S. economy is about to slow down and COVID-19 cases are rising again as virus variants spread. Volatility, which has dropped from the highs of 2020, still has not returned to pre-COVID levels. Daily prices can swing wildly, as they did in January 2022 when the S&P 500 fell 5%. Is it time for investors to cash in their chips? Perhaps not yet. We note that investors exit the stock market at their own peril, as long-term returns from equities consistently have outpaced long-term returns from other asset classes, such as fixed income and cash. As well, those returns are from eras when the 10-year Treasury bond yield was not sub-2.0%. So what's a potential equity strategy for investors amid all the uncertainty? Argus believes that Min Vol is an all-weather strategy that is timely in any investing climate. Academic literature and, more to the point returns history, indicate that Min Vol can deliver market-matching returns on an absolute basis and superior returns on a risk-adjusted basis over various time periods. We have designed a portfolio of companies followed by Argus Research analysts that are BUY-rated and have impressive Min Vol characteristics of low beta, high yield, high market cap, strong balance sheets and low risk profiles. Here are some of the stocks featured in the portfolio.

Stocks rallied on a strong GDP report on Thursday morning, recovering from a late-day selloff on Wednesday after the Fed's policy statement and comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The Commerce Department said that the U.S. economy expanded at a 6.9% annual rate in 4Q21, up from 2.3% growth in the third quarter and well above the Reuters consensus forecast of 5.5% growth. GDP also rose 5.7% for the full year after declining 3.4% in 2020. The Dow rose 1.3%, the S&P 500 1.0%, and the Nasdaq 0.8%. Crude oil fell to $87 per barrel, while gold fell $35 to $1795 per ounce.

The onset of the coronavirus in 2020 knocked stocks into a bear market. Though equities recovered, the U.S. economy is about to slow down and COVID-19 cases are rising again as virus variants spread. Volatility, which has dropped from the highs of 2020, still has not returned to pre-COVID levels. Daily prices can swing wildly, as they did three times in 2021 when stocks dropped 4%-5% in a matter of a few days. Is it time for investors to cash in their chips? We note that investors exit the stock market at their own peril, as long-term returns from equities consistently have outpaced long-term returns from other asset classes, such as fixed income and cash. As well, those returns are from eras when the 10-year Treasury bond yield was not sub-2.0%. So what's a potential equity strategy for investors amid all the uncertainty? Argus believes that Min Vol is an all-weather strategy that is timely in any investing climate. Academic literature and, more to the point, returns history indicate that Min Vol can deliver market-matching returns on an absolute basis and superior returns on a risk-adjusted basis over various time periods.

This is among our most-important themes for 2022, and stretches across industries. We think companies that raise their dividends consistently at a double-digit rate are sending off three important signals amid all the recent market volatility: 1) the company's balance sheet is strong enough to pay a dividend; 2) management is focused on providing shareholder returns; and 3) management is confident enough in the near-term outlook to raise the payout aggressively. This third factor is especially important as the pandemic upends the nation's recent record of long-term economic growth. Here are 12 stocks that meet our double-digit dividend test and are on the Argus BUY list. They are also holdings in our Dividend Growth Separately Managed Account and in the Dividend Growers Total Return Trust, sponsored by SmartTrust.

Often overlooked amid gyrations in the stock market is dividend income, which is an important element of total return. Between 1930 and 2012, dividend income accounted for 42% of total return of the S&P 500, according to Hartford Funds. And that's just the average. In some decades, dividends accounted for more than 50% of total returns and even 100% of returns. More recently, dividends have accounted for 15%-20% of returns. Still, in 2018, dividend payments softened the blow when most market indices declined as the Federal Reserve hiked rates. But not all dividends are created equal, though, and it is important to understand the difference between the two main categories: high-yield stocks and dividend-growth stocks.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

In November, shorter-term Treasury yields headed higher while longer-term yields declined. The curve (two-year/10-year spread) flattened from 108 basis points on November 1 to 91 basis points at month-end on expectations of higher short-term rates, offset by future growth concerns at the long-end. Institutions remain flush with cash, as evidenced by the barely positive return, and the Fed continues to finance additional purchases in the repo market. The two-year Treasury yield has traded in a wide band, ranging from 0.39%-0.63%; it opened the month at 0.50% and ultimately ticked higher to 0.52% at month-end. At the longer end of the yield curve, 10-year yields marched lower, yielding 1.58% on November 1, before topping out at 1.67% on November 23 and closing the month at 1.43% on the heels of Chairman Powell's testimony about inflation. Real 10-year yields (10-year Treasury/10-year TIPS) ended November at -1.07%, widening from -0.92% at the beginning of the month due to the divergent opinion in long-term real rates and inflation expectations. Our year-end 2022 targets for the 10-year Treasury bond yield is now 2.35%, up 10 bps from the prior month. We now anticipate that the Fed will hike short-term interest rates two times in 2022, and two-to-three times in 2023, before moving to the sidelines once the federal funds rate approaches 1.75%-2.00% in 2024.

Sustainable Impact Investing is gaining traction with the global investment community. In January 2020, BlackRock CEO Lawrence Fink, who oversees approximately $9 trillion in assets, announced that his firm would be investing in companies that are making progress on sustainability. He doubled down in his January 2021 letter, calling on company managements to disclose their plans for making their businesses "compatible with a net-zero economy" by 2050. As assets have flowed in over the past 40 years, Sustainable Impact Investing has evolved. The discipline, originally known as Socially Responsible Investing, focused at first on excluding companies that conducted business in South Africa, or participated in industries such as tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. But the performance of these initial strategies lagged, and the approach has been modified. Now, instead of merely identifying industries to avoid, the discipline promotes "sustainable" business practices across all industries that can have an "impact" on global issues such as the climate, hunger, poverty, disease, shelter, and workers' rights.

Stocks finished mostly higher on Thursday as investors weighed earnings reports from a range of major companies along with new employment data. First-time unemployment claims fell to 290,000, down from the prior week and below consensus. Continuing claims dropped to 2.481 million from 2.603 million a week earlier, and were also below the consensus forecast. Housing data was strong. The National Association of Realtors said that sales of existing homes rose 7% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.29 million, up from a decline of 2% in August and above the consensus estimate calling for 3.7% growth. The Dow fell 0.02%, the S&P rose 0.30%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.62%. Crude oil fell 1% to $82.50 per barrel, while gold fell slightly to $1784 per ounce.

Investors hunting for stocks that reasonably balance long-term growth and current value characteristics might want to look at companies in the Financial Services, Technology and Healthcare sectors. These are among the industry groups that currently are selling for PEGY ratios (price/earnings)/(growth+yield) at or below the S&P 500's ratio of 2.4x. To generate the PEGY ratios, we use the P/E ratio for each sector based on forward earnings for the numerator. For the denominator, we average the growth rates for the past three years along with two years of forward estimates, in order to achieve a smoother, less-volatile, earnings trend. Then we add the current yield, to approximate total return. Premium-valued sectors with low growth rates include Consumer Staples and Utilities. Our over-weight sectors include Healthcare, Financial Services, Industrial, Communication Services and Technology. Our under-weight sectors include Energy and Consumer Discretionary.

Investors hunting for stocks that reasonably balance long-term growth and current value characteristics might want to look at companies in the Financial Services, Technology and Healthcare sectors. These are among the industry groups that currently are selling for PEGY ratios (price/earnings)/(growth+yield) at or below the S&P 500's ratio of 2.4x. To generate the PEGY ratios, we use the P/E ratio for each sector based on forward earnings for the numerator. For the denominator, we average the growth rates for the past three years along with two years of forward estimates, in order to achieve a smoother, less-volatile, earnings trend. Then we add the current yield, to approximate total return. Premium-valued sectors with low growth rates include Consumer Staples and Utilities. Our over-weight sectors include Healthcare, Financial Services, Industrial, Communication Services and Technology. Our under-weight sectors include Energy and Consumer Discretionary.

Corporate insiders continue to show relative indifference to equities, neither buying nor selling aggressively. We've used this space to suggest that current insider sentiment is not surprising, given that major stock indices are at all-time highs. Still, valuations could become more appealing if corporate earnings continue to rise and global economies continue to recover. With that in mind, current insider sentiment seems reasonable. But is it in keeping with historical behavior?

Often overlooked amid gyrations in the stock market is dividend income, which is an important element of total return. Between 1930 and 2012, dividend income accounted for 42% of total return of the S&P 500, according to Hartford Funds. And that's just the average. In some decades, dividends accounted for more than 50% of total returns and even 100% of returns. More recently, dividends have accounted for 15%-20% of returns. Still, in 2018, dividend payments softened the blow when most market indices declined as the Federal Reserve hiked rates. Not all dividends are created equal, though, and it is important to understand the difference between the two main categories: high-yield stocks and dividend-growth stocks.

Sustainable Impact Investing is gaining traction with the global investment community. In January 2020, BlackRock CEO Lawrence Fink, who oversees approximately $9 trillion in assets, announced that his firm would be investing in companies that are making progress on sustainability. He doubled down in his January 2021 letter, calling on company managements to disclose their plans for making their businesses "compatible with a net-zero economy" by 2050. As assets have flowed in over the past 40 years, Sustainable Impact Investing has evolved. The discipline, originally known as Socially Responsible Investing, focused at first on excluding companies that conducted business in South Africa, or participated in industries such as tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. But the performance of these initial strategies lagged, and the approach has been modified. Now, instead of merely identifying industries to avoid, the discipline promotes "sustainable" business practices across all industries that can have an "impact" on global issues such as the climate, hunger, poverty, disease, shelter, and workers' rights.

The stock market moved lower last week, then rallied on Friday, ultimately finishing flat-to-down. Tech stocks and blue chips performed similarly, with tech narrowly outperforming. During Friday's session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 228 points, or 0.67%. The S&P 500 was up 1.09%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.44%. For the week, the DJIA was down 0.46%, the S&P 500 was up 0.13%, and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.25%. Year-to-date, the DJIA is up 11.23%, the S&P 500 is up 11.29%, and the Nasdaq Composite is up 8.76%.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

January ended with a fizzle, as stocks recorded their worst month since October and the S&P 500 registered a loss for the month. In a month that featured the incursion at the Capitol Building and a heavily policed inauguration, few predicted that the key market driver would be a retail chain that a few hedge funds (to their misfortune) perceived to be on its last legs.

This edition features the year ahead for the coronavirus vaccine; spinal cord stimulation innovation; the Democratic wins in Georgia and the impact on our coverage; and notes from Molson Coors, Intel, and new coverage Exact Sciences.

The 3Q20 EPS season is mostly in the record books, with retailers the last group to report. The results were not pretty, but were better than 2Q20. Through mid-November, Refinitiv reported that S&P 500 earnings declined in 3Q at a 7.4% rate -- a vast improvement from the prior quarter's 30.5% decline. Excluding the Energy sector, earnings declined at a 3.2% rate. Of the 462 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings to date for 20Q3, 84% have reported earnings above analyst expectations. This compares to a long-term average of 65% and prior four-quarter average of 73%. Our analysts are always looking for companies that raise their outlooks during earnings season. Management's ability to "raise guidance" can often be a catalyst to strong returns in the quarters ahead. There were not many in this most-recent period. Here are 12 BUY-rated companies in Argus Coverage for which management has raised guidance or increased its outlook during the recent EPS reporting season.

Stocks were mixed on Tuesday morning following Monday's sharp selloff. Caterpillar shares fell more than 2% after the company posted 3Q earnings that topped consensus expectations but fell more than 50% from the prior year. 3M also posted lower year-over-year earnings, while sales rose a better-than-expected 4.5%. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department said that orders for core capital goods excluding aircraft rose 1.0% in September, down from 2.1% growth in August but above the Reuters consensus forecast of 0.5%. The Dow fell 0.4%, the S&P fell 0.1%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.6%. Crude oil traded near $39 per barrel, while gold rose $2.50 to $1908 per ounce.

Often overlooked amid the market's gyrations, dividend income is an important element of total return. Consider recent results: in 2015, the S&P 500 delivered a total return of 1.4%, including dividends -- but excluding dividends, the market was down 0.7%. Capital gains were a bit easier to achieve in 2016-17, though we note that dividend payments still contributed about 15%-20% of total return for investors. And dividend payments softened the blow in 2018, when most market indices declined as the Federal Reserve hiked rates. Between 1930 and 2012, dividend income accounted for 42% of total return of the S&P 500, according to Morgan Stanley. Not all dividends are created equal, though, and it is important to understand the difference between high-yield stocks and dividend-growth stocks, particularly in a slow-growth or recessionary economic environment.

Often overlooked amid the market's gyrations, dividend income is an important element of total return. Consider recent results: in 2015, the S&P 500 delivered a total return of 1.4%, including dividends -- but excluding dividends, the market was down 0.7%. Capital gains were a bit easier to achieve in 2016-17, though we note that dividend payments still contributed about 15%-20% of total return for investors. And dividend payments softened the blow in 2018, when most market indices declined as the Federal Reserve hiked rates. Between 1930 and 2012, dividend income accounted for 42% of total return of the S&P 500, according to Morgan Stanley. Not all dividends are created equal, though, and it is important to understand the difference between high-yield stocks and dividend-growth stocks, particularly in a slow-growth or recessionary economic environment.

This is among our most important themes for 2020, and stretches across industries. We think companies that raise their dividends consistently at a double-digit rate are delivering three important signals amid all the recent market volatility: 1) the company's balance sheet is strong enough to pay a dividend; 2) management is focused on providing shareholder returns; and 3) management is confident enough in the near-term outlook to raise the payout aggressively. This third factor is especially important as the pandemic upends the nation's recent record of long-term economic growth. Here are 13 stocks that meet our double-digit dividend test and are on the Argus BUY List. They are also new holdings in our Dividend Growth Separately Managed Account and in the Dividend Growers Total Return Trust, sponsored by SmartTrust.

This is among our most important themes for 2020, and stretches across industries. We think companies that raise their dividends consistently at a double-digit rate are delivering three important signals amid all the recent market volatility: 1) the company's balance sheet is strong enough to pay a dividend; 2) management is focused on providing shareholder returns; and 3) management is confident enough in the near-term outlook to raise the payout aggressively. This third factor is especially important as the pandemic upends the nation's recent record of long-term economic growth. Here are 13 stocks that meet our double-digit dividend test and are on the Argus BUY List. They are also new holdings in our Dividend Growth Separately Managed Account and in the Dividend Growers Total Return Trust, sponsored by SmartTrust.

Sustainable Impact Investing is gaining traction with the global investment community. In January, BlackRock CEO Lawrence Fink, who oversees approximately $7 trillion in assets, announced that his firm would be investing in companies that are making progress on sustainability. Mr. Fink's new focus follows rapid growth in sustainable assets in recent years. According to Opimas, a management consultancy focused on global capital markets, global assets under management in ESG strategies had grown to $40.5 trillion in 2020, doubling in four years and tripling in eight years. As assets have flowed in over the past 40 years, Sustainable Impact Investing has evolved. The discipline, originally known as Socially Responsible Investing, focused at first on excluding companies for various reasons. Now, the discipline promotes "sustainable" business practices across all industries that can have an "impact" on global issues.

conomic Data, New Infections Send Conflicting Signals

conomic Data, New Infections Send Conflicting Signals

Gold futures broke out of a 10-week, bullish consolidation on Tuesday, finishing at $1785/oz. -- the highest level since October 2012. Based on the size of the base, the yellow metal could see a measured move of $100 up to the $1870 region. That is very close to the all-time closing high of $1,900.40 on August 22, 2011, and the all-time intraday high of $1923.70 on September 6, 2011. Silver futures remain stuck in a six-year range and probably need to break above the $21/oz. area to start moving to the upside.

Gold futures broke out of a 10-week, bullish consolidation on Tuesday, finishing at $1785/oz. -- the highest level since October 2012. Based on the size of the base, the yellow metal could see a measured move of $100 up to the $1870 region. That is very close to the all-time closing high of $1,900.40 on August 22, 2011, and the all-time intraday high of $1923.70 on September 6, 2011. Silver futures remain stuck in a six-year range and probably need to break above the $21/oz. area to start moving to the upside.

Over the past 17 days, the S&P 500 has been fairly quiet. Indeed, the 17-day rate of change of 1.7% is the calmest action we have seen in about three months. It's possible that the index is tracing out a small head-and-shoulders top that would be complete on a break below 2,794. That would open the door for a measured move down to 2,633. A 38.2% retracement of the entire rally would target the 2,664 region.

Over the past 17 days, the S&P 500 has been fairly quiet. Indeed, the 17-day rate of change of 1.7% is the calmest action we have seen in about three months. It's possible that the index is tracing out a small head-and-shoulders top that would be complete on a break below 2,794. That would open the door for a measured move down to 2,633. A 38.2% retracement of the entire rally would target the 2,664 region.

Stocks rose on Friday morning on optimism about plans for reopening the U.S. economy and reports that Gilead's experimental drug remdesivir could be an effective treatment for COVID-19. Boeing shares rose more than 12% after the company said that it would resume production of commercial jets next week. The S&P rose 1.4%, the Dow 1.6%, and the Nasdaq 0.6%. Crude oil fell 9% to $18 per barrel, while gold fell $13 to $1718 per ounce.

Stocks rose on Friday morning on optimism about plans for reopening the U.S. economy and reports that Gilead's experimental drug remdesivir could be an effective treatment for COVID-19. Boeing shares rose more than 12% after the company said that it would resume production of commercial jets next week. The S&P rose 1.4%, the Dow 1.6%, and the Nasdaq 0.6%. Crude oil fell 9% to $18 per barrel, while gold fell $13 to $1718 per ounce.

The week got off to a great start, with the indices all-higher by over 7% on Monday, and the MidCap 400 and Russell 2000 both up about 8%. The SPX, NASDAQ, QQQ, NYSE, and Dow Jones all ran back to or exceeded their recent recovery highs, while the MDY and IWM are getting close to their recent highs.

The week got off to a great start, with the indices all-higher by over 7% on Monday, and the MidCap 400 and Russell 2000 both up about 8%. The SPX, NASDAQ, QQQ, NYSE, and Dow Jones all ran back to or exceeded their recent recovery highs, while the MDY and IWM are getting close to their recent highs.

Faced with one of the greatest economic challenges ever, U.S. corporations -- both inside and outside of the Healthcare sector -- are reallocating resources in an all-hands battle against COVID-19. Here are some of the companies and what they are doing.

Faced with one of the greatest economic challenges ever, U.S. corporations -- both inside and outside of the Healthcare sector -- are reallocating resources in an all-hands battle against COVID-19. Here are some of the companies and what they are doing.