Small business owners push back on coronavirus lockdowns
Former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman comments on how American business owners are struggling amid strict lockdowns.
At a time when millions of people are strapped for money and counting on their income tax refund or a stimulus check, they’ll have to wait a little longer before they can file their taxes. Feb. 12 marks the first date the Internal Revenue Service will start accepting and processing returns. Tax season started Jan. 27 last year.
President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion “rescue plan” released on Thursday calls for three key tax improvements for 2021 that would help Americans across the income spectrum.
Hexavest of Montreal slashed each of its positions in Apple, Intel, and Microsoft stock, and initiated a small position in electric-vehicle firm Nio in the fourth quarter.
* This weekend's Barron's cover story offers thoughts and stock picks from the latest Barron's Roundtable. * Other featured articles examine the cutting edge in biotech stocks, an outlier bubble forecast and growing corporate political activism. * Also, the prospects for a struggling retailer, a luxury homebuilder, an oil giant and more.Cover story "Welcome to the Roaring '20s, but Maybe Not for Stocks, Our Experts Say" by Lauren R. Rublin offers thoughts from 10 investment pros on the Barron's Roundtable on how lofty valuations could limit the market's gains this year. The article includes nine stock picks from the roundtable. See if Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) is one of them.Connor Smith's "GameStop Stock Doubled Last Week--But Challenges Remain" points out that Barron's recently argued that GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) shares looked pricey at $18, but now they are nearly $40. See why the downbeat view on the videogame retailer's stock remains the same.In "Intel's New CEO Has a Tough Task," Max A. Cherney makes the case that Pat Gelsinger's most pressing issue will be tackling the manufacturing issues at Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC). See why there is no easy fix for a company that has long insisted on doing things in-house.The pandemic has reminded people of means that space and amenities in their homes have real value. So says "Why Toll Brothers Is a Play on the 'Single-Family Supercycle'" by Andrew Bary. See why Barron's believes Toll Brothers Inc (NYSE: TOL) can build on the housing boom, as the nation's largest luxury homebuilder offers rising returns and a low valuation.In Bill Alpert's "With Rare Speed, Gene Editing Emerges as Biotech's New Cutting Edge," the focus is on why stocks of companies wielding tools that allow them to edit DNA and attack genetic diseases and cancer are suddenly hot. Are Crispr Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ: CRSP) or Editas Medicine Inc (NASDAQ: EDIT) worth a look now?"3M Stock Is Unloved and Underpriced. Here's Why It Could Shoot Up Higher" by Ben Levisohn discusses why 3M Co (NYSE: MMM) stock could be poised to ride an economic rebound. After all, the conglomerate makes the adhesives, abrasives and chemicals that companies need in order to do what they do.See also: Benzinga's Weekly Bulls And Bears: AMD, Marathon, Tesla, Uber, Walgreens And MoreA renowned investor argues that stocks are too high, the Fed's promise of low interest rates is just a nice story, and Wall Street is always upbeat, according to Jack Hough 's "Jeremy Grantham's Bubble Forecast Is an Outlier. Is He Right?" See what Barron's thinks comes next for the likes of General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) and Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE: PG).In "Companies Are the New Activists After Capitol Riot," Leslie P. Norton examines how recent events have prompted America's corporations, from Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX), to wade decisively into politics with a range of activist initiatives.Avi Salzman's "The Dow Dropped Exxon Mobil in August. But as Oil Prices Rise, So Does Its Stock" explains why it looked like Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) might have to cut its dividend, but now rising oil prices give it time to cut costs and its $65 billion in debt. Find out why Barron's says Wall Street is giving it a second look.Also in this week's Barron's: * The 2020 Barron's Roundtable report card * Experts on how Biden can fix the COVID-19 vaccine rollout * How much presidents actually influence the economy * ESG activists' new focus on diversity in corporate leadership * What is next now that fear has come to the markets * What the outgoing administration meant for the economy * Whether higher dividend taxes for top earners are coming * Why "bridges" to maximize Social Security benefits should be built into 401(k)s * How Mexican resorts got creative during the pandemicAt the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.Photo by Mike Mozart on Flickr.See more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Notable Insider Buys Of The Past Week: Conagra Brands Plus Plenty Of Biotech Activity * Benzinga's Weekly Bulls And Bears: AMD, Marathon, Tesla, Uber, Walgreens And More(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
New retirees are like recent college graduates — they’re on their own after years of the same routine, and they have to find a new path to follow. This type of retiree ventures into the unknown, taking on a new job they’ve never done before.
Each week Trifecta Stocks identifies names that look bearish and may present interesting investing opportunities on the short side. Using technical analysis of the charts of those stocks, and, when appropriate, recent actions and grades from TheStreet's Quant Ratings, we zero in on five names. While we will not be weighing in with fundamental analysis, we hope this piece will give investors interested in stocks on the way down a good starting point to do further homework on the names.
Congressional leaders plan to get "right to work" on it. How soon could you get the cash?
Biden stimulus buzz may be waning, as the market rally had a healthy pullback. So did Tesla. Qualcomm and JPMorgan are near buy points.
If you haven't heard about the saver's credit, you'll want to get up to speed.
Some traditions are too time-honored to shirk, and on Wall Street, the annual ‘top picks’ are one. Usually made at the very end or very beginning of a year, the Street’s analysts publish reviews on the stocks they believe will show the best performance in coming months – their top picks. The analysts have been analyzing each stock carefully, looking at its past and current performance, its trends on a variety of time frames, management’s plans – they take everything into account. Their recommendations provide valuable direction for building a resilient portfolio in the new year. With this in mind, we used TipRanks' database to identify three stocks which the analysts describe as their ‘top picks’ for 2021. Talos Energy (TALO) The Gulf of Mexico has long been known as one of the world’s great hydrocarbon production regions, and Talos Energy, which produces some 48,000 barrel of oil equivalent per day from offshore operations in the Gulf, is an important player in the area. Talos finished the third quarter of 2020 running a net loss, but revenues, at $135 million, were up 53% sequentially. The company reported over $353 million in accessible liquidity to end the quarter, including $32 million in cash on hand and $321 million in available credit. In December of last year, and continuing into this January, Talos has firmed up its liquidity situation through issues of senior secured notes. The December issue, of $500 million at 12%, will be used mainly to pay down a previous note issue which comes due next year. The January issue, an additional $100 million, will be used to cover outstanding debt on the reserves-based lending facility. Both note issues are due in 2026. Highlighting TALO as his top E&P pick for 2021, Northland analyst Subash Chandra wrote, "TALO is one of the few companies that we are aware of trading at trailing PDP values without a good reason, in our view. The company has addressed the maturity wall and credit facility stresses with a December equity offering and refi. They enter 2021 with breathing room to cross the finish line with Zama and look for scaling opportunities in GoM." To this end, Chandra rates TALO an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and puts a $19 price target, indicating the potential for 91% growth in the coming months. (To watch Chandra’s track record, click here) Overall, with five analyst reviews on file, including 4 Buys and a single Hold, Talos gets a Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus. Shares are priced at $9.96, and their $14.33 average target gives ~44% upside on the one-year horizon. (See TALO stock analysis on TipRanks) Twilio (TWLO) Next up is Twilio, a Silicon Valley cloud communications company. Twilio’s software services allow customers to run their telecom service through their office computer servers, making available not just phone calls but chats, texts, and video conversations. The service includes security features such as user verification. The COVID pandemic, and the shift to remote work that was enforced on the economy, has been a boon to Twilio. The shift put a premium on stable and reliable remote connections and telecommuting, and the company’s revenues, which were already strong and showing sequential gains in every quarter, rose to $447 million in 3Q20. Subsequently, Twilio’s shares have skyrocketed 225% over the past 52 weeks. Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kiddron sees the company on a solid foundation for continued growth, writing, “While some puts and takes are in place in 1Q21, Twilio's long-term opportunity remains underappreciated by investors. We believe the company's differentiated product portfolio (communications/data) and evolving GTM approach (hiring/GSI) can drive G2K/int'l adoption/expansion and enable >30% rev. growth at scale (>$4B/$6B) through CY23/24.” The 5-star analyst chooses TWLO as a ‘top pick,’ based on his upbeat analysis of Twilio. That comes with an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating and a $550 price target implying one-year growth of 41%. (To watch Kiddron’s track record, click here) How does Kiddron's bullish bet weigh in against the Street? Overall, Wall Street likes Twilio, a fact clear from the 21 analyst reviews on record. No fewer than 18 of those are Buys, against just 3 Holds. However, the stock’s recent share gains have pushed the price up to $388.65, leaving room for just 2% upside before hitting the $396.88 average price target. (See TWLO stock analysis on TipRanks) SI-Bone (SIBN) Medical tech is a field of near-endless possibility, and SI-Bone has found a niche. The company specializes in the diagnosis sand treatment of pain and dysfunction in the sacroiliac joint between the lower back and pelvis. The company’s revenues dropped off between 4Q19 and 2Q20, as the corona crisis put a damper on elective medical procedures. That turned around in Q3, when the economy began to open up; many industries, including the medical field, saw a burst of pent-up demand that has not yet dissipated. In raw numbers, SIBN reported a 42% sequential revenue increase for Q3, with the top line at $20.3 million. Year-over-year, revenues were up 26%. During the quarter, the company passed 50,000 iFuse procedures, handled by 2,200 surgeons around the world. The company had $132 million in liquid assets available at the end of the quarter, against $39.4 million in long-term debt. Looking forward, the company guides toward an 8% to 10% yoy gain in full-year revenue for 2020, expecting that top line at $73 million to $74 million. Analyst David Saxon, covering the stock for Needham, says, “SIBN has shown resiliency during the pandemic, and we believe its growth drivers can allow it to beat consensus revenue throughout 2021. Further, we expect SIBN's 2021 sales force expansion, building momentum in surgeon training, upcoming product launches, and direct-to-patient marketing will all contribute to strong revenue over the next few years.” Saxon uses these points to support his ‘top pick’ status for SIBN. His average price target is $35, suggesting an upside of 23%, and fitting nicely with his Buy rating. (To watch Saxon's track record, click here) All in all, SI-Bone gets a Strong Buy from Wall Street, and it is unanimous – based on 5 positive reviews. The shares are selling for $28.48, and their $33.80 average target implies room for ~19% growth over the course of 2021. (See SIBN 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.
BlackBerry Limited (BB) is somewhat of an enigma in the investment world, full of great promise but at the same time, it has let shareholders down time and again. The company is armed with a huge patent portfolio, and offers several cutting-edge products in cybersecurity, Internet-of-Things (IoT), and automotive technology. What’s more, shares have surged 32% in the last two sessions after BlackBerry announced that it has sold 90 smartphone technology patents to Huawei, as part of its shift away from the mobile phone space. But while BlackBerry gushes with potential, it also disappoints quarter after quarter. In the most recent quarter, BlackBerry missed on revenue and GAAP EPS. Most concerning were the drop in revenue, down 20% year-over-year, and the sizeable increase in GAAP operating loss of $127 million, up from the $29 million loss one year ago. To be fair, some of the performance issues were pandemic-related, particularly with regards to the auto sector where plant shutdowns have translated to fewer automobile deliveries, and hence, lower QNX licensing fees. However, the company’s revenue has been shrinking for several years before the pandemic. The five-year growth rate for example is -20.8%. Company Transformation The story is not all bad. Glimmers of hope are emerging in what may yet shape up to be a multi-year turnaround story that started in 2013, the year that John Chen took the reigns of BlackBerry as CEO. At that time, BlackBerry was a $6 billion Titanic, immersed in red ink after hitting an iceberg called the Apple iPhone. After taking charge, John Chen proceeded to monetize the company’s patent portfolio, and transform the mobile phone manufacturer into a much more modest $1 billion software company. The transformation has taken place over several years, with half a dozen acquisitions along the way, including Cylance, Good, and AtHoc. These companies have been assimilated and worked into BlackBerry's product streams, but also have resulted in a significant write down of goodwill, including $500 million earlier in 2020. BlackBerry has at least stabilized its financial situation, and now has positive free cash flow and adjusted EBITDA. That said, the turmoil surrounding the company has affected its stock price and resulted in an attractive valuation. BlackBerry also boasts some promising technologies that could lead to strong revenue growth down the road. This may be a great time to invest in BlackBerry. Valuation Metrics BlackBerry’s low valuation should come as no surprise given its past troubles. The company has superior metrics versus the software industry on a number of fronts, summarized in the table below. MetricBlackBerryIndustryPrice/Sales Ratio5.8511.31Price/Book Ratio3.0711.44Gross Margin74.2%70.9%Operating Margin-9.2%-23.6%Current Ratio2.271.57Total Debt/Equity0.330.55 Metrics such as price/sales and price/book ratio suggest that BlackBerry is quite undervalued, with a strong likelihood that the stock will outperform once the company’s future potential is recognized by the market. It is not at all unreasonable to expect a 2x - 3x stock price increase from its current level. BlackBerry IVY BlackBerry’s recent announcement regarding its strategic alliance with Amazon Web Services (AWS) may be enough to kick-start the company’s stock price. The exclusive partnership provides instant credibility along with a ‘Big Data’ mindset to vehicle data, resulting in unlimited potential for third-party applications in areas such as car insurance, maintenance, EV charging, and connected vehicles. The AWS platform gives BlackBerry IVY cloud-connectivity, scalability, and a global reach. This initiative will provide BlackBerry with a new source of recurring revenue in the automotive market, where it already has software installed in over 175 million cars. Spark Suite Apart from BlackBerry IVY, there are several other promising technologies emerging from BlackBerry, including Spark Suite, which combines Endpoint Management with Endpoint Security, a logical step in the evolution of mobile devices. Spark Suite provides Zero Trust, an emerging concept in cybersecurity that is becoming a necessity for enterprises as mobile devices such as wearables become the norm within the workplace. In addition to IVY and Spark Suite, BlackBerry has several other more mature product offerings including QNX, BlackBerry AtHoc, and BlackBerry SecuSUITE. While not as exciting as BlackBerry's recent initiatives, they provide a steady and increasing revenue stream. Wall Street’s Take From Wall Street analysts, BlackBerry earns a Hold analyst consensus based on 3 Hold ratings. Additionally, the average price target of $8 puts the downside potential at 18.7%. (See BlackBerry stock analysis on TipRanks) Summary and Conclusions BlackBerry has had a turbulent past, downsizing from a $6 billion hardware company into a $1 billion software company over the last seven years. Revenue was down 20% year-over-year in the latest quarter, but much of the poor performance can be attributed to the soft auto sector resulting from the pandemic. QNX licensing fees and royalties will pick up as the global economy improves. Despite several years of disappointing results, the company has stabilized its financial situation and appears to be positioned to capitalize on several leading-edge technology ventures, including its exclusive partnership with AWS and enterprise mobility management and security. Given the very low valuation, this could be an ideal time to invest in BlackBerry. Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this article should be taken as a solicitation to purchase or sell securities.
At 8.6% interest on its savings accounts, crypto fintech platform BlockFi is offering an interesting option for savers disappointed with low rates.
DraftKings is one of the top IPO stocks to watch, as gambling legalization gains steam. Here is what the fundamentals and technical analysis say about buying DKNG stock now.
The debate around canceling student debt has been front and center in the wake of the presidential election, and President-elect Biden should provide substantial cancellation on his first day in office.
Berkshire Hathaway is the ultimate Warren Buffett stock. But is it a good buy? Here's what the earnings and chart show for Berkshire stock.
Andrew LeftCitron Research's Andrew Left criticized insurance company Lemonade Inc (NYSE: LMND) on Friday, saying its stock multiple is based on empty marketing tactics.The Lemonade Bear Case: In a Twitter live video, Left dismissed Lemonade Inc's claims of bringing new technology to the insurance industry, saying the company's technology is no different from insurers like Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR) or State Farm."They've been lying to their customers and their shareholders," said the noted short seller.The company has not responded to a request for comment.Not An ESG Company: He also blasted Lemonade's claims of being a "social good" company as an easy marketing ploy.Left said Lemonade is taking advantage of younger investors' interest in supporting companies that have a positive social impact, like Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA)."It's playing on the millennial investors," he said, adding that the company has a higher multiple than Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ: ZM), Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER) or Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA).Lemonade insiders have sold $400 million in the past six months but gave just $1 million to charity last year, he said.Left said the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission should look more closely at companies that make claims of being socially responsible.Price Action: Shares of Lemonade ended Friday's trading down 6.79% at $147.74 on Friday. Left's video posted to Twitter at 11:30 a.m.Related Link: XL Fleet Spikes On CEO's CNBC Plug, Citron's Long CallSee more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Hillman Group In Talks With Tilman Fertitta SPAC: Bloomberg * 6 Sports SPACs To Consider For Your Investing Playbook(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
* Benzinga has examined the prospects for many investor favorite stocks over the past week. * The week's bullish calls included the electric vehicle leader and a recovering retailer. * A ride-sharing company and a semiconductor maker were among the bearish calls.As the fourth-quarter earnings reporting season got underway last week, the major U.S. indexes lost a little ground. The Dow Jones industrial average concluded the week down about 1%, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq retreated a little more.Of course, much of the attention during the week was focused on the political drama in Washington, D.C. The U.S. president became the first ever to be impeached twice, after the prior week's chaos at the U.S. Capitol. Social media pulled the plug on the president and others who fomented the insurrection. The outgoing president also kept up the pressure on China, while the incoming president laid out a huge pandemic and economic recovery program.In corporate news, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission opened a probe into a petroleum giant, a semiconductor leader announced management changes, a casino owner and Republican megadonor passed away, and the Detroit Auto Show was canceled.Through it all, Benzinga continued to examine the prospects for many of the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.Bulls Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) is not an auto company but rather a disruptive technology company. So says Shivdeep Dhaliwal's "Tesla Reaching T Valuation In 2 Years? Here's What Inspires Daniel Ives' Optimistic Target." Are U.S. political developments bullish for the Elon Musk-led company?Priya Nigam's "Marathon Oil Gets Upgrade Due To Higher Oil Prices, More Cash Return To Shareholders" is focused on how Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO) is likely to generate around $2 billion over the next couple of years.In Jayson Derrick's "Baird Upgrades Walgreens Boots, Expects Turnaround Of 'Train Wreck' Performance," see the several catalysts that could help turn around specialty retailer Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ: WBA)."Nvidia's Comprehensive Involvement In Gaming Market Continues Strong Demand: Rosenblatt" by Shanthi Rexaline examines how the competitive position of NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) in the gaming GPU market will only get better.In "Cantor Analyst Raises Aphria And Tilray Price Targets Amid Merger," Jelena Martinovic discusses why the impending merger with Tilray Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY) has overshadowed the recent disappointing quarterly results from Aphria Inc. (NASDAQ: APHA).For additional bullish calls of the past week, also have a look at the following: * Study: Investors Say Tesla, Apple And Microsoft Were 2020's Top Stocks * Why KeyBanc Is Bullish On These 4 Casino StocksBears A Japanese tech investment giant has trimmed its stake in Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER), according to "SoftBank Dumps B Worth Of Uber Shares After Stock's Rally" by Aditya Raghunath. See how much of the stake in the ride-sharing company remains and whether it is still the largest investment in the firm's portfolio.Shanthi Rexaline's "Why Intel's CEO Transition Is A Negative For AMD: Analyst" argues that the "blue sky" scenario for Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) may start to crumble as its rival gets back on its feet. How much are AMD's share gains in servers likely to moderate?In Chris Katje's "Palantir Vulnerable With Valuation And Lockup Concerns, Citi Says," see whether shares of software company Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE: PLTR) have run too far. Plus, a large share lockup expires around the same time as the upcoming earnings report."JPMorgan Says Hydrogen Stock Plug Power Trades At 'Steep Price,' Downgrades FuelCell Energy" by Jayson Derrick shows why the "compelling" path to $1.2 billion in sales by 2024 for Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ: PLUG) did not impress one top analyst.For more bearish takes, be sure to check out these posts: * Why Investment Strategist Ed Yardeni Is Worried About A Tech Stocks, Bitcoin-Led Market Meltdown * 'You're A Fool' Who Will 'Lose Everything' If You Take On Debt To Invest In Crypto, Mark Cuban Says * How Did Retail Perform During The Holidays?At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.Photo Courtesy of PixabayKeep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.See more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Barron's Picks And Pans: Dividend Aristocrats, Alibaba, GameStop, Walmart And More * Notable Insider Buys Of The Past Week: Howard Hughes, Party City, Perrigo And More(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Some left-for-dead penny stocks are now billion-dollar companies, thanks to the rally in the S&P 500 and other indexes.
Among the Dow Jones stocks, Apple and Microsoft are among the top stocks to buy and watch in January 2021.
While it’s known as the maker of Post-it Notes, Scotch tape, and Ace bandages, 3M makes the adhesives, abrasives, and chemicals companies need to do what they do. It’s poised to ride an economic rebound.