Lira Swings as Traders Weigh New Rates Regime and Rising Dollar

Turkey’s lira fluctuated between gains and losses as investors weighed optimism over the central bank’s plan to simplify interest-rate regime and the global risk aversion spurred by Italy’s political impasse.

The currency declined as much as 0.5 percent, reversing an advance of as much as 0.6 percent against the dollar. While the currency’s one-month implied volatility fell for a fourth day, it’s still the highest in the world.

The lira is on course for its worst month since 2008 as concern over the nation’s current-account deficit and double-digit inflation put the nation’s assets at the center of an emerging-market selloff.

The currency climbed the most in more than two years on Monday after the monetary authority said that, starting on June 1, its benchmark will be the one-week repurchase rate, which it hadn’t used as its main funding tool since January 2017, while overnight borrowing and overnight lending rates will be placed equidistant at 150 basis points below and above the benchmark.

Read More: Why Turkey Simplified Its Tangled Interest Rates

The return to a simple interest-rate corridor is “important at a time when the market is questioning the independence of the central bank and the willingness of political authorities to implement a standard monetary policy,” Goldman Sachs economists including Clemens Grafe said in a report dated May 28. “The interest-rate corridor does allow the central bank some flexibility in using liquidity management to affect rates when needed.”

But optimism over a less complicated rates regime was short-lived as the dollar extended its gain to a third day, dragging every emerging-market currency down. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index is heading for the highest close since December, as chaos in Italy and other parts of the euro region highlighted the possible return of political risk.

Read More: Europe’s Fragility Is Exposed Again as Italy and Spain Flare Up

The lira declined 0.1 percent to 4.5897 per dollar as of 10:18 a.m. in Istanbul. The currency’s implied volatility dropped to 25 percent. Borsa Istanbul 100 Index declined 0.9 percent and the yield on 10-year bonds rose three basis points to 14.17 percent.

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Gevo (GEVO) Hits New 52-Week High and Low at $0.22

Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ:GEVO) reached a new 52-week high and low on Friday . The company traded as low as $0.22 and last traded at $0.23, with a volume of 20863 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $0.27.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GEVO shares. Zacks Investment Research raised Gevo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 13th. ValuEngine raised Gevo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Gevo in a research note on Tuesday, May 15th.

Get Gevo alerts:

The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Gevo (NASDAQ:GEVO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 28th. The energy company reported ($0.20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.06. Gevo had a negative return on equity of 32.15% and a negative net margin of 70.28%. The company had revenue of $6.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.70 million. research analysts forecast that Gevo, Inc. will post -0.88 EPS for the current year.

Gevo Company Profile

Gevo, Inc, a renewable chemicals and biofuels company, focuses on the development and commercialization of alternatives to petroleum-based products based on isobutanol produced from renewable feedstocks in the United States. It operates through two segments, Gevo, Inc and Gevo Development/Agri-Energy.

Apple: All Margins Aren't Equal

My previous research placed the services business as a prime catalyst and reason for supporting the $100 billion share buyback plan of Apple (AAPL). Morgan Stanley upped their price target to $214 on optimism for this divisions growth as the margins on the business could provide a boost to profits that go far beyond the revenue contribution.

Source: Apple website

Services Growth

As Apple reaches for a market valuation of $1 trillion, a lot of fears exist that iPhone sales have peaked. The tech giant is getting more per phone via a higher average selling price or ASP, but Apple saw units sold peak back in 2015.

The quarterly peak was 78 million units sold back in FQ1'17, but the company has seen limited growth since FQ1'15 when 74 million units were sold. The annual units sold did peak in 2015 at 231 million units and dipped to 217 million units last year.

Source: Statista

While worldwide smartphone sales are forecast to continue growing with the spread of high-speed internet access around the world, the amount of consumers able to afford an $700+ iPhone isn't expected to expand materially. For this reason, Apple has spent the last couple of years trying to increase the ASP with phones like the iPhone X with a listed price above $1,000.

In the quarter ended March with a full quarter of iPhone X sales, iPhone revenues grew far in excess of units sold. The ASP grew to $734, up from $655. For this reason, iPhone revenues surged 14% on a meager 3% growth in units.

Source: Apple FQ1'18 data summary

The fears exist that Apple won't be able to continue expanding ASPs requiring a future catalyst beyond hardware. While possibly not even true, the key for investors is that the tech giant already has a business unit that has evolved into a massive division. Since the start of 2014, Services have grown revenues from under $5 billion per quarter to over $9 billion in most recent quarter. Even better, the growth is steady unlike hardware sales that require new products every year.

Source: appleinsider

Even better, the growth is steady unlike hardware sales that require new products every year.

Accretive Margins

The thesis for Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty hiking the Apple price target to $214 from $200 is the strong margins from services. The company doesn't provide a lot of details other than the knowledge that gross margins have averaged around 39% over the lat 5 years.

AAPL Gross Profit Margin (Quarterly) data by YCharts

Historically, services generate higher margins from the recurring revenues versus selling one unit every few years. The company though has several service businesses from the App store to Apple Music. The recent IPO of streaming music service Spotify (SPOT) brought some attention to the low margins in that unit that were probably extrapolated far too much in the case of Apple.

Spotify only forecasts generating margins in the 25% range this quarter so obviously this figure is far below the corporate level of Apple and the tech giant has fewer subscribers than Spotify. Investors looking at the historical margins of Spotify might extrapolate those to the rest of the services business.

Source: Spotify Investor Day 2018

Katy Huberty projects that the services division actually generates a 50% gross margin with operating margins above 40%. Growth in services will help drive higher margins in the overall business.

Apple CFO Luca Maestri made claims on the recent FQ2 earnings call that the division does generate higher margins than the corporate average currently in the 38.5% range:

Gross margin was 38.3%, essentially flat sequentially, as we offset the seasonal loss of leverage with cost improvements and a shift in mix toward services...Our services business, and I've said it in the past, is accretive to company margins. And so as we are able to grow the services business, that should provide a positive, a tailwind.

Hubert believes services will grow from 22% of gross profit dollars in FY18 to 40% of gross profit dollars by FY22. Just keeping the remaining business flat, Apple would see a $20 billion boost to gross profits.

Combined with a $100 billion share buyback that reduces share counts by over 10%, Apple will still see a big EPS boost even if the hardware business flat lines. Based on operating margins that reach 45% and the 15% tax rate, the EPS would see about a $1 per share jump each year from services gross profit growth of about $5 billion annually. By FY22, EPS could expand $4 from growth in services alone.

The impact might turn larger if Apple reduces the share count beyond 10%. The current buyback would cut shares outstanding from 5.07 billion to closer to 4.50 billion shares, but the tech giant will generate close to $60 billion in free cash flow annually that can keep the buyback going each year.

Takeaway

The key investor takeaway is that Apple is shifting away from a reliance on the iPhone business. The highly profitable services business could easily approach 50% of profits in the next five years far before reaching the scale of the iPhone.

All margins aren't equal and this fact will benefit Apple shareholders over the next few years while the market wrongly focus on peak iPhone sales. The stock trades far too cheap at 14x FY19 EPS estimates for a business that could approach 50% of profits from services by FY22.

Disclosure: I am/we are long AAPL.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this article should be taken as a solicitation to purchase or sell securities. Before buying or selling any stock you should do your own research and reach your own conclusion or consult a financial advisor. Investing includes risks, including loss of principal.

PayPal Stock Upgraded: What You Need to Know

Every day, Wall Street analysts upgrade some stocks, downgrade others, and "initiate coverage" on a few more. But do these analysts even know what they're talking about? Today, we're taking one high-profile Wall Street pick and putting it under the microscope...

Yesterday, PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) held its first analyst day�of the year, which it used to issue new guidance, hint at share buyback plans and future acquisitions, and lay out a road map for its business.

Today, less than 24 hours later, PayPal has already received its reward -- in the form of two analysts hiking price targets, and another upgrading the stock to buy -- as well as a whole raft of positive commentary from elsewhere on Wall Street. Here's what you need to know.

Image source: PayPal.

What PayPal said

Let's start with a quick outline of what PayPal revealed to investors yesterday, beginning with the growth outlook. Over the next three to five years, PayPal anticipates growing its revenue at an average annual rate of 17% or 18%, and expanding its operating profit margin to grow adjusted profits even faster -- 20% annually.

The company plans to deploy these profits to make between $1 billion and $3 billion worth of acquisitions over the period, and "is keen to return as much as half of its�free cash flow�to shareholders" this year, according to Investopedia.

In other news, PayPal says that Alphabet�is adopting PayPal as a standard payment option�across all Google apps and services. The company is also testing a Venmo debit card, and plans to create a rewards-points program in cooperation with major commercial banks.

What analysts had to say about that

Analyst reaction to the news was immediate, with Oppenheimer hiking its price target 6% to $90 a share, Cantor Fitzgerald going to $93 (a 9% hike), and�Stifel Nicolaus flipping its rating from hold to buy, with a price target of $99.

Even analysts who didn't change their numerical opinion of PayPal were effusive in their praise. Here's a quick sampling of what they're saying, according to the Wall Street watchers at TheFly.com:

Oppenheimer: Despite breaking up with eBay, PayPal is confident enough in its prospects to raise, not lower its guidance. The company seems to think it could earn as much as $5 a share by 2022.

Cantor Fitzgerald: "PayPal is working to be everyone's pay source."

Wedbush: PayPal has a "host" of growth catalysts to draw upon, including "explosive" growth in mobile payments that will give the company increased scale and improved margins.

Nomura: Its research note on PayPal was titled, "Best Days Are Still Ahead."

Stifel seconds that emotion

Stifel Nicolaus, second only to Nomura in terms of the optimism of its price target (Nomura has PayPal pegged for $100 in share price within one year, while Stifel says $99), seems to agree with all the above -- and more. PayPal has succeeded in roughly doubling both its sales and profits over the past five years, yet according to Stifel, the company is still "in the early stages of transforming from an online checkout company to a global payments platform." But even if that's true, does it mean that PayPal stock is a buy?

Consider: Yes, PayPal has increased its guidance for long-term sales and earnings growth. But PayPal's now-confirmed intention of growing earnings 20% per year over the next five years really only matches what Wall Street was already expecting of it. (Twenty percent growth is the consensus estimate for PayPal among Wall Street analysts, as reported by S&P Global Market Intelligence.)

At PayPal's current market capitalization of $96.8 billion, PayPal has a P/E ratio of nearly 51 times earnings, which appears to more than account for the company's 20% projected growth rate. In fact, even giving PayPal credit (as one should) for the $9.5 billion in net cash on its balance sheet, the company's debt-adjusted P/E only comes down to about 46 times earnings, which is about twice what a value investor would ordinarily want to pay for a company with 20% growth ahead of it.

No matter how optimistic the analysts are about PayPal's future -- and no matter how optimistic I personally am about the business's prospects as well -- the fact remains that PayPal stock simply costs too much. It's yet another case of "great company, lousy stock price."

And no, you shouldn't buy it until the price gets better.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:BGG,VNDA,TTGT,KGC,BDX,CIEN,CSL,VECO,SSW,FRPT,

This stock's low price isn't going to last forever -- it's time to get in while the getting's good.

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One of the main goals of my premium newsletter High-Yield Investing is stability. I like industries that don't go through unpredictable hot and cold cycles. Student Transportation (NYSE: STB) is a textbook example.

Millions of kids must travel to and from school each day, rain or shine. With a national fleet of school buses and a stack of contracts with various school districts, the company generates consistent, recurring income to share with its stockholders. That, along with its current yield of 5.9%, is why STB remains one of my readers' favorite stocks.

My next recommendation enjoys similar stability thanks to another fact of life -- babies.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: Briggs & Stratton Corporation(BGG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  For his "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer spoke with Todd Teske, chairman, president and CEO of Briggs & Stratton (BGG) , the small-engine maker that posted a penny-a-share earnings beat on Wednesday, but saw shares fall 11% on lighter-than-expected revenues and a cut in the company's full-year guidance.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) fell 23.3 percent to $9.87 in pre-market trading after declining 13.45 percent on Wednesday. SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SXCP) fell 12.8 percent to $16.00 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Briggs & Stratton Corporation (NYSE: BGG) fell 11 percent to $17.55 in pre-market trading after the company posted mixed Q3 results and lowered its FY18 guidance. New Gold Inc. (NYSE: NGD) fell 8.4 percent to $2.30 in pre-market trading following downbeat Q1 results. Quality Care Properties, Inc. (NYSE: QCP) fell 8.2 percent to $20.85 in pre-market trading. Welltower announced plans to acquire QCP for $20.75 per share in cash. China Customer Relations Centers Inc. (NASDAQ: CCRC) shares fell 7.5 percent to $17.25 in pre-market trading after climbing 18.73 percent on Wednesday. Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) shares fell 5.7 percent to $5.58 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) fell 5.6 percent to $38.66 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. Southw

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.(VNDA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.40.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: TechTarget, Inc.(TTGT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  TechTarget (NASDAQ:TTGT) Director Leonard P. Forman sold 63,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.59, for a total transaction of $1,506,504.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: Kinross Gold Corporation(KGC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Kinross Gold (TSE:K) (NYSE:KGC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$8.17.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC) fell 14.3% today after the company announced first-quarter 2018 results. While the company delivered top-line growth compared to the year-ago period thanks to higher sales volumes and selling prices, it didn't trickle down to the bottom line. Instead, net income actually decreased 21% compared to the performance in the first quarter of 2017. It's the same sticking point Wall Street had with full-year 2017 results.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Another major long-term project is Norte Abierto, which is also a 50/50 JV in Chile -- this time with Barrick Gold -- on one of the largest gold-copper discoveries in South America. Goldcorp just brought this project into its portfolio in 2017 after buying out�Kinross Gold's (NYSE:KGC) 25% stake as well as a 25% interest from Barrick Gold.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Wednesday was a strong day on Wall Street, and major benchmarks posted solid gains of around 1%. Market participants were generally happy about oil prices moving back into the $70s, hoping for a rebound in hard-hit areas of the country that had taken advantage of the triple-digit oil prices of the early 2010s by dramatically ramping up production of shale plays and similar opportunities. Yet even with the generally favorable mood, some stocks weren't able to join the rally. Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC), Weibo (NASDAQ:WB), and Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) were among the worst performers on the day. Here's why they did so poorly.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: Becton, Dickinson and Company(BDX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Becton, Dickinson (NYSE:BDX) reported wacky results for its second fiscal quarter.�This is the first quarter that the medical supply company has included results from its�acquisition�of�C.R. Bard. But looking at the two companies on a comparable basis, it was a solid quarter for the newly combined company.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: CIENA Corporation(CIEN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ezra Schwarzbaum]

  Several other optics stocks stand to gain. In a Monday note, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Vivek Arya also highlighlited the semiconductor space as one that could benefit from the news. Other stocks to watch include:

  Lumentum Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: LITE) Ciena Corporation (NYSE: CIEN) Coherent, Inc. (NASDAQ: COHR) II-VI, Inc. (NASDAQ: IIVI) Inphi Corporation (NYSE: IPHI) Skyworks Solutions Inc (NASDAQ: SWKS) Integrated Device Technology Inc (NASDAQ: IDTI) Qorvo Inc (NASDAQ: QRVO) Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO)

  Related Links:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  These are some of the headlines that may have effected Accern’s scoring:

  Get Ciena alerts: Has the Tide Turned in Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT) and Ciena Corporation (CIEN) Stocks? (nmsunews.com) Ciena (CIEN) SVP Sells $50,500.00 in Stock (americanbankingnews.com) Is Ciena Corporation (CIEN) In Search of Flying? (nmsunews.com) Ciena inks deals with Caucasus Online and GlobeNet (telecomlead.com) Ciena’s GeoMesh chosen to enhance submarine networks in Caucasus and Latin America (fibre-systems.com)

  Shares of Ciena stock opened at $25.30 on Friday. Ciena has a 12 month low of $19.40 and a 12 month high of $27.98. The company has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its position in Ciena by 169.5% during the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 4,217,455 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $92,657,000 after buying an additional 2,652,791 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Ciena by 431.6% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,477,957 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $51,864,000 after buying an additional 2,011,805 shares in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new position in Ciena during the fourth quarter worth $50,962,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Ciena during the fourth quarter worth $40,110,000. Finally, Rubric Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Ciena during the third quarter worth $33,373,000.

  ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: “Gary B. Smith Sells 8,000 Shares of Ciena (CIEN) Stock” was published by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this story on another publication, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of United States & international copyright & trademark laws. The legal version of this story can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3352094/gary-b-smith-sells-8000-shares-of-ciena-cien-stock.html.

  About Ciena

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: Carlisle Companies Incorporated(CSL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE: WST) and Carlisle Companies (NYSE:CSL) are both mid-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, risk, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: DARE) shares climbed 54.2 percent to $1.25 on news that the company entered into worldwide license agreement for Juniper Pharmaceuticals' intravaginal ring technology platform. Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO) climbed 21.3 percent to $9.40 following strong Q1 results. Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) gained 16.5 percent to $4.60. K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) shares rose 11.2 percent to $15.4206 following Q3 results. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE: CBI) shares rose 11 percent to $15.3289. McDermott issued a release reiterating rejection of Subsea 7's offer. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX) shares gained 9.2 percent to $64.61 as the company posted a narrower-than-expected loss for its first quarter. Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) surged 8.5 percent to $46.00 as the company posted in-line quarterly earnings. Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE: CSL) climbed 7.5 percent to $107.22 after reporting Q1 results. Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNA) rose 6.1 percent to $14.78. B. Riley initiated coverage on Allena Pharmaceuticals with a Buy rating. Texas Instruments Incorporated (NASDAQ: TXN) rose 4.6 percent to $102.90 after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter on Tuesday. Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE: CS) rose 4.5 percent to $17.03 following strong Q1 results. STMicroelectronics N.V. (NYSE: STM) rose 4.2 percent to $22.20 after reporting Q1 results.

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: DARE) shares jumped 56.69 percent to close at $1.27 on Wednesday on news that the company entered into worldwide license agreement for Juniper Pharmaceuticals' intravaginal ring technology platform. Vicor Corporation (NASDAQ: VICR) rose 26.84 percent to close at $37.10. Vicor posted Q1 earnings of $0.10 per share on sales of $65.2 million. AGM Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AGMH) climbed 25.56 percent to close at $10.61. Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO) gained 24.7 percent to close at $9.75 following strong Q1 results. Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) shares climbed 19.24 percent to close at $4.71. China Customer Relations Centers, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCRC) rose 18.73 percent to close at $18.64. Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) climbed 18.28 percent to close at $5.89. Genprex expanded its operations to Cambridge, Mass. Scorpio Tankers Inc. (NYSE: STNG) rose 13.92 percent to close at $2.70 following Q1 results. Rocky Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKY) shares surged 13.57 percent to close at $23.85 after reporting Q1 results. Resonant Inc. (NASDAQ: RESN) shares rose 12.5 percent to close at $4.14 on Wednesday. USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE: USNA) jumped 11.24 percent to close at $106.85 following Q1 results. SUPERVALU Inc. (NYSE: SVU) rose 11.16 percent to close at $16.24 after the company reported Q4 results and agreed to sell and leaseback eight distribution centers for an aggregate purchase price of $483 million. K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) shares gained 10.74 percent to close at $15.36 following Q3 results. Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) rose 9.15 percent to close at $46.28 as the company posted in-line quarterly earnings. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX) shares climbed 8.49 percent to close at $64.18 as the company posted a narrower-than-expected loss for its first quarter. Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE: CSL) gained 8.2 percent to close at $107.94 af
• [By Joseph Griffin]

  SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its position in Carlisle Companies (NYSE:CSL) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,215 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 706 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Carlisle Companies were worth $1,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: Veeco Instruments Inc.(VECO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Veeco (VECO)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Max Byerly]

  Media stories about Veeco (NASDAQ:VECO) have been trending positive on Thursday, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group identifies negative and positive press coverage by analyzing more than twenty million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Veeco earned a news impact score of 0.25 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media headlines about the semiconductor company an impact score of 46.7650210874662 out of 100, meaning that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:

  Wall Street expects Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) to report quarterly earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion before the opening bell. Discovery shares rose 0.47 percent to $23.50 in pre-market trading. Analysts expect Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) to post quarterly earnings at $1.22 per share on revenue of $5.72 billion after the closing bell. Marriott shares gained 0.08 percent to $136.75 in pre-market trading. Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Veeco Instruments shares surged 14.04 percent to $19.50 in the after-hours trading session. Before the markets open, DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.7 per share on revenue of $3.50 billion. DISH shares gained 1.53 percent to close at $33.90 on Monday. Analysts are expecting US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) to have earned $0.32 per share on revenue of $5.98 billion in the latest quarter. US Foods will release earnings before the markets open. US Foods shares rose 0.57 percent to close at $33.72 on Monday. Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) disclosed that its CFO Andrew Vollero will leave the company and Amazon.com's VP Of Finance Tim Sloan will assume the role. Snap shares gained 1.3 percent to $10.88 in pre-market trading.

  Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Breaking news

  Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter. AES Corp (NYSE: AES) reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter, while sales missed estimates. Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) disclosed that its CFO Andrew Vollero will leave the company and Amazon.com's VP Of Finance Tim Sloan will assume the role.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Integrated Media Technology Limited (NASDAQ: IMTE) rose 30.8 percent to $22.00 in pre-market trading after declining 18.63 percent on Monday. Nevsun Resources Ltd. (NYSE: NSU) rose 14.5 percent to $3.40 in pre-market trading after Lundin Mining Corporation and Euro Sun Mining Inc. proposed to acquire Nevsun Resources for around C$1.5 billion. Sharing Economy International Inc. (NASDAQ: SEII) rose 15.2 percent to $4.25 in pre-market trading after the company disclosed that it entered into a license agreement with Ecrent Capital Holdings Limited. Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) shares rose 14.1 percent to $19.50 in pre-market trading after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Impinj, Inc. (NASDAQ: PI) rose 13.4 percent to $15.40 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. SandRidge Energy, Inc. (NYSE: SD) shares rose 13.2 percent to $16.45 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) rose 12.6 percent to $4.55 in pre-market trading after jumping 171.14 percent on Monday. Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) shares rose 10 percent to $16.66 in pre-market trading after the company reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter and issued strong sales forecast for the second quarter. Pareteum Corporation (NASDAQ: TEUM) rose 9.7 percent to $3.05 in pre-market trading after announcing Q1 results. Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) rose 8 percent to $9.00 in pre-market trading after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRGI) rose 7.3 percent to $23.45 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. IAMGOLD Corporation (NYSE: IAG) rose 7.1 percent to $6.09 in pre-market trading after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. TC PipeLines, LP (NYSE: TCP) rose 6.4 percent to $27 in pre-market trading after gaining 2.08 percent on Monday. Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TAST) rose 6.3 percent to $11.75 in pre-market trading fol

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: Seaspan Corporation(SSW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Cramer was bearish on Seaspan (SSW) , Symantec (SYMC) and Hi-Crush Partners (HCLP) .

  Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of Seaspan Corporation (NYSE:SSW) rallied 15% last month thanks to a bullish analyst note.

  So what

  Seaspan's stock bobbed around the flatline for most of April until an analyst at Deutsche Bank upgraded the containership leasing company from hold to buy toward the end of the month. What stood out was the $13 price target, which was 85% above the bank's previous one of $7 a share. Driving that bullish view is the expectation that Seaspan's ability to deleverage its balance sheet and increase the dividend would fuel substantial share price appreciation in the future.

• [By ]

  Seaspan (SSW) : "No, this one has moved up too much."

  Criticare Systems Inc (CMD) : "This stock has moved so much. I like Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) a little better."

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Own For 2019: Freshpet, Inc.(FRPT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  A long term performance chart shows shares of Petmed Express and pet stock peer�Central Garden & Pet Co (NASDAQ: CENT) being outstanding performers over the last year or two while pet food stocks Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc (NASDAQ: BUFF) and Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) have not yet lived up to investor expectations:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) – Research analysts at William Blair reduced their Q2 2018 earnings estimates for shares of Freshpet in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 7th. William Blair analyst J. Andersen now expects that the company will post earnings per share of ($0.09) for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of ($0.04). William Blair also issued estimates for Freshpet’s Q4 2018 earnings at $0.10 EPS and FY2018 earnings at ($0.07) EPS.

How You Can Use Annuities In Your Portfolio

&l;p&g;&a;ldquo;Don&a;rsquo;t put all your eggs in one basket.&a;rdquo;

We&a;rsquo;ve all heard this advice, and the same can be said for investments.

Some people attempt to diversify by having a mix of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. While this is better than owning shares of stock from only a few companies, it doesn&a;rsquo;t provide much diversification, given you&a;rsquo;re still in the narrow classes of equities and bonds.

&l;img class=&q;size-large wp-image-510&q; src=&q;http://blogs-images.forbes.com/impactpartners/files/2018/05/GettyImages-496851962-web-1200x800.jpg?width=960&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;800&q; data-width=&q;1200&q;&g; Many are seeking ways to earn more on their money than they will at the bank, avoiding the volatility of the stock market for part of their portfolio.

With this in mind, many are seeking ways to earn more on their money than they will at the bank, avoiding the volatility of the stock market for part of their portfolio. Smart investors have been turning to annuities for some of their money.

Over one million Americans own annuities,&l;a href=&q;http://callancapital.com/annuity-investing-does-it-make-sense-for-high-net-worth-investors/&q; target=&q;_blank&q; rel=&q;nofollow&q; &g;&l;sup&g;1&l;/sup&g;&l;/a&g; purchasing billions of dollars of new ones every year.&l;a href=&q;https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/total-annuity-sales-continued-decline-2017-limra-reports&q; target=&q;_blank&q; rel=&q;nofollow&q; &g;&l;sup&g;2&l;/sup&g;&l;/a&g; People own trillions of dollars&a;rsquo; worth of annuities.

Annuities have certainly evolved over the years and now contain some better options to help people achieve their financial goals. Long gone are the days when you automatically lost access to all your money when you purchased an annuity. These new versions retain cash value and give you access to your money. Some include extra money for nursing-home or long-term care, while others might provide for a larger death benefit option.

It&a;rsquo;s easy to see why annuities continue to gain popularity.

With the basics in mind, annuities can be structured for safer growth of your money and/or lifetime income options. Let&a;rsquo;s compare the two:

&l;strong&g;Safer Growth&l;/strong&g;

Fixed annuities will pay a fixed rate of return, usually higher than what the banks will pay, while indexed annuities will pay a return that is &a;ldquo;indexed&a;rdquo; to different markets (U.S. stocks, bonds, gold, etc.), with no risk of stock market loss to your principle.

Your account value in the annuity can only increase and will not decrease due to market losses. This can help provide added peace of mind for those who want some added protection to their portfolio, especially in this ever-changing global economy and 24/7 news cycle. Of course, these products are subject to the claims-paying ability of the insurer.

&l;strong&g;Lifetime Income Option&l;/strong&g;

You and/or your spouse can enjoy the benefits of a monthly income stream for the rest of your life, or a certain period, if you prefer. Even if the annuity account does not have any money remaining in it in the future, the annuity company will pay out for your lifetime, when structured correctly.

People might choose this option to increase their monthly income in addition to Social Security, pensions, rental income, or dividends. Annuities can allow you to begin income payments immediately or defer in the future to increase the payments.

Whether you&a;rsquo;re looking for safer growth of your money or a lifetime income, both options usually contain a death benefit payable to your beneficiaries.

The value of the annuity would be worth the amount you deposit into your annuity account, plus potential growth, and then minus any payments/withdrawals and minus fees. Bear in mind that some indexed annuities have fees of 1% or less, while most fixed annuities usually have no fees.

Over the years, I&a;rsquo;ve seen annuities gain anywhere between 3% and 10% in value. Depending on the annuity terms and conditions, these gains could be higher or lower. The reason fixed and indexed annuities are popular choices for some is the principal protection they offer; volatility in the stock market would not have a negative impact.

Variable annuities are also an option but usually carry higher fees, and your principal is at risk in the market. They contain different terms and might not be attractive to people seeking safety for their money. Some people who previously owned variable annuities found it advantageous to transfer their money to fixed or indexed annuities to reduce fees and risks.

Working with a qualified financial professional can help in your research. Somebody with access to multiple annuity options can help you determine which annuity is worth some of your investment dollars.

Find which company and options are best for you. Some financial professionals have access to special annuity options that others might not have access to. Just like you enjoy the benefits of a professional pilot to fly you safely from point A to point B, a financial professional can help you navigate your way through the options available to you.

True diversification in your portfolio means having some of your money invested in different asset classes outside of the usual mix of stocks and bonds. There are other options for diversifying your money, each of which can contain certain limitations. Real estate might now offer liquidity of your money, especially in a declining economy. Gold and precious metals tend to go up and down in value opposite of the stock market. Collectibles can require focused knowledge and have other challenges. Always consult your financial professional to review the pros and cons when investing in different asset classes.

Nobody knows where the stock market is headed next, but being proactive and learning about the possibility of annuities, like many investors already are, may be beneficial to your portfolio.

&l;em&g;Investment Advisory Services offered through Retirement Wealth Advisors (RWA), a Registered Investment Advisor.&a;nbsp;Riedmiller Wealth&a;nbsp;Management&a;nbsp;and RWA are not affiliated. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.&l;/em&g;

&l;em&g;Annuity guarantees rely on the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer.&a;nbsp;Any comments regarding safe and secure investments and guaranteed income streams refer only to fixed insurance products. They do not refer, in any way, to securities or investment advisory products. Fixed insurance and annuity product guarantees are subject to the claims&a;#8208;paying ability of the issuing company and not offered by RWA. DT491524-0519&l;/em&g;&l;/p&g;

Speed Mining Service Price Reaches $16.33 on Exchanges (SMS)

Speed Mining Service (CURRENCY:SMS) traded 4.2% higher against the dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 0:00 AM E.T. on May 20th. One Speed Mining Service token can now be purchased for $16.33 or 0.00192074 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including CoinExchange and HitBTC. Speed Mining Service has a market capitalization of $1.71 million and $413.00 worth of Speed Mining Service was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. Over the last seven days, Speed Mining Service has traded 4.2% lower against the dollar.

Here’s how other cryptocurrencies have performed over the last 24 hours:

Get Speed Mining Service alerts: Ripple (XRP) traded 2.2% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.70 or 0.00008189 BTC. Stellar (XLM) traded 3.9% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.33 or 0.00003902 BTC. TRON (TRX) traded 14.4% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.0803 or 0.00000944 BTC. IOTA (MIOTA) traded 3.3% higher against the dollar and now trades at $1.82 or 0.00021412 BTC. NEO (NEO) traded 7.9% higher against the dollar and now trades at $64.39 or 0.00756743 BTC. Tether (USDT) traded down 0.1% against the dollar and now trades at $1.00 or 0.00011753 BTC. VeChain (VEN) traded up 2.6% against the dollar and now trades at $4.44 or 0.00052210 BTC. Binance Coin (BNB) traded up 5.5% against the dollar and now trades at $14.58 or 0.00171339 BTC. Zilliqa (ZIL) traded 1.4% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.15 or 0.00001744 BTC. Ontology (ONT) traded up 11.5% against the dollar and now trades at $8.13 or 0.00095510 BTC.

Speed Mining Service Token Profile

Speed Mining Service’s genesis date was November 11th, 2017. Speed Mining Service’s total supply is 300,000 tokens and its circulating supply is 104,680 tokens. Speed Mining Service’s official website is smscoin.jp/en. Speed Mining Service’s official Twitter account is @Speed_Mining and its Facebook page is accessible here.

Buying and Selling Speed Mining Service

Speed Mining Service can be purchased on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: HitBTC and CoinExchange. It is usually not currently possible to buy alternative cryptocurrencies such as Speed Mining Service directly using US dollars. Investors seeking to acquire Speed Mining Service should first buy Ethereum or Bitcoin using an exchange that deals in US dollars such as Coinbase, Gemini or GDAX. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Ethereum or Bitcoin to buy Speed Mining Service using one of the aforementioned exchanges.

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