Best Growth Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:JWN,MED,ISRG,TBI,BWLD,

COB and CEO of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) Mark Zuckerberg sold 290,000 shares of FB on 04/06/2018 at an average price of $159.07 a share. The total sale was $46.1 million.

Facebook Inc is the world's largest online social network. Its products are Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Oculus. Its products enable people to connect and share through mobile devices and personal computers. Facebook Inc has a market cap of $458.79 billion; its shares were traded at around $157.93 with a P/E ratio of 29.27 and P/S ratio of 11.49. Facebook Inc had annual average EBITDA growth of 63.50% over the past five years.

CEO Recent Trades:

COB and CEO, 10% Owner Mark Zuckerberg sold 290,000 shares of FB stock on 04/06/2018 at the average price of $159.07. The price of the stock has decreased by 0.72% since.COB and CEO, 10% Owner Mark Zuckerberg sold 290,000 shares of FB stock on 04/04/2018 at the average price of $154.14. The price of the stock has increased by 2.46% since.COB and CEO, 10% Owner Mark Zuckerberg sold 145,000 shares of FB stock on 04/02/2018 at the average price of $155.94. The price of the stock has increased by 1.28% since.COB and CEO, 10% Owner Mark Zuckerberg sold 145,000 shares of FB stock on 03/29/2018 at the average price of $158.48. The price of the stock has decreased by 0.35% since.COB and CEO, 10% Owner Mark Zuckerberg sold 140,200 shares of FB stock on 03/28/2018 at the average price of $153.55. The price of the stock has increased by 2.85% since.

Directors and Officers Recent Trades:

Best Growth Stocks To Buy For 2019: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Shares of�Nordstrom Inc.�(NYSE:JWN) were heading lower today after the department store chain turned in a disappointing first-quarter earnings report with comparable sales coming in lower than expected. As a result, the stock was down 9.2% as of 11:17 a.m. EDT.�

• [By JJ Kinahan]

  The news wasn’t all good early Thursday. Results from J.C. Penney Company Inc. (NYSE: JCP) appeared to disappoint investors, who sent shares down more than 11 percent in pre-market futures trading. The company said in a press release that its overall top-line sales came in below management’s expectations, blaming cold April weather. We’re not done with retail yet. Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) reports after the close today.

• [By ]

  Cramer and the AAP team say today's weakness is the opportunity they have been patiently waiting for. Their target? Nordstrom (JWN) . Find out what they're telling their investment club members and get in on the conversation with a free trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In this segment of the Motley Fool Money podcast, host Chris Hill and Fool analysts Jason Moser, Matt Argersinger, and Ron Gross review the latest earnings reports from the department stores that anchor those fading monuments to commerce and discover at least some good news: Macy's�(NYSE:M) comps rose nicely, but Nordstrom�(NYSE:JWN)�and J.C. Penney�(NYSE:JCP) managed only fractional gains. They also reflect on the long decline of department store sales -- it's longer than you think -- the planned BJ's Wholesale IPO, the future of J.C. Penney, and more.

• [By JJ Kinahan]

  DE was the second company to disappoint the Street since yesterday’s closing bell. Retailer Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) beat Wall Street analysts’ earnings per share estimates and raised guidance, but missed on same-store sales. That key metric barely rose (up 0.2 percent), and shares of JWN tumbled more than 6 percent in pre-market futures trading. The same-store weakness for JWN came after a bunch of other retailers reported growth in that area.

• [By Taylor Cox]

  Notable Earnings

  Walmart, Inc (NYSE: WMT) Q1 premarket J. C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) Q1 premarket Nordstrom, Inc (NYSE: JWN) Q1 after hours Applied Materials, Inc (NASDAQ: AMAT) Q2 after hours

  IPOs

Best Growth Stocks To Buy For 2019: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSPM) shares rose 35.8 percent to $3.00. Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVGI) shares surged 32 percent to $8.94 after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Carbon Black, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBLK) gained 29.6 percent to $24.62. Carbon Black priced its IPO at $19 per share. California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) shares rose 26.8 percent to $32.70 following upbeat Q1 earnings. Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) gained 25 percent to $7.185 after reporting strong quarterly results. Medifast, Inc. (NYSE: MED) shares climbed 23.7 percent to $122.87 after the company reported strong Q1 results and raised its FY18 guidance. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) rose 23.2 percent to $8.4999 after reporting Q2 results. Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTLA) gained 22.2 percent to $41.27 after the FDA approved the company's Andexxa, the only antidote indicated for patients treated with rivaroxaban and apixaban. Shake Shack Inc (NYSE: SHAK) rose 22.2 percent to $57.955 after the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter and raised its FY18 guidance. Atomera Incorporated (NASDAQ: ATOM) jumped 19.7 percent to $6.12 after reporting Q1 results. Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) rose 16.4 percent to $21.00 after reporting strong preliminary results for the third quarter. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) shares rose 16.4 percent to $12.21 following Q1 earnings. Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE: ITGR) shares gained 14.9 percent to $63.75 following Q1 results. Control4 Corporation (NASDAQ: CTRL) shares climbed 14.5 percent to $23.98 folloiwng strong Q1 results. B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE: BGS) climbed 12.6 percent to $25.40 after reporting Q1 earnings. HMS Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: HMSY) shares gained 10 percent to $19.59 after reporting upbeat quarterly earnings. Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAV) rose 7 percent to $10.09 following Q3 r
• [By Max Byerly]

  McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE: MKC) and Medifast (NYSE:MED) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk and dividends.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  MediBloc (CURRENCY:MED) traded 6.8% lower against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 15:00 PM Eastern on May 27th. MediBloc has a total market cap of $73.40 million and $743,880.00 worth of MediBloc was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One MediBloc token can currently be purchased for approximately $0.0247 or 0.00000339 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Bibox, Gate.io and Coinrail. During the last seven days, MediBloc has traded 8.3% higher against the dollar.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSPM) shares jumped 29.86 percent to close at $2.87 on Friday. Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVGI) shares gained 28.87 percent to close at $8.75 after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Mexco Energy Corporation (NYSE: MXC) gained 27.02 percent to close at $5.4744. Carbon Black, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBLK) climbed 26 percent to close at $23.94. Carbon Black priced its IPO at $19 per share. Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTLA) rose 25.64 percent to close at $42.44 after the FDA approved the company's Andexxa, the only antidote indicated for patients treated with rivaroxaban and apixaban. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) rose 23.19 percent to close at $8.50 after reporting Q2 results. California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) shares gained 22.45 percent to close at $31.58 following upbeat Q1 earnings. Atomera Incorporated (NASDAQ: ATOM) gained 22.31 percent to close at $6.25 after reporting Q1 results. Medifast, Inc. (NYSE: MED) shares jumped 22.27 percent to close at $121.46 after the company reported strong Q1 results and raised its FY18 guidance. Jerash Holdings (US), Inc. (NASDAQ: JRSH) gained 20.86 percent to close at $8.46. Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) rose 19.83 percent to close at $6.89 after reporting strong quarterly results. Shake Shack Inc (NYSE: SHAK) rose 18.01 percent to close at $55.95 on Friday after the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter and raised its FY18 guidance. Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) rose 17.73 percent to close at $21.25 after reporting strong preliminary results for the third quarter. Schmitt Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMIT) rose 17.41 percent to close at $2.36. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) shares gained 16.78 percent to close at $12.25 following Q1 earnings. Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE: ITGR) shares rose 14.23 percent to close at $63.40 following Q1 result

Best Growth Stocks To Buy For 2019: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close Wednesday was Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) which rose over 6% to $423.76. The stock��s 52-week range is $217.19 to $426.98. Volume was 1.7 million compared to its average volume of nearly 1 million.

• [By Brian Feroldi]

  TransEnterix (NYSEMKT:TRXC) recently surprised investors on the upside when it reported its first-quarter results. The company's�Senhance�surgical system is off to a fast start right out of the gate, and it has attracted a lot of positive attention from the medical community. This just goes to show how much demand is out there for an�alternative to Intuitive Surgical's (NASDAQ: ISRG)�dominant da Vinci platform.�

• [By ]

  As of the time of this article, home cleaning robot maker iRobot's (IRBT) shares are down over 6% on the news. And though it makes surgical robots rather than anything meant for homes, Intuitive Surgical  (ISRG) is down close to 2%. As usual, Wall Street immediately trembles on any sign that Amazon plans to further expand its reach.

Best Growth Stocks To Buy For 2019: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Trueblue (NYSE: TBI) is one of 23 public companies in the “Help supply services” industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Trueblue to similar businesses based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, dividends, earnings and risk.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Trueblue Inc (NYSE:TBI) by 24.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 95,307 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,680 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Trueblue worth $2,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Best Growth Stocks To Buy For 2019: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  A long term performance chart shows Dave & Busters Entertainment�tripling in value�before falling back while�small cap upscale gentlemen's clubs and restaurant owner�RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: RICK) began taking off in 2016 and small cap�Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD) is being acquired by Arby��s Restaurant Group:

• [By Steve Symington]

  That's not to say it was a quiet day for every stock on the market. With earnings season ramping up, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) and restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD) served as an exercise in contrast as investors reacted to their respective quarterly reports.

BRP Inc (DOO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of BRP Inc (TSE:DOO) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$56.56.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on DOO shares. National Bank Financial downgraded shares of BRP from an “outperform overweight” rating to a “sector perform overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from C$52.00 to C$54.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Desjardins increased their target price on shares of BRP from C$54.00 to C$58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of BRP from C$54.00 to C$56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 22nd. CIBC increased their target price on shares of BRP from C$54.00 to C$56.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a C$49.00 target price on shares of BRP in a research report on Wednesday, March 14th.

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DOO stock traded down C$0.78 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching C$56.29. The company had a trading volume of 178,987 shares, compared to its average volume of 186,982. BRP has a 1 year low of C$31.37 and a 1 year high of C$57.35.

BRP (TSE:DOO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 21st. The company reported C$0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of C$0.90 by C$0.06. The company had revenue of C$1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of C$1.23 billion.

In other news, insider Anne-Marie Laberge sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$50.58, for a total transaction of C$370,498.50.

BRP Company Profile

BRP Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets powersports vehicles and propulsion systems worldwide. The company offers all-terrain, side-by-side, and spyder vehicles; seasonal products consisting of snowmobiles and personal watercraft; and propulsion systems comprising engines for outboard and jet boats, karts, motorcycles, and recreational aircrafts.

Swiss National Bank Has $6.78 Million Stake in Valley National Bank (VLY)

Swiss National Bank lifted its position in Valley National Bank (NYSE:VLY) by 21.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 544,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 94,600 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.16% of Valley National Bank worth $6,782,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLY. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valley National Bank in the first quarter worth $164,000. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Valley National Bank by 58.3% during the fourth quarter. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 14,749 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after acquiring an additional 5,429 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Valley National Bank during the fourth quarter valued at $169,000. SNS Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Valley National Bank during the first quarter valued at $171,000. Finally, Wealth Advisors of Tampa Bay LLC purchased a new position in Valley National Bank during the fourth quarter valued at $184,000. 54.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Valley National Bank from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 8th. ValuEngine raised shares of Valley National Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 1st. Hovde Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Valley National Bank in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Valley National Bank from $13.50 to $14.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 30th. Finally, Sandler O’Neill raised shares of Valley National Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $13.86.

Valley National Bank opened at $12.84 on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Valley National Bank has a 12-month low of $10.61 and a 12-month high of $13.38.

Valley National Bank (NYSE:VLY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $239.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.74 million. Valley National Bank had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 15.41%. Valley National Bank’s revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.17 EPS. research analysts forecast that Valley National Bank will post 0.89 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 15th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. Valley National Bank’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.77%.

In other news, Director Jennifer W. Steans sold 175,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.76, for a total value of $2,236,828.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Valley National Bank

Valley National Bancorp operates as the holding company for the Valley National Bank that provides commercial, retail, trust, and investment services. The company operates through Commercial Lending, Consumer Lending, and Investment Management segments. Its deposit products include non-interest bearing, savings, NOW, and money market deposits, as well as certificates of deposit.

Johnson Rice Begins Coverage on Cactus (WHD)

Johnson Rice started coverage on shares of Cactus (NYSE:WHD) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm issued an accumulate rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on WHD. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Cactus from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, May 15th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Cactus from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Cactus in a report on Friday, April 6th. They issued an outperform rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Cactus in a report on Tuesday, March 6th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Cactus in a report on Monday, March 5th. They issued an overweight rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Cactus presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $33.50.

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Shares of Cactus opened at $33.53 on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. Cactus has a 1 year low of $19.18 and a 1 year high of $37.50. The company has a market cap of $2.61 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 0.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 1.67.

Cactus (NYSE:WHD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 9th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $115.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $110.14 million. equities research analysts predict that Cactus will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WHD. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Cactus during the 1st quarter valued at $51,410,000. Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in Cactus during the 1st quarter valued at $34,585,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in Cactus during the 1st quarter valued at $33,253,000. Zimmer Partners LP bought a new stake in Cactus during the 1st quarter valued at $27,469,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in Cactus during the 1st quarter valued at $18,405,000. Institutional investors own 35.73% of the company’s stock.

Cactus Company Profile

Cactus, Inc designs, manufactures, sells, and rents a range of wellheads and pressure control equipment. The company's principal products include Cactus SafeDrill wellhead systems, frac stacks, zipper manifolds, and production trees. It also provides field services, such as 24-hour service crews to assist with the installation, maintenance, and safe handling of the wellhead and pressure control equipment, as well as repair services for equipment that it sells or rents.

Orbital ATK Unveils Its New OmegA Rocket Ship

Goodbye, Next-Generation Launcher�(NGL). Hello, OmegA.

For the past three years, space company Orbital ATK (NYSE:OA) has been working with the U.S. Air Force to develop a new heavy launch rocket. As USAF envisions it, Orbital's new rocket would work alongside existing Delta IV Heavies (operated by Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance) and soon, the Falcon Heavy rockets that SpaceX began launching in February, giving the Air Force the option of choosing among three competing launch systems for the best combination of price and reliability.

This sounds like good news for the Air Force, but what does it mean for the companies that build the Air Force's rocket ships?

Image source: Orbital ATK.

Introducing OmegA

Initially named the "Next-Generation Launcher" as a placeholder, Orbital ATK's new rocket will use solid-fuel engines for its first and second stages, supported with strap-on solid-fueled boosters when necessary (all built in-house by Orbital). The rocket's third stage -- initially planned to feature a liquid-fueled Blue Origin BE-3U�engine -- will now utilize a RL10C engine from Aerojet Rocketdyne instead.

Orbital plans to begin ground-testing the rocket next year, by which time Orbital ATK will probably have been subsumed into new owner Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC). In anticipation of testing beginning, Orbital gave NGL an official name last month: OmegA.

Rounding up support

Announcing the new name for its new rocket and describing its engine configuration, Orbital ATK also emphasized OmegA's role as a jobs engine, estimating that the 500 employees currently working on the project could double in size "to about 1,000 people over the next 18 months." Development jobs are already scattered across key congressional districts in Arizona, Utah, Mississippi, and Louisiana, with operations jobs in both Florida (Kennedy Space Center) and California (Vandenberg Air Force Base). The company adds that "hundreds" more jobs will come into existence "across the country" as the company builds out its supply chain to produce OmegA.

That's assuming, of course, that OmegA ultimately gets built.

Why OmegA may not get built

But here's the thing: By the time Orbital ATK gets its OmegA rocket program up and running, there may be no need for yet another heavy rocket -- and an unproven one at that -- to join the field.

United Launch Alliance, maker of the Atlas V (medium) and Delta IV (heavy), has been sending up these rockets for more than a decade without suffering even one single failure -- 128 successful launches�in a row.

SpaceX also has a 100% record of success in heavy launch. Granted, its record is only 1-for-1, having sent Falcon Heavy skyward just the one time in February. But still, that's an unblemished record of success in heavy launch so far. Meanwhile, the company's track record success on all launches, both medium and heavy, now stands at 27 straight launches without incident (according to the number crunchers at the fan website SpaceXNow).

What's more, SpaceX is planning to begin conducting "short hopper flights" utilizing at least part of its ballyhooed BFR rocket ship as early as next year. If that one comes to market before OmegA arrives, all bets are off. Not only Orbital, but ULA, too, could find themselves priced out of the heavy launch market.

The final nail

In its annual update on the state of the global "Spacecraft and Launch" markets, StratSpace Intelligence reported in March that the number of large satellite missions on launch manifests appears to have flatlined. Going forward, StratSpace predicts "small missions and spacecraft will gradually begin to displace" larger satellite launches such as OmegA is designed to support. Indeed, in an analysis that may prove dangerously prophetic to Orbital's project, StratSpace noted that globally, heavy lift rockets "are in excess," while the medium and large categories of launch vehicles are currently "over capacity by about 100%." It predicted that "several major vehicles in this class [must] cease flying" to bring the market back into balance.

That's the very opposite of an argument for developing yet another heavy launch rocket. What's more, Orbital CEO Dave Thompson himself seemed to confirm this trend in an earnings conference call last year, lamenting an "order slump in the [large] commercial satellite market," and said he expects this "to continue for some time."�

The upshot for investors

Despite all this, Orbital ATK keeps plowing ahead with developing OmegA, despite the fact that it says its new rocket won't begin flying in its "intermediate" configuration before 2021, won't win certification for Air Force "evolved expendable launch vehicle" (EELV) missions before 2022, and won't begin flying a heavy launch version of the rocket before 2024.

By then, it may be too late.

3 Ways You Can Win The U.S.-China Trade War

Have President Trump's protectionist policies gone overboard? �

Once heralded as the most pro-business U.S. president since Ronald Reagan, Trump's zeal to shelter American businesses from global competition has caused many free-market economists to question his wisdom. �

The stock market has benefitted wildly from the White House's corporate tax reform.� Bulls remain in charge, but things are rapidly changing.

Trump's protectionist actions, combined with his erratic nature, have cast doubt on the markets.

The stock market hates uncertainty and doubts beyond all else.

Trump's negotiating style has dumped uncertainty into the markets at an unprecedented degree. �

Nowhere is this economic uncertainty more vivid than the rapidly deteriorating U.S.-China trade relations. �

Make no mistake, Trump's idea of fighting China's unfair trade practices is noble.� However, his heavy-handed uncertainty in execution is resulting in greater economic harm than good.� In fact, it may completely erase his tax reform-fueled market gains overtime. �

The proposal of hitting the world's second-largest economy with 25% tariffs on $50 billion of imports will not only hurt the Chinese economy, it will have severe effects domestically. �

China will not quietly sit still and accept the new tariffs; it will retaliate with a slate of its economic weapons. The National Retail Federation and the Consumer Technology Association have projected that the United States stands to lose a minimum of 455,000 jobs, which could climb to over a million jobs in a worst-case scenario. �

Also, the tariffs will merely be passed along to American consumers who will suffer from higher prices.� Higher prices and job losses is not a rosy scenario for the U.S. economy.

As stock market investors, our job is to best position our portfolios for maximum profit regardless of what occurs in the economy.

While no one really knows what is going to happen with the brewing U.S.-China trade war, it is certain that stocks are struggling to hold onto the bullish momentum.

It is indeed a no-win situation right now.� Should Trump's policies go into full effect, the economic damage will be authentic. �

If nothing takes place, the constant changes and subsequent confusion provide a daily ice water bath for the bulls. �

As investors, we are always forced to make decisions in the face of uncertainty.

Despite the unknown future, right now an educated guess can be made that some, if not all, of Trump's protectionist measures will be implemented eventually.� In other words, a trade war is likely.

Regardless, investors can expect both upside and downside volatility during these uncertain times!

What can investors do today to best exploit the pending economic reaction?

Here are three ways to win the pending China-U.S. trade war.

1. Buy The Companies Subject To Tariffs
I know this sounds completely counterintuitive, yet it makes perfect sense.�� �

Interestingly, analysts at UBS have postulated that domestic companies producing goods subject to tariffs do little business in China will likely outperform during a trade war.

According to Barron's, UBS ran a screen searching for large firms with more than 2/3 of their assets held in the United States and less than 10% of revenue arising from China that also manufacture products subject to tariffs.

The primary companies identified fitting the bill are Hubbell (NYSE: HUBB), Roper Technologies (NYSE: ROP), and L3 (NYSE: LLL).

2. Short Semiconductors
Domestic companies with high exposure to the Chinese market are in danger due to the proposed tariffs. High technology is on the top of the sector list with Chinese exposure. Digging deeper into the high tech sector, semiconductor companies have the highest Chinese exposure.

Semiconductor maker Skyworks Solutions (Nasdaq: SWKS) generates an astounding 83% of its revenue from China, making it No. 1 on our short list!

Other semiconductor companies in danger include Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) with a 64% revenue exposure, and Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) with 24% of its revenue from China.

3. Short Boeing, Buy Airbus
Aircraft giant Boeing (NYSE: BA) is in the Chinese crosshairs to punish.� Should China follow through with its threats against Boeing, it will be forced to buy more aircraft from Airbus (OTC: EADSF). �

China is Boeing's largest single market making up around a fifth of the aircraft maker's deliveries in 2017.� Right now Airbus and Boeing share an even split of the Chinese market. �

Risks To Consider: The latest news is that a truce has been reached in the U.S.-China trade war.� As you might expect, the news sent the futures market soaring higher with relief.� Anything can happen from here.� Be ready for the unexpected.

Action To Take: Consider implementing one or more of the above strategies to profit from the pending U.S.-China trade war.� Expect sharp price moves in both directions as the scenario plays out!

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Meet ��green gold�� �� and the stock for betting on it

The Dow is working on getting comfortable back above the 25,000 mark, as lots of people scratch their heads over North Korea, Iran and the Cavs-Celtics series.

In these topsy-turvy times, at least there are still some constants, such as millennials�� love for avocados.

And if you take that indisputable fact, mash it up and add a few spices, then you can produce a delicious chart of the day.

It��s a StockTwits duo that is serving up the chart �� the social network��s co-founder, Howard Lindzon, and user Matthew Timpane.

Former portfolio manager Timpane, aka OffbeatOperator, dished out the illustration below for Calavo Growers CVGW, +3.63% back when the avocado producer��s stock was around $95. It��s now at $97.

@offbeatoperator ��It��s still in an uptrend & is the leader in the avocado market.��

Lindzon has highlighted the chart overnight and given the trade a name �� Avocados are ��green gold,�� he says.

Calavo��s momentum and relative strength are fading a bit, but it��s ��still in an uptrend,�� Timpane says. The company is ��the leader in the avocado market�� with strong profit and revenue, he adds, noting that he has been long the small-cap stock.

Other StockTwits users are digging Calavo��s moves as well, with one looking at a multiyear chart and expressing surprise at how steadily the stock has ��gone straight up.��

It probably can��t hurt that China��s middle class is developing a taste for what��s called ��butter fruit�� over there. That��s as tweeter-in-chief Trump rhapsodizes about that country buying ��practically as much as our farmers can produce,�� and commodities-related plays are touted as a promising investment for the economic expansion��s late innings.

Don��t miss: Why the China trade gap will get worse this year, no matter what Team Trump comes up with

And see: Young people should step away from the avocado toast and do this

��All the low-hanging fruit has been picked�� says nation that put wheels on luggage less than 20 years ago.

— Morgan Housel (@morganhousel) May 22, 2018 Key market gauges

Actual gold GCM8, +0.28% is slightly higher, as futures for the Dow YMM8, +0.21% �, S&P 500 ESM8, +0.17% and Nasdaq-100 NQM8, +0.33% also gain. That��s after the Dow DJIA, +1.21% �, S&P SPX, +0.74% �and Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.54% climbed yesterday.

Europe SXXP, +0.12% is mixed, after Asia closed mostly lower. Oil CLM8, +0.28% is higher as bulls say the rally is just getting started, while the dollar index DXY, -0.38% is losing ground. Bitcoin BTCUSD, -2.11% is holding around $8,200.

See the Market Snapshot column for the latest action.

The quote

��It would be a great mistake for Kim Jong Un to think he could ��play�� Donald Trump.�� �� Vice President Mike Pence warned North Korea��s leader in a Fox News interview last night.

The veep is among the Washington crowd bracing for next month��s Kim-Trump summit. That��s as the Trump administration escalates its demands on Iran, which in turn is threatening to respond with ��a strong punch to the mouth.��

Some folks say the meeting with Kim won��t actually happen, but the commemorative coins are ready:

Less than a month to Trump-Kim summit, White House Communications Agency (WHCA) releases its ��trip coin.��
This is #74 of 250 made. pic.twitter.com/UTEJg1GyWv

— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) May 21, 2018 The call Not a death spiral?

Reports of the retail sector��s XRT, +0.56% death are greatly exaggerated, according to Adam Ozimek, a Moody��s Analytics economist.

��It��s true you can find places across the country where retail really has declined, but much of this can be explained by falling population,�� he says in a tweetstorm. ��In many parts of the country, retail continues to grow along with population. Not a death spiral!��

Go here for Ozimek��s Twitter thread �� and here for his recent blog post.

Read more: This new ETF is a bet on the death of retail

And see: These stores have thrived amid the retail apocalypse

The buzz

China trade news: Beijing plans to cut its tariff on imported autos to 15% from 25%, and a deal to get ZTE off a U.S. ban is nigh.

Retailers are among the companies on the earnings docket before the open, including Advance Auto Parts AAP, +0.70% , AutoZone AZO, +1.91% �, Kohl��s KSS, +2.83% and TJX TJX, -0.11% �. Home builder Toll Brothers TOL, +1.09% �is on tap, too.

Deal news: Sony SNE, -0.43% 6758, -1.97% is paying $2.3 billion for a stake in EMI Music, and Adobe ADBE, +0.00% is shelling out $1.7 billion for e-commerce firm Magento.

The New York Stock Exchange is set to get its first female leader in its 226-year history.

Intel INTC, +1.53% �, Google GOOG, +1.24% GOOGL, +1.34% and Microsoft MSFT, +1.29% have discovered a new Spectre/Meltdown variant.

Tesla��s TSLA, +2.77% Elon Musk is promising a braking problem that Consumer Reports highlighted will be fixed in a few days.

Grilled Zuckerberg is on the menu today in Brussels, with the Facebook FB, +0.99% CEO facing heat from European Union lawmakers following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

It��s an MYOB kind of week in the EU, with the much-anticipated General Data Protection Regulation due to take effect Friday.

Props to the people who just emailed me with the subject line: "Your 1000th email about GDPR"

— Katie Martin (@katie_martin_fx) May 21, 2018 Random reads

LeBron bullies his way to 44 points, evens series with Celtics.

The French Open is punishing Serena for having a baby.

An egg a day keeps the doctor away, according to a new study.

Bill Gates has 5 books that you should read this summer.

Women are hitting a ��grass ceiling�� in the marijuana industry.

RIP Robert Indiana, the artist known for his ��LOVE�� series.

Royal Wedding guests are selling their official goody bags on eBay.

It��s the one-year anniversary of the Manchester bombing:

"Thinking of you all today and every day": Ariana Grande sends message of support as Manchester Arena bombing remembered one year on https://t.co/erMVTY1wRQ pic.twitter.com/Ey1tdxKj6z

— ITV News (@itvnews) May 22, 2018

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Related Topics U.S. Stocks Markets NY Stock Exchange NASDAQ Quote References CVGW +3.40 +3.63% GCM8 +3.60 +0.28% YMM8 +52.00 +0.21% ESM8 +4.75 +0.17% NQM8 +22.50 +0.33% DJIA +298.20 +1.21% SPX +20.04 +0.74% COMP +39.70 +0.54% SXXP +0.49 +0.12% CLM8 +0.20 +0.28% DXY -0.36 -0.38% BTCUSD -177.19 -2.11% XRT +0.26 +0.56% AAP +0.83 +0.70% AZO +12.45 +1.91% KSS +1.80 +2.83% TJX -0.09 -0.11% TOL +0.47 +1.09% SNE -0.21 -0.43% 6758 -106.00 -1.97% ADBE +0.01 +0.00% INTC +0.82 +1.53% GOOG +13.22 +1.24% GOOGL +14.37 +1.34% MSFT +1.24 +1.29% TSLA +7.67 +2.77% FB +1.81 +0.99% Show all references MarketWatch Partner Center Most Popular The increase in oil prices is just beginning The stock market��s ��broken leg�� is nearly healed, analyst says There��s a ��decent probability�� bitcoin goes to zero, says Vanguard economist Why the American Dream of owning a big home is way overrated, in one chart Here's all you need to do in your 30s for a great financial future Victor Reklaitis

Victor Reklaitis is a London-based markets writer for MarketWatch. Follow him on Twitter @VicRek.

Victor Reklaitis

Victor Reklaitis is a London-based markets writer for MarketWatch. Follow him on Twitter @VicRek.

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Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only. Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements. Advanced Search Stocks Columns Authors Topics No results found Calavo Growers Inc. U.S.: Nasdaq: CVGW $97.00 +3.40 (+3.63%)

Volume	131.9K
Open	$93.95
High	$97.00
Low	$93.60
P/E Ratio	43.3
Div Yield	0.98
Market Cap	1.6B

Gold Jun 2018 U.S.: Comex: GCM8 $1,294.50 +3.60 (+0.28%)

Volume	126.9K
Open	$1,292
High	$1,296
Low	$1,287
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

E-Mini Dow Jun 2018 U.S.: CBOT: YMM8 $25,054.00 +52.00 (+0.21%)

Volume	21732
Open	$24,997
High	$25,066
Low	$24,990
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

E-Mini S&P 500 Future Jun 2018 U.S.: CME: ESM8 2,737.75 +4.75 (+0.17%)

Volume	65194
Open	2,731
High	2,739
Low	2,731
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

E-Mini Nasdaq 100 Index Jun 2018 U.S.: CME: NQM8 6,938.25 +22.50 (+0.33%)

Volume	25414
Open	6,914
High	6,948
Low	6,909
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

Dow Jones Industrial Average DJ-Index: DJIA 25,013.29 +298.20 (+1.21%)

Volume	308.9M
Open	24,883
High	25,086
Low	24,883
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

S&P 500 Index S&P Base CME: SPX 2,733.01 +20.04 (+0.74%)

Volume	1.8B
Open	2,726
High	2,739
Low	2,726
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

NASDAQ Composite Index U.S.: Nasdaq: COMP 7,394.04 +39.70 (+0.54%)

Volume	0
Open	7,406
High	7,432
Low	7,368
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

STOXX Europe 600 Index EUR STOXX: SXXP 396.36 +0.49 (+0.12%)

Volume	0
Open	396.02
High	396.79
Low	395.66
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

Crude Oil Jun 2018 U.S.: Nymex: CLM8 $72.44 +0.20 (+0.28%)

Volume	3891
Open	$72.51
High	$72.72
Low	$72.42
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) U.S.: ICE Futures U.S.: DXY 93.35 -0.36 (-0.38%)

Volume	0
Open	93.54
High	93.73
Low	93.29
P/E Ratio	0
Div Yield	0
Market Cap	N/A

Brexit Bulletin: Back to Brussels

311 Days to Go

Today in Brexit: Talks get going in Brussels, the first round since May put forward her new compromise on customs as a way of solving the Irish border issue. 

Brexit negotiations resume in Brussels, and a few things have changed since everyone last gathered around the table. 

Prime Minister Theresa May has made a new “backstop” proposal, which would keep the U.K. tied to European customs rules for longer in a bid to solve the Irish border issue. It’s received a cool response from European Union leaders and officials. But it at least reveals something about the state of May and what might be possible in the negotiation.

Firstly, May was able to force ministers to get behind her plan, despite objections from Brexit-backers in her Cabinet. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove, the leading cheerleaders for a quick and clean break, have publicly backed the plan, albeit with caveats. It hasn’t prompted serious talk of a leadership challenge, as some thought it would.

#lazy-img-327937209:before{padding-top:66.7%;}

The proposal also breaks one Brexit taboo, that of staying in at least parts of the customs union for years after the split. Brexit-backers fear that’s a back door to remaining shackled to the bloc forever. They might have a point. While Theresa May says the backstop would be time-limited, bringing it to an end would depend on clinching a U.K.-EU trade deal that’s good enough to avoid a hard border – and the EU reckons that the U.K.’s red lines will make that impossible.

There’s also a growing sense that some kind of extension is going to be needed beyond the current transition that ends in December 2020. Even Brexit enthusiasts are calling for an extension in order to get the final arrangements right. The backstop makes it more likely that existing rules will stay in place.

The EU has rejected a lot of this already. Any extension would have to be wholesale – all the rules and freedoms of the bloc rather than the pick-and-mix approach floated by the U.K. It also says that the backstop for the Irish issue has to be only for Northern Ireland. It doesn’t want it to apply to the whole of the U.K. and doesn’t want Britain staying in the customs union by the backdoor either. And customs is only part of the problem of the Irish border – rules will need to be aligned on both sides to prevent the need for checks.

It’s not clear if the proposal will be hashed out this week or not. Government officials didn’t comment on the matter on Monday. The official agenda for the Brussels talks says the remaining divorce issues and future relationship will be discussed on Tuesday, with Northern Ireland on the agenda for Wednesday.

Read more: Ian Wishart profiles the lead negotiators in Brussels.

Ireland is expected to be the focus of a key European summit at the end of June. While EU President Donald Tusk told May last week it was too early to say whether her plan would be accepted, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar gave it a very cautious welcome.

Today’s Must-ReadsThere could be a general election in 2018, but it probably wouldn’t solve the problem that triggers it, Rob Hutton writes.Boris Johnson channels Brenda from Bristol to urge May not to call an early election, Tim Ross reports from Buenos Aires.Brexit in Brief

European Enough | EasyJet Plc and Ryanair Holdings Plc are shoring up their shareholder bases in continental Europe in order to safeguard their right to fly there after Brexit, Kaye Wiggins reports. Under EU rules carriers must be more than 50 percent owned by people and institutions based in member states in order to have an operating license in the bloc.

Quote of the Day | Airlines are planning for contingencies in the event of a no-deal Brexit and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has long been outspoken on the matter. “On balance you would think common sense will prevail,” he told Bloomberg Television. “But the Brexit discussions have not been characterized by a lot of common sense so far.”

Blair Slams Corbyn | Tony Blair accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of putting the party in “the worst of both worlds” with his ambiguous Brexit policy. As his Institute for Global Change publishes a report outlining the losses associated with leaving the single market, Blair said: “Leavers think we’re not really for Leave,” while Remainers “have now cottoned on to the fact Labour is not really for remaining either.” He wants Labour to back a second referendum.

Planned Traffic Jams | The government has come up with a contingency plan that would involve parking trucks on a busy stretch of motorway on the way to the port of Dover in the event of disruptions in cross-channel traffic flow. While the government paper doesn’t mention Brexit, the scheme will be ready from early 2019. Brexit opponents latched onto the plan as an example of the chaos the divorce will bring.

Truckers’ View | The future of truckers was also on the agenda in Northern Ireland, during a visit there by Brexit Secretary David Davis. The Freight Trade Association told him that putting tracking devices on trucks and other high-tech proposals won’t work as a way of avoiding a hard border on the island.

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SEI Investments (SEIC) Earning Somewhat Favorable Media Coverage, Report Finds

News articles about SEI Investments (NASDAQ:SEIC) have been trending somewhat positive on Friday, according to Accern Sentiment. The research group identifies positive and negative media coverage by reviewing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. SEI Investments earned a news impact score of 0.15 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news headlines about the asset manager an impact score of 47.2781361595194 out of 100, meaning that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.

Here are some of the news headlines that may have impacted Accern Sentiment’s rankings:

Get SEI Investments alerts: SEI Investments Co. (SEIC): Stock in Featured Spotlight: (stockquote.review) Stock Picking indicator: SEI Investments Co. (SEIC) (nysestocks.review) GAMCO Investors (GBL) & SEI Investments (SEIC) Financial Analysis (americanbankingnews.com) Bremer Bank Adopts SEI Wealth Platform (finance.yahoo.com) What You Must Know About SEI Investments Co��s (NASDAQ:SEIC) Major Investors (finance.yahoo.com)

Shares of SEI Investments traded up $0.31, hitting $65.15, on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The company had a trading volume of 843,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 730,503. The stock has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 6.31, a current ratio of 6.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. SEI Investments has a twelve month low of $49.45 and a twelve month high of $78.35.

SEI Investments (NASDAQ:SEIC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 25th. The asset manager reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $405.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $408.10 million. SEI Investments had a return on equity of 29.07% and a net margin of 28.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. sell-side analysts anticipate that SEI Investments will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SEIC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. William Blair downgraded SEI Investments from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 12th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded SEI Investments from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 11th. BidaskClub downgraded SEI Investments from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 12th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of SEI Investments in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Sandler O’Neill set a $81.00 price objective on SEI Investments and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.00.

In related news, Director Carmen Romeo sold 5,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $403,110.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP N Jeffrey Klauder purchased 3,637 shares of SEI Investments stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.86 per share, with a total value of $86,778.82. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now directly owns 45,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,527.66. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 45,348 shares of company stock valued at $3,448,312. Insiders own 16.50% of the company’s stock.

About SEI Investments

SEI Investments Co is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides wealth management, retirement and investment solutions, asset management, asset administration, investment processing outsourcing solutions, financial services, and investment advisory services to its clients.

Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Abaxis (ABAX)

Abaxis (NASDAQ:ABAX) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders bought 1,103 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,905% compared to the typical daily volume of 55 call options.

Abaxis opened at $83.72 on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.11, a PEG ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 1.19. Abaxis has a one year low of $82.19 and a one year high of $83.02.

Get Abaxis alerts:

Abaxis (NASDAQ:ABAX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 26th. The medical research company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.10. Abaxis had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 11.11%. The business had revenue of $67.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.02 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. analysts anticipate that Abaxis will post 1.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 1st will be paid a $0.18 dividend. This is an increase from Abaxis’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 31st. Abaxis’s payout ratio is presently 49.61%.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Abaxis from $48.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. BidaskClub upgraded Abaxis from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Canaccord Genuity reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Abaxis in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Abaxis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Sidoti downgraded Abaxis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.10.

In other news, COO Donald Peter Wood sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.99, for a total transaction of $689,900.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Achim Henkel sold 3,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $248,688.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 57,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,982,462. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 28,012 shares of company stock worth $1,941,059 over the last three months. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. We Are One Seven LLC acquired a new position in Abaxis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $108,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Abaxis by 154.3% in the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 2,085 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Abaxis in the first quarter valued at approximately $181,000. PEAK6 Investments L.P. acquired a new position in Abaxis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Abaxis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Institutional investors own 99.28% of the company’s stock.

Abaxis Company Profile

Abaxis, Inc develops, manufactures, markets, and sells portable blood analysis systems for use in human or veterinary patient care settings to provide rapid blood constituent measurements for clinicians worldwide. It operates in two segments, Medical Market and Veterinary Market. The company offers Piccolo chemistry analyzers with rapid blood constituent measurements for use in human patient care; and Piccolo profiles that are single-use medical reagents.