#$agn

[itswallstreetpr]

Stocks Are Rising as Dow Moves Closer to Record Highs

Shares of Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER) opened at $29.13 and last traded at $28.10. More than 51,638,557 shares exchanged hands compared to an average daily volume of 10,279,967 shares. At the current pps, the market capitalization stands at 47.832B. Let's take a look at how the stock has performed this year so far. Uber Technologies, Inc has moved -13.57% in the last 5 days or -4.30% in the last 1 month. In long-term, Uber Technologies, Inc has changed -28.43% in 3 months and n/a in this year itself. Shares of Adobe Inc. (ADBE) opened at $292.11 and last traded at $289.46. More than 6,002,395 shares exchanged hands compared to an average daily volume of 2,711,912 shares. At the current pps, the market capitalization stands at 140.094B. Let's take a look at how the stock has performed this year so far. Adobe Inc has moved 6.57% in the last 5 days or 6.82% in the last 1 month. In long-term, Adobe Inc has changed 1.08% in 3 months and  20.26% in this year itself. Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) opened at $59.99 and last traded at $61.30. More than 26,658,445 shares exchanged hands compared to an average daily volume of 4,754,981 shares. At the current pps, the market capitalization stands at 52.157B. Let's take a look at how the stock has performed this year so far. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc has moved 8.78% in the last 5 days or 17.51% in the last 1 month. In long-term, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc has changed 18.97% in 3 months and  -24.06% in this year itself. Shares of The Boeing Company (BA) opened at $355.23 and last traded at $359.11. More than 5,354,766 shares exchanged hands compared to an average daily volume of 4,358,101 shares. At the current pps, the market capitalization stands at 198.558B. Let's take a look at how the stock has performed this year so far. The Boeing Company (BA) has moved 2.68% in the last 5 days or -4.23% in the last 1 month. In long-term, The Boeing Company (BA) has changed 7.77% in 3 months and  -2.23% in this year itself. Shares of Peloton Interactive, Inc. (PTON) opened at $24.05 and last traded at $22.80. More than 13,466,445 shares exchanged hands compared to an average daily volume of 6,227,337 shares. At the current pps, the market capitalization stands at 6.353B. Let's take a look at how the stock has performed this year so far. Peloton Interactive, Inc has moved -1.90% in the last 5 days or -2.02% in the last 1 month. Shares of Allergan plc (AGN) opened at $179.50 and last traded at $178.75. More than 1,571,273 shares exchanged hands compared to an average daily volume of 2,776,792 shares. At the current pps, the market capitalization stands at 57.82B. Let's take a look at how the stock has performed this year so far. Allergan plc (AGN) has moved 2.16% in the last 5 days or 6.77% in the last 1 month. In long-term, Allergan plc (AGN) has changed 11.86% in 3 months and  7.99% in this year itself.   Read the full article

[frankzorrilla]

Indices Hold Ground, Stocks Continue To Bleed

There was a pause on the downside action yesterday, the small caps were flat, SP500 up 4 points, and the Nasdaq led by $FB, $AMZN, $AAPL, was up +.48%. Breadth was still on the negative side, while the indices were flat to up 1,426 stocks registered new 1-month lows.

Typically, spikes in 1-month lows lead to short term bounces that are followed by a lower low on the indices. I have a few names on my watch-list today; $LJPC, $AGN, $BRKB, $HAL. $LJPC on 2/27 announced positive top-line results from a phase 3 study, the stock surged 90% the next day. What's interesting is that five different insiders picked up 105k shares in the open market after the stock made the huge move. I like this stock if and only if it can get through yesterday's high.

Oil was the first sector to lose momentum, the sector peaked in December and has pulled back a little more than 10%. Over the last few days, the downside momentum has eased and a few oil names like $XOM, $CVX, have shown some stabilization. I mentioned yesterday $XOM as a possible character change play with the 10-20 day moving averages now acting as support after acting as resistance for 57 trading days. $XOM also sport a decent yield.

But today I'm also focusing on $HAL, the stock has pulled back to potential weekly support, and on the daily, it has been down for 5-days in a row. I have an interest in the stock if it can get through yesterday's high.

$AGN and $BRK.B two stocks down multiple days in a row that are down to potential support levels, I have an interest in both stocks if they can get through yesterday's high.

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Frank Zorrilla, Registered Advisor In New York. If you need a second opinion, suggestions, and or feedback in regards to the market feel free to reach me at [email protected] or 646-480-7463.  DISCLAIMER

[vkatsenelson]

Trump Hates Them – We Love Them

A few weeks after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, he was asked about pharmaceuticals prices. With typical rhetorical gusto, he declared, “Pharmaceutical companies are getting away with murder.” Well, my firm has been increasing our allocation to those “murderers,” and despite Mr. Trump’s comments, we are very comfortable with our positions in the long run (which lies beyond what may end up being a very volatile short run).

Pharmaceuticals companies check off a lot of boxes in our quality and growth dimensions. They are usually monopolies or oligopolies when it comes to their specific drugs; they have high recurrence of revenue; their business is not cyclic and thus marches to its own drummer; they have strong balance sheets and a high return on capital, and generate a lot of cash flow; they benefit from a significant growth tailwind as the global population ages (I aged just while writing this); and they enjoy pricing power (more on that later). Yet the pharmaceuticals sector as a whole has been decimated over the past eight months due to perceived political risk — first by pharma pricing critic Hillary Clinton’s “It’s in the bag” expectation of victory and then by Trump’s “They get away with murder” comments. We view the carnage created by the political risk as an opportunity to increase our exposure to this sector. Here is why.

President Trump mentioned that he wants the U.S. government — mainly, its Medicare program — to negotiate directly with drugmakers on price. His remark may create the impression that pharmaceuticals companies today charge the government whatever prices they want. That is not the case. Medicare covers prescription drug costs through a program known as Medicare Part D. Medicare basically outsources the negotiation of drug prices to pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies such as CVS, Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group (a health insurance company that owns its own PBM). In fact, less than a handful of PBMs control this market and so exercise tremendous pricing power; thus the government is already negotiating with pharmaceuticals companies.

Here are some useful stats about this market: As of the end of 2015, 290 million Americans had health insurance. Among them, 214 million had private insurance and 52 million were insured by Medicare. Medicare insures a lot of people; however, UnitedHealth — a company whose business model relies on paying as little as possible for prescriptions — insures 70 million Americans and thus already has greater bargaining power than Medicare.

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[estimize]

5 Stocks to Watch that Report Earnings Tomorrow

Whole Foods (WFM): Supermarkets faced a slew of headwinds in 2016 including stiff competition, food price deflation and waning store traffic. The combination of these factors made it difficult for high end grocery stores like Whole Foods to re establish its footing. As a result the stock danced sideways for nearly 12 months on a number of mixed earnings reports. Moving forward, the company remains dedicated to revamping its pricing strategy with a focus on value offerings to meet changing spending behavior. The introduction of its lower price point “365″ chain promises to help Whole Foods reach said goal. The new stores come equipped with innovative technology, a modern look that appeals to millennials and most importantly lower prices, a concept that once escaped the Whole Foods brand. Many of its initiatives intend to stave off competition from traditional supermarkets like Kroger and non traditional ones like Amazon, Walmart and Costco.

What are you expecting for WFM? Get your estimate in here!

Yum! Brands (YUM): During the fourth quarter Yum Brands completed the spin off of Yum China, creating two independent publicly traded entities. Yum China contributed meaningfully to the top line in previous quarters and for that reason year over year comparisons will look skewed. As for Yum Brands, tomorrow’s report puts the spotlight on KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut to persevere through the changing spending habits. Various digital initiatives such as mobile ordering along with the frequent menu updates, that often include healthier items, aim to boost comps. That said, a number of near term headwinds post a legitimate threat to financial performance, including weak currency translation, volatile consumer spending, and macroeconomic uncertainty.

What are you expecting for YUM? Get your estimate in here!

GrubHub (GRUB): Strong marketing efforts and ongoing initiatives to improve delivery networks helps Grubhub gain traction in areas outside of major cities and also strengthens its competitive advantage. While the company holds an advantage in the space, the business model requires huge volumes to generate meaningful profits. If Grubhub is unable to secure more volume on a sound pricing strategy, this will put pressure on financial performance. Meanwhile, competition continues to emerge from the most likely sources, including threats from Amazon and Uber.

What are you expecting for GRUB? Get your estimate in here!

Allergan (AGN): Revenue for the quarter is predicated on new product launches, international growth and progression of established products like Botox. Earnings, on the other hand, will reflect operating expense management and a lower share count. Analysts expect new products like Viberzi and Vraylar to maintain the upward trend started during the third quarter. On the downside, a slew of Allergan’s legacy products face threats from genericization, a problem that continues to hurt sales in the pharmaceutical space. The handful of acquisitions Allergan made during the quarter should offset some of the lost sales from generic competition.

What are you expecting for AGN? Get your estimate in here!

iRobot Corporation (IRBT): The company’s line of cleaning products continues to gain traction on the back of a steadily improving consumer spending environment. Analysts believe strategic marketing initiatives coupled with new product launches and international expansion will support strong results moving forward. But the company still faces several near term threats, including currency headwinds, slowing demand and macroeconomic uncertainty.

What are you expecting for IRBT? Get your estimate in here!

Click Here to Estimate

[kcherpelis-blog]

Medivation and Syngenta soar on merger news

Here are some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be tracking for you today.

Medivation (MDVN) stock surged this morning. The cancer drug maker is being bought by Pfizer (PFE) in a deal valued at about $14 billion. That translates to $81.50 a share in cash. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year and will give Pfizer access to Medivation’s cancer drug pipeline. Pfizer terminated its $150 billion dollar deal to buy Allergan (AGN) earlier this year after the Obama administration issued new rules that would make a tax inversion deal less favorable.

US listed shares of Syngenta (SYT) soared in early trading following news that a US national security panel cleared government-owned ChemChina’s $43 billion takeover of the Swiss pesticides and seeds company. The two companies expect the deal to close by the end of the year. However, the tie-up is still subject to antitrust and other regulatory approval.

Facebook (FB) shares are in focus after Barron’s reported over the weekend that the social media giant’s stock has the potential to rise by more than 20% to $153 a share over the next year given the growing advertising revenue among its platforms.

Valeant (VRX) shares were higher in early trading. The embattled Canadian drug maker has hired Paul Herendeen as its new Chief Financial Officer. Herendeen was previously CFO at animal-health giant Zoetis (ZTS). This comes after Valeant replaced its longtime chief executive Michael Pearson with pharmaceutical veteran Joseph Papa in April.

[seana-smith-blog]

Delta flights resume; Amazon’s Japan offices raided; Sotheby’s jumps on earnings beat

Yahoo Finance is tracking the stocks you’re following, based on your Yahoo Finance ticker searches.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) – The airliner’s flights were grounded at least six hours Monday due to a global computer system outage. Delta has resumed flights, but said travelers should expect ongoing delays and cancellations.

Amazon (AMZN) – The online retail giant’s offices in Japan were raided by Japanese antitrust regulators on suspicion that the company forced retailers to set their prices lower on Amazon’s site. Amazon’s Japanese business generated about $8.3 billion in sales last year.

Sotheby’s (BID) – The auction house topped second-quarter earnings estimates on both the top and bottom lines, posting adjusted earnings per share of $1.51 on revenue of $298.7 million. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting earnings of $1.04 per share on revenue of $282.5 million.

AIG (AIG) – Goldman Sachs has added the stock to its conviction buy list, citing that broad macro factors have made it bullish on AIG.

Tyson Foods (TSN) – The company topped earnings expectations in its fiscal third quarter and raised its profit forecast for the fiscal year. Tyson Foods reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.21 on revenue of $9.4 billion.

Wal-Mart (WMT) – The retail giant is buying Jet.com in a deal valued at $3.3 billion. The deal was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and will be a record-setting acquisition of an e-commerce company.

Allergan (AGN) – The drug maker reported a better-than-expected profit in the second quarter, driven by sales of Botox. Allergan posted adjusted earnings per share of $3.35 on revenue of $3.68 billion, missing analysts’ estimates for $3.72 billion.

[mitchzacks]

Corporate America vs. the IRS

Recent news of the Pfizer-Allergan deal collapsing has brought a long-contentious issue back into the spotlight: corporate tax inversions. Corporate inversion (commonly called tax inversion) refers to a company shifting its legal domicile to a lower-tax nation, while maintaining operations in its original country—all in an effort to dodge higher corporate tax rates.

The practice of tax inversions for Corporate America started around 1982, and since then more than 50 U.S. companies have reincorporated to low-tax nations. This brings up two questions today:

1.      Are the corporate tax inversion days numbered?

2.      What does this mean for corporate America?

Corporate Inversions in Practice

Let’s take a look at some past inversions and their estimated tax benefits:

Eaton Corporation: In 2012, Eaton Corporation (ETN), a power management company from Cleveland, decided to buy Cooper Industries which once was an American corporation itself before it shifted its base to Bermuda in 2002 and later to Ireland in 2009. After the purchase, the combined company moved its headquarters to Cooper Industries’ residence in Ireland. As a result, the company expected to pocket $160 million a year in tax savings by 2016. 

Burger King: In late 2014, Burger Kind merged with Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons forming Restaurant Brands International Inc. (QSR). According to a 2014 study by Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF), following the merger, Burger King could be exempt from paying $117 million in U.S. corporate taxes on its existing un-repatriated overseas profits. Additionally, Burger King could save a whopping $400 million to $1.2 billion in taxes over the four years following its reincorporation in Canada.

Pfizer-Allergan: The most recent tax inversion stirring a lively discussion came from the collapsed deal of American drug maker Pfizer (PFE). Pfizer planned to relocate its headquarters to Ireland by merging with the Irish pharmaceutical Allergan (AGN). Pfizer reportedly could have saved more than $1 billion a year in tax related costs had it relocated its headquarters. Consequently, the deal was canceled after the U.S. Treasury announced last month the tightening of regulations against inversions.

Is Curbing Tax Inversions Justified?

From a purely economic standpoint, curbing tax inversions is likely justified as not doing so hurts more than it helps. In a statement released this month, the U.S. Treasury expressed concerns over corporations clinching overseas deals only to dodge taxes and are fearful that this could derail America’s growth and development. As a result, the Treasury proposed further tightening of corporate inversion rules with focus on curbing earnings stripping and serial inversions . According to the Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation, inversions will cost the U.S. Treasury a massive $40 billion over the next ten years. That could constrain public investment and/or compel the government to raise tax burdens on American citizens to make up for the revenue lost due to corporate tax avoidance—generally a bad thing.

Bottom Line for Investors

It isn’t likely that any new legislation on inversions is going to lead to a mass exodus of U.S. corporations, which is what investors need to keep an eye out for. Since the Pfizer/Allergan deal, the story has somewhat faded from the headlines, meaning that the impact of changes at the U.S. Treasury are likely contained for the time being.

FREE Download – Zacks Economic Outlook: May, 2016

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