Category: General

3 ETFs That Could Diversify Your Portfolio

Posted on by The MarketClub Team

Inflation cooled again last month after starting to decline in October.

The Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in November rose 7.1% increase year-over-year and was just 0.1% from the previous month.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected prices to grow at an annual 7.3% and 0.3% over the prior month.

The favorable November inflation report kept the Fed on track to increase interest rates by a relatively smaller amount after four consecutive hikes of 75-basis-point magnitude.

In addition to the optimism surrounding the decline in the Fed rate hikes, December has proven to be a strong month for the stock market over the past 70 years. However, many experts still expect a mild recession next year.

Given the backdrop, it could be wise to take advantage of the uptrend in JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF (JPST), IQ MacKay Municipal Intermediate ETF (MMIT), and VanEck Long Muni ETF (MLN) to diversify your portfolio this month.

JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF (JPST)

JPST is an actively managed, ultra-short-term, broad-market bond fund that aims to maximize income and preserve capital.

The fund makes investments in fixed-rate, variable-rate, and floating-rate debt, including corporate issues, asset-backed securities, and debt pertaining to mortgages, as well as U.S. government and agency debt, including treasury securities.

JPST has $22.76 billion in assets under management. The fund has a total of 467 holdings. Its top holdings include U.S. Dollar with a 44.64% weighting, Fixed Income (unclassified) at 1.73%, BNP Paribas S.A. 3.5% at 0.94%, and Nordea Bank AB (New York) FRN at 0.81%.

JPST has an expense ratio of 0.18%, lower than the category average of 0.60%. Over the past six months, JPST's fund inflows came in at $4.14 billion. Also, it has a beta of 0.04, indicating extremely low volatility compared to the broader market.

JPST pays an annual dividend of $1.04, which yields 2.08% on prevailing prices. Its dividend payments have grown at a 16.9% CAGR over the past five years. The fund has a record of dividend payments for five consecutive years.

JPST has gained marginally over the past month to close the last trading session at $50.19. It has a NAV of $50.19 as of December 12, 2022. Continue reading "3 ETFs That Could Diversify Your Portfolio" →

BBW is Well-Positioned Following Q3 Revenue Beat

Posted on by The MarketClub Team

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (BBW) operates as a multi-channel retailer of plush animals and related products.

The company operates through three segments: Direct-to-Consumer, Commercial, and International Franchising. It runs around 346 locations managed by corporate and 72 franchised stores in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America.

On November 30, the company announced record fiscal third quarter results. Its total revenue increased 9.9% year-over-year to $104.48 million, beating the consensus estimate by 1.8% and registering the seventh consecutive quarter of revenue growth.

Sharon Price John, BBW President and Chief Executive Officer, attributed this solid performance to momentum and consistency in business with solid brand interest from consumers. She expressed her confidence that the company is on track to deliver the most profitable year in its 25-year history.

Mirroring the above sentiment, the stock has gained 45.3% over the past month to close the last trading session at $25.17 despite the broader market remaining volatile on concern over the Fed’s potential rate hikes to bring inflation down to its 2% target.

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BBW is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $17.33 and $17.28, respectively, indicating an uptrend.

Here is what may help the stock maintain its performance in the near term.

Solid Track Record

Over the past three years, BBW’s revenue has exhibited a 10.5% CAGR, while its EBITDA has grown at a stellar 99.4% CAGR. The company has increased its EPS at a 55% CAGR during the same period. Continue reading "BBW is Well-Positioned Following Q3 Revenue Beat" →

1 Tech Stock That's Safe And 1 That's Not

Posted on by The MarketClub Team

Recent data suggests that the U.S. economy has been more resilient than expected, despite the Fed’s efforts to cool it down through monetary tightening. However, the market widely expects the central bank to implement a lower rate hike in its meeting this month.

However, many economists believe that the terminal interest rates will beat the earlier estimates. This might tighten fund availability for growing businesses while softening consumer demand in the year ahead.

Hence it would be safe to bet on stocks with an encouraging outlook while avoiding the weak ones.

Given the uncertain economic outlook, do you expect a Santa Claus Rally this year?

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Given its strong trends, it could be wise to buy NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) to capitalize on increased consumer spending on electronics during holidays. On the other hand, CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD) might be best avoided now, given its downtrend.

NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA)

NVDA is a global provider of graphics, computation, and networking solutions. The company operates through two segments: Graphics and Compute & Networking.

NVDA’s revenue has exhibited a 41.8% CAGR over the past three years. During the same time horizon, the company’s EBITDA and net income have also grown at 51.6% and 35.2% CAGRs, respectively.

For the fiscal third quarter, ended October 30, 2022, NVDA’s non-GAAP operating income increased 15.9% sequentially to $1.54 billion, while its non-GAAP net income came in at $1.46 billion, up 12.7% quarter-over-quarter. This resulted in a sequential increase of 13.7% in non-GAAP EPS to $0.59 during the same period.

Analysts expect NVDA’s revenue and EPS for the fiscal fourth quarter to increase 1.5% and 37.9% sequentially to $6.02 billion and $0.80, respectively. The company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates in two of the trailing four quarters. Continue reading "1 Tech Stock That's Safe And 1 That's Not" →

ADT Hit a New 52-Week High

Posted on by The MarketClub Team

Provider of security, interactive, and smart home solutions ADT Inc. (ADT) hit a new 52-week high of $9.82 on December 2, 2022. ADT’s stock has gained 15.9% in price year-to-date and 16.9% over the past year to close the last trading session at $9.64.

ADT’s EPS and revenue surpassed the consensus estimates in the last quarter. Its EPS came 52.1% higher than analyst estimates, while its revenue beat the consensus estimate by 0.6%. Higher revenues from the CSB, Commercial, and ADT Solar segments drove revenues higher.

Total CSB revenue increased 7% year-over-year to $1.11 billion in the third quarter, while its total Commercial revenue rose 12% year-over-year to $314 million. Furthermore, ADT’s Solar segment contributed $179 million to its total revenue.

ADT’s President and CEO, Jim DeVries, said, “ADT’s strong third-quarter results demonstrate our continued momentum – setting records in customer retention, RMR balance, and revenue payback. Our performance to date validates our progress on key initiatives, outlined earlier this year during our Investor Day, to meaningfully grow revenue, earnings, and cash flows, as well as reduce debt.”

On September 6, 2022, ADT announced that State Farm would make an equity investment of $1.20 billion in ADT, resulting in State Farm owning approximately 15% of ADT. ADT also announced a new partnership with State Farm to expand opportunities to combine next-generation security, innovative smart home technology, and reimagined risk-mitigation capabilities to monitor, detect, prevent, and minimize homeownership risks.

Post the announcement, the stock had a gap-up opening and has not looked back since.

ADT Chart

Source: TradingView

State Farm will also invest up to $300 million in an opportunity fund to support product innovation, technology, and marketing that seeks to differentiate and improve the customer experience for homeowners. Continue reading "ADT Hit a New 52-Week High" →

This Industrial Stock is Well-Positioned for 2023

Posted on by The MarketClub Team

The world’s largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment, Deere & Company (DE), beat analysts’ EPS and revenue estimates for the fiscal fourth quarter that ended October 30, 2022, despite the uncertain macroeconomic environment, higher raw material prices, and supply chain challenges.

DE’s EPS came 9% above the consensus EPS estimate, while its revenue surpassed the analyst estimates by 6.6%. The company’s Production & Precision Agriculture segment sales rose 59% year-over-year to $7.43 billion. Its operating margins came in at 23.4%, compared to 16.7% in the prior-year period.

Small Agriculture & Turf segment saw similar growth. Net sales rose 26% year-over-year to $3.54 billion, and its operating margin came in at 14.3%, compared to 12.3% in the year-ago period.

Its Construction & Forestry segment’s net sales witnessed a 20% year-over-year increase to $3.37 billion, with its operating profit rising 53% year-over-year to $414 million.

The company’s Financial Services segment’s net income rose 2% year-over-year to $232 million. Despite the challenges, DE’s strong pricing power was on display, as price realization was positive by about 19 percentage points which helped offset a three-point headwind from a higher U.S. dollar.

During a conference call with analysts, DE’s manager of investor communications, Rachel Bach, said, “Across our businesses, performance was driven by continued strong demand, higher production rates, and progress on reducing our inventory in partially completed machines.”

The Moline, Illinois-based company has provided strong guidance for 2023 based on its strong pricing, higher infrastructure spending, and healthy industry outlook. For 2023, its net income expectation is between $8 billion to $8.50 billion, which is 5% higher than consensus estimates.

DE’s Chairman and CEO, John C. May, said, “Deere is looking forward to another strong year in 2023 based on positive farm fundamentals and fleet dynamics as well as an increased investment in infrastructure.”

DE has gained 28.6% in price year-to-date and 26.7% over the past year to close the last trading session at $440.97. Credit Suisse analyst Jamie Cook has reiterated an outperform rating on the stock and has raised the target price from $447 to $582.

Despite the possibility of a recession, do you think DE will be able to meet its guidance in 2023?

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Continue reading "This Industrial Stock is Well-Positioned for 2023" →