Articles for tag: Investing, Mutual Funds

May 23, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Truist’s (TFC) Business Restructuring to Aid Amid Cost Woe

Truist Financial TFC remains well-positioned for revenue growth on the back of decent loan demand, high rates, strategic restructuring initiatives and fee income growth. However, elevated expenses and weakening asset quality remain headwinds. TFC’s net interest income (NII) growth seems encouraging. While the metric declined in the first quarter of 2024, it experienced a five-year (ended 2023) compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.9% driven by decent loan demand, merger deals and increasing rates. Its net interest margin (NIM) declined marginally in 2023 to 3%. While the current high interest rates are likely to have a positive impact on NII and

May 23, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Here’s Why You Should Retain Cintas (CTAS) in Your Portfolio for Now

Cintas Corporation CTAS has been benefiting from strength in its Uniform Rental and Facility Services segment, driven by strong demand in the energy market. The segment’s revenues rose 9.4% year over year in the fiscal third quarter (ended February 2024). Strong demand for its products and services, pricing actions and robust customer retention have been boosting the First Aid and Safety Services segment’s performance. Revenues from the segment climbed 13.4% year over year in the fiscal third quarter. Given the strength across its businesses, the company expects revenues to be in the range of $9.57-$9.60 billion in fiscal 2024, indicating

May 22, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Here’s Why Flowserve (FLS) Stock Should Grace Your Portfolio

Flowserve Corporation FLS stands to benefit from strength across its businesses, focus on operational excellence and a sound liquidity position. The company remains focused on investing in growth opportunities and strengthening its long-term market position. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research It has a market capitalization of $6.6 billion. Over the past three months, it has gained 19.7% compared with the industry’s 1.5% growth. FLS currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Let’s delve into the factors that have been aiding the firm for a while now. Solid Booking Level: The company has been benefiting from robust bookings driven by strong

May 21, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Reasons to Buy Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) Stock Right Away

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation’s PNW strategic capital investment plans should further enhance its infrastructure and help to expand its clean generation portfolio. Given its strong growth, PNW makes a solid investment option in the utility sector. Let’s focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company a strong investment option at the moment. Growth Projections & Surprise History The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Pinnacle West Capital’s 2024 earnings per share (EPS) has moved up 1.5% to $4.76 in the past 90 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 sales is pinned at $4.88 billion, indicating year-over-year growth

May 21, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Netflix’s (NFLX) The Victims’ Game Set to Return on Jun 21

Netflix’s NFLX highly anticipated crime thriller series, The Victims’ Game, is set to return for a second season on Jun 21, after a four-year wait. This series, renewed by Netflix, promises a new season filled with unexpected and suspenseful murder cases linked to an incident from 15 years ago. Chang Hsiao-chuan reprises his role as Fang Yi-jen, a forensic detective with Asperger’s syndrome who finds himself a prime suspect in the new series of crimes. Chang highlights Fang Yi-jen’s character development, for proving his innocence and fostering a sense of belonging. This season challenges both the character and the actor,

May 16, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Radcom’s (RDCM) Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates, Revenues Up Y/Y

Radcom RDCM reported first-quarter 2024 non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of 18 cents, meeting the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The bottom line increased 50% year over year. Revenues in the quarter totaled $14.1 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.62%. Total revenues soared 17.5% year over year. This upside underscores RADCOM’s continued success in expanding its market presence and driving revenue growth. Non-GAAP net income for the quarter increased to $2.8 million from $1.8 million in the prior-year quarter. Strategic expense management with a decrease in R&D costs led to the growth. Renewal of multi-year deal with Rakuten Mobile along

May 16, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Oracle (ORCL) NetSuite’s Innovations to Help Mexican Businesses

Oracle’s ORCL NetSuite has unveiled a suite of new product innovations aimed at assisting businesses in Mexico to streamline their finance processes, enhance insights and boost efficiency. These enhancements include artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analytics, new enterprise performance management (EPM) capabilities, updates tailored for manufacturers and localization features for Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. Moreover, NetSuite EPM offers comprehensive solutions for planning, budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting. By connecting data from various sources, businesses can enhance visibility, expand insights and drive growth through informed decision-making. For manufacturing businesses in Mexico, NetSuite’s SuiteSuccess provides tailored industry solutions to optimize processes and meet local

May 13, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Beat the Market the Zacks Way: Micron, Freshpet, Colgate-Palmolive in Focus

All of the three most widely followed indexes closed out a gaining week last Friday. The Nasdaq Composite, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.1%, 1.9% and 2.2%, respectively. For the Dow, this was the biggest weekly progress since mid-December 2023. The low-data week was characterized by investor optimism about the Fed’s monetary policy due to solemn numbers coming from the labor market. Even as various Fed officials continued to send mixed signals about the timeline for the first rate cut throughout the week, market participants remained hopeful that with the state of the economy, the

May 6, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Is Trending Stock Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSM) a Buy Now?

TSMC (TSM) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock. Over the past month, shares of this chip company have returned +0.1%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s -1.6% change. During this period, the Zacks Semiconductor – Circuit Foundry industry, which TSMC falls in, has lost 0.3%. The key question now is: What could be the stock’s future direction? Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company’s business prospects usually

May 2, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Duke Energy (DUK) to Post Q1 Earnings: What’s in the Offing?

Duke Energy Corporation DUK is scheduled to release its first-quarter 2024 results on May 7 before market open. The company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 1.95% in the last reported quarter.Moreover, Duke Energy holds a negative four-quarter average earnings surprise of 3.76%.  Let’s discuss the factors that are likely to be reflected in the upcoming quarterly results. Factors at Play The majority of DUK’s service territories witnessed mixed weather patterns during the January-March 2024 quarter. While some parts observed a warmer-than-normal temperature pattern, below-than-normal temperatures prevailed in other parts, accompanied by moderate snowfall. Such mixed weather patterns are likely