Microsoft's Personal Computing Unit & Windows Are Still Driving Growth

Shares of Microsoft (MSFT ) surged to a new all-time high Friday following the tech giant’s strong fourth-quarter earnings results. Yet, while much of the talk surrounds the company’s growing cloud computing unit and Azure, Microsoft’s More Personal Computing division, which includes Windows, remains its largest revenue driver.

Microsoft has seen its stock price jump 44% during the last 12 months, before it popped over 2.6% Friday morning to touch a new high of $108.20 per share. The move comes after the firm posted adjusted quarterly earnings of $1.13 per share, which not only beat our Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.07 per share but marked a roughly 15% climb from the $0.98 per share MSFT posted in the year-ago quarter.

At the top end of the income statement, Microsoft’s revenues climbed by 17% to $30.09 billion, which also topped our $29.21 billion estimate. The company and investors continue to point to its cloud computing business as reason to celebrate.

It is true that Microsoft’s cloud computing segment that competes against Amazon (AMZN ) , Oracle (ORCL ) , and Google (GOOGL ) is hugely important. “Our early investments in the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge are paying off, and we will continue to expand our reach in large and growing markets with differentiated innovation,” CEO Satya Nadella said in a company statement. But Microsoft’s More Personal Computing unit continues to play a vital role for the company.

Microsoft’s More Personal Computing unit saw its revenues surge by 17% to hit $10.8 billion, coming in above our exclusive non-financial metrics consensus estimate of $10.44 billion. Investors should note that Personal Computing revenues topped both Intelligent Cloud at $9.6 billion and Productivity and Business Processes at $9.7 billion.

The firm’ historic Windows business remains a huge revenue driver. Window’s OEM revenues popped by 7%, while Windows commercial products and cloud services saw their total revenues climb by 23%. Meanwhile, its widely popular gaming segment, which includes Xbox, soared 39%—with strong third-party title strength.

Moving on, Microsoft’s Surface tablet and laptop division saw its total sales climb by 25%. The company noted that the big year-over-year jump was based on slow year-ago sales. Lastly, its search advertising revenues, excluding traffic acquisition costs, jumped 17%.

For the full fiscal year 2018, Microsoft’s More Personal Computing business revenues hit $42.28 billion. This marked a roughly 7.5% climb from the $39.29 billion Microsoft posted last year and accounted for just over 38% of total company revenues—far more than Intelligent Cloud’s 29%.

Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?

Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.

With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.

It's not the one you think.

See This Ticker Free >>

Why There Will Be Many Winners in the War on Cash

In this segment from�MarketFoolery, host Mac Greer and Motley Fool analysts Jason Moser and Taylor Muckerman open the mailbag and pull out a listener request to briefly explain one of Moser's favorite trends: the war on cash.

Among the questions they touch upon: What's propelling it, and why won't the newer digital platforms push out legacy plastic?

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on July 16, 2018.

Mac Greer: Guys, let's keep it on the subject of cash, cash money, and bust open the Fool mailbag. We have a great email from Eric Wallace. Eric writes, "Hey there, can the gang of Fools explain a little more about this so-called war on money? MasterCard, Visa, PayPal�(NASDAQ:PYPL)�owns Venmo. Everyone loves some Venmo. My wife uses Venmo. Everyone but me, for now, uses Venmo. How does all this fit in?" Eric goes on to ask, "How is PayPal/Venmo not going to crush the rest? Do we need all these cards aside from the mileage and benefits cards?"

Jason Moser: It's a good question. I think the initial way to approach something like this is to view it as not being a zero-sum game. It's not a market where there is going to be just one winner. That was the purpose behind the basket. When you look at this market opportunity --

Greer: The Jason Moser War on Cash Basket. [laughs]

Moser: Sure. You said, it not me. I'm going to maintain some humility here. I think it was more about, a number of these companies, identifying their position in the value chain, and then recognizing their competitive strengths.

Greer: And what's in the basket?

Moser: People are probably sick of it at this point. You're going to get sick of it next week, too, because next week, the basket's actually a year old, Mac. It's MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and Square. The basic idea is, buy all four companies in equal amounts and just let the basket go. That way, you're not trying to pick just one winner. You can pick a lot of winners.

To the point on PayPal -- I like PayPal a lot, don't get me wrong. Actually, in the basket thus far, since inception, while Square is outperforming them all, MasterCard is outperforming PayPal. It's worth noting, too, that all four companies are outperforming the market individually, so it's done well.

I think the basic idea behind the basket was, instead of trying to pick one winner, try to pick a few of the companies that we know are really leading the way. If you can put your money down on four winners, maybe that's a risk-friendly way to get exposure to the space and participate in what I think is one of the bigger long-term trends out there, and that's this move away from cash toward more electronic payments.

Taylor Muckerman: War on cash, not war on money.

Moser: Very good point.

Why Broadcom Already Should Ditch Its Planned CA Acquisition

It is no big secret that semiconductor companies all up and down the supply chain have been and would like to keep�merging into larger and stronger companies so that their future cannot be broken by just one major customer. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) was hoping to acquire Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) in a deal that faced more scrutiny and reviews than most companies would be able to stand. Now that the Qualcomm issue is believed to be behind Broadcom, the company has decided that CA Inc. (NASDAQ: CA) was going to be a suitable quasi-replacement deal for the chip giant.

Based on what has been seen so far, Broadcom made a serious mistake in trying to acquire CA for a sum of roughly $18.9 billion. Broadcom shares were last seen at $209.50 with a market cap of almost $88 billion. The problem here is that the share price was almost $250 before the deal was announced, so it has lost almost 20% of its value even before the investment community has been able to react to the deal.

It is not unusual for an acquiring company to see its shares drop on news that it is making an acquisition. Sometimes the acquirer’s stock even rises. But this loss in market capitalization is almost the entire value of the CA transaction.

In short, Wall Street does not believe that Broadcom’s deal is the right one. Perhaps the only good news is that Broadcom’s shares traded up from the post-announcement closing low of $202.46. To make matters worse, Broadcom shares are now down over 25% from their 52-week high.

24/7 Wall St. has tracked multiple analyst calls regarding the Broadcom-CA deal and the vote is almost unanimous: Broadcom’s move to buy into business software should bring up questions about how solid Broadcom’s core semiconductor business is. Multiple analysts have downgraded Broadcom since the deal was announced a week earlier.

On July 18, Broadcom was downgraded to Neutral from Buy and the price target was cut to $220 from $300 at Goldman Sachs. The shares had closed up 2.5% at $208.31 on Tuesday, in a 52-week range of $197.46 to $285.68. Goldman Sachs analyst Toshiya Hari sees an increased uncertainty about the company’s strategic focus after the CA deal. Will Broadcom now try to become more of a software company over the longer view? How sustainable is its core chip operation on a competitive basis?

On July 16, Merrill Lynch rated Broadcom only�as Neutral, with a mere $240 price objective.

On July 13, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Broadcom to Market Perform from Outperform with a $230 price target.

On July 12, several downgrades and target cuts were seen: Evercore ISI to In-Line from Outperform with a $275 target, RBC Capital Markets to Outperform from a Top Pick but still with a $300 target, and FBR to Neutral from Buy with a $245 target.

Other notable analyst and research calls in the wake of the CA deal were seen as follows:

Standard & Poor’s placed Broadcom’s corporate credit rating on CreditWatch Negative, a review for a downgrade ahead. Nomura/Instinet maintained its Neutral rating but lowered the Broadcom target to $225 from $250. Macquarie also downgraded Broadcom to Neutral from Outperform. Raymond James downgraded it to Outperform from Strong Buy.

In an effort to show both sides of the coin, 24/7 Wall St. also included two research note summaries that were supportive of the Broadcom-CA merger.

Independent research firm Argus reiterated its Buy rating and $300 target, noting for shareholders to buy on the CA deal-weakness. The firm’s view was that there is potentially logic in the deal that may not be easily realized. CA’s enterprise IT applications and DevOps eventually may enable Broadcom to better target opportunities in cloud data center. Also noted was that this $19 billion purchase of CA would be a smaller bite than the prior planned $117 billion of Qualcomm, which would have also represented a doubling-down in the mobile device market that is already showing signs of saturation.

CFRA (S&P) reiterated its Strong Buy rating, and the firm has a $282 price target for Broadcom. The firm said in its view:

Our Strong Buy primarily reflects valuation and potential earnings leverage. We expect the pending acquisition of CA, Inc. to be immediately accretive and support margin expansion, but acknowledge CA reduces Broadcom’s growth trajectory. While we would rather see Broadcom expand its scale/addressable market via semiconductor deals, we like the added diversification and recurring revenue streams that CA has to offer. We have high confidence in management execution and view Broadcom shares as being extremely undervalued. We expect Broadcom to benefit from a favorable data center landscape and greater content per device gains within wireless. We see 5G representing an enormous opportunity for Broadcom in the coming years. We like Broadcom’s 3% plus dividend yield.

24/7 Wall St.
Expanded Stock Buyback Parameters for Warren Buffett Could Bring Conflict

Broadcom is already an amalgamated semiconductor and equipment giant. The company only just recently has relocated its corporate flag to the United States. While the company is the combined Broadcom-Avago, it also recently acquired Brocade Communications Systems in a deal valued at more than $5 billion. If a $100-plus billion of Qualcomm was out of reach, it’s not all that shocking that a $19-billion deal to diversify operations has seen such an unenthusiastic reaction by the investment community.

Fry Day Friday! Get free fries and deals

Your luck could change this Friday the 13th.

It's National French Fry Day and restaurants have free fries and deals worth taking a dip.

Fry-Day Friday also kicks off a trifecta of comfort food national food days. Saturday is Mac & Cheese Day and Sunday is a day to scream because it is�National Ice Cream Day.�Look below for macaroni and cheese deals and we'll tell you tomorrow where to find cut-rate ice cream.

More: Top fast-food, full-service restaurants for customer satisfaction named in new ACSI survey

More: Historic blunders: 50 worst product flops of all time

More: Restaurants compete to have this summer's coolest and wackiest drinks

French Fry Day deals

Offers and participation can vary by location. To be on the safe side, contact your closest location.

Applebee��s: For a limited time, all-you-can-eat "Riblets & Tenders," including unlimited amounts of�fries, is $12.99.

Bite Squad: With orders of $20 or more Friday, the food delivery service is giving away free�fries with code FRYDAY.�

BurgerFi:�Get a free order of regular hand-cut fries with any purchase Friday when you mention the offer when placing an order at the counter.

Did someone say free fries? Oh, that was us. Celebrate #NationalFrenchFryDay with FREE Regular Fries - Friday, 7/13! *Offer Valid 7/13/18 only. Premium toppings are an additional charge. Cannot be combined with any other offer or special. No Substitutions. In-store orders only. pic.twitter.com/rGPKwMJWMQ

— BURGERFI (@BURGERFI) July 11, 2018

Burger King: With a coupon in the restaurant's app, get two small orders of fries�and two Original Chicken Sandwiches for $4.99.

Burger21: Not a deal, but participating locations have Buffalo Ranch Fries only on Friday.

Carl��s Jr.:�Get a coupon for a free small fries and beverage with the purchase of any Six Dollar Burger for joining�the chain's email list.

Del Taco: Get a $1 off Loaded Fries Friday through July 20 at participating locations nationwide with a coupon available at www.deltaco.com/fryyay.

Dunkin' Donuts:�The first 100 guests at�25�participating restaurants across five markets will receive�a free order of Donut Fries�from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. Also,�for a limited time, Donut Fries are�$2 at participating restaurants nationwide.�

More: Doughnuts in stick form: Dunkin' debuts Donut Fries

Farmer Boys: Get a free order of fries with any burger purchase Friday at participating locations when you mention the Fry Day deal when ordering. Kid��s burgers are excluded and a list of participating locations is posted at www.farmerboys.com.�Members of the VIF rewards program who scan their receipt Friday will get another order of free fries loaded to their accounts.

CLOSE

Even though the U.S. is famous for its burgers and fries, you won��t have the same fast food experience in every state. Time

Hardee's:�Get a coupon for a free small fries and beverage with the purchase of any "One-third pound Thickburger"�for joining�the chain's email list.

Hot Dog on a Stick: Get a free, small order of Jalapeno Fries with purchase of any Spicy Batter Stick Item Friday.

Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks: The West Coast chain��s new French Onion Burger is served with endless fries and available now through Sept. 2. Also for National French Fry Day, enter an Instagram contest for a chance to win free burgers and fries for a year.

McDonald��s: With a coupon on the fast-food chain��s app and a $1 or more purchase, get a free medium fries Friday.

Mooyah: Download the chain's rewards app and get free personal fries.

Penn Station East Coast Subs: With any sandwich purchase Friday, get a free small order of�fresh-cut fries. All locations are participating.

CLOSE

Taco Bell��s Nacho Fries seem to be the secret ingredient to fast food success. Buzz60

PT��s Taverns: Regular orders of fries are�$1 at all locations Friday.

Red Robin: This is an everyday deal. Buy any signature burger and get free Bottomless Steak Fries. The chain also has new Bottomless Hop-Salt Fries.

Sonny��s BBQ: Get classic crinkle-cut French fries for 50 cents Friday. Limit one per guest and dine-in only. Through July 22, the chain has Create-Your-Own Fry specials with pulled pork or pulled chicken for $7.99 and chopped brisket for $8.99.

Taco Bell: Just in time for National French Fry Day,�Nacho Fries return Thursday for a limited time. The fries with Mexican seasoning that come with a side of nacho cheese dipping sauce are $1.29 for a�la carte, $2.49 for Supreme and $3.49 for�Bell Grande.

More: Miss them? Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are making a comeback

Wayback Burgers: Get free bottomless fries with the purchase of a burger or sandwich Friday at participating locations. This month, there��s also half-price milkshakes daily from 2 to 4 p.m. �Limit one per order, per day.

"Yeah, it's (going to be a) Freaky Fryday!" ���

Celebrate #NationalFrenchFryDay with bottomless fries when you purchase a burger or sandwich on July 13. pic.twitter.com/nfDcKjkeaD

— Wayback Burgers (@waybackburgers) July 11, 2018

Wienerschnitzel: Through July 31, get $1 off chili cheese fries or a chili dog and small fries for $1.99 with coupons at www.wienerschnitzel.com/specials.

Wingstop:�Join�the chain's email club�and get a free order of fries.

Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar: On Friday,�VIP Club members�get one free order of hand-cut fries per table with a food purchase Friday.

Mac & Cheese Day deals

Saturday is Mac & Cheese Day and here are a few of the best deals:

Einstein Bros. Bagels: The bagel chain has a Mac & Cheese Bagel and members of the Shmear Society get the limited-edition bagel for free Saturday with any purchase. New members of the rewards program have to sign up by Friday to get the offer at www.shmearsociety.com.

Noodles & Company: All NoodlesREWARDS members�get a free small bowl of Wisconsin Mac & Cheese with the purchase of a regular entr茅e�Saturday, To get this deal, you need to sign up by Friday. Sign up at www.noodles.com/rewards.

Bob Evans: Saturday through Monday, go to Facebook.com/FarmFreshIdeas�to enter for a chance to win free Bob Evans Macaroni and Cheese for a year.

This story will be updated.

Kelly Tyko is a consumer columnist and retail reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers and�TCPalm.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Follow her on Twitter @KellyTyko�and email her at kelly.tyko@tcpalm.com.

3 Companies About to Hike Their Dividends by 10% or More

Free Book: The secrets in this book helped one Money Morning reader make a $185,253 profit in just eight days. Learn how to claim your copy here…

With the volatility and uncertainty in the markets right now, it's reassuring to know you can rely on consistent income through dividends.

And if you own one of these three companies, you're about to get paid even more…

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) will increase its dividend forward yield by 10.26%, VSE Corp. (Nasdaq: VSEC) will increase its dividend payout by 14.29%, and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE: PNC) will increase its dividend payout by 26.67%.

And aside from the dividend hike, VSEC really caught our attention because it just hit the "Buy Zone" on the Money Morning Stock VQScore�� system.

Now, let's take a look at some of our other favorite dividend stocks…

Top Dividend Stocks for July 2018 Special Situation Strategist Tim Melvin loves finding value in an overpriced market. And he thinks he found another winner. "This stock has the prospects for extraordinary returns for patient, aggressive investors," Melvin said. With a dividend yield higher than what the bank will give you at almost 2% and a chance to triple your money, you have to see this. While dividends are a great source of additional income, sometimes investors have to sacrifice share price growth in the process. However, with these three stocks, you won't have that problem. Wall Street is ignoring two big trends right now: an aging population and the number of facilities needed to help seniors in their golden years. The population of those aged 60 and older is expected to double from 962 million in 2017 to 2.1 billion by 2050. And we have three ways to play it, with one company paying shareholders a dividend of 8.32%. Sunday School Teacher's "Retirement Career" Made Him a Millionaire [Claim Your Free Book]

Join the conversation. Click here to jump to comments…

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:MRLN,FTAI,XLU,CSWC,

It's important for investors to know how to invest in penny stocks safely. That's because they're often volatile and can sometimes be fraudulent, despite offering triple-digit returns in a matter of weeks. We'll show you our top two strategies for finding good penny stocks to buy, plus our small-cap stock pick primed for double-digit growth this year…

Video3 Strategies for Investing in Penny Stocks

If you're looking for proof of just how explosively profitable penny stocks are, Delcath Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: DCTH) is a perfect piece of evidence. This company saw its stock price surge from $0.02 on June 1 to $0.19 on June 26. That marked a stunning 850% gain, which happened after the company announced phase 2 trial data for its cancer drug Melphalan would be released.

But these triple-digit returns aren't always justified by the company's profits or business potential. For instance, Chinese energy company Hongli Clean Energy Technologies Corp. (Nasdaq: CETC) saw shares jump 144% from $1.90 to $4.63 during just the first five sessions of April.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Marlin Business Services Corp.(MRLN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  First Bank (NASDAQ: FRBA) and Marlin Business Services (NASDAQ:MRLN) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and dividends.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC(FTAI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Fortress Transprtn and Infr Investrs (NYSE: FTAI) and WillScot (NASDAQ:WSC) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends and profitability.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  These are some of the media stories that may have effected Accern Sentiment’s scoring:

  Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI) Lifted to B- at TheStreet (americanbankingnews.com) BidaskClub Upgrades Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI) to “Buy” (americanbankingnews.com) Active Mover �� Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (NYSE: FTAI) (alphabetastock.com) Services Stock Buzz: Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (FTAI) (stocksgeeks.com) Contrasting H&E Equipment Services (HEES) & Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI) (americanbankingnews.com)

  Shares of FTAI opened at $16.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1,365.03, a PE ratio of 135.42 and a beta of 1.56. Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors has a 12-month low of $14.25 and a 12-month high of $20.13.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Long-term interest rates fell back today, helping utility stocks bounce back from recent weakness; the�Utilities Select SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLU) gained 1.4%.�Gold and gold mining stocks rose, with the�VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEMKT:GDX)�up 1.4%.

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Materials stocks were hit hard; the�SPDR S&P Metals and Mining ETF (NYSEMKT:XME) dropped 2.1%. The defensive utility sector was the only portion of the market in the green, with the�Utilities Select SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLU) closing the day up 0.9%.

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Stocks sensitive to interest rates rose in anticipation of news from the Federal Reserve meeting this week. The�Utilities Select SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLU) rose 1.2% and the�iShares US Home Construction ETF (NYSEMKT:ITB) gained 1.6%.

• [By ]

  High-yield and traditionally-safe sectors like Utilities, represented by the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLU), and Consumer Staples, represented by the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLP), show this relationship with yields.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2019: Capital Southwest Corporation(CSWC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Capital Southwest Co. (NASDAQ:CSWC) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, June 5th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of 0.29 per share by the asset manager on Monday, July 2nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 25th. This is a boost from Capital Southwest’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Capital Southwest (NASDAQ: CSWC) and TRIPLEPOINT VEN/COM (NYSE:TPVG) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, dividends and analyst recommendations.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Press coverage about Capital Southwest (NASDAQ:CSWC) has been trending positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern ranks the sentiment of news coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Capital Southwest earned a coverage optimism score of 0.27 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news stories about the asset manager an impact score of 44.9331419606621 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Capital Southwest (NASDAQ:CSWC) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallJun. 5, 2018 11:00 a.m. ET

  Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

  Operator

InterOil (IOC) Given Daily Media Sentiment Score of 0.16

Media headlines about InterOil (NYSE:IOC) have been trending somewhat positive this week, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group identifies positive and negative news coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. InterOil earned a coverage optimism score of 0.16 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news articles about the oil and gas company an impact score of 45.5148763796823 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the next several days.

InterOil remained flat at $$48.36 during midday trading on Monday, according to MarketBeat Ratings. InterOil has a 52-week low of $25.31 and a 52-week high of $51.49.

InterOil Company Profile

InterOil Corporation (InterOil) is an oil and gas business with a sole focus on Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Company’s segments include Upstream and Corporate. The Upstream segment includes exploration, appraisal and development of hydrocarbon structures in PNG. The Corporate segment provides support to the Company’s other business segments through business development and improvement activities, general services, administration, human resources, executive management, financing and treasury, government affairs and investor relations.

3 Stocks That Have Doubled and Still Have Room to Grow

High-flying stocks have a lot of optimism baked into their share prices, but often that investor confidence has been earned through the type of solid operating results that could pave the way for bigger gains ahead.

Below, we'll look at a few of these market darlings that three of our Motley Fool investors believe have room to extend their recent triple-digit rallies. Read on for a bullish take on Domino's Pizza (NYSE:DPZ), Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS), and Axxon Enterprises (NASDAQ:AAXN).

Market-beating returns delivered right to your door

Demitri Kalogeropoulos (Domino's Pizza): You might think Domino's doesn't have much gas left in its rally tank after shares have doubled since mid-2015. Its core product is easily replicated, and just about every food-seller on the market, from McDonald's�to Kroger is trying its hand at home delivery.

Image source: Getty Images.

Yet Domino's track record suggests that its growth comes from an enduring competitive advantage rather than just a lucky cyclical spike. For example, the company has consistently gained market share in the core pizza delivery industry over the past decade. That success is due to a few factors that are difficult for rivals to match, including its strong store economics, its aggressive innovation posture, and its network of over 5,000 restaurants across the U.S.

Domino's is aiming to get that number up to as high 8,000 over time, and its addressable market is even bigger in the international arena. The pizza chain's high debt level is a yellow flag that investors will want to keep an eye on, but for now it makes sense that management would be directing resources toward aggressively expanding its store base. The most recent quarter included accelerating sales growth and spiking profitability, after all.

A major player in a fractured industry

John Bromels (Cintas): Conventional wisdom says that the larger a company is, the harder it's going to be for it to grow. Well, don't tell that to shareholders of uniform rental and business services company Cintas, which despite being large enough to be a member of the S&P 500 and the Fortune 500, has managed to grow its share price by more than 300% over the last five years.�To put that in perspective, it's better than�Tesla.�

As the leader in North American uniform rental, Cintas has been able to fuel this explosive growth by gobbling up smaller competitors like G&K Services, and through organic expansion as well. The company has also expanded into related business services like floor mat rental, restroom and first aid kit restocking, and fire and safety equipment rental. These related businesses are easy to add, because the same delivery route can restock uniforms, floor mats, and other equipment.�

Even after all this growth, though, the uniform rental market remains fragmented, offering more opportunities for Cintas to continue expanding. In its most recent quarter, overall organic growth came in at 8%, but organic growth in the first aid and safety services segment was 10%. Cintas should continue to grow in the coming years, rewarding investors along the way.�

There's no stopping Axon now

Rich Duprey (Axon Enterprises): The future was looking extremely bright for Axon Enterprises beforehand, but after acquiring its primary rival, it doesn't look like there is any impediment to the stun gun maker's forward ascent.

Axon is the dominant player in the conducted electrical weapon category, with its Taser-branded stun guns entering the lexicon as the generic word for the devices. Even the act of getting shocked by one of the devices -- "Don't tase me, bro!" -- has been colloquialized. And although stun guns still account for the majority of Axon's revenue, their ubiquity limits their future growth, so it is in body cameras and evidence management where Axon has set its sights for tomorrow.

Image source: Getty Images.

Axon is also the leader in body cams for law enforcement, with contracts with 37 of the 69 major cities in the U.S. Now it has�acquired its primary competitor Vievu, for which it paid $4.6 million in cash and $2.5 million in stock. Together, Axon will now completely dominate the market, which continues to be a growing one as demand for greater police accountability and protection of both officers and the public grows.

The third leg of Axon's pillars of opportunity is in evidence database management. Law enforcement agencies generate a lot of records and a chain of evidence, particularly with the growing use of cameras, is essential. Axon's Evidence.com helps the agencies manage all of that, while also making use of the data simpler. If you need to find a particular incident on a camera, the software can zero in on it in seconds and make it readily available.

While Axon Enterprise stock has soared over 140% in just six months, these three prongs indicate shares can continue to shock investors by climbing even higher in the future.

Zacks: Analysts Expect 8×8, Inc. (EGHT) Will Announce Quarterly Sales of $80.88 Million

Wall Street analysts expect 8×8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT) to announce $80.88 million in sales for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks reports. Five analysts have made estimates for 8X8’s earnings, with estimates ranging from $80.57 million to $81.29 million. 8X8 posted sales of $69.10 million in the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year-over-year growth rate of 17%. The firm is expected to report its next quarterly earnings report after the market closes on Thursday, July 26th.

On average, analysts expect that 8X8 will report full year sales of $350.39 million for the current fiscal year, with estimates ranging from $348.63 million to $354.08 million. For the next year, analysts expect that the firm will post sales of $425.37 million per share, with estimates ranging from $408.01 million to $447.92 million. Zacks Investment Research’s sales calculations are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that cover 8X8.

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8X8 (NASDAQ:EGHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 24th. The technology company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $79.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $76.97 million. 8X8 had a negative net margin of 2.56% and a positive return on equity of 0.03%. The company’s revenue was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.05 EPS.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EGHT. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating on shares of 8X8 in a research note on Saturday, June 2nd. William Blair restated a “hold” rating on shares of 8X8 in a research note on Wednesday, May 16th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of 8X8 from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, June 1st. BidaskClub upgraded shares of 8X8 from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 20th. Finally, CIBC began coverage on shares of 8X8 in a research note on Thursday, April 19th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $20.00.

Shares of 8X8 stock traded up $0.10 on Wednesday, hitting $21.20. 741,948 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 917,347. 8X8 has a 1 year low of $10.30 and a 1 year high of $23.05.

In related news, CEO Vikram Verma purchased 7,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $18.21 per share, for a total transaction of $140,217.00. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 4.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EGHT. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in 8X8 by 352.1% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,831 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 6,099 shares in the last quarter. Elkfork Partners LLC purchased a new stake in 8X8 in the 4th quarter worth $150,000. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB purchased a new stake in 8X8 in the 4th quarter worth $157,000. Stone Ridge Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in 8X8 in the 4th quarter worth $199,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in 8X8 in the 1st quarter worth $234,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.56% of the company’s stock.

8X8 Company Profile

8×8, Inc provides cloud-based, enterprise-class software solutions. The Company’s solutions are delivered through Software as a Service (SaaS) business model. Its segments include Americas and Europe. Its software platform brings together cloud, mobile, collaboration, video and data science technologies.

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on 8X8 (EGHT)

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Top Performing Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:ELA,CFR,GSB,NML,

Is 2017 the death of retail as we know it?

Each day, it seems another beloved shopping icon is issuing bad news as retailers continue to face a challenging environment.

Brick-and-mortar stores are struggling to change and adapt fast enough in the highly competitive digital age and retailers are closing under-performing stores, shedding workers and launching new initiatives in an attempt to cut costs and stay relevant.

The announcement that�Sears�faces "substantial doubt" about its ability to stay in business�because�of a cash crunch hit the retail�world hard Wednesday.

Here is a look at the top retailers that have announced store closings in 2017:

J.C. Penney: 138 stores�

J.C.�Penney announced it was closing 138 stores and offering�buyouts to 6,000 workers as it attempts to cut costs and shrink its retail footprint.

Top Performing Stocks To Buy For 2019: Entergy Louisiana, Inc.(ELA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Elastos (CURRENCY:ELA) traded down 2.3% against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 20:00 PM E.T. on June 19th. Elastos has a market capitalization of $150.76 million and approximately $6.03 million worth of Elastos was traded on exchanges in the last day. In the last seven days, Elastos has traded 6.9% lower against the dollar. One Elastos coin can currently be bought for $28.91 or 0.00428971 BTC on major exchanges including Huobi and BCEX.

Top Performing Stocks To Buy For 2019: Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc.(CFR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR) by 2.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,251,719 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 140,956 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. owned about 8.23% of Cullen/Frost Bankers worth $557,051,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR)

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

Top Performing Stocks To Buy For 2019: GlobalSCAPE, Inc.(GSB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Akorn, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKRX) fell 32.7 percent to $13.25 in pre-market trading after Fresenius terminated its merger deal with Akorn. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE: CBI) fell 15.7 percent to $12.30 in pre-market trading. Subsea 7 confirmed a $7.00 per share proposal to acquire Mcdermott, pending termination of merger agreement with CB&I. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) fell 9 percent to $3.65 in pre-market trading after rising 11.39 percent on Friday. Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) fell 8 percent to $88.36 in pre-market trading after the company reported weaker-than-expected results for its first quarter on Monday. SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) fell 7.1 percent to $9.00 in pre-market trading. Endeavour Silver Corp. (NYSE: EXK) shares fell 5.9 percent to $2.88 in pre-market trading after declining 3.16 percent on Friday. Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) shares fell 5.5 percent to $12.25 in pre-market trading. Valeritas Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: VLRX) shares fell 5.1 percent to $2.96 in pre-market trading after rising 76.27 percent on Friday. GlobalSCAPE, Inc. (NYSE: GSB) fell 5.1 percent to $3.57 in pre-market trading. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE: FMS) shares fell 4.1 percent to $49.93 in pre-market trading. Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE: OAS) fell 4.1 percent to $9.75 in pre-market trading. SunTrust Robinson Humphrey downgraded Oasis Petroleum from Hold to Sell

Top Performing Stocks To Buy For 2019: Neuberger Berman MLP Income Fund Inc.(NML)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  New Millennium Iron Corp (TSE:NML)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as C$0.07 and last traded at C$0.07, with a volume of 21500 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$0.07.

PolySwarm Trading Up 8.4% Over Last 7 Days (NCT)

PolySwarm (CURRENCY:NCT) traded 5.6% lower against the U.S. dollar during the 1-day period ending at 22:00 PM E.T. on July 4th. One PolySwarm token can now be purchased for $0.0039 or 0.00000059 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including HitBTC, IDEX and DDEX. During the last seven days, PolySwarm has traded 8.4% higher against the U.S. dollar. PolySwarm has a total market cap of $5.94 million and $28,632.00 worth of PolySwarm was traded on exchanges in the last day.

Here is how other cryptocurrencies have performed during the last day:

Get PolySwarm alerts: XRP (XRP) traded 3.9% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.50 or 0.00007495 BTC. Ripple (XRP) traded down 4.6% against the dollar and now trades at $0.45 or 0.00007633 BTC. Stellar (XLM) traded up 4.4% against the dollar and now trades at $0.21 or 0.00003215 BTC. IOTA (MIOTA) traded 7.6% higher against the dollar and now trades at $1.20 or 0.00018161 BTC. NEO (NEO) traded 18.7% higher against the dollar and now trades at $42.55 or 0.00641377 BTC. Tether (USDT) traded 0.5% higher against the dollar and now trades at $1.00 or 0.00015127 BTC. TRON (TRX) traded 4.6% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.0398 or 0.00000599 BTC. Binance Coin (BNB) traded down 0.6% against the dollar and now trades at $13.97 or 0.00210626 BTC. VeChain (VET) traded 4.1% higher against the dollar and now trades at $2.72 or 0.00041051 BTC. Ontology (ONT) traded 4.6% higher against the dollar and now trades at $5.23 or 0.00078861 BTC.

PolySwarm Token Profile

PolySwarm was first traded on January 3rd, 2018. PolySwarm’s total supply is 1,885,913,076 tokens and its circulating supply is 1,506,457,130 tokens. PolySwarm’s official Twitter account is @polyswarm and its Facebook page is accessible here. PolySwarm’s official website is polyswarm.io. PolySwarm’s official message board is medium.com/@PolySwarm. The Reddit community for PolySwarm is /r/polyswarm and the currency’s Github account can be viewed here.

PolySwarm Token Trading

PolySwarm can be traded on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: IDEX, DDEX and HitBTC. It is usually not possible to buy alternative cryptocurrencies such as PolySwarm directly using US dollars. Investors seeking to trade PolySwarm should first buy Ethereum or Bitcoin using an exchange that deals in US dollars such as Changelly, GDAX or Gemini. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Ethereum or Bitcoin to buy PolySwarm using one of the aforementioned exchanges.

What Happened in the Stock Market Today

Stocks opened lower Monday but drifted higher during the session. The�Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI)�and the�S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC)�both ended the day in the green.

Today's stock market Index Percentage Change Point Change

Dow	0.15%	35.77
S&P 500	0.31%	8.34

Data source: Yahoo! Finance.

Technology stocks led the market today, with the�Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLK) moving up 0.9%. Energy shares were laggards; the�SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT:XOP) lost 1.9%.

As for individual stocks, Dell Technologies (NYSE:DVMT) is going from partially public to fully public by selling shares that track VMware (NYSE:VMW), and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) announced production numbers that hit an important target.

Image source: Getty Images.

Dell is going public again

Dell Technologies announced it is returning to the public market in a complex transaction by buying back Class V shares, which track its ownership of VMware, using a combination of cash and a newly issued share class, which will subsequently be traded publicly. The tracking shares, which trade under the symbol DVMT, rose 9% to $92.20 on the news, and VMware stock jumped 10.2%.

Founder Michael Dell took the company private in 2013, but when Dell acquired EMC Corporation in 2016, Dell financed part of the deal by issuing publicly traded shares that track the part of VMWare that EMC had owned and had then become part of Dell. The Class V shares track the economic performance of 61% of Dell's interest in VMWare, which in turn amounts to 81% of that company.

Dell is offering holders of DVMT a choice of $109 in cash, subject to a maximum cash amount of $9 billion, or 1.3665 Class C common shares, which represent an economic interest in the total Dell Technologies company. Following the close, owners of the Class V shares will own 20.8% to 31% of Dell Technologies, depending on how many shareholders choose the cash option. As part of the agreement, VMWare has agreed to pay a one-time, special dividend of $11 billion to its shareholders. Dell will use its share of the dividend to finance the cash pay-out to Class V shareholders.

VMWare shareholders will get the benefit of�reduced uncertainty and the payout of the special dividend, which amounts to over 16% of today's share price, while Dell will go public without the expense of an IPO. The fact that the tracking shares are selling below the implied value of $109 probably reflects investor uncertainty about the eventual pricing of the Class C shares once they start trading publicly.

Tesla hits Model 3 production goal

Tesla announced second-quarter production numbers, saying that it achieved CEO Elon Musk's promise of building 5,000 Model 3 units per week. Shares initially soared over 6% on the news, but ultimately closed the day down 2.3%.

Total Q2 production amounted to�53,339 vehicles, a 55% increase compared with the previous quarter. Tesla produced 28,578 Model 3 cars during the quarter, the first time that Model 3 production was greater than that of Model S and Model X combined. The Model 3 production rate more than doubled during the period, and Tesla expects that it will be able to make 6,000 of the vehicles per week by late next month.

Tesla also reaffirmed its previous guidance for positive GAAP�net income and cash flow in Q3 and Q4, saying that both orders and deliveries of Model S and Model X were above levels in the year-ago period. The reservation count of Model 3 units stood at about 420,000 compared with 450,000 at the end of last quarter, with 28,386 vehicles delivered to date.

Tesla managed to hit its production goal just under the wire, though. Model 3 vehicles in transit to customers ballooned from 2,040 at the end of last quarter to 11,166 this weekend.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:APC,SUN,MPLX,DRQ,MCF,EVEP,HLX,COP,E,EPE,

The International Energy Agency (IEA) released its most recent report on oil inventory around the world. It found that levels are at a three-year low. This will compound the reason oil prices may continue to climb. Brent crude trades for just below $80 a barrel.

The IEA reported:

For some time, the focus has been on OECD stocks, and new data show a further decline in March of 27 mb to the lowest level in three years and to 1 mb (million barrels) below the widely cited five-year average figure. For now, the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape will move the attention away from stocks as producers and consumers consider how to limit volatility in the oil market.

The agency mentioned that the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action could affect Iran’s export level of about 2.4 million barrels a day, which creates more upward pressure on prices.

The data also lead to more anxiety about the production of crude by Venezuela, which has the largest proven crude deposits in the world. Tremendous economic and political inventory have shaved its exports. The IEA mentioned:

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation(APC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC) shares reached a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Tuesday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as low as $70.09 and last traded at $69.57, with a volume of 189410 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $69.01.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Anadarko Petroleum Co. (NYSE:APC) by 258.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 65,409 shares of the oil and gas development company’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,140 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Anadarko Petroleum were worth $3,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  AlpaCoin (CURRENCY:APC) traded flat against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 14:00 PM Eastern on July 1st. One AlpaCoin coin can now be purchased for $0.0003 or 0.00000004 BTC on major exchanges. In the last seven days, AlpaCoin has traded 74.2% lower against the U.S. dollar. AlpaCoin has a market cap of $0.00 and approximately $0.00 worth of AlpaCoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

• [By ]

  Lang looked at a daily chart of Anadarko (APC) and Conoco Phillips (COP) , noting that Anadarko has been making higher highs and lows on strong volume, with a bullish MACD momentum indicator. Conoco has made a "W" shaped bottom with a bullish Chaikin money flow, signaling institutional buying. Lang and Cramer were fans of both names.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: Sunoco LP(SUN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  President Donald Trump hinted he may intervene in the Justice Department’s Russia investigation, as a Senate panel advanced a measure to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller: Link

  ECONOMIC DATA USA GDP (QoQ) for Q1 2.30% vs 2.00% Est; Prior 2.90% The University of Michigan's consumer confidence index for April is schedule for release at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week will be released at 1:00 p.m. ET. Data on farm prices for the recent week will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET. ANALYST RATINGS Stifel upgraded Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) from Hold to Buy Morgan Stanley upgraded Acacia Communications (NASDAQ: ACIA) from Underweight to Equal-Weight Jefferies downgraded Sunoco (NYSE: SUN) from Hold to Underperform KBW downgraded Oaktree Capital (NYSE: OAK) from Outperform to Market Perform

  This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. To get the full version of this note every morning, click here.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Sunoco (SUN)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Sunoco (NYSE:SUN) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The oil and gas company reported ($3.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($4.31), Briefing.com reports. Sunoco had a return on equity of 17.06% and a net margin of 1.27%. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.22) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

• [By ]

  That's the case for Sunoco (NYSE: SUN). After posting a net loss of $0.09 per share in 2017, the gas station owner is expected to swing to a hefty profit of $2.35 per share in 2018. But of the 14 analysts who follow the company, earnings estimates range as low as $1.22 and as high as $3.35 -- so there is a high degree of uncertainty.�

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  The only segment where earnings declined was the catch-all one labeled "all other," which houses different investments such as its stake in Sunoco L.P. (NYSE:SUN) and PES, a refining joint venture. PES has struggled due to higher costs, and recently declared bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Energy Transfer's earnings from Sunoco L.P. declined because that entity sold the bulk of its retail assets and then used that cash to repurchase a portion of Energy Transfer's investment.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Around this time last year, Sunoco LP (NYSE:SUN) announced a transformative divestment. The sale of its extensive retail filling station network to convenience store specialist 7-Eleven was going to give management the cash it needed to clean up its balance sheet and provide it with a much more stable revenue source. One would have assumed that when the company made this transaction, Wall Street would reward the stock with a higher valuation. That hasn't been the case, though, as Sunoco's stock is still languishing with a sky-high distribution yield north of 12%.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: MPLX LP(MPLX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  MPLX (NYSE:MPLX) has undergone a significant transformation over the past year and a half. The master limited partnership (MLP) completed several transactions with its oil refining parent Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC), which diversified its midstream portfolio and eliminated costly management fees. Those moves position MPLX to continue growing its rock-solid 6.8%-yielding payout at a healthy clip for the next several years, making it an excellent option for income-seeking investors to consider buying.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  It was looking like, for the first time in a while, we were going to be able to look at MPLX's (NYSE:MPLX) most recent earnings report without having to consider some big transaction down the road that would fundamentally change these numbers and render them useless. Then, just a couple days before earnings were released, MPLX's parent company,�Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC), announced a huge acquisition that could have a profound impact on MPLX down the road.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  [T]his morning we announced our 2018 capital investment plans for both MPC and MPLX�(NYSE:MPLX). This plan remains focus on strengthening the sustained earnings power of the business through growth and margin enhancing projects as well as expanding our more stable cash flow businesses especially Speedway and MPLX. Our capital plan for MPC for 2018 excluding MPLX is $1.6 billion. This plan spending includes $950 million for Refining & Marketing, $530 million for Speedway and $100 million to support corporate activities and other investments.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  The best high-yield stocks share three common characteristics: They generate steady cash flow, have a conservative payout ratio, and possess a solid balance sheet. Three companies that comfortably fit that profile are Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD), MPLX (NYSE:MPLX), and�Crestwood Equity Partners (NYSE:CEQP). Not only that, but this trio of midstream�master limited partnerships�(MLPs) takes things a step further by having visible growth coming down the pipeline, which makes them excellent income stocks to buy right now.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: Dril-Quip, Inc.(DRQ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Dril-Quip, Inc. (NYSE:DRQ) – Stock analysts at Piper Jaffray issued their Q2 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Dril-Quip in a research note issued on Monday, May 14th. Piper Jaffray analyst I. Macpherson anticipates that the oil and gas company will post earnings per share of ($0.11) for the quarter. Piper Jaffray currently has a “Hold” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Piper Jaffray also issued estimates for Dril-Quip’s Q3 2018 earnings at ($0.08) EPS, Q4 2018 earnings at ($0.09) EPS, Q1 2019 earnings at ($0.03) EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.02 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.08 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.08 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $0.64 EPS.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Dril-Quip (DRQ)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in Dril-Quip, Inc. (NYSE:DRQ) by 4.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned about 0.15% of Dril-Quip worth $2,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: Contango Oil & Gas Company(MCF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “Contango Oil & Gas (MCF) Short Interest Update” was originally published by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are reading this article on another site, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of US and international copyright & trademark laws. The correct version of this article can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3346537/contango-oil-gas-mcf-short-interest-update.html.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: EV Energy Partners, L.P.(EVEP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Money Morning Staff Reports]

  But before we show you our pick, here are the top 10 penny stocks to watch this week…

  Penny Stocks Current Share Price (as of Jan. 5) Jan. 2-5 Gain (as of Jan. 5) My Size Inc. (Nasdaq: MYSZ) $1.66 152.28% Cytori Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: CYTX) $0.47 89.52% DelMar Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: DMPI) $1.675 58.02% CAS Medical Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CASM) $1.09 55.71% China HGS Real Estate Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSH) $1.83 47.58% Aethlon Medical Inc. (Nasdaq: AEMD) $1.56 43.12% Midatech Pharma Plc. (Nasdaq: MTP) $1.23 43.01% Comstock Holding Cos. Inc. (Nasdaq: CHCI) $1.87 36.5% Cenveo Inc. (Nasdaq: CVO) $1.20 31.82% EV Energy Partners LP (Nasdaq: EVEP) $0.6844 31.62%

  
  FREE PROFIT ALERTS: Get real-time recommendations on the best penny stock opportunities the moment we release them. Just sign up here, it's completely free…

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.(HLX)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc (NYSE:HLX) soared 33.3% last month thanks to a combination of higher oil prices, strong first-quarter results, and a string of analyst upgrades.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers SemiLEDs Corporation (NASDAQ: LEDS) shares rose 35.8 percent to $4.55. EVINE Live Inc. (NASDAQ: EVLV) gained 28.8 percent to $1.04. The pay-TV home shopping company was named as a potential acquisition target by TechCrunch. According to the publication, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is exploring ways of marketing its products and services to consumers beyond the internet. Sanmina Corp (NASDAQ: SANM) shares surged 19.1 percent to $33.00 as the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its second quarter on Monday. Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII) gained 14.9 percent to $37.22 as the company posted upbeat results for its first quarter. Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC) shares climbed 14 percent to $17.90 following upbeat quarterly earnings. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE: HLX) climbed 14 percent to $7.12 following strong quarterly results. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) gained 13.6 percent to $8.25. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) rose 11.8 percent to $3.34. Atossa Genetics disclosed that it has Received positive interim review from the Independent Safety Committee in Phase 1 Topical endoxifen dose escalation study in men. Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) gained 11.6 percent to $40.99 after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and issued a strong Q2 forecast. Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) climbed 11.2 percent to $4.9363. Mitel Networks Corporation (NASDAQ: MITL) rose 10.5 percent to $11.23 after the company agreed to be acquired by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners for $2.0 billion. Systemax Inc. (NYSE: SYX) rose 10.2 percent to $30.86. Sidoti & Co. upgraded Systemax from Neutral to Buy. Orchids Paper Products Company (NYSE: TIS) surged 9.2 percent to $7.13. Orchids Paper Products is expected to report its Q1 financial results on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: EDU) rose
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) shares jumped 104.82 percent to close at $14.87 on Tuesday. EVINE Live Inc. (NASDAQ: EVLV) rose 31.25 percent to close at $1.06. The pay-TV home shopping company was named as a potential acquisition target by TechCrunch. According to the publication, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is exploring ways of marketing its products and services to consumers beyond the internet. SemiLEDs Corporation (NASDAQ: LEDS) shares climbed 27.16 percent to close at $4.26 on Tuesday. Atossa Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS) gained 27.09 percent to close at $3.80. Atossa Genetics disclosed that it has Received positive interim review from the Independent Safety Committee in Phase 1 Topical endoxifen dose escalation study in men. Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII) surged 17.13 percent to close at $37.95 as the company posted upbeat results for its first quarter. Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC) shares gained 15.91 percent to close at $18.21 following upbeat quarterly earnings. Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) shares jumped 15.73 percent to close at $7.58 on Tuesday after declining 1.50 percent on Monday. Sanmina Corp (NASDAQ: SANM) shares gained 14.62 percent to close at $31.75 as the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its second quarter on Monday. Orchids Paper Products Company (NYSE: TIS) jumped 12.86 percent to close at $7.37. Orchids Paper Products is expected to report its Q1 financial results on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE: HLX) rose 12.8 percent to close at $7.05 following strong quarterly results. Avid Bioservices, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDMO) rose 12.72 percent to close at $3.81. Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) gained 12.61 percent to close at $5.00. Obalon Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OBLN) rose 12.39 percent to close at $3.72. NextDecade Corporation (NASDAQ: NEXT) shares climbed 11.88 percent to close at $7
• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Helix Energy Solutions Group (HLX)

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Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has worked hard to differentiate itself from other oil companies by focusing on creating value for investors as opposed to growing at all costs. That plan continued paying dividends during the first quarter, as the company blew past expectations. That strong showing sets the U.S. oil giant up for an exceptional year.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) continued rallying last month, rising another 10%, which put them up more than 40% over the past year. Fueling April's surge -- which added more than $7.5 billion to the company's market cap -- was a combination of higher oil prices, another oil discovery in Alaska, and strong first-quarter results.

• [By The Ticker Tape]

  TD Ameritrade clients appeared to take some profits in multiple names during the period. Oil companies were popular sells with ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), BP  PLC (ADR) (NYSE: BP), National-Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE: NOV), and Transocean LTD (NYSE: RIG) all net sold. Oil prices traded near three-year highs on higher global demand and possible OPEC-led production cuts. COP and BP both traded at multi-year highs, while NOV and RIG reached 52-week highs, enticing clients to take profits in all four names. Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA) traded at levels not seen since before the financial crisis following proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, and was net sold. For the third month in a row, Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) was net sold after CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress regarding the misuse of user data and a beat on earnings.

• [By ]

  Lang looked at a daily chart of Anadarko (APC) and Conoco Phillips (COP) , noting that Anadarko has been making higher highs and lows on strong volume, with a bullish MACD momentum indicator. Conoco has made a "W" shaped bottom with a bullish Chaikin money flow, signaling institutional buying. Lang and Cramer were fans of both names.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  With the mixed signals coming out of OPEC, oil prices could be quite volatile until the organization makes it clear what it intends to do. That could have an effect on financially weaker oil companies that desperately need higher oil prices to provide them with extra cash to firm up their financial foundations. Stronger producers, on the other hand, should continue to do well no matter what OPEC decides since they built their businesses to thrive at much lower oil prices. Three that stand out are ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), and EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG).

• [By Max Byerly]

  Traders purchased shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) on weakness during trading on Friday. $447.22 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $180.32 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $266.90 million into the stock. Of all stocks tracked, ConocoPhillips had the 11th highest net in-flow for the day. ConocoPhillips traded down ($2.77) for the day and closed at $65.36

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: ENI S.p.A.(E)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zacks]

  Following the reform, Mexico drew multi-billion dollars' investment. It could lead up to an output of 3 MMBbl/d by the end of the planned period, as predicted by the supporters of the reform. The reform could also bring down electricity rates in the country. So far, Mexico has awarded around 90 contracts, both onshore and offshore. The country raised about $100 billion from the auctions by the end of January. With nine oil and gas blocks, Shell has emerged as the leading player in the auctions held so far. Other winners in the bidding processes include Eni S.p.A. (NYSE: E)of Italy, Inpex of Japan, France's TOTAL S.A. (NYSE: TOT), Chevron and more.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2019: EP Energy Corporation(EPE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Enterprise GP Holdings L.P. common stock (NYSE:EPE) major shareholder Apollo Management Holdings Gp, sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.21, for a total transaction of $321,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers athenahealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN) shares climbed 23.2 percent to $155.19 after Elliott Management confirmed a $160 per share cash offer for athenahealth. Evolus, Inc. (NASDAQ: EOLS) gained 21.3 percent to $8.83. Evolus named David Moatazedi as new CEO. VivoPower International PLC (NASDAQ: VVPR) climbed 18.2 percent to $3.12 after falling 39.86 percent on Friday. Gramercy Property Trust (NYSE: GPT) rose 15.6 percent to $27.53 after the company agreed to be acquired by Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) for $27.50 per share. EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE) rose 13 percent to $2.26. Energy XXI Gulf Coast, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGC) gained 11.9 percent to $7.35. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) surged 11.8 percent to $6.24 after the company posted upbeat quarterly profit. Sanchez Energy Corporation (NYSE: SN) shares gained 11.3 percent to $3.56. CVR Refining, LP (NYSE: CVRR) shares rose 8.8 percent to $18.875. Monaker Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MKGI) rose 8.7 percent to $2.9683. Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE: KOS) shares rose 7.4 percent to $7.40. Ceragon Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: CRNT) rose 7 percent to $2.88 after climbing 1.89 percent on Friday. Cloudera, Inc. (NYSE: CLDR) surged 6 percent to $15.93. Craig-Hallum initiated coverage on Cloudera with a Buy rating. Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) rose 5.1 percent to $257.35. Barclays upgraded Illumina from Equal-Weight to Overweight.

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

• [By Lisa Levin]

  On Wednesday, the energy shares climbed 1.48 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included SeaDrill Limited (NYSE: SDRL), up 15 percent, and EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE), up 15 percent.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Monday morning, the energy shares rose 2.24 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Energy XXI Gulf Coast, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGC), up 12 percent, and EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE) up 14 percent.