Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:APAM,ITHUF,CVGW,

It was a mixed day for stocks as blue chips managed to squeak out a gain and small-caps got crushed ahead of tomorrow’s Fed announcement.

Keith Bedford for The Wall Street Journal

The S&P 500 fell 0.2% to 2,015.93 today, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 22.40 points, or 0.1%, to 17,251.53. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5% to 4,728.67. The Russell 2000 tumbled 1.6% to 1,066.67, the first time since Sept. 2011 that the small-company benchmark fell by at least 1.5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished higher.

The folks at Bespoke Investment Group consider the Russell 2000′s underperformance versus the S&P 500 this year:

Including today, the S&P 500 is down 1.6%, while the Russell 2000 is down 6.1%. Today��s underperformance in small caps is just a continuation of what has been an extremely consistent trend of daily underperformance this year.

Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now: Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc.(APAM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE: APAM)
  Another asset manager MLP that has piqued my interest, Artisan employs an organic, creativity-driven investment process managing money in the small-cap, mid-cap, value, and international equity spaces. All of the firm's investment management teams are afforded autonomy in pursuit of their particular investment discipline. At the end of 2017, assets under management (AUM) stood at $115.5 billion. At around $40.70 per unit, the stock is at the upper end of its 52-week range. However, on a forward P/E basis, APAM is still attractively priced with a forward P/E of 16.6, an 11% discount to the S&P 500. It also pays a 5.9% yield.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Synovus Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Artisan Partners Asset (NYSE:APAM) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 105,188 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $3,508,000. Synovus Financial Corp owned 0.14% of Artisan Partners Asset at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now: iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. (ITHUF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Javier Hasse]

  Licensed cannabis production facilities owner and operator iAnthus Capital Holdings Inc (OTC: ITHUF) announced a $50 million investment from Gotham Green Partners. Management believes this is the largest investment to date by a single investor in a publicly traded U.S. cannabis operating company. iAnthus plans to allocate the proceeds of this financing to repay a $20 million one-year note and accrued interest to VCP Bridge LLC; continue to build out cultivation facilities and dispensaries in the New York and Florida markets; and, potentially, to expand activities. The remaining expenditures for completing iAnthus’ Massachusetts and Vermont operations will be funded with current cash on hand, management assured.

• [By Javier Hasse]

  Here are some of the top marijuana stocks in U.S. exchanges and how the performed this week:

  22nd Century Group Inc (NYSE: XXII): down 0.5 percent Aphria Inc (OTC: APHQF): down 3.6 percent Aurora Cannabis Inc (OTC: ACBFF): up 0.8 percent Cannabis Sativa Inc (OTC: CBDS): down 7.2 percent CannTrust Holdings Inc (OTC: CNTTF): down 3.4 percent Canopy Growth Corp (NYSE: CGC): down 3.9 percent Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CRON): down 3.5 percent GW Pharmaceuticals PLC- ADR (NASDAQ: GWPH): up 4.1 percent Hiku Brands Company Ltd(OTC: DJACF): down 3.1 percent India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE: IGC): down 4.8 percent iAnthus Capital Holdings Inc (OTC: ITHUF): up 4.5 MassRoots Inc (OTC: MSRT): down 4 percent MedReleaf Corp(OTC: MEDFF): down 1.8 percent Scotts Miracle-Gro Co (NYSE: SMG): down 0.3 percent THC Biomed Intl Ltd (OTC: THCBF): up 9.3 percent Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ZYNE): down 1.4 percent In Other News

  A consortium of cannabis-related media professionals are conducting a Cannabis Media Survey. You can answer following this link.

• [By ]

  Here is the list of the cannabis companies that we track.

  Name Currency Ticker Canopy Growth Corp. CAD (CGC) Aurora Cannabis Inc. CAD (ACBFF) Aphria Inc. CAD (APHQF) MedReleaf Corp. CAD (OTCPK:MEDFF) Cronos Group CAD (CRON) The Green Organic Dutchman CAD (OTC:TGODF) CannTrust CAD (OTC:CNTTF) Hydropothecary Corp/The CAD (HYYDF) Cannabis Wheaton Income CAD (OTCQB:CBWTF) Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc. CAD (OTCQX:EMHTF) Organigram Holdings Inc. CAD (OTCQB:OGRMF) TerrAscend Corp. CAD (OTC:TRSSF) Supreme Cannabis Co Inc./The CAD (OTCPK:SPRWF) Hiku Brands CAD (OTCPK:DJACF) ABcann Global Corp. CAD (OTCQB:ABCCF) Radient Technologies Inc. CAD (OTC:RDDTF) Village Farms International Inc. CAD (OTCQX:VFFIF) Namaste Technologies CAD (OTCQB:NXTTF) MPX Bioceutical Corp. CAD (OTCQB:MPXEF) Sunniva CAD (OTCQX:SNNVF) MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. CAD (OTCQB:MYMMF) Maricann Group Inc. CAD (OTCQB:MRRCF) Cannabix Technologies Inc. CAD (OTCPK:BLOZF) THC Biomed INTL. Ltd. CAD (OTCQB:THCBF) ICC Labs Inc. CAD (OTC:ICCLF) WeedMD Inc. CAD (OTCPK:WDDMF) CannaRoyalty Corp. CAD (OTCQX:CNNRF) InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. CAD (OTCQX:IMLFF) Harvest One Cannabis Inc. CAD (OTC:HRVOF) Golden Leaf Holdings Inc. CAD (OTCQB:GLDFF) Benchmark Botanics Inc. CAD (OTCPK:BHHKF) Friday Night Inc. CAD (OTCQB:TGIFF) Valens Groworks Corp. CAD (OTC:MYMSF) Invictus MD CAD (IVITF) Emblem Corp. CAD (OTCPK:EMMBF) Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. CAD (OTCQB:TBPMF) Maple Leaf Green World Inc. CAD (OTCQB:MGWFF) Delta 9 Cannabis Inc. CAD (OTC:VRNDF) Nutritional High International Inc. CAD (OTCQB:SPLIF) Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. CAD (OTCQX:LDSYF) Marapharm Ventures Inc. CAD (OTCQX:MRPHF) Wildflower Marijuana Inc. CAD (OTC:WLDFF) Indiva Ltd. CAD (OTC:RMKXD) Hempco Food And Fiber Inc. CAD (OTC:HMPPF) PUF Ventures Inc. CAD (OTCPK:PUFXF) Liberty Leaf Holdings CAD (OTCQB:LIBFF) Canada House Welln

Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now: Calavo Growers, Inc.(CVGW)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap avocado and fresh food stock Calavo Growers (NASDAQ: CVGW) has elevated short interest of 33.51% according to Highshortinterest.com. Founded in 1924, Calavo Growers is a global avocado-industry leader and an expanding provider of value-added fresh food serving retail grocery, foodservice, club stores, mass merchandisers, food distributors and wholesalers worldwide. The Company��s Fresh segment procures and markets fresh avocados and select other fresh produce (tomatoes) while the Renaissance Food Group segment (RFG) creates, markets and distributes a portfolio of healthy, fresh foods, including fresh-cut fruit, fresh-cut vegetables and prepared foods. The Foods segment manufactures and distributes guacamole and salsa. Fresh food products are sold under the respected Calavo brand name as well as Garden Highway, Chef Essentials and a variety of private label and store brands.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks For 2018

tags:CPT,OIS,BND,CHTR,SNN,

This analysis will show why we think OpenText (OTEX) is one of the few undervalued companies in the technology sector. Per the fiscal 2017 annual report, OpenText made progress expanding into the enterprise information management such that the company sees a total addressable market size of $35 billion. Given the overall market size and associated need of enterprise information management, OpenText expects to have long-term strategic flexibility with attractive options to grow the business. OpenText's software assists organizations with efficiently finding, utilizing, and sharing business information to improve productivity. The company also provides solutions that facilitate the exchange of information and transactions between supply chain participants such as manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and financial institutions. By unlocking massive amounts of data, OpenText helps its customers gain better insight into their business to improve decision making. The company offers solutions for almost every industry and its software offerings integrate with most of the main business software providers such as SAP (SAP), Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), and SalesForce (CRM). The company plans to mainly fuel growth through M&A. The company has already closed 57 acquisitions including ANX, HP CEM, Recommind, HP CCM, and the enterprise content division of Dell-EMC in fiscal 2017. In fiscal 2018, the company acquired Covisant and announced the intention of acquiring Guidance software, an information forensics company that will strengthen OpenText's eDiscovery offerings. Electronic discovery or eDiscovery refers to finding and securing electronic data in order to search it for use as evidence in legal cases. One thing to note about the Guidance acquisition is that in addition to diversifying OpenText's offerings via eDiscovery tools, Guidance Software also comes with a customer list that includes 78 of the Fortune 100 companies, per the Guidance website.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks For 2018: Camden Property Trust(CPT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Swiss National Bank reduced its position in Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT) by 5.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 451,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 28,000 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Camden Property Trust were worth $37,965,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  These are some of the news articles that may have impacted Accern Sentiment’s rankings:

  Get Camden Property Trust alerts: Camden Property Trust to Post Q3 2018 Earnings of $1.19 Per Share, DA Davidson Forecasts (CPT) (americanbankingnews.com) Camden Property Trust Forecasted to Earn FY2019 Earnings of $4.99 Per Share (CPT) (americanbankingnews.com) Camden Property Trust’s (CPT) CEO Ric Campo on Q1 2018 Results – Earnings Call Transcript (seekingalpha.com) Edited Transcript of CPT earnings conference call or presentation 4-May-18 3:00pm GMT (finance.yahoo.com) Camden: 1Q Earnings Snapshot (finance.yahoo.com)

  Several research firms have commented on CPT. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Camden Property Trust to $93.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 15th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Camden Property Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 20th. TheStreet lowered shares of Camden Property Trust from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Sandler O’Neill set a $97.00 price target on shares of Camden Property Trust and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $94.00 price target on shares of Camden Property Trust and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $90.64.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks For 2018: Oil States International Inc.(OIS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Oil States International (NYSE: OIS) is one of 14 public companies in the “Oil & gas field machinery” industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Oil States International to similar businesses based on the strength of its institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, earnings and risk.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of Oil States International, Inc. (NYSE:OIS) rallied on Thursday, rising�more than 14% by 2:45 p.m. EDT, after the company reported better-than-expected first-quarter results.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks For 2018: Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of University of Tennessee's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=University+of+Tennessee

  These are the top 5 holdings of University of TennesseeVanguard Total World Stock Index (VT) - 1,059,959 shares, 71.1% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 22.85%Vanguard Total Bond Market (BND) - 396,870 shares, 28.9% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 15.41%Add
• [By Selena Maranjian]

  You can also opt for exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, that focus on the same indexes -- such as the SPDR S&P 500 ETF�(NYSEMKT: SPY), Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI), and Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (NYSEMKT: VT). You can balance out your portfolio with bonds via index mutual funds and ETFs, too. The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (NYSEMKT: BND) is one such option.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks For 2018: Charter Communications, Inc.(CHTR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Buffett's biggest losers have been Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC) , down 30%; Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) , down 21%; Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) , down 20%; American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) , down 19%; and Charter Communications Inc (CHTR) , down 18%. Maybe on those grounds he should reconsider his remarks in February when he said he was open to buying an entire airline.

• [By ]

  RCN, backed by TPG Capital and Alphabet Inc.'s (GOOGL)  Google Capital, is an "over builder," the industry term for a cable operator that enters markets with incumbent cable operators. Unlike Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) and Cox Communications Inc., RCN competes directly against Comcast in some if its footprint.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Macquarie restated their buy rating on shares of Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning.

  Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays restated a sell rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Charter Communications in a report on Monday, April 30th. Buckingham Research lowered their target price on Charter Communications from $425.00 to $397.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 30th. SunTrust Banks lowered their target price on Charter Communications to $390.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 30th. Wells Fargo lowered their target price on Charter Communications from $460.00 to $360.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 30th. Finally, ValuEngine cut Charter Communications from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, April 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $388.82.

• [By ]

  University of California Berkeley economist Carl Shapiro testified that AT&T would use the threat of a blackout of Time Warner networks such as CNN, TBS and TNT to extort higher content fees from pay-TV companies. Shapiro's economic model provides the teeth for the Department of Justice lawsuit, and lawyers for the defense attacked his assumptions about AT&T's leverage in hard-ball content negotiations with Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) , Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) , Dish Network Inc. (DISH) , Alphabet Inc.'s (GOOGL) YouTube TV and others.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks For 2018: Smith & Nephew SNATS, Inc.(SNN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Losers Heat Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTBX) shares tumbled 48.59 percent to close at $1.275 on Thursday after the company priced its $18,000,000 public offering. InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: NVIV) fell 38.77 percent to close at $8.26 on Thursday. Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) shares tumbled 27.43 percent to close at $8.81. Achaogen, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAO) dropped 24.76 percent to close at $11.06 in reaction to a disappointing update from an FDA AdCom panel. The FDA panel voted favorably for the company's Plazcomicin for treatment of adults with complicated urinary tract infections, but also voted against the therapy to be used as a treatment for bloodstream infections. Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANIK) shares declined 24.68 percent to close at $34.80 after the company posted downbeat quarterly results. LSC Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LKSD) shares fell 24.22 percent to close at $12.64 following wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) fell 21.42 percent to close at $50.80 following downbeat quarterly profit. Horizon Global Corporation (NYSE: HZN) dropped 20.42 percent to close at $6.00 following downbeat quarterly earnings. Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. (NYSE: HOS) slipped 20.11 percent to close at $2.90 following wider-than-expected Q1 loss. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESPR) fell 19.28 percent to close at $36.93. Esperion Therapeutics stock lost roughly a third of its value Wednesday after the company reported mixed Phase III results for its leading drug candidate, bempedoic acid. JP Morgan downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from Neutral to Underweight. Laredo Petroleum, Inc. (NYSE: LPI) declined 17.77 percent to close at $8.98 after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q1 earnings. The Habit Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ: HABT) dipped 16.1 percent to close at $8.60 after the company reported downbeat quarterly results. Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. (N
• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Weight Watchers (NYSE: WTW) is tipping the scales on Wall Street: Link

  ECONOMIC DATA USA Nonfarm Payrolls for Apr 164.0K vs 189.0K Est; Prior 103.0K. Private Payrolls for Apr 168.0K vs 194.0K Est; Prior 102.0K Unemployment Rate for Apr 3.90% vs 4.00% Est; Prior 4.10% New York Fed President William Dudley is set to speak at 12:45 p.m. ET. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is schedule for release at 1:00 p.m. ET. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President John Williams will speak at 3:00 p.m. ET. Randal Quarles, Vice Chairman for Supervision, is set to speak at 5:30 p.m. ET. Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan will speak at 8:00 p.m. ET. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic is set to speak at 8:00 p.m. ET. Kansas City Fed President Esther George will speak at 8:00 p.m. ET. ANALYST RATINGS RBC upgraded Benefitfocus (NASDAQ: BNFT) from Sector Perform to Outperform Stephens upgraded FMC (NYSE: FMC) from Equal-Weight to Overweight RBC downgraded Colfax (NYSE: CFX) from Outperform to Sector Perform Deutsche Bank downgraded Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) from Hold to Sell

  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.

AvalonBay Communities (AVB) Shares Sold by Aperio Group LLC

Aperio Group LLC lessened its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) by 13.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,141 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 8,457 shares during the quarter. Aperio Group LLC’s holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $8,904,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVB. Capital Analysts LLC raised its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 441.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 1,818 shares during the last quarter. Keeler Thomas Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth $166,000. NuWave Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth $181,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth $189,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 4th quarter worth $236,000. 93.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Get AvalonBay Communities alerts:

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AVB. Jefferies Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $166.00 price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note on Friday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets set a $178.00 price target on AvalonBay Communities and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. SunTrust Banks reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $186.00 price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. BTIG Research cut their price target on AvalonBay Communities to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 15th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised AvalonBay Communities from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $188.94.

Shares of AvalonBay Communities opened at $159.25 on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. AvalonBay Communities has a twelve month low of $152.65 and a twelve month high of $199.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.19 by ($1.16). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 35.62% and a return on equity of 7.57%. The firm had revenue of $560.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $556.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

AvalonBay Communities Profile

As of December 31, 2017, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 288 apartment communities containing 84,158 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 21 communities were under development and nine communities were under redevelopment. The Company is an equity REIT in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas primarily in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and the Northern and Southern California regions of the United States.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AVB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB).

LSV Asset Management Cuts Holdings in Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. (SASR)

LSV Asset Management cut its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 92,100 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 3,200 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Sandy Spring Bancorp were worth $3,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 252.3% in the fourth quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 476,689 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $18,600,000 after buying an additional 341,371 shares in the last quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,906,000. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,156,143 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $84,134,000 after buying an additional 95,615 shares in the last quarter. Bronfman E.L. Rothschild L.P. raised its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 2,418.6% in the first quarter. Bronfman E.L. Rothschild L.P. now owns 83,542 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,238,000 after buying an additional 80,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 354,643 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,838,000 after buying an additional 73,688 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.03% of the company’s stock.

Get Sandy Spring Bancorp alerts:

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SASR. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $47.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 24th. ValuEngine cut shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd. BidaskClub cut shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Sandy Spring Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.20.

In other Sandy Spring Bancorp news, Director Mark C. Michael sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.30, for a total transaction of $41,300.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 81,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,369,667. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Joseph S. Bracewell sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.21, for a total transaction of $1,960,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 42,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,653,603.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 90,400 shares of company stock worth $3,571,967 over the last three months. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp opened at $41.93 on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.51, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.41 and a 1 year high of $43.13.

Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 19th. The bank reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $81.03 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.10 million. Sandy Spring Bancorp had a net margin of 21.34% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 48.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. equities analysts predict that Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. will post 3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 9th were paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.67%. This is a boost from Sandy Spring Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 8th. Sandy Spring Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.09%.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Profile

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Sandy Spring Bank that provides commercial banking services to individuals and businesses in central Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington DC markets. It operates through three segments: Community Banking, Insurance, and Investment Management.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SASR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR).

First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) Stake Lowered by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. reduced its holdings in First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,209 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,294 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.26% of First Citizens BancShares worth $12,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tower View Investment Management & Research LLC purchased a new position in First Citizens BancShares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $121,000. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in First Citizens BancShares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $185,000. Cardinal Capital Management purchased a new position in First Citizens BancShares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Zeke Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in First Citizens BancShares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Finally, Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new position in First Citizens BancShares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $223,000. 45.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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First Citizens BancShares stock opened at $449.95 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14 and a beta of 1.11. First Citizens BancShares has a fifty-two week low of $323.74 and a fifty-two week high of $463.44.

First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 25th. The bank reported $8.35 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $437.55 million during the quarter. First Citizens BancShares had a return on equity of 11.53% and a net margin of 21.22%.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 18th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 15th.

Separately, BidaskClub raised First Citizens BancShares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 11th.

About First Citizens BancShares

First Citizens BancShares, Inc operates as the holding company for First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company that provides banking services to retail and commercial customers. Its deposit products include checking, savings, money market and time deposit accounts. The company's loan products portfolio comprises commercial construction and land development, commercial mortgage, commercial and industrial, lease financing, and other commercial real estate loans; and noncommercial construction and land development, residential mortgage, revolving mortgage, consumer loans, and construction and land development loans.

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Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc to Post Q2 2018 Earnings of ($0.39) Per Share, Seaport Global Securities F

Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ:ALDX) – Stock analysts at Seaport Global Securities issued their Q2 2018 EPS estimates for Aldeyra Therapeutics in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 16th. Seaport Global Securities analyst C. Davis forecasts that the biotechnology company will earn ($0.39) per share for the quarter. Seaport Global Securities has a “Buy” rating on the stock.

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Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on ALDX. Canaccord Genuity restated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Aldeyra Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, March 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $23.00 target price on shares of Aldeyra Therapeutics and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Aldeyra Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Aldeyra Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 4th. Finally, Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Aldeyra Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.93.

Shares of Aldeyra Therapeutics opened at $9.17 on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm has a market capitalization of $178.97 million, a PE ratio of -6.55 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 13.12, a current ratio of 11.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Aldeyra Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $8.35 and a twelve month high of $8.50.

Aldeyra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ALDX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 15th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.43) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.37) by ($0.06).

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Aldeyra Therapeutics by 19.8% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 59,502 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 9,826 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its holdings in Aldeyra Therapeutics by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 58,243 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 9,850 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Aldeyra Therapeutics by 22.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 62,429 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 11,506 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Aldeyra Therapeutics by 34.3% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 48,151 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 12,290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Element Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aldeyra Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at $123,000. 50.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aldeyra Therapeutics Company Profile

Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc, a biotechnology company, focuses on the development of products for inflammation, inborn errors of metabolism, and other diseases in the United States and internationally. It is developing ADX-102, a small molecule designed to trap and allow for the degradation of aldehydes, as well as ADX-103 and ADX-104 novel candidates for the treatment of noninfectious anterior uveitis, allergic conjunctivitis, dry eye syndrome, sj枚gren-larsson syndrome, and succinic semi-aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency.