Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Lydall - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Lydall (LDL) is the Barchart Chart of the Day.  The specialty auto parts manufacturer has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 88.90+ and gained 97.98% in the last year.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Lydall (LDL).  I found the stock by sorting the All Time New High List for stocks with the most frequent new highs in the last month then used the Flipchart feature to review the charts.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 12/9 the stock gained 13.83%.

Lydall, Inc. and its subsidiaries are manufacturers of engineered products for demanding specialty applications. They develop and manufacture engineered specialty papers in both roll and sheet form; fabricated automotive heat shields and acoustical barriers; and certain medical filtration and bioprocessing components. Their specialty papers are supplied to other manufacturers for conversion or incorporation into finished products. Their fabricated products are sold to original equipment manufacturers and tier-one suppliers.


Barchart's Opinion trading systems are listed below. Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 10 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com web site when you read this report.

Barchart technical indicators:

  • 96% Barchat technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 17 new highs and up 25.40% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 74.96%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 32.88
  • Recently traded at 33.32 with a 50 day moving average of 29.49
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $568.44 million
  • P/E 19.46
  • Revenue expected to increase by 8.80% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase by 41.30% this year, an additional 30.60% next year and continue to compound at an annual rate of 15.00% for te next 6 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 1 strong buy and 1 hold recommendation on the stock
The 50-100 Day MACD Oscillator has been the most reliable technical trading strategy on this stock and should be used to pick an exit point.

BARCHART MORNING CALL 12/31

OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS
March E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 +0.13%) this morning are up +0.12% and European stocks are up +0.25% in thin holiday trade. Many European equity markets close early today and U.S. and all European markets will be closed tomorrow for New Year's day. Greek sovereign-debt risks remain elevated as the Greek 10-year bond yield climbed to a 1-1/4 year high of 9.745% on concern that elections on Jan 25 may give power to the anti-austerity Syriza party that seeks to renegotiate Greek’s debt. Asian stocks closed mixed: Japan and South Korea closed for holiday, Hong Kong +0.44%, China +2.20%, Taiwan +0.42%, Australia -0.10%, Singapore -0.03%, India +0.35%. China's Shanghai Stock Index rallied up to a 4-3/4 year high on speculation the government will boost stimulus measures along with increased M&A activity after China CNR Corp. and CSR Corp., China's biggest train makers, agreed to merge. Commodity prices are mostly lower. Feb crude oil (CLG15 -2.18%) is down -1.77%. Feb gasoline (RBG15 -3.17%) is down -2.35% at a 5-1/2 year low. Feb gold (GCG15 -0.18%) is down -0.27%. Mar copper (HGH15 -0.53%) is down -0.54%. Agriculture prices are weaker. The dollar index (DXY00 -0.06%) is down -0.11%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.03%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.12%. Mar T-note prices (ZNH15 +0.16%) are up +7.5 ticks at a 1-week high.
Comments from ECB Chief Economist Praet signal the ECB may be closer to implementing QE when he said the Eurozone could see "negative inflation during a substantial part of 2015" amid a slide in crude prices. He added that "Inflation expectations are extremely fragile" and "the risk of second-round effects seems to be greater today than it was in the past" and that the Governing Council "cannot simply look through that."
The China Dec HSBC manufacturing PMI was unexpectedly revised higher to 49.6, better than expectations of unch at 49.5 but still the slowest pace of expansion in 7 months.
U.S. STOCK PREVIEW
Today’s initial unemployment claims report is expected to show an increase of +10,000 to 290,000, exactly reversing last week’s decline of -10,000 to 280,000.  Meanwhile, today’s continuing claims report is expected to show a decline of -38,000 to 2.365 million, more than reversing last week’s increase of +25,000 to 2.403 million.  Today’s Dec Chicago PMI report is expected to fall -0.8 points to 60.0, adding to November’s sharp decline of -5.4 to 60.8 from October’s 3-3/4 year high of 66.2.  Today’s Nov pending home sales report is expected to show an increase of +0.5% m/m, reversing part of the -1.1% decline seen in October.  None of the Russell 3000 companies report earnings today.  There are no equity conferences this week.  
OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS
Stifel keeps a 'Buy' rating on share of Monsanto (MON -0.28%) and said that seed prices ae likely to rise in 2015.
GrubHub (GRUB -0.11%) climbed nearly 2% in after-hours trading after it was upgraded to 'Outperform' from 'Market Perform' at Barrington.
Stifel keeps a 'Buy' rating on Cempra (CEMP +2.59%) and raised its price target on the stock to $33 from $22.
According to the NY Post, American Apparel (APP -0.93%) is said to be delaying payments to its suppliers.
Globalstar (GSAT -5.76%) fell nearly 3% in after-hours trading after it filed to sell 12.37 million shares of common stock for holders.
Gabelli reported a 7.91% stake in Media General (MEG -1.84%) .
Perion Network (PERI unch) was downgraded to 'Neutral' from 'Buy' at Chardan.
Handy & Harman (HNH +3.80%) submitted a proposal to acquire JPS Industries (JPST +7.80%) for $10 per share.
MARKET COMMENTS
Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 +0.13%) this morning are up +2.50 points (+0.12%). The S&P 500 index on Tuesday fell to a 1-week low and closed lower: S&P 500 -0.49%, Dow Jones -0.31%, Nasdaq -0.70%. Negative factors included (1) the +1.6 point increase in U.S. Dec consumer confidence (Conference Board) to 91.0, less than expectations of +5.2 to 93.9, (2) high valuation levels that prompted year-end profit taking and long liquidation in stocks with the S&P 500's forward P/E at a 4-1/2 year high of 17.4.
Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH15 +0.16%) this morning are up +7.5 ticks at a 1-week high. Mar 10-year T-note futures prices on Tuesday closed higher: TYH5 +6.0, FVH5 +4.00. Bullish factors included (1) carry-over support from a drop in the German 10-year bund yield to a record low 0.535% on Greek debt concerns, and (2) a slide in stocks that boosted the safe-haven demand for Treasuries.
The dollar index (DXY00 -0.06%) this morning is down -0.097 (-0.11%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.0004 (-0.03%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.14 (-0.12%). The dollar index on Tuesday posted a new 8-1/2 year high but fell back and closed lower. Closes: Dollar index -0.199 (-0.22%), EUR/USD +0.0004 (+0.03%), USD/JPY -1.197 (-0.99%). The main bearish factor was weakness in USD/JPY which fell to a 1-week low after a slide in stocks boosted the safe haven demand for the yen. Gains in EUR/USD were limited on European sovereign debt risks after the Greek 10-year bond yield rose to a 1-1/4 year high of 9.628% on concern that elections on Jan 25 that may give power to the anti-austerity Syriza party that seeks to renegotiate Greek’s debt.
Feb WTI crude oil (CLG15 -2.18%) this morning is down -96 cents (-1.77%) and Feb gasoline (RBG15 -3.17%) is down -0.0345 (-2.35%) at a fresh 5-1/2 year low. Feb crude and Feb gasoline prices on Tuesday posted 5-1/2 year lows but recovered and closed higher. Closes: CLG5 +0.51 (+0.95%), RBG5 +0.0005 (+0.03%). Bullish factors included (1) a weaker dollar, and (2) a decline in Libyan oil production as data from Energy Aspects Ltd. stated Libya's oil output has fallen to below 300,000 bpd, a 7-month low, after militants attacked oil facilities. Gains were limited on concern that Wednesday's EIA data will show U.S. supplies remain ample with inventories near a 6-month high.
GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR12/31/2014
US0700 ETWeekly MBA mortgage applications, previous +0.9% with purchase sub-index +1.3% and refi sub-index +1.1%.
0830 ETWeekly initial unemployment claims expected +10,000 to 290,000, previous -10,000 to 280,000. Weekly continuing claims expected -38,000 to 2.365 million, previous +25,000 to 2.403 million.
0900 ETDec Milwaukee ISM expected -5.25 to 65.00, Nov +4.64 to 70.25.
0945 ETDec Chicago PMI expected -0.8 to 60.0, Nov -5.4 to 60.8.
1000 ETNov pending home sales expected +0.5% m/m and +3.6% y/y, Oct -1.1% m/m and +2.2% y/y.
1030 ETEIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report.
CHI2000 ETChina Dec manufacturing PMI expected -0.3 to 50.0, Nov -0.5 to 50.3.
U.S. STOCK CALENDAR12/31/2014
CompanyTickerTimeEvent DescriptionPeriodEstimate
Unifi IncUFI USAft-mktUnifi Inc. Replaces SWS Group Inc. in S&P SmallCap 600
Central Pacific Financial CorpCPF USAft-mktCentral Pacific Financial Replaces TriQuint Semiconductor in S&P SmallCap 600
SWS Group IncSWS USAft-mktUnifi Inc. Replaces SWS Group Inc. in S&P SmallCap 600
TriQuint Semiconductor IncTQNT USAft-mktCentral Pacific Financial Replaces TriQuint Semiconductor in S&P SmallCap 600
Remy International IncREMY USSpecial Meeting - M&A Vote

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Inogen - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Inogen (INGN) is the Bar hart Chart of the Day.  The medical instrument company has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 123.30+, and gained 104.75% in the last month.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Inogen (INGN).  I found the stock by using Barchart to sort the All Time High list to find the stocks with the most frequent new highs in the last month, then used the Flipchart feature to review the chart.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 10/27 the stock gained 40.38%.

Inogen, Inc. is a medical technology company. It offers oxygen concentrator, cart, carry bags, backpacks, external battery chargers and universal power supply for obstructive pulmonary disease patients. The Company's products include Inogen One G3 and Inogen One G2. It sells its products in the United States and internationally.


Barchart's Opinion trading systems are listed below. Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 10 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com web site when you read this report.


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 96% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 14 new highs and up 27.71% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 80.28%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 29.39
  • Recently traded at 31.05 with a 50 day moving average of 24.96
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $572.56 million
  • P/E 157.96
  • Revenue expected to grow 45.60% this year and another 21.30% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase 36.40% this year, an additional 40.00% next year and continue to compound at an annual rate of 22.00% for the next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 4 strong buy and 1 hold recommendations on the stock
I'd use a moving stop loss 10% below the most recent high to preserve profits.



Monday, December 29, 2014

Chesapeake Utilities - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Chesapeake Utilities (CPK) is the Barchart Chart of the Day.  The gas distribution utility has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 37.00+, gained 30.59% in the last year and paid a 2.15% dividend.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Chesapeake Utilities (CPK).  I found the stock by sorting the All Time High list for stocks with the most frequent now highs in the last month ten used the Flipchart feature to review the charts.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 12/9 the stock gained 11.77%.

CPK is a utility company engaged in natural gas distribution and transmission, propane distribution and marketing, advanced information services and other related businesses.Chesapeake's three natural gas distribution divisions serve residential, commercial and industrial customers in southern Delaware, Maryland's Eastern Shore and Florida. The Company's natural gas transmission subsidiary operates an interstate pipeline system that transports gas from various points in Pennsylvania to Delaware and Maryland distribution divisions.


Barchart's Opinion trading systems are listed below. Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 10 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com web site when you read this report.

Barchart technical indicators:

  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 16 new highs and up 17.07% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 83.04%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 50.41
  • Recently traded at 52.60 with a 50 day moving average of 46.72
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $766.38 million
  • P/E 20.51
  • Dividend yield 2.15%
  • Revenue expected to grow 13.70% this year and shrink 1.00% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase by 13.70% this year but decrease by 2.70% next year; on the whole earnings are predicted to grow by 3.00% annually for the next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 4 hold recommendations on the stock
Technical trading strategies have not worked well on this stock so please hold until the total return turns negative.


5 Large Cap Gems

Today I used Barchart to sort a list of  large cap stocks analysts have predicted will out perform the market for the ones having the most frequent new highs in the last month. The smallest OTTR has a market Cap of $1.18 billion.  Today's list includes Rite Aid (RAD), Otter Tail (OTTR), Benchmark Electronics (BHE), ITC Holdings (ITC) and Sealed Air (SEE):

Rite Aid (RAD)


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 80% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 15 new highs and up 36.31% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 84.09%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 7.16
  • Recently traded at 7.48 with a 50 day moving average of 5.64


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 15 new highs and up 11.57% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 76.06%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 31.11
  • Recently traded at 32.07 with a 50 day moving average of 29.89


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 14 new highs and up 8.58% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 71.13%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 25.29
  • Recently traded at 25.75 with a 50 day moving average of 23.86


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 14 new highs and up 9.61% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 74.84%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 40.40
  • Recently traded at 41.44 with a 50 day moving average of 38.95
Sealed Air (SEE)


Barchat technical indicators:
  • 96% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 13 new highs and up 9.61% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 73.50%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 43.08
  • Recently traded at 43.15 with a 50 day moving average of 38.57










BARCHART MORNING CALL 12/29

BARCHART MORNING CALL

OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS
March E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 -0.18%) this morning are down -0.14% and European stocks are down -0.83% after Greek Prime Minister Samaras failed in a third and final attempt to get his presidential candidate, Stavros Dimas confirmed, which will trigger early elections in late Jan or early Feb. Greece's stock market plunged over 7% to a 2-year low and the 10-year German bund yield fell to a record low of 0.563% on heightened sovereign debt concerns. Greece's parliament will now be dissolved and general elections called, which raises concern that Syriza, an anti-austerity party that seeks to renegotiate Greek's debt, comes to power just before the EU's 240 billion euro ($292 billion) bailout to Greece expires. Asian stocks closed mixed: Japan -0.50%, Hong Kong +1.82%, China +0.28%, Taiwan +0.74%, Australia +1.47%, Singapore +0.42%, South Korea -1.50%, India +0.57%. China's Shanghai Stock Index climbed to a 4-3/4 year high after a plunge in China Nov industrial profits bolstered speculation that the government will boost steps to spur lending and economic growth. Commodity prices are mixed. Feb crude oil (CLG15 +1.15%) is up +1.32%. Feb gasoline (RBG15 +0.63%) is up +0.99%. Feb gold (GCG15 -0.24%) is down -0.18%. Mar copper (HGH15 +0.05%) is down -0.07% at a 4-1/2 year low after China industrial profits fell the most in 2-1/4 years last month, which fueled speculation that demand from China, the world's largest copper consumer, will weaken. Agriculture prices are mixed. The dollar index (DXY00 -0.08%) is down -0.06%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.07%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.11%. Mar T-note prices (ZNH15 +0.20%) are up +6.5 ticks on carryover support from a rally German bunds to a record high.
China Nov industrial profits fell -4.2% y/y, twice as much as the -2.1% y/y decline in Oct and the biggest drop in 2-1/4 years.
ECB Governing Council member Liikanen said the ECB will assess the impact of monetary stimulus, balance sheet growth, and price developments when it meets on Jan 22 and that "we must be ready for new measures if exceptionally low inflation is prolonged and increases risks to price stability and the economy."
U.S. STOCK PREVIEW
There are no U.S. economic reports today.  None of the Russell 3000 companies report earnings today.  There are no equity conferences this week.  
OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS
Endologix (ELGX +0.20%) and Towers Watson (TW -0.47%) were identified as top picks at Piper Jaffray for 2015.
MarkWest Energy (MWE +0.33%) was upgraded to 'Overweight' from 'Equal Weight' at Stephens.
Manitowoc (MTW +4.29%) jumped over 10% in pre-market trading after activist investor Carl Icahn reported a 7.7% stake in the company.
Macquarie reiterates its 'Outperform' rating on Live Nation (LYV -0.34%) and raises its price target on the stock to $30 from $28.
Gilead ({=GILD =})was upgraded to 'Overweight' from 'Equal Weight' at Morgan Stanley who raised their price target on the stock to $104 from $100.
RF Micro Devices (RFMD +0.84%) and MacLinear (MXL +0.55%) were both downgraded to 'Hold' from 'Buy' at Needham.
China Mobile selects Ericsson (ERIC +0.24%) as the sole supplier for its LTE FDD/TDD network.
A weekend article in Barron's said that CarMax (KMX unch) looks to have become a momentum stock and investors should consider buying General Motors (GM +0.90%) or Ford (F +0.98%) instead.
MARKET COMMENTS
Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 -0.18%) this morning are down -3.00 points (-0.14%). The S&P 500 index on Friday posted a fresh record high and closed higher: S&P 500 +0.33%, Dow Jones +0.13%, Nasdaq +0.72%. Bullish factors included (1) carry-over support from a rally in Chinese stocks on speculation the Chinese government will expand measures to spur economic growth, and (2) strength in retailer stocks after the International Council of Shopping Centers reported that early retail estimates showed the best holiday sales in 3 years.
Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH15 +0.20%) this morning are up +6.5 ticks. Mar 10-year T-note futures prices on Friday closed slightly higher: TYH5 +2, FVH5 +0.75. T-notes found carry-over support from a rally in Japan JGBs to a record high on speculation the BOJ may be forced to expand stimulus since Japan Nov CPI was weaker than expected. Limiting gains in T-notes was the rally in the S&P 500 to a new record high, which cut safe-haven demand.
The dollar index (DXY00 -0.08%) this morning is down -0.053 (-0.06%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.0008 (+0.07%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.13 (+0.11%). The dollar index on Friday closed higher. Closes: Dollar index +0.160 (+0.18%), EUR/USD -0.00404 (-0.33%), USD/JPY +0.275 (+0.23%). Bullish factors included (1) strength in USD/JPY which rose on speculation the BOJ may expand stimulus after Japan Nov CPI rose at its slowest pace in 8 months and after Nov industrial production unexpectedly declined, and (2) weakness in EUR/USD on expectations for the ECB to start QE next year while the Fed begins to raise interest rates.
Feb WTI crude oil (CLG15 +1.15%) this morning is up +72 cents (+1.32%) and Feb gasoline (RBG15 +0.63%) is up +0.0151 (+0.99%). Feb crude and Feb gasoline prices on Friday closed lower with Feb gasoline at a contract low. Closes: CLG5 -0.70 (-1.25%), RBG5 -0.0040 (-0.26%). Bearish factors included (1) a stronger dollar, and (2) a -17.7% y/y decline in Japan Nov oil imports. Losses were limited after fighting intensified between Libyan troops and Islamist militants at the Es Sider oil terminal, Libya’s largest petroleum port.
GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR12/29/2014
US0830 ETUSDA weekly Export Sales.
1030 ETDec Dallas Fed manufacturing activity expected -1.5 to 9.0, Nov unchanged at 10.5.
1100 ETUSDA weekly grain export inspections.
GERn/aGerman Nov retail sales expected 0.1% m/m and +0.6% y/y, Oct +1.6% m/m and +1.7% y/y.
U.S. STOCK CALENDAR12/29/2014
CompanyTickerTimeEvent DescriptionPeriodEstimate
Walgreen CoWAG USExtraordinary Shareholders Meeting - Restructuring VoteY 2014
TCP International Holdings LtdTCPI USSpecial Meeting

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Vision-Sciences - Off the Map

Today I put in a sell order on Vision-Sciences (VSCI) in the Barchart Van Meerten Speculative portfolio for poor price momentum:


Barchart technical indicator:
  • 56% Barchart technical sell signals
  • Trend Spotter sell signal
  • Below its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 58.86% below its recent high
  • Relative Strength Index 23.74%


Friday, December 26, 2014

Pinnacle Foods - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Pinnacle Foods (PF) is the Barchart Chart of the Day.  The food products company has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 31.40+, gained 30.33% in the last year and paid a 2.67% dividend.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Pinnacle Foods (PF).  I found the company by sorting the All Time High list for the stocks with the most frequent new highs in the last month then used the Flipchart feature to review the charts.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 12/28 the stock gained 4.79%.

Pinnacle Foods Inc. is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded food products primarily in North America. The Company operates through three segments: the Birds Eye Frozen Division(R), the Duncan Hines Grocery Division(R) and the Specialty Foods Division(R). It also manufactures and distributes canned meat, shelf-stable pickles and frozen seafood. The Company sells its products through supermarkets, grocery wholesalers and distributors, mass merchandisers, super centers, convenience stores, dollar stores, drug stores and warehouse clubs.


Barchart's Opinion trading systems are listed below. Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 10 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com web site when you read this report.


Barchart technical indicators:

  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 12 new highs and up 6.80% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 74.27%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 34.86
  • Recently traded at 35.61 with a 50 day moving average of 33.80
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $4.18 billion
  • P/E 20.95
  • Dividend yield 2.67%
  • Revenue expected to grow 5.60% this year and anther 2.10% next year
  • Earnings are estimated to compound at an annual rate of 12.23% for the next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 3 strong buy, 6 buy and 4 hold recommendations on the stock
Although the 50-100 Day MACD oscillator has been a good technical trading strategy for this stock I'd still advise you to use a moving stop loss 10% below the most recent high.


Staples - NASDAQ 100 Enigma

Today I used Barchart to sort the NASDAQ 100 Index stocks to find the ones with the most frequent new highs in the last month and Staples (SPLS) the office supplies retailer was on the top of the list.  As I further researched the stock I have no idea why?


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 96% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 13 new highs and up 30.32% in the last year
  • Relative Strength Index 86.29%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 17.48
  • Recently traded at 18.13 with a 50 day moving average of 14.17
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $11.59 billion
  • P/E 17.83
  • Dividend yield 2.69%
  • Revenue expected to shrink 2.40% this year and another 1.60% next year
  • Earnings estimated to decrease by 3.34% annually for the next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts recommendations are all over the map with 1 strong buy, 1 buy, 14 hold, 3 under perform and a sell call on this stock
The 20-100 Day MACD has been the most consistent trading strategy on this stock.  Since revenue and earnings forecasts are negative and even the Analysts are in conflict I'd recommend a moving stop loss about 10% below the current high to protect your profits.


BARCHART MORNING CALL 12/26

BARCHART MORNING CALL

OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS
March E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 +0.14%) this morning are up +0.14%, although European stock markets remained closed for the Christmas holiday and the U.K. markets are shut for Boxing Day. The Russian ruble posted a 3-week high against the dollar before falling back on speculation the government is ordering exporters to sell foreign currency. Asian stocks closed mostly higher: Japan +0.06%, China +3.31%, Hong Kong and Australia closed for holiday, Taiwan +0.60%, Singapore +0.23%, South Korea -0.01%, India +0.12%. Japanese stocks closed higher on speculation the BOJ may be forced to expand stimulus after Japan Nov CPI rose at the slowest pace in 8 months and after Nov industrial production unexpectedly declined. Chinese stocks gained on reports the PBOC plans to waive temporarily a requirement for banks to set aside reserves for some deposits. Commodity prices are mostly higher. Feb crude oil (CLG15 +0.64%) is up +0.70%. Feb gasoline (RBG15 +0.68%) is up +0.61%. Feb gold (GCG15 +1.99%) is up +2.05%. Mar copper (HGH15 +0.04%) is down -0.05% after weekly Shanghai copper inventories rose +12,693 MT to a 4-1/2 month high of 105,522 MT, a sign of weak Chinese demand. Agriculture prices have not yet opened. The dollar index (DXY00 +0.05%) is up +0.12%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.27%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.16%. Mar T-note prices (ZNH15 +0.02%) are up +1 tick.
Japan Nov national CPI rose +2.4% y/y, less than expectations of +2.5% y/y and the slowest pace of increase in 8 months. Nov national CPI ex-fresh food climbed +2.7% y/y, right on expectations, and Nov national CPI ex food & energy rose +2.1% y/y, right on expectations.
The Japan Nov jobless rate remained unchanged at 3.5%, right on expectations. The Nov job-to-applicant ratio unexpectedly rose +0.02 to 1.12, better than expectations of unch at 1.10 and the highest in 22-1/2 years.
Japan Nov industrial production unexpectedly fell -0.6% m/m, weaker than expectations of +0.8% m/m. On an annual basis Nov industrial production fell -3.8% y/y, more than expectations of -2.4% y/y and the most in 17 months.
Japan Nov retail sales unexpectedly fell for a second month as it slid i0.3% m/m, weaker than expectations of +0.2% m/m. On an annual basis Nov retail sales rose +0.4% y/y, less than expectations of +1.1% y/y.
Japan Nov overall household spending fell -2.5% y/y, less than expectations of -3.6% y/y, but still the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year declines.
U.S. STOCK PREVIEW
There are no U.S. economic reports today.  There is only one of the the Russell 3000 companies that reports earnings today:  Turtle Beach Corp.  There are no equity conferences this week.  
OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS
The International Council of Shopping Centers reports that early retail estimates show the best holiday sales in 3 years.
Novartis (NVS +0.71%) announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved its drug Cosentyx for the treatment of both psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis.
DigiTimes reports that Sony (SNE +2.21%) is set to launch a large-size tablet in Q1 of 2015 that will sell for more than $1000.
Bloomberg reports that the New York Supreme Court rejected Credit Suisse's (CS -0.04%) attempt to block a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from the NY Attorney General accusing the bank of fraud in sales of mortgage-backed securities.
Citigroup (C +0.22%) announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its retail banking business in Japan to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
The Biotechnology Value Fund reported a 6.29% passive stake in Sophiris Bio (SPHS +4.55%) .
MARKET COMMENTS
Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 +0.14%) this morning are up +3.00 points (+0.14%). The S&P 500 index on Wednesday posted a fresh record high but fell back on profit-taking and closed little changed: S&P 500 -0.01%, Dow Jones +0.03%, Nasdaq +0.09%. Supportive factors included (1) the unexpected decline in weekly initial unemployment claims by -10,000 to 280,000, better than expectations of +1,000 to 290,000 and the lowest in 7 weeks, and (2) optimism that momentum in the U.S. economy can be sustained with the Fed’s promise to be patient on raising interest rates along with the recent plunge in crude to a 5-1/2 year low, which has reduced gasoline prices and should give consumer spending a boost.
Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH15 +0.02%) this morning are up +1 tick. Mar 10-year T-note futures prices on Wednesday slipped to a 2-week low and closed lower: TYH5 -1.50, FVH5 -0.50. Bearish factors included (1) the unexpected decline in U.S. weekly initial unemployment claims to the lowest level in 7 weeks, and (2) the rally in the S&P 500 to a new record high, which curbed safe-haven demand for Treasuries.
The dollar index (DXY00 +0.05%) this morning is up +0.106 (+0.12%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.0033 (-0.27%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.19 (+0.16%). The dollar index on Wednesday closed slightly lower. Closes: Dollar index -0.097 (-0.11%), EUR/USD +0.00023 (+0.02%), USD/JPY -0.209 (-0.17%). Bearish factors included (1) profit-taking and long liquidation after the dollar index posted an 8-1/2 year high on Tuesday, and (2) reduced safe-haven demand for the dollar with the rally in stocks.
Feb WTI crude oil (CLG15 +0.64%) this morning is up +39 cents (+0.70%) and Feb gasoline (RBG15 +0.68%) is up +0.0094 (+0.61%). Feb crude and Feb gasoline prices on Wednesday closed lower with Feb gasoline at a contract low. Closes: CLG5 -1.27 (-2.22%), RBG5 -0.0561 (-3.54%). Bearish factors included (1) the unexpected +7.27 million bbl surge in weekly EIA crude supplies to a 6-month high of 387.21 million bbl, more than expectations for a -2.5 million bbl draw, (2) the +4.08 million bbl jump in EIA gasoline stockpiles to a 9-1/2 month high of 226.1 million bbl, and (3) the increase in crude supplies at Cushing, OK, the delivery point of WTI futures, for a third week as they climbed +973,000 bbl to a 9-month high of 28.8 million bbl.
GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR12/26/2014
USn/aNo government reports or Fed speakers scheduled.
CHI2030 ETChina Nov industrial profits, Oct -2.1% y/y.
EURn/aEuropean markets closed for Christmas holiday.
UKn/aUK markets closed for Boxing Day.
U.S. STOCK CALENDAR12/26/2014
CompanyTickerTimeEvent DescriptionPeriodEstimate
Turtle Beach CorpHEAR USQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 2014

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Alliant Energy - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Alliant Energy (LNT) is the Barchart Chart of the Day.  The electric power provider has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 32.83+, gained 29.72% in the last year and paid a 3.09% dividend.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Alliant Energy (LNT).  I found the stock by sorting the All Time High list for the stocks with the most frequent new highs in the last month then used the Flipchart feature to review the charts.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 12/18 the stock gained 2.72%.

Alliant Energy Corp. is a growing energy-services provider with operations both domestically and internationally. Alliant Energy provides electric, natural gas, water and steam services to customers worldwide. Alliant Energy Resources, Inc., the home of the company's non-regulated businesses, has operations and investments throughout the United States as well as in Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico and New Zealand.


Barchart's Opinion trading systems are listed below. Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 10 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com web site when you read this report.

Barchart technical indicators:

  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signals
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 15 new highs and up 8.52% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 72.25%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 65.43
  • Recently traded at 67.22 with a 50 day moving average  62.47
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $7.46 billion
  • P/E 19.38
  • Dividend yield 3.09%
  • Revenue expected to grow 1.50% this year and another 1.80% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase 4.80% this year, an additional 4.90% next year and continue to compound at an annual rate of 4.90% for the next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 3 strong buy, 1 buy and 5 hold recommendations on the stock
The 50-100 Day MACD Oscillator has been a very good technical trading strategy on this stock and should be used to find your exit point.

Healthways - Best Small Cap

Today I used Barchart to sort the S&P 600 Small Cap Index stocks to find the ones with the most frequent new hihgs n the last month and Healthways(HWAY) was right at the top of the list:

Healthways, Inc. is the leading and largest provider of specialized, comprehensive Health and Care Support programs and services, including disease management and care enhancement services, to health plans, hospitals and government, in addition to outcomes-driven wellness programs to health plans and employers, in states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Healthways helps people lead healthier lives while reducing overall healthcare costs. As The Health/Care Trust Channel, Healthways provides people the support they need when they need it to enable them to make better choices and live healthier lives.


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 80% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 17 new highs and up 27.87% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 83.69%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 19.93 with a 50 day moving average of 16.30


BARCHART MORNING CALL 12/24

BARCHART MORNING CALL

OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS
March E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 +0.06%) this morning are up +0.04% and European stocks are down -0.24% in uninspired holiday trade with most markets closing early for Christmas Eve. U.S. and European markets will also be closed for the Christmas holiday on Thursday. European stocks fell back after France reported Nov jobless claims rose 27,400, or +0.8%, to a record 3.49 million, as France's economy continues to struggle. Asian stocks closed mixed: Japan +1.24%, Hong Kong +0.07%, China -2.84%, Taiwan +0.97%, Australia +0.25%, Singapore +0.40%, South Korea +0.41%, India -1.08%. Japan's Nikkei Stock Index climbed to a 2-week high on the heels of a rally in the S&P 500 Tuesday to a record high. China's Shanghai Stock Index slipped to a 1-week low after the action by some brokerages in China to raise the threshold for margin trading prompted profit-taking from the recent run up in prices to a 4-3/4 year high. Commodity prices are mostly lower. Feb crude oil (CLG15 -2.12%) is down -1.59%. Feb gasoline (RBG15 -2.29%) is down -1.60%. Feb gold (GCG15 -0.05%) is down -0.10%. Mar copper (HGH15 -0.45%) is down -0.54%. Agriculture prices are mixed. The dollar index (DXY00 -0.19%) is down -0.18%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.22%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.23%. Mar T-note prices (ZNH15 -0.02%) are up +2 ticks.
Eurozone banks borrowed 23 million euros overnight from the ECB on Dec 23 from the previous day, the lowest since Dec 19. Eurozone banks deposited 37.9 billion euros overnight at the ECB on Dec 23, the lowest in one week. The ECB's current account holdings rose to 265.1 billion euros on Dec 23, the most in 11-1/2 months.
Japan Dec small business confidence fell -1.0 point to 46.7, the lowest in 7 months.
U.S. STOCK PREVIEW
Today’s initial unemployment claims report is expected to show a slight +1,000 gain to 290,000 after last week’s -6,000 decline to 289,000.  Meanwhile, today's continuing claims report is expected to show a +2,000 increase to 2.375 million after last week’s -147,000 decline to 2.373 million.  The Treasury today will sell $29 billion of 7-year T-notes.  None of the the Russell 3000 companies report earnings today.  There are no equity conferences this week.  
OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS
BAE Systems (BAESY +0.07%) was awarded a contract worth up to $1.2 billion from the U.S. Army for the manufacturing and development of 289 Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles, or AMPVs.
Virgin America (VA -0.36%) was initiated with a 'Buy' at Deutsche Bank with a price target of $44,
Sy Jacobs reported a 9.2% passive stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp (SMBC -2.53%) .
Perry Ellis (PERY -0.20%) files to sell 1.5 million shares of common stock for holders.
Oz Management reported a 5.39% passive stake in Qunar (QUNR -1.19%) .
The WSJ reported that Sony (SNE +0.38%) is mulling sale of its music publishing business that owns the copyrights to most of the Beatles’ songs and is estimated to be worth between $1.5 billion and $2 billion.
Canaan VII LP reported a 12.6% stake in LendingClub (LC -4.07%) .
Gabelli reported a 5.86% stake in Volcano (VOLC +0.22%) .
Cal-Maine Foods (CALM +0.64%) reported Q2 EPS of 76 cents, weaker than consensus of 85 cents.
MARKET COMMENTS
Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 +0.06%) this morning are up +0.75 of a point (+0.04%). The S&P 500 index on Tuesday rallied to a new all-time high and closed higher: S&P 500 +0.17%, Dow Jones +0.36%, Nasdaq -0.33%. Bullish factors included (1) the upward revision to U.S. Q3 GDP to +5.0% (q/q annualized, stronger than expectations of +4.3% and the fastest pace of expansion in 11 years, (2) the +0.6% increase in U.S. Nov personal spending, stronger than expectations of +0.5%, and (3) benign inflation pressures after the PCE core deflator, the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, eased to +1.4% y/y from Oct’s +1.5%.
Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH15 -0.02%) this morning are up +2 ticks. Mar 10-year T-note futures prices on Tuesday fell to a 2-week low and closed lower: TYH5 -22.50, FVH5 -10.75. Bearish factors included (1) the larger-than-expected upward revision to U.S. Q3 GDP, (2) the larger-than-expected increase in U.S. Nov personal spending, and (3) the rally in the S&P 500 to a record high, which curbed safe-haven demand for Treasuries.
The dollar index (DXY00 -0.19%) this morning is down -0.158 (-0.18%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.0027 (+0.22%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.28 (-0.23%). The dollar index on Tuesday rose to an 8-1/2 year and closed higher. Closes: Dollar index +0.294 (+0.33%), EUR/USD -0.00575 (-0.47%), USD/JPY +0.64 (+0.53%). Bullish factors included (1) the upward revision in U.S. Q3 GDP to +5.0%, the fastest pace in 11 years, and (2) the stronger-than-expected U.S. Nov personal spending. The dollar came off of its best levels after Nov durable goods orders and Nov new home sales both unexpectedly declined.
Feb WTI crude oil (CLG15 -2.12%) this morning is down 91 cents (-1.59%) and Feb gasoline (RBG15 -2.29%) is down -0.0253 (-1.60%). Feb crude and Feb gasoline prices on Tuesday closed higher. Closes: CLG5 +1.86 (+3.37%), RBG5 +0.0250 (+1.61%). Bullish factors included (1) the upward revision in U.S. Q3 GDP to +5.0%, the fastest pace of expansion in 11 years, and (2) the rally in the S&P 500 to an all-time high, which bolstered confidence in the economic outlook and energy demand. Prices came off of their best levels after the dollar index rose to an 8-1/2 year high.
GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR12/24/2014
US0700 ETWeekly MBA mortgage applications, previous -3.3% with purchase sub-index -6.9% and refi sub-index unch.
0830 ETWeekly initial unemployment claims expected +1,000 to 290,000, previous -6,000 to 289,000. Weekly continuing claims expected +2,000 to 2.375 million, previous -147,000 to 2.373 million.
1030 ETEIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report.
1130 ETTreasury auctions $29 billion 7-year T-notes.
JPN1850 ETJapan Nov PPI services expected +3.5% y/y, Oct +3.6% y/y.
U.S. STOCK CALENDAR12/24/2014
CompanyTickerTimeEvent DescriptionPeriodEstimate
Actavis plcACT USPDUFA, nebivolol/valsartan fixed-dose combo, hypertension