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

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Healthcare Trust of America - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Healthcare Trust of America (HTA) is the Barchart Chart of the Day.  The Healthcare REIT has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 35.50+, gained 35.79% in the last year and paid a 4..33% dividend.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Healthcare Trust of America (HTA).  I found the stock by sorting the All Time New High list for the stock having the most frequent new highs in the last month then used the Flipchart feature to review the charts.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a new buy signal on 12/19 the stock gained 1.27%.

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. is a self-administered real estate investment trust. The Company primarily focuses on medical office buildings, healthcare-related facilities and quality commercial office properties. It also invests to a limited extent in other real estate-related assets. Its portfolio is positioned in metropolitan markets such as Atlanta, GA, Phoenix, AZ, Indianapolis, IN, Greenville, SC, Pittsburgh, PA, Albany, NY, Boston, MA and both Dallas and Houston, TX.


 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
  • 14 new highs and up 7..83% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 71.62%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 26.29
  • Recently traded at 27.16 with a 50 day moving average of 25.44
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $ 3.25 billion
  • P/E 18.85
  • Dividend yield 4.33%
  • Revenue expected to grow 17.20% this year and another 6.70% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase 14.80% this year, an additional 8.20% next year and continue to compound annually at a rate of 4.00% for the next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 1 strong buy and 7 hold recommendations on the stock.
Use a moving stop loss about 10% off the most recent new high to find your exit point.

Monday, December 22, 2014

WD-40 - Barchart's Chart of the Day

WD-40 (WDFC) is the Barchart Chart of the Day. The chemical products stock has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 18.30+, gained 12.84% in the last year and paid a 1.66% dividend.

The Chart of the Day belongs to WD-40 (WDFC).  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 10/20 the stock gained 12.76%.

WD-40 Company sells a petroleum-based product, known as ``WD-40.`` WD-40 is a multi-purpose product which acts as a lubricant, rust preventative, penetrant, cleaner and moisture displacer. They also sell the 3-IN-ONE Oil. 3-IN-ONE Oil is a lower cost general purpose lubricant that is useful when precise applications of a lubricant are needed.


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
  • 15 new highs and up 10.56% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 12.76%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 80.78
  • Recently traded at 83.82 with a 50 day moving average of 76.28
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $1.24 billion
  • P/E 28.56
  • Dividend yield 1.66%
  • Revenue expected to grow 4.40% this year and another 4.30% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase 8.40% this year, an additional 10.90% next year and continue to increase at annual rate of 13.00% for the next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 1 buy and 3 hold recommendations on the stock
Although the 50-100 Day MACD Oscillator has been an effective technical trading strategy on this stock I'd recommend you use a moving stop loss 10% below the most recent new high.