Friday, February 27, 2015

Voted 5 Best Stocks

On Motley Fool the readers voted on which stock they thought were likely to beat the market.  The top 5 vote getters were Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) 7073 votes, Activision Blizzard (ATVI) 6979 votes, Walt Disney (DIS) 6459 votes, ConocoPhillips (COP) 598 votes and Whole Foods Market (WFM) 5451 votes:

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B)




Barchart technical indicators:
  • 16% Barchart technical sell signal
  • Trend Spotter sell signal
  • Below its 20 and 50 day moving average but above its 100 day moving average
  • Only 3.62% off its recent high
  • Relative Strength Index 46.35%
  • Recently traded at 147.41 which is below its 50 day moving average of 148.39


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 88% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 12 new highs and up 13.92% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 71.17%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 23.05
  • Recently traded at 23.32 with a 50 day moving average of 21.00


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 80% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 10 new highs and up 10.76% in the ast month
  • Relative strength Index 65.14%
  • Barchart computes a technical support leve at 103.21
  • Recently traded at 104.08 with a 50 day moving average of 97.04


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 56% Barchart technical sell signals
  • Trend Spotter hold signal
  • Below its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 25.13% off its recent high
  • Relative Strength Index 43.04%
  • Recently traded at 65.20 which is below its 50 day moving average of 66.44


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 88% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 6 new highs and up 6.28% in the ast month
  • Relative Strength Index 65.20%
  • Barchart computes a technical support leve at 55.82
  • Recently traded at 56.49 with a 50 day moving average of 52.42













Intersect ENT - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Intersect ENT (XENT) is the Barchart Chart of the Day.  The surgical instrument stock has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 129.50+ and gained 10441% in the last year.

The Chart of the Day is Intersect ENT (XENT).  I found the stock by sorting the All Time High list for the stock with the best technical buy signals then used the Flipchart function to review the charts.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 1/5 the stock is up 20.73%.

Intersect ENT, Inc. is a commercial drug-device company. The Company's initial products, PROPEL and PROPEL mini, are drug-eluting implants for use in patients with chronic sinusitis. It offers products and therapies for ear, nose, and throat surgeons to improve treatment for their patients with chronic diseases.


 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
  • 5 new highs and up 20.5% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 77.94%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 22.42
  • Recently traded at 26.41 with a 50 day moving average of 21.42
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $617.20
  • Revenue expected to grow 71.00% this year and another 44.30% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase 39.80% ts year and an additional 64.90% next year
  • Wall Street analysts issued 3  strong buy and 2 buy recommendations on the stock
The 20-50 Day MACD Oscillator has been an effective technical trading strategy for this stock and should continue to be used to find entry and exit points.

BARCHART MORNING CALL 2/27

OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS
March E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 -0.15%) this morning are down -0.12% and European stocks are down -0.04% on expectations for U.S. Q4 GDP to be revised lower later today. Stock losses were limited after German lawmakers approved an extension of Greece's loan program. Asian stocks closed mixed: Japan +0.06%, Hong Kong -0.32%, China +0.18%, Taiwan closed for holiday, Australia +0.34%, Singapore -0.68%, South Korea -0.58%, India +1.65%. Japan's Nikkei Stock Index rose to a 14-3/4 year high after Jan industrial production rose more than expected by the most in 3-1/2 years. China's Shanghai Stock Index climbed to a 4-week high ahead of the annual National People's Congress meeting next week. China's yuan fell to 6.2699 per dollar, a 2-1/3 year low, after the PBOC cut its reference rate by the most in a month. Commodity prices are mixed. Apr crude oil (CLJ15 +1.43%) is up +1.74% and Apr gasoline (RBJ15 +1.12%) is up +0.95% at a 2-1/2 month high. Apr gold (GCJ15 -0.10%) is down -0.20%. Mar copper (HGH15 -0.94%) is down -0.87% after weekly Shanghai copper inventories surged +50,475 MT to 205,146 MT, an 11-month high. Agriculture prices are higher. The dollar index (DXY00 -0.26%) is down -0.27%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.22%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.07%. Mar T-note prices (ZNH15 -0.11%) are down -6 ticks.
The Japan Jan jobless rate unexpectedly rose +0.2 to 3.6% when expectations were for no change at 3.4%. The Jan job-to-applicant ratio was unchanged at 1.14, weaker than expectations of 1.15.
Japan Jan overall household spending fell -5.1% y/y, weaker than expectations of -4.1% y/y and the tenth consecutive month that spending has declined.
Japan Jan national CPI rose 2.4% y/y, right on expectations. Jan national CPI ex-fresh food rose +2.2% y/y, less than expectations of +2.3% y/y and the slowest pace of increase in 10 months. Jan national CPI ex food & energy rose +2.1% y/y, right on expectations.
Japan Jan industrial production rose +4.0% m/m, stronger than expectations of +2.7% m/m and the largest increase in 3-1/2 years. Year-over-year, Jan industrial production fell -2.6% y/y, less than expectations of -3.1% y/y.
Japan Jan retail sales fell -1.3% m/m and -2.0% y/y, weaker than expectations of -0.4% m/m and -1.2% y/y.
The German Jan import price index fell -0.8% m/m and -4.4% y/y, less than expectations of -1.1% m/m and -4.6% y/y.
U.S. STOCK PREVIEW
Today’s Q4 GDP report is expected to be revised substantially lower to +2.0% (q/q annualized) from +2.6% in the preliminary report due to weaker trade and inventory figures. Today’s final-Feb U.S. consumer confidence index from the University of Michigan is expected to be revised higher by +0.4 points to 94.0 from the early-Feb level of 93.6. Today’s Feb Chicago PMI is expected to show a decline of -1.4 to 58.0, more than offsetting the +0.6 point increase to 59.4 seen in January. The market is expecting today’s Jan pending home sales report to show a +2.0% m/m increase, recovering some ground after December’s -3.7% decline.
There are 3 of the S&P 500 companies that report earnings today: NRG Energy (consensus $0.54), Pepco (0.20), Leucadia National Corp. Equity conferences during the remainder of this week include: Gabelli & Company Inaugural Waste & Environmental Services Symposium on Fri.
OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS
CBOE Holdings (CBOE -1.63%) was downgraded to 'Neutral' from 'Buy' at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
FedEx (FDX -0.59%) was upgraded to 'Outperform' from 'Neutral' at Credit Suisse.
Universal Health (UHS +3.02%) reported Q4 EPS of $1.71, better than consensus of $1.50.
Southwestern Energy (SWN -5.79%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 52 cents, higher than consensus of 50 cents.
MasTec (MTZ -0.96%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 40 cents, above consensus of 38 cents.
Bio-Rad (BIO +0.91%) reported Q4 EPS of $1.34, higher than consensus of $1.18.
Tutor Perini (TPC -0.73%) reported Q4 EPS of 56 cents, weaker than consensus of 71 cents, and then lowered guidance on fiscal 2015 EPS to $2.20-$2.50, well below consensus of $2.89.
Mentor Graphics (MENT -2.73%) reported Q4 EPS of $1.09, better than consensus of $1.07.
Ingram Micro (IM -0.04%) reported Q4 EPS of 98 cents, less than consensus of 99 cents.
Herbalife (HLF +3.45%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of $1.41, better than consensus of $1.22, but then lowered guidance on fiscal 2015 adjusted EPS to $4.10-$4.50, well below consensus of $5.08.
J.C. Penney (JCP +1.45%) dropped over 11% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 0 cents, well below consensus of 11 cents.
Monster Beverage (MNST +0.77%) gained over 4% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 EPS of 72 cents, well above consensus of 59 cents.
Autodesk (ADSK -1.61%) reported Q4 EPS of 25 cents, above consensus of 24 cents, but then lowerd guidance on fical 2016 EPS to $1.05-$1.20, below consensus of $1.32.
Ross Stores (ROST +0.60%) jumped nearly 5% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 EPS of $1.20, higher than consensus of $1.11, and then announced a new $1.4 billion stock repurchase program.
The Gap (GPS +0.20%) rose nearly 3% in pre-market trading after it reported Q4 EPS of 75 cents, better than consensus of 74 cents, and then announced a $1 billion share repurchase program.
MARKET COMMENTS
Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 -0.15%) this morning are down -2.50 points (-0.12%). The S&P 500 index on Thursday closed lower: S&P 500 -0.15%, Dow Jones -0.06%, Nasdaq +0.49%. Negative factors included (1) the +31,000 increase in U.S weekly initial unemployment claims, more than expectations of +7,000, (2) the +0.3% increase in Jan durable goods orders ex-transportation, weaker than expectations of +0.5%, and (3) weakness in energy producers as crude oil fell.
Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH15 -0.11%) this morning are down -6 ticks. Mar 10-year T-note futures prices on Thursday fell back from a 2-week high and closed lower. Closes: TYH5 -14.00, FVH5 -9.25. Bearish factors included (1) the larger-than-expected +0.2% m/m increase in Jan core CPI, which may put the Fed closer to raising interest rates, and (2) supply pressures as the Treasury auctioned $29 billion of 7-year T-notes.
The dollar index (DXY00 -0.26%) this morning is down -0.261 (-0.27%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.0025 (+0.22%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.08 (-0.07%). The dollar index on Thursday rallied to a 1-month high and closed higher: Dollar index +1.079 (+1.15%), EUR/USD -0.01638 (-1.44%), USD/JPY +0.555 (+0.47%). Bullish factors included (1) the +0.2% m/m increase in U.S. Jan core CPI, stronger than expectations of +0.1%, which reduces deflation concerns and puts the Fed closer to raising interest rates, and (2) weakness in EUR/USD which fell to a 1-month low as the ECB will soon begin its QE program and start buying sovereign debt next month.
Apr WTI crude oil (CLJ15 +1.43%) this morning is up +84 cents (+1.74%) and Apr gasoline (RBJ15 +1.12%) is up +0.0181 (+0.95%) at a 2-1/2 month high. Apr crude and Apr gasoline prices on Thursday closed lower: CLJ5 -2.82 (-5.53%), RBJ5 -0.0022 (-0.11%). Bearish factors included (1) the rally in the dollar index to a 1-month high and (2) negative carry-over from Wednesday’s EIA data that showed an +8.4 million bbl increase in weekly EIA crude inventories to a record 434.1 million bbl (EIA data since 1982) and a +2.4 million bbl increase in crude supplies at Cushing, OK, the delivery point of WTI futures, to a 1-1/2 year high of 48.68 million bbl.
GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR02/27/2015
US0830 ETRevised Q4 GDP expected +2.0% (q/q annualized) vs. preliminary +2.6%. Q4 personal consumptions expected unrevised at +4.3%. Q4 GDP price index expected unrevised at unch. Q4 core PCE deflator expected unrevised at +1.1% q/q.
0900 ETFeb Milwaukee ISM expected +2.40 to 54.00, Jan -6.01 to 51.60.
0945 ETFeb Chicago PMI expected -1.4 to 58.0, Jan +0.6 to 59.4.
1000 ETJan pending home sales expected +2.0% m/m and +8.7% y/y, Dec -3.7% m/m and +8.5% y/y.
1000 ETFinal-Feb U.S. consumer confidence index (University of Michigan) expected +0.4 to 94.0, early-Feb -4.5 to 93.6.
1015 ETNew York Fed President William Dudley and Cleveland Fed President Loretta Nester are discussants of a report on the new neutral for the federal funds rate and condition of the economy at the University of Chicagos Booth School of Business 2015 U.S. Monetary Policy Forum.
1330 ETFed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer, ECB Vice President Vitor Constancio and BOJ Deputy Governor Hiroshi Nakaso participate in a panel discussion on Conducting Monetary Policy with a Large Balance Sheet at the University of Chicagos Booth School of Business 2015 U.S. Monetary Policy Forum.
JPN0000 ETJapan Jan housing starts expected -11.6% y/y to 880,000 annualized, Dec -14.7% y/y to 883,000 annualized.
0000 ETJapan Jan construction orders, Dec +7.5% y/y.
GER0200 ETGerman Jan import price index expected -1.1% m/m and -4.6% y/y, Dec -1.7% m/m and -3.7% y/y.
0800 ETGerman Feb CPI (EU harmonized) expected +0.6% m/m and -0.5% y/y, Jan -1.3% m/m and -0.5% y/y.
UK0430 ETRevised UK Q4 GDP, previous +0.5% q/q and +2.7% y/y.
0430 ETUK Q4 total business investment, Q3 -1.4% q/q and +5.2% y/y.
0430 ETUK Dec index of services, Nov +0.1% m/m and +0.8% 3-mon/3-mon.
0430 ETUK Feb Lloyds business barometer, Jan 52.
U.S. STOCK CALENDAR02/27/2015
CompanyTickerTimeEvent DescriptionPeriodEstimate
NRG Energy IncNRG USBef-mktQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20140.541
Principal Financial Group IncPFG US8:00RoadshowY 2015
Eaton Corp PLCETN US8:30Analyst ConferenceY 2015
Universal Health Services IncUHS US9:00Q4 2014 Earnings CallQ4 2014
NRG Energy IncNRG US9:00Q4 2014 Earnings CallQ4 2014
Whole Foods Market IncWFM US9:00Investor ConferenceY 2015
Southwestern Energy CoSWN US10:00Q4 2014 Earnings CallQ4 2014
Pepco Holdings IncPOM USQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20140.2
Leucadia National CorpLUK USQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 2014

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Ulta Salon Cosmetics and Fragrance - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Ulta Salon Cosmetics and Fragrance (ULTA) is the Barchart Chart of the Day.  The beauty supply retailer has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 61.97+ and gained 55.67% in the last year.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Ulta Salon Cosmetics and Fragrance (ULTA).  I found the company by sorting the All Time High list for the stocks with the highest technical buy signals, then used the Flipchart feature to review the charts.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 12/5 the stock gained 8.55%.


ULTA is the largest beauty retailer that provides one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon products and salon services in the United States. ULTA provides affordable indulgence to its customers by combining the product breadth, value and convenience of a beauty superstore with the distinctive environment and experience of a specialty retailer. ULTA offers a unique combination of over twenty one thousand prestige and mass beauty products across the categories of cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products and salon styling tools, as well as salon haircare products. ULTA also offers a full-service salon in all of its stores.

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
  • 6 new highs and up 3.21% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 68.11%
  • Barchat computes a technical support level at 135.57
  • Recently trade at 140.72 with a 50 day moving average of 132.10
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $9.06 billion
  • P/E 36.91
  • Revenue expected to grow 20.20% this year and another 15.40% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase 23.40% this year, an additional 16.40% next year and continue to compound at an annual rate of 20.00% for the next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 5 strong buy, 7 buy and 6 hold recommendations on this issue
The 50-100 Day MACD Oscillator has been a reliable technical trading strategy and should continue to be used for entry and exit points.

The 5 Hottest Micro Caps

I love the Barchart screening tools.  Today I wanted to find the hottest micro cap stocks so I set my screener for the stocks under $2 billion market cap and under $10 per share.  Next I sorted the results to find the stocks that hit the most frequent new highs in the last month.

My list includes American Lorain (ALN), Hooper Holmes (HH), Liberator Medical Holdings (LBMH), North American Palladium (PAL) and Relm Wireless (RWC):

American Lorain (ALN)


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 21 new highs and up 27.62% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 86.85%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 1.19
  • Recently traded at 1.30 with a 50 day moving average of 1.07


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 64% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 18 new highs and up 18.75% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 65.13%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at .50
  • Recently traded at .57 with a 50 day moving average of .51


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 96% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 17 new highs and up 24.52% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 68.29%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 3.73
  • Recently traded at 3.85 with a 50 day moving average of 3.21


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 17 new highs and up 125.00% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 86.69%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at .28
  • Recently traded at .36 with a 50 day moving average of .18


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 96% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 16 new highs and up 30.61% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 79.22%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 5.99
  • Recently traded at 6.25 with a 50 day moving average of 5.14










BARCHART MORNING CALL 2/26

BARCHART MORNING CALL
OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS
March E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 +0.13%) this morning are up +0.19% and European stocks are up +0.39% as global stock and bond markets continue their rallies to record highs after Fed Chair Yellen this week dampened concern of an imminent interest rate increase and ahead of the ECB's QE program that begins next month. 10-year government bond yields of 9 Eurozone nations fell to record lows today, including Germany where the 10-year bund yield fell to an all-time low of 0.288%. Asian stocks closed mixed: Japan +1.08%, Hong Kong +0.50%, China +2.52%, Taiwan -0.80%, Australia -0.61%, Singapore -0.43%, South Korea -0.01%, India -0.90%. Japan's Nikkei Stock Index posted a 14-3/4 year high and China's Shanghai Stock Index rose to a 4-week high on speculation the government will boost stimulus to spur economic growth. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for more active fiscal policy while a government publication said the PBOC should cut bank's required reserve ratios further to deal with deflation risks. Commodity prices are mixed. Apr crude oil (CLJ15 -1.20%) is down -1.51% and Apr gasoline (RBJ15 +0.31%) is up +0.05%. Apr gold (GCJ15 +1.35%) is up +1.26%. Mar copper (HGH15 +2.14%) is up +2.50% at a 1-1/2 month high on speculation China may boost stimulus to revive growth, which would spur copper demand. Agriculture prices are mixed. The dollar index (DXY00 +0.13%) is up +0.03%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.10%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.08%. Mar T-note prices (ZNH15 +0.15%) are up +5.5 ticks at a 2-week high.
Eurozone Feb economic confidence rose +0.7 to 102.1, stronger than expectations of +0.8 to 102.0 and the highest in 7 months. The Feb business climate indicator unexpectedly fell -0.05 to 0.07, weaker than expectations of +0.07 to 0.23.
Eurozone Jan M3 money supply rose +4.1% y/y, stronger than expectations of +3.7% y/y and the fastest pace of growth in 5-3/4 years. The Jan M3 money supply 3-month average was +3.6%, stronger than expectations of +3.4%.
The German Mar GfK consumer confidence rose +0.4 to 9.7, stronger than expectations of +0.2 to 9.5 and the highest since the data series began in 2005.
German Feb unemployment fell -20,000, double expectations of -10,000. The Feb unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.5%, right on expectations and the lowest since employment data for a unified Germany began in 1991.
U.S. STOCK PREVIEW
Today’s initial claims report is expected to show an increase of +7,000 to 290,000 following last week’s decline of -21,000 to 283,000. Meanwhile, today’s continuing claims report is expected to show a -30,000 drop to 2.395 million following last week’s +58,000 increase to 2.425 million. Today’s Jan CPI report is expected to fall to -0.1% y/y from +0.8% y/y in December, thus falling into deflationary territory. Excluding food and energy, today’s Jan core CPI is expected to be unchanged from Dec at +1.6% y/y, which is only mildly below the Fed’s inflation target of +2.0%. Today’s Jan durable goods orders report is expected to show an increase of +1.6% and +0.5% ex-transportation, recovering from the weak December report of -3.3% and -0.8% ex-transportation. Today’s Dec Federal Home Financing Agency (FHFA) house price index is expected to show a solid increase of +0.5% m/m, adding to the +0.8% increase seen in November. The Treasury today will conclude this week’s $103 billion T-note package by selling $29 billion of 7-year T-notes.
There are 12 of the S&P 500 companies that report earnings today with notable reports including: GAP (consensus $0.74), Kohl's (1.80), Ross Stores (1.11), Sempra Energy (1.08), Autodesk (0.24). Equity conferences during the remainder of this week include: Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Agriculture Conference on Wed-Thu, Auerbach Grayson & Morgan Stanley's Inaugural Frontier Markets Conference on Thu, Gabelli & Company Pump, Valve & Water Systems Symposium on Thu, Gabelli & Company Inaugural Waste & Environmental Services Symposium on Fri.
OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS
Kohl's (KSS +1.33%) reported Q4 EPS of $1.83, better than consensus of $1.80.
Carter's (CRI +1.34%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of $1.32, stronger than consensus of $1.27.
State Street (STT -1.66%) was downgraded to 'Neutral' from 'Outperform' at Credit Suisse.
Southwest Gas (SWX -0.90%) reported Q4 EPS of $1.26, higher than consensus of $1.24.
Chemtura (CHMT -1.06%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 10 cents, better than consensus of 7 cents.
Babcock & Wilcox (BWC -1.70%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 64 cents, well above consensus of 44 cents.
DryShips (DRYS +4.08%) reported Q4 EPS of 2 cents, well below consensus of 4 cents.
Yelp (YELP -0.30%) gained 2% in after-hours trading after it was initiated with an 'Overweight' at Morgan Stanley with a price target of $62.
LinkedIn (LNKD +1.79%) was initiated with an 'Overweight' at Morgan Stanley with a price target of $310.
Sprouts Farmers Markets (SFM +1.23%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 12 cents, above consensus of 9 cents.
Avago (AVGO -0.44%) rose over 5% in after-hours trading after it reported Q1 EPS of $2.09, higher than consensus of $1.94, and then said it will acquire Emulex ELX for $8 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $606 million.
L Brands (LB +1.03%) fell nearly 2% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 EPS of $1.89, better than consensus of $1.80, but then lowered guidance on fiscal 2015 EPS to $3.45-$3.65, below consensus of $3.83.
Salesforce.com (CRM +1.52%) reported Q4 EPS of 14 cents, right on consensus.
Whiting Petroleum (WLL +0.57%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 44 cents, weaker than consensus of 49 cents.
AmSurg (AMSG -0.42%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 77 cents, above consensus of 73 cents, and then raised guidance on fiscal 2015 revenue to $2.44 billion-$2.47 billion, higher than consensus of $2.39 billion.
MARKET COMMENTS
Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH15 +0.13%) this morning are up +4.00 points (+0.19%). The S&P 500 index on Wednesday posted a record high, but fell back on profit-taking and closed lower: S&P 500 -0.08%, Dow Jones +0.08%, Nasdaq -0.23%. Bullish factors included (1) reduced Chinese growth concerns after the China Feb HSBC flash manufacturing PMI unexpectedly rose +0.4 to 50.1, stronger than expectations of -0.2 to 49.5, and (2) the -0.2% decline in U.S. Jan new home sales to 481,000, stronger than expectations of -2.3% to 470,000.
Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH15 +0.15%) this morning are up +5.5 ticks at a 2-week high. Mar 10-year T-note futures prices on Wednesday rose to a 2-week high and closed higher. Closes: TYH5 +1.00, FVH5 -0.75. Bullish factors included (1) carry-over support from Tuesday's comments from Fed Chair Yellen who said the Fed will be “patient” on when to raise interest rates and that an increase is unlikely for “at least the next couple” of FOMC meetings, and (2) strong foreign demand for the Treasury's $35 billion auction of 5-year T-notes in which indirect bidders, a proxy for foreign buying, purchased 60.1% of the auction, well above the 12-auction average of 52.9%.
The dollar index (DXY00 +0.13%) this morning is up +0.029 (+0.03%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.0011 (-0.10%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.09 (-0.08%). The dollar index on Wednesday closed lower: Dollar index -0.280 (-0.30%), EUR/USD +0.00214 (+0.19%), USD/JPY -0.108 (-0.09%). Bearish factors included (1) negative carry-over from Tuesday's comments by Fed Chair Yellen that signaled the Fed is in no hurry to raise interest rates, and (2) strength in GBP/USD which climbed to a 1-3/4 month high after BOE policy maker Weale said interest rate may need to rise earlier than markets expect.
Apr WTI crude oil (CLJ15 -1.20%) this morning is down -77 cents (-1.51%) and Apr gasoline (RBJ15 +0.31%) is up +0.0010 (+0.05%). Apr crude and Apr gasoline prices on Wednesday closed higher: CLJ5 +1.71 (+3.47%), RBJ5 +0.1026 (+5.63%). Apr crude recovered from a 3-week low and Apr gasoline posted a 2-1/2 month high on bullish factors that included (1) the weaker dollar, (2) the -3.1 million bbl decline in weekly EIA gasoline supplies, more than expectations of a -2.0 million bbl draw, and (3) the -2.7 million bbl drop in weekly EIA distillate inventories to a 2-month low of 124.7 million bbl. Bearish factors included (1) the +8.4 million bbl increase in weekly EIA crude inventories to a record 434.1 million bbl (EIA data since 1982), more than double expectations of a +4.0 million bbl build, and (2) the +2.4 million bbl increase in crude supplies at Cushing, OK, the delivery point of WTI futures, to a 1-1/2 year high of 48.68 million bbl.
GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR02/26/2015
US0830 ETWeekly initial unemployment claims expected +7,000 to 290,000, previous -21,000 to 283,000. Weekly continuing claims expected -30,000 to 2.395 million, previous +58,000 to 2.425 million.
0830 ETJan CPI expected -0.6% m/m and -0.1% y/y, Dec -0.4% m/m and +0.8% y/y. Jan CPI ex food & energy expected +0.1% m/m and +1.6% y/y, Dec unch and +1.6% y/y.
0830 ETJan durable goods orders expected +1.6% and +0.5% ex transportation, Dec -3.3% and -0.8% ex transportation. Jan capital goods orders non-defense ex-aircraft expected +0.3%, Dec -0.1%.
0830 ETUSDA weekly Export Sales.
0900 ETDec FHFA house price index expected +0.5% m/m, Nov +0.8% m/m. Q4 FHFA house price purchase index, Q3 +0.90% q/q.
1100 ETFeb Kansas City Fed manufacturing activity expected unch at 3, Jan -5 to 3.
1300 ETTreasury auctions $29 billion 7-year T-notes.
1300 ETAtlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart speaks on the U.S. economic outlook and monetary policy at the Atlanta Feds 2015 Banking Outlook Conference.
GER0200 ETGerman Mar GfK consumer confidence expected +0.2 to 9.5, Feb 9.3.
0355 ETGerman Feb unemployment change expected -10,000, Jan -9,000. Feb unemployment rate expected unch at 6.5%.
EUR0400 ETEurozone Jan M3 money supply expected +3.7% y/y and +3.4% 3-mon avg, Dec +3.6% y/y and +3.1% 3-mon avg.
0500 ETEurozone Feb business climate indicator expected +0.07 to 0.23, Jan 0.16. Feb economic confidence expected +0.8 to 102.0, Jan 101.2.
0500 ETRevised Eurozone Feb consumer confidence, previous +1.8 to -6.7.
UK0430 ETRevised UK Q4 GDP, previous +0.5% q/q and +2.7% y/y.
0430 ETUK Dec index of services expected +0.4% m/m and +0.8% 3-mo/3-mo, Nov +0.1% m/m and +0.8% 3-mo/3-mo.
1905 ETUK Feb GfK consumer confidence expected +1 to 2, Jan 1.
JPN1830 ETJapan Jan jobless rate expected unch at 3.4%. Jan job-to-applicant ratio expected unch at 1.15.
1830 ETJapan Jan overall household spending expected -4.1% y/y, Dec -3.4% y/y.
1830 ETJapan Jan national CPI expected +2.4% y/y, Dec +2.4% y/y. Jan national CPI ex-fresh food expected +2.3% y/y, Dec +2.5% y/y. Jan national CPI ex food & energy expected +2.1% y/y, Dec +2.1% y/y.
1830 ETJapan Feb Tokyo CPI expected +2.2% y/y, Jan +2.3% y/y. Feb Tokyo CPI ex-fresh food expected +2.2% y/y, Jan +2.2% y/y. Feb Tokyo CPI ex food & energy expected +1.7% y/y, Jan +1.7% y/y.
1850 ETJapan Jan industrial production expected +2.7% m/m and -3.1% y/y, Dec +0.8% m/m and +0.1% y/y.
1850 ETJapan Jan retail sales expected -0.4% m/m and -1.2% y/y, Dec -0.4% m/m and +0.1% y/y.
2300 ETJapan Jan vehicle production, Dec -2.5% y/y.
U.S. STOCK CALENDAR02/26/2015
CompanyTickerTimeEvent DescriptionPeriodEstimate
Ensco PLCESV USBef-mktQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20141.367
AES Corp/VAAES USBef-mktQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20140.363
CenterPoint Energy IncCNP USBef-mktQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20140.259
Kohl's CorpKSS US7:00Q4 2015 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20151.802
Kohl's CorpKSS US8:30Q4 2015 Earnings CallQ4 2015
AES Corp/VAAES US9:00Q4 2014 Earnings CallQ4 2014
Sempra EnergySRE US9:00Q4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20141.082
International Business Machines CorpIBM US9:00Investor Meeting
L Brands IncLB US9:00Q4 2015 Earnings CallC4 2015
L Brands IncLB US9:00Q4 2015 Earnings CallQ4 2015
Transocean LtdRIG US9:30Q4 2014 Earnings CallQ4 2014
Ensco PLCESV US11:00Q4 2014 Earnings CallQ4 2014
CenterPoint Energy IncCNP US11:30Q4 2014 Earnings CallQ4 2014
Sempra EnergySRE US13:00Q4 2014 Earnings CallQ4 2014
Ross Stores IncROST US16:00Q4 2015 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20151.109
Gap Inc/TheGPS US16:00Q4 2015 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20150.738
Ross Stores IncROST US16:15Q4 2015 Earnings CallQ4 2015
Monster Beverage CorpMNST USAft-mktQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20140.589
Southwestern Energy CoSWN USAft-mktQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20140.5
Universal Health Services IncUHS USAft-mktQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20141.492
Autodesk IncADSK USAft-mktQ4 2015 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20150.244
Equifax IncEFX USInvestor MeetingY 2015
Integrys Energy Group IncTEG USQ4 2014 Earnings ReleaseQ4 20140.77

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Total Systems Services - Barchart's Chart of the Day

Total Systems Services (TSS) is the Barchart Chart of the Day.  The business payment services company has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 31.10+ and gained 25.99% in the last year.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Total Systems Services (TSS).  I found the stock by sorting the All Time High list for the stocks with the best technical buy signals, then used the Flipchart feature to review the charts.  Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 12/18 the stock gained 12.39%.

Total System Services provides global commerce solutions. The company facilitates the payment exchange between buyers and sellers. TSYS systems capture and deliver more of the right information to our clients allowing them to make wiser business decisions yielding portfolio growth more than twice the industry average. TSYS and its family of companies offer a full range of business services from credit application to collections, allowing the company' clients to focus on building their brands while we focus on safety, security, ease and convenience.


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
  • 11 new highs and up 9.72% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 70.93%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 37.15
  • Recently traded at 38.23 with a 50 day moving average of 35.08
Fundamental factors:
  • Market Cap $7.11 billion
  • P/E 20.28
  • Dividend yield 1.07%
  • Revenue expected to grow 8.40% this year and another 7.20% next year
  • Earnings estimated to increase by 12.80% this year, an additional 10.00% next year and continue to compound annually at a rate of 12.08% for he next 5 years
  • Wall Street analysts issued 5 strong buy, 4 buy, 11 hold and 1 under perform recommendation on the stock
None of the technical trading strategies have worked very well on this stock so I would use a moving stop loss 10% below the recent high as my exit point.

The 5 Hottest NASDAQ 100 Stocks

Today I used Barchart to sort the NASDAQ 100 Index stocks to find the stocks with the highest technical buy signals then used the Flipchart feature to review the stocks.

Today's list includes Verisk Analytics (VRSK), Tractor Supply Company (TSCO), Monster Beverage (MNST), Intuit (INTU) and Expeditors International of Washington (EXPD):

Verisk Analytics  (VRSK)


Barchat technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 8 new highs and up 13.56% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 87.45%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 67.18
  • Recently traded at 73.95 with a 50 day moving average of 65.00


Barchat technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 7 new highs and up 12.37% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 74.71%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 87.27%
  • Recently traded at 89.66 with a 50 day moving average of 80.46


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 5 new highs and up 3.93% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 65.04%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 122.13
  • Recently traded at 122.92 with a 50 day moving average of 115.74
Intuit (INTU)


Barchart technical indicators:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 7 new highs and up 8.81% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 70.07%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 95.41
  • Recently traded at 97.51 with a 50 day moving average of 90.58


Barchart technical indicators:
  • Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 6 new highs and up 8.92% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 75.71%
  • Barchart computes a technical support level at 44.48
  • Recently traded at 48.23 with a 50 day moving average of 44.52











BARCHART MORNING CALL 2/25