Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:CVRR,ZNGA,PDCO,RNG,RRC,FIF,CRT,IPCC,QUIK,GAM, Housing starts point to continued strength in residential housing. Supporting the growth is an increasing homeownership rate as younger buyers enter the market and wages continue to rise. Masonite International profits from a hot housing market via new construction and renovations. Through acquisitions and economies of scale, DOOR has seen improved net profit margins and efficiency returns in the face of rising input, transportation, and labor costs. The stock looks relatively undervalued to its peers based on price multiples and EV/FCF. Wall Street analysts agree, expecting the stock to rise by 28.3 percent. Quant valuation models point even higher with a 34.9 percent upside. Housing Market Is Still Hot

The residential housing market continues to show strength in its recovery from the last recession. Coupled with an expanding economy and younger families finally buying, both new and existing homes continue to move. Expectations of rising interest rates should also provide a near-term boost as buyers try to lock in lower payments.

The most famous leading indicator for residential housing is housing starts. The chart below highlights the strong upward trend, and also shows that starts are still at a low level historically.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CVR Refining, LP(CVRR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Acacia Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACIA) shares rose 18.3 percent to $37.25 in pre-market trading after gaining 1.74 percent on Friday. Kitov Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ: KTOV) rose 12.1 percent to $2.69 in pre-market trading after surging 4.80 percent on Friday. NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) rose 10.9 percent to $109.75 in pre-market trading after Bloomberg reported that the China’s Commerce Ministry has restarted its review of QUALCOMM Incorporated’s (NASDAQ: QCOM) proposed takeover of NXP Semiconductors. Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGI) rose 10.6 percent to $15.20 in pre-market trading. Renewable Energy will replace Synchronoss Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR) in the S&P SmallCap 600 on Tuesday, May 15. NeoPhotonics Corporation (NYSE: NPTN) rose 10 percent to $6.40 in pre-market trading. Vaxart, Inc. (NASDAQ: VXRT) shares rose 8 percent to $5.54 in pre-market trading after gaining 2.19 percent on Friday. Profire Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: PFIE) rose 7.3 percent to $4.58 in pre-market trading after gaining 6.22 percent on Friday. Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) rose 7 percent to $22.49 in pre-market trading after falling 1.96 percent on Friday. Oclaro, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR) shares rose 6.9 percent to $9.16 in pre-market trading. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) rose 5.7 percent to $2.24 in pre-market trading after gaining 3.92 percent on Friday. CVR Refining, LP (NYSE: CVRR) rose 5.4 percent to $19.70 in pre-market trading. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (NYSE: AGM) rose 5.2 percent to $92.95 in pre-market trading. International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT) rose 5.2 percent to $29.94 in pre-market trading. Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LITE) shares rose 5.1 percent to $66.30 in the pre-market trading session. Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: UEPS) shares rose 5 percent to $10.70 in pre-market trading after climbing 15.66 percent on Friday. Finisar
• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Twin Disc, Incorporated (NASDAQ: TWIN) shares surged 24.34 percent to close at $28.86 following Q3 earnings. Bioblast Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ: ORPN) rose 21.89 percent to close at $2.45. Evolus, Inc. (NASDAQ: EOLS) gained 20.19 percent to close at $8.75. Evolus named David Moatazedi as new CEO. VivoPower International PLC (NASDAQ: VVPR) rose 18.56 percent to close at $3.13 on Monday after falling 39.86 percent on Friday. CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE: CVM) gained 17.09 percent to close at $2.74. athenahealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN) shares jumped 16.39 percent to close at $146.75 on Monday after Elliott Management confirmed a $160 per share cash offer for athenahealth. Gramercy Property Trust (NYSE: GPT) rose 15.45 percent to close at $27.50 after the company agreed to be acquired by Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) for $27.50 per share. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) surged 15.23 percent to close at $6.43 after the company posted upbeat quarterly profit. Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR) rose 14.53 percent to close at $7.33 CohBar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWBR) gained 14.36 percent to close at $6.29. Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTPH) gained 12.69 percent to close at $3.64. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) gained 12.27 percent to close at $10.89 following Q1 results. CVR Refining, LP (NYSE: CVRR) shares climbed 9.8 percent to close at $19.05. Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) rose 4.93 percent to close at $256.89. Barclays upgraded Illumina from Equal-Weight to Overweight. Cloudera, Inc. (NYSE: CLDR) surged 3.92 percent to close at $15.63. Craig-Hallum initiated coverage on Cloudera with a Buy rating.

   

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  The Big Boys' Pick
  Of the group, CVRR (NYSE: CVRR) is in the best position. Apparently, Mr. Icahn agrees, which is why he owns 5.7 million shares, a stake worth more than $100 million. Other big institutional owners include the likes of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Zynga Inc.(ZNGA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Gaming publishers are always looking for the next big thing. The odds of scoring a huge hit are vanishingly small, even for a short-term victory. Consider the case of Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA), the social gaming veteran that struck gold with FarmVille and Words With Friends once upon a time. The company went public at the very height of that adrenaline rush. If you bought in at Zynga's peak share prices in the spring of 2012, you've weathered a 70% cut to your investment's value so far. Like I said, it's a long way down from the top.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $4.98.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Shares of mobile games-maker Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ:ZNGA) climbed more than 10% in intra-day trading Wednesday before settling down to close the day still up a respectable 7.8%.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The stock market had another session of quiet trading on Tuesday, leaving most major benchmarks close to where they started. Declines early in the day gave way to more promising news from the bond market, where interest rates stabilized following last week's big jump. Geopolitical and macroeconomic concerns continue to linger, and recent reports suggest weakening confidence in the prospects for global economic growth. Yet some companies benefited from good news that overcame the lackluster mood on Wall Street, and Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA), Pyxus International (NYSE:PYX), and Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA) were among the best performers on the day. Here's why they did so well.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Federated Investors Inc. PA trimmed its position in shares of Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) by 7.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 189,256 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,840 shares during the period. Federated Investors Inc. PA’s holdings in Zynga were worth $770,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Wednesday was a mixed day on Wall Street, with major benchmarks largely treading water as the S&P 500 approached a record closing high. Market participants seem conflicted between the strong showing that the U.S. economy has had throughout 2018 and the potential political ramifications of ongoing investigations in Washington, which yesterday added the high-profile verdict against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and the plea bargain of attorney Michael Cohen. Yet good news from several companies reminded investors of what's important at the individual stock level. Exact Sciences (NASDAQ:EXAS), Pure Storage (NYSE:PSTG), and Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA) were among the best performers on the day. Here's why they did so well.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Patterson Companies, Inc.(PDCO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  American International Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Patterson Companies (NASDAQ:PDCO) by 320.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 182,605 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 139,218 shares during the period. American International Group Inc. owned approximately 0.19% of Patterson Companies worth $4,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Patterson Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDCO) by 182.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 364,937 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 235,760 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Patterson Companies were worth $8,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Patterson Companies (NASDAQ:PDCO) had its price objective decreased by Morgan Stanley from $21.00 to $19.00 in a report released on Friday. Morgan Stanley currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Patterson Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDCO) – Research analysts at William Blair dropped their Q2 2019 earnings estimates for shares of Patterson Companies in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, August 30th. William Blair analyst J. Kreger now forecasts that the company will earn $0.34 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.41. William Blair also issued estimates for Patterson Companies’ Q3 2019 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.42 EPS, Q1 2020 earnings at $0.31 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.36 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.41 EPS and Q4 2020 earnings at $0.43 EPS.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Patterson Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: PDCO) traded down nearly 15% Thursday to set a new 52-week low of $20.23 after closing at $23.73 on Wednesday. The stock’s 52-week high is $40.90. Volume was nearly seven times the daily average of around 2.3 million. The company beat revenue estimates this morning but missed on profits.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Ringcentral, Inc.(RNG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  RingCentral Inc (NYSE:RNG)’s share price was up 6.8% on Friday . The company traded as high as $81.00 and last traded at $80.08. Approximately 1,265,596 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 67% from the average daily volume of 759,125 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.00.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  RingCentral Inc (NYSE:RNG) insider Praful Shah sold 4,974 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.58, for a total value of $460,492.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 305,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,256,989.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of RingCentral (NYSE:RNG) were up 2.9% during trading on Friday after SunTrust Banks raised their price target on the stock to $80.00. SunTrust Banks currently has a buy rating on the stock. RingCentral traded as high as $81.20 and last traded at $74.55. Approximately 19,219 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 96% from the average daily volume of 485,528 shares. The stock had previously closed at $76.80.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on RingCentral (RNG)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Guggenheim started coverage on shares of RingCentral (NYSE:RNG) in a research report report published on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $125.00 price objective on the software maker’s stock.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  RingCentral (NYSE:RNG) led the way with a 26.3% surge, followed by 8x8 (NYSE:EGHT) at 13.8% and Vonage Holdings (NYSE:VG) scoring a 10.7% gain. All of these one-month returns crushed the broader market, as the S&P 500 benchmark notched just a 3% gain last month.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close Monday was Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) which rose about 6% to $16.05. The stock's 52-week range is $11.93 to $25.96. Volume was 8.6 million compared to the daily average volume of 7.4 million.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.11.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) – Research analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies upped their Q1 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Range Resources in a report issued on Monday, August 27th. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst D. Kistler now anticipates that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings of $0.43 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.42. Piper Jaffray Companies has a “Buy” rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies also issued estimates for Range Resources’ Q2 2019 earnings at $0.35 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.44 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $1.61 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.39 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $1.93 EPS.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Global Securities raised their Q4 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Range Resources in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 23rd. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Kelly now anticipates that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings per share of $0.12 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.11. Seaport Global Securities has a “Neutral” rating on the stock. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Range Resources’ Q1 2019 earnings at $0.36 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.26 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $0.98 EPS.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: First Trust Energy Infrastructure Fund(FIF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  First Trust Energy Infra (NYSE:FIF) announced a jun 18 dividend on Monday, May 21st, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, June 4th will be paid a dividend of 0.11 per share by the investment management company on Friday, June 15th. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 1st.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cross Timbers Royalty Trust(CRT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (NYSE:CRT) announced a dividend on Tuesday, August 21st, NASDAQ reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.108 per share by the oil and gas company on Monday, September 17th. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 30th.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  News stories about Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (NYSE:CRT) have been trending somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research firm ranks the sentiment of press coverage by reviewing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Cross Timbers Royalty Trust earned a media sentiment score of 0.23 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned headlines about the oil and gas company an impact score of 47.0297657024049 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near term.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation(IPCC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  ValuEngine lowered shares of Infinity Property and Casualty (NASDAQ:IPCC) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class B (NYSE: BRK.B) and Infinity Property and Casualty (NASDAQ:IPCC) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends and risk.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Infinity Property and Casualty (NASDAQ:IPCC) and Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, profitability, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: QuickLogic Corporation(QUIK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  QuickLogic Co. (NASDAQ:QUIK)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $0.98 and last traded at $0.97, with a volume of 294 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.99.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on QuickLogic (QUIK)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  QuickLogic (NASDAQ: QUIK) and SemiLEDs (NASDAQ:LEDS) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations and profitability.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  News coverage about QuickLogic (NASDAQ:QUIK) has been trending somewhat positive this week, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group scores the sentiment of news coverage by monitoring more than 20 million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. QuickLogic earned a daily sentiment score of 0.11 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned press coverage about the semiconductor company an impact score of 47.5146776135294 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near future.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: General American Investors, Inc.(GAM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Gambit (GAM) is a PoW/PoS token that uses the Scrypt hashing algorithm. Its genesis date was May 5th, 2015. Gambit’s total supply is 2,599,999 tokens and its circulating supply is 1,154,053 tokens. Gambit’s official Twitter account is @gambitcrypto. The official website for Gambit is www.gambitcrypto.com.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Gambit (CURRENCY:GAM) traded 7.4% lower against the US dollar during the 1 day period ending at 15:00 PM ET on September 4th. One Gambit token can now be purchased for about $4.78 or 0.00064993 BTC on popular exchanges. Gambit has a market cap of $5.52 million and $2,335.00 worth of Gambit was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. Over the last week, Gambit has traded 12.6% higher against the US dollar.

Winnebago Industries (WGO) Q2 2019 Earnings Conference Call Transcript

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Winnebago Industries (NYSE:WGO) Q2 2019 Earnings Conference CallMarch 25, 2019 10:00 a.m. ET

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

Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Q2 2019 Winnebago earnings conference call. [Operator instructions] As a reminder, this call is being recorded. I would now like to introduce your host for today's conference, Steve Stuber, director, financial planning, analysis, and investor relations. Please go ahead, sir.

Steve Stuber -- Director, Financial Planning, Analysis, and Investor Relations

Thank you, and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today to discuss our second-quarter earnings results. I'm joined on the call today by Michael Happe, president and chief executive officer; and Bryan Hughes, vice president and chief financial officer. This call is being broadcast live on our website at investor.wgo.net, and the replay of the call will be available on our website later today.

The news release with our second-quarter results was issued and posted to our website earlier this morning. Before we start, I'd like to remind you that certain statements made during today's conference call regarding Winnebago Industries and its operations may be considered forward-looking statements under securities laws. The company cautions you that forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and are inherently uncertain in a number of factors, many of which are beyond the company's control, could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. These factors are identified in our SEC filings, which I encourage you to read.

With that, I would now like to turn the call over to our president and CEO, Michael Happe. Mike?

Michael Happe -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Steve, and thank you all for joining us this morning. We appreciate your time, and as always, your interest in Winnebago Industries. We would like to begin today's call in a place where we usually ended, and that is by thanking the more than 4,500 team members of Winnebago Industries who work extremely hard every day to create lifetime advocacy for our end customers. They accomplish this through the delivery of high-quality, innovative, differentiated products and by working in collaboration with our hundreds of RV and marine channel partners to provide superior customer service and aftermarket support.

Bryan, Steve, and I have the privilege of being the messengers on calls like these as we describe the team's tremendous progress on our journey to be truly a leader in outdoor lifestyle solutions around the globe. It is our people that make all the difference as we grow. And to those channel partners just mentioned, thank you for your support of our Winnebago, Grand Design and Chris-Craft brands. In many ways, you are the foot soldiers for our brands daily in the market, and it is your commitment to our mutual end customers that ensures an extraordinary experience as they travel, live, work and play in the outdoors.

Thank you to our employees and to our dealer partners. Now this morning, we would like to begin the call with an overview of our second-quarter results and our perspective on the balance of fiscal-year 2019. I will then turn the call over to Bryan Hughes, our chief financial officer, who will provide more detail on the related second-quarter financial results. Then I will return to offer some closing comments before concluding the call with Q&A.

Overall, we are pleased with the strong start in the first six months of fiscal 2019. Wholesale market conditions, especially in our RV segments, are even tougher than we had originally planned, but we are gaining material consolidated retail and shipment market share as a company. As we move into the second half of the year, we will look to build on the momentum we created through all of our business segments. We are committed to driving higher levels of profitability and asset utilization, delivering sales results that continue to outpace the industries we serve and pursuing new growth opportunities that position Winnebago Industries and its brands for future success.

We are both simultaneously investing in the ability to grow, whether it is talent, expertise or through business development work, and creating a more efficient organization operationally. We remain committed to meaningful, consistent market and financial progress in the short term, but we are truly focused on creating a long-term business model with a high-performance engine for profitable growth in the years ahead. And as a more diversified company focused on quality, innovation and service, we will continue to make solid progress toward our goal of transforming Winnebago Industries into a premier outdoor lifestyle company. While the North American RV industry is experiencing some challenging wholesale headwinds, the unique strength of our two RV brands, Winnebago and Grand Design, and their positions in the market has allowed us to dramatically outpace the industry.

And we are seeing small but strategically important benefits from our new marine play in Chris-Craft. Consolidated second-quarter net revenues were down 7.6% for the quarter driven by dealer inventory rationalization in the RV space and comparing against strong shipments in the prior year. What I am most pleased with is our growing RV retail market share. SSI retail in the stand-alone month of January 2019 showed our company with a market share position of 10% in RVs.

This is significant progress, in fact, three times greater from a position of under 3% just three years ago. Although we saw a decrease in our organic revenue growth, we made further progress increasing our gross profitability. Consolidated gross profit margin increased 100 basis points in the quarter driven by revenue mix, operational improvements within our Motorized segment and the continued success of our cost mitigation efforts to more than offset rising input costs and heightened dealer incentives due to market conditions. Thanks to our discipline in managing our portfolio by controlling production pace and overall output and our team's efforts to safely navigate the challenging weather during the second quarter from which we lost many production and shipment days across our various businesses, year-to-date operating cash flow increased over 200% versus last year.

Now turning to the segments in more detail. In our Towables segment, unit shipments for the quarter were down 10.4%. While the decline is certainly a reflection of broader industry dealer destocking and a strong comparable period a year ago, this result far exceeded the broader towable market, which has been declining nearly two to three times that amount during the comparable period, and demonstrates our success in continuing to gain dealer lot share. Our brands, though, have not been immune -- have certainly not been immune to the inventory corrective behavior.

For the quarter, Towables revenues decreased 5.9% from the fiscal 2018 period driven by the unit shipment declines mentioned previously, but partially offset by pricing taken during the second half of fiscal 2018, and again, in the early part of calendar year 2019. Adjusted EBITDA margins decreased by 20 basis points, largely reflecting a competitive pricing environment and increased cost input pressures. Towable backlog for the quarter declined 5.7% in dollars over the prior year, reflecting the positive impact of utilizing additional capacity added during calendar 2018 and dealers continuing to rightsize their inventory levels. Our dual-branded towable RV lineup continues to outperform the market due to the strength of our products and their increasing appeal with customers.

New towable products were once again on full display at the recent RVX show in March in Salt Lake City, including the new Grand Design Transcend XPlor and new floor plans for the Winnebago-branded SPYDER toy hauler and Micro Minnie Fifth Wheel. Given our strong showing at the RVX event and positive dealer feedback, we continue to expect our retail prospects to remain strong and for towable segment sales to outpace the industry. Turning to the Motorized segment. We remain focused on revitalizing our Motorized business and are taking steps to improve our ability to supply dealers and our end customers with a stronger lineup of high-quality innovative products.

Revenues for the segment were down 17.3% versus the prior year, and adjusted EBITDA margins were down 30 basis points. The current industry environment has certainly weighed on our ability to grow the top line, but we continue to focus on managing costs, product mix, implementing operational improvements to improve overall manufacturing efficiency and offsetting higher input costs, all of which have led to stabilizing margins and even an increase on the gross profitability line. What I am most pleased with regarding our recent Motorhome performance is that stand-alone retail results for Winnebago-branded Motorhomes in both December and January were positive on a year-over-year basis. This is a sign of good progress.

As you've heard me say before, energizing our Motorized business remains a top priority for us as we have dedicated a considerable amount of energy and resources to this effort. This includes our recent, difficult decision to shift our Winnebago branded Class A diesel motorhome manufacturing from our Junction City, Oregon plant to our manufacturing campus in Ford City, Iowa. This strategic transition consolidates and centralizes product development, supply chain and assembly operations for the company's diesel and Motorhome business back to a single location, improving our overall efficiency in the future. We have ample space, access to labor and full intent to begin a market share recovery and profitability as set in this business.

In terms of our Motorized backlog, we did see a 38.6% decline from the prior year, which reflects dealers continuing to rightsize inventory levels and prior year Class B new productship backlog timing. The RVX event in Salt Lake City also unveiled several new motorhome models for Winnebago, not currently included in the second-quarter backlog numbers. The new Class B Boldt, the select edition National Park Foundation Class B Travato and the refresh Class C View and Navion series were just several of many positive product upgrades that dealers had the opportunity to review several weeks ago. Turning to our other segment.

We saw another full quarter of Chris-Craft boat sales in our earnings results. We continue to see strong traffic and demand for our marine products as demonstrated by the turnout we saw at the Miami boat show in mid-February which exceeded our expectations. Consumers are showing tremendous interest in the Chris-Craft brand and its recent new products, specifically the 28 and 35 GT Launch and the Catalina 27 pilothouse, and it is translating into positive sales and shipment trends for that brand. Lastly, our specialty vehicles segment is being overhauled strategically to grow profitably as well in the future.

We have shared our intentions in prior calls to focus on several segments: accessibility enhanced, electric vehicles, and mobile specialty medical. We are investing in new talent, new capacity, and new technology. Our all-electric commercial vehicle platform recently received a top award at the RVX trade show in the sustainability category. With that overview, I will now turn the call over to Bryan Hughes to review our fiscal 2019 second-quarter financials in more detail.

Bryan?

Bryan Hughes -- Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thanks, Mike, and good morning, everyone. Second-quarter consolidated revenues were $432.7 million, a dre -- decrease of 7.6% compared to $468.4 million for the fiscal 2018 period, driven by a decrease in RV unit sales and partially offset by the addition of Chris-Craft and pricing actions taken during the last 12 months across all of the RV business units. Gross profit was $66.4 million, a decrease of 1.8% compared to $67.7 million for the fiscal 2018 period. Gross profit margin increased 100 basis points in the quarter, driven by favorable revenue mix, pricing and Motorized operational improvements, which more than offset inflationary cost pressures and heightened dealer incentives.

Second-quarter operating income was $28.9 million, a decrease of 18% compared to $35.3 million in the second quarter of last year, driven primarily by the decline in RV unit sales, unit sales. Growth in SG&A during the quarter, partially driven by ongoing and one-time investments we are making in the business, also contributed to the decline at operating income. Some of the one-time investments referred to is a continuation of the strategic project that was discussed as a driver of the SG&A increase in our first quarter. This, combined with the Chris-Craft acquisition and associated amortization, contributed 12 percentage points of the 16% increase in SG&A in the quarter.

Net income of $21.6 million, a decrease of 2.2% compared to last year, was favorably impacted by discrete tax items totaling $2.5 million or $0.08 earnings per share. Earnings per diluted share were $0.68, a decrease of 1.4% versus the same period last year. We have provided non-GAAP EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA performance measures in our press release as a comparable measure to clearly illustrate our performance. The schedules accompanying the press release show a reconciliation between net income and adjusted EBITDA.

Consolidated adjusted EBITDA was $34.5 million for the quarter compared to $39.4 million last year or a decrease of 12.4%. Now turning to the individual segments, and starting with the Towable segment. Revenues for the second quarter were $250.7 million, down 5.9% year over year. This decrease was primarily driven by continued dealer network efforts to reduce inventory levels.

We are also comparing against extremely strong shipments in the second quarter of last year. Segment-adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $33.6 million, down 7.3% from the prior year. And adjusted EBITDA margins decreased 20 basis points, reflecting enhanced price advances over the past year that did not fully offset inflationary input cost, most notably materials. Turning now to motorized segment.

Motorized revenues were $164.7 million for the quarter, down 17.3% versus last year, driven by a decrease in Class A and Class C unit sales, partially offset by strong shipments of our Class B products. Pricing also impacted sales, but some of the benefit of the pricing actions we have taken over the past 12 months were offset by higher dealer incentives in the quarter. Segment adjusted EBITDA was $4.4 million for the second quarter, down 23.4% year over year. Adjusted EBITDA margin decreased 30 basis points driven primarily by the decline in sales and further impacted by investments in SG&A, partially offset by favorable product mix related to the strength of Class B relative to Class A and Class C.

Turning to our balance sheet. As of the end of the second quarter, the company had outstanding debt of $276.9 million, net of debt issuance costs of $6.4 million. Working capital was $175.3 million. Our current net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio was 1.6 times, just above our targeted leverage ratio range of 0.9 to 1.5 times.

Cash flow from operations was $51.9 million year to date, up $36.9 million or approximately 250% from the same period last year. As we continued to execute our transformation initiatives, we are confident that the combined strength of our balance sheet and cash flow provide the flexibility to strategically invest in the business, and investing in the growth of our business remains our top capital allocation priority. The effective income tax rate for the second quarter was 12.8% compared to 27.2% for the same period in fiscal 2018. The favorable rate in the quarter versus last year was driven partially by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which drove a reduction in the federal corporate tax rate to 21%, recall last year we used the blended rate, and also by identifying favorable discrete R&D-related tax credits.

This was made possible by our decision to invest in new talent in our tax function. And in doing so, we identified that we had an additional opportunity to capture further credits as endorsed by the tax code associated with our extensive R&D activities. Total discrete tax items contributed $0.08 to our earnings per share for the quarter. Including the 12.8% tax rate for our fiscal second quarter, we now anticipate our full fiscal-year tax rate will approximate 22%.

We currently anticipate under the current tax code that our ongoing rate for our fiscal-year 2020 and beyond will be approximately 23% to 24%. Finally, our board of directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.11 per share payable on April 17, 2019, to common stockholders of record at the close of business on April 3, 2019. That concludes my review of our quarterly financials. And with that, I will now turn the call back to Mike to provide some closing comments.

Mike?

Michael Happe -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Bryan. As you've heard us mentioned this morning, we are pleased with the progress we've made in our fiscal-year 2019, but we also recognize that there remain significant potential within our business for the future. Each quarterly report is not the final grade but a quiz on the way to hopefully a successful attainment of an advanced degree. At Winnebago industries, we remain steadfast in the pursuit of our vision around becoming a trusted outdoor lifestyle.

Our internal transformation efforts around talent, process, portfolio and capital allocation have not only advanced our competitive position in the industry, but they have also made our company more resilient, hopefully more consistent and able to better navigate the headwinds affecting the RV industry without surprising or dire consequences. It is always two steps forward and one step back during these early stages, and we aspire to much more in the future. This resiliency is due, in large part, to our new enterprise platform approach, which is more diversified than ever before with active, full-line RV, luxury marine and specialty vehicle operations. Just three short years ago, we were largely a one-division organization with Motorhomes representing 93% of our overall sales.

We are confident that over the next five to 10 years, there will be significant opportunities for organic share expansion and inorganic investment in each of those global markets. And as we said last quarter, we continue to search for premium companies with strong brands, great talent, valued channel partnerships that deliver on the product and a promises they make to further leverage our strengths and expand our business. Next, I'd like to share with you my thoughts on some of the market challenges facing both the RV industry and its retail prospects for the remainder of 2019. Although a sentiment in the broader RV market has maintained its bearish trajectory, we remain optimistic about the long-term retail prospects for the RV industry.

Secular demand for camping, being outdoors and generally collecting experiences versus possessions is continuing to grow across multiple lifestyle and demographic segments. The versatility and breadth of what is called a recreational vehicle continues to expand and brings more and more interest to the space. In the short term, there remains a good deal of macroeconomic noise as it relates to the RV industry. Recent industry reports clearly show a decline in RV shipments in the first part of 2019 due to dealer inventory rationalization, following unusually high seasonal orders in the previous year and retail that has slowed from years of double-digit compound growth.

Retail has likely been impacted by a variety of pressures: higher product prices as a result of increased tariff and material costs, higher interest rates due to increased fed fund costs from increases in the back half of calendar year 2018, volatility in the equities market, uncertainty about 2018 tax returns for the middle class and a general sense of anxiety by end customers as they try to determine where the economy is truly headed in the next year. As dealers are seeking to balance purchases with demand, they are selling through existing inventories and carefully managing the quantity of new orders for new product. They also recognize that most RV OEMs can now currently respond to new orders in a more timely manner. These developments impacted our overall sales during the second quarter, but it also served to validate the uniquely strong position our brands have in the market, which provides us some insulation from macro headwinds and definite opportunity for the future.

We believe that we are poised to capture incremental growth as we enter the 2019 retail season. Despite the inventory-related headwinds challenging the industry, there are several tailwinds serving as positive indicators regarding future sales and growth opportunities. Consumer confidence has remained relatively stable, and we are continuing to see our customers choose to invest their valuable discretionary resources on creating lasting outdoor experiences with family and friends. Reasonable fuel and oil prices continue to be a strong positive for our businesses.

Lastly, customers' access to capital and financing remains strong as financing companies have, for the most part, avoided abnormally constraining credit availability. The recent data from retail shows and certain sales data over the last several weeks has also been positive. We're seeing retail showed traffic and sales come in ahead of expectations as both were expected to be down during the first part of the year. This further demonstrates our resiliency and our ability to gain share and outperform our peers in a moderated market.

We are cognizant of the RV industry's wholesale shipment forecast for calendar year 2019 and support the association's forecast. We also continued to believe that flat retail for the whole of calendar year 2019 is a good aspirational target for the industry as we said during our last call. However, we believe retail will more

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:AP,WFC,CM,FCF,HSBA, Rockport Group became the latest shoe company to trip on retail's rocky terrain Monday as it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The company, whose shoe brands include Rockport, Aravon and Dunham, follows Payless ShoeSource and Nine West into bankruptcy court as shoe sellers grapple with declining traffic to physical stores.

Rockport is aiming to keep its shoemaking business alive in a sale to a private equity firm. But the company warned that it may be forced to close all of its standalone retail stores, including 27 in the U.S.

Rockport partially blamed a turbulent separation from its previous owner, Adidas unit Reebok, which sold Rockport in 2015 to an entity created by shoe company New Balance and Berkshire Partners.

Separating from Adidas turned out to be "more complex," "meaningfully longer" and "significantly more expensive than planned," interim Chief Financial Officer Paul Kosturos said in a court filing.

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019: Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation(AP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  New York (AP) -- First lady Melania Trump's parents have been sworn in as U.S. citizens.

  A lawyer for Viktor and Amalija Knavs says the Slovenian couple took the citizenship oath on Thursday in New York City.

• [By ]

  This undated photo provided by General Motors shows the 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe, which can be had in the Fort Lauderdale area during Labor Day sales with a discount of $12,500. (Courtesy of General Motors via AP) (Photo: AP)

• [By ]

  This undated photo provided by Ford shows the 2018 Ford Transit Connect, an example of a small cargo van. The Transit Connect's cargo van variant comes in two trims, the basic XL and the XLT, as well as an extended-wheelbase model that has additional space for cargo. And the Transit Connect has a notable advantage: It offers technology features such as Ford's Sync 3 infotainment system, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive fog lights. (Photo: AP)

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019: Wells Fargo & Company(WFC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew Frankel, CFP]

  Two bank stocks that look attractive right now are Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC). The former trades for a significant valuation discount relative to peers, while Wells Fargo has been beaten down in recent history thanks to its numerous high-profile scandals and resulting penalties. Here's a quick rundown of where the two banks stand, and which could be the better choice for your portfolio now.

• [By Matthew Frankel]

  After the results of the capital plan reviews were announced, most banks individually announced increases (or maintenance) of their stock buybacks and dividends for the next year. Here are a few of the most significant:

  Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) will give shareholders a 25% dividend increase to an annualized rate of $0.60 per share and will also increase its buyback authorization to $20.6 billion over the next year, up from the previous year's $12.9 billion. Citigroup (NYSE:C) is giving shareholders an impressive 41% dividend hike to a quarterly payout of $0.45 per share and is also planning to spend up to $17.6 billion on buybacks over the year, a modest but significant $2 billion increase over the previous plan. Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) was one of the big positive surprises, after a tough couple of years for the bank. Wells announced that its dividend will increase to $0.43 per share in the third quarter, and that it plans to spend as much as $24.5 billion on buybacks over the next year -- a sharp increase from the past year's $11.5 billion. JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) is raising its dividend by 43% to $0.80 per quarter, and is planning to buy back as much as $20.7 billion in shares over the next year, a mild increase from its 2017 capital plan, which called for $19.4 billion in buybacks. U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) plans to increase its dividend by 23% to a quarterly payout of $0.37 and to repurchase as much as $3 billion of its stock over the next year, up from the previous authorization of $2.6 billion. American Express' (NYSE:AXP) capital plan was closely watched, since the bank had decided to suspend buybacks for the first half of 2018 in order to bolster capital levels. The bank announced that it would repurchase up to $3.4 billion in shares over the next year and also plans to raise its quarterly dividend from $0.35 to $0.39 per share.

  And as I mentioned earlier, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were both instructed to leave their previous capi

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Wells Fargo & Co.’s (NYSE: WFC) struggle to shore up money-laundering controls in its division serving companies may prove awkward for Chief Executive Officer Tim Sloan as he faces shareholders Tuesday: Link

• [By Chris Lange]

  Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) short interest dropped to 33.20 million shares from the previous reading of 35.83 million. Shares were trading at $57.88, within a 52-week range of $49.27 to $66.31.

• [By Matthew Frankel]

  When it comes to U.S. banks, there are four that are in a league of their own when it comes to size: JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), Citigroup (NYSE:C), and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC).

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce(CM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSE: CM) recently:

  6/6/2018 – Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was upgraded by analysts at Citigroup Inc from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a C$130.00 price target on the stock, up previously from C$125.00. 5/24/2018 – Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was downgraded by analysts at National Bank Financial from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating. They now have a C$124.00 price target on the stock, down previously from C$136.00. 5/24/2018 – Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had its price target lowered by analysts at Scotiabank from C$131.00 to C$127.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock. 5/24/2018 – Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had its price target lowered by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from C$141.00 to C$135.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock. 5/24/2018 – Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was given a new C$140.00 price target on by analysts at Eight Capital. 5/24/2018 – Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from C$133.00 to C$138.00.

  CM traded up C$0.59 on Wednesday, reaching C$115.86. 987,570 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,290,708. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has a fifty-two week low of C$103.84 and a fifty-two week high of C$124.37.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM) (TSE:CM) by 54.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 911,300 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 320,800 shares during the quarter. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce comprises approximately 1.0% of Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce were worth $103,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM) (TSE:CM) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, May 23rd, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 28th will be paid a dividend of 1.036 per share by the bank on Friday, July 27th. This represents a $4.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.63%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 27th.

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019: First Commonwealth Financial Corporation(FCF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Barclays PLC increased its holdings in First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) by 24.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,717 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 6,593 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in First Commonwealth Financial were worth $476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) was upgraded by investment analysts at ValuEngine from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday.

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2019: HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  HSBC (LON:HSBA) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Citigroup from GBX 810 ($10.78) to GBX 800 ($10.65) in a report released on Tuesday. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Citigroup’s price target points to a potential upside of 9.59% from the stock’s previous close.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Credit Suisse Group set a GBX 720 ($9.32) price target on HSBC (LON:HSBA) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

• [By Max Byerly]

  HSBC (LON:HSBA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Credit Suisse Group to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The firm presently has a GBX 720 ($9.38) target price on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their previous target price of GBX 680 ($8.86). Credit Suisse Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 5.82% from the company’s previous close.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Morgan Stanley set a GBX 855 ($10.91) price target on HSBC (LON:HSBA) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:GLUU,SATS,MVIS,SYPR,PRFT,SILC,STV,GOOGL,GILT,BLIN , A wave of new technology could soon improve everyday life for many of the 250 million people with impaired vision.

"Years ago, I couldn't do financial things without help," said Mario Percinic, a blind IT professional and accessibility expert.

"Now I use a screenreader with my online banking," said Percinic, who co-hosts a podcast on technology and accessibility called EBU Access Cast.

Apps, including one that recognizes money, are an essential part of Percinic's everyday life, and he believes smartphones are "one piece of technology that a person with disabilities can't live without."

And smartphones look set to continue to offer new services to people with vision impairment.

Watch: This smartphone eye test expands access to care

London-based not-for-profit Wayfindr, a subsidiary of the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), has developed a benchmark standard for using mobile devices to help people navigate indoor spaces.

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Glu Mobile Inc.(GLUU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Shares of Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) hit another two-year high on Wednesday. The mobile games publisher has been on a roll since posting blowout financial results last week. The stock moved 22% higher last week, and it has soared 171% since the start of last year.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  One of last week's hottest stocks is also one of this year's top performers. Shares of Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) rose 14% last week, and are now up 76% so far in 2018. The mobile gaming specialist kicked things off with a well-received presentation at the Stifel 2018 Cross Sector Insight Conference on Monday afternoon; then Piper Jaffray stepped in on Friday with a bullish initiation of the stock.

• [By Keith Noonan]

  Shares of Glu Moble (NASDAQ:GLUU) climbed 13.7% in June, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence . The mobile-gaming company's share price has climbed roughly 80% year to date on indications that its turnaround effort is proceeding successfully. 

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: EchoStar Corporation(SATS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Echostar Co. (NASDAQ:SATS) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $73.00.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  EchoStar Corp  (NASDAQ:SATS)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 21, 2019, 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Echostar Holding Corp (NASDAQ:SATS) reached a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $51.33 and last traded at $52.44, with a volume of 104714 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $51.79.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Teachers Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Echostar Co. (NASDAQ:SATS) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 59,929 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,059 shares during the quarter. Teachers Advisors LLC’s holdings in Echostar were worth $3,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of CDAM (UK) Ltd's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=CDAM+%28UK%29+Ltd

  These are the top 5 holdings of CDAM (UK) LtdAlphabet Inc (GOOGL) - 57,687 shares, 13.61% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 22.65%Open Text Corp (OTEX) - 1,703,053 shares, 12.52% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 57.24%EchoStar Corp (SATS) - 1,291,355 shares, 11.98% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 32.53%Athene Holding Ltd (ATH) - 1,339,253 shares, 11.64% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 22.45%Hilltop Holdings Inc (HTH) - 2,345,728

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Microvision Inc.(MVIS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  IMPINJ (NASDAQ: PI) and MicroVision (NASDAQ:MVIS) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and earnings.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Microvision (MVIS)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Microvision (MVIS)

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

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Sypris Solutions Inc.(SYPR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Sypris Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYPR) is projected to report quarterly loss at $0.07 per share on revenue of $20.35 million.

  Fusion Connect, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSNN) is expected to report quarterly loss at $0.11 per share on revenue of $36.71 million.

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Perficient, Inc.(PRFT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Perficient (NASDAQ:PRFT) was downgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Perficient Inc  (NASDAQ:PRFT)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 26, 2019, 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Perficient, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRFT) by 101.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 44,147 shares of the digital transformation consultancy’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,210 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Perficient were worth $1,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Perficient (NASDAQ:PRFT) was downgraded by equities research analysts at BidaskClub from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Systematic Financial Management LP boosted its position in shares of Perficient, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRFT) by 388.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 302,431 shares of the digital transformation consultancy’s stock after acquiring an additional 240,541 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP owned about 0.87% of Perficient worth $7,975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Silicom Ltd(SILC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Finally, Cramer said that Silicom (SILC) is an interesting concept with real earnings, and an attractive valuation at just 18 times earnings. However, the company is small, which mean investors need to be careful. 

• [By Logan Wallace]

  News articles about Silicom (NASDAQ:SILC) have been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment reports. Accern identifies negative and positive news coverage by monitoring more than twenty million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Silicom earned a news impact score of 0.08 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media headlines about the technology company an impact score of 47.5737469373647 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the next few days.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) and Silicom (NASDAQ:SILC) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, risk, valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings and institutional ownership.

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: China Digital TV Holding Co., Ltd.(STV)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Sativacoin (CURRENCY:STV) traded 2.1% higher against the US dollar during the 1-day period ending at 22:00 PM E.T. on May 9th. Over the last week, Sativacoin has traded up 0.1% against the US dollar. One Sativacoin coin can now be purchased for $0.0318 or 0.00000341 BTC on popular exchanges including Cryptopia and YoBit. Sativacoin has a market capitalization of $225,415.00 and $19.00 worth of Sativacoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Alphabet Inc.(GOOGL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Danny Vena]

  Some of the more promising places to look are companies that have a decided advantage in a high-growth area, pioneers in an emerging industry, or those paving the way in a cutting-edge technology. Companies that meet those criteria are Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG).

• [By ]

  A large number of Gen Zers are also devoted to Alphabet's(NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL) YouTube, which is technically a social network. Last year, an AdWeek survey by Defy Media found that 50 percent of Gen Zers couldn't "live without" YouTube. A more recent survey by VidMob revealed that more than half of Gen Zers had increased their usage of YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram over the past year.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Stocks have done quite well so far this year, and much of the upward push has come from positive earnings results from the many companies that have already reported this season. This afternoon, investors will hear from two more key players -- Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) -- and what they have to say could have a dramatic impact on their entire industries and the stock market as a whole.

• [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

  Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has passed Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in market cap and could move into second place behind Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). According to CNNMoney:

• [By Spencer Israel]

  The largest blockchain companies will be bigger than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google, according to Alex Mashinksy.

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.(GILT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  BidaskClub cut shares of Gilat Satellite Networks (NASDAQ:GILT) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

  Separately, TheStreet raised Gilat Satellite Networks from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Thursday, August 30th.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Gilat Satellite Networks (NASDAQ: GILT) and Ceragon Networks (NASDAQ:CRNT) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, valuation, profitability and institutional ownership.

Top 10 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2019: Bridgeline Digital, Inc.(BLIN )

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alexander Bird]

  Here are the top performers from last week…

  Penny Stock Current Share Price Last Week's Gain Staffing 360 Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: STAF) $2.58 96.35% IZEA Inc. (Nasdaq: IZEA) $1.65 85.19% ShiftPixy Inc. (Nasdaq: PIXY) $3.35 78.38% MER Telemanagement Solutions Ltd. (Nasdaq: MTSL) $3.31 41.07% IsoRay Inc. (NYSE: ISR) $0.60 38.64% TransGlobe Energy Corp. (Nasdaq: TGA) $3.74 37.76% Actinium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCMKTS: ATNM) $0.27 26.31% Blonder Tongue Labs Inc. (NYSE: BDR) $1.56 24.58% Bridgeline Digital Inc. (Nasdaq: BLIN) $1.51 24.51% Cel-Sci Corp. (NYSE: CVM) $0.91 24.03%

  While these penny stocks generated strong returns last week, they're unlikely to produce the same level of profit again anytime soon.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Here are some of the headlines that may have impacted Accern’s rankings:

  Get Bridgeline Digital alerts: Zacks: Bridgeline Digital Inc (BLIN) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts (americanbankingnews.com) Bridgeline Digital Shares Shoot Ahead on New Customer (baystreet.ca) Bridgeline Digital sees shares soar after its web analytics software welcomes a new user (proactiveinvestors.com) Procurement Services Provider Chooses the Bridgeline Unbound Insights Product for Web Analytics Solution (finance.yahoo.com)

  BLIN traded down $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $1.04. 455,300 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 548,370. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Bridgeline Digital has a 12-month low of $0.79 and a 12-month high of $4.45. The company has a market cap of $4.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.33 and a beta of 0.14.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Bridgeline Digital (BLIN)

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

3 Things Okta's Management Wants You to Know

Investors have been growing more optimistic about the earnings prospects for identity and security solutions provider Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA). It sits in the middle of three huge business shifts, after all: security, the digital transformation, and cloud services. Together, these trends could power healthy sales gains for Okta, which just recently celebrated its 10th year of existence, with just the last two occurring as a public company.

CEO Todd McKinnon and his executive team discussed a few highlights from the recently ended fiscal fourth quarter that support that bullish view of the business. Below are three highlights from their presentation.

Image source: Getty Images.

Growth wins

Below the surface, we are approaching a tipping point with the largest organizations in the world, recognizing the need for secure and scalable identity solutions that connect to both their cloud applications and on-premise infrastructure.-- CFO Bill Losch

Okta ended the year on a positive note by blowing past its short-term forecast to notch 50% sales gains in the quarter and reach a 56% spike for the full year. Management said they were especially pleased with the growth they're seeing in big contracts. The base of customers spending over $100,000 annually rose by 50% to just over 1,000, outpacing the expansion rate of the broader client base.

Okta's success in bringing in new Fortune 100 clients suggests its identity management suite is well-positioned for the shifting demand trends, executives believe. Citing the signing of a Fortune 10 business this quarter, McKinnon said that "these organizations are acknowledging the critical role that that could will play in their environments." To better meet their needs in the year ahead, Okta's development priorities center around targeting large enterprises, strengthening the integration of its services, and bulking up its security features.

Improving finances

Our top-line outperformance, margin improvement, and strong cash collections drove our solid cash flow performance.-- Losch

All the key financial metrics improved in the quarter, which inched Okta closer to -- but still far from -- bottom-line profitability. Gross profit margin rose to 76.4% of sales from 73.9%, and selling and marketing expenses expanded at a slower pace than revenue. As a result, operating loss improved to $28 million, or 24% of sales, from $24 million, or 31% of sales, a year ago. On a non-GAAP basis, operating loss was 4.3%, compared to 11.9% in late 2017.

Investors shouldn't count on Okta achieving GAAP profitability soon, given the fact that management is seeing such strong returns from its marketing and development investments right now. Executives also warned that there will be volatility in its cash flow results as the business tilts further toward large client contracts.

Looking ahead

At our analyst day last October, we shared our five-year targets for strong, sustainable top-line growth and profitability. Since that time, our conviction has only strengthened in Okta's growth opportunity.-- Losch

Management says they believe they're still in the early stages of their growth opportunity. Their fiscal 2020 outlook reflects that positioning, with aggressive marketing and development spending projected to put non-GAAP operating losses at around $26 million compared to $42 million last year and $61 million in fiscal 2018.

Sales growth is expected to slow from 56% this past year to between 33% and 34%. That prospect combined with the projection for a third straight year of losses pressured shares immediately following the earnings release. Investors can't fault the company for aggressively attacking its biggest opportunities, though, since Okta's growth initiatives are clearly delivering a bigger client base and improving profit margin.

5 Retirement Planning Steps For Women

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-1134053170&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/1134053170/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Credit: Getty Royalty Free

&l;em&g;Women historically have let men plan for retirement. The old rules have changed, but women still are searching for how should navigate the path to post-work life. And that path is different than it is for men. Diane Bourdo, president of the &l;a href=&q;https://humphreysgroup.com/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Humphreys Group &l;/a&g;in San Francisco, and author of the book, &l;/em&g;&l;em&g;&l;a href=&q;https://humphreysgroup.com/women-money-myths/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Rewriting the Rules: Telling Truths About Women and Money&l;/a&g;,&l;/em&g;&l;em&g; has some good advice on how to do this:&l;/em&g;

&l;strong&g;Larry Light:&l;/strong&g; How is retirement planning different for women?

&l;strong&g;Diane Bourdo: &l;/strong&g;Most retirement role models of the past were men, who seemed to relish their move from work by devoting their days to leisure activities and hobbies, tinkering around the house, sitting in front of the television or traveling to sunny climates. many women have had few examples and no clear expectations of how to experience their retirements, outside of continuing to be caretakers and homemakers.

What a difference a few decades makes. For most women, the plans or expectations we had when we were younger about what it would be like to age &a;mdash; into our 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond &a;mdash; have changed. While previous generations could expect to work in a single field at a single career, then retire and begin the process of slowing down mentally and physically, many women today have opportunities to delve into encore careers. They are re-inventing themselves in their professional as well as personal lives &a;mdash; and redefining retirement on their terms.

&l;strong&g;Light:&l;/strong&g; And women&a;rsquo;s financial status has changed, right?

&l;strong&g;Bourdo:&l;/strong&g; Perhaps what is most exciting about this new, reinvigorated take on retirement is the economic advantage women have gained over the past decade. Today, women are the primary breadwinners in 40% of U.S. households, and $14 trillion of the nation&a;rsquo;s personal wealth is controlled by women &a;mdash; a number that is on the rise.

&l;strong&g;Light:&l;/strong&g; What steps should they take?

&l;strong&g;Bourdo:&l;/strong&g; The first is to look within. Consider this question to jump-start thinking about your retirement experience: What do you want your life to look like in 10, 20 or 30 years? This is not so farfetched, as financial planners are increasingly projecting client lifespans of 100 years.

Do you want to work? Travel? Get more education? Will you be a caretaker? A volunteer? A mentor? Will you embark on a new career or creative project? How busy do you want to be? Who do you want to be to and for others? Who do you want to be to and for&a;nbsp;&l;em&g;yourself&l;/em&g;? Spend some time really visualizing what you expect retirement to look like.

&l;strong&g;Light:&l;/strong&g; What&a;rsquo;s the second step?

&l;strong&g;Bourdo:&l;/strong&g; Harness your strengths. &l;a href=&q;https://humphreysgroup.com/women-money-myths/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;In our new book&l;/a&g;, my colleague, Hallie Kraus, and I explore a myth that so many of us &a;mdash; both men and women alike &a;mdash; have been conditioned to believe: Women lack financial confidence, especially when it comes to investing. But the data and research on the topic begs to differ. With women&a;rsquo;s economic influence on the rise, it appears investing is the next hurdle they are ready to jump.

In 2015, Merrill Lynch found that just over 50% of women said they wanted to participate in making changes to their investment approach&a;mdash;nearly mirroring the 55% of men who said the same. And when Fidelity asked what women would most like to learn with 60 minutes of professional financial advice, the first choice listed by women in every age group was, &a;ldquo;learning more about how to invest my money.&a;rdquo;

Remember that diversification is your friend&l;strong&g;. &l;/strong&g;You can reduce risk by diversifying across various different types of investments, investing consistently over time and maintaining a long-term investment horizon. In addition, think about your risk capacity. How much risk you are able to take on, given your resources, expertise and plan) versus your risk tolerance (how emotionally comfortable you are with taking investment risk.

&l;strong&g;Light:&l;/strong&g; And no doubt some good guidance would help.

&l;strong&g;Bourdo:&l;/strong&g; Yes, the third step is to think about the type of advice you need. In writing our book, Hallie and I spent a lot of time discussing another myth that seems to come up again and again: Women aren&a;rsquo;t interested in investing. Since our firm&a;rsquo;s founding in 1983, women have traditionally represented about 70% of our client base&a;mdash;so we know from experience that there are plenty of women asking tough investment questions and those who are eager to drill down into the data, especially when it comes to investing for their retirement.

&l;strong&g;&a;nbsp;&l;/strong&g;Before they reach their golden years, we encourage women to enlist the help of a qualified, professional financial advisor. A lot of women serve as the chief financial officer for their families, so they like to have a hand in the planning process. Think about what tasks you should delegate, and what you should keep in-house. Find and work with advisors who support and respect you. The &l;a href=&q;http://www.plannersearch.org/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Financial Planning Association (FPA)&l;/a&g; and the &l;a href=&q;https://www.napfa.org/find-%20an-advisor#tab=filters&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)&l;/a&g; offer some great online resources that can help you navigate the search process.

&l;strong&g;Light:&l;/strong&g; What else?

&l;strong&g;Bourdo:&l;/strong&g;&a;nbsp;Fourth, know the risks, and plan accordingly. Many financial pundits and thought leaders have stressed how issues like longevity and the wage gap impact retirement readiness and overall financial wellness for women. But perhaps the more insidious factor endangering women&a;rsquo;s retirement is our tendency to take on caregiving responsibilities for our families.

Women make up two-thirds of all caregivers, and while some are able to balance this responsibility with maintaining their day jobs, they are often forced to take time out of the workforce. In fact, women who quit their jobs to care for children or elderly family members lose an average of $324,000 in wages and benefits over their lifetime.

If 401(k) savings aren&a;rsquo;t going to be enough to sustain your lifestyle in retirement, revisit your budget and assess whether or not there is room for you to save more. The easiest thing you can do to improve your financial health is to track your income and expenses. Are you under-earning or overspending? Some of both?

Tracking and categorizing your expenses can be tedious and daunting, so approach it with the mindset that it&a;rsquo;s just data &a;mdash; data that is necessary to evaluate whether you should make spending shifts and how to make them. And most importantly, the exercise will give you the information you need to evaluate trade-offs, make informed decisions and feel confident. Making small course-corrections to your spending and retirement contributions now will have a far greater impact than large corrections you make later on.

Of course, if you have access to a 401(k) plan, you should definitely contribute to it, at least enough to equal your employer&a;rsquo;s matching contributions. But you also should think about supplementing your savings with a health savings account (HSA), a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. If you&a;rsquo;re self-employed, consider supplementing with a SEP IRA.

&l;strong&g;Light:&l;/strong&g; What&a;rsquo;s a good checklist to follow?

&l;strong&g;Bourdo:&l;/strong&g; Fifth, keep the planning momentum going once you&a;rsquo;re ready to start your second act. Here are a few to-do list items you should prioritize.

Consider obtaining long-term care insurance, especially if you have a family history that indicates you may experience health challenges later in life. Such policies can be costly, yes, but they can make a world of difference.

Rollover your 401(k) assets into an IRA, and work with your advisor to create a tax-efficient withdrawal strategy that provides you with income security to achieve your goals and live the life you want.

Create a budget and spending plan, and make sure you have a solid cushion of cash reserves on-hand. Many advisors recommend having at least three to six months&a;rsquo; worth of living expenses in savings to tide you over in case of an emergency.

Determine when to take Medicare and Social Security benefits. Your advisor can help you make the decision that suits your specific needs and financial situation.

We spend the bulk of our working years being shaped, or even limited by, social constructs, norms and expectations regarding what we can and should do &a;mdash; and that includes how we should spend our retirement.

As the poet Mary Oliver wondered: &a;ldquo;What is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?&a;rdquo;&l;/p&g;

Get More of This and You'll (Probably) Be More Successful

Most Americans aren't getting enough sleep. Exactly how much shuteye each person needs varies based on their internal chemistry, but experts recommend between seven and eight hours as a minimum (and some people need even more).

Despite knowing that getting the proper amount of rest is important, 62% of women and 52% of men feel they need more sleep, according to a study by Mattress Inquirer. That's bad news, because new research shows that people who go to bed and wake up at the same time each day are not just happier, they're more successful.

That's a tad ironic, because in many cases people sacrifice sleep because they think spending the time on work will help them get ahead. Of course, that's not the only reason people don't get eight hours in the sack each night -- but no matter why you're not sleeping enough, chances are you'd benefit from a consistent eight hours in dreamland each night.

Not getting enough sleep can lead to poor productivity. Image source: Getty Images.

Dream, dream, dream

People who have a consistent sleep schedule are more satisfied with almost every aspect of their life according to a new study from The Best Mattress. In fact, nearly all of them (99%) said "the benefits of consistent sleep schedule" made their life better. Nearly as many people who don't get a consistent night's sleep (87%) -- meaning they don't go to bed at around the same time and get at least seven hours of sleep each night -- said that having a more consistent sleep schedule would make their life better.

Consistent sleepers were also more likely to say they "live life to the fullest" at a rate of 52%, compared to only 37% of inconsistent sleepers who felt that way. In fact, as you can see on the chart below, consistent sleepers rate every aspect of their life more favorably than inconsistent sleepers.

Image source: The Best Mattress.

Sleep and work

Nearly all (95%) consistent sleepers felt that being well-rested helped them perform their job better. Conversely, 85% of inconsistent sleepers said that they believed that getting consistent sleep would help them perform better at work. The consistent sleepers also reported making more money (an average salary of $45,930 compared to $43,758) than inconsistent sleepers. And consistent sleepers reported they were satisfied with their jobs at a higher rate (55% versus 45%) than those who don't consistently get a good night's sleep.

What can you do?

There are times in your life when you don't fully control your sleep habits. If you have a baby or even a young child, consistent sleep patterns may not be possible. If that's not the case for you and you're not consistently getting seven to eight hours, then you have to examine why.

Are you making foolish choices? Do you stay up to watch TV or play video games? Are you eating or drinking too close to bedtime (either can keep you up or disrupt sleep patterns).

The first step is identifying the eight hour period when you should be sleeping. Basically, work backward from when you have to be up in the morning and subtract eight hours. Once you have your bedtime, stick to it. Even if sleep is slow to come, rest or meditate. Be in bed and try to not feel a pressure to fall asleep.

This is an area where routine helps. Dedicate the hours you need to sleep to that purpose and hopefully your body will eventually respond.

The Largest IPO In History Is Still On, Or So They Say

&l;p&g;The plans for Aramco's IPO have been changed and delayed so many times since Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammad first&a;nbsp;&l;a href=&q;https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2016/01/06/transcript-interview-with-muhammad-bin-salman&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;mentioned&l;/a&g; in January 2016, that plenty of observers have questioned the plan and whether it would ever really happen.&l;/p&g;&l;figure class=&q;image-embed embed-0&q;&g;&l;div&g;&l;img src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/594ff93c11ff434994f7ef63f5e83b2a/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; alt=&q;Saudi Arabia Oil&q; data-height=&q;3726&q; data-width=&q;5646&q;&g;&l;/div&g;&l;figcaption&g;&l;fbs-accordion&g;&l;p class=&q;color-body light-text&q;&g;FILE - In this June 23, 2018 file photo, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih attends a news conference in Vienna, Austria. Saudi Arabia said on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 that it &q;remains committed&q; to an initial public offering of the state-run oil&l;small&g;ASSOCIATED PRESS&l;/small&g;&l;/p&g;&l;/fbs-accordion&g;&l;/figcaption&g;&l;/figure&g;&l;p&g;Now, once again, the Saudi government is insisting that IPO plans are still in the works. Khalid al Falih, the Saudi Oil Minister, has been cited by&a;nbsp;&l;a href=&q;https://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/saudi-aramco-ipo-will-take-place-within-two-years-okaz-reports-1.834095&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;local media&l;/a&g; insisting that the IPO will happen within two years. Originally, the prince suggested a valuation of two trillion dollars, which would make Aramco twice as valuable as any other company in the world, and the local media is continuing to tout that number.&l;/p&g;&l;p&g;Other than King Salman and Prince Mohammad, al Falih is in the best position to know the future of the company. Al Falih is a former Aramco CEO and longtime employee. He is now chairman of the Aramco board, in addition to his roles as Oil Minister and member of various other governmental committees. This is the man who continues to insist that the world's biggest IPO will, in fact, happen, despite the doubters.&l;/p&g;&l;fbs-ad position=&q;inread&q; progressive&g;&l;/fbs-ad&g;&l;p&g;Here's why, despite the delays, the Aramco IPO might still happen:&l;/p&g;&l;p&g;&l;ol&g;&l;li&g;Politically, King Salman and his son, Prince Mohammad, have&a;nbsp;&l;a href=&q;https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenrwald/2018/08/22/a-cancelled-aramco-ipo-could-mean-political-trouble-for-saudi-rulers/#4cd6f7751e81&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;a lot riding&l;/a&g; on the IPO. The first mention of the IPO came during Mohammad's first interview with western media, in The Economist. The IPO was originally a central component of the prince's economic diversification and reformation plans. Much of the Saudi population was excited by the IPO idea, although some did fear it might mean losing control of the country's greatest natural resource. There was also anticipation among private Saudis for the opportunity to buy equities in the pride of the kingdom's business scene. A public reversal of IPO plans would be a disappointment and require admitting that the doubters were right. At this point the royal family may have to go through with the IPO or at least delay it until the population forgets. On the other hand, if Aramco has determined it cannot achieve something close to a two trillion dollar valuation, it could be politically advantageous to quietly shelve the IPO rather than publicly embarrass the prince.&a;nbsp;&l;/li&g;&l;li&g;&a;nbsp;Saudi Arabia and the prince want to build the world's largest sovereign wealth fund. However, the Saudi fund, called the Public Investment Fund ("PIF"), is valued at less than $500 billion. That is less than half the size of Norway's sovereign wealth fund. It is unlikely that Saudi Arabia will be able to grow the PIF substantially from government coffers in the near future, because the country is not running a surplus. Therefore, the best way to quickly reach the prince's goal of two trillion dollars or more is to put Aramco under PIF ownership and achieve a high valuation through an IPO. Aramco has always prospered operating&a;nbsp;&l;a href=&q;https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/opinion/saudi-aramco-ipo-independence.html&q; target=&q;_blank&q; class=&q;color-accent&q;&g;independently&l;/a&g;, however, in an absolute monarchy, that could change.&l;/li&g;&l;li&g;One reason that the Aramco executives may come around to the prospect of an IPO is that it would establish a formal delineation between the company and the government. Aramco executives have valued their independence, but the current political and royal leadership seems more committed than their predecessors to determine the country's economic path through centralized planning. Post-IPO, investors and foreign regulators would insist on formal, legal processes and paperwork. An IPO would mean that the government and the government leaders could not overstep their positions as owners without going through the formal procedures of shareholders and board members. Ultimately, an Aramco IPO with a listing on at least one foreign exchange could be a helpful compromise that ensures standards of a relationship between the government and the company.&l;/li&g;&l;/ol&g;&l;/p&g;&l;p&g;The Saudi leadership is historically successful at keeping major plans from being leaked. It is part of royal family's ideal of keeping family business within the family. As a result, there is no way to know if the Aramco IPO will or will not happen in two years, five years or never. However, there are still reasons for Saudi Arabia and Aramco to pursue it.&a;nbsp;&l;/p&g;&l;div class=&q;vestpocket&q; vest-pocket&g;&l;/div&g;&q;,&q;bodyAsDeltas&q;:&q;

3 Reasons Ford Stock Is a Top Buy Right Now

Some investors are worried that a global recession will cause the stock market to drop. Specifically, one could argue that automakers’ stocks are foreshadowing such an event.

Source: Shutterstock

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) stock, General Motors (NYSE:GM) stock, Fiat Chrysler (NYSE:FCAU) stock and others have had trouble moving higher for years, and many automakers have started to undergo restructuring and close plants.

These companies are looking to cut costs and slim down when they can, rather than when they have to. To that end, many are wondering if we really are on the cusp of a global slowdown. The fact that China’s auto market is slowing for the first time in two decades isn’t encouraging, but conversely  GM’s Q4 results came in above its prior guidance, and then GM provided strong guidance for 2019. Now Ford stock is perking up a bit and looking like it wants to go higher.

So what are my thoughts on Ford stock? Here are three reasons why investors may finally want to consider going long Ford stock.

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Trading Ford Stock

I have long preferred GM stock to F stock for a number of reasons. They had similar dividend yields, but GM had better growth and a lower valuation. However, Ford is starting to play catch-up, both in terms of its fundamentals and its charts.

On the charts, F stock has made a series of higher lows outlined by its uptrend support (depicted by the blue line in the chart above) that’s running into overhead resistance (depicted by the black line). A break of F stock below its uptrend support would be discouraging, but it would not be the end of the world. Ford stock is still slightly above its 21-day and 50-day moving averages. If Ford stock price falls below these marks, the shares will certainly need to reset before they’re in an attractive pattern again.

For now, watch the stock’s uptrend support and its overhead resistance. If Ford stock price overcomes its resistance, it can really start to rally. The $9.50-$9.75 area could be reached in the short-term, if Ford stock doesn’t have too much trouble eclipsing the 200-day.

Ford Stock’s Dividend

Even though Ford stock has rallied off its $7.40 lows, it still has a monster dividend yield. Currently, Ford stock pays out 6.8% annually. Many investors figured the dividend would be cut because of the high yield, but management has not shown any indication of taking such a step.

While some investors were disappointed that the automaker didn’t pay a supplemental dividend in January as it had done in the previous few years, that development was not all that surprising. Remember, at the time Ford stock had a regular dividend yield of about 7%. If that yield holds up — and all indications say it will — then investors can collect a meaningful profit from Ford stock, even if the shares stay flat.

With the favorable charts  and the high yield, investors could put themselves in a strong position if Ford stock rallies. Such a rally would give them a low-cost basis on a high-yield stock, something all income investors love to have.

Ford Going Autonomous

During the Detroit Auto Show in January, Ford announced a partnership with Volkswagen (OTCMKTS:VLKAF) on trucks and vans. However, the companies looked poised to hold more talks on the issue. Then in February, the two companies reached a deal to work together on autonomous vehicles, and Volkswagen made a $1.7 billion investment in Ford’s Argo subsidiary, which has developed an artificial intelligence system that F is using in the autonomous cars it’s developing.

The deal — which was for roughly $600 million in Argo equity and $1.1 billion of working capital — valued Argo at $4 billion. Remember, Ford bought Argo for about $1 billion back in August 2017.

This is reminiscent of General Motors, which bought autonomous-vehicle startup Cruise for a reported $1 billion in August 2016. Then in 2018, it received investments from SoftBank (OTCMKTS:SFTBY) and Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC), which valued the unit at $14.6 billion. I don’t know if or when Argo will reach that figure, but Volkswagen’s investment is a solid first step.

If another investor steps up and pours money into Argo, I imagine its valuation will increase again. For a company like Ford, with a $34 billion market cap, an asset going from a $1 billion valuation to a $4 billion is a big deal. For instance, at $7 billion, Argo is suddenly about 20% of Ford’s market cap.

That can create a lot of value down the road if the investment pans out.

Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. As of this writing, Bret Kenwell did not hold a position in any of the aforemen