Jefferies Financial Group Weighs in on Williams Companies Inc’s FY2019 Earnings (WMB)

Williams Companies Inc (NYSE:WMB) – Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group cut their FY2019 EPS estimates for Williams Companies in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group analyst C. Sighinolfi now anticipates that the pipeline company will earn $0.93 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $1.29. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a “Buy” rating and a $34.00 target price on the stock.

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A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on WMB. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. US Capital Advisors reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 17th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “sector perform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 18th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 20th. Finally, Seaport Global Securities assumed coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.31.

Shares of WMB opened at $28.80 on Friday. Williams Companies has a 1-year low of $24.00 and a 1-year high of $33.67. The stock has a market cap of $23.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.71 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 2nd. The pipeline company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a net margin of 24.02% and a return on equity of 3.61%. The company had revenue of $2.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMB. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 13.4% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 87,783,397 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $2,182,295,000 after acquiring an additional 10,354,857 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 19.9% in the first quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 26,256,271 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $652,731,000 after acquiring an additional 4,364,798 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 5,129.6% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,391,858 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $109,182,000 after acquiring an additional 4,307,878 shares during the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $80,810,000. Finally, Canyon Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $70,055,000. 85.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

In other Williams Companies news, Director Stephen I. Chazen acquired 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $26.71 per share, with a total value of $106,840.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 29,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $790,883.10. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Ted T. Timmermans sold 12,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.08, for a total transaction of $347,967.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 27,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $767,903.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 8th were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 7th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is 215.87%.

Williams Companies Company Profile

The Williams Companies, Inc operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in the United States. It owns and operates natural gas pipeline system extending from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico through Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to the New York City metropolitan area.

Read More: Book Value Per Share �� BVPS

The Best Way to Play the Booming IPO Market

Michael A. Robinson

On Saturday, maybe you're planning to go for a run, watch some cartoons, or make your family a nice breakfast.

For me, I'll be up bright and early, as I am each Saturday, looking for more profit opportunities for you in the tech world. And this Saturday in particular, I'll be checking out the latest initial public offerings.

Let me explain…

It's rare that I don't start working by 7:15 a.m. on Saturdays. It's a great time to look at tech trends and screen a host of stocks when there's no noise from the market.

And every Saturday, I try to update my list of new tech stocks.

After spending 34 years in Silicon Valley and serving as a strategic consultant to a dozen startups, tracking IPOs comes naturally to me.

I want to see if any of my "babies" have graduated.

So, I get the names of newly public tech and life sciences stocks and put them on my post-IPO tracking screen. On Saturday, July 7, alone, I had to input 28 new stocks into my online database.

I didn't spend much time doing that in 2017, which was a weak year for IPOs.

But this year, the IPO market is on fire… and my Saturday mornings are busier.

Led by the successful IPOs of tech firms like Dropbox Inc. (Nasdaq: DBX) in March, and Spotify Technology SA (Nasdaq: SPOT) in April, tech IPOs are up 92% from last year, according to a report in TechCrunch.

This turn of events is crucial for technology investors like us.

Today I'll show you why that is – and I'll show you the best way to play this hot, hot, hot trend…

A Target-Rich Environment

IPOs can be a dicey proposition for the average retail investor.

Typically, in the first six months of trading, these can be very volatile stocks. That can cause some heartburn.

Furthermore, most investors don't have the discipline to put in a lowball limit order to catch IPOs when they dip from their highs in the early days of trading.

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But here's the thing – IPOs are vital for a healthy market. And there's no question that they can offer tech investors a target-rich environment.

Plus, the profitable strategy that an IPO represents gives Silicon Valley entrepreneurs a great motivation to start new companies. That, in turn, brings us a steady wave of innovations – and, eventually, stocks to buy.

Now, nothing keeps a bull market moving forward like a group of new stocks to trade. These exciting opportunities have a way of pulling fresh cash into the market.

Fortunately, there is a way to cash in on the tech IPO boom in a way that builds your net worth – and allows you to sleep calmly at night.

Join the conversation. Click here to jump to comments…

Michael A. Robinson

About the Author

Browse Michael's articles | View Michael's research services

Michael A. Robinson is one of the top financial analysts working today. His book "Overdrawn: The Bailout of American Savings" was a prescient look at the anatomy of the nation's S&L crisis, long before the word "bailout" became part of our daily lexicon. He's a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer and reporter, lauded by the Columbia Journalism Review for his aggressive style. His 30-year track record as a leading tech analyst has garnered him rave reviews, too. Today he is the editor of the monthly tech investing newsletter Nova-X Report as well as Radical Technology Profits, where he covers truly radical technologies �� ones that have the power to sweep across the globe and change the very fabric of our lives �� and profit opportunities they give rise to. He also explores "what's next" in the tech investing world at Strategic Tech Investor.

… Read full bio

Best Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:UDR,MEOH,PDCO,

Sphere 3D (NASDAQ:ANY) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 2,577,171 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 254% from the previous session’s volume of 727,835 shares.The stock last traded at $0.49 and had previously closed at $0.38.

Separately, ValuEngine upgraded shares of Sphere 3D from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd.

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Sphere 3D (NASDAQ:ANY) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 21st. The technology company reported ($0.35) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Sphere 3D had a negative net margin of 31.80% and a negative return on equity of 84.04%. The company had revenue of $18.67 million during the quarter.

Best Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: United Dominion Realty Trust, Inc.(UDR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  News articles about United Dominion Realty Trust (NYSE:UDR) have trended somewhat positive recently, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group identifies positive and negative news coverage by reviewing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. United Dominion Realty Trust earned a news sentiment score of 0.16 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave news articles about the real estate investment trust an impact score of 47.5630416063411 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near future.

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Trump to grant lifeline to money-losing coal power plants: Link $

  ECONOMIC DATA Nonfarm Payrolls for May 223.0K vs 189.0K Est; Prior 164.0K. Private Payrolls for May 218.0K vs 183.0K Est; Prior 168.0K US Unemployment Rate for May 3.80% vs 3.90% Est; Prior 3.90% The manufacturing PMI for May is schedule for release at 9:45 a.m. ET. Data on construction spending for April will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. The ISM manufacturing index for May is schedule for release at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week will be released at 1:00 p.m. ET. ANALYST RATINGS Stifel Upgrades UDR (NYSE: UDR) from Hold to Buy Imperial Upgrades American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) from In-Line to Outperform Imperial Downgrades Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) from Outperform to In-Line JPMorgan Downgrades Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG) from Neutral to Underweight

  This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. To get the full version of this note every morning, click here.

Best Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Methanex Corporation(MEOH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board cut its holdings in shares of Methanex Co. (NASDAQ:MEOH) (TSE:MX) by 6.2% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,064 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 992 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Methanex were worth $912,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Methanex Co. (NASDAQ:MEOH) (TSE:MX) has received an average rating of “Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $68.95.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Pacific Ethanol (NASDAQ: PEIX) and Methanex (NASDAQ:MEOH) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership and profitability.

Best Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Patterson Companies, Inc.(PDCO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Patterson Companies (PDCO)

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

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Patterson Companies (NASDAQ:PDCO) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallJun. 21, 2018 10:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Shares of Patterson Companies (NASDAQ:PDCO) are up 4.4% at 12:45 p.m. EDT, having been up as much as 12.1%, after the dental and animal health company announced�results of its fourth fiscal quarter that ended on April 28.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Patterson Companies (PDCO)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its stake in Patterson Companies (NASDAQ:PDCO) by 18.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 560,300 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 87,800 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC owned 0.59% of Patterson Companies worth $12,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

'Sensex may hit 37,500 by Dec-end; 5 stocks to buy after the recent fall'

Small and midcap indices have corrected around 25-30 percent, while some stocks have plunged over 50 percent. Vivek Ranjan Misra, Head-Fundamental Research, Karvy Stock Broking feels that the correction in mid and smallcap stocks is nearing their bottom as negative sentiment has caused a deep correction in these stocks.

Karvy has a year-end Sensex target of 37,500. Misra is bullish on cyclical sectors such as capital goods and discretionary consumption themes like automobiles and banks.

Edited excerpts:

Q) Many stocks have seen a double-digit correction in 2018, especially in the small and midcap space. Does it makes sense to catch the falling knife? Do you think money can be made in the long run if someone invests in quality stocks?

A) The Nifty is currently trading at 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio of 18.3 times, which can hardly be described as cheap. At this level, valuations are not a constraint in markets moving higher. There is money to be made in Indian markets, especially for investors with a long time horizon. The reasons for being optimistic here is because: 1) Economic growth is reviving; 2) Gross fixed capital formation has recovered in the last two quarters (14.4 percent YoY growth in Q4 FY18); and 3) Capacity utilisation is rising. These three factors bode well for a pick-up in corporate earnings as well as a pick-up in return on equity.

related news Low base of GST to boost Q1 earnings; Nifty earnings growth seen at 21% Sensex above 36,000, Nifty reclaims 10,900; these 5 factors driving market uptrend MUST READ: Full text of Raamdeo Agrawal's letter to investors Q) What will drive Indian markets in the next six months of 2018?

A) The following factors will drive the markets: 1) Economic recovery and its impact on corporate earnings; 2) Political developments in India, especially upcoming state elections; 3) Ongoing process of resolution of non-performing assets and recapitalisation of the banking sector; 4) The path of dollar-rupee and oil prices. Our year-end target for the Sensex is 37,500.

Q) What should be the criteria for selecting quality stocks at current levels?

A) At this stage, we prefer stocks that are geared to the economic recovery. We prefer cyclical sectors such as capital goods, discretionary consumption themes especially automobiles and banks.

Q) The recent slide in the dollar-rupee caused nervousness on D-Street. Is the currency headed for lower levels in the next six months of 2018?

A) The rupee depreciation should be seen largely in context of the depreciation in emerging markets (EMs) and strengthening of the dollar. This is on account of higher US rates. For the Indian rupee, a few additional factors are driving this trend, the first is the risk of a widening current account deficit on account of oil prices. Secondly, with general elections approaching, political risk is rising. While a big part of the move is probably done, we expect the currency market to remain weak.

Q) There is an FII exodus. What is pushing FIIs out of Indian markets?

A) While weakness in asset markets needs to be seen as a general weakness in EM markets. For instance, while EM equities are down 17 percent compared to the recent peak in the same period, Indian markets have declined 6 percent. Result from general elections not to the liking of the market could be an additional factor. Inflows from foreign institutional investors (FII) are unlikely to revive in a meaningful way in 2018 and the market will be largely driven by domestic investors.

Q) Sensex and Nifty are up 4 percent for 2018 but small and midcap indices are down double-digits. Can we say that the broader market is in a bear market?

A) In the US, a fall of 20 percent or more from the peak is defined as a bear market. For more volatile emerging markets we should be using a higher figure like 30 percent. The midcap index is down 16 percent and the smallcap index is down about 21 percent compared to a decline of 7 percent in the BSE 500. The decline in smallcaps is significant and painful but I don��t think the broader market is in a bear market.

Q) What would you advise investors holding smallcap and midcap stocks in their portfolio �� buy on dips, hold or sell-out on rallies?

A) The strategy has to be stock specific, with no single style being the right answer. Overall, midcaps and small caps are a hold.

Q) It is hard to find value in markets because even quality stocks are falling like nine pins. Which stocks do you think are value buys after the recent decline?

A) Here is a list of top 5 stocks that investors can buy after the recent decline:

Bharat Electronics

Annual order inflows is expected at Rs 12,000-13,000 crore for the next two years. Execution of electronic voting machine and voter verifiable paper audit trail in H1 FY19 will hold the key. The mix is in favour of non-defence related orders with inflows improving. Moreover, execution of defence orders could also witness a pick-up.

BEL has almost 40 percent market share in the defence electronics market and is available at 14 times FY20e earnings per share, which is lower than its 5-year average of 18 times. The price correction of almost 45 percent seen in the last 6 months, due to fear of lower margins, seems overdone in our view. The stock has fallen over 40 percent in 2018 so far.

 

Apar Industries

The company is seeing healthy demand for conductors, transformer oil, auto lubes and power cables. New initiatives like molten metal agreement, copper conductor and harnessing business of railways would driving growth of individual segments. Passing on of increased raw material prices will place Apar Industries at 7-8 percent margin levels. The stock has fallen nearly 19 percent year-to-date.

Jain Irrigation Systems

The government��s thrust on irrigation and infrastructure developments and strong global order book are key factors that are likely to act as key tailwinds for the stock. Going forward, a thrust on irrigation, urbanisation and infrastructure building should support valuations. The stock has fallen nearly 38 percent in 2018.

Talbros Automotive Components

The flagship manufacturing company of the Talbros Group was established in 1956 to manufacture automotive and industrial gaskets in collaboration with UK��s Coopers Payen. Talbros stands proud and tall as a mother brand of gaskets and heat shields, forgings, suspensions systems and anti-vibration components and hoses. Talbros Group has formed strong partnerships with global giants. Improving automotive demand, Bharat Sanchar VI, robust order book line up and increase in revenue visibility should act as opportunities. The stock has fallen over 15 percent in 2018.

Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation

GMDC is a strong buy even at current levels on strong earning trajectory and robust operating performance. Strong demand for lignite, capacity addition and traction in power business are among key factors which should go in its favour. The stock has fallen nearly 38 percent so far in 2018.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. First Published on Jul 10, 2018 02:24 pm

BT Group plc (BT) Shares Sold by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada decreased its stake in shares of BT Group plc (NYSE:BT) by 7.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 862,954 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 69,733 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in BT Group were worth $13,946,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BT. Barclays PLC lifted its position in BT Group by 377.3% during the first quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,500 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Miles Capital Inc. bought a new position in BT Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $174,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in BT Group by 79.4% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,756 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 4,759 shares during the period. Advisor Group Inc. lifted its position in BT Group by 87.3% during the fourth quarter. Advisor Group Inc. now owns 12,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 5,689 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC bought a new position in BT Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Institutional investors own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

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Shares of BT Group opened at $15.17 on Friday, according to MarketBeat.com. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.25 billion, a PE ratio of 7.97, a PEG ratio of 8.39 and a beta of 0.95. BT Group plc has a 1 year low of $13.53 and a 1 year high of $21.16.

BT Group (NYSE:BT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 10th. The utilities provider reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $8.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.67 billion. BT Group had a net margin of 8.64% and a return on equity of 32.72%. research analysts predict that BT Group plc will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a semiannual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 10th will be paid a $0.711 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 9th. This is a boost from BT Group’s previous semiannual dividend of $0.68. This represents a dividend yield of 9.9%. BT Group’s dividend payout ratio is 52.97%.

Several research firms have weighed in on BT. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of BT Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 2nd. ValuEngine downgraded shares of BT Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 2nd. Barclays downgraded shares of BT Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of BT Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 16th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded shares of BT Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. BT Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $303.50.

About BT Group

BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network.

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

Investors Buy AT&T (T) on Weakness

Traders bought shares of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) on weakness during trading hours on Thursday. $303.51 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $177.90 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $125.61 million into the stock. Of all equities tracked, AT&T had the highest net in-flow for the day. AT&T traded down ($0.11) for the day and closed at $32.60

A number of equities analysts recently commented on T shares. Guggenheim started coverage on AT&T in a research note on Tuesday, March 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Investment Research lowered AT&T from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 13th. Vetr raised AT&T from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $39.68 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 23rd. Wells Fargo & Co dropped their price target on AT&T from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 23rd. Finally, HSBC raised AT&T from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $34.90 to $41.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.69.

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The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.42.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 25th. The technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.02). AT&T had a return on equity of 14.46% and a net margin of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $38.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.74 earnings per share. AT&T’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. equities research analysts predict that AT&T Inc. will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.12%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 9th. AT&T’s payout ratio is 65.57%.

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Earnest Partners LLC bought a new position in AT&T in the 4th quarter valued at $113,000. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. bought a new position in AT&T in the 1st quarter valued at $137,000. Delphi Private Advisors LLC grew its stake in AT&T by 416.0% in the 4th quarter. Delphi Private Advisors LLC now owns 4,278 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 3,449 shares during the period. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in AT&T in the 1st quarter valued at $178,000. Finally, Cerebellum GP LLC bought a new position in AT&T in the 2nd quarter valued at $178,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.94% of the company’s stock.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc provides communications and digital entertainment services. The company operates through four segments: Business Solutions, Entertainment Group, Consumer Mobility, and International. The Business Solutions segment offers wireless services, strategic services, legacy voice, data services, wireless equipment, and other services to multinational companies, governmental and wholesale customers, and individual subscribers.

Pool (POOL) Downgraded by Zacks Investment Research to “Hold”

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

According to Zacks, “Pool shares have outperformed the industry in the past year. In fact, first-quarter 2018 marked the 31st consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth for Pool in sales. Notably, the company should continue to benefit in the near term backed by base business sales growth and favorable trends in the housing market. Additionally, continuous growth in the remodel and replacement sectors of its business is a major positive. The company’s leading market share position and opportunistic expansion strategies position it well for revenue growth. Earnings estimates for 2018 have also been revised upward over the past two months, reflecting analysts’ confidence in the company’s future potential. Nonetheless, seasonality of the company’s business and macroeconomic headwinds owing to large global presence raise concern.”

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A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on POOL. Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Wednesday, June 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $157.00 price target on the stock. BidaskClub lowered shares of Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 28th. ValuEngine raised shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Pool from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $131.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Pool presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.60.

Pool traded down $2.18, reaching $150.95, during trading hours on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The stock had a trading volume of 150,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 179,554. The firm has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a PE ratio of 37.83 and a beta of 0.82. Pool has a 52 week low of $97.25 and a 52 week high of $157.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $585.90 million for the quarter. Pool had a net margin of 7.10% and a return on equity of 74.42%. Pool’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. sell-side analysts expect that Pool will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 3rd that authorizes the company to buyback $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 3.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

In related news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 6,012 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.08, for a total transaction of $824,124.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 20,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,755,308. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark W. Joslin sold 13,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $1,950,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 136,701 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,505,150. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,512 shares of company stock worth $4,776,350 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.00% of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the 1st quarter valued at about $487,000. Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in Pool by 6.5% in the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,754 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,280,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Pool by 2.5% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 205,748 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,085,000 after buying an additional 4,922 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 10,523.4% in the first quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,712,925 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,713,000 after buying an additional 1,696,801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Pool in the first quarter worth about $8,264,000. 94.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Pool

Pool Corporation distributes swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related leisure products in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia. The company offers maintenance products, including chemicals, supplies, and pool accessories; repair and replacement parts for pool equipment, such as cleaners, filters, heaters, pumps, and lights; packaged pool kits comprising walls, liners, braces, and coping for in-ground and above-ground pools; pool equipment and components for new pool construction and the remodeling of existing pools; and irrigation and landscape products consisting of irrigation system components, and professional lawn care equipment and supplies.

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Thomas Jefferson Might Have Been Our Most Financially Challenged Founding Father

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-504691395&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/504691395/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;569&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; UNITED STATES - JUNE 15: 2 dollars banknote, obverse, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). United States of America, 20th century. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

&l;!--donotpaginate--&g;As the famous story goes, as John Adams lay on his deathbed on July 4&l;sup&g;th&l;/sup&g;, 1826, his last words were, &a;ldquo;Thomas Jefferson survives.&a;rdquo;&a;nbsp; Unfortunately, this wasn&a;rsquo;t the case. Jefferson&a;rsquo;s passing had preceded Adams&a;rsquo; by mere hours on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence -- a rare and unique coincidence that scholars and schoolchildren alike have reveled in.

The words &a;ldquo;Thomas Jefferson survives&a;rdquo; might also apply to our third president&a;rsquo;s financial life. He survived financially &a;ndash; but barely. Jefferson had an enviable existence as a key figure of his time, living a luxurious life few could afford. The truth is that he really couldn&a;rsquo;t afford it either &a;ndash; an example of the American Dream we still have today.

Some of Jefferson&a;rsquo;s money dramas were inherited while others were of his own making. Many of his various financial challenges could very well have occurred in 2018. From covering his deceased father-in-law&a;rsquo;s debt to lending money to friends who didn&a;rsquo;t repay him, Jefferson had a very modern financial dilemma.

In many ways, Jefferson&a;rsquo;s financial foibles are a sad reflection of modern American life and our obsession with debt. The Pew Charitable Trust found that 7 out of 10 Americans consider debt a necessity in their lives. In fact, debt pervades our society. For most Americans, the biggest debt is credit cards, quickly followed by mortgage debt and student loans per the recent study by &l;a href=&q;https://www.cometfi.com/details-of-debt&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Comet Financial &l;/a&g;in 2018. We are a society drowning in debt &a;ndash; just like Jefferson.

&l;strong&g;Overspending and the Final Crate of Wine&l;/strong&g;

Jefferson always struggled with financial independence but by the end of his life, his financial situation went from precarious to dire. He even took steps to hold a lottery to sell his beloved Monticello so that his daughter would not inherit his debts. But despite this self-awareness, one of the final letters Jefferson wrote at the end of his life defies financial prudence, eloquently requesting delivery of expensive French wines, despite his inability to pay.

Jefferson&a;rsquo;s purchase of luxury goods during a challenging financial time could be chalked up to stress about his debts or a lifetime of behavior he could not control. His behavior was what many psychologists see with compulsive spenders who use purchases as a way to respond to the negative emotions in their lives. Overspending evolves into a vicious cycle all-to-common with many people.&l;/p&g;

Despite all the drama around Jefferson&a;rsquo;s personal finances, it hasn&a;rsquo;t hurt his reputation and historical standing. This is unusual &a;ndash; &a;nbsp;Americans may indulge in debt, but they are also highly judgmental of others in similar situations. Pew found that 79% of Americans view another&a;rsquo;s debt as irresponsible, yet Jefferson regularly tops the list of greatest US presidents. A recent study from Rasmussen Reports shows Jefferson with an 89% favorability rating right behind Washington and Lincoln. Clearly his lack of financial independence has not hurt his public perception.

&l;strong&g;A Modern Solution That Would Have Saved Him&l;/strong&g;

While he reflects the modern wealth dilemma of debt and overspending, Jefferson was ultimately denied the one privilege former American presidents have today to build wealth &a;ndash; book deals and speaking engagements. The Obamas recently signed a book deal worth at least $60 million and George W. Bush gets $175,000 per speaking engagement. In fact, the Washington Post found that in the first decade after leaving office, &l;a href=&q;https://www.thoughtco.com/former-presidents-speaking-fees-3368127&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Bill Clinton earned approximately $104 million in speaking fees.&l;/a&g; Imagine what that type of opportunity could have done for Jefferson if he had lived in contemporary times.

In spite of his poor spending decisions, it seems Jefferson was aware of his financial foibles. In 1822, he compiled a list of Rules to Live By, which included Rule Number Three - &a;ldquo;Never Spend Your Money Before You Have It.&a;rdquo; Perhaps the greatest lesson we can learn from Thomas Jefferson is that it&a;rsquo;s important to have ideals &a;ndash; even if it isn&a;rsquo;t always possible to live by them.

&a;nbsp;&l;/p&g;

Does It Matter Where You Buy a CD From?

It would be hard to find a podcast-hosting duo more totally invested in answering your financial questions than Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp -- they put "Answers" in the show's name, for goodness' sake! And this week, they're at it again, combing through the Motley Fool Answers mailbag in search of conundrums to address for their listeners. But because three heads are better than two, for this episode, they've enlisted the help of Sean Gates, a financial planner with Motley Fool Wealth Management.

In this segment, they're talking CDs, fielding a question from a listener curious about what happens on the off chance a bank fails and his FDIC insurance kicks in. Good news: The FDIC moves fast. Less good news: Depending on how you acquire your CD, and from where, there can be less certainty about getting the total payout you expect.

Sean Gates is an employee of Motley Fool Wealth Management, a separate, sister company of The Motley Fool, LLC. The views of Sean Gates and Motley Fool Wealth Management are not the views of The Motley Fool, LLC and should not be taken as such.

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on June 26, 2018.

Alison Southwick: Next question comes from Al. "Dear Alison and Bro, but mostly Bro. You have talked about putting cash in CDs and treasuries to earn higher interest than what you can get in a savings account. I have a brokerage account and there are many CD choices with decent returns. How much effort do I need to spend looking into the banks that I choose? I know the money is FDIC-insured, but what does that mean? If the banks go under, will my widow be waiting for reimbursement from the government for years while I, like old John Brown, lay a-moldering in my grave? Or, can I hearken back to my hippie roots, be a free spirit, and just send my money off willy nilly to any bank with a groovy rate? Thank you, but mostly Alison, for making me smile each week."

Robert Brokamp: I'll start off by pointing out the difference between bank CDs and broker CDs. If you go to the bank, you give them, let's say, $10,000, you don't pay a commission, generally, it's just built into the structure of the CD. If it's due in five years, in five years, you'll get the money back. If you redeem it early, you'll pay like three months' worth of interest as a penalty.

CDs you get from your broker can be different. First of all, some of them trade like bonds. While they may have a par value of $10,000, they might be worth a little less or a little bit more because they're trading on the secondary market. Also, not all broker CDs are FDIC-insured. It's important to know whether it actually is FDIC-insured or not.

Another thing to consider is that some CDs can be callable. That means, let's say you buy a five-year CD. The bank may have the option of basically turning it in early, like three years, saying, "Sorry, we're going to give you your money back early," and you didn't expect that. Those are all things to look at.

Once you do all that, as long as it's FDIC-insured, I think you can feel relatively safe about that. I should say that if you're buying it on the secondary market, the insurance is based on the value of the CD when it matures, not what you paid for it. Keep that in mind, that's what's known as a par value.

Just so you know, a little bit about FDIC insurance -- it is, as they define it, $250,000 per depositor, per FDIC-insured bank, per ownership category. That means you could actually be at the same bank and have $250,000 in a regular old single-owned account, then $250,000 in an IRA. Those are two different ownership categories, and you're still covered. If you go to the FDIC's website, they have something called EDIE, the electronic deposit insurance estimator. It basically tells you how much insurance you have.

I do think it's interesting that he put that "if the bank goes under, will my widow be waiting for reimbursement from the government," like somehow, the bank going under and him dying are tied together. I don't know if whatever's bringing the bank down is going to also bring him down. Those are sort of separate categories.

Sean Gates: He lives under the bank.

Brokamp: [laughs] I guess so! Something there! But, generally speaking, according to the FDIC, if it's a regular old bank, it only takes one to two days for you to get your money. They either open up an account for you at another bank that is solvent, or they just write you the check. You get the money pretty quickly. But that's a difference between that and a broker CD. Broker CDs can take up to 60 to 90 days to get the money, but generally you do get the money pretty quickly.