Here are some reasons why you may want to rethink investing in an IPO

For multiple companies, it's the moment they've been waiting for: The window has opened for them to go public.

You've probably heard the names, including Levi Strauss, which made its public market debut this week. Ride-sharing businesses Lyft and Uber, among other companies, are also teed up to go public in the coming months.

But if you're thinking you want to invest in these stocks, experts generally have one word of advice: Wait.

"IPOs aren't just about, 'Oh, I want to invest in the things I know,'" said Kathleen Smith, principal and manager of IPO ETFs at Renaissance Capital. "It's about, 'How do I make money investing in these?''

"It doesn't do any good to own something when you're losing money in it."

In today's market, chances are that buying in on a newly public stock could be a losing proposition. Financial experts say there are several reasons why.

You could already be at a disadvantage

Even though the stock is not yet public, you could already be behind.

Just accessing IPO shares is difficult, Smith noted, because most shares will be allocated to big institutional clients of Wall Street firms.

What's more, many of the names going public now have waited longer to go public and seen their valuations surge during that time, said Nicole Tanenbaum, chief investment strategist at Chequers Financial Management

Uber and Lyft, for example, are considered unicorns, or startup companies valued at more than $1 billion. Along the way, they have raised large amounts of private funding.

Uber previously raised roughly $20 billion in funding and is eyeing a $120 billion valuation when it goes public. Lyft has raised more than $5 billion and plans to be valued at $23 billion.

show chapters Profitability is an issue for big tech IPOs, sector expert says    4:01 PM ET Thu, 21 March 2019 | 04:38

"When they do go public, much of the appreciation has already happened in the private markets," Tanenbaum said. That means that earlier investors, who got in at a lower price, stand to see greater gains.

"The upside for the public investor is much more diminished," Tanenbaum said.

Some companies that are going public these days — including Levi Strauss and Lyft — are pursuing a dual-class structure. That means that certain investors — notably company management — have preferential shares and voting rights compared to a separate common stock that typically comes with just one vote per share.

"In the long run, it's not good," Smith said. "If problems happen with the company, you want to be able to know the founders can't just do what they want without some kind of checks and balances."

You might not be able to stomach the ups and downs

While many IPOs close up on their first day, that first day pop and subsequent run up is not guaranteed, according to Michael McKevitt, director of financial planning at Guillaume & Freckman.

Think back to Facebook's IPO in May 2012. The company went to market at a high price and investors suffered losses at the outset.

It took about a year for Facebook's stock to get back to its opening price. Today, the stock's performance would be considered a success — as long as you held on.

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"Even if you pick the right company, like Facebook, which has done amazingly well, you still had to put up with a 50 percent decline, multiple 40 percent declines, multiple 20 percent declines," McKevitt said. "How many people bought it and held onto it through all of these moves?"

Investors would be wise to keep in mind that the lock up period could affect the stock price, said Megan Gorman, managing partner at Chequers Financial Management.

Lock up periods are a set amount of time, typically three to six months, when large shareholders are prohibited from selling their shares following an IPO. Once that time is over, that can sway the stock price.

"You can sometimes see the stock price has a pull back — not always, but there can be — when the lockup ends," Gorman said.

You could be investing the wrong way

All of those considerations mean one thing: Investing in a newly public company might not be the right decision for you — at least for now.

"If you want to be the guy or gal at the cocktail party or the golf course saying that you bought one of those unicorns when they IPO'ed, as long as you go in with the expectation that it might not be the best investment you ever make … that's great," Gorman said. "But if this is your retirement money, if this is all of your savings, going in an IPO doesn't make sense from a big picture perspective."

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Ultimately, you can eventually get exposure to these companies by investing in mutual funds. Renaissance Capital offers an ETF that consists of a basket of newly public companies. Companies Lyft and Uber will be candidates for inclusion in that fund once they start trading, Smith said.

Waiting for the shares to come to your price can often be the best strategy, according to experts.

That's what McKevitt said he encouraged one client to do when he inquired about investing in Lyft's IPO.

"You have to wait several months at least for more market participants to assess the stock," McKevitt said. "Once it starts trading over that amount of time, it's more likely to get a fair price."

Investors could soon get a golden opportunity to buy the precious metal, says gold ETF chief

Investors could be face-to-face with a golden opportunity, according to one fund manager.

While gold prices had a strong start to the year, mounting an impressive February rally, they have erased most of those gains, now up less than 1 percent for 2019 versus the S&P 500's 12 percent rise.

But the recent losses could be pushing gold prices to buyable levels, Will Rhind, CEO of fund management company GraniteShares ETFs, said Monday on CNBC's "ETF Edge."

"You've had a bit of a V-shaped recovery in the market, but [with] gold prices selling off, this could well be a buying opportunity for gold at this point," said Rhind, whose company offers a low-fee, gold-tracking exchange-traded fund called the GraniteShares Gold Trust.

"The world is slowing down," Rhind said. "That's a weaker dollar platform in my mind, one of the key things that helps drive gold prices. So, for me, I think: Look at this price and think about defensive positioning."

Rhind suggested that investors who want to take advantage of a potential global slowdown — the likes of which typically sends gold prices soaring as market watchers look to hedge against big losses — consider funds like his, which brands itself as "The Low-Cost Gold ETF."

"For a lot of people, the fees will be the most important thing," Rhind said. "I think a lot of people will focus on that, as they rightfully should, because low fees are important. But we also added other differentiators, like holding the gold in a different location to other ETFs [and] having audit checks two times a year, for example, into the vault where we send people in and actually check the bars."

And with demand for gold picking up in places like China, where inflation is driving investors toward the historically safe yellow metal, and huge mergers by gold companies centralizing the supply, prices might not stay low for long, Rhind warned.

"Companies can't find these big new gold finds out there, so they're buying each other's capacity, and so that's why you're seeing these mega mergers going on in the space," he said. "And ... we don't have to talk about peak gold, but what we're saying is there are no major new discoveries, and therefore supply is going to be more constrained."

Gold prices are practically flat this year and down more than 3.5 percent in the last 12 months. They have been on an uptrend this month that is largely tied to a weaker dollar and ongoing uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

Disclaimer

For T-Mobile Stock, Optimism Reigns After Sprint

T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) stock has spent the last months fighting to complete its merger with Sprint (NYSE:S), a deal that has become a partisan Washington soap opera. The question for investors is, what happens after the merger goes through?

Source: Mike Mozart via Flickr (modified)

CEO John Legere has been grilled by Democrats over the company’s use of the Trump Hotel, over where it gets its equipment and over what it does with data it collects from handsets.

But the deal will likely get done, if only because Democrats are now so opposed to it.

Legere’s Fight for TMUS Stock

Democrats argue the merger will cut the number of national wireless competitors from 4 to 3. T-Mobile and Sprint argue that three strong competitors are better than two strong and two weak ones. They also point to the wireless ambitions of competitors like Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA).

Throughout this decade, AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) have each controlled one-third of the U.S. wireless market. T-Mobile and Sprint share most of the other third. In arguing for the merger, Sprint notes the two larger companies have 93% of the industry’s cash flow, a shared monopoly the new T-Mobile would break.

The main change this decade has been T-Mobile’s rise at Sprint’s expense. The trend wore down Masayoshi Son, who took a controlling interest in Sprint in 2012 and had wanted his company to control any merger. Son is now focused on his $100 billion “Vision Fund,” buying big positions in companies like Uber.

Deutsche Telekom AG (OTCMKTS:DTEGY) owns about two-thirds of TMUS stock. The Sprint deal will reduce that.  The combined company would be mainly foreign-owned, but no one foreign entity would have control.

The focus would shift to Legere, which is where he likes it. After taking command in 2012, he grew out his hair, threw leather jackets over t-shirts, and began the “un-carrier” campaign that finally brought Sprint to the table as junior partner. Legere has become an adept politician, and like any politician, he has spent the merger campaign making promises.

T-Mobile Will Be a Spectrum Buyer

Most of those promises have involved 5G, an encoding technology that lets carriers use a host of new frequencies. It can build markets from TV and intelligent devices to self-driving cars.

As part of its merger effort, TMUS stock is promising more, cheaper bandwidth for rural customers, a wireless replacement for cable or satellite TV, and stable prices.

To make this happen, Legere is promising to buy more spectrum, in the 24 GHz and 28 GHz range.

Using the new spectrum means lower power radios, but many more base stations since the waves attenuate so fast. T-Mobile is also fighting to get more C-Band spectrum, at between 4-8 GHz, against an alliance of satellite companies. 

The Bottom Line

Right now, T-Mobile shares sell at a premium price to earnings multiple of 21.5, despite paying no dividend. AT&T and Verizon pay dividends yielding 6.5% and 4.5%, respectively.

The reason for the price is growth. T-Mobile revenues grew 3% last year. Investors are betting the Sprint merger will go through, giving it more than the $45 billion in combined operating cash flow the two companies earned last year.

T-Mobile is also seen as a more entrepreneurial company than any other wireless outfit. If a bus ran John Legere over tomorrow, the stock would tank. Fortunately, Legere prefers limousines.

To turn his big plans into reality, however, T-Mobile is going to need executive depth. Promises without execution are called failure.

Dana Blankenhorn http://www.danablankenhorn.com is a financial and technology journalist. He is the author of a new mystery thriller, The Reluctant Detective Finds Her Family, available now at the Amazon Kindle store. Write him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @danablankenhorn. As of this writing he owned no shares in companies mentioned in this article.

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Centerstate Bank Corp (CSFL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Centerstate Bank Corp (NASDAQ:CSFL) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the seven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.33.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Investment Research cut Centerstate Bank from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 18th. Brean Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Centerstate Bank in a research report on Tuesday, January 22nd. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Centerstate Bank from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 2nd. Raymond James upgraded shares of Centerstate Bank from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 7th. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded shares of Centerstate Bank from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 8th.

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CSFL opened at $25.60 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Centerstate Bank has a 12-month low of $19.55 and a 12-month high of $32.27.

Centerstate Bank (NASDAQ:CSFL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.02. Centerstate Bank had a return on equity of 9.02% and a net margin of 22.11%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Centerstate Bank will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This is a boost from Centerstate Bank’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th.

In other Centerstate Bank news, Director David G. Salyers bought 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $22.01 per share, for a total transaction of $77,035.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $195,712.92. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Ernest S. Pinner purchased 1,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $21.07 per share, for a total transaction of $30,024.75. Following the purchase, the chairman now directly owns 115,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,425,515.19. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 5,925 shares of company stock worth $128,120. Company insiders own 2.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Centerstate Bank during the 4th quarter worth $564,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Centerstate Bank by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 882,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,569,000 after purchasing an additional 49,265 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Centerstate Bank during the fourth quarter worth $16,599,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Centerstate Bank by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 168,852 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,553,000 after buying an additional 15,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HRT Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Centerstate Bank during the fourth quarter valued at about $255,000. 79.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Centerstate Bank Company Profile

CenterState Bank Corporation operates as the holding company for CenterState Bank, N.A. that provides various consumer and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses, and industries in Florida. The company's deposit products include savings, demand, negotiable order of withdrawal, and money market deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit and time deposits.

Further Reading: Blue-Chip Stocks

Amira Nature Foods (ANFI) Sees Strong Trading Volume

Amira Nature Foods Ltd (NYSE:ANFI) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 705,375 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 2% from the previous session’s volume of 718,993 shares.The stock last traded at $1.09 and had previously closed at $1.06.

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A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Amira Nature Foods stock. Raging Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Amira Nature Foods Ltd (NYSE:ANFI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 144,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,000. Raging Capital Management LLC owned 0.39% of Amira Nature Foods as of its most recent SEC filing. 12.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: This story was originally posted by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this story on another publication, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of United States and international copyright and trademark legislation. The legal version of this story can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4214334/amira-nature-foods-anfi-sees-strong-trading-volume.html.

About Amira Nature Foods (NYSE:ANFI)

Amira Nature Foods Ltd. engages in processing, sourcing, and selling packaged Indian specialty rice. The company provides various types of basmati rice, other specialty rice and other food products, ready-to-eat snacks, edible oils, and organic products for retailers under the Amira brand; and non-basmati rice.

Further Reading: Why is cost of goods sold important?

Why Tilray Still Isn’t the Best Pot Stock to Buy

Everyone wants in on the pot stock boom, and with good reason. This is a $500 billion-plus global industry in the making, and the growth narrative is till in the top of the first inning. As such, it seems that a lot of investors are just rushing to buy any and all marijuana stocks. But when it comes to pot stocks, quality still matters. And, when it comes quality, Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY) stock is lagging its peers.

Source: Shutterstock

Tilray stock is most famous for being the first stock to go parabolic in the pot stock boom. Following a multi-billion dollar investment from alcoholic beverage giant Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) into Canadian cannabis giant Canopy (NYSE:CGC) in 2018, all pot stocks jumped. But none jumped like TLRY, which went from $20 to $300 in a month on nothing more than speculation and hype.

That speculation and hype has since calmed. And Tilray stock has dropped. Now, some investors are thinking that this drop is an opportunity to “buy the dip”.

But as Wall Street investment firm Jefferies pointed out recently, there are still some risks with buying Tilray stock here. Specifically, Jefferies just slapped an Underperform rating on Tilray stock, citing IP, valuation, share structure, capacity and expansion risks. I agree with that list of risks and would like to add that Tilray also lacks the financial resources of its peers.

As such, when it comes to pot stocks, quality matters, and Tilray stock doesn’t have that quality just yet. It may get there soon. But not today, meaning investors looking to play the pot stock boom are best sticking with CGC stock.

The Growth Narrative Has Risks

The Tilray growth narrative is good. Broadly speaking, the company is well positioned in the global medical cannabis market and projects to one day be a big player in what management estimates will be a $150 billion global market. The management team is experienced. Growing capacity is large. The distribution footprint is global. Margins are healthy. And the company appears to be well on track to winning and growing share in Europe.

But the narrative is far from great. There are multiple risks here. The biggest of those risks is a lack of financial resources to fund growth and compete at scale.

Right now, most investors are playing the pot stock boom through the Big 4 Canadian cannabis companies: Tilray, Canopy, Cronos (NASDAQ:CRON), and Aurora (NYSE:ACB). Two of those Big 4 pot stocks have scored multi-billion dollar investments from global consumer staples giants. Tilray is not one of them.

Specifically, Canopy and Cronos have scored multi-billion dollar investments from Constellation Brands and Altria (NYSE:MO), respectively. Those investments have shored up each company’s balance sheet, as well as given them billions of dollars to fund growth-related initiatives, including R&D and operational expansion.

As of last quarter, Tilray has a net cash balance of roughly $100 million. Thus, Tilray is at a significant disadvantage when it comes to funding growth-related initiatives. That’s a big deal considering the cannabis market today is all about grabbing share, expanding reach, and developing IP. Canopy and Cronos have ample resources to do that. Tilray does not.

As such, the long-term growth narrative underlying Tilray stock — while good — lacks clarity. So long as that narrative lacks clarity, Tilray stock will have a tough time staging sustainable rallies.

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TLRY Valuation Is Reasonable, But Not Discounted

The biggest knock against Tilray stock over the past several months has been valuation. During that stretch, Tilray stock has been stubbornly overvalued relative to its pot stock peers, and as such, was never worth buying from a valuation standpoint alone.

That has changed recently as Tilray stock has continued to drop. Today, Tilray stock actually trades at a relatively in-line cannabis valuation. Specifically, TLRY stock trades at around 20x one-year forward sales, which is roughly in-line with CRON stock, and slightly below CGC stock.

That being said, the valuations in CRON and CGC stock deserve to be inflated given their enormous financial resources. TLRY stock doesn’t have those resources. Instead, it’s much more in the Aurora boat, and ACB stock trades at just 12x one year forward sales.

Thus, one could make the argument that TLRY stock is still overvalued. If you think Tilray will score a big investment in 2019, then the stock is reasonably valued. But it’s tough to say that the stock is undervalued relative to peers.

The Bottom Line on TLRY Stock

The cannabis industry will be huge, and it will birth multiple big winners. But investors should keep in mind that many of those future winners aren’t public yet. Many of them probably haven’t even been founded yet. Thus, even though 2018-19 has turned into a pot stock gold rush, investors should still be mindful of investing only in top quality pot stocks.

Right now, the best quality pot stock is CGC. Until that changes, there’s no reason to buy Tilray stock.

As of this writing, Luke Lango w

Hot Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:FSB,BTO,JOUT,SB,

New York, NY, based Investment company Scopia Capital Management Llc buys Mallinckrodt PLC, ARRIS International PLC, Tenet Healthcare Corp, PTC Therapeutics Inc, Vistra Energy Corp, Baidu Inc, Weatherford International PLC, Acuity Brands Inc, Sanderson Farms Inc, La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co, sells Netflix Inc, Targa Resources Corp, GW Pharmaceuticals PLC, Altice USA Inc, Equifax Inc during the 3-months ended 2018-03-31, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, Scopia Capital Management Llc. As of 2018-03-31, Scopia Capital Management Llc owns 32 stocks with a total value of $5 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.

New Purchases: ARRS, THC, AYI, SAFM, LJPC, FOSL, ICPT, MNKD, AMSC, Added Positions: MNK, PTCT, VST, BIDU, WFT, SRC, JCI, ZGNX, Reduced Positions: NFLX, GWPH, SPR, CNMD, HZNP, JD, Sold Out: TRGP, ATUS, EFX, AAAP, RDUS,

For the details of SCOPIA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=SCOPIA+CAPITAL+MANAGEMENT+LLC

Hot Stocks To Own For 2019: Franklin Financial Network, Inc.(FSB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Franklin Financial Network Inc. (NYSE: FSB) was downgraded to sell from neutral at Compass Point. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $30.30 to $42.65. The consensus price target for the company across Wall Street is $37.80. The stock closed Monday at $39.40, a rise of more than 5%.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine lowered shares of Franklin Financial Network (NYSE:FSB) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Franklin Financial Network (FSB)

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

Hot Stocks To Own For 2019: John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund(BTO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  B2Gold Corp. (TSE:BTO) (NYSE:BTG) – Research analysts at National Bank Financial issued their Q3 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of B2Gold in a report released on Wednesday, August 15th. National Bank Financial analyst D. Demarco anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.05 for the quarter. National Bank Financial currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $6.50 target price on the stock. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for B2Gold’s FY2020 earnings at $0.30 EPS.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of B2Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG) (TSE:BTO) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday morning. They currently have $3.50 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Bottos (CURRENCY:BTO) traded 2.5% lower against the dollar during the one day period ending at 18:00 PM E.T. on October 5th. During the last week, Bottos has traded 10.8% higher against the dollar. One Bottos token can now be bought for $0.0432 or 0.00000652 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including Bit-Z, LBank, Bibox and CoinEgg. Bottos has a total market capitalization of $22.04 million and $683,829.00 worth of Bottos was traded on exchanges in the last day.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Bottos (CURRENCY:BTO) traded down 0.5% against the dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 14:00 PM ET on September 2nd. Bottos has a total market cap of $20.68 million and $711,582.00 worth of Bottos was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Bottos token can now be bought for $0.0406 or 0.00000556 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Gate.io, LBank, CoinEgg and Bibox. During the last week, Bottos has traded up 15.3% against the dollar.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  CIBC World Markets Inc. reduced its holdings in B2Gold Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG) (TSE:BTO) by 10.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 572,525 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 64,714 shares during the period. CIBC World Markets Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of B2Gold worth $1,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Hot Stocks To Own For 2019: Johnson Outdoors Inc.(JOUT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $3.46 billion. Aon plc (NYSE: AON) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.8 per share on revenue of $2.93 billion. American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AXL) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.81 per share on revenue of $1.75 billion. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.88 per share on revenue of $9.27 billion. LifePoint Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPNT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.13 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion. V.F. Corporation (NYSE: VFC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $2.90 billion. Newell Brands Inc. (NYSE: NWL) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.26 per share on revenue of $3.05 billion. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.04 per share on revenue of $407.27 million. Boise Cascade Company (NYSE: BCC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.45 per share on revenue of $1.09 billion. Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE: LNG) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.39 per share on revenue of $1.59 billion. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.24 per share on revenue of $308.05 million. ITT Inc. (NYSE: ITT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $683.96 million. Fred's, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRED) is expected to report quarterly loss at $0.19 per share on revenue of $551.00 million. Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIRT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.52 per share on revenue of $288.31 million. Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: CQP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $1.38 billion. Genesis Energy, L.P
• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  Johnson Outdoors Inc  (NASDAQ:JOUT)Q1 2019 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 04, 2019, 11:00 a.m. ET

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

  Operator

Hot Stocks To Own For 2019: Safe Bulkers Inc(SB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB) was downgraded by research analysts at ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Safe Bulkers (SB)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Safe Bulkers (SB)

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

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) shares fell 9.6 percent to $37.01 in pre-market trading after the company reported weaker-than-expected results for its first quarter and issued downbeat earnings forecast. Tilly's, Inc. (NYSE: TLYS) fell 5.7 percent to $12.98 in pre-market trading after rising 12.69 percent on Thursday. Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. (NYSE: TKC) fell 4.2 percent to $6.39 in pre-market trading after dropping 4.71 percent on Thursday. Sunlands Online Education Group (NYSE: STG) fell 4.2 percent to $9.13 in pre-market trading. Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE: SB) fell 4.2 percent to $3.42 in pre-market trading after climbing 12.62 percent on Thursday. Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ: ULTA) fell 4.1 percent to $236.80 in pre-market trading. Ulta Beauty reported upbeat results for its first quarter, but issued weak second-quarter earnings and sales guidance. GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) shares fell 3.8 percent to $12.70 in pre-market trading. GameStop reported in-line earnings for its first quarter, while sales missed estimates. Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY) fell 3.2 percent to $126.85 in the pre-market trading session after the company posted Q1 results. Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LITE) shares fell 3 percent to $57.15 in pre-market trading
• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Evermore Global Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE:SB) by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,997,101 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 635,851 shares during the quarter. Safe Bulkers accounts for approximately 2.2% of Evermore Global Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Evermore Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Safe Bulkers were worth $6,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Ocean-going bulk shipper Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB) reported its fiscal Q1 2018 earnings results on Tuesday -- an "earnings beat" that nudged the company's shares up 2%. But it took until Thursday for the real good news to arrive. Today, all of the sudden, the stock jumped out of its berth and closed 12.2% higher.

OFG Bancorp (OFG) Files 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December 31, 2018

OFG Bancorp (NYSE:OFG) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2018. OFG Bancorp through its subsidiaries provides commercial, consumer and mortgage lending, leasing, auto loans, financial planning, insurance sales, money management and investment banking, and corporate and individual trust services. OFG Bancorp has a market cap of $1 billion; its shares were traded at around $19.50 with a P/E ratio of 12.79 and P/S ratio of 2.90. The dividend yield of OFG Bancorp stocks is 1.29%.

For the last quarter OFG Bancorp reported a revenue of $102.6 million, compared with the revenue of $52.28 million during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $382.4 million, an increase of 10.9% from last year. For the last five years OFG Bancorp had an average revenue decline of 3.4% a year.

The reported diluted earnings per share was $1.52 for the year, an increase of 72.7% from previous year. The profitability rank of the company is 4 (out of 10).

At the end of the fiscal year, OFG Bancorp has the cash and cash equivalents of $450.1 million, compared with $485.2 million in the previous year. The long term debt was $114.9 million, compared with $135.9 million in the previous year. OFG Bancorp has a financial strength rank of 4 (out of 10).

At the current stock price of $19.50, OFG Bancorp is traded at 36.2% premium to its historical median P/S valuation band of $14.32. The P/S ratio of the stock is 2.90, while the historical median P/S ratio is 2.10. The stock gained 70.47% during the past 12 months.

For the complete 20-year historical financial data of OFG, click here.

Infineon Technologies (IFNNY) Downgraded by ValuEngine to Sell

ValuEngine cut shares of Infineon Technologies (OTCMKTS:IFNNY) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Thursday.

IFNNY has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Infineon Technologies from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, February 8th. Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Infineon Technologies in a research note on Friday, February 22nd. They set an outperform rating on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Infineon Technologies from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday.

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OTCMKTS:IFNNY traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $21.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 42,158 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,997. Infineon Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $17.90 and a fifty-two week high of $29.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $25.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.08.

Infineon Technologies (OTCMKTS:IFNNY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 5th. The technology company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.25 billion for the quarter. Infineon Technologies had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 18.42%. Equities research analysts predict that Infineon Technologies will post 1.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 25th were paid a $0.211 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 22nd. This represents a yield of 1%. Infineon Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.44%.

About Infineon Technologies

Infineon Technologies AG designs, develops, manufactures, and markets semiconductors and system solutions worldwide. The company operates in four segments: Automotive, Industrial Power Control, Power Management & Multimarket, and Digital Security Solutions. The Automotive segment offers automotive microcontrollers for powertrain, safety, and driver assistance systems; 3D ToF, magnetic, and pressure sensors; discrete power semiconductors; IGBT modules; industrial microcontrollers; power and radar sensor integrated circuits (ICs); transceivers; and voltage regulators for use in assistance and safety systems, comfort electronics, and powertrain and security products.

Read More: Does the discount rate affect the economy?

To view ValuEngine’s full report, visit ValuEngine’s official website.

Jones Energy Inc (JONE) Expected to Announce Earnings of -$5.08 Per Share

Brokerages predict that Jones Energy Inc (NYSE:JONE) will announce earnings of ($5.08) per share for the current quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Two analysts have made estimates for Jones Energy’s earnings. Jones Energy posted earnings per share of ($6.40) in the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year over year growth rate of 20.6%. The business is expected to announce its next quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st.

On average, analysts expect that Jones Energy will report full-year earnings of ($19.42) per share for the current financial year. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the company will post earnings of ($19.26) per share. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS calculations are an average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that that provide coverage for Jones Energy.

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Separately, Zacks Investment Research raised Jones Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $2.50 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $12.17.

JONE stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $0.24. 504,181 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 86,736. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 million, a PE ratio of -0.03 and a beta of 3.09. Jones Energy has a fifty-two week low of $0.14 and a fifty-two week high of $20.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

In other Jones Energy news, major shareholder Advisors L.L.C. Jvl sold 81,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $0.63, for a total transaction of $51,030.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 32.10% of the company’s stock.

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Jones Energy stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Jones Energy Inc (NYSE:JONE) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 32,392 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $194,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.63% of Jones Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

About Jones Energy

Jones Energy, Inc, an independent oil and gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties in the mid-continent United States. It owns leasehold interests in oil and natural gas producing properties, as well as in undeveloped acreage located in the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma and Texas.

Featured Article: How Do Front-End Loads Impact an Investment?

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Brokerages Anticipate PGT Innovations Inc (PGTI) Will Announce Quarterly Sales of $174.45 Million

Equities analysts expect that PGT Innovations Inc (NYSE:PGTI) will post sales of $174.45 million for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Eight analysts have made estimates for PGT Innovations’ earnings. The lowest sales estimate is $171.10 million and the highest is $183.87 million. PGT Innovations reported sales of $134.10 million in the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year-over-year growth rate of 30.1%. The business is scheduled to issue its next earnings results on Wednesday, February 27th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that PGT Innovations will report full year sales of $681.61 million for the current financial year, with estimates ranging from $679.70 million to $684.20 million. For the next financial year, analysts anticipate that the business will post sales of $811.53 million, with estimates ranging from $794.80 million to $845.42 million. Zacks’ sales averages are an average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that cover PGT Innovations.

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PGT Innovations (NYSE:PGTI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 27th. The construction company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $189.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.39 million. PGT Innovations had a return on equity of 25.71% and a net margin of 9.92%. The company’s revenue was up 41.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.18 earnings per share.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on PGTI shares. Deutsche Bank upped their price objective on PGT Innovations from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 5th. Dougherty & Co restated a “buy” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective (down previously from $27.00) on shares of PGT Innovations in a report on Thursday. Zacks Investment Research upgraded PGT Innovations from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 15th. ValuEngine upgraded PGT Innovations from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Co lowered PGT Innovations from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.75.

Shares of PGT Innovations stock traded down $0.47 during trading on Monday, hitting $14.29. The stock had a trading volume of 1,284,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 512,864. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $855.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.10. PGT Innovations has a fifty-two week low of $13.94 and a fifty-two week high of $26.40.

In other news, Director Rodney Hershberger sold 34,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.12, for a total transaction of $596,649.12. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,106,139 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,937,099.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 5.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PGTI. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in PGT Innovations by 4.0% during the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 646,667 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,484,000 after buying an additional 24,811 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in PGT Innovations by 21.0% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 81,502 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,760,000 after buying an additional 14,167 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund raised its position in PGT Innovations by 13.0% during the third quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund now owns 36,439 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $787,000 after buying an additional 4,184 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC acquired a new position in PGT Innovations during the third quarter valued at $419,000. Finally, First Quadrant L P CA acquired a new position in PGT Innovations during the third quarter valued at $346,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About PGT Innovations

PGT Innovations, Inc manufactures and supplies residential impact-resistant windows and doors in the Southeastern United States, the Gulf Coast, Coastal mid-Atlantic, the Caribbean, Central America, and Canada. The company offers heavy-duty aluminum or vinyl frames with laminated glass to provide protection from hurricane-force winds and wind-borne debris; and non-impact vinyl windows with insulating glass and multi-chambered frames for various climate zones.

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Tractor Supply (TSCO) Short Interest Update

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,826,196 shares, an increase of 47.3% from the January 31st total of 1,918,695 shares. Approximately 2.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,659,409 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

TSCO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $102.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 28th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Monday, December 3rd. Credit Suisse Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Tuesday, January 29th. BidaskClub cut shares of Tractor Supply from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Co increased their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 14th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $91.94.

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In other Tractor Supply news, Director Edna Morris sold 4,174 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.07, for a total value of $400,996.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,916 shares in the company, valued at $184,070.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Steve K. Barbarick sold 47,011 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.83, for a total transaction of $4,599,086.13. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 108,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,654,176.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bruderman Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Tractor Supply during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Cordasco Financial Network increased its position in Tractor Supply by 53.6% during the fourth quarter. Cordasco Financial Network now owns 338 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Rational Advisors LLC increased its position in Tractor Supply by 570.9% during the fourth quarter. Rational Advisors LLC now owns 369 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Tractor Supply during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Psagot Investment House Ltd. bought a new position in Tractor Supply during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. 80.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NASDAQ TSCO opened at $94.96 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $11.72 billion, a PE ratio of 22.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.08. Tractor Supply has a 52-week low of $58.27 and a 52-week high of $98.03.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 31st. The specialty retailer reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. Tractor Supply had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 36.86%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 22nd. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.77%.

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About Tractor Supply

Tractor Supply Company operates rural lifestyle retail stores in the United States. The company offers a selection of merchandise, including equine, livestock, pet, and small animal products necessary for their health, care, growth, and containment; hardware, truck, towing, and tool products; seasonal products, such as heating products, lawn and garden items, power equipment, gifts, and toys; work/recreational clothing and footwear; and maintenance products for agricultural and rural use.

See Also: Mutual Funds

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019

tags:CPE,XOM,E,BCEI,BKEP,REN ,APC,IEP,PFIE,TGC,

The term “simplification transaction” may fly under the radar of many investors who look for mergers and acquisitions. This strategy has been working in the realm of oil and gas when it comes to master limited partnerships (MLPs). Some of the “simplifications” have been bad for the equity unitholders, but it may be a win-win for the likes of Energy Transfer.

Energy Transfer Equity L.P. (NYSE: ETE) and Energy Transfer Partners L.P. (NYSE: ETP) have entered into a definitive merger agreement for ETP to become a wholly owned subsidiary of ETE. The deal is being conducted in a unit-for-unit exchange, meaning it is a cashless merger transaction. According to the release, this transaction will act to both streamline Energy Transfer’s organizational structure and also eliminate the incentive distribution rights (IDRs) burden. ETE's IDRs in ETP will be canceled under the transaction.

ETP unitholders (other than ETE and its subsidiaries) will receive 1.28 common units of ETE for each common unit of ETP they own. The simplification transaction also, according to the companies, is expected to strengthen the balance sheet of the combined organization as it can use the cash distribution savings to reduce the entity’s debt and will be used to fund a portion of ETP's growth capital expenditure program. Energy Transfer noted the path of future distributions:

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Callon Petroleum Company(CPE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of Callon Petroleum (NYSE:CPE) traded down 5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $12.47 and last traded at $12.48. 6,420,719 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 45% from the average session volume of 4,431,217 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.14.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers Zoe's Kitchen, Inc. (NYSE: ZOES) fell 27.8 percent to $10.45 in pre-market trading after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. The company also lowered its FY18 sales outlook from $358million-$368 million to $345 million-$352 million. Hibbett Sports, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIBB) shares fell 15.6 percent to $24.50 in pre-market trading after the company reported weaker-than-expected results for its first quarter. Rockwell Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: RMTI) fell 15.5 percent to $5.02 in the pre-market trading session after the company disclosed that its President and CEO Robert Chioini was terminated. BG Staffing Inc (NYSE: BGSF) shares fell 12.7 percent to $19.00 in pre-market trading after reporting a common stock offering. 8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT) fell 9.3 percent to $20.00 in pre-market trading after reporting downbeat quarterly earnings. Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited (NASDAQ: APWC) fell 7.7 percent to $2.35 in pre-market trading after rising 3.88 percent on Thursday. Gap, Inc. (NYSE: GPS) shares fell 7.5 percent to $30.49 in pre-market trading after the company posted downbeat earnings for its first quarter on Thursday. Comps were up 1 percent in the quarter. California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) fell 6.4 percent to $33.91 in pre-market trading. Buckle Inc (NYSE: BKE) fell 4.9 percent to $24.50 in pre-market trading following weak quarterly sales. China Rapid Finance Limited (NYSE: XRF) shares fell 4.9 percent to $3.13 in pre-market trading after climbing 11.53 percent on Thursday. Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) fell 4.8 percent to $78.98 in pre-market trading. Ross Stores reported upbeat earnings for its first quarter, but issued weak forecast for the current quarter. Callon Petroleum Company (NYSE: CPE) shares fell 4.7 percent to $11.90 in pre-market trading after the company reported pricing of common
• [By Lee Jackson]

  This is one of the small cap stocks that the Jefferies team feels comfortable about currently. Callon Petroleum Company (NYSE: CPE) is an independent oil and natural gas company. The Company is engaged in the exploration, development, acquisition and production of oil and natural gas properties. The Company focuses on the acquisition and development of unconventional oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin.

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Exxon Mobil Corporation(XOM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Here’s how share prices of the largest U.S. natural gas producers reacted to today’s report:

  Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), the country’s largest producer of natural gas, traded down about 2.4%, at $80.21 in a 52-week range of $72.16 to $89.30. Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) traded down about 1.8%, at $4.55 in a 52-week range of $2.53 to $5.68. EOG Resources Inc. (NYSE: EOG) traded down about 2.1% to $120.38. The 52-week range is $81.99 to $128.03.

  Also, the United States Natural Gas ETF (NYSEARCA: UNG) traded up about 0.3%, at $23.99 in a 52-week range of $20.40 to $29.96.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The second-worst Dow Jones industrials stock so far this year is Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), which is down 11.6%. That is followed by Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG), down 8.9%, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), down 8.4%, and Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), down 6.4%. Of the 30 Dow stocks, 13 are showing a loss to date in 2018.

• [By ]

  Back in May, I talked about the amazing potential of ExxonMobil's (NYSE: XOM) algae initiative.

  To recap: Former CEO Rex Tillerson invested more than a half-billion dollars into a research project led by Craig Venter, who was the first to decode the human genome. The result is a soupy algae that can replace crude oil in refineries.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Short interest in Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) increased to 36.74 million shares from the previous 28.99 million. The stock traded at $78.41, within a 52-week range of $72.16 to $89.30.

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: ENI S.p.A.(E)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zacks]

  Following the reform, Mexico drew multi-billion dollars' investment. It could lead up to an output of 3 MMBbl/d by the end of the planned period, as predicted by the supporters of the reform. The reform could also bring down electricity rates in the country. So far, Mexico has awarded around 90 contracts, both onshore and offshore. The country raised about $100 billion from the auctions by the end of January. With nine oil and gas blocks, Shell has emerged as the leading player in the auctions held so far. Other winners in the bidding processes include Eni S.p.A. (NYSE: E)of Italy, Inpex of Japan, France's TOTAL S.A. (NYSE: TOT), Chevron and more.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Eni SpA (NYSE:E) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.24.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Enterprise Group Inc (TSE:E) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as C$0.37 and last traded at C$0.37, with a volume of 24200 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$0.40.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  ENI (NYSE:E) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a hold rating to a sell rating. According to Zacks, “With recovering oil prices, Eni’s operating profits from its Refining & Marketing business has gone down in the first half of 2018 against the comparable period of 2017. Also, operating profit from its Chemical business fell 79% during this period due to rising costs of oil-based feedstock. Moreover, Eni has sold 50% of its stake in the Zohr field, a high yielding project, which can impact its revenues. Fall in demand for products like gasoil and gasoline, in Italy, is also a concern for the company. If this consumption trend persists, the company’s profit levels will get affected. Given these headwinds, Eni seems like a risky bet that ordinary investors should exit.”

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc.(BCEI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shanthi Rexaline]

  Crude oil prices continue to remain bullish, brightening the prospects of oil and related companies. Bonanza Creek Energy Inc (NYSE: BCEI), an oil and natural gas exploration and production company that emerged from Chapter 11 in April 2017, could also benefit from an improved cost structure, according to Imperial Capital. 

• [By Motley Fool Transcribing]

  Bonanza Creek Energy (NYSE:BCEI) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 28, 2019 12:00 p.m. ET

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

  Operator

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI)

  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 Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI)

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

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Bonanza Creek Energy (NYSE:BCEI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at ValuEngine from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of Bonanza Creek Energy Inc (NYSE:BCEI) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.67.

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Blueknight Energy Partners L.P., L.L.C.(BKEP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Shares of Blueknight Energy Partners LP Common Stock (NASDAQ:BKEP) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $4.00.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Blueknight Energy Partners LP (NASDAQ:BKEP) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $2.30 and last traded at $2.37, with a volume of 12716 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $2.35.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE:PSXP) and Blueknight Energy Partners (NASDAQ:BKEP) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and profitability.

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Resolute Energy Corporation(REN )

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Resolute Energy (REN)

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

• [By Max Byerly]

  Republic Protocol (CURRENCY:REN) traded 15% lower against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 16:00 PM E.T. on June 23rd. Over the last week, Republic Protocol has traded down 25.4% against the U.S. dollar. One Republic Protocol token can now be purchased for approximately $0.0590 or 0.00000961 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including OKEx, IDEX, DDEX and Cobinhood. Republic Protocol has a market capitalization of $32.57 million and $2.71 million worth of Republic Protocol was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Republic Protocol (CURRENCY:REN) traded 8.6% lower against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 12:00 PM E.T. on June 13th. Republic Protocol has a total market capitalization of $39.37 million and $1.56 million worth of Republic Protocol was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. Over the last week, Republic Protocol has traded 22.7% lower against the dollar. One Republic Protocol token can now be purchased for $0.0757 or 0.00001210 BTC on popular exchanges including Cobinhood, IDEX, DDEX and Liqui.

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation(APC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Click here to learn more…

  Stocks to Watch Today: DIS, TMUS, BP, S Shares of Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) will lead a busy day of earnings reports. Wall Street is expecting a small decline in revenue for the first quarter. Disney is still in the process of absorbing most of Fox's assets from a deal last June. In addition, Disney will be launching its streaming service, Disney+, and investors will be looking for updates on the project. In deal news, T-Mobile U.S. Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) is looking to sweeten an offer to regulators to ensure a merger with rival Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S). The telecom giant told the U.S. Federal Communications Commission that it would freeze the prices of many plans if it receives approval for a deal. T-Mobile has offered $26 billion to buy Sprint. Shares of BP Plc. (NYSE: BP) rallied more than 3.7% after the global energy giant topped 2018 earnings expectations. The firm's big bets on shale developments have paid off. Profitability more than doubled over the previous year, while production topped out at 3.7 million barrels per day. Look for earnings reports from Allstate Corp. (NYSE: ALL), Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC), Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM), Becton, Dickenson & Co. (NYSE: BDX), BP Plc. (NYSE: BP), Chubb Ltd. (NYSE: CB), Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR), Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR), Estee Lauder Co. Inc. (NYSE: EL), Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ), Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), Plains All American Pipeline LP (NYSE: PAA), Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL), Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP), and Tableau Software Inc. (NASDAQ: DATA).

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• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  A weekend research report published on Monday from Leggate and his team of analysts at Merrill Lynch reiterated the Buy rating on Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) with a price objective of $80. Anadarko shares were last seen trading up almost 1.5% at $44.33 on Monday.

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of Packer & Co Ltd's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Packer+%26+Co+Ltd

  These are the top 5 holdings of Packer & Co LtdBall Corp (BLL) - 625,005 shares, 7.52% of the total portfolio. Hess Corp (HES) - 2,039,400 shares, 6.78% of the total portfolio. Anadarko Petroleum Corp (APC) - 1,432,600 shares, 6.35% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 14.37%Citigroup Inc (C) - 604,500 shares, 6.34% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 11.04%General Electric Co (GE) - 1,118,800 shares, 5.98% o
• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Oil prices have been on fire over the past year and recently topped $70 a barrel, which is the highest crude has been since late 2014. That rally in the oil market has helped fuel big-time gains in many oil stocks. Three that stand out are Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), Hess (NYSE:HES), and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) because each has risen more than 20% this year. They might still have additional upside from here given that all three plan on spending billions of dollars to buy back more of their stock.

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Icahn Enterprises L.P.(IEP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of Icahn Enterprises (NASDAQ:IEP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

  Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. BidaskClub downgraded Icahn Enterprises from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 14th. UBS Group reissued a sell rating and set a $45.00 target price (up previously from $42.00) on shares of Icahn Enterprises in a research note on Tuesday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Icahn Enterprises has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $53.00.

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of Carl Icahn's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Carl+Icahn

  These are the top 5 holdings of Carl IcahnIcahn Enterprises LP (IEP) - 166,393,350 shares, 48.97% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 5.38%CVR Energy Inc (CVI) - 71,198,718 shares, 10.91% of the total portfolio. Herbalife Nutrition Ltd (HLF) - 35,227,904 shares, 7.84% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 22.99%Cheniere Energy Inc (LNG) - 23,680,490 shares, 6.39% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 27.54%Freeport-McMoRan
• [By Rich Duprey]

  Icahn Enterprises (NASDAQ:IEP) bought Tropicana in 2008 during the collapse of the financial markets. In 2010, Tropicana emerged from bankruptcy protection under a $200 million deal brokered by Icahn, which gave him control of eight casinos in Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Missouri, New Jersey, and Aruba. The Aruba resort is not included in the current deal, but will be sold at a later date.

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Profire Energy, Inc.(PFIE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Profire Energy (NASDAQ:PFIE)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities researchers at Maxim Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday. They currently have a $7.00 price target on the oil and gas company’s stock. Maxim Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 114.07% from the stock’s previous close.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Profire Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFIE) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $3.20, but opened at $3.80. Profire Energy shares last traded at $3.38, with a volume of 4662724 shares traded.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Profire Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFIE) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in June. As of June 29th, there was short interest totalling 3,602,194 shares, a growth of 696.7% from the June 15th total of 452,167 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,769,785 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 10.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Here are some of the media headlines that may have effected Accern Sentiment Analysis’s analysis:

  Get Edge Therapeutics alerts: Rosacea Therapeutics Market 2024 Industry Trends, Growth, Analysis, Opportunities and Overview (digitaljournal.com) JUNE 22 DEADLINE: The Schall Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Lawsuit Against Edge Therapeutics, Inc. and Encourages Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm (finance.yahoo.com) EDGE INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action on Behalf of Edge Therapeutics, Inc. Investors (businesswire.com) 50 days simple moving average (SMA50) Evaluation Asanko Gold Inc. (NYSE:AKG), Edge Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ … (stocksnewspoint.com) Investor’s Alert (price to sales ratio) Profire Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFIE), Central Fund of Canada Limited (NYSE:CEF … (stocksnewspoint.com)

  Edge Therapeutics traded up $0.08, reaching $1.03, during trading hours on Friday, according to MarketBeat Ratings. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,232,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 854,768. Edge Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $0.84 and a fifty-two week high of $17.77.

Top 10 Energy Stocks For 2019: Tengasco, Inc.(TGC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Tigercoin (TGC) is a proof-of-work (PoW) coin that uses the SHA256 hashing algorithm. It launched on September 6th, 2013. Tigercoin’s total supply is 43,536,800 coins. The official website for Tigercoin is tigercoin.wordpress.com. Tigercoin’s official Twitter account is @TigerCoin.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Tigercoin (CURRENCY:TGC) traded down 3.5% against the dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 7:00 AM E.T. on August 23rd. During the last seven days, Tigercoin has traded 8.4% lower against the dollar. Tigercoin has a total market capitalization of $98,130.00 and approximately $0.00 worth of Tigercoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Tigercoin coin can now be purchased for about $0.0023 or 0.00000035 BTC on popular exchanges.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Tigercoin (CURRENCY:TGC) traded 12.1% lower against the US dollar during the 1-day period ending at 23:00 PM E.T. on May 6th. One Tigercoin coin can now be bought for $0.0077 or 0.00000083 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges. In the last week, Tigercoin has traded 6.4% lower against the US dollar. Tigercoin has a total market cap of $334,680.00 and approximately $64.00 worth of Tigercoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Tigercoin (CURRENCY:TGC) traded flat against the dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 18:00 PM ET on October 5th. Tigercoin has a market cap of $103,538.00 and approximately $3.00 worth of Tigercoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Tigercoin coin can now be purchased for about $0.0024 or 0.00000036 BTC on major exchanges. Over the last week, Tigercoin has traded 12.4% lower against the dollar.

Howard Hughes Earnings Jump in Q4 on Strong Hawaiian Condo Sales

Howard Hughes' (NYSE:HHC) diversified real estate development business delivered solid results in 2018. Not only did the company record the most residential land sales in the history of its master planned community (MPC) division, but its portfolio of operating assets also delivered healthy income growth while condos under construction in Hawaii continued selling at a brisk pace. Meanwhile, the company progressed several strategic developments, which will provide a sizable boost to its bottom line when those assets stabilize in the coming years.

Howard Hughes results: The raw numbers

Metric

Q4 2018

Q4 2017

Year-Over-Year Change

Net operating income (NOI) from operating assets	$40.9 million	$36.2 million	12.7%
Adjusted funds from operations (FFO)	$95.0 million	$68.8 million	38.1%
Adjusted FFO per share	$2.20	$1.60	37.5%

Data source: Howard Hughes. 

What happened with Howard Hughes this quarter? 

Strong Hawaiian condo sales helped drive the quarter:

Land sales within the MPC division remain lumpy because of the timing of when transactions close As a result, acres sold and the average price per acre fell more than 20% versus the year-ago period while earnings in the segment slumped roughly 40%. However, full-year acreage sales jumped more than 30% to a record level, which helped more than offset a 4.8% decline in the average selling price to boost MPC earnings by 6.6% compared with 2017. NOI from the company's portfolio of operating assets increased by nearly 13%. Howard Hughes saw strong NOI growth in office (up 20%), retail (16% higher), multifamily (a 19% increase), and hospitality (21% year-over-year growth), driven by the continued stabilization of these properties as it leased more of its available space. However, the Seaport District generated negative NOI in the period as the company spends money to open new businesses at that location. For the full year, NOI at Howard Hughes operating assets rose 10% to $173.3 million. Earnings in the strategic developments segment increased by nearly 60% during the quarter to $90.2 million because of closings at Ae'o, the company's newly delivered condo tower in Hawaii. Meanwhile, the company signed contracts to sell another 54 units during the quarter. Full-year adjusted FFO, however, declined about 17% to $233.7 million, or $5.41 per share. That's mainly due to the timing of when the company can book revenue as it finishes its condo towers in Hawaii. Howard Hughes started construction of several properties during 2018, which should increase its NOI in the future. The company currently believes that its growing portfolio of operating assets can generate $317.8 million of annualized income upon stabilization, which is a 25% increase from its estimate at the end of 2017. This forecast doesn't include the Seaport District, which the company is working to stabilize by 2022 as it finishes construction projects and gets all its businesses up and running.

Image source: Getty Images.

What management had to say 

CEO David Weinreb commented on the company's progress:

2018 was an outstanding year for HHC across the business as our results demonstrated the ongoing success of our portfolio. Our MPC segment had a record year and generated the highest residential land sales in the Company's history. In Honolulu, we continued our momentum at Ward Village by delivering Ae'o, which is almost entirely sold out, and closing on over half of the homes in the building. We also began construction on 'A'ali'i, which was approximately 80% pre-sold at year end and whose homes will feature innovative design and a turn key living solution that does not exist anywhere in the market. The activity in our Strategic Developments segment was accompanied by continued NOI growth in our Operating Assets segment due to increased occupancy, and we increased our projected annual stabilized NOI target by 25% over the prior year to approximately $318 million.

Howard Hughes made progress on all fronts last year. It continued to generate earnings within its MPCs by selling a record amount of land. Meanwhile, income from its operating assets rose as occupancy increased across the board. Finally, buyers continue to snap up the condos it's building in Hawaii. Last year it pre-sold 80% of the units at 'A'ali'i', which just broke ground in October and has already pre-sold nearly 45% of the units at Ko'ula after launching public sales last month.

Looking forward 

Howard Hughes started construction of several properties last year, which along with the continued stabilization of its existing assets, has the company on track to grow NOI by 77% in the coming years. That assumption doesn't include the NOI it eventually expects to generate from the Seaport District upon stabilization in a few years. Add in the likelihood of continued land sales within its MPCs and condos in Hawaii, and Howard Hughes appears poised to grow earnings at a healthy pace in the coming years.

4 Tips for Choosing a Tax Preparer This Year

Even if you've managed to file your own taxes before, there are several benefits to hiring a tax preparer to do the job for you. First, there's the peace-of-mind factor. A professional who does taxes for a living is more likely to catch a mistake on your return or avoid one in the first place, thereby lowering your risk of an audit. Furthermore, a tax preparer might unearth different strategies that save you money on your taxes -- strategies you wouldn't have known to use yourself.

Additionally, this year is the first in which the massive 2018 tax overhaul comes into play when filing returns. As such, you might need help navigating those changes, especially if your tax situation is at all complicated.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

That said, not all tax preparers are created equal. Here are a few tips for choosing the right one.

1. Check for the right qualifications

Tax preparers have varying levels of training and skills, so if you're going to hire one, you might as well get your money's worth. While a non-CPA accountant might technically be qualified to prepare your return, it often pays to hire an actual CPA or an enrolled agent (a federally licensed tax practitioner). Both CPAs and enrolled agents are authorized to represent clients in IRS matters, so if the need arises, that's some nice protection to have.

2. Figure out what your fees will entail

Clearly, the drawback of hiring a tax preparer is having to pay for that service, but if you do your research, you might keep that cost manageable. The amount you're charged will generally depend on how complicated your tax situation is and how many unique tax forms the professional you hire will need to prepare.

There are a few different fee models you might be presented with when choosing a tax preparer. The first and most desirable is a flat fee. In this situation, your tax preparer will usually give you an estimate for their services during a quick consultation. Other tax preparers, meanwhile, charge an hourly rate, which is less ideal since you won't necessarily be able to nail down your total costs before you sign an agreement.

Finally, there's the percentage-of-refund arrangement, which is probably the most dangerous of the lot. In that scenario, your tax preparer's fee is calculated based on what your refund comes to, which means that they might get overly aggressive with deductions -- to the point where your audit risk skyrockets -- in an effort to score the highest possible payout.

To give you a sense of what you might pay to have your taxes done, according to the National Society of Accountants' 2016-2017 fee survey, the average cost to prepare a simple Form 1040 was $176. Meanwhile, the cost for a 1040 plus Schedule A (for itemized deductions) was $273. You might end up getting charged a higher or lower flat fee depending on where you live and what your taxes look like, but having these numbers in the back of your mind might help you avoid overpaying.

3. Find out whether you'll get audit support

You can be as honest with the IRS as possible and have the most meticulous tax preparer in the world, and sometimes, your return might get flagged for an audit nonetheless. Since that possibility always exists, one thing you should be sure to inquire about is whether the tax preparer you hire will provide audit support in the event you need it. As mentioned earlier, not all tax preparers are authorized to represent clients in IRS matters, so it pays to find someone who is.

4. Ask about availability

Tax preparers tend to be pretty busy during tax season. Throw in the fact that many are still getting used to last year's tax changes, and you might be hard-pressed to find someone who can hammer out your return on a whim. You have until April 15 to file your return this year, so if you find a tax preparer who can work with you, say, during the last week of March, that gives you a decent window to complete your taxes before the deadline.

On the other hand, be wary about working with a tax preparer who can't squeeze you in until the second week of April. That's cutting it too close for comfort, and it's stress you don't need -- especially when you're paying for the service of getting your taxes done.

There are plenty of good reasons to hire a tax preparer this year, but if you're planning to go that route, don't wait. Tax season is already well underway, and the last thing you want to do is procrastinate and then struggle to find a decent professional to help you.