Favorable News Coverage Somewhat Unlikely to Affect Synergy Resources (SRCI) Stock Price

News stories about Synergy Resources (NASDAQ:SRCI) have trended positive recently, Accern Sentiment reports. The research group rates the sentiment of news coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Synergy Resources earned a coverage optimism score of 0.25 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave headlines about the company an impact score of 48.2051069806464 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the next several days.

SRCI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Capital One Financial lowered shares of Synergy Resources from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 24th. Seaport Global Securities reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Synergy Resources in a research note on Tuesday, July 24th. Finally, Roth Capital lowered shares of Synergy Resources from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 30th.

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Shares of Synergy Resources opened at $11.31 on Thursday, according to MarketBeat.com. Synergy Resources has a 52 week low of $7.37 and a 52 week high of $13.32.

Synergy Resources (NASDAQ:SRCI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $147.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $146.40 million.

About Synergy Resources

SRC Energy Inc, an independent oil and natural gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids primarily in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of Colorado. As of December 31, 2017, it had net proved oil and natural gas reserves of 69.4 million barrels of oil and condensate, 559.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 64.0 million barrels of natural gas liquids; and operated 551 net producing wells, as well as had 98,600 gross and 88,300 net acres under lease in the Wattenberg Field.

See Also: What is a closed-end mutual fund (CEF)?

5 Top Dividend Stocks to Buy for a Doubtful August

Following a strong July, investors should feel cautious heading into August. Historically, it has been one of the worst months of the year for major indices, with steeper losses especially in mid-term years.

Source: Shutterstock

A day after the United States and China were pursuing talks to stave off a trade war, things have also started going haywire. President Trump is now planning to slap further tariffs on billions of imported Chinese goods, thus, raising the spectrum of a trade war.

Given the widespread uncertainty, investing in dividend-paying companies seems practical as they provide steady earnings regardless of the state of the global equity market.

Prepare for Grueling Times

Equities have, no doubt, been doing well of late. Major bourses have recorded the highest gains in July since the beginning of this year, mostly on strong corporate earnings. But, Wall Street’s rally is showing signs of weakness. After all, both Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) strong second-quarter earnings and an overall robust earnings season are factored in the current stock market movements.

Now, the obvious question is what will be the next catalyst for growth? The answer is there aren’t any. In fact, the Trump administration is expected to propose tariffs as high as 25% on $200 billion of Chinese imports, way more than the original proposal for 10%, a move that could ratchet up a trade war between the two most powerful economies. A full-fledged trade war could easily hurt business growth, spending and sentiments.

August — One of the Weakest Months

August, historically, is one of the weakest months for major bourses, per the Stock Trader’s Almanac. Since 1950, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost 0.2% in the month. It’s also the second worst month of the year for the broader S&P 500. The large-cap index has registered a decline of 0.1% over the course of the month. The Nasdaq somehow manages to eke out gains of 0.1% in the month, but, it is still the 11th best month of the year for the tech-laden index.

The picture turns even gloomier during midterm election years, as the current one is. The Dow Jones, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq usually lose 0.7%, 0.4% and 1.8%, respectively, in such Augusts.

The only index that has, comparatively, performed better is the Russell 2000 index of small-capitalization shares. The index gained 0.2% in the month of August. However, that is again its ninth-best month of the year. And when it comes to midterm election years, unfortunately, the index slumped 1.9%.

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Sell in May and Go Away

Summer months, by the way, continue to be risky for Wall Street. This is due to the historical trend embodied by the phrase “sell in May and go away.” Investors are encouraged to sell stock holdings in May to avoid getting affected by the seasonal decline in equity markets.

The strategy also involves getting back into the equity markets in November, thereby evading the typical volatile May-October period. Traditionally, stocks have underperformed in the six-month period commencing May and ending in October, compared to the six-month period from November to April.

The Dow Jones, in particular, posted a meager return of 0.3% in the May-October period since its inception, while during the November-April period the blue chip index registered an average gain of 7.5%. Mostly lower trading volumes in the summer season and substantial increase in investment during the winter months are the main reasons behind the discrepancy in returns.

Time to Buy Dividend Stocks: 5 Top Picks

Thanks to the aforementioned factors, August is certainly cast into uncertainty. This calls for investing in dividend paying stocks which boast immense financial strength and are immune to market vagaries. Such stocks reflect solid financial structure, healthy underlying fundamentals and better quality business. They have also raked in excellent risk-adjusted returns this year.

Hence, we have selected five such dividend paying stocks to boost your returns. Such stocks also possess a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy).

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Top Dividend Stocks to Buy for a Doubtful August: Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (ARI)

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily originates, acquires, invests in, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States.

Currently, the company has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings increased 1.1% over the last 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 26.9%, compared with the REIT and Equity Trust industry’s estimated rally of 0.5%.

The company has a dividend yield of 9.6%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 10.3%.

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Top Dividend Stocks to Buy for a Doubtful August: CONSOL Coal Resources (CCR)

CONSOL Coal Resources (NYSE:CCR) produces and sells high-Btu thermal coal in the Northern Appalachian Basin and the eastern United States. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings jumped 7.8% over the last 60 days.

Source: Shutterstock

The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 41.8% compared with the Coal industry’s estimated rally of 8.4%.

The company has a dividend yield of 12.4%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 14%.

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Top Dividend Stocks to Buy for a Doubtful August: Sutherland Asset Management (SLD)

Sutherland Asset Management (NYSE:SLD) operates as a real estate finance company. Currently, the company has a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings advanced 1.2% over the last 60 days.

Source: Flickr

The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 15.5% compared with the REIT and Equity Trust industry’s estimated rally of 0.5%.

The company has a dividend yield of 9.6%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 10.2%.

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Top Dividend Stocks to Buy for a Doubtful August: Vermilion Energy (VET)

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) acquires, explores, develops, and produces crude petroleum and natural gas. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings soared 70.8% over the last 60 days.

Source: Shutterstock

The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 221.6% compared with the Oil and Gas – Exploration and Production – International industry’s estimated rally of 3.1%.

The company has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 5.2%.

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Top Dividend Stocks to Buy for a Doubtful August: New Media Investment Group (NEWM)

New Media Investment Group (NYSE:NEWM) owns and operates local media assets in the United States. Currently, the company has a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings rose 10.7% over the last 60 days.

Source: Shutterstock

The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 53.7% in contrast to the Publishing – Newspapers industry’s estimated decline of 6.8%.

The company has a dividend yield of 8.2%. Its five-year average dividend yield is 7.1%.

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Antimatter (ANTX) Price Reaches $0.0001

Antimatter (CURRENCY:ANTX) traded flat against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 12:00 PM E.T. on July 22nd. In the last seven days, Antimatter has traded up 17.8% against the U.S. dollar. Antimatter has a total market capitalization of $0.00 and $1.00 worth of Antimatter was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Antimatter coin can currently be bought for $0.0001 or 0.00000001 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges.

Here’s how other cryptocurrencies have performed in the last 24 hours:

Get Antimatter alerts: XRP (XRP) traded up 1% against the dollar and now trades at $0.46 or 0.00006127 BTC. Stellar (XLM) traded 2.8% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.30 or 0.00003970 BTC. IOTA (MIOTA) traded down 0.1% against the dollar and now trades at $1.01 or 0.00013485 BTC. Tether (USDT) traded up 0% against the dollar and now trades at $1.00 or 0.00013304 BTC. TRON (TRX) traded up 0.2% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0361 or 0.00000480 BTC. NEO (NEO) traded 0.4% lower against the dollar and now trades at $34.60 or 0.00460786 BTC. Binance Coin (BNB) traded up 0.8% against the dollar and now trades at $12.26 or 0.00163257 BTC. VeChain (VET) traded 0.7% higher against the dollar and now trades at $1.82 or 0.00024176 BTC. 0x (ZRX) traded 0.8% higher against the dollar and now trades at $1.20 or 0.00015950 BTC. Zilliqa (ZIL) traded up 1.1% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0745 or 0.00000992 BTC.

Antimatter Profile

Antimatter Coin Trading

Antimatter can be purchased on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: CoinExchange. It is usually not currently possible to buy alternative cryptocurrencies such as Antimatter directly using U.S. dollars. Investors seeking to trade Antimatter should first buy Ethereum or Bitcoin using an exchange that deals in U.S. dollars such as Changelly, Coinbase or Gemini. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Ethereum or Bitcoin to buy Antimatter using one of the aforementioned exchanges.

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UniFirst (UNF) Lowered to “Hold” at Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Wednesday.

According to Zacks, “UniFirst Corporation has become an industry leader and remains one of the fastest growing companies in the Uniform and Textile Services business. Its business is the rental Lease and Sale of work clothing, uniforms, protective apparel, careerwear, and facility service products to businesses in virtually all industrial categories. The major portion of the Company’s business is Uniform Rental Service Programs, wherein it provides customers with all necessary products plus weekly cleaning, maintenance, and any needed replacements of work clothing. The Company became the first private industrial launderer to be granted a government license to process nuclear-contaminated garments. The Company has developed a separate division, UniTech Services Group, which now includes specialized plants throughout the United States and in Europe. UniFirst is a national leader in cleaning and decontaminating the garments worn by workers who maintain and refuel nuclear power and nuclear processing equipment. “

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UNF has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of UniFirst from $183.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, June 28th. Barrington Research restated a hold rating on shares of UniFirst in a report on Friday, June 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. UniFirst has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $203.00.

Shares of UNF traded up $0.75 on Wednesday, reaching $187.20. 49,281 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 66,489. The company has a market cap of $3.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.61. UniFirst has a 12 month low of $135.95 and a 12 month high of $193.05.

UniFirst (NYSE:UNF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 27th. The textile maker reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $427.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $420.45 million. UniFirst had a net margin of 7.45% and a return on equity of 8.21%. UniFirst’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. equities analysts anticipate that UniFirst will post 6.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 28th. Investors of record on Friday, September 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.1125 per share. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 6th. UniFirst’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.52%.

In related news, Director Michael Iandoli sold 594 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.24, for a total transaction of $111,220.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,732 shares in the company, valued at $1,073,259.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Cecelia Levenstein sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.34, for a total transaction of $465,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 121,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,604,532.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,161 shares of company stock valued at $2,594,236. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in UniFirst during the first quarter valued at approximately $118,000. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst in the first quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst in the first quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of UniFirst by 24.7% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,519 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB acquired a new position in shares of UniFirst in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $293,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.78% of the company’s stock.

UniFirst Company Profile

UniFirst Corporation provides workplace uniforms and protective work wear clothing in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It operates through US Rental and Cleaning, Canadian Rental and Cleaning, Manufacturing, Specialty Garments Rental and Cleaning, and First Aid segments. The company designs, manufactures, personalizes, rents, cleans, delivers, and sells a range of uniforms and protective clothing, including shirts, pants, jackets, coveralls, lab coats, smocks, and aprons; and specialized protective wear, such as flame resistant and high visibility garments.

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What Is Netflix, Inc.'s Competitive Advantage?

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) investors have been on a thrill ride for years. Even after a 10% correction when the streaming-video veteran fell short of its subscriber guidance last week, the stock still has doubled over the last 52 weeks.

The stock is trading at 218 times trailing earnings and 13 times sales right now, putting Netflix firmly in the category of premium-priced market darlings. The gains and the extreme valuation ratios are based on rampant business growth. The company more than quintupled its second-quarter earnings compared to the year-ago period, and revenues are rising at a 40% annual pace.

So how is Netflix making all of this work in an entertainment market full of hopeful challengers and fading has-beens? Let's have a look at three key components of the company's recipe for success.

Image source: Getty Images.

You have to spend money to make money

Some critics worry about Netflix's cash-burning habit. Free cash flows clocked in at negative $1.78 billion over the last year, forcing the company to take on $3.5 billion of new debt. The main driver of these huge cash costs is found in Netflix's growing content-production efforts.

Netflix is investing a larger and larger portion of its total content budget into original shows and movies, moving away from the earlier strategy of licensing content under ownership by other studios. The idea is to build a content portfolio of lasting value, which comes with large upfront cash costs but should keep subscribers coming for many years ahead.

There will be an inflection point a few years down the road when this strategy starts to pay figurative dividends, driving enough member growth and loyalty to outweigh the new content costs. Tax-saving accounting tricks, like depreciation and amortization, don't figure into this entirely cash-driven tactic.

This is not a new idea, just a slightly unusual application of a well-known growth strategy. Startups collect venture capital and big debts in their early years to build a platform for rapid growth, followed by profits later on. Netflix is a bit old for the start-up tag, but this is the same basic idea. It's just happening at a greater scale, since Netflix is attempting to boost itself from a platform that has already achieved $13.9 billion in annual sales.

Content is king

The company isn't throwing together some cut-rate videos and hoping for the best. Those billions of annual content-production dollars are bringing in top-shelf writers, directors, and actors with free reins to do their best work. The result is an award-winning content portfolio, including a leading haul of 112 nominations for the 2018 Emmy Awards.

For the first time in 18 years, the studio with the most nominations wasn't named HBO. It was Netflix.

Netflix is seen as a high-quality entertainment platform today, similar to how HBO built its top-shelf reputation in the golden age of premium cable networks. Consumers know exactly where to find favorites like 13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things, and The Crown. These are Netflix's answer to HBO classics such as The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. New subscribers on the hunt for Netflix's best eyeball magnets are likely to find more exclusive content that keeps them coming back for more.

Hence, the big production budgets. Netflix wants its original shows to pay big dividends over time and that takes quality -- expensive quality.

Image source: Netflix.

Simplicity for the win

None of the cash and content positioning matters if nobody wants to use the Netflix platform. This is perhaps the most subtle and underrated aspect of what makes Netflix special -- perfecting the user experience is priority No. 1.

Whether you're accessing Netflix from a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or big-screen TV, you'll find a strikingly simple interface. Poster thumbnails will help you navigate through a sorted and categorized catalog where the presentation is driven by your viewing habits. If you like action thrillers starring The Rock, you'll see more shows of a similar style in your Netflix panels. Prefer Norwegian zombie comedies or reality TV cook-offs? Netflix will drive you toward more stuff in those categories instead.

And at the heart of that effort stands simplicity. Hulu blends advertising into its content streams, hoping to collect additional revenue that way. By the same token, Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) Prime Video can be frustrating as the e-tailer often tries to steer the viewer toward buying Blu-rays or downloads for content that isn't included in the Prime subscription service. You won't find Netflix doing any of that.

The company removed online ads from its website many years ago because the additional revenue pennies weren't worth the resulting viewer distraction. The red DVD mailers used to carry third-party advertising on the inside flap, but even that disappeared over the years.

I kind of miss the "advanced search" function that Netflix previously provided, but most subscribers never used it -- so it's long gone now. And that's the way it goes. Anything that doesn't help subscribers focus on the actual content won't stick around for long.

That's a winning strategy. The competition might want to try it out eventually, but they're not ready to abandon their add-on revenue streams quite yet. Until they do, Netflix stands alone as a paragon of dead-simple entertainment.

Glencore (GLEN) Given a GBX 500 Price Target by Goldman Sachs Group Analysts

Glencore (LON:GLEN) has been assigned a GBX 500 ($6.62) price target by investment analysts at Goldman Sachs Group in a note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the natural resources company’s stock. Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 58.35% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “overweight” rating and issued a GBX 550 ($7.28) target price on shares of Glencore in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd. Barclays cut their target price on Glencore from GBX 450 ($5.96) to GBX 400 ($5.29) and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Glencore in a research note on Monday, May 7th. HSBC upped their price objective on Glencore from GBX 381 ($5.04) to GBX 450 ($5.96) and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a GBX 380 ($5.03) price objective on Glencore and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 421.15 ($5.57).

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Glencore opened at GBX 315.75 ($4.18) on Wednesday, according to Marketbeat Ratings. Glencore has a 52 week low of GBX 270 ($3.57) and a 52 week high of GBX 416.91 ($5.52).

Glencore Company Profile

Glencore plc engages in the production, refinement, processing, storage, transport and marketing of metals and minerals, energy products, and agricultural products worldwide. It operates in three segments: Metals and Minerals, Energy Products, and Agricultural Products. The Metals and Minerals segment is involved in smelting, refining, mining, processing, and storing zinc, copper, lead, alumina, aluminum, ferroalloys, nickel, cobalt, and iron ore.

Featured Story: Short Selling

The ONE Signal That Should Make You Worry About A Major Correction...

As we begin to close the books on the first half of 2018 -- and prepare for second-quarter earnings season -- it's prudent to take stock of where we are.

-The earnings multiple of the Standard & Poor 500 Index is 25.07, more than 10 points higher than its historical median of 14.69. Conservative investors might find this as dizzying as I do -- it is rich valuation. The current bull market began in March 2009, which was 112 months ago. The average bull market lasts 97 months.

-In May, U.S. companies bought back an astonishing $174 billion worth of their own stock. While that might be good for investors, it also reveals a profound law of money: You only get to spend it once! Allocating that pile of cash to buybacks means those dollars aren't being spent on the capital expenditures that fuel organic business growth. After all, one can't build a new widget factory if one has blown her allowance on Widget Co. shares.

But remember Obermueller's Law: No number has any meaning without the context of another number.

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Here, I think it's prudent to point out that U.S. production is hardly running at full tilt: Capacity utilization is 77.9% overall. The index value is 107.3 versus the 2012 baseline of 100.0. So what we see is companies that are doing well but aren't allocating significant sums to building their businesses, which seems to suggest they don't see demand rising on its own, or that they see it falling.

-A couple weeks ago, the U.S. Federal Reserve increased interest rates, raising the target fed funds rate to 2.0% from 1.75%. The Fed signaled it will likely raise rates two more times this year. This increases borrowing costs, which is meant to constrain consumer debt spending. It also tends to take a little cash out of the market, as it pushes the margin rates that traders pay higher, too. This is likely to be felt in the housing market. Loans become more expensive; fewer people sign on the dotted line, and this decreased demand can push down prices, which have been on a tear of late.

-The domestic employment situation is strong: The joblessness rate recently ebbed to 3.8%, a nadir it has reached only twice before in the past 50 years. (It notched up to 4% on Friday, not because of layoffs, but rather on a rise in participation in the workforce. A good sign indeed...)

The Fed forecasts the employment situation will continue to tighten, which puts upward pressure on wages. Some argue that a 5% unemployment rate is "full" employment -- that's the normal slack created by people switching jobs. When the level is this low, it causes pressure on wages. It's just basic supply and demand from ECON 101: As scarcity rises, so do wages. When people across the board have more money, they spend more money -- but on the same things. So while people working is a Good Thing, uncontrolled wages tends to generate inflationary pressure.

-Consumers are feeling very good. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index was at 99.3 as of June, up substantially from its 10-year low of 55.3 in November 2008. What makes consumers feel flush? Rising employment, a rising market (that fuels 401(k) balances), and rising home prices. Gas is cheap; credit is plentiful.

-The world is, well, a mess. Japan posted negative economic growth, two consecutive quarters of which means recession. Chinese growth is slowing, and its benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has given up 14.9% of its value so far this year. The European Union is struggling: Italy is embroiled in a political crisis and its banking system is on the rocks, the ripple of which can spread to other nations as the Maastricht treaty that established the euro puts all euro countries on the hook in the event of a bailout. Germany's growth is anemic. Britain is dealing with Brexit. Russia's political situation and stability are questionable.

What Does All This Mean?

Well, I've already told you. You read it here first. Barron's summed it up nicely (emphasis mine): "Hedge fund titans, prominent investors, and bank CEOs alike proclaim that robust growth and burgeoning inflation will prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to 3.5% within the next year, pushing the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield, now 2.9%, closer to 4%."

As that happens, I expect the market to correct. Investors will exit stocks and move to bonds, a classic "flight to quality." Investors would rather accept the lower rate of return from bonds than to risk the potential downside of a correction.

Additionally, I want you to pay close attention to earnings reports this season. Normally I take them in stride -- one quarter does not a successful investment make. But earnings are expected to be strong, and that means Wall Street will be looking for any clue that 1) they aren't, which will mean severe market punishment for an earnings miss, and 2) any comment that suggests a change in the outlook that points to a weakening economy. The recent aggressive trade policies promulgated by the White House are ruffling a lot of international feathers, and that adds another layer of complexity.

My thinking has not changed here. I recommend investors with significant market-facing assets, such as index funds, reallocate those dollars to the safe harbor of fixed income, notably investment grade corporate debt. This will become imperative as the rate on the 10-Year Treasury reaches 3.7% for three consecutive trading days. We're not there yet -- it's about 2.9% -- but we don't want to get caught flat-footed. Best to devise a plan.

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Financial Contrast: Aceto (ACET) & PetIQ (PETQ)

Aceto (NASDAQ: ACET) and PetIQ (NASDAQ:PETQ) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends and profitability.

Analyst Recommendations

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This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Aceto and PetIQ, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Aceto	2	0	0	0	1.00
PetIQ	0	0	6	0	3.00

Aceto presently has a consensus price target of $2.00, suggesting a potential downside of 45.65%. PetIQ has a consensus price target of $28.40, suggesting a potential upside of 6.57%. Given PetIQ’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe PetIQ is more favorable than Aceto.

Dividends

Aceto pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. PetIQ does not pay a dividend. Aceto pays out 3.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Aceto and PetIQ’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Aceto	$638.32 million	0.18	$11.37 million	$1.19	3.09
PetIQ	$266.69 million	2.45	-$3.49 million	$0.39	68.33

Aceto has higher revenue and earnings than PetIQ. Aceto is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than PetIQ, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Aceto and PetIQ’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Aceto	-28.23%	7.93%	2.88%
PetIQ	0.17%	11.39%	6.69%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

70.7% of Aceto shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.0% of PetIQ shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.1% of Aceto shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 45.3% of PetIQ shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

PetIQ beats Aceto on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Aceto

Aceto Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, sources, markets, sells, and distributes finished dosage form generics, nutraceutical products, pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients, agricultural protection products, and specialty chemicals. The company operates in three segments: Human Health, Pharmaceutical Ingredients, and Performance Chemicals. The Human Health segment supplies raw materials used in the production of nutritional and packaged dietary supplements, including vitamins, amino acids, iron compounds, and bio chemicals used in pharmaceutical and nutritional preparations. This segment is also involved in developing and marketing generic pharmaceutical products. It sells its generic prescription and over the counter pharmaceutical products to wholesalers, chain drug stores, distributors, and mass market merchandisers. The Pharmaceutical Ingredients segment offers active pharmaceutical ingredients and pharmaceutical intermediates to various generic drug companies. The Performance Chemicals segment provides specialty chemicals for use in the manufacture of plastics, surface coatings, cosmetics and personal care products, textiles, and fuels and lubricants, as well as for food, flavor, paper, and film industries; dye and pigment intermediates used in the color-producing industries; and organic intermediates used in the production of agrochemicals. Its raw materials are also used in electronic parts for photo tooling, circuit boards, and production of computer chips. This segment also offers agricultural protection products comprising herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, which control weed growth and the spread of insects and microorganisms; and sprout inhibitors for potatoes. The company serves various companies in the industrial chemical, agricultural, and human health and pharmaceutical industries primarily in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Aceto Corporation was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Port Washington, New York.

About PetIQ

PetIQ, Inc. develops, manufactures, and distributes pet medications, and health and wellness products for dogs and cats in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It offers pet prescription medications, including products for arthritis, thyroid, and diabetes and pain treatments, as well as heartworm preventatives, antibiotics, and other specialty medications; over-the-counter medications and supplies, such as flea and tick control products in various forms comprising spot on treatments, chewables, and collars; and health and wellness products consisting of specialty treats and other pet products, which include dental treats and nutritional supplements. The company provides its products primarily under the VetIQ, PetAction Plus, Advecta, PetLock Plus, and TruProfen brands. It sells its products through distributors as well as through retail stores, including approximately 40,000 retail pharmacy locations. PetIQ, Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Eagle, Idaho.

Sell This 17% Dividend Yield and Buy This High-Yield Income Stock Instead

Having invested in the stock market for 20 years now, I've learned one valuable lesson: The best portfolios are almost always filled with high-quality dividend stocks. Aside from the fact that dividend stocks outperform their nondividend-paying brethren over the long run, the former offer a bevy of advantages to investors.

The give-and-take of high-yield investing

To start with, a company that pays a regular dividend is sending a message to Wall Street and investors that it has a time-tested business model capable of consistently generating profits. It's unlikely that a board of directors would share a percentage of a company's income with investors if that board didn't foresee many more years of healthy profits and/or growth.

Image source: Getty Images.

Secondly, dividends are great for helping to partially offset the inevitable declines associated with stock market corrections and bear markets. Even though stocks spend far more time in a bull market than in correction, downside at some point in the future is inevitable. Dividends can help lessen the magnitude of this downside.

And, perhaps most importantly, a regularly paid dividend can be reinvested back into more shares of dividend-paying stock. This can lead to successively more shares of stock being owned, and larger dividend payments being received, in a repeating pattern. This "trick" is what most money managers lean on to pump up the long-term returns of their clients.

But therein lies the rub with dividend stocks: We want the highest yield possible, but with virtually no risk. Unfortunately, yield and risk tend to go hand in hand. In other words, the higher the yield, the more likely it proves unsustainable.

One of the key reasons this is the case is because yield is a function of price. If, for instance, a publicly traded company's share price is halved, its dividend yield will double, probably making it more attractive to income-seeking investors. But if there's an underlying issue with the company's business model, a growing yield may prove to be nothing more than a trap for income investors.

In short, investing in high-yield dividends -- traditionally defined as those with an annual yield of at least 4% -- requires extra scrutiny on the part of investors.

Image source: Getty Images.

It's time to sell this 17% yield stock

As a case in point, consider BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (NYSE:BPT), which is currently paying out an extrapolated $5.10 a year, based on the $1.275 per share it divvied out in April. This is good enough for a better than 17% annual yield, albeit it should be noted that the Trust's payout differs each quarter depending on its royalty revenue and cash earnings.�

Generally speaking, a 17% yield is mouthwatering. At this rate of return, reinvesting your dividends should, in theory, lead to a complete repayment of your initial investment in less than five years, assuming the share price remains static. But BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust is one of those aforementioned yield traps that investors should probably consider running away from.

The Trust's business model is very straightforward. It receives a percentage of production from BP's (NYSE:BP) Prudhoe Bay Alaska operations. This percentage is capped to the first 90,000 barrels per day of production. Given that the Trust's costs tend to be predictable -- concessions to BP and administrative expenses represent the bulk of its costs -- BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust's dividend tends to be intricately tied to the price of oil. If West Texas Intermediate (WTI) significantly increases in price, then the Trust's ability to net more in cash earnings allows it to pay a beefier dividend.

Image source: Getty Images.

Though consistently rising WTI prices have helped lift the share price and aggregate payout of the Trust in recent quarters, there are still reasons for investors to be concerned. For example, the Trust is only expected to last through 2028, whereupon the share price will effectively head to $0 (although this termination date has been fluid in recent years). This means investors have to hope they'd receive more in aggregate dividends between now and 2028 in order to walk away having made money. That might seem easy to do with a greater than $5 annual extrapolated payout, but keep in mind that production is starting to fall.

According to BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust's 10-Q filing, average net production during the first quarter was just 84,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from 91,800 bpd in the year-ago quarter. What's more, the Trust has consistently produced less than 90,000 bpd annually since 2015, and anticipates that production will come in below this level on an annual basis "in most future years." This means that WTI would probably need to rise significantly in order to make this Trust a viable intermediate-term investment -- and, frankly, I don't have that type of confidence.�

And, as icing on the cake, weaker crude prices in March 2016 coerced BP to reduce its rig count in Prudhoe Bay by more than half to just two rigs.�This looks to be a high-yield income stock to avoid.

Image source: Getty Images.

This 11% yield looks mighty attractive

On the other hand, there are companies with a double-digit dividend yield that are legitimately attractive and probably sustainable. Instead of looking at BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust, I'd suggest sticking within the commodity arena and considering coal producer Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP), which is currently yielding 11.5%.

I know what you're probably thinking: "Isn't coal going the way of the dodo bird?" While you are correct that coal has lost substantial ground to cleaner-burning natural gas and has seen renewable energies like solar and wind begin to claw their way up the ranks, it's not exactly a source of energy that's at risk of disappearing anytime soon -- especially with oil and natural gas now well off their 2016 lows. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 1.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity was generated with coal in 2017, working out to a 30.1% share. That trailed natural gas (31.7%), but was ahead of nuclear (20%) and all renewables combined (17.1%). In other words, coal remains relevant, even if lacks the flare of renewable energy.�

What makes Alliance Resource Partners so special is the company's focus on the future, as well as its balance sheet.

When I say "focus on the future," I have two specific meanings. First, the company does an excellent job of locking in volume and pricing commitments for the future. As of the end of its most recent quarter, it had 38 million tons of secured volume and price commitments in 2018 to go along with 17.5 million tons, 11.7 million tons, and 4.8 million tons, in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. For added context, the company expects coal production volume of 40 million tons to 41 million tons in 2018.�Securing deals well in advance ensures predictable cash flow and minimizes the company's exposure to wholesale fluctuations in the price of thermal and/or metallurgical coal.

Image source: Getty Images.

But I also refer to Alliance Resource Partners' export push when I reference its "focus on the future." In 2018, 7.1 million tons of its 38 million in secured volume is headed overseas -- a new record. Last year, it shipped 6.3 million tons to international markets, most of which was thermal coal.�Developing overseas markets are likely to be reliant on coal for decades after the U.S. pushes toward renewable reliance, meaning Alliance Resource Partners is angling to secure its position as a global export leader.

Finally, the company's balance sheet is in far better shape than its debt-riddled peers. With less than $480 million in net debt, the company's 40% debt-to-equity ratio gives it the financial flexibility to make acquisitions, or adjust its output, as management sees fit.

While coal may not be an ideal industry to look for a solid dividend stock, I believe you'd struggle to find a company with a yield north of 10% that's more promising than Alliance Resource Partners.

Atrion (ATRI) Stock Rating Upgraded by BidaskClub

BidaskClub upgraded shares of Atrion (NASDAQ:ATRI) from a strong sell rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

Shares of ATRI stock opened at $604.05 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94 and a beta of 0.63. Atrion has a 52 week low of $516.85 and a 52 week high of $694.00.

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Atrion (NASDAQ:ATRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.56 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $39.40 million for the quarter. Atrion had a net margin of 23.82% and a return on equity of 19.34%.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 15th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 14th.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ATRI. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in Atrion by 18.1% in the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 101,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $64,344,000 after purchasing an additional 15,638 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Atrion by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 100,724 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $63,516,000 after purchasing an additional 2,549 shares in the last quarter. BancorpSouth Bank purchased a new stake in Atrion in the 4th quarter worth $1,426,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Atrion by 246.8% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,719 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 1,935 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Atrion by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 59,700 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $37,647,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

About Atrion

Atrion Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells products for fluid delivery, cardiovascular, and ophthalmology applications worldwide. Its fluid delivery products include valves that fill, hold, and release controlled amounts of fluids or gasses for use in various intubation, intravenous, catheter, and other applications in the anesthesia and oncology fields, as well as promote infection control in hospital and home healthcare environments.

BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA Has $596,000 Holdings in Brandywine Realty Trust (BDN)

BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA raised its stake in Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE:BDN) by 18.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,507 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 5,861 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA’s holdings in Brandywine Realty Trust were worth $596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Brandywine Realty Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $274,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in Brandywine Realty Trust by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 314,839 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,000,000 after buying an additional 45,064 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Brandywine Realty Trust by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,902,667 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $46,094,000 after buying an additional 86,964 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can grew its holdings in Brandywine Realty Trust by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 121,145 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after buying an additional 10,451 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brinker Capital Inc. grew its holdings in Brandywine Realty Trust by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Brinker Capital Inc. now owns 70,998 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after buying an additional 14,370 shares in the last quarter.

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Several brokerages have issued reports on BDN. ValuEngine cut Brandywine Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Brandywine Realty Trust from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 24th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Brandywine Realty Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 17th. SunTrust Banks set a $18.00 target price on Brandywine Realty Trust and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut Brandywine Realty Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.17.

NYSE BDN opened at $16.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 3.74 and a quick ratio of 3.74. Brandywine Realty Trust has a twelve month low of $15.20 and a twelve month high of $18.69.

Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE:BDN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $136.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $133.17 million. Brandywine Realty Trust had a return on equity of 8.37% and a net margin of 27.38%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. equities analysts expect that Brandywine Realty Trust will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 5th. Brandywine Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.96%.

About Brandywine Realty Trust

Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) is one of the largest, publicly traded, full-service, integrated real estate companies in the United States with a core focus in the Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Austin markets. Organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), we own, develop, lease and manage an urban, town center and transit-oriented portfolio comprising 185 properties and 25.3 million square feet as of December 31, 2017, which excludes assets held for sale.

McDonald’s, Chevron Boost the Dow Thursday

June 7, 2018: Markets opened slightly mixed Thursday and only the blue chips were able to keep trading in the green from the entire day. The tech sector took the brunt of the beating and traded down more than 1% late in the afternoon, dragging the Nasdaq Composite with it. The day’s top performing sector was energy, up more than 1.5%.

WTI crude oil for July delivery closed at $65.95 a barrel, up about 1.9% for the day. August gold added about 0.1% on the day to settle at $1,303.00. Equities were headed for a mixed �close about 10 minutes before the bell as the Dow traded up 0.30% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.16%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded down 0.76%.

Bitcoin futures (XBTM8) for June delivery traded at $7,700, up about 2.3% on the CBOE after opening at $7,645 this morning. The trading range today was $7,645 to $7,770.

The Dow stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Thursday was McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) which traded up 4.38% at $169.50. The stock’s 52-week range is $146.84 to $178.70. Volume was about 20% above the daily average of around 4 million shares. The fast-food giant’s stock received an analyst’s upgrade this morning. The WSJ reports that the company also plans a new round of layoffs. That always perks up the stock.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) traded up 3.00% at $127.08 in a 52-week range of $102.55 to $133.88. Volume was about equal to the daily average of around 6.7 million shares. The company had no specific news.

The Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) traded up 1.74% at $75.64. The stock’s 52-week range is $70.73 to $94.67. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 9.4 million. Activist investor Nelson Peltz reportedly said that P&G’s board is considering his plan to revive the company.

The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) traded up 1.24% at $195.99. The stock’s 52-week range is $144.25 to $207.61. Volume was about 25% below the daily average of around 4.8 million. The company had no specific news.

Of the Dow stocks, 20 are on track to close higher Thursday and 10 are set to close lower.

ALSO READ: Jefferies Analysts Out With Top Stock Picks Before Big Health Care Conference

Forbes - Investing Information and Investing News - Forbes.com","description":"Forbes is a leading s

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty size-large wp-image-963066732&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/963066732/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

There&s;s $350 million in student loan forgiveness available on a first-come, first served basis.

Here&s;s what you need to know and how to apply.

&l;strong&g;Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness

&l;/strong&g;

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education &l;a href=&q;https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service/temporary-expanded-public-service-loan-forgiveness?utm_content=&a;amp;utm_medium=email&a;amp;utm_name=&a;amp;utm_source=govdelivery&a;amp;utm_term=&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;added&l;/a&g; a page to its website with details of the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 appropriated $350 million in funds for student loan borrowers who previously chose an ineligible repayment plan as part of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

If you meet all the requirements for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, but were enrolled in an ineligible repayment plan (namely the graduated or extended repayment plans), then now you may have a second chance for student loan forgiveness.

The funds are available until they are exhausted.

&l;strong&g;How To Apply For Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness&l;/strong&g;

The &l;a href=&q;https://www.makelemonade.co/public-service-loan-forgiveness-guide/&q; target=&q;_blank&q; rel=&q;nofollow noopener noreferrer&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Public Service Loan Forgiveness&l;/a&g; program is a federal program that forgives federal student loans for borrowers who are employed full-time (more than 30 hours per week) in an eligible federal, state or local public service job or 501(c)(3) non-profit job who make 120 eligible on-time payments over 10 years.

More than 700,000 borrowers have completed an employment certification form for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. However, many don&s;t meet the requirements.

Here&s;s what you need to know to ensure that you qualify:

&l;strong&g;1. You must work for a qualifying public service employer in a qualifying public service role&l;/strong&g;

You must work in a qualifying public service role for a qualifying employer. Typically, there are two general types:

- state, local and federal government

- 501(c)(3) non-profit

If you work for another employer not covered under these two categories, you can contact the U.S. Department of Education to determine if your role and organization qualify.

&l;strong&g;2. You must have direct, federal student loans&l;/strong&g;

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program does not forgive private student loans - even if you work in public service.

If you work in the private sector or work for a non-profit in a non-public service role, you will not qualify for this program. You must have Direct, federal student loans such as Stafford loans to qualify.

You can confirm with your student loan servicer that you have Direct student loans, or check through Federal Student Aid.

You also can consolidate your federal student loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan with the federal government to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

&l;strong&g;3. You must be enrolled in a federal repayment program&l;/strong&g;

You also must be enrolled in an income-driven federal repayment program. You then must make 120 on-time, monthly payments (over 10 years) to qualify.

You can determine which student loan repayment plan works best for you with these &l;a href=&q;https://www.makelemonade.co/calculators&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;student loan calculators&l;/a&g;.

&l;strong&g;4. You must have applied for Public Service Loan Forgiveness and have been rejected&l;/strong&g;

You must have had your application denied only because some or all of your payments were not made under a qualifying repayment plan for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

&l;strong&g;What are the additional qualifying repayment plans?&l;/strong&g;

The Education Department will reconsider your application with an expanded list of qualifying repayment plans, even if these repayment plans do not usually count under Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

The additional qualifying repayment plans include the Graduated Repayment Plan, Extended Repayment Plan, Consolidation Standard Repayment Plan and Consolidation Graduated Repayment Plan.

&l;strong&g;How do you apply for Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness?&l;/strong&g;

Follow these three steps:

Follow these steps to request TEPSLF consideration:

&l;/p&g;&l;ol&g;&l;li&g;Email FedLoan Servicing to request that the Education Department reconsider your eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Include the same name under which you submitted your Public Service Loan Forgiveness application and your date of birth in the email.&l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Send the email to &l;a id=&q;anch_129&q; href=&q;mailto:TEPSLF@myfedloan.org&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;TEPSLF@myfedloan.org&l;/a&g;.&l;/li&g;

&l;/ol&g;

Here is a sample template email that you can use:

To: TEPSLF@myfedloan.org

Subject: TEPSLF request

I request that the U.S. Department of Education respectfully reconsider my eligibility for public service loan forgiveness.

&l;ul&g;&l;li&g;Name: &l;/li&g;

&l;li&g;Date of Birth: &l;/li&g;

&l;/ul&g;

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Your Name

You will receive a response from FedLoan Servicing once your request has been reviewed. Separately, you can contact FedLoan Servicing at 1-855-265-4038 from 8 a.m.&a;ndash; 9 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

&l;strong&g;Can Your Loan Be Forgiven Under This Program Even If You Don&s;t Work In Public Service?&l;/strong&g;

While your student loans won&s;t be forgiven, you may be able to lower your interest rate through student loan refinancing. A lower interest rate can save substantial interest payments over the life of your student loans.

With &l;a href=&q;https://www.makelemonade.co/5-reasons-refinance-student-loans/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;student loan refinance&l;/a&g;, you can combine your existing private student loans and/or federal student loans into a new, single student loan with a lower interest rate and one monthly payment. Your new student loan will be a private student loan with a single student loan servicer, which makes it easier to manage your monthly payment.

You won&s;t have access to federal repayment plans and benefits, but many private student loan lenders now offer forbearance and deferral programs for economic hardship.

With student loan refinancing, depending on your current interest rate, loan balance, income and credit profile, you could receive a lower interest rate that could help you save substantially. The higher your loan balance, the more you can potentially save.

&l;!--donotpaginate--&g;

Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware Sells 2,073 Shares of Chevron Co. (CVX)

Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware trimmed its holdings in Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,967 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,073 shares during the period. Chevron makes up approximately 0.9% of Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware’s holdings in Chevron were worth $6,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fusion Family Wealth LLC grew its position in Chevron by 192.6% in the 4th quarter. Fusion Family Wealth LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 838 shares during the last quarter. Lenox Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Chevron by 15,555.6% in the 4th quarter. Lenox Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,409 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $176,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Lesa Sroufe & Co purchased a new position in Chevron in the 3rd quarter valued at $201,000. WCM Investment Management CA purchased a new position in Chevron in the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Independence Trust CO purchased a new position in Chevron in the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. 64.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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In related news, CEO Michael K. Wirth sold 130,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.00, for a total value of $16,640,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 130,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,640,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP R. Hewitt Pate sold 25,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.97, for a total transaction of $3,110,235.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 25,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,110,235. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 386,500 shares of company stock valued at $49,748,880 in the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Shares of Chevron opened at $122.19 on Monday, Marketbeat reports. Chevron Co. has a twelve month low of $102.55 and a twelve month high of $133.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $233.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.02, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 27th. The oil and gas company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.45. Chevron had a net margin of 6.95% and a return on equity of 5.83%. The firm had revenue of $37.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. analysts expect that Chevron Co. will post 7.6 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 11th. Investors of record on Friday, May 18th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 17th. Chevron’s payout ratio is 121.08%.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CVX. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Chevron from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Credit Suisse Group boosted their target price on shares of Chevron from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 30th. Vetr lowered shares of Chevron from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $122.05 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 26th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 7th. Finally, Societe Generale upgraded shares of Chevron from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.52.

Chevron Company Profile

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in integrated energy, chemicals, and petroleum operations worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as operates a gas-to-liquids plant.

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Billionaire owner of Le Figaro and Dassault Aviation dies

The billionaire owner of France's Le Figaro newspaper and jet maker Dassault has died.

Serge Dassault was 93 when he passed away on Monday, his family announced.

The industrialist and media magnate was one of France's richest men, with a fortune estimated by Forbes at about $26 billion.

In a short statement, the Dassault family announced that Serge Dassault "died at his office on the Champs �lys茅es, following a heart attack."

In an article published on its website, Le Figaro described him as "the head of one of the wealthiest dynasties in France and one of the most influential and powerful family holdings."

The diversified group he inherited from his father �� Marcel Dassault �� employs about 18,000 people and is a world leader in aviation, making Falcon private jets as well as the Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter aircraft.

It owns Dassault Syst猫mes (DASTY), which provides 3D computer-aided design software for industry, wine estates, an auction house and several very valuable works of art.

Serge Dassault also had a political career, serving as a conservative senator and mayor.

-- Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this article

Qts Realty Trust Inc (QTS) CEO Chad L. Williams Bought $1.8 million of Shares

CEO of Qts Realty Trust Inc (NYSE:QTS) Chad L. Williams bought 50,000 shares of QTS on 05/23/2018 at an average price of $35.68 a share. The total cost of this purchase was $1.8 million.

QTS Realty Trust Inc is a real estate investment trust in the United States. Its properties mainly include data centers which are mainly located in the United States and in other locations such as Canada, Europe, and Asia. QTS Realty Trust Inc has a market cap of $1.93 billion; its shares were traded at around $37.80 with and P/S ratio of 4.56. The dividend yield of QTS Realty Trust Inc stocks is 4.19%. QTS Realty Trust Inc had annual average EBITDA growth of 13.70% over the past five years.

CEO Recent Trades:

CEO Chad L. Williams bought 50,000 shares of QTS stock on 05/23/2018 at the average price of $35.68. The price of the stock has increased by 5.94% since.CEO Chad L. Williams bought 62,757 shares of QTS stock on 05/22/2018 at the average price of $34.86. The price of the stock has increased by 8.43% since.

CFO Recent Trades:

CFO Jeffrey H. Berson bought 15,000 shares of QTS stock on 05/21/2018 at the average price of $34.89. The price of the stock has increased by 8.34% since.

Directors and Officers Recent Trades:

Chief People Officer Steven C Bloom bought 1,000 shares of QTS stock on 05/23/2018 at the average price of $35.08. The price of the stock has increased by 7.75% since.Director Philip P Trahanas bought 60,000 shares of QTS stock on 05/21/2018 at the average price of $34.72. The price of the stock has increased by 8.87% since.Director Peter Marino bought 10,000 shares of QTS stock on 05/21/2018 at the average price of $34.51. The price of the stock has increased by 9.53% since.

For the complete insider trading history of QTS, click here

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First Midwest Bancorp (FMBI) Reaches New 1-Year High and Low at $26.92

First Midwest Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMBI) reached a new 52-week high and low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $26.92 and last traded at $26.74, with a volume of 58961 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.22.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS upgraded shares of First Midwest Bancorp from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 28th. Raymond James upgraded shares of First Midwest Bancorp from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 28th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of First Midwest Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. BidaskClub lowered shares of First Midwest Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 28th. Finally, ValuEngine lowered shares of First Midwest Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $26.67.

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The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.13.

First Midwest Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMBI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.05). First Midwest Bancorp had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 7.59%. The company had revenue of $154.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.44 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.34 earnings per share. equities research analysts forecast that First Midwest Bancorp will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 29th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 28th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. First Midwest Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.59%.

In other First Midwest Bancorp news, EVP Michael C. Spitler sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total value of $246,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,974.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert P. Omeara sold 5,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total transaction of $137,800.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 101,382 shares of company stock valued at $2,635,462. 1.69% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in First Midwest Bancorp by 2.7% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 800,384 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,682,000 after buying an additional 20,910 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its holdings in First Midwest Bancorp by 2,114.0% in the first quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 150,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $151,000 after buying an additional 143,859 shares in the last quarter. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB increased its holdings in First Midwest Bancorp by 44.9% in the first quarter. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB now owns 17,432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Trust Group LLC increased its holdings in First Midwest Bancorp by 47.9% in the first quarter. Atlantic Trust Group LLC now owns 31,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $763,000 after buying an additional 10,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in First Midwest Bancorp by 2.2% in the first quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 211,510 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,192,000 after buying an additional 4,615 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About First Midwest Bancorp

First Midwest Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for First Midwest Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company accepts checking, NOW, money market, and savings accounts, as well as various types of short-term and long-term certificates of deposit. Its loan products include working capital loans and lines of credit; accounts receivable financing; inventory and equipment financing; sector-based lending, including healthcare, asset-based lending, structured finance, and syndications; agricultural loans; and mortgages, home equity lines and loans, personal loans, specialty loans, and auto loans, as well as funding for the construction, purchase, refinance, or improvement of commercial real estate properties.

Synthetic Biologics, Inc. (SYN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Synthetic Biologics, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:SYN) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $2.63.

Several analysts have commented on SYN shares. HC Wainwright started coverage on shares of Synthetic Biologics in a research report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Synthetic Biologics from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $0.25 target price for the company in a research report on Saturday, May 12th. Finally, Griffin Securities cut shares of Synthetic Biologics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 9th.

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Shares of Synthetic Biologics opened at $0.25 on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. Synthetic Biologics has a 52 week low of $0.23 and a 52 week high of $0.27.

Synthetic Biologics (NYSEAMERICAN:SYN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.03.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYN. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Synthetic Biologics by 312.1% in the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 241,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 183,120 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its stake in Synthetic Biologics by 256.1% in the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 299,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 215,440 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in Synthetic Biologics by 14.8% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 1,980,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 255,096 shares during the period. Finally, 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Synthetic Biologics in the 4th quarter worth $762,000.

About Synthetic Biologics

Synthetic Biologics, Inc, a late-stage clinical company, develops therapeutics designed to preserve the microbiome to protect and restore the health of patients. Its lead product candidates are in Phase III development, such as SYN-004 that is designed to protect the gut microbiome from the effects of commonly used intravenous (IV) beta-lactam antibiotics for the prevention of C.

Zacks: Brokerages Expect Agios Pharmaceuticals (AGIO) to Post -$1.66 EPS

Equities research analysts forecast that Agios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AGIO) will announce earnings per share (EPS) of ($1.66) for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Three analysts have provided estimates for Agios Pharmaceuticals’ earnings, with the lowest EPS estimate coming in at ($1.69) and the highest estimate coming in at ($1.62). Agios Pharmaceuticals posted earnings of ($1.78) per share in the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year-over-year growth rate of 6.7%. The firm is expected to issue its next earnings results on Tuesday, August 14th.

On average, analysts expect that Agios Pharmaceuticals will report full-year earnings of ($6.51) per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from ($6.73) to ($6.40). For the next financial year, analysts anticipate that the company will post earnings of ($4.83) per share, with EPS estimates ranging from ($6.30) to ($0.89). Zacks Investment Research’s earnings per share calculations are an average based on a survey of research firms that that provide coverage for Agios Pharmaceuticals.

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Agios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AGIO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.63) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.60) by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $8.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.93 million. Agios Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 822.32% and a negative return on equity of 61.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted ($1.56) EPS.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Credit Suisse Group set a $95.00 price objective on Agios Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 7th. SunTrust Banks set a $115.00 price objective on Agios Pharmaceuticals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 7th. ValuEngine raised Agios Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 2nd. Cann reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, April 17th. Finally, BidaskClub raised Agios Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Agios Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.40.

NASDAQ:AGIO opened at $86.99 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a PE ratio of -12.89 and a beta of 1.98. Agios Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $45.96 and a fifty-two week high of $89.33.

In related news, insider Steven L. Hoerter sold 2,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.95, for a total value of $176,197.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $176,197.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher Bowden sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.10, for a total value of $170,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $245,173.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 62,950 shares of company stock valued at $5,102,838 in the last ninety days. 3.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Profund Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Agios Pharmaceuticals by 4.3% in the first quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 15,875 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,298,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Agios Pharmaceuticals by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 2,600 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in Agios Pharmaceuticals by 3.4% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 36,100 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,410,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board raised its holdings in Agios Pharmaceuticals by 15.7% in the first quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 9,904 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $810,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in Agios Pharmaceuticals by 74.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,551 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.13% of the company’s stock.

About Agios Pharmaceuticals

Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery and development of medicines for the treatment of cancer and rare genetic metabolic disorders in the United States. It is developing IDHIFA, a potent inhibitor of the mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 2 protein that is in Phase I/II clinical trials for patients with advanced hematologic malignancies with an IDH 2 mutation; Phase III clinical trial for patients with IDH2 mutant-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML); Phase Ib frontline combination trial for patients with newly diagnosed AML with an IDH2 or IDH1 mutation; and Phase I/II frontline combination trial for patients with newly diagnosed AML.

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