IBM Corp. (IBM) has signed an agreement to buy Spanugo, a US-based provider of cybersecurity solutions, to help meet the security demands of its public cloud business.The terms of the deal were not disclosed. IBM said that it will integrate the Spanugo software into its public cloud to support stringent safety requirements of its clients in highly regulated industries. Shares rose 2.4% to $124.62 in pre-market trading.At the end of last year, IBM said that it was building a financial services-specific public cloud, the first of its kind, to help address the requirements of institutions, such as banks, for regulatory compliance, security and resiliency.The Spanugo software will provide preventative and compensatory controls for financial services regulatory workloads, proactive and automated security, leveraging the industry's highest levels of encryption certification. The software includes a security control center that will enable IBM clients to define compliance profiles, manage controls and, in real time, monitor compliance across their organization."IBM is committed to building the industry's most secure and open public cloud for business," said Howard Boville, SVP at IBM Cloud. "Bringing Spanugo's technology into our financial services public cloud will help provide our clients with evidence of their ongoing compliance, in real time."Compliance and security management has become more complex as more and more clients move significant and sensitive workloads to the cloud, IBM added. Businesses in highly regulated industries, including financial services, healthcare, insurance, telco and more, need cloud platforms that can protect sensitive information and run workloads subject to strict regulatory and compliance guidelines.Once integrated into IBM’s public cloud services, the Spanugo software will also aim to reduce the likelihood of a successful cyber attack.Shares in IBM, which have surged some 28% in the past two months, are now down just over 9% year-to-date.Bank of America’s Wamsi Mohan maintains a Buy rating on the stock with a $145 price target, saying that IBM will benefit from doubling down on the shift to hybrid cloud, synergies and incremental cost cuts resulting from last year’s Red Hat acquisition, and a strong financial position.Turning now to Wall Street, analysts are cautiously optimistic about the stock’s outlook. The Moderate Buy consensus breaks down into 4 Buy ratings versus 8 Hold ratings. The $132.36 average price target suggests shares have 8.8% upside potential in the coming 12 months. (See IBM stock analysis on TipRanks).Related News: Accenture To Snap Up Sentelis In Latest AI-Boosting Move AT&T Mulls $4 Billion Sale Of Gaming Division- Report Match Group and Bumble Put To Bed All Litigation Claims More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Acadia Files Nuplazid Label Expansion; Analyst Sees 'Significant' Potential * Honeywell Forms Unmanned Aerial Systems Unit For Drones Market * Jazz Pharma Scores Surprise Early Approval For Lung Cancer Treatment * Chesapeake Energy To File For Bankruptcy, Potentially This Week- Report

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In May 2012, Hanson and Michael Rowe noticed an overpowering smell, like rotten eggs, seeping from an abandoned gas well on their land in Kentucky. The actual amount could be as much as three times higher, the EPA says, because of incomplete data.

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Among social media platforms, Snap (SNAP) has been 2020’s best performer – up year-to-date by 27%. COVID-19 has resulted in increased engagement and Snap has been gaining credibility among users for several reasons – confidence in the app’s promoted products and principled stand against misinformation, have both played their part.Last week’s virtual Snap Partner Summit had enough highlights to keep users happy and offered new features, services, and partnerships.Snap unveiled Snap Minis, bite size third party apps which operate in the Snap Chat section. Minis can be used among friends and save the hassle of switching to different apps by completing tasks in Snapchat. The initiative has partners including Coachella, movie ticketing app Atom Tickets and meditation app Headspace.Snap now has a navigation bar for the first time, has added new camera innovations such as the ability to “scan” plants and dogs, and has added Voice Scan, a partnership with SoundHound, that lets users activate a Lens with their voice.Furthermore, the company has just revealed a new partnership with game maker Zynga, which will create multiplayer games exclusively on the Snap platform.There’s a lot to like about the social media app, says Monness analyst Brian White. However, “given the macro environment and concerns around competition,” the 5-star analyst remains on the sidelines for now. Long term, White remains confident in Snap’s ability to execute, but the coming months will be challenging, nonetheless.White added, “The digital ad market enjoys a strong secular trend that has fueled the growth of companies such as Snap, and we expect the shift from traditional advertising to digital advertising to continue; however, all ad spending is sensitive to the vicissitudes of the economy. Although we expect Snap to struggle with a weakening digital ad spending environment in 2020, we look for the shift toward digital advertising, and away from traditional advertising, to eventually accelerate over the next couple of years as the COVID-19 crisis acts as a catalyst for advertisers to more expeditiously move away from traditional venues.”Accordingly, White has a Neutral rating on Snap with no fixed price target in mind. (To watch White’s track record, click here)The Street’s view on Snap presents a strange conundrum. On the one hand, based on 20 Buys, 8 Holds and 1 Sell, the disappearing photo app has a Moderate Buy consensus rating. However, the average price target of $18.59 represents possible downside of nearly 9%. It will be interesting to see whether the analysts downgrade their ratings or upgrade price targets over the coming months. (See SNAP price targets and analyst ratings on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

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