Author: therawinformant

The markets have been showing mixed messages lately. A look at the chart shows that the NASDAQ’s rate of climb has been slowing recently, although it remains at record high levels. At the same time, the S&P 500 is holding just over 3,200, putting the index back within 5% of its all-time peak – but the Dow Jones appears to have hit a plateau. All of this raises some questions about the future of the market’s bull rally.Chief among those questions are worries about the resurgence of COVID-19 and the possibility of further lockdown policies. The state of California – which by itself is the world’s fifth largest economy, valued at over $2.6 trillion – has recently reimposed severe social distancing rules along with restrictions on businesses. Even Texas has imposed a mask mandate.Worried investors are looking for safety, which will naturally renew interest in dividend stocks. But not just any dividend stocks. Too many companies have cut back on their payments, or suspended them altogether; investors will need to exercise some due diligence in making choices.Fortunately, we can turn to the TipRanks database to the do that legwork. You can still find solid stocks featuring yields above 5%, and upside potentials starting over 40%. For investors seeking portfolio protection, these could be just what the doctor ordered. Now, 5-star analysts at JPMorgan have been reviewing companies that fit the profile; here are their takes on two of them.Kennedy-Wilson Holdings (KW)We will start with a real estate investment company. Kennedy-Wilson owns, operates, and manages a range of office and multi-family residential properties in the UK, Ireland, and the Western US. KW differs from real estate investment trusts in that it also acts as a real estate broker, primarily for clients in the financial services industry. The company currently has over $18 billion in assets under management.Kennedy-Wilson saw earnings slip in the first half of this year, as the coronavirus pandemic cut into operations and income streams. The Q1 results showed EPS of 26 cents, 18% below the forecast. Despite the earnings setback, the company has kept up its commitment to the dividend. Early in June, the company declared its Q2 dividend, which it paid out on July 9. The payment was 22 cents per share, in line with the previous two quarters. KW has been gradually raising its dividend payment for the past 9 years. The current dividend annualizes to 88 cents per share, with a yield of 5.42%.JPM’s 5-star analyst Anthony Paolone is bullish on KW, writing, “We think the combination of the dividend yield, growth in NAV/share in the mid-single-digits that should return in 2021/2022, and the potential to narrow the NAV/share discount should all combine for a compelling IRR.”Getting into some specifics of KW’s business approach, Paolone underlines the reasons for a bullish outlook: “We particularly like its focus on value-add apartments in the Western U.S. and its developments in Dublin. The stock’s NAV discount offers an attractive entry point, and we see core growth, development/re-development, and growth in its investment management business as all driving NAV/share higher in the coming years.”Paolone backs his Buy rating on the stock with a $20 price target that suggests a 30% one-year upside. (To watch Paolone’s track record, click here)KW shares are selling for $15.44, and the average price target, at $22, indicates an even more bullish upside than Paolone allows: 42%. KW's Strong Buy analyst consensus rating is unanimous, based on 3 recent reviews. (See KW stock analysis on TipRanks)Navient (NAVI)Higher education is big business, at least in part because student loans have fueled the tuition cash flow. Navient, which services 10 million individual student loans worth a collective $300 billion, is at the center of this huge industry. The COVID-19 crisis, and the attendant economic downturn, have put pressure on Navient, as loan customers have had difficulty making payments. At the same time, Navient benefits from provisions of Federal law that prevent student loans from being discharged in bankruptcy; the company is assured a steady income stream, even in poor economic conditions.That fact has kept NAVI’s revenues in positive territory during 1H20, despite steep drops year-over-year. Q1 saw net earnings fall from 67 cents to 51 cents, while Q2 is expected to show a further decline to 48 cents per share. The company shored up its liquidity position by debt issuances in Q1, to the tune of $2.6 billion.On a positive note, during the first half, Navient settled a 2018 lawsuit brought by teachers’ union members. The plaintiffs alleged that the company had directed them to the incorrect loan payment assistance programs, resulting in each plaintiff making payments that were not necessary – and could have been forgiven under other federal programs. In the settlement, Navient admitted no wrongdoing, but agreed to fund programs to educate both borrowers and loan officers on payment assistance and forgiveness programs.With a firm liquidity position, and a major lawsuit out of the way, Navient has been able to maintain its dividend payments. The company continued its dividend in both Q1 and Q2, keeping the payment stable at 16 cents per share. The 64-cent annualized amount gives the stock a dividend yield of 8.54%. This is far higher than investors are likely to find elsewhere; the average dividend offers about a 2% yield. And at 10%, the payout ratio indicates that this dividend is safe – the company can easily afford it at current income levels.JPM’s 5-star analyst Richard Shane sees NAVI shares doing well over the coming year, headwinds coming later in 2021. He writes, “We expect Navient will be more impacted in the near term by forbearance trends and is likely to receive questions about the Department of Education’s June announcement of the five servicers selected, of which Navient was not one, for the federal student loan program. While the latter is likely to be a matter of keen interest to investors, we note that the economic impact to Navient is likely to be delayed for at least 12-24 months.”In line with his outlook, Shane rates NAVI a Buy for now, and his 12-month price target of $8 suggests an 12% upside for the stock. (To watch Shane’s track record, click here)Overall, NAVI shares have a Moderate Buy rating from the analyst consensus, based on 3 Buy and 2 Hold reviews set in recent weeks. The stock’s $10.30 average price target is more bullish than Shane’s above, and implies a one-year upside of 43%. (See Navient stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for dividend 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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CALGARY, AB, July 20, 2020 /CNW/ – Touchstone Exploration Inc. (“Touchstone”, “we”, “our”, “us” or the “Company”) (TSX: TXP), (LSE: TXP) announces highlights of our independent reserves evaluation of the Cascadura Assessment Area prepared by GLJ Ltd. (“GLJ”) with an effective date of June 30, 2020 (the “Cascadura Reserves Report”). The Cascadura Assessment Area is located in the Company’s Ortoire exploration block, onshore in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (Touchstone 80% working interest operator, Heritage Petroleum Company Limited 20% working interest).

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Digital Turbine, Inc. (NASDAQ:APPS), might not be a large cap stock, but it received a lot of attention from a…

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Mass demonstrations triggered by the arrest of a local governor in Russia’s Far East have grown into a wave of dissatisfaction over social and economic struggles and the rule of Vladimir Putin, despite the president’s recent referendum victory. Photo: Evgenii Pereverzev/Reuters

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BeiGene (BGNE) and Assembly Biosciences (ASMB) have announced a new collaboration in China for Assembly’s three clinical-stage core inhibitor candidates for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Shares in ASMB are surging 9% in Monday’s pre-market trading, while BGNE is up 3%.Under the terms of the agreement, Assembly has granted BeiGene exclusive rights to develop and commercialize ABI-H0731, ABI-H2158 and ABI-H3733 in China, including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. ABI-H0731 and ABI-H2158 are in ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials and ABI-H3733 is in Phase 1 development.BeiGene will be responsible for development, regulatory submissions, and commercialization in China. Assembly retains full worldwide rights outside of the partnered territory for its HBV portfolio.Assembly will receive an upfront cash payment of $40 million plus up to $500 million in potential development, regulatory and net sales milestone payments. Assembly is also eligible to receive tiered royalties of net sales. BeiGene will contribute initial funding for clinical development in China, after which the development costs for the territory will be shared equally by the parties.“This collaboration with Assembly expands our portfolio beyond oncology to liver diseases, which are highly prevalent and represent a high unmet need in China,” said John Oyler, BeiGene CEO. “Since one-third of the world’s individuals living with chronic hepatitis B are in China, we are committed to leveraging our capabilities to further develop these novel therapies for patients with HBV infection.”Chronic HBV infection is a debilitating disease of the liver that afflicts over 250 million people worldwide with up to 90 million people in China, as estimated by the World Health Organization. HBV is a global epidemic that affects more people than hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infection combined—with a higher morbidity and mortality rate.The current standard of care for patients with chronic HBV infection is life-long suppressive treatment with medications that reduce, but do not eliminate, the virus, resulting in very low cure rates.BeiGene currently markets two internally-discovered oncology products: BTK inhibitor BRUKINSA (zanubrutinib) in the United States and China, and anti-PD-1 antibody tislelizumab in China.“BGNE shares have appreciated 20% YTD (~70% in the last 9 months) and we expect further upside as Brukinsa (zanubrutinib) and tislelizumab (‘tisle’) continue to gain approvals, particularly in larger indications such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for tisle, for instance” cheered Maxim’s Jason McCarthy on July 10.“Given the robust early-stage pipeline that appears to be rapidly advancing in the clinic, in addition to the ongoing late-stage clinical programs, we reiterate our Buy rating and raise our PT to $250, from $190” the analyst added.Indeed, BGNE boasts a Strong Buy Street consensus, with 5 recent buy ratings and just 1 hold rating. However, due to the recent rally, the average analyst price target now indicates 7% downside potential from current levels. (See BeiGene stock analysis on TipRanks)Related News: Pfizer, BioNTech Ink UK Supply Deal For 30M Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Allergan Withdraws EU, Japan Filing For Macular Degeneration Drug GSK Buys 10% Stake In Germany’s CureVac To Develop mRNA Vaccines More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Amazon Exports From India-Based Sellers Crosses $2B Mark – Report * Grifols Buys Plasma Assets From Green Cross For $460M To Boost Canada Business * Allergan Withdraws EU, Japan Filing For Macular Degeneration Drug * Ebay On Cusp Of Selling Classified-Ads Unit To Adevinta – Report

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(Bloomberg) — Angela Merkel promoted Wirecard AG during a past state visit to China, the latest revelation about the government’s association with the fallen German tech darling.Opposition lawmakers are threatening to call for a parliamentary investigation as they press Merkel’s administration over how it pursued fraud allegations against a member of Germany’s benchmark DAX index.Underscoring the impact of the scandal, the finance committee in Germany’s lower house of parliament plans to interrupt the summer recess to hold a special session on July 29 to discuss Wirecard.Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Economy Minister Peter Altmaier have been invited, as well as officials from the government’s Financial Reporting Enforcement Panel, according to Daniel Bayaz, a lawmaker from the Green party.‘Last Chance’“The government needs to end its piecemeal approach and finally put everything on the table,” Bayaz said via email, calling next week’s hearing the “last chance” for the government to avoid a parliamentary investigation.Wirecard became a national disgrace when it said last month that a quarter of its balance sheet probably doesn’t exist. That set off a blame game between banks, auditors and public authorities and revealed large gaps in the country’s accounting oversight.Questions have also been raised about what government officials knew about Wirecard’s problems and when they were informed about them. Scholz was aware of suspicions of market manipulation at the digital payments company in February 2019, almost a year and a half before it collapsed.Merkel has kept the scandal at arm’s length, but now risks being drawn in.“During her discussions in China, the chancellor mentioned Wirecard along with topics affecting other companies,” Merkel’s deputy spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Monday at a regular government press conference in Berlin, noting that advocating for German companies is standard practice during such trips.“The chancellor definitely wasn’t aware of irregularities at Wirecard at the time,” she added, without specifying the time frame.(Updates with details of planned committee hearing)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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VANCOUVER, BC and ERIE Pa., July 20, 2020 /CNW/ – ImagineAR Inc. (CSE: IP) (OTCQB: IPNFF) (“ImagineAR” or “Company”) an Augmented Reality Company that enables sports teams, businesses, retailers and organizations to instantly create their own AR mobile campaigns, is pleased to announce the signing of an MOU with Loop Insights Inc. (TSXV: MTRX) (“Loop”), a provider of contactless solutions and Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) to drive marketing and real-time consumer insights. The integration of each company’s respective technologies into a singular platform will deliver personalized promotions and targeted engagement, leading to higher conversions and transaction revenue in the professional sports, entertainment and retail industries. On July 13, 2020 Loop announced the acceleration of conversations and projects with two of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies, as well as, two of the largest network providers in the United States.

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Noble’s assets will expand Chevron’s presence in the DJ Basin of Colorado and the Permian Basin across West Texas and New Mexico. Chevron’s offer comes more than a year after it was forced to abandon its takeover bid for Anadarko Petroleum Corp, outmaneuvered by Occidental Petroleum Corp’s higher offer.

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(Bloomberg) — Billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Group is seeking a valuation north of $200 billion as it goes public in Hong Kong and Shanghai, people familiar with the matter said, kicking off a landmark coming-out party for China’s leader in internet finance.The parent of China’s largest mobile payment company will pursue a simultaneous dual-listing in Hong Kong and on the Shanghai stock exchange’s STAR board, the Hangzhou-based firm said, in what promises to be one of the largest debuts in years. Ant is already more richly valued than most Wall Street firms and, if conditions are favorable, it could seek to raise more in its IPOs than Saudi Aramco’s record $29 billion haul, one of the people said, asking not to be identified talking about a private deal.The crown jewel of the sprawling Alibaba empire, Ant has been accelerating its evolution into an online mall for everything from loans and travel services to food delivery, in a bid to claw back shoppers lost to Tencent Holdings Ltd. Ant’s Chief Executive Officer Simon Hu has said that he wants people to think of Alipay as more than just a niche provider of financial services and the payments gateway for the world’s biggest e-commerce platform. Alipay now caters to a wide array of consumer needs from groceries to wealth management, and hotel booking to loan applications.Dual listings, once the preferred route for China’s largest corporations from banks to oil and gas producers, have since fallen out of favor in part because of the complexities involved in orchestrating share sales across very different capital regimes. Ant’s decision is a triumph for Shanghai’s fledgling STAR board, conceived with the ambition of becoming mainland China’s preferred listing destination for high-growth companies. A dual listing also helps Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd., which is seeing a renaissance of tech listings after it relaxed rules in the wake of losing China’s biggest tech firms — including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which owns a third of Ant — to New York. Alibaba rose more than 4.5% in pre-marketing trade in New York.“Despite abundant capital, it is not sure how investors would view Ant Group since there are a lot of tech stocks in the market,” said Pamela Chung, a Hong Kong-based managing director and head of IPO at consultancy Tricor Group.Ant, valued at $150 billion in its last funding round, generated $2 billion in profit in the fourth quarter, based on calculations made from Alibaba’s filing. The company — which operates China’s biggest digital wallet and one of the world’s largest money market funds — is expanding into consumer and technology services.Its technology solutions include services in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain and risk control. Ant aims to assist banks to dole out loans to consumers, and partner with brands like KFC Holding Co. and Marriott International Inc. to attract and manage customers.Hu is betting that those strategies will help Ant defend its dominance of China’s $29 trillion mobile payments space. Alipay’s share of mobile payments has increased for three consecutive quarters, rising to 55.1% in the fourth quarter, according research consultant iResearch. Tencent has 38.9% of the market.It also diversifies Ant’s business into less-sensitive areas after the firm drew regulatory scrutiny for its blistering expansion in financial services with in-house products.To mark the transformation, Ant changed its registered name to Ant Group Co. from Ant Financial Services Group at the end of May.Ant’s origins are not without controversy. In 2010, Ma hived off the six-year-old Alipay from Alibaba over the objections of shareholders including Yahoo! Inc., citing potential regulations that may curb foreign ownership of financial businesses. Alipay then expanded into loans, wealth management and consumer credit under the entity that’s now known as Ant Group. The dispute was eventually settled via an arrangement that granted Alibaba a proportion of Alipay’s income. Alibaba ended up buying a 33% stake in Ant last year.(Updates with valuation sought in second paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) has started offering its Model Y electric sports utility vehicle for leasing, the automaker's website suggests. What Happened The launch of Model Y leases has begun relatively early, as the Elon Musk-led company didn't launch leases for its Model 3 vehicle until two years after it went into production, Electrek reported earlier.The leasing option is said to be the cheapest way to drive the Model Y with a downpayment of $4,500, and a monthly outlay of $499.Tesla has kept the duration of the lease at 36 months with a 10,000-mile allotment.Why It Matters The leases are likely to drive demand higher for the electric SUV, although it is not an indicator of declining demand itself, Electrek noted.Last week, Tesla announced the temporary shutdown of its Fremont factory for carrying out upgrades to vehicle assembly lines.The automaker is reportedly putting in a new assembly line at the California plant. This upgrade is similar to the one it had carried out during the ramp-up in the production of Model 3 vehicles. With a slash in the prices of Model Y by $3,000 and a robust demand, the EV manufacturer may need to build more of such SUVs at its factories. The additional manufacturing infrastructure at Fremont is being attributed to Tesla's effort to boost Model Y production, according to Electrek.Price Action Tesla shares closed mostly unchanged at $1,500.84 on Friday and added another 0.4% in the after-hours at $1,506.78.See more from Benzinga * Chinese Electric Vehicles Maker Xpeng Raises 0M After Reports Of US IPO * Twitter Hackers Downloaded Personal Data Of Some Affected Users, Company Says * FBI Probes High-Profile Twitter Hack That Involved Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Barack Obama(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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