Jubak Picks

Saturday Night Quarterback says (on a Sunday), For the week ahead expect…

Saturday Night Quarterback says (on a Sunday), For the week ahead expect…

I expect technology sector weakness to continue with earnings worries still unanswered. What could put an end to selling in tech stocks? The NASDAQ 100 is down almost 4% in the last week. Certainly earnings news that showed earnings growth at the companies in this sector robust enough to justify paying a premium for these shares would be a big help Unfortunately, the coming week isn’t going to bring enough earnings good news among tech shares to make this case. Among big tech stocks only Tesla (TSLA) and Alphabet (GOOG) are scheduled to report.

Another day of small-cap outperformance–here’s the best ETF for this trend

Another day of small-cap outperformance–here’s the best ETF for this trend

The small-cap Russell 2000 index gained 1.90% yesterday, July 15. That beat the 0.28% gain for the Standard & Poor’s 500. And the 0.53% gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. And a 0.27% gain for the NASDAQ 100 index.And today, as of noon, New York time, the Russell 2000 is up another 2.25% versus a gain of just 0.30% for the S&P 500 and 1.21 for the Dow Industrials.The NASDAQ 100 is off o.20% All his continues the outperformance trend of last week that I wrote about in yesterday’s Saturday Night Quarterback post.

Today I added Salesforce from my 5 Next Big Things Special Report to my Jubak’s Picks portfolio

Today I added Salesforce from my 5 Next Big Things Special Report to my Jubak’s Picks portfolio

At this point in the AI cycle I’d like to own shares of companies providing AI solutions in relatively “easy” data universes. (Nothing as complex as voice recognition for an interface with a diverse customer universe under uncontrolled environmental conditions. Like a family in a car at a McDonald’s drive-through.) And I’d like to focus on shares of companies with products that provide clear enhancements to customers bottom lines. Like my Pick #4 Salesforce (CRM). in my 5 Next Big Things Special Report.

Please Watch My New YouTube Video: Quick Pick Autoliv

Please Watch My New YouTube Video: Quick Pick Autoliv

Today’s Quick Pick is Autoliv Inc (ALV). Autoliv makes auto safety equipment from seatbelts to newer products such as driver assistance and lane keep. They have a 45% global share of the global auto safety market with growing penetration in China. (China is now about 22% of sales). With a 40% market share in China, the company has room to grow, especially as China exports more and more vehicles. As Chinese car exports grow, so too will Autoliv’s sales of safety products. Chinse cars for the domestic market include 2-3 Autoliv products. Cars for the export market include 4-5. Autoliv just announced earnings on April 25 which beat estimates by about 18% with about a 70-80% increase in earnings year over year. Morningstar calls the stock fairly valued, I think that’s an underestimate. The price to sales on the stock is currently at 0.97 and the trailing 12-month PE is 19.17, and the forward EPS is at 13. The shares also offer a 2.1% dividend yield with a buyback yield of 4.7%. Free cash flow is rising (up $170 million last year) even while the company is investing more in China, India, and Vietnam. Autoliv has also shown a solid increase in operating margin in the most recent quarter from 5.17% to 7.4% and management is hoping to drive that up to 10%. I’m adding the shares to my Jubak’s Picks Portfolio.

Visa beats on earnings as worldwide payments volume climbs by 8%

Visa beats on earnings as worldwide payments volume climbs by 8%

Tuesday, April 23, after the market close Visa (V) reported adjusted net income of $2.51 a share. That ws 7 cent a share more than the consensus of estimates from Wall Street analysts. Earnings rose 7% year-over-year in the quarter. Revenue climbed 10% from a year prior to $8.8 billion, also exceeding Wall Street estimates

Lithium Americas–Buy on the plunge

Lithium Americas–Buy on the plunge

I certainly understand the sell off in shares of development stage lithium producer Lithium Americas (LAC). Today, April 23, the stock closed at $4.68 a share, down another 1.47%. On April 16 the stock closed at $6.49 after hitting $7.34 on April 11. The culprit? The company closed a previously announced stock offer to 55 million shares at a price of $5 a share to raise $275 million.
You can see the problem, right? Stock is trading at $7.34 or $6.49 and then a big public offer dumps 55 million shares on the market at $5 a share. Ouch!! So I understand the price plunge–36.2% from April 11 to the close on April 23. And as someone who owns shares in his personal portfolio, I can’t say I’m a happy camper. But I will be being more in my personal account three days after this is posted.

Gold retreats from its record high–What to do Part 1

Gold retreats from its record high–What to do Part 1

Gold futures for June delivery closed down 2.92% on the Comex today. The metal closed at $2343.40 an ounce. The drop came on a lessening of fears that the exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran would quickly lead to a wider Middle East war. And on growing sentiment that the Federal Reserve isn’t likely to cut interest rates soon. The drop in the gold contract for June delivery was the largest since February 3, 2023 when it fell 2.8%.

Tesla shocks Wall Street with size of quarterly sales drop

Tesla shocks Wall Street with size of quarterly sales drop

Today, Tesla (TSLA) reported that it delivered just 386,810 vehicles in the first three months of the year. That was the biggest difference between actual sales and Wall Street sales estimates in data going back seven years, according to Bloomberg. Most analysts expected Tesla to sell more vehicles than a year ago. Instead, deliveries ended up dropping 8.5% year-over-year. And it was the first drop in year-over-year sales since the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.