Stock Alerts

Intuitive Surgical reports a surprisingly strong first quarter

Intuitive Surgical reports a surprisingly strong first quarter

Last week Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) surprised everybody, including, apparently, management. Intuitive Surgical’s first-quarter revenue grew 14% year-over-year to $1.7 billion. (Wall Street was expecting $1.6 billion.) Surgical procedures performed using the company’s da Vinci system, rose 26% year-over-year, well above expectations for 15% growth. And the company raised guidance for global procedure growth to 18% to 21% from the prior guidance of 12% to 16%.

Shares of Palo Alto Networks pop on earnings

Shares of Palo Alto Networks pop on earnings

After the market close on February 21, cyber security company Palo Alto Networks (PANW) reported fiscal second-quarter 2023 year-over-year revenue growth of 26% to $1.7 billion. Billings in the quarter also rose by 26% to $2.0 billion. The rock-solid consistency of revenue and billings growth in this quarter and as projected for the rest of the year got a cheer from the market. In after-hours trading shares gained 8.56%.

Adding Kimberly-Clark to my Dividend Portfolio tomorrow, July 6.

Adding Kimberly-Clark to my Dividend Portfolio tomorrow, July 6.

As I said in my recent video “Quick Pick Kimberly-Clark,” I’m adding this stock to my Dividend Portfolio effect tomorrow July 6. The stock pays a dividend of 3.39%. That’s not knock-your-socks-off stuff, but very good for a very defensive consumer staples stock as we move closer to a recession. The stock is down 2.69% year to date as of the close on July 1 but the shares are up 10.31% in the last three months

Adding Truist Financial to my Dividend Portfolio

Adding Truist Financial to my Dividend Portfolio

On Friday in my Quick Pick video on YouTube (have you subscribed yet–why not? It’s free and that way you’ll know when a new video goes up) I said I would add Truist Financial (TFC) to my Dividend Portfolio on Monday. And so I will. My rule of thumb at the moment is to buy dividend-paying stocks when the yield breaks 4%. At the time I shot the video, Truist paid 4.1%. Thanks to Friday’s sell off and the stock’s 3.69% drop, the yield rose to 4.18%.

Watch my YouTube video: Quick Pick Middleby

Watch my YouTube video: Quick Pick Middleby

My one-hundredth-and-thirty-fourth YouTube video “Quick Pick Middleby” went up today. My Quick Pick this week is Middleby (MIDD), a manufacturer of restaurant equipment. I’ve been following the company for 20 years, during which time they’ve pursued basically the same slow and steady strategy of acquiring smaller players in their market area (where they are the largest player) and them using Middleby’s marketing leverage to grow sales at the acquisition. The stock took a hit on its recent announcement that it expects to feel the impacts of inflation and supply chain difficulties. It’s difficult to catch a falling knife, but I think this stock is a good buy long term and I am adding it back to my 50 Stocks Portfolio, which has a holding period of 5 plus years.

Please watch my new YouTube video: Quick Pick Alibaba

Please watch my new YouTube video: Quick Pick Alibaba

My one-hundredth-and-twenty-eighth YouTube video “Quick Pick Alibaba” went up today. Alibaba (BABA) and other Chinese internet companies have been struggling recently under the pressure of a government crackdown. However, with the slowing of the Chinese economy due to ongoing Pandemic lockdowns, the government has signaled that it will let up a bit on this crackdown (and move to add more stimulus to the economy.) Not surprisingly the shares of these companies have picked up some momentum. This is not a long-term pick–the government can and will reverse this loosening. Get some profits on Alibaba while the getting’s good. (Which is why I’m adding it to my 12-18 month Jubak Picks Portfolio and not by long-term 50 Stocks Portfolio.

Re-buying Alibaba for my JubakPicks Portfolio today

Re-buying Alibaba for my JubakPicks Portfolio today

The Chinese government has promised more stimulus to prop up growth in the country’s economy and the Politburo has indicated that, at least temporarily, it will slow the pace of its regulatory crack down on China’s Internet companies. The combination, as I posted in today’s Quick Pick YouTube video, has launched a huge rally in China’s Internet and e-commerce stocks. As of 3 p.m. on Friday, April 29, the New York traded shares of Tencent Holdings (TCEHY) wee up 8.95%. JD.com (JD) hadgained 7.72%. And Ablibaba (BABA), the big name among foreign investors and the leading target of government regulators is up 8.26%. On this trend, I’m adding shares of Alibaba to my JubakPicks Portfolio today

Adding Kimberly-Clark to my Dividend Portfolio tomorrow, July 6.

Buying “Recession Pick” Walmart for my Jubak Picks Portfolio

Tomorrow I will add shares of Walmart (WMT) to my Jubak Picks Portfolio. The stock is one of the 12 “Recession Picks” in my current Special Report: A Recession is Coming–Three Portfolio Strategies for a Recession; and 12 Recession Stock Picks. Right now I think Walmart’s stock has three things going for it. And only one of those is explicitly linked to a recession, which makes it a great recession stock

Buying Bloomberg Agricultural Commodities ETN for Jubak Picks on Monday

Buying Bloomberg Agricultural Commodities ETN for Jubak Picks on Monday

With the war in Ukraine continuing its horrible grind and with economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and Europe including more and more of the global economy, I’ve been looking for ways to invest in higher commodity prices. My steps have included buying oil and natural gas stocks back at the end of January and adding the iPath Bloomberg Commodity ETN (DJP) back on a few days ago on March 23. That’s given me good exposure to trends pushing energy prices higher, but I also want to include more exposure to higher agricultural prices. So I’m adding the iPath Series B Bloomberg Agriculture Total Return ETN (JJA) to my Jubak Picks Portfolio

My first “Recession Preparation” sell: Lululemon

My first “Recession Preparation” sell: Lululemon

Projections schedule a potential Recession for the second half of 2022 or 2023. Fears of that impending trend will begin to be felt in stock prices before that. The sector most likely to feel the effects of any Recession–and thus the sector most likely to first feel the anticipation of that Recession on stock prices–is what Standard & Poor’s calls Consumer Discretionary” stocks. (The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) tracks these stocks for the S&P 500 index.) In my YouTube video yesterday, I flagged three stocks in this sector to sell ahead of any potential Recession–Netflix (NFLX), Starbucks (SBUX), and Lululemon Athletica (LULU). Of these I said I would sell Lululemon first