When I bought Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) back on June 28, 2021, I thought the stock was moderately over-valued. But that, like many over-valued stocks with momentum, it would move higher. I set a target price then of $596 a share. Well, moderately over-valued has become more seriously over-valued. Morningstar calculates that the stock traded at a 37% premium before the 2.79% gain today, November 29.
I wouldn’t call the Glasgow Global Climate Summit, which wraps up on November 12, a failure. The pledge to reduce methane emissions is an important step forward: Methane is an extremely powerful global warming gas. And the promise of a big step up in global reforestation is also a solid contribution to the fight to keep the earth habitable for human beings. But I think it is safe to say that the progress out of the conference isn’t enough. Which is why I’m adding shares of General Holdings (GNRC) to my Jubak Picks Portfolio on Monday, November 8.
So far Ford Motor (F) is meeting the expectations I had when I added it to the Jubak Picks Portfolio on June 9, 2021. Today, Wednesday, October 27, the company raised its earnings forecast (EBITDA) for 2121 to $10.5 billion to $11.5 billion on an improved supply of chips, and strong demand for its cars, especially for the electric versions of its Mustang and F150 pickup. The company also reinstated a quarterly dividend-
On June 28 I added Zebra Technologies (ZBRA), my second pick in my Special Report: 5 Post-Pandemic Picks and 5 Post-Pandemic Pans for a New Normal, to my Jubak Picks Portfolio. In that day’s update on this Special Report set a target price of $596. (The shares closed at $510.65 on June 25 and at $539.94 on July 2.) Today let me give you some more of my logic behind this pick as well as an update on why the stock climbed 1.49% on July 2.
The pandemic is over. (I’ve got my fingers crossed, I’ll admit, about a resurgence in the winter.) But it has left behind a changed world. The new normal won’t be exactly like the old normal in big and critical ways. For investors. Think of the pandemic as a really painful test for the global economy and individual companies. (As well as a global horror that killed more than 3 million people.) Some companies passed the test with flying colors–and in fact came out of the pandemic with stronger prospects than ever. Others saw the pandemic expose expected or unexpected weaknesses. In this Special Report I’ll be putting together a list of 5 picks and 5 pans for a Post-Pandemic economy.
Today I made Ford (F) my fifth pick for a falling market in my Special Report: Five Picks and Five Hedges for a Falling Market on my JubakAM.com subscription site. Some of the logic of that pick is laid in n more detail in the Special Report. With momentum stocks showing signs of flagging, I think adding more value stocks or special situations with very specific growth “events” set to trigger a cascade of good news is indicated. In the case of Ford the company is building good momentum on its introduction of popular electric vehicles such as an electric Mustang and an electric F150 pickup truck.
The chip shortage that has hurt technology companies such as Apple (AAPL) and hammered auto producers continues to pay dividends to Applied Materials (AMAT), the dominant manufacturer of equipment used to make semiconductors. Yesterday, May 20, after the market close in New York, Applied Materials reported fiscal second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.63 a share against 89 cents a share in the second quarter of the last fiscal year. Revenue rose to $5.58 billion from $3.96 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2020.
Disney (DIS) shares tumbled by 3.64% in after-hours trading after the company reported fiscal second quarter numbers that beat Wall Street estimates on earnings but missed projections on revenue and on subscribers to the company’s Disney+ streaming service. Adjusted earnings per share were 79 cents versus a projected 32 cents a share. (For the second quarter of 2020 the company reported earnings of $1.53 a share.) Revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter was a bit shy of Wall Street projections of $15,85 billion. The big miss came in subscription growth for the company’s paid streaming service. Disney+ topped 100 million subscribers for the first time–just 16 months after the late 2019 launch of the service. (Competitor and streaming leading Netflix had 208 million global subscribers at the end of its most recently reported quarter.) The stock dropped on the news, however, since analysts had been looking for 110.3 million subscribers by the end of the quarter.
I’d like to add more exposure to the bank sector. But what? At this stage in the bank stock rally, I’m looking for well-run banks that will be able to take advantage of the increase in the yield spread to add to earnings. (As opposed to earlier in the cycle, when I added Citigroup because things were getting a lot better even for not-so-well run banks.) Bank of America (BAC) is one possibility. But the stock is up 25.80% for 2021 as of March 18 and up 32.26% in the last month. I think, instead, that I’ll go with U.S. Bancorp (USB), the country’s largest regional bank. U.S. Bancorp is up 16.96% for 2021 to date and up “only” 21.27% in the last month. It also comes with a 3.8% dividend (well above the 1.90% paid by Bank of America) that will give investors some downside protection. I’m adding that stock to my Jubak Picks Portfolio on Friday.
Today, March 15, shares of Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) closed at $48.08, slightly above my target price of $48 a share. In this very volatile market for technology stocks, I’m going to take my almost 20% profit (19.90% to be exact) and sell these shares out of my Jubak Picks Portfolio tomorrow, March 16. The profit came in less than two weeks from my March 6 buy.
Yesterday in my YouTube video and in my latest addition to my Special Report: “Profit and Protect” I added the U.S. Copper Fund ETF (CPER) and the Invesco KBW Bank ETF (KBWB) to my Perfect Five ETF Portfolio. In that portfolio they will replace the SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD) and the Vanguard Intermediate Term Treasury Bond ETF (VGIT), respectively. The two new ETFs will keep the portfolio weighting of the out-going ETFs at 25% and 20%, respectively. You can find more about the logic of these hedges and about the specifics of these ETFs in my video and in my Special Report update. Tomorrow I’ll also be adding the Invesco KBW Bank ETF to my Jubak Picks Portfolio.
Microsoft reported its earnings for the company’s fiscal second quarter 2021 earnings today, Tuesday, January 26, after the close. Revenue of $43.1 billion easily beat Wall Street projections of $40.2 billion. Earnings per share of $2.03 crushed expectations for $1.64 a share. Microsoft’s shares were up 1.22% in the regular session and then gained another 4.30% in after-hours trading.
