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2023 was a great year for the markets. But behind the headline data, some sectors performed better than others. Most of 2023 followed the narrative of rising interest rates. That weighs on the cost of capital. However, that trend has started to shift in recent months. Interest rates have peaked. And investors are looking toward interest rate cuts in 2024. That could prove a boon for companies that benefit from lower rates, which may be outperformers this year as a result. One ...
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Lawrence Hilsheimer, CFO at Greif (GEF), bought 2,210 shares in two transactions in the last week of December. The buys increased his position by just under 2 percent, and came to a total cost just under $150,000. The CFO was a buyer and seller of shares earlier in 2023 as well. A few other company insiders were active, mostly as sellers, with one notable buy from the company’s Chief Supply Chain Officer. Overall, Greif insiders own 4.9 percent of shares. The packaging ...
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Commerce platform Shopify (SHOP) rose over 120 percent in 2023, fueled in strong part by the year-end rally. One trader is betting shares will pull back in the coming weeks following their major move. That’s based on the February 2 $64 puts. With 28 days until expiration, 8,931 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 203, for a 44-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the puts paid $0.60 to make the bearish bet. Shopify recently traded ...
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Markets can often get ahead of themselves, particularly with tech trends. The internet boom of the 1990s led to the creation of many companies, but most of those companies died out before they could become profitable. Today, AI is garnering similar attention. But AI programs can be incorporated into existing companies across a number of sectors immediately. And it can be improved over time. Companies that have started to integrate AI now may see the benefits of that play out this ...
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William Shepard, a director at CME Group (CME), recently bought 278 shares. The buy increased his stake by less than 1 percent, and came to a total cost of $58,646. The director was the most recent buyer with purchases in September 2023 and April 2023, each for similar amounts under $60,000. Several company directors and insiders, including the company CEO, were sellers of shares over the past year. The last buy from another insider came in December 2022. In total, CME ...
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Oil and gas exploration company Antero Resources (AR) sank 20 percent in 2023, as energy prices trended down compared to the prior year. One trader sees a move higher in the coming weeks. That’s based on the February 16 $20 calls. With 44 days until expiration, 7,006 contracts traded compared to a prior open interest of 267, for a 26-fold rise in volume on the trade. The buyer of the calls paid $3.35 to make the bullish bet. Antero Resources recently traded ...
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There are many ways to run a business, and just as many ways to get customers to pay. One popular business model is the recurring revenue model. Rather than getting a big one-time payment, and potentially not hearing from a customer again for years, the recurring model offers consistent, if smaller payments. This model has been popularized across a number of industries. The entertainment industry has leaned heavily into it, particularly with streaming services. The leader of streaming, Netflix (NFLX), has fared ...
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John Rakolta, a director at Agree Realty (ADC), recently bought 13,335 shares. The buy increased his position by 4 percent, and came to a total cost just under $833,000. The buy came a few weeks after another director bought 1,700 shares, for just over $103,000, and the company CEO bought 1,300 shares, paying just over $76,000. Over the past year, company executives and directors have been steady buyers of shares on over a dozen occasions. Overall, Agree Realty insiders own 1.6 ...
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