
Don’t Sweat Slowing Earnings Growth in Great Companies
Earnings season has been solid the past few quarters for most stocks. Companies have been reporting numbers that crush pandemic levels from over the past year. Now, however, companies are getting past the worst of the pandemic, and growth has been slowing from the artificial boost from reopening (or providing a useful service during the pandemic. That’s creating some modest selloffs, but also some modest buying opportunities. Case in point? Oracle (ORCL). The tech giant, best known for database technologies, has been ...
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Insider Trading Report: SelectQuote (SLQT)
Thomas Grant, a director at SelectQuote (SLQT), recently bought 144,533 shares. The buy increased his stake by nearly 6 percent, and came to a total price of just under $1.8 million. Grant was joined by another director who bought 10,000 shares on the same day, at a cost of just over $133,000. And the day before, another director bought 1,000 shares. Overall, company insiders have been active and massive buyers since August. Prior to that, insiders, primarily larger owners, have been Read More

Unusual Options Activity: Wells Fargo (WFC)
Shares of megabank Wells Fargo (WFC) have traded mixed over the past month, as the company largely missed on earnings. Over the past year, shares have been trending up. However, one trader sees a possibility for a big drop in shares at some point before next spring. That’s based on the April $32.50 puts. Over 16,015 contracts traded, a 96.5-fold rise in volume compared to the prior open interest of 166 contracts. The buyer paid $0.84 for the contract. The trade has ...
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Regulatory Fears Create a Buying Opportunity in One of the World’s Greatest Companies
Times are changing for many tech companies. Regulators around the world are looking into how tech companies collect and store data, or how they provide marketing or payment services to third-party providers. The latest company to take a hit? Apple (AAPL). Last week, a US District Judge ruled that the company need to allow developers alternative payment methods for purchases and apps made in the Apple app store. The ruling led to an immediate drop in Apple shares on Friday, with a ...
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Insider Trading Report: Farmland Partners Inc (FPI)
Paul Pittman, CEO at Farmland Partners Inc (FPI), recently bought 1,000 additional shares. The buy increased his stake by 0.04 percent, and came to a total cost of just under $13,000. The CEO was also the last buyer of shares back in March. Overall, company insiders have bought on 20 occasions in the past three years, with just 3 insider sales over the same timeframe. Overall, company insiders own nearly 17.5 percent of company shares. The company is a real estate company ...
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Unusual Options Activity: Merck & Co. (MRK)
Shares of pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co (MRK) have been trading roughly flat over the past six months following a selloff in shares. One trader sees the potential for a move higher in the coming months. That’s based on the November $75 calls. With 67 days left on the trade, over 41,300 contracts traded against a prior open interest of 494, for an 84-fold rise in volume. The buyer of the calls paid $1.88 to make the trade. Shares trade for around ...
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The Hardware Behind This New Megatrend Is Here
There are a number of big-picture trends likely to play out over the next decade. One of the more interesting is the evolution of social media from websites into a veritable “metaverse.” That’s a plan that Facebook (FB) in particular is looking at. The company has just unveiled its Smart Glasses hardware. The device can work with integrated-reality software to create an immersive viewscreen that can likely make a future metaverse interface possible. Priced at $299, the gadget has a number ...
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Insider Trading Report: West Bancorp (WTBA)
Patrick Donovan, a director at West Bancorp (WTBA), recently added 5,000 shares. The buy increased his stake by over 18 percent, and came to a total price of just under $150,000. This is the third buy from the director so far this month, with two buys of 2,500 shares each, for a total of 10,000 more shares this month. Insiders have overall been active over the past three years, but buyers have far outpaced sellers. Company insiders own just over 10 ...
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