On Thursday,Walmart (WMT) announced Walmart Pet Care. The retailer now includes in its offerings such services as pet insurance, a pharmacy, and even dog walking and pet sitting services. This is all part of the company’s pivot to capture market share fromAmazon (AMZN), in conjunction with the digital transformation the company has undertaken this year. The services add a rich potential source of revenue for the company, as it looks to become a one-stop-shop for everything. The company’s biggest change this year has been Walmart+, a grocery-based subscription service. Given the stron...

Earnings season can be hit or miss for a number of reasons. Even if a company reports the earnings per share figures that Wall Street analysts are looking for, other factors such as forward guidance may cause a big win to become a big loss for shareholders. That seems to be the case withDatadog (DDOG). Shares plummeted more than 10 percent intraday following its earnings report, when the company beat on overall numbers. The data analytics company has further room for growth, and now is poised to rebound in the short-term. The earnings tell the story, with revenues up 61 percent over ...

Earnings season has been favorable to a number of companies in the housing sector already, from lumber companies to homebuilders. There’s one group of companies that are set to report earnings this week likely to fare well. Those companies? Home-improvement retailers. Industry giantsHome Depot (HD) andLowe’s (LOW) are set to report, and Credit Suisse just reiterated their outperform rating ahead of earnings. Both companies have performed well this quarter in terms of their share price. As a result, their share price is expected to continue their upward trend. Home Depot tends to fare...

The technology space continues to march on with election uncertainty waning. In one key area, electric vehicles, the sector remains in an unstoppable uptrend. Declining costs, improved reliability and expanded options are creating a perfect storm for demand. With most analysts focused on big names likeTesla Motors (TSLA) or retail favoriteNIO (NIO), one newer company in the space just got its first analyst buy—and that analyst expects an easy double. The company isFisker (FSR). Shares rose 30 percent on Monday as Cowen gave shares a target price of $22, about double from where shares...

Most investors know that the holiday season is when retail companies post their best numbers. Indeed, the term Black Friday may have even come into existence on the notion that the day after Thanksgiving was the first day many stores posted a profit for the year. This year is also pointing to a strong holiday trend following a year of lockdowns. With many retail stocks already on the radar, one niche area still has some room to run. That sector? The toymakers. It’s no surprise that toy sales are a huge part of the holiday season. And UBS recently upgradedMattel (MAT), expecting a 40 ...

Election uncertainty allowed Treasury yields to rise in October. Rising yields mean a higher cost of capital for borrowers across the private sector as well. That put a pinch onto the prices of car loans, and mortgages. With the major election uncertainty—big radical changes—off the table, Treasury yields are coming back down. And that’s likely to be a boon to real estate, particularly housing. Homebuilder stocks have already seen a disproportionately large rally in the past few days. That trend is likely to continue. 2020’s unique challenges have benefitted homeowners, as many look ...

With no “red wave” or “blue wave” creating a one-party government in Washington D.C., political elites will have to compromise to get anything done. That means that big, sweeping changes are off the table. That’s good for stocks in general. It’s great for companies that may be sensitive to changes in tax policy. But the real winner? Companies in the healthcare space. There is no political mandate to either greatly increase or decrease the government’s role there. That’s why the managed-care stocks soared with mostly double-digit returns post-election. We already highlighted this oppo...

During a gold rush, the folks who went out to sift, mine, and hack away at the earth to find the yellow metal often don’t end up with much. The real winners? The suppliers. The folks who sell the pickaxes, shovels, and jeans. While that still applies to the mining sector, it applies to all sectors that need to be supplied. That can create some tremendous investment opportunities in unexpected places. One such player isZebra Technologies (ZBRA). The company sells a range of products such as mobile computers and barcode scanners and imagers. It’s a top supplier to retail outfits, wheth...

Traders know to play the airlines and cruise lines on any pandemic related headline. But there’s a secondary category of companies that have been impacted by this year as well. On the positive side, many tech names have gotten market attention. But a number of consumer names without a technology angle have been reasonable winners right now. Some even offer investors high dividends in today’s zero percent interest world. One such company isNewell Brands (NWL). The maker of Rubbermaid containers cited the strength of Amazon Prime Day as a sign that consumers are still embracing stay-at...

Certain sectors of the economy tend to be more susceptible to an election than others. Defense spending can impact the value of defense contractors. One of the bigger areas that tends to see big swings? Managed-care companies, also known as health insurers. History shows that these companies tend to decline before an election, and then recover. A recent analysis shows that these stocks tend to underperform the stock market by over one-third heading into an election. That’s a good argument for some of the bigger managed-care companies in the space. One standout name isAnthem (ANTM). T...