Tag: Google $GOOG

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Google buys Mandiant for $5.4B

Google to acquire Mandiant for $23.00 per share in cash

Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mandiant (MNDT) for $23.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $5.4B, inclusive of Mandiant’s net cash.

Upon the close of the acquisition, Mandiant will join Google Cloud.

With the addition of Mandiant, Google Cloud will enhance offerings to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite with even greater capabilities to support customers across their cloud and on-premise environments.

The acquisition of Mandiant is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of Mandiant stockholder and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close later this year.

Piper Sandler

Piper Sandler analyst Thomas Champion said he thinks the deal makes strategic sense given Google’s move further into the Enterprise. The Mandiant acquisition should complement Google Cloud Platform’s current security offerings, which include BeyondCorp Enterprise and VirusTotal, said Champion, who reiterates his Overweight rating and $3,475 price target on Alphabet shares.

Wedbush 

 Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives notes that this deal is all about Mandiant being further integrated into Google Cloud with more cyber threats facing enterprises/governments on the transformational shift to cloud and Mandiant establishing itself as “the Navy Seals of cyber security” over the last decade, the analyst contends.

#Ives believes this deal will have a major ripple impact across the cyber security space as cloud stalwarts Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) will now be pressured into M&A and further bulk up its cloud platforms.

The analyst thinks cyber names such as Varonis (VRNS), Tenable (TENB), CyberArk (CYBR), Qualys (QLYS), Rapid7 (RPD), SailPoint (SAIL), and Ping (PING) standout as potential M&A candidates in cyber security given these vendors laser focus on protecting next generation cloud workloads from cyberattacks.

MNDT is down 50 cents to $21.99.

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Flying Prescriptions Are Coming!

Walgreens to deploy Wing drone deliveries in Dallas-Fort Worth area

In a blog post by Alphabet’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Wing, the company said, ” Today we’re unveiling a new model for drone delivery that will allow us to expand into densely-populated metropolitan areas in the United States.

Wing will stage delivery drones at retail locations; ready to fly directly to customers.

The aircraft will arrive in small containers that serve as tiny hangars, allowing each store to quickly and easily deploy a small, dedicated fleet from its parking lot, on its roof, or in small spaces adjacent to the building.

When this model launches, Walgreens (WBA) will be the first U.S. retailer to use this new approach.

Walgreens team members will process orders and load packages onto the delivery drones, and Wing will oversee operation of the delivery service.

Our first lightweight, co-located operation will be set up at a Dallas-Fort Worth area Walgreens store in its parking lot, serving parts of the city of Frisco and town of Little Elm.

In addition to the Walgreens store, Wing has teamed up with Hillwood to prepare a separate drone delivery facility within Frisco Station, an urban, mixed-used development located in Frisco.

Hillwood has a long track record supporting forward-thinking, innovative transportation initiatives across the region, most notably at its Alliance Texas development and its designated Mobility Innovation Zone.

We look forward to working with Hillwood as we deploy a facility at Frisco Station that has all the usual delivery capabilities, but will be dedicated to exploring new use cases, community demonstrations, school field trips and public tours…

In preparation for this launch, we’ve been conducting test flights since June at Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Flight Test Center, a drone testing facility in Fort Worth.

We’ll begin a small number of practice flights next week in Frisco and Little Elm, and hope to set up delivery demonstrations to get feedback from the community in the coming weeks.

In the coming months, we expect to launch a commercial service there that would be the first of its kind in a major U.S. metro.”

Google Wing delivers a package

Wing is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. that develops technology of drone-based delivery of freight. The company completed their first real-world deliveries in 2014. The company has operations in Australia, the United States, and Finland. 

In July 2018, Project Wing graduated from Google X to become an independent Alphabet company. As of January 2019, Wing began delivering take-out food and beverages out of its test facility in Bonython, Australia as part of a pilot program. In April 2019 Wing became the first drone delivery company to receive an Air operator’s certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration to allow it to operate as an airline in the USA.

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Microsoft buys Nuance

Microsoft to acquire Nuance for $56.00 per share in cash, or $19.7B

Microsoft (MSFT) and Nuance Communications (NUAN) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Nuance for $56.00 per share, implying a 23% premium to the closing price of Nuance on Friday, April 9, in an all-cash transaction valued at $19.7B, inclusive of Nuance’s net debt.

Nuance sold for $19.7B

Nuance is a trusted cloud and AI software leader representing decades of accumulated healthcare and enterprise AI experience.

Mark Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance, reporting to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud & AI at Microsoft.

The transaction is intended to close this calendar year.

Upon closing, Microsoft expects Nuance’s financials to be reported as part of Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud segment.

Microsoft expects the acquisition to be minimally dilutive (less than 1%) in fiscal year 2022 and to be accretive in fiscal year 2023 to non-GAAP earnings per share, based on the expected close timeframe.

Non-GAAP excludes expected impact of purchase accounting adjustments, as well as integration and transaction-related expenses.

The acquisition will not impact the completion of its existing share repurchase authorization.

Nuance Communications, Inc. provides conversational and cognitive artificial intelligence (AI) innovations that bring intelligence to everyday work and life. The company delivers solutions that understand, analyze, and respond to people – amplifying human intelligence to increase productivity and security.

B. Riley analyst Zach Cummins reiterates a Buy rating on LivePerson (LPSN) with a $77 price target after Microsoft (MSFT) acquired Nuance Communications (NUAN), a provider of conversational commerce solutions, with expertise geared toward the healthcare vertical.

The potential deal acquisition provides a “positive valuation data point” for LivePerson, a leading provider of conversational commerce solutions across the telecom, financial services, retail, and consumer verticals, Cummins tells investors in a research note.

LivePerson currently trades at an enterprise value to sales multiple of 6.5 times, below the comp group median of 9.5 times and Nuance’s implied takeout multiple of 12.5 times, says the analyst.

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DOJ issues guideline for online content

DOJ issues recommendations for Section 230 reform

The Department of Justice has released a set of reform proposals to update the outdated immunity for online platforms under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996.

Responding to bipartisan concerns about the scope of 230 immunity, the department identified a set of concrete reform proposals to provide stronger incentives for online platforms to address illicit material on their services while continuing to foster innovation and free speech.

The department’s review of Section 230 over the last ten months arose in the context of its broader review of market-leading online platforms and their practices, which were announced in July 2019.

The department held a large public workshop and expert roundtable in February 2020, as well as dozens of listening sessions with industry, thought leaders, and policy makers, to gain a better understanding of the uses and problems surrounding Section 230.

The first category of recommendations is aimed at incentivizing platforms to address the growing amount of illicit content online, while preserving the core of Section 230’s immunity for defamation claims.

These reforms include a carve-out for bad actors who purposefully facilitate or solicit content that violates federal criminal law or are willfully blind to criminal content on their own services.

Additionally, the department recommends a case-specific carve out where a platform has actual knowledge that content violated federal criminal law and does not act on it within a reasonable time, or where a platform was provided with a court judgment that the content is unlawful, and does not take appropriate action.

A second category of proposed reforms is intended to clarify the text and revive the original purpose of the statute in order to promote free and open discourse online and encourage greater transparency between platforms and users.

One of these recommended reforms is to provide a statutory definition of “good faith” to clarify its original purpose.

The new statutory definition would limit immunity for content moderation decisions to those done in accordance with plain and particular terms of service and consistent with public representations. These measures would encourage platforms to be more transparent and accountable to their users.

The third category of recommendations would increase the ability of the government to protect citizens from unlawful conduct, by making it clear that Section 230 does not apply to civil enforcement actions brought by the federal government.

A fourth category of reform is to make clear that federal antitrust claims are not, and were never intended to be, covered by Section 230 immunity.

Over time, the avenues for engaging in both online commerce and speech have concentrated in the hands of a few key players.

It makes little sense to enable large online platforms (particularly dominant ones) to invoke Section 230 immunity in antitrust cases, where liability is based on harm to competition, not on third-party speech.

The action follows President Trump’s executive order seeking to weaken broad immunity enjoyed by Facebook (FB), Twitter (TWTR) and Google (GOOGL).

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RBC Capital’s predictions for 2020

Accelerating Netflix subs, Uber profitability among RBC’s top 10 surprise list

RBC Capital analyst Mark Mahaney compiled a broader research note titled “Top Ten Internet Surprises for 2020” list, in which he assigns a “reasonable chance” of 30% or more for the following to occur against the “average internet investor” expectations of the event being improbable.

Disney loss having minimal impact on Netflix subscribers. See Stockwinners.com Market Radar to read more
RBC expects subs accelerating in 2020, Stockwinners
  • 1) Netflix (NFLX) subscriber additions may accelerate because the company will be comping 2019’s “material price increase and a dramatic slowdown in marketing spending.
  • 2) Google’s (GOOGL) operating margins may be flat to up as its Google Cloud becomes a smaller margin drag and the company’s Other Bets division gets greater investment after the resignation of its founders.
  • 3) Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT) achieve EBITDA profitability thanks “insurance expense leverage, driver and rider subsidies rationalization, pricing actions, and growth leverage”.
  • 4) Amazon’s (AMZN) profitability plummets as the company continues its “aggressive investment” in shipping and fulfillment, particularly internationally, while continuing the build-out of AWS salesforce.
  • 5) Maturing growth rates and large cash piles may see Google, Facebook (FB), and Booking.com (BKNG) become dividend payers in the internet sector.
  • 6) Spotify (SPOT) gross margins may expand as the company concludes its music label negotiations.
 EU ruling against Google seen as win for Amazon, Apple, Stockwinners
Google may pay a dividend, Stockwinners

RBC Capital Markets is a global investment bank providing services in banking, finance and capital markets to corporations, institutional investors, asset managers and governments globally. Locations span 70 offices in 15 countries across North America, the UK, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. 

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Zayo Group sold for $35 per share

Zayo Group to be acquired by Digital Colony, EQT in deal valued at $14.3B

Zayo Group Holdings (ZAYO) announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by affiliates of Digital Colony Partners and the EQT Infrastructure IV fund.

Zayo sold for $14.3 billion, Stockwinners

The transaction would result in Zayo transitioning from a public company to a private company.

Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. provides bandwidth infrastructure solutions for the communications industry in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Under the new ownership, the Zayo team would continue to execute the Company’s strategy and remain headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was unanimously approved by Zayo’s Board of Directors, shareholders will receive $35.00 in cash per share of Zayo’s common stock in a transaction valued at $14.3 billion, including the assumption of $5.9 billion of Zayo’s net debt obligations.

The offer price represents a 32% premium to the volume-weighted price average of the last six months of $26.44. Dan Caruso, Zayo’s Chairman and CEO, said, “Digital Colony and EQT share our vision that Zayo’s Fiber Fuels Global Innovation.

Both are experienced global investors in the communications infrastructure space, and they appreciate our extraordinary fiber infrastructure assets, our highly talented team and our strong customer base. I am confident this partnership with EQT and Digital Colony will empower Zayo to accelerate its growth and strengthen its industry leadership.”

“Following a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives, the Zayo Board of Directors concluded that the sale of Zayo to Digital Colony and EQT Infrastructure is in the best interest of Zayo and all its stakeholders,” said Yancey Spruill, Zayo’s Lead Independent Director. “

The transaction delivers immediate and substantial value to shareholders and will strengthen Zayo’s financial flexibility, enabling the company to increase investments and better position itself for long-term growth and profitability.”

The closing of the deal is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory clearance and Zayo shareholder approvals.

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of calendar 2020.

Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan are serving as financial advisors to Zayo Group in connection with the transaction and Skadden Arps is serving as legal counsel.

Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank are acting as financial advisors to Digital Colony and EQT Infrastructure, and Simpson Thacher is serving as legal advisor.

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Red Hat sold for $34 billion

 IBM to acquire Red Hat for $190 per share

Red Hat sold for $34 billion, Stockwinners
Red Hat sold for $34 billion, Stockwinners

IBM (IBM) and Red Hat (RHT) announced that the companies have reached a definitive agreement under which IBM will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Red Hat for $190 per share in cash, representing a total enterprise value of approximately $34B.

With this acquisition, IBM will remain committed to Red Hat’s open governance, open source contributions, participation in the open source community and development model, and fostering its widespread developer ecosystem.

In addition, IBM and Red Hat will remain committed to the continued freedom of open source, via such efforts as Patent Promise, GPL Cooperation Commitment, the Open Invention Network and the LOT Network. IBM and Red Hat also will continue to build and enhance Red Hat partnerships, including those with major cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT) Azure, Google (GOOG; GOOGL) Cloud, Alibaba (BABA) and more, in addition to the IBM Cloud.

At the same time, Red Hat will benefit from IBM’s hybrid cloud and enterprise IT scale in helping expand their open source technology portfolio to businesses globally.

Upon closing of the acquisition, Red Hat will join IBM’s Hybrid Cloud team as a distinct unit, preserving the independence and neutrality of Red Hat’s open source development heritage and commitment, current product portfolio and go-to-market strategy, and unique development culture.

Red Hat will continue to be led by Jim Whitehurst and Red Hat’s current management team.

Jim #Whitehurst also will join IBM’s senior management team and report to Ginni #Rometty.

IBM intends to maintain Red Hat’s headquarters, facilities, brands and practices.

The acquisition will accelerate IBM’s revenue growth, gross margin and free cash flow within 12 months of closing.

It also will support a solid and growing dividend. The company will continue with a disciplined financial policy and is committed to maintaining strong investment grade credit ratings.

The company will target a leverage profile consistent with a mid to high single A credit rating. The company intends to suspend its share repurchase program in 2020 and 2021.

The company intends to close the transaction through a combination of cash and debt. The acquisition has been approved by the boards of directors of both IBM and Red Hat.

It is subject to Red Hat shareholder approval. It also is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. It is expected to close in the latter half of 2019.

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Android spyware Skygofree called very dangerous

Kapersky Lab says finds Android spying app called ‘Skygofree’

Android spying app called 'Skygofree' is widely distributed. Stockwinners.com
Android spying app called ‘Skygofree’ is widely distributed 

According to Kapersky Lab, “At the beginning of October 2017, we discovered new Android spyware with several features previously unseen in the wild.

In the course of further research, we found a number of related samples that point to a long-term development process. We believe the initial versions of this malware were created at least three years ago – at the end of 2014.

Since then, the implant’s functionality has been improving and remarkable new features implemented, such as the ability to record audio surroundings via the microphone when an infected device is in a specified location; the stealing of WhatsApp messages via Accessibility Services; and the ability to connect an infected device to Wi-Fi networks controlled by cybercriminals.

We observed many web landing pages that mimic the sites of mobile operators and which are used to spread the Android implants. These domains have been registered by the attackers since 2015.

According to our telemetry, that was the year the distribution campaign was at its most active.

The activities continue: the most recently observed domain was registered on October 31, 2017.

Based on our KSN statistics, there are several infected individuals, exclusively in Italy.

Moreover, as we dived deeper into the investigation, we discovered several spyware tools for Windows that form an implant for exfiltrating sensitive data on a targeted machine.

The version we found was built at the beginning of 2017, and at the moment we are not sure whether this implant has been used in the wild.

We named the malware Skygofree, because we found the word in one of the domains.”

According to researchers, the Skygofree Android implant is ” one of the most powerful spyware tools that we have ever seen for this platform.

As a result of the long-term development process, there are multiple, exceptional capabilities: usage of multiple exploits for gaining root privileges, a complex payload structure, never-before-seen surveillance features such as recording surrounding audio in specified locations.

Given the many artifacts we discovered in the malware code, as well as infrastructure analysis, we are pretty confident that the developer of the Skygofree implants is an Italian IT company that works on surveillance solutions, just like HackingTeam.”

GOOG closed at $1121.76.

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Square reports today

What to watch in Square earnings report

Square reports today. See Stockwinners.com for additional analysis

Square (SQ) is scheduled to report results of its third fiscal quarter after the market close on November 8, with a conference call scheduled for 5:00 pm EDT.

What to watch for

1. OUTLOOK

During the company’s last earnings call, Square said it sees third quarter adjusted earnings per share of 4c-5c and revenue of $562M-$568M. Square also raised its 2017 adjusted earnings per share outlook to 21c-23c from 16c-20c, and its 2017 net income outlook to (21c)-(19c) from (24c)-(20c).

Additionally, the company sees 2017 revenue between $2.14B-$2.16B.

2. BANKING BUSINESS

Back on September 7, The Wall Street Journal reported that Jack Dorsey’s Square was looking to get into the banking business and was planning to submit an application to form a wholly owned bank based in Utah. The unit, which will be called Square Financial Services, would offer loans and deposit accounts to small businesses and be capitalized with $56M in cash, the publication noted.

3. UPSIDE, RISING VALUATION

On October 11, Oppenheimer analyst Jed Kelly initiated Square with an Outperform and $35 price target saying he sees continued upside from execution on core initiates to expand into multiple revenue channels.

The analyst told investors he believes Square’s cohesive user experience is enabling the company to create a differentiated product that is in the early stages of utilizing its vast payment data to build an ecosystem for small businesses that can obtain products such as loans, marketing services, inventory management and ecommerce solutions.

Later in the month, Deutsche Bank analyst Bryan Keane raised his price target for Square to $37 saying he expects “robust” revenue growth when the company reports quarterly results.

Continued business momentum and rising sector valuations drive the new price target, the analyst noted, reiterating a Buy rating on Square.

Square reports today. See Stockwinners.com for details

His peer at Nomura Instinet also raised his price target on the name to $45 from $33. Analyst Dan Dolev argues that the third quarter report will “prove to be a defining moment” with the shares up 147% year-to-date. The analyst’s study showed that the consensus “chronically underestimates” Square’s profitability. He expects a “stellar” second half of the year with adjusted EBITDA potentially reaching $145M-$150M.

4. VALUATION TOO HIGH

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Stifel analyst Scott Devitt downgraded Square to Hold from Buy ahead of the company’s third quarter earnings. While he expects a strong quarter, the analyst noted the stock is up 168% year-to-date.

5. NEW PRODUCTS

On October 31, Square unveiled its newest hardware offering, Square Register, a versatile, fully integrated point-of-sale, built in-house to work seamlessly with any business.

Square Register is priced to offer larger sellers a fully integrated point-of-sale solution at $999, or with a convenient financing option of $49 per month for 24 months. Sellers can accept all forms of card-present payments with a new, simple transaction rate of 2.5% + 10c per transaction.

SQ last traded at $36.59. It has a 52-weeks trading range of $11.43 – $37.75.

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Barron’s is bullish on JD.com, Softbank

Barron’s, the weekly publication owned by the Wall Street Journal, in its latest issue mentions several names: 

Stockwinners offers Barron's review of Stockwinners offers stocks to buy, stocks to watch, upgrades, downgrades, earnings, Stocks to Buy On Margin

M&A may be easiest way for Google to catch-up in the Cloud – Alphabet’s (GOOG; GOOGL) Google has been chasing competitors Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) in cloud computing, Tiernan Ray writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. The easiest way to close in may be through M&A, the publication notes, with rumors saying Alphabet could contemplate a deal as large as buying Workday (WDAY) or Salesforce (CRM).

JD.com could rise 25% or more – With the China Single’s Day – the biggest shopping day of the year – less than a month away, investors looking for growth stocks in the country may want to look to JD.com (JD), its number two online retailer after Alibaba (BABA), Jack Hough writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. JD.com stock could gain 30% or more in the next year, he adds.

Post-Peltz, P&G must to do more than cut costs – Last week, Procter & Gamble (PG) announced that its eleven standing board members won re-election, while activist Nelson Peltz had not won a seat, Vito Racanelli writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. Nonetheless, Peltz has yet to concede, saying the vote remains too close to call, with an independent inspector expected to certify the results, the publication adds. Management’s victory means that its CEO David Taylor is on “a short leash,” facing the task of doing more than just cutting costs, Racanelli contends.

Softbank shares can still go higher – SoftBank (SFTBF) is reportedly ready to announce a $10B deal to buy up to 17% of Uber, as it negotiates a merge of its Sprint (S) unit with rival T-Mobile (TMUS) to challenge Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T), Assif Shameen writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. SoftBank stock is up 27% year to date and 140% from the lows of February 2016, but its shares can go still higher, the publication adds.

Time to rethink how to play Wal-Mart. – Wal-Mart (WMT) has had a good run, so it is time to rethink how to play the stock, Steven Sears writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. The sell-side analyst community may spend the next few months getting bullish on Wal-Mart’s digital future, while realizing that more than 4,000 retail stores offer competitive advantages, Sears noted, adding that the November earnings report should provide additional evidence for “analysts to update earnings models, raise price targets, and hike investment ratings.”

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Target and Google join forces

Target to expand nationally on Google Express

target

Target Corporation (TGT) announced it is deepening its partnership with Google (GOOG, GOOGL) to make online shopping even easier.

The partnership includes Target’s nationwide expansion on Google Express, including voice- activated shopping, as well as the addition of Target REDcard as a payment option in 2018.

Target and Google also will partner to explore and develop future digital experiences focused on Target’s signature style categories.

The expansion of Google Express follows Target’s successful trial of the home delivery shopping service in California and New York City.

By expanding Google Express nationally, more guests will be able to shop Target’s assortment, including exclusive brands that are only available at Target. And since items are shipped from a nearby Target store, guests will receive their orders in just two days.

Google’s announcement that shopping will soon be available via the Google Assistant on eligible Android phones and iPhones, joining Google Home and Android TV, will allow Target guests to make their “Target Run” from a phone solely using voice commands, a first for the company.

Target will further deepen its partnership with Google in 2018, as Target plans to make the Target REDcard debit or credit card available as an option for Google Express shoppers.

That means guests shopping Target through Google Express will enjoy the convenience of #REDcard benefits, including 5% off most purchases and free shipping. Beginning in 2018, guests will have the option to pick up their orders in a Target store, where orders are ready in just two hours.

Guests also will be able to choose to link their Target.com accounts with Google for a more personalized shopping experience.

TGT last traded at $59.90. GOOG last traded at $992.26.

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Barron’s is bullish on Cullen/Frost and Caterpillar

Barron’s, the weekly publication owned by the Wall Street Journal, in its latest issue mentions several names:

Stockwinners offers Barron's review of Stockwinners offers stocks to buy, stocks to watch, upgrades, downgrades, earnings, Stocks to Buy On Margin

BULLISH  MENTIONS

Affiliated Managers bull case ‘working out well,’ – In a follow up story, Barron’s says that Affiliated Managers (AMG) stock has jumped about 25% over the past 12 months but the opportunity is not over.

Betting on Cullen/Frost (CFR) stock could produce a 25% gain – Frost Bank has survived the Great Depression, the oil-patch bust of the 1980s, and the housing bubble of the 2000s, but investors seem to be betting it will have a tough time handling Texas latest challenges, namely weak energy prices and the effects of Hurricane Harvey, Lawrence Strauss writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. However, he believes anyone making that wager is likely to lose in the long run, with the shares of its parent Cullen/Frost Bankers looking like a bargain for patient investors who could have a 25% gain.

Caterpillar, Analog Device among few stocks rising on earnings surprises – Until recently, companies that beat quarterly earnings estimates could routinely expect shares to rise, but not anymore, Jack Hough writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. Although there is a shortage of true upside surprises, Hough says there are still some, with Align Technology (ALGN), Analog Services (ADI), Caterpillar (CAT), E-Trade Financial (ETFC) and Red Hat (RHT) among those who beat earnings and revenue estimates and enjoyed quick share price gains as a result, which should bode well for future performance.

 

BEARISH  MENTIONS

Equifax breach unsettles online investors – Equifax (EFX) breach unsettles online investors, with brokers stressing the need for getting rid of Social Security IDs and for close monitoring of accounts for unusual activity, Theresa Carey writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s.

Almost no one expecting FedEx results to be good– FedEx  (FDX) is set to report first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, and almost no one is expecting them to be good, Ben Levisohn writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. Levisohn argues, however, that just because FedEx is “an express shipper doesn’t mean we need to rush to judgment,” and says sitting back and waiting to see how TNT plays out looks like the best strategy.

Goldman Sachs might be underdog – Goldman Sachs (GS) is rarely thought of as an underdog, but it might be right now, Ben Levisohn writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. Goldman’s decline is a result of its own missteps, Levisohn notes, adding that if it can correct its problems, its stock may be able to close the performance gap with its peers.

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Barron’s is Bullish on Leucadia, Sarepta and Flex, Bearish on Fiberoptic Makers, Retail

Barron’s, the weekly publication owned by the Wall Street Journal, in its latest issue is bullish on several names. They include:

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Flex could rise 25% in a year – Flex (FLEX) is using robotics, machine learning, three-dimensional printing, and other next-generation technologies to transform itself into an everything factory, able to turn out not just consumer electronics but also medical equipment, sneakers, and car components, Jack Hough writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. While the company’s business mix is changing, it still has ample exposure to PCs and smartphones, as well as companies like Apple (AAPL) and Lenovo (LNVGY), the report noted, adding that it expects Flex’s stock to rise another 25% or more over the coming year.

Leucadia shareholders to ‘finally’ see reward – Five years after Leucadia National (LUK) announced its merger with Jefferies Group, the combined company, and its shares, seem poised to prosper, Leslie Norton writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. Despite an initial burst from $21 to $31 in the year following the deal, the shares succumbed shortly thereafter to the drop-in oil prices and oil-related junk bonds, which hurt Jefferies’ commodities and bond units, the publication noted, adding that both businesses have since revived, with some investors believing its shares could be worth $30 or more.

Aviation, defense stocks have ‘juicy yields – Some aerospace and defense stocks sport “nice yields,” not to mention impressive total returns in recent years, and “good opportunities” exist in companies that overlap like Boeing (BA), Lawrence Strauss writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. Alongside Boeing, the report highlighted the yields of Lockheed Martin (LMT), United Technologies (UTX), Raytheon (RTN), L3 Technologies (LLL), General Dynamics (GD), Northrop Grumman (NOC) and Rockwell Collins (COL).

Upbeat sales news, guidance boost lift Sarepta shares – Sarepta’s (SPRT) shares surged last week after the company reported stronger than expected U.S. sales of its drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, in the second quarter, while raising sales guidance for the year, Andrew Bary writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. There could be more upside in the shares because of the significant sales potential for its DMD drug, Exondys 51, the report noted, adding that Sarepta looks like one of the “most promising smaller biotech companies.”

BEARISH NAMES

Amazon, others could be threat to fiberoptic markers – Amazon.com (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL;GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), and Facebook (FB) have all become the biggest and most important buyers of tech gear, with their influence changing the way fiberoptic components are being manufactured and distributed, Tiernan Ray writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. The pace is so intense, and supplies have gotten so tight, that Amazon is bypassing traditional vendors and manufacturing the parts itself, the report note, adding that this could threaten companies like Applied Optoelectrics (AAOI), Lumentum (LITE) and Oclaro (OCLR) if other big techs follow. See Stockwinners’ blog about fiberoptic names.

Nothing is ‘Amazon-proof’  – Amazon’s (AMZN) deal with Sears (SHLD) to sell Kenmore appliances caused shares of Home Depot (HD), Lowe’s (LOW) and Best Buy (BBY) to tumble, Ben Levisohn writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. Brick-and-mortar retailers like Macy’s (M) and Kohl’s (KSS) were the first victims of the rise of online shopping, while this year retailers once thought immune to the impact like O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY) and Advance Auto Parts (AAP) followed suit, the report noted, adding that when Amazon agreed to buy Whole Foods Market (WFM), it also caused shares of Kroger (KR) and Costco (COST) to sell off. “Nothing is Amazon-proof,” Levisohn argued.

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Yandex Jumps on Uber Tie Up

Yandex and Uber to combine businesses in Russia and neighboring countries

Yandex and Uber Join Forces. See Stockwinners Market Radar to read more.

Yandex (YNDX) and Uber are combining their ridesharing businesses in Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus and Georgia into a new company.

Uber will also contribute its UberEATS business in the region to NewCo.

In addition, Uber has agreed to invest $225M and Yandex has agreed to invest $100M into NewCo, valuing it at $3.725B on a post-money basis.

After these investments, and subject to certain adjustments at closing, NewCo will be owned approximately 59.3% by Yandex, 36.6% by Uber, and 4.1% by employees of the company, on a fully diluted basis.

Tigran Khudaverdyan, currently the CEO of Yandex.Taxi, will become the CEO of the combined business.

After the closing of the transaction, consumers will be able to use both Yandex and Uber apps while the driver-side apps will be integrated. The transaction is expected to close in Q4.

Visit Stockwinners to read more!

The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility.

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Weight Watchers Higher on Insider Buy

Weight Watchers said in a regulatory filing that its general counsel purchased 7,110 shares in the company

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Weight Watchers (WTW) shares are getting a boost following a filing by the company’s general counsel showing he purchased shares in the weight loss company.

SHARE PURCHASE

Weight Watchers said in a regulatory filing on Thursday afternoon that general counsel Michael Colosi purchased 7,110 shares in the company.

RECENT COMPANY NEWS

In May, the Oprah Winfrey-backed diet company posted a surprise profit for the first quarter and reported revenue that also beat analysts’ expectations.

The company also said it ended the quarter with 3.6M subscribers, up 16% from a year ago. The gains prompted the company to raise its earnings per share view for fiscal year 2017.

Weight Watchers has been on a turnaround track since Winfrey took a stake in the company and agreed to become a company spokesperson in October 2015.

In addition to “the Oprah Effect,” CFO Nick Hotchkin said the company is retaining customers through technology investments and an improved weight loss program.

New CEO

Weight Watchers announced in late April that Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN, Inc (HSNI), would join the company as president and CEO in July. The company had been seeking a replacement for Jim Chambers, who resigned in September 2016.

Weight Watchers recently announced results from a two-year study published in The Lancet which found that adults with obesity referred to Weight Watchers for one year lost significantly more weight and were able to keep it off for longer “compared to those who either received brief advice and self-help materials, or were referred to a 12-week Weight Watchers program.” Those on both the 12- and 52-week Weight Watchers program also had greater blood sugar control and greater reductions in body fat than those on the brief intervention program.

PRICE ACTION:

Weight Watchers closed on Thursday up 6.3% at $28.80, just off the 52-week high of $28.95 hit during the session.

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The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility.

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