$161.78 Million in Sales Expected for Universal Electronics Inc (UEIC) This Quarter

Brokerages predict that Universal Electronics Inc (NASDAQ:UEIC) will announce sales of $161.78 million for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Two analysts have made estimates for Universal Electronics’ earnings, with estimates ranging from $161.15 million to $162.40 million. Universal Electronics posted sales of $177.58 million during the same quarter last year, which suggests a negative year-over-year growth rate of 8.9%. The firm is expected to report its next quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 2nd.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Universal Electronics will report full-year sales of $681.56 million for the current financial year, with estimates ranging from $672.70 million to $690.42 million. For the next year, analysts anticipate that the business will post sales of $741.16 million per share, with estimates ranging from $737.91 million to $744.40 million. Zacks Investment Research’s sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that that provide coverage for Universal Electronics.

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Universal Electronics (NASDAQ:UEIC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 3rd. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.02). Universal Electronics had a negative net margin of 1.58% and a positive return on equity of 9.08%. The company had revenue of $164.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $172.68 million.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BidaskClub lowered shares of Universal Electronics from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 12th. ValuEngine lowered shares of Universal Electronics from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, May 4th. Piper Jaffray Companies lowered shares of Universal Electronics from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 4th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Universal Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 10th. Finally, B. Riley lowered shares of Universal Electronics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Friday, May 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of “Sell” and an average target price of $63.00.

NASDAQ:UEIC traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $31.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 139,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 110,657. Universal Electronics has a 1 year low of $26.97 and a 1 year high of $72.50. The firm has a market cap of $437.90 million, a PE ratio of 11.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

In related news, insider Richard A. Firehammer, Jr. sold 2,817 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.35, for a total value of $147,469.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregory Stapleton sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.04, for a total transaction of $500,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 37,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,881,554.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 16,317 shares of company stock valued at $829,170. 5.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UEIC. First Mercantile Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Universal Electronics by 83.7% during the fourth quarter. First Mercantile Trust Co. now owns 3,651 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 1,664 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Electronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $235,000. Wrapmanager Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Electronics during the first quarter valued at about $255,000. MetLife Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Electronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $285,000. Finally, FDx Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Electronics during the first quarter valued at about $295,000. 95.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Electronics Company Profile

Universal Electronics Inc develops and manufactures pre-programmed and universal control products, audio-video (AV) accessories, software and intelligent wireless security products, and sensing and automation components for home entertainment and automation systems. The company offers universal infrared and radio frequency (RF) remote controls; integrated circuits on which its software and universal device control database is embedded; and software, firmware, and technology solutions that enable devices, including televisions, set-top boxes, audio systems, smartphones, tablets, game controllers, and other consumer electronic devices to wirelessly connect and interact with home networks, as well as interactive services to control and deliver digital entertainment and information.

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Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:OMEX,ECOM ,SHI,ESP,DDS,

NEW YORK �� The outspoken CEO of the largest automotive dealership chain in the U.S. publicly questioned the market value of Tesla on Tuesday, escalating the rivalry between traditional dealers and the electric-vehicle maker.

Tesla is "either one of the great Ponzi schemes of all time or it��s gonna work out," AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said at a forum presented ahead of the�ahead of the New York Auto Show by the National Automobile Dealers Association and consultants�the�J.D.�Power.

His comments came a day after Tesla briefly passed General Motors as the most valuable American automaker, as measured by market capitalization.

"Clearly�General Motors is undervalued and Tesla is overvalued," Jackson said. "Anybody can see that."

The typically brash CEO's remarks came amid a stock rally for Tesla, which is riding high amid signs that its mass-market Model 3 electric car may be on track to begin sales in 2017.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc.(OMEX)

Advisors' Opinion:

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Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: ChannelAdvisor Corporation(ECOM )

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  ChannelAdvisor (NYSE: ECOM) and Tyler Technologies (NYSE:TYL) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, dividends, institutional ownership and profitability.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: SINOPEC Shangai Petrochemical Company Ltd.(SHI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shanghai Petrochemical (NYSE: SHI) and Eastman Chemical (NYSE:EMN) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: Espey Mfg. & Electronics Corp.(ESP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Espers (CURRENCY:ESP) traded up 5.2% against the US dollar during the one day period ending at 7:00 AM Eastern on May 28th. Espers has a market capitalization of $6.27 million and approximately $8,492.00 worth of Espers was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Espers coin can now be bought for about $0.0003 or 0.00000004 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including Livecoin and CoinExchange. During the last seven days, Espers has traded down 26.2% against the US dollar.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2019: Dillard's, Inc.(DDS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  A day later, Macy's smaller rival Dillard's (NYSE:DDS) followed with its own solid earnings report. The better-than-expected results and a recent analyst upgrade have helped power a roughly 13% rally in Dillard's stock over the past week.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.13 per share on revenue of $120.51 billion. J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) is expected to report quarterly loss at $0.2 per share on revenue of $2.63 billion. Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE: DDS) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $2.77 per share on revenue of $1.46 billion. The Children's Place, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.21 per share on revenue of $444.14 million. Manchester United plc (NYSE: MANU) is expected to report quarterly loss at $1.35 per share on revenue of $193.67 million. Teekay Corporation (NYSE: TK) is estimated to report quarterly loss at $0.08 per share on revenue of $296.76 million. KEMET Corporation (NYSE: KEM) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $306.72 million. Vascular Biogenics Ltd. (NASDAQ: VBLT) is estimated to report a quarterly loss at $0.21 per share. Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. (NYSE: TOO) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.04 per share on revenue of $272.04 million. Albireo Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALBO) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.77 per share on revenue of $31.32 million.

   

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) shares jumped 113.5 percent to $0.6737 after the California Department of Pesticide Regulation proposed to register the company's ContraPest for sale and use in California. AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: UAVS) shares rose 35.34 percent to close at $3.32. Art's-Way Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: ARTW) shares gained 30.36 percent to $3.65. Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: XTNT) shares jumped 25.6 percent to $7.4701 after the company disclosed that it has received the FDA clearance for InTice™-C Porous Titanium Cervical Interbody System. VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY) shares surged 20 percent to $2.495. TransGlobe Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: TGA) surged 17.04 percent to $2.61. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) gained 15 percent to $8.32 after the company announced an exclusive partnership with Multi Touch Interactives to strengthen the development of next generation interactive educational activities. Arcimoto, Inc. (NASDAQ: FUV) gained 15 percent to $3.39. MB Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBFI) rose 13.7 percent to $49.64. Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) agreed to acquire MB Financial for $54.70 per share in cash and stock. FRONTEO, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTEO) shares rose 11.8 percent to $20.956. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) shares jumped 11.1 percent to $3.38. 21Vianet Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNET) rose 10.6 percent to $7.41. NII Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NIHD) shares gained 9 percent to $2.32. Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) rose 7.6 percent to $24.19. Northcoast Research upgraded Kelly Services from Neutral to Buy. LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) shares climbed 5.6 percent to $33.70. Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) will buy LaSalle Hotel Properties in a $4.8 billion deal, Bloomberg reported. Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE: AYX) gained 5.5 percent to $32.56. KeyBanc upgraded Alteryx from Sector Weight to Overweight. Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:

Ebix Inc (EBIX) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ebix Inc (NASDAQ:EBIX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $100.00.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EBIX. BidaskClub lowered shares of Ebix from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Ebix from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Finally, Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Ebix from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $87.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 6th.

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A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Ebix by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 183,471 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $13,669,000 after buying an additional 4,734 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Ebix during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,318,000. CIBC World Markets Inc. bought a new stake in Ebix during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,989,000. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB bought a new stake in Ebix during the 1st quarter valued at about $236,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Ebix by 1,315.1% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 105,880 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,888,000 after buying an additional 98,398 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.07% of the company’s stock.

Ebix opened at $75.30 on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.75, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.83. Ebix has a 12-month low of $52.80 and a 12-month high of $87.50.

Ebix (NASDAQ:EBIX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 9th. The technology company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $108.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.81 million. Ebix had a return on equity of 19.54% and a net margin of 25.54%. The business’s revenue was up 36.8% on a year-over-year basis. research analysts forecast that Ebix will post 3.9 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 30th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. Ebix’s payout ratio is 9.46%.

About Ebix

Ebix, Inc provides software and e-commerce solutions to insurance, finance, and healthcare industries. It offers software development, customization, and consulting services to various entities in the insurance industry, including carriers, brokers, exchanges, and standard making bodies. The company operates data exchanges in the areas of life insurance, annuities, employee health benefits, risk management, workers compensation, insurance underwriting, and property and casualty (P&C) insurance.

Powell Sees Significantly Smaller Role for Fed Forward Guidance

The Federal Reserve’s days of pledging lower-for-longer rate policy may be drawing toward a close.

“Forward guidance was highly useful in the crisis,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday, speaking on a panel at the Riksbank’s 350th anniversary conference in Stockholm. “I think it will have a significantly smaller role going forward.”

Some Fed policy makers think forward-looking language in the central bank’s statement will soon be dated, based on the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee’s March and May meetings. John Williams, who becomes president of the New York Fed on June 18, has talked about the fact that forward guidance might be "past its shelf life." Against that backdrop, Powell’s comments reinforce expectations that Fed communications may be headed for a change.

“When forward guidance came around, the whole point of getting the market signal is that there’s independent content in that signal,” Powell said. “If the market’s really signaling that it understands what it thinks we’re doing, then you’ve lost the content of the signal.”

Based on the minutes, two lines in the Federal Open Market Committee’s statement could get updated as rates rise toward more normal levels. One states that the “federal funds rate is likely to remain, for some time, below levels that are expected to prevail in the longer run” and the other says “the stance of monetary policy remains accommodative.”

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Universal Display (OLED) Research Coverage Started at Roth Capital

Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of Universal Display (NASDAQ:OLED) in a report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $136.00 price objective on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on OLED. Deutsche Bank reiterated a buy rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Universal Display in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Universal Display from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, January 27th. BidaskClub lowered shares of Universal Display from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Cowen set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Universal Display and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of Universal Display from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $174.36.

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NASDAQ OLED opened at $97.10 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.96 and a beta of 1.33. Universal Display has a 52 week low of $86.85 and a 52 week high of $209.00.

Universal Display (NASDAQ:OLED) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 3rd. The semiconductor company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.13. The firm had revenue of $43.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $50.85 million. Universal Display had a net margin of 30.74% and a return on equity of 17.53%. Universal Display’s revenue was down 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. analysts forecast that Universal Display will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 14th. Universal Display’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.88%.

In other Universal Display news, Director Richard C. Elias sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.60, for a total transaction of $291,600.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth H. Gemmill sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.07, for a total transaction of $310,175.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Universal Display by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 18,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,130,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its position in Universal Display by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 3,900 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $673,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Universal Display by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,291 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Glassman Wealth Services grew its position in Universal Display by 60.7% during the 4th quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 961 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. grew its position in Universal Display by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 2,865 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. 65.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Display Company Profile

Universal Display Corporation engages in the research, development, and commercialization of organic light emitting diode (OLED) technologies and materials for use in flat panel displays and solid-state lighting applications. As of February 22, 2018, it owned or had exclusive and co-exclusive licenses, or had sole license rights with respect to approximately 4,500 issued and pending patents worldwide.

SBI Q4 review: Global brokerages maintain buy, see 25-50% upside

State Bank of India�(SBI) reported a second consecutive net loss of Rs 7,718 crore for the quarter-ended March on Tuesday due to a surge in provisions and bad loans. This was the second highest quarterly loss figure reported by any bank after Punjab National Bank reported a Q4 FY18 loss of Rs 13,417 crore last week. However, most global brokerage firms maintain a Buy rating on the stock.

A Reuters poll had estimated the bank to report a loss of Rs 1,270.5 crore as against a net profit of Rs 2,814.82 crore in the same quarter of last year. In Q3 FY18, SBI had reported a loss of Rs 2,416 crore. Provisions (and contingencies) surged to Rs 28,096 crore during the reporting quarter, more than twice the amount reported in the corresponding quarter of last year at Rs 11,740 crore.

Brokerages feel stress on the bank��s books is reducing and recognition of most non-performing assets (NPAs) has been undertaken which improves outlook for upcoming quarters. Among global brokerage firms which have come out with reports post its Q4 result, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML) has the most aggressive target price of Rs 380 per share, which translate in an upside of about 49 percent from current levels.

Here��s what most global brokerage firms have said post the bank��s Q4 result:

related news Buy Crompton Greaves Consumer, target Rs 268: Shitij Gandhi Accumulate Manpasand Beverages, target Rs 500: Shitij Gandhi

Credit Suisse: Underperform | Slashed price to Rs 322 from Rs 381

Credit Suisse maintains an underperform rating on SBI post Q4 results but slashed its target price to Rs 322 from Rs 381 earlier. The residual stress is contracting, but further capital infusion might be required, said the note.

Gross NPAs have peaked at 10.9 percent this quarter. The global investment bank cuts FY19 EPS by 3 percent and FY20 EPS by 20 percent on higher provisions.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch: Buy | Target: Rs 380

BofA-ML maintains a buy rating on SBI post Q4 results and recommends a target of Rs 380. It looks like recognition of NPAs is now behind us and the recovery and loan growth is likely to drive sharp rebound.

The March-quarter weakness was led by new NPL norms, as well as treasury losses. But, we need to understand that SBI is the key beneficiary of asset quality cycle, which is positive.

Jefferies: Buy | Target: Rs 355

Jefferies maintains a buy rating on SBI post Q4 results with a target of Rs 355. The Street may like that gross stress has likely peaked. The core profitability should see a cyclical improvement. The global investment bank expects RoE to reach 15-16 percent only by FY21E.

Citigroup: Buy | Target: Rs 325

Citigroup maintains a buy rating on SBI post Q4 results with a target price of Rs 325. Higher slippages lead to P&L loss, and it looks like most of the stress is now recognised as NPA. Credit costs are likely to moderate, and the growth should improve from current level.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/brokerages on moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Intel's Hot Shares

Investment Thesis

Intel (INTC) had been an unrewarding investment for at least ten years, ending last summer �� during which, the stock had trailed many benchmarks including the S&P 500 (SPY).

However, in the past year, its shares have picked up strong momentum, delighting investors who have become passionate about the future of Data Centers and Non-Volatile Memory - two fields that are in investors' recent vogue.

In the past, I had felt Intel lacked the ambition to deliver strong growth, that Intel was being weighed down by its PC-centered business. However, in spite of its shares rallying close to 50% in the past 12 months, I now actually think that patient investors might still be rewarded with 40-50% upside over the next two years. If you have not read my articles before, I would like to inform you, that is a rare re-appraisal on my part.

Recent Developments

Excluding its McAfee divestment, Intel posted 13% organic growth. For a company of its size, 13% organic growth is quite substantial growth. Previously, my gripe with Intel had been its persistent determination to hold onto its legacy and declining revenue from its PC-centric ('CCG') businesses. Because, in spite of management's attempt to distract investors, this legacy business had for a long time been generating close to 60% of its overall revenue - thus the bulk of Intel��s revenue.

However, as of its most recent quarter (Q1 2018), Intel now generates only 51% of its revenue from its CCG segment - with the rest of Intel��s consolidated revenue being generated from its data-centric business, which is now growing at solid double-digits.

The New Story

Investors of late have become infatuated with the opportunity that the cloud may provide for many chip makers, such as Intel - and for good reasons. As proven by Intel's Data Center Group (DCG), which generated nearly a third of Intel's Q1 consolidated revenue; there is strong demand in this sector. However, more pertinent to Intel, Intel's significant scale allowed Intel to post fantastic margins from its data-center group, which saw its operating margins go from 35% in Q1 2017 to 50% in Q1 2018.

Strong double-digits revenue growth in all of its data-centric operations, combined with its drive to bring down its total spend to 30% ahead of schedule by a full two years (as of Q1 2018 this was still at 32.4%), offers Intel strong operational leverage and allowed management to feel confident of its operations and to raise its full-year guidance. With its top-line revenue guidance being raised by roughly 3.8%, while more important for value investors, free cash flow guidance was also raised by more than 10% to $14.5 billion.

Valuation

Risk-averse investors could be concerned that Intel's debt of $28.6 billion is quite substantial, amounting to close to 41% of its stockholders' equity. However, Intel also carries a significant amount of cash and equivalents amounting to roughly $16 billion, making its overall position a net debt position of roughly $12.6 billion. Thus, for a company which is able to bring in close to $14.5 billion in free cash flow in a single year, one could argue that Intel is actually underutilizing its financial position, leaving Intel plenty of room to either do some plug-in M&A or meaningfully increase its share repurchase plan.

Source: author's calculations, morningstar.com

I'm a big fan of the P/S ratio, as I feel that this ratio is remarkably good at cutting through the noise. Generally speaking, a company's revenue is significantly less volatile from year-to-year, than EPS or free cash flow. And as we can see in the above table, how investors over the past 5 years have only been willing to pay 2.8X on a P/S ratio for Intel's opportunity, but how presently investors are nearly willing to pay 50% more than they have historically.

Having said that, I do not think this re-pricing is totally unwarranted. As I presently believe that Intel has demonstrated that its drive to grow its business away from being PC-centric, combined with the company bringing down its total spend ahead of schedule, is not being sufficiently rewarded in its present share price. Incidentally, for those that have followed me in the past, this is in direct opposition to what I had previously opined about Intel.

Takeaway

Intel had strong Q1 2018 numbers and raised its full-year guidance. Although its shares have noticeably rallied of late and started to close its margin of safety, overall I do not feel that Intel is fully priced at $250 billion market cap, and expect it to revalue to around $350 billion market cap over the next two years.

Disclaimer: Please do your own due diligence to reach your own conclusions.

Note: The only favor I ask is that you click the "Follow" button so I can grow my Seeking Alpha friendships and our Deep Value network. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

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Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now

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Clean energy stocks in 2018�are on the cusp of massive growth, as the sector is projected to expand by 500% in the United States alone…

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The World's First "Universal Fuel": Physicists have known about an unlimited source of free fuel for over 100 years. See why tech companies are investing millions in this fuel (and how to join them). Click here…

And that means right now is the time to invest in clean energy stocks before they begin to soar.

To help Money Morning readers profit from the massive industry growth ahead, we're giving our readers one of the best clean energy stocks to buy right now. More on that pick in just a bit, but we want to first show you why the renewable energy sector is set to soar…

How Renewables Will Power Clean Energy Stocks in 2018

There are three major catalysts propelling alternative energy sources to explosive growth potential. And as the sector grows, so will renewable energy stocks…

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: lululemon athletica inc.(LULU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Needham, based on the run-up in shares and on a harder earnings comparison that will be harder to beat. Lululemon was up 1% at $96.31 but was down 2% at $94.30 on Monday. It had a consensus target price of $89.93.

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  Yoga clothing retailer�Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) gained 12% last month, compared to a slight increase in the S&P 500, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Meanwhile, Under Armour's rivals like�Nike�(NYSE:NKE),�Adidas�(NasdaqOTC: ADDYY), and�lululemon athletica�(NASDAQ:LULU)�all performed well in the survey. Piper Jaffray found that Adidas was the fastest-growing brand in the survey, which follows Adidas's recent stock surge and sales and profit growth. Its Originals, or classic sneakers, like the Stan Smith and the Superstar were especially popular last year. The Superstar, in fact, was the No. 1-selling sneaker last year, according to NPD Group, dethroning Nike for the first time in more than a decade.��

• [By ]

  In the mid-level, Boss said that Urban Outfitters (URBN) is recovering, along with Kohl's Stores (KSS) . He also liked PVH (PVH) and Lululemon Athletica (LULU) .

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Farmers Capital Bank Corporation(FFKT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  On Friday, the financial shares climbed 0.31 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Farmers Capital Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: FFKT), up 16 percent, and Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB), up 10 percent.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers AGM Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AGMH) shares climbed 30.3 percent to $11.05 after climbing 34.60 percent on Thursday. Limelight Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: LLNW) jumped 21.2 percent to $4.9699 following a first-quarter earnings beat. The company also raised its fiscal 2018 estimates. Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) shares climbed 18.8 percent to $7.89 after reporting strong Q1 earnings. Farmers Capital Bank Corp (NASDAQ: FFKT) gained 15.4 percent to $48.75. WesBanco Inc (NASDAQ: WSBC) announced an agreement and plan of merger with Farmers Capital Bank Corporation. TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) climbed 10.2 percent to $66.76 after the company posted upbeat Q1 results and issued a strong forecast for the second quarter. TransUnion announced plans to acquire Callcredit. Myomo, Inc. (NYSE: MYO) shares gained 9.2 percent to $3.9299 after rising 8.11 percent on Thursday. Pinnacle Foods Inc (NYSE: PF) gained 8.8 percent to $60.04 after a 13-D filing from Jana Partners showed an increased stake in the comapny, from 1.42 million shares at the end of last quarter to 10.83 million shares, or a 9.3-percent stake. Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) shares climbed 8.8 percent to $26.70 following upbeat Q1 earnings. OFG Bancorp (NYSE: OFG) gained 8.5 percent to $12.80 after reporting Q1 results. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) climbed 7.5 percent to $7.73 following Q1 results. Seaspan Corporation (NYSE: SSW) shares climbed 6.7 percent to $7.50. Deutsche Bank upgraded Seaspan from Hold to Buy. General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) shares rose 4.6 percent to $14.63 after the company reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IONS) rose 4.3 percent to $47.80. Biogen and Ionis have expanded their strategic collaboration to develop drug candidates for a broad range of neurological diseases.

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Friday morning, the financial shares climbed 0.50 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Farmers Capital Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: FFKT), up 16 percent, and Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB), up 9 percent.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Salesforce.com Inc(CRM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Bank of Internet (BOFI) , MGM Resorts (MGM) , Verizon (VZ) , Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) , Oracle (ORCL) , Salesforce.com (CRM) , PayPal (PYPL) , Raytheon (RTN) and McDonald's (MCD) .

• [By ]

  In addition, Corvex Management's Keith Meister reported owning new significant stakes in Intercontinental Exchange Inc. ( (ICE) ), Microsoft Corp.  (MSFT) , Monsanto Co. (MON) , Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) , Salesforce.com Inc. (CRM) and Servicenow Inc. (NOW)

• [By ]

  For example, 100 million Prime members? That's sick and something that should at least cause a bit of trepidation in the winning hallways of Netflix (NFLX) . Working on secret projects for Amazon Web Services to catch up to leaders such as Microsoft (MSFT) and Salesforce (CRM) ? That's worrisome for each of those companies looking out over the next 10 years. Nearing the roll-out of Amazon Prime benefits into Whole Foods stores? Look out Kroger (KR) , Walmart (WMT) , Target (TGT) and others.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ConAgra Foods, Inc.(CAG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Rhumbline Advisers reduced its stake in shares of Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) by 4.4% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 744,090 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,068 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Conagra Brands were worth $27,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Conagra Brands Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is expected to release its most recent quarterly report early Thursday. The consensus forecast calls for $0.55 in EPS on $2.0 billion in revenue. Shares closed at $36.61 on Friday. The consensus target price is $42.21, and shares have changed hands between $32.16 and $41.63 in the past year.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Change (CURRENCY:CAG) traded up 8.4% against the U.S. dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 21:00 PM Eastern on April 20th. One Change token can now be purchased for approximately $0.21 or 0.00002362 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including EtherDelta and Kucoin. Change has a total market cap of $7.72 million and approximately $56,746.00 worth of Change was traded on exchanges in the last day. In the last seven days, Change has traded up 26.7% against the U.S. dollar.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Western Union Company (WU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Western Union (WU)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The Western Union Co. (NYSE: WU) dropped 2.9% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $17.38. Shares closed at $18.93 on Monday and the stock’s 52-week high is $22.21. Volume was more nearly 10% above the daily average of around 6 million shares. The company’s stock was hit following an announcement from Walmart of a worldwide money transfer service.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ARGI Investment Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Union (NYSE:WU) by 80.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,928 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,290 shares during the quarter. ARGI Investment Services LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $1,864,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Pioneer Energy Services Corp.(PES)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Baytex Energy (NYSE: BTE) and Pioneer Energy Services (NYSE:PES) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, valuation, risk and dividends.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Pioneer Energy Services (NYSE:PES) Director C John Thompson sold 6,666 shares of Pioneer Energy Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.25, for a total transaction of $28,330.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 41,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $177,726.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  TIAA CREF Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Pioneer Energy Services (NYSE:PES) by 34.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 174,740 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 93,636 shares during the period. TIAA CREF Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.22% of Pioneer Energy Services worth $533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Calumet Specialty Products Partners L.P.(CLMT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Two turnaround stocks drawing attention from investors are propane distributor Ferrellgas Partners L.P. (NYSE:FGP) and specialty refiner Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP (NASDAQ:CLMT). They've had very different trajectories in the last year, with the former losing 35% and the latter gaining 108%. However, the biggest problem facing each business is the same: suffocating debt.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BOOT) rose 15.6 percent to $25.40 in pre-market trading after the company reported upbeat results for its fourth quarter and issued strong first-quarter earnings guidance. Abaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABAX) rose 15.3 percent to $82.75 in pre-market trading. Zoetis Inc. (NYSE: ZTS) announced plans to acquire Abaxis for $83 per share in cash. Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: CLMT) rose 12.6 percent to $8.95 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Micro Focus International plc (NYSE: MFGP) shares rose 8.8 percent to $18.59 in the pre-market trading session after the company issued strong revenue forecast for the first fiscal half of 2018. HC2 Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCHC) rose 5.6 percent to $6.60 in pre-market trading. Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBIO) shares rose 5.3 percent to $2.79 in pre-market trading. Eleven Biotherapeutics posted a Q1 loss of $0.11 per share. Imprimis Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: IMMY) rose 5.2 percent to $2.52 in pre-market trading after reporting a first-quarter sales beat. Red Violet, Inc. (NASDAQ: RDVT) rose 4.1 percent to $10.35 in pre-market trading after climbing 75.31 percent on Tuesday. Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: XENE) rose 3.8 percent to $6.90 in pre-market trading. The stock rose over 10 percent Tuesday after reporting its Phase 1 clinical update on XEN901 demonstrated a favorable PK profile. Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) rose 3.5 percent to $11.01 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE: TEVA) shares rose 3.4 percent to $20.98 in pre-market trading after Buffett's Berkshire more than doubled its stake in Teva. China Internet Nationwide Financial Services Inc. (NASDAQ: CIFS) shares rose 3.7 percent to $31.30 in pre-market trading after the company reported results for its fourth quarter. PetIQ Inc (NASDAQ: PETQ) shares rose 3.4 percent to $20.00 in pre-market t
• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:CLMT) is attempting to shift gears as it refocuses around higher-margin refined chemicals products. The plan sounds good on paper, and the independent refiner appears to be making progress. However, after a doubling of the price over the past year, most investors need to think carefully before jumping on this bandwagon. Here's why.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: BB&T Corporation(BBT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Stearns Financial Services Group trimmed its position in shares of BB&T (NYSE:BBT) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,395 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,511 shares during the period. BB&T makes up 0.6% of Stearns Financial Services Group’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Stearns Financial Services Group’s holdings in BB&T were worth $2,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By ]

  In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on FMC Corp (FMC) , Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust  (PEI) , Cisco Systems (CSCO) , HP (HPQ) , BB&T Bank (BBT) and HCA Holdings (HCA) .

• [By ]

  BB&T Bank (BBT) : "They report next week and I think the story will be a good one. I'd only buy into weakness. It's still not down enough from it's high."

• [By Shane Hupp]

  BB&T (NYSE:BBT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 19th. The insurance provider reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.85 billion. BB&T had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 10.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. equities research analysts predict that BB&T will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  BB&T (NYSE:BBT) insider William Rufus Yates sold 16,279 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.20, for a total transaction of $882,321.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 42,101 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,281,874.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Curis, Inc.(CRIS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Curis (CRIS)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 10 Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: SL Green Realty Corporation(SLG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on SL Green Realty (SLG)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in SL Green Realty (NYSE:SLG) by 13.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 315,900 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 51,200 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.35% of SL Green Realty worth $30,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.