Market News

The latest tally of analyst opinions from the major brokerage houses shows that among the 30 stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is the #1 analyst pick. UnitedHealth Group is also a top tier analyst pick among the broader S&P 500 index components, claiming the #38 spot out of 500.

more...

The most recent short interest data has been released for the 04/15/2016 settlement date, and we here at Dividend Channel like to sift through this fresh data and order the underlying components of the S&P 500 by "days to cover." There are a number of ways to look at short data, for example the total number of shares short; but one metric that we find particularly useful is the "days to cover" metric because it considers both the total shares short and the average daily volume of shares typically traded. The number of shares short is then compared to the average daily volume, in order to calculate the total number of trading days it would take to close out all of the open short positions if every share traded represented a short position being closed.

more...

The most recent short interest data has been released for the 04/15/2016 settlement date, and we here at Dividend Channel like to sift through this fresh data and order the underlying components of the Nasdaq 100 by "days to cover." There are a number of ways to look at short data, for example the total number of shares short; but one metric that we find particularly useful is the "days to cover" metric because it considers both the total shares short and the average daily volume of shares typically traded. The number of shares short is then compared to the average daily volume, in order to calculate the total number of trading days it would take to close out all of the open short positions if every share traded represented a short position being closed.

more...

Looking at options trading activity among components of the S&P 500 index, there is noteworthy activity today in PPL Corp (NYSE: PPL), where a total volume of 61,672 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 6.2 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 161.1% of PPL's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 3.8 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $39 strike call option expiring June 17, 2016, with 61,181 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 6.1 million underlying shares of PPL. Below is a chart showing PPL's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $39 strike highlighted in orange:

more...

In afternoon trading on Tuesday, Healthcare stocks are the best performing sector, not showing much of a loss. Within that group, Endo International plc (NASD: ENDP) and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASD: ALXN) are two of the day's stand-outs, showing a gain of 4.8% and 4.0%, respectively. Among healthcare ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLV), which is up 0.1% on the day, and down 2.13% year-to-date. Endo International plc, meanwhile, is down 53.48% year-to-date, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., is down 23.35% year-to-date. Combined, ENDP and ALXN make up approximately 1.4% of the underlying holdings of XLV.

more...

On Sunday, the Justice Department finally won the day. With pressure mounting from the agency, Halliburton and Baker Hughes, the second and third largest oil services companies, respectively, abandoned their proposed merger that had been announced on November 17, 2014.

more...

In a fairly damning report the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government body that monitors international religious freedom, warned that India was on a negative trajectory in terms of religious freedom.

more...

Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel, we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself. For the SPDR S&P 500 Growth ETF (AMEX: SPYG), we found that the implied analyst target price for the ETF based upon its underlying holdings is $112.74 per unit.

more...

Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel, we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself. For the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF (AMEX: XLY), we found that the implied analyst target price for the ETF based upon its underlying holdings is $88.97 per unit.

more...

Two quarters into its fiscal 2016, Whole Foods' comparable store sales situation hasn't completely turned around, but the company has managed to wow Wall Street with one metric: its profit.

more...