Zacks: Analysts Anticipate CNB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CCNE) Will Announce Quarterly Sales of $49.60 Million

Analysts forecast that CNB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CCNE) will announce $49.60 million in sales for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Two analysts have issued estimates for CNB Financial’s earnings, with the lowest sales estimate coming in at $49.10 million and the highest estimate coming in at $50.10 million. CNB Financial posted sales of $48.08 million during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year over year growth rate of 3.2{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. The business is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings report on Tuesday, January 25th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that CNB Financial will report full year sales of $191.85 million for the current fiscal year, with estimates ranging from $191.80 million to $191.90 million. For the next year, analysts forecast that the company will post sales of $203.00 million, with estimates ranging from $201.40 million to $204.60 million. Zacks’ sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that cover CNB Financial.

CNB Financial (NASDAQ:CCNE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.05. CNB Financial had a return on equity of 15.47{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} and a net margin of 24.00{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. The business had revenue of $48.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.10 million.

CCNE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Boenning Scattergood reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of CNB Financial in a research note on Friday, August 20th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of CNB Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday.

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In other CNB Financial news, COO Michael D. Peduzzi purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.18 per share, for a total transaction of $120,900.00. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.77{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the company’s stock.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in CNB Financial by 12.8{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,926 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of CNB Financial by 8.9{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} during the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 21,609 shares of the bank’s stock worth $493,000 after buying an additional 1,760 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of CNB Financial by 40.0{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} during the 2nd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 15,825 shares of the bank’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 4,525 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in CNB Financial by 32.1{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 34,891 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $796,000 after purchasing an additional 8,477 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. acquired a new position in CNB Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $535,000. Institutional investors own 39.34{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the company’s stock.

Shares of CCNE opened at $27.06 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.83. The firm has a market cap of $457.12 million, a P/E ratio of 9.82 and a beta of 0.98. CNB Financial has a one year low of $20.20 and a one year high of $28.59.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.175 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 30th. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. This is a boost from CNB Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. CNB Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.36{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}.

CNB Financial Company Profile

CNB Financial Corp. is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and financial solutions. It offers deposit accounts, private banking, real estate, commercial, industrial, residential and consumer loans, lines of credit, credit cards, treasury services, online banking, mobile banking, merchant credit card processing, remote deposit, and accounts receivable handling.

Further Reading: What is a short straddle?

Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on CNB Financial (CCNE)

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This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat’s editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]

Should you invest $1,000 in CNB Financial right now?

Before you consider CNB Financial, you’ll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street’s top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on… and CNB Financial wasn’t on the list.

While CNB Financial currently has a “Buy” rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The 5 Stocks Here

 

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AMP) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AMP) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the ten analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $292.10.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Ameriprise Financial from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Ameriprise Financial from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 29th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price objective on Ameriprise Financial from $317.00 to $348.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 2nd. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Ameriprise Financial in a research report on Tuesday, October 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $328.00 price objective for the company.

Shares of NYSE:AMP opened at $290.20 on Friday. Ameriprise Financial has a 52-week low of $182.83 and a 52-week high of $312.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.65 and a beta of 1.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $292.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $270.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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Ameriprise Financial (NYSE:AMP) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 25th. The financial services provider reported $5.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.49 by $0.42. Ameriprise Financial had a return on equity of 45.09{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} and a net margin of 17.39{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.27 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 17.4{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ameriprise Financial will post 22.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 5th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. Ameriprise Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 24.38{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}.

In related news, CEO James M. Cracchiolo sold 30,632 shares of Ameriprise Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.67, for a total transaction of $9,302,019.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Walter Stanley Berman sold 15,986 shares of Ameriprise Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.37, for a total value of $4,833,686.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 48,118 shares of company stock worth $14,597,751. Company insiders own 1.10{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMP. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Ameriprise Financial by 7.4{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,616,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,393,463,000 after acquiring an additional 662,711 shares during the period. Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC bought a new stake in Ameriprise Financial during the third quarter valued at about $137,568,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Ameriprise Financial by 30.5{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} during the second quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,515,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $377,243,000 after acquiring an additional 354,421 shares during the period. Amundi bought a new stake in Ameriprise Financial during the second quarter valued at about $82,602,000. Finally, AGF Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Ameriprise Financial by 154.9{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} during the second quarter. AGF Investments Inc. now owns 389,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,829,000 after acquiring an additional 236,402 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.97{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the company’s stock.

Ameriprise Financial Company Profile

Ameriprise Financial, Inc operates as a holding company. The firm provides financial planning, asset management and insurance services to individuals, businesses and institutions. It operates through the following business segments: Advice & Wealth Management, Asset Management, Retirement & Protection Solutions, and Corporate & Other.

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Analyst Recommendations for Ameriprise Financial (NYSE:AMP)

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat’s editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]

Should you invest $1,000 in Ameriprise Financial right now?

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MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street’s top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on… and Ameriprise Financial wasn’t on the list.

While Ameriprise Financial currently has a “Buy” rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The 5 Stocks Here

 

Mainstream Analysts Pour Scorn on El Salvador’s Financial Plans and Bitcoin Intentions

Nayib Bukele. Source: A screenshot, Instagram/nayibbukele

 

Mainstream analysts have criticized El Salvador’s budget plans for 2022 and its bitcoin (BTC) bond ambitions – and a media outlet has pointed out that international ratings agencies are now lining up to take aim at the nation’s President Nayib Bukele and his adoption plans.

According to El Diario de Hoy’s ElSalvador.com website, the London-based financial services company EMFI Group has echoed earlier warnings from the likes of Moody’s that the country will need USD 1.75bn in financing to meet its budgeting goals as set out in late September. However, the firm does not expect the country will reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The group claims that a strong economic recovery may well be on the cards, but El Salvador’s fiscal deficit and debt levels will remain high nonetheless. 

Similar sentiments were the order of the day more recently from the America-based, Santander-owned brokerage Amherst Pierpont, which the media outlet noted has “pointed out inconsistencies in Bukele’s economic policies and his decisions on Bitcoin bonds.”

The broker was quoted as stating:

“The formal announcement of a BTC-related USD bond issuage informally confirms a break with the IMF, along with an uncertain alternative financing/growth model.”

Amherst Pierpont added that initial market reaction has been “skeptical of increased borrowing, the lack of conditionality for a coherent economic framework and latent skepticism on the matter of whether bitcoin represents a positive alternative for growth.”

Rommel Rodríguez, a researcher from El Salvador’s National Development Foundation (Funde)’s Macroeconomics and Development unit, concurred. Rodríguez was quoted as opining that the 2022 budget plan, as outlined by the government finance chief Alejandro Zelaya, seemed somewhat “optimistic.”

Rodríguez questioned whether “projected revenues” could “coincide with the expected growth rate” – although he conceded that the “projections” had been “made with a lower growth rate” in mind.

Bukele appears to be hoping that an alternative economy will arise organically at the BTC bond-powered “Bitcoin City” settlement to be built at the foot of one of the Latin American nation’s volcanoes. He has promised potential entrepreneurial residents fast-tracked residency permits, as well as virtually no taxes – barring a single VAT charge on sales.

But there could be more trouble ahead for the BTC-keen Bukele. The same media outlet also reported that the state-run Chivo wallet’s sales volumes currently “do not even account for 1{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the trade done by SMEs [small or medium-sized enterprises].”

It quoted the Society of Merchants and Industrialists of El Salvador’s Advisor Ramón Rivera, as stating that companies “continue to make transactions in dollars, despite the fact that the government has insisted they use the Chivo mobile application, with which bitcoin can be used as legal tender.”

The same group’s President, Luis Chevez, was quoted as stating:

“In our sector, [bitcoin adoption] has not materialized. People have not been going out of their way to use bitcoin. People work with the US dollar and we do not [see] the impact that bitcoin could have on the economy.”

Last month, the IMF warned El Salvador about the need to address risks related to using bitcoin as legal tender, as well as its “new payments ecosystem” and bitcoin trading.
____
Learn more: 
– El Salvador’s Bitcoin City, BTC Bonds Plans Met With Mixed Reaction
– El Salvador Buys Bitcoin Dip Again

– Corporations & Countries Watch and Learn From El Salvador’s Bitcoin Experiment
– El Salvador Bitcoin ‘Scalpers’ Force App Turnaround as Chivo Criticism Continues

Analysts Anticipate Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:DCOM) Will Post Quarterly Sales of $101.93 Million

Wall Street brokerages forecast that Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:DCOM) will report $101.93 million in sales for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Two analysts have provided estimates for Dime Community Bancshares’ earnings. The highest sales estimate is $103.60 million and the lowest is $100.27 million. Dime Community Bancshares reported sales of $48.44 million in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 110.4{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. The firm is scheduled to issue its next earnings report on Thursday, January 27th.

On average, analysts expect that Dime Community Bancshares will report full year sales of $399.74 million for the current fiscal year, with estimates ranging from $398.08 million to $401.40 million. For the next financial year, analysts anticipate that the firm will post sales of $415.88 million, with estimates ranging from $405.35 million to $426.40 million. Zacks Investment Research’s sales calculations are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that that provide coverage for Dime Community Bancshares.

Dime Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:DCOM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.08. Dime Community Bancshares had a net margin of 20.83{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} and a return on equity of 14.25{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. The firm had revenue of $104.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $100.18 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.77 EPS.

Separately, Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Dime Community Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.17.

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NASDAQ:DCOM opened at $34.30 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $35.24 and its 200-day moving average is $33.91. Dime Community Bancshares has a 52-week low of $22.23 and a 52-week high of $38.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34 and a beta of 1.15.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 25th. Investors of record on Monday, October 18th were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 15th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. Dime Community Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 51.34{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}.

In other Dime Community Bancshares news, Director Basswood Capital Management, L bought 21,648 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.07 per share, with a total value of $715,899.36. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 16.40{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the company’s stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DCOM. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Dime Community Bancshares by 252.2{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} during the second quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 877 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Vance Management bought a new stake in Dime Community Bancshares during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Dime Community Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in Dime Community Bancshares by 303.0{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,619 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 2,721 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Dime Community Bancshares by 28.4{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} during the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,691 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 1,037 shares during the last quarter. 72.21{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Dime Community Bancshares

The largest community bank headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, chartered on April 19, 1864. The bank specializes in Commercial Mortgage finance in the NY Metro area and services depositors in 24 full service branches throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and the Bronx.

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Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Dime Community Bancshares (DCOM)

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Earnings History and Estimates for Dime Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:DCOM)

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat’s editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]

Should you invest $1,000 in Dime Community Bancshares right now?

Before you consider Dime Community Bancshares, you’ll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street’s top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on… and Dime Community Bancshares wasn’t on the list.

While Dime Community Bancshares currently has a “Buy” rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The 5 Stocks Here

 

Omicron’s economic impact expected to be only small, analysts say

Economists generally expect the world economy to weather any fresh wave of coronavirus infections caused by the Omicron variant relatively easily, even if the latest version of the virus has clouded the economic outlook with uncertainty.

A central reason for their relatively optimistic initial assessment is the growing ability of economies to adapt to past Covid-19 restrictions, alongside the rollout of vaccine programmes.

Any new wave of the virus was therefore also unlikely to curb the rise in inflation, the economists said, although it would raise doubts among central bankers about the wisdom of tightening monetary policy early.

Lockdowns have become less severe with each wave of coronavirus

Among the large range of analysts who published notes and forecasts on Monday morning — be they from investment banks or consultancies — all stressed the uncertainty generated by the Omicron variant’s ability to evade existing vaccines, cause severe disease and spread faster than the Delta variant.

At the same time, though, few thought there was a need to rip up their current economic projections.

Paul Donovan, chief economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, said that travel and tourism might be hard-hit in some places, but this was generally quite a small part of overall economic activity. The Omicron variant was “unlikely to change the broader economic narrative at this stage”, he added.

Holger Schmieding, chief economist of Berenberg Bank, said: “From wave to wave, the economic damage has lessened.” He pointed to the contrast between the first and second European waves of Covid-19: while the first knocked 15 per cent off eurozone economic activity in the second quarter of 2020, general adaptation to living with the virus led to only a 0.7 per cent drop in gross domestic product in the more severe second wave in early 2021.

Furthermore, even if the Omicron variant has greater resistance to current vaccines, the prevailing view is that inoculation against it will help to reduce the economic impact.

Daniele Antonucci, chief economist at Quintet Private Bank, said: “The developed world can now count on high vaccination rates, has ramped up its capacity to develop and produce vaccines, and has shown it can adjust working patterns fairly flexibly and adapt more generally.”

Most economists believed that any slowdown in economic activity was also unlikely to curb the recent surge in inflation, particularly in goods where demand has outstripped global supplies that have been riven by disruptions.

Neil Shearing, chief economist of Capital Economics, said: “A virus-related surge in goods spending, or port closures, would exacerbate existing supply strains and add upward pressure to goods inflation.”

“It’s not clear it’s [the Omicron variant] disinflationary,” said Jordan Rochester, a foreign exchange strategist at Nomura in London.

While accepting there is huge uncertainty, Goldman Sachs economists produced four possible scenarios for any coming Omicron wave, including one that is a false alarm and the new variant proves no more infectious than Delta.

Its main downside scenario suggested there would be only a small economic hit from the virus in 2022, because the impact of each subsequent lockdown in the past had been weaker. These restrictions would lower global growth significantly in the first quarter, until new vaccines arrived and brought with them a robust recovery.

Over the year as a whole, Daan Struyven, senior global economist at Goldman Sachs, said global growth would drop from 4.6 per cent in 2022 to 4.2 per cent. However, there would be a corresponding increase in 2023 growth as recovery took hold again.

Goldman Sachs' central forecast is that an Omicron wave would hit economic activity at the start of 2022 before recovery took hold again

In its most severe downside scenario, disease severity and immunity against hospitalisations were substantially worse than that for the Delta variant. But, Struyven added, there was also a positive scenario in which the severity of infection was lower and the global economy could “normalise”.

The uncertainty is likely to encourage central banks, particularly at the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, to stay their hand and wait a little longer before deciding whether to tighten monetary policy, either by slowing the tapering of asset purchases in the US or delaying interest rate rises in the UK.

In a note on Friday, Citi’s European economists wrote that the new uncertainty would be “a major alert” for central banks and that “the recovery path may not be as straightforward as originally thought”.

Top Wall Street analysts say buy Salesforce & CrowdStrike

Salesforce signage outside office building in New York.

Scott Mlyn | CNBC

With markets up big year-to-date, bulls and bears seem to have completely diverged in their hypotheses on the upcoming end of the fiscal year. Some see a potential for a dot com bubble-esq surge, and others only expect a pullback.  

However, it is of paramount importance for any long-term investor to take into consideration analysis on company fundamentals when picking stocks.  

Therefore, we at TipRanks scrubbed through the noise and found the stocks some of Wall Street’s most accurate professionals have picked as long-term winners. Let’s take a look at what the fundamentals and top analysts have to say.  

CrowdStrike  

With little signs of slowing, one of the fastest growing sectors over the last two years has been cloud computing. All of the new digital enterprise solutions necessitate security, and CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD) has been capitalizing on its in-demand niche. The cybersecurity firm is experiencing elevated levels of enterprise spending on security, a positive metric heading toward its expected earnings release on December 1st. (See CrowdStrike Stock Analysis on TipRanks) 

Alex Henderson of Needham & Co. recently published his hypothesis on the tech company, writing that “CrowdStrike’s platform is delivering a powerful blend of frictionless deployment and trial, exceptional scalability, and these are resulting in rapid growth which we think is sustainable over 50{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} for the next 3–5 years.” He was confident enough to state that “investors will be rewarded for buying and holding onto these shares.”  

Henderson rated the stock a Buy, and assigned a price target of $340 per share.  

Stock picks and investing trends from CNBC Pro:

Come earnings, the five-star analyst is expecting another impressive quarter and a raise of guidance from CrowdStrike, which he describes as currently succeeding in its field. Meanwhile, increased cyberattacks and high-profile hacks worldwide have increased the urgency and demand for companies like CrowdStrike. 

Concerns over competition recently rattled investors and heavy selling pressure caused the stock to come down to discounted levels. Henderson sees this reaction as overblown as most key indicators are showing strong and robust growth, such as direct consumer sales and the total calculated billings.  

Out of more than 7,000 analysts, TipRanks rates Henderson as #46. His stock picks have been successful 72{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the time, and have returned him an average of 52.2{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} on each.  

Salesforce 

Another name which quickly became a pandemic winner is Salesforce (CRM), as the enterprise level digital transformation took hold on a global scale. The cloud-based customer relationship management software has seen its valuation gain considerably over the last two years, although recently its shares have had a pullback in price. Some analysts now see a buying opportunity in the tech stock. (See Salesforce.com Website Traffic on TipRanks) 

Brent Thill of Jefferies Group delineated his stance on the stock, asserting that the company is headed toward a probable earnings beat for its November 30 earnings. The analyst identified high levels of customer satisfaction among its users, as well as additional statistics indicating long-term demand for Salesforce’s services.  

Thill rated the stock a Buy, and bullishly raised his price target to $360 from $325. 

According to his data, the analyst reported that 83{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of Salesforce customers are seeing productivity in their pipelines. Moreover, there has been healthy acceleration with the partner ecosystem fostered by the company.  

The five-star analyst added that “CRM hit the trifecta of taking a breather on large M&A, focusing on integrating Slack, and delivering more margins.” He is encouraged by the outperformance by the stock in relation to a similar software-based ETF, IGV.  

Financial aggregator website TipRanks currently places Thill at #181 out of over 7,000 analysts. He has been successful 65{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the time, and has returned an average of 36.3{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}.  

Booking Holdings

Despite a Q3 of persisting COVID-19 levels across Western Europe and the U.S., global travel trends have gained momentum and are expected to take off even more once more restrictions are eased. Well poised to capture this tailwind is Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG), which has been capitalizing on the industry shift toward self-booking for travel experiences and transportation, and recently reported particularly impressive quarterly earnings. (See Booking Risk Factors on TipRanks) 

Ivan Feinseth of Tigress Financial Partners bullishly wrote that “BKNG’s market-leading position, strengthened by its strong brand equity and diversified global footprint, together with its solid execution ability, technologically advanced platform, and realization of value from its complementary acquisition strategy, will continue to drive a rebound in return on capital.” 

Feinseth rated the stock a Buy, and reiterated his price target of $3,150.  

Booking’s high demand for hotels, flights, and rental vehicles instilled confidence in the five-star analyst. He also noted that the company successfully mitigated impacts from the pandemic’s lows by maintaining a strong balance sheet, which in turn allowed it to invest in new initiatives and innovations.  

Additionally, BKNG’s acquisitions and investments have facilitated an expansion into its “travel ecosystem with recent in ground travel services, integrating ground travel with hotel bookings, and expanding its rental car business to include alternative forms of transportation.” 

Feinseth maintains #50 out of more than 7,000 analysts on TipRanks. He has been successful with his stock picks 75{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the time, and has returned an average of 38.4{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} per rating.  

Analog Devices  

The global semiconductor shortage has hit many major industries hard, with automotive and smartphone manufacturers scrambling to contain impacts. Meanwhile, many of the firms which design and produce the chips themselves are experiencing high levels of demand and have long backlogs of bookings to fill. Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) falls into this case, and despite a transitory supply-side obstacle of its own, is now poised to drive ahead with enhanced capacity and elevated pricing for its products. (See Analog Devices Hedge Fund Activity on TipRanks) 

Quinn Bolton of Needham & Co. printed his take, arguing that “through organic development and strategic acquisitions, we believe Analog Devices has built the preeminent franchise in precision analog semiconductors, one of the most attractive segments in the entire semiconductor industry” 

Bolton maintained a Buy rating on the stock, and confidently raised his price target to $205 from $200.  

The five-star analyst explained that the difficulties with the COVID-19 impacted Malaysian shipping routes are largely bypassed, and no longer represent a significant concern for the company. Furthermore, while capacity constraints may weigh down output in the short-term, ADI is ramping up its ability to meet the heavy demand.  

Looking back and past performance, ADI reported a Q3 full of strong earnings and an encouraging guidance raise. Moving forward, orders are remaining at healthy levels and the firm’s path toward growth has gotten clearer. Bolton was boldly bullish on the company, writing that Analog Devices represents “a core holding in any semiconductor portfolio.” 

TipRanks has calculated Bolton to be #1 out of more than 7,000 other financial analysts. His ratings have met success 88{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the time, and he has returned an average of 100.9{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} on each one.  

Dell 

While the COVID-19 pandemic pushed workforces back to home, Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL) saw its valuation rise as the home office drove computer sales. Now, as those same employees are transitioning back to the office, corporate level purchases are aiding that same metric. The computer technology company recently posted its strong Q3 results, beating Wall Street consensus estimates on revenue and EPS despite a tough comparison from its prior report. (See Dell Technologies Earnings Date & Reports on TipRanks) 

Amit Daryanani of Evercore ISI elaborated that the company is mitigating challenges brought on by the supply crunches and has been strengthening its balance sheet. Dell has experienced a productive level of free cash flow even with its increased capital expenditures.  

Daryanani rated the stock a Buy, and added a price target of $63. This target came slightly raised from his previous at $62.  

The five-star analyst went on to write that the operational leverage provided by Dell’s robust balance sheets should pave the way toward share repurchases in the future.  

Dell has been experiencing expansion across both its infrastructure and networking offerings and its commercial computer product segments. Moving toward Q4, Daryanani is confident that Dell will meet its targets.  

The analyst asserted his bullish stance, stating that he believes “the company is executing well against an incrementally more challenging supply environment and believe their superior supply chain management has been a driver of share gains.” 

Daryanani is currently ranked at #155 out of over 7,000 professional analysts. His stock picks have been correct 73{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of the time, and they have returned him an average of 35{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} per.  

Disclosure: At the time of publication, Brock Ladenheim did not have a position in any of the securities mentioned in this article. 

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