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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Chefs', Middlesex Water, SJW, Avon and EXFO
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL –May 13, 2019 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: The Chefs' Warehouse Inc. (CHEF - Free Report) , Middlesex Water Co. (MSEX - Free Report) , SJW Group (SJW - Free Report) , Avon Products Inc. and EXFO Inc. .
Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:
5 Stocks to Stay Safe Amid a Renewed U.S.-China Tariff War
The year-old trade conflict between the United States and China is likely to be prolonged as tariff war has started once again. As indicated by President Donald Trump earlier this week, the U.S. government hiked tariff rates to 25% from 10% on $200 billion Chinese exports.
China's Commerce Ministry has also warned that it will impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports to counter its aggressive stance. So far, the U.S. government has levied 25% tariff on $250 billion of Chinese goods while China has imposed $110 billion tariffs on U.S. goods. Moreover, Trump also threatened to impose 25% tariff on additional $325 billion of Chinese goods any time soon.
Per the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the country imported $539.5 billion of goods from China in 2018. U.S. trade deficit with China was at $419.2 billion last year. Therefore, virtually all Chinese goods will face U.S. tariffs if the Trump administration levies duties on all proposed items.
Trade Conflict Likely to Prolong
Trade tension between the United States and China started in March 2018, when the Trump administration levied tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum from several countries including the Asian super power. Although, trade conflicts with other countries were solved by and large last year, tensions with China intensified day by day, resulting in severe stock market volatility and the worst performance of Wall Street in a decade.
Trade war appeared to be heading for an amicable solution this year as both countries showed urgency since it is affecting not only the combatants, but also other economies. However, the trade spat heightened yet again when it was finally moving toward mutual agreement.
U.S. officials are accusing China of “erosion of commitments” and backtracking on promises made during the negotiation process. Though a Chinese delegation led by vice premier Liu He is currently in Washington for the latest round of trade talk this week , the possibility of a deal is uncertain.
Notably, The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese delegation adopted a rigid attitude in the final phase of negotiation buoyed by their assessment that the U.S. government will finally compromise on hard stances on negotiation. Recently President Trump criticized Fed chair Jerome Powell of not lowering interest rate, which was taken by China as a sign that all is not well in the U.S. economy.
It is widely considered in the U.S. financial circle that President Trump perhaps wants stock markets to be steadied before next Presidential election due next year. A strong U.S. economy and solution to the trade problem will strengthen both consumer and business confidences. This will surely result in a bull run in Wall Street.
The Chinese administration is trying to delay the trade deal so that it can affect U.S. GDP and generate volatility in stock markets. China’s government may wish to deal with a new U.S. administration rather than a hard bargainer like President Trump.
Our Top Picks
At this juncture, investing in defensive sectors such as utilities, telecom and consumer staple will be fruitful. Defensive stocks are generally immune to the vagaries of the economic cycle. That’s because these companies provide basic services like food, electricity, gas, water and communications, which can never go out of demand. We have narrowed down our search to five stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Chefs' Warehouse Inc.is a distributor of specialty food products in the United States. It serves the specific needs of chefs who own and/or operate restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools and specialty food stores. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 32.1% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 6.2% over the last 60 days.
Middlesex Water Co.treats, stores and distributes water for residential, commercial, industrial and fire prevention purposes. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 10.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 5.9% over the last 60 days.
SJW Groupengages in the production, purchase, storage, purification, distribution, wholesale and retail sale of water. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 29.1% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 11.4% over the last 60 days.
Avon Products Inc. manufactures and markets beauty and related products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, south Latin America, north Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 466.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 21.4% over the last 60 days.
EXFO Inc.develops, manufactures, and markets smarter network test, monitoring, and analytics solutions for communications service providers, network equipment makers, and Web-scale operators. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 133.3% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 5% over the last 60 days.
Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation
Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, it’s expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.
A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks’ just-released special report reveals 7 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Chefs', Middlesex Water, SJW, Avon and EXFO
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL –May 13, 2019 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: The Chefs' Warehouse Inc. (CHEF - Free Report) , Middlesex Water Co. (MSEX - Free Report) , SJW Group (SJW - Free Report) , Avon Products Inc. and EXFO Inc. .
Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:
5 Stocks to Stay Safe Amid a Renewed U.S.-China Tariff War
The year-old trade conflict between the United States and China is likely to be prolonged as tariff war has started once again. As indicated by President Donald Trump earlier this week, the U.S. government hiked tariff rates to 25% from 10% on $200 billion Chinese exports.
China's Commerce Ministry has also warned that it will impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports to counter its aggressive stance. So far, the U.S. government has levied 25% tariff on $250 billion of Chinese goods while China has imposed $110 billion tariffs on U.S. goods. Moreover, Trump also threatened to impose 25% tariff on additional $325 billion of Chinese goods any time soon.
Per the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the country imported $539.5 billion of goods from China in 2018. U.S. trade deficit with China was at $419.2 billion last year. Therefore, virtually all Chinese goods will face U.S. tariffs if the Trump administration levies duties on all proposed items.
Trade Conflict Likely to Prolong
Trade tension between the United States and China started in March 2018, when the Trump administration levied tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum from several countries including the Asian super power. Although, trade conflicts with other countries were solved by and large last year, tensions with China intensified day by day, resulting in severe stock market volatility and the worst performance of Wall Street in a decade.
Trade war appeared to be heading for an amicable solution this year as both countries showed urgency since it is affecting not only the combatants, but also other economies. However, the trade spat heightened yet again when it was finally moving toward mutual agreement.
U.S. officials are accusing China of “erosion of commitments” and backtracking on promises made during the negotiation process. Though a Chinese delegation led by vice premier Liu He is currently in Washington for the latest round of trade talk this week , the possibility of a deal is uncertain.
Notably, The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese delegation adopted a rigid attitude in the final phase of negotiation buoyed by their assessment that the U.S. government will finally compromise on hard stances on negotiation. Recently President Trump criticized Fed chair Jerome Powell of not lowering interest rate, which was taken by China as a sign that all is not well in the U.S. economy.
It is widely considered in the U.S. financial circle that President Trump perhaps wants stock markets to be steadied before next Presidential election due next year. A strong U.S. economy and solution to the trade problem will strengthen both consumer and business confidences. This will surely result in a bull run in Wall Street.
The Chinese administration is trying to delay the trade deal so that it can affect U.S. GDP and generate volatility in stock markets. China’s government may wish to deal with a new U.S. administration rather than a hard bargainer like President Trump.
Our Top Picks
At this juncture, investing in defensive sectors such as utilities, telecom and consumer staple will be fruitful. Defensive stocks are generally immune to the vagaries of the economic cycle. That’s because these companies provide basic services like food, electricity, gas, water and communications, which can never go out of demand. We have narrowed down our search to five stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Chefs' Warehouse Inc.is a distributor of specialty food products in the United States. It serves the specific needs of chefs who own and/or operate restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools and specialty food stores. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 32.1% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 6.2% over the last 60 days.
Middlesex Water Co.treats, stores and distributes water for residential, commercial, industrial and fire prevention purposes. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 10.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 5.9% over the last 60 days.
SJW Groupengages in the production, purchase, storage, purification, distribution, wholesale and retail sale of water. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 29.1% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 11.4% over the last 60 days.
Avon Products Inc. manufactures and markets beauty and related products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, south Latin America, north Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 466.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 21.4% over the last 60 days.
EXFO Inc.develops, manufactures, and markets smarter network test, monitoring, and analytics solutions for communications service providers, network equipment makers, and Web-scale operators. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 133.3% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 5% over the last 60 days.
Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation
Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, it’s expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.
A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks’ just-released special report reveals 7 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.
See 7 breakthrough stocks now>>
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Zacks Investment Research
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.