Tesla's latest crash shells out nine consecutive winners (From WealthPress)
Written by Thomas Hughes
Intuitive Surgical’s (NASDAQ: ISRG) stock bucked the broad-market selloff because of its operational quality, performance, outlook, and balance sheet, which has absolutely nothing wrong with it. The B/S highlights for Q2 include a 490 basis point increase in cash and securities and the net cash position. The net cash position is truly amazing because this company has zero debt: net cash is regarding the company’s total liability. Its $7.68 billion in cash and investments is more than 4.25x of total liabilities, leaving it in the strongest position it could be in to sustain its high double-digit growth pace. Intuitive Surgical Leads MedTech: Analysts Raise Targets Intuitive Surgical is thriving and leading the MedTech Industry. Its 14% top-line increase leads peers like Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT), which also produced significant growth. More importantly, Intuitive’s $2.01 billion in revenue outpaced the consensus reported by MarketBeat and led analysts to raise their estimates and stock price targets. Revenue growth outpaced the consensus by 100 basis points on strength in system placement procedure volume and Instruments & Accessories growth. Procedures count grew by 17% on a 14% increase in installed machines, with strength seen in the da Vinci 5 offering. Sales of da Vinci 5 accounted for 20.5% of machines installed in the quarter. Sales of instruments and accessories, the company's recurring revenue stream, accounted for 62% of sales and is up 60 bps sequentially. There are some concerns that the procedure count is driven primarily by system installation, but headwinds include sluggishness in China and bariatric surgery. The analysts' chatter suggests that headwinds are expected to diminish and be offset by general surgical procedure volume growth and broadening acceptance of AI-powered surgical assistance. The long-term outlook includes a 17% to 18% top and bottom line forecast through 2028, and it may be cautious. The margin news is among the more impressive details. The company widened its margin on a GAAP and adjusted basis to drive robust increases in earnings. The GAAP net income rose by 25% and adjusted by 26% to leave adjusted earnings at $1.78, up 25% compared to last year and a quarter better than expected. The takeaway is that Intuitive had a cash-flow positive quarter despite CAPEX and increased shareholder equity by 10%. Intuitive does not give guidance but shows clear momentum and robust cash flows that sustain the strong balance sheet, setting the company up to potentially initiate dividend payments or buy back significant amounts of stock. Analysts Lead Intuitive Surgical Stock to New Highs The consensus price target reported by MarketBeat.com lags the ISRG stock price, but there is a high level of conviction in the Moderate Buy rating, and the price target is rising, providing support for the market. MarketBeat.com tracks 19 analysts with current ratings, and 10 of them revised their price targets following the release, leading to the range's high end. Their activity increased the consensus by nearly 10% compared to last month and included a new high price target of $525, a 15% upside to current price action. ISRG stock surged on the news and analysts' upgrades, rising more than 10% to set a new all-time high. The move shows strong support at the 30-day moving average and a trend-following signal compounded by bullish signals in the indicators. The MACD and stochastic align with a rising market, suggesting new highs are possible. Insiders have sold into the rally this year and are likely to continue. However, their activity is offset by robust institutional buying. The institutions own about 85% of the stock and have bought on balance this year, providing a strong tailwind for the market. 
Written by Ryan Hasson
As market volatility and uncertainty increase and the likelihood of a September rate hike looms, some investors are paying attention to high-yield dividend stocks. These stocks provide steady income and offer the potential for capital appreciation. Here's a look at four top-rated, high-dividend-yielding stocks that could be attractive in the current market environment. VICI Properties: Bullish Analyst Sentiment and Growth Potential VICI Properties Inc. is a prominent real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in owning, acquiring, and developing gaming, hospitality, and entertainment properties. With a market capitalization of $31 billion, VICI offers an impressive 5.49% dividend yield and has an attractively low P/E ratio of 11.96. Analysts are bullish on VICI, giving it a consensus Moderate Buy rating based on nine analyst ratings and a consensus price target of $33.44, which suggests a potential upside of 10.56%. Despite being down nearly 5% year-to-date, the stock has risen over 7% this month and recently broke out of a consolidation phase, indicating a possible shift in momentum. VICI has significant institutional ownership of almost 98% and has seen total institutional inflows over the previous twelve months of $3.94 billion compared to $2.3 billion in outflows. Energy Transfer: An Attractive Value and Income Play Energy Transfer LP operates midstream energy assets in the US, focusing on natural gas, crude oil, and their derivatives. With a dividend yield of 7.75%, an annual dividend of $1.27, and a P/E ratio of 15.04, ET is highly regarded among dividend stocks and remains an attractive value and income play. Eight Wall Street analysts gave ET a consensus rating of Moderate Buy, with one hold rating and seven buy ratings, forecasting a 17.4% upside. Year-to-date, the stock has performed well, up 18.4% and trading at its 52-week highs. Energy Transfer is set to report its next earnings on August 7, following a previous quarter where it reported $0.32 EPS, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36, but with revenue up 13.9% year-over-year to $21.63 billion. The company has projected earnings growth of 13.01% for the full year. Value and Income Play: British American Tobacco's Investment Appeal British American Tobacco p.l.c., one of the world's largest tobacco manufacturers, offers an 8.83% dividend yield and a forward P/E ratio of 6.63, making it a desirable value and income play based on those metrics alone. Year-to-date, the stock is up over 13%, maintaining a steady uptrend and currently about 3% away from its 52-week high. Based on ratings from three analysts, BTI has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy, with one hold rating and two buy ratings. Notably, British American Tobacco's non-combustible segment, which includes e-cigarettes and tobacco heating products, contributed 16.5% of the company's revenue last year, highlighting its successful business transformation. The company is expected to grow earnings by 7.10% for the full year, from $4.65 to $4.98 per share. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners' Global Reach and Diversification Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. owns and operates utilities, transport, midstream, and data businesses across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The stock is top-rated among dividend stocks, offering a 5.33% dividend yield. Ten Wall Street analysts have given BIP a consensus rating of Moderate Buy, with a price target forecasting a 25.5% upside. This diversified infrastructure company is well-positioned to benefit from global growth in infrastructure spending. The company has been growing despite higher interest rates, and its attractive valuation and dividend yield make it a compelling investment. With expected interest rate cuts later this year, the stock could begin to gain its footing and stage a rally in the latter part of the year. High-Yield Dividend Stocks: Stability and Income in Uncertain Markets High-yield dividend stocks can provide stability and income in an uncertain market environment. VICI Properties, Energy Transfer, British American Tobacco, and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners are four top-rated dividend stocks that offer attractive dividends and potential for capital appreciation. While each stock has its unique strengths and risks, they all might present compelling opportunities for income-focused investors.
Written by Jea Yu
ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) designs and manufactures extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines that use light to precision print microscopic patterns on silicon wafers. These gigantic 330,000-pound machines are used to mass-produce the world’s computer chips. ASML is often the barometer of the health of the semiconductor industry. Their lithography machines must be ordered two years in advance, and they take nearly 250 shipping containers to deliver weighing as much as two Airbus A320s. The company just released its Q2 2024 earnings report with accompanying lowered Q3 2024 revenue guidance, sending shares lower by over 20% in the following days. This also caused the rest of the semiconductor stocks to sell off. Investors are mulling whether the sell-off will crimp the AI Boom. ASML operates in the computer and technology sector. The company is the apex predator with virtually no other competitors and a near-monopoly on EUV lithography machines. ASML supplies its machines to the world's leading chip manufacturers, including Intel Co. (NASDAQ: INTC), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE: TSM), and Samsung Electronics Co. (OTCMKTS: SSNLF). ASML Owns a Near-Monopoly in the Photolithography Market In the semiconductor industry, there are hands-down dominant players. For example, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., often referred to as just Taiwan Semi, has a 62% market share of the world’s computer chip production. NVIDIA dominates the AI chip market with nearly 90% market share. However, one company has an even tighter lock in its segment, EUV lithography. Thanks to the mind-numbing barriers to entry, ASML commands more than a 90% market share in the global photolithography market. This company is so dominant that it has to comply with various nations' export controls, especially those pertaining to Chinese sales. 
ASML Stock Triggers a Rising Wedge Breakdown The daily candlestick chart on ASML illustrates a rising wedge breakdown that was triggered on its Q2 2024 earnings release. The rising wedge is comprised of converging upper and lower trendlines. The breakdown occurs when shares fall below the lower ascending trendline. ASML triggered the gap down from $1,060 to $979.99 on July 17, 2024. Shares continued to sell off for the next two days as sellers continued to unwind positions amidst the macro market sell-off in technology stocks gathered steam. The daily relative strength index (RSI) is falling toward the oversold 30-band. Pullback support levels are at $880.59, $826.50, $778.67, and $751.69. ASML's Q2 Outperformance and Adjusted Q3 Expectations ASML reported a Q2 2024 EPS of $4.46, beating consensus estimates by 34 cents. Revenue fell 9.5% YoY to $6.91 billion, beating the $6.66 billion consensus estimates. Gross margin was 51.5%, and net income of $1.78 billion. ASML expanded its booking by 23.7% YoY to $6.06 billion. ASML issued weaker-than-expected downside revenue guidance for Q3 2024 of $7.44 billion to $8.11 billion versus $8.41 billion consensus estimates. Gross margins are expected to be between 50% and 51%. ASML expects R&D costs to be around $1.2 billion and SG&A costs to be around $322 million. However, ASML reaffirmed its outlook for the full year 2024. According to consensus estimates, it expects 2024 to see revenues of $30 billion versus $29.97 billion, similar to those in 2023. AI Is Not Slowing Down But Ramping Up Investors fearing that AI has run its course can relax. ASML CEO Christopher Fouquet put those fears to rest as he commented, “Our outlook for the full year 2024 remains unchanged. We see 2024 as a transition year with continued investments in both capacity ramp and technology. We currently see strong developments in AI, driving most of the industry recovery and growth ahead of other market segments.” Fouquet also commented that overall semiconductor inventory levels continue to improve. AI is driving most of the industry’s recovery and growth. Memory end markets may see memory clients look to upgrade their systems in preparation for an anticipated surge in 2025. ASML Holding N.V. analyst ratings and price targets are at MarketBeat. There are 12 analyst ratings comprised of one Strong Buy, nine Buys, and two Holds, with a consensus price target 28% higher at $1,147.80. It's time you get your hands on the all new Automated Options…
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