Core Viewpoint - Investors should focus on shareholders' yield, which encompasses dividend yield, net buyback yield, and debt reduction yield, to gain a comprehensive understanding of how companies return value to shareholders [2][3]. Shareholders' Yield Calculation - Shareholders' yield is calculated as: - Shareholder's Yield = Dividend Yield + Net Buyback Yield + Debt Reduction Yield [3][9]. - This metric provides a more holistic view of a company's capital allocation compared to just dividend payments [3]. Benefits of Shareholders' Yield - Focusing on shareholders' yield allows investors to identify companies that effectively reward their shareholders, leading to more informed investment decisions [3][5]. - A higher shareholders' yield often indicates steady income streams and potential capital appreciation, contributing to superior long-term performance [5]. Company Examples - **Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ)**: - Offers a competitive dividend yield of approximately 5.28% and has increased its dividend payout 17 times in the past five years, reflecting an annualized growth rate of 23.3% [8][10]. - Reduced long-term debt from $16.02 billion in 2020 to $13.74 billion in December 2024 and repurchased $2.66 billion worth of common stock in 2024 [11]. - **Bain Capital Specialty Finance (BCSF)**: - Provides a high dividend yield of 11.59% and has increased its dividend payout four times in the past five years, with an annualized growth rate of 6.4% [13]. - Reduced its debt from $1.46 billion in 2020 to $1.39 billion in 2024, indicating a focus on long-term financial stability [14]. - **CSX**: - Has a dividend yield of approximately 1.57% and has increased its dividend payout five times over the past five years, resulting in an annualized growth rate of 8.9% [15]. - Repurchased shares worth $2.2 billion in 2024 and had $2.6 billion in total repurchase authority remaining as of December 31, 2024 [16]. - **Verizon Communications (VZ)**: - Offers a dividend yield of around 6.28% and has increased its dividend payout six times in the past five years, reflecting an annualized growth rate of almost 2% [17]. - Reduced long-term debt from $123.17 billion in 2020 to $121.38 billion in December 2024, maintaining a solid balance sheet [18].

Company Overview - IDEX Corporation (IEX) is experiencing significant activity in the options market, particularly with the Oct 17, 2025 $125.00 Call option showing high implied volatility, indicating potential for a major price movement [1] Implied Volatility Insights - Implied volatility reflects market expectations for future price movements, suggesting that investors anticipate a significant change in IDEX's stock price, possibly due to an upcoming event [2] Analyst Sentiment - IDEX currently holds a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) within the Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, which is in the top 21% of the Zacks Industry Rank. Over the past 60 days, earnings estimates for the current quarter have decreased from $2.20 to $1.95 per share, with four analysts lowering their estimates [3] Trading Strategy Implications - The high implied volatility surrounding IDEX may indicate a developing trading opportunity. Options traders often seek to sell premium on options with high implied volatility, aiming to benefit from the decay of the option's value if the stock does not move as much as anticipated [4]

Core Insights - Stryker Corporation (SYK) reported strong second-quarter 2025 results, with net sales increasing by 11.1% year over year to $6.1 billion and organic sales growing by 10.2% [1][6] - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.13 surpassed consensus estimates, driven by healthy volume growth, favorable pricing, and disciplined execution [1][2] Short-Term Growth Drivers - The orthopaedics segment showed significant strength, with knee implants rising by 6.3% and hip implants advancing by 8.9%, supported by increased elective procedure volumes and the adoption of the Mako robotic platform [3][4] - Mako procedures exceeded 2 million, with international markets playing a crucial role in expanding robotic-assisted surgery capabilities [4][6] - The MedSurg and Neurotechnology segment achieved 16.7% organic growth, driven by demand for patient handling systems, surgical instruments, and neurovascular solutions [7][6] Long-Term Growth Drivers - Stryker's international business is a key growth lever, with double-digit gains in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and low penetration of robotic-assisted surgery in emerging markets presents significant opportunities [8] - The company maintains a strong innovation pipeline across various medical fields, with R&D investments consistently above 6% of sales [9] - Recent acquisitions, such as Wright Medical's spine assets and Cerus Endovascular, are generating integration benefits and expanding Stryker's market presence [10][11] Challenges - Competitive pressures in the robotics and devices market are intensifying, with rivals like Zimmer Biomet, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic advancing their platforms [15] - Macro pressures, including inflation and currency volatility, are impacting margins, with management noting that these factors affected performance in the second quarter [16] - Supply-chain risks remain, particularly in electronic components and specialty materials, which could limit product availability [17] Competitors' Update - Zimmer Biomet reported net sales of approximately $2.08 billion, up 7% year over year, and raised its full-year EPS guidance [18] - Johnson & Johnson achieved sales of $23.7 billion, marking a 5.8% year-over-year increase, and raised its full-year sales forecast [19] - Medtronic's revenues reached roughly $8.58 billion, reflecting an 8.3% year-over-year increase, with raised guidance for organic revenue growth and EPS [21] Conclusion - Stryker's second-quarter performance underscores its strong execution across key segments while maintaining margin discipline [22] - The company's robust pipeline, global expansion, and integration synergies present a compelling long-term outlook, although premium valuation and competitive intensity temper the near-term investment case [22]

Key Takeaways Pagaya reported $24.5M GAAP net income in 1H25, reversing a $96M loss last year.Revenues rose 24.4% Y/Y to $616.4M on strong network growth, monetization and cost control.PGY raised 2025 revenue outlook to $1.25-$1.325B and net income to $55-$75M.Pagaya Technologies Ltd. (PGY) delivered a strong first half of 2025, marked by two consecutive quarters of positive GAAP net income. This represented a dramatic turnaround from the substantial losses experienced in the previous years. PGY, which is o ...

Core Insights - Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DECK) reported strong first-quarter fiscal 2026 results, driven by flagship brands HOKA and UGG, with revenues of $964.5 million, a 17% year-over-year increase, and earnings per share rising 24% to 93 cents, indicating robust consumer demand [1][11] Group 1: Brand Performance - HOKA emerged as the primary growth driver, achieving record quarterly revenues of $653.1 million, a 19.8% increase from the prior year, supported by global wholesale expansion and strong international demand [2][11] - UGG experienced 18.9% growth, reaching $265.1 million, marking its largest June quarter in history, with success attributed to diversification into men's footwear and year-round styles [3][11] Group 2: Strategic Initiatives - The company’s 365 initiative has successfully broadened UGG's consumer base while maintaining its iconic appeal, aided by strong wholesale momentum and new product launches [3][11] - Deckers has implemented selective price increases and operational efficiencies to counteract rising tariffs and freight costs, although these measures may impact near-term profitability [4][5] Group 3: Future Outlook - For second-quarter fiscal 2026, net sales are projected between $1.38 billion and $1.42 billion, with HOKA expected to grow by 10% and UGG anticipated to see mid-single-digit growth [6] - Deckers is well-positioned for continued long-term growth, with HOKA leading performance in running and UGG evolving into a versatile lifestyle brand [5]

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on "buying high and selling higher" rather than traditional strategies of "buying low and selling high" [1][2] Group 1: Momentum Investing Strategy - Momentum investors often face challenges in determining the right entry point, as stocks may lose momentum when their valuations exceed future growth potential [2] - A safer approach involves investing in bargain stocks that exhibit recent price momentum, utilizing tools like the Zacks Momentum Style Score to identify such opportunities [3] Group 2: Kimball Electronics (KE) Analysis - Kimball Electronics (KE) has shown a four-week price change of 8.5%, indicating growing investor interest [4] - Over the past 12 weeks, KE's stock has gained 58.7%, with a beta of 1.28, suggesting it moves 28% more than the market [5] - KE has a Momentum Score of B, indicating a favorable time to invest based on momentum [6] - The stock has received a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) due to upward trends in earnings estimate revisions, which attract more investors [7] - KE is currently trading at a Price-to-Sales ratio of 0.51, suggesting it is undervalued at 51 cents for each dollar of sales [7] Group 3: Additional Investment Opportunities - Besides KE, there are other stocks that meet the criteria of the 'Fast-Paced Momentum at a Bargain' screen, presenting further investment opportunities [8] - Zacks offers over 45 Premium Screens tailored to different investing styles, aiding in the identification of potential winning stocks [9]

Momentum investors typically don't time the market or "buy low and sell high." In other words, they avoid betting on cheap stocks and waiting long for them to recover. Instead, they believe that "buying high and selling higher" is the way to make far more money in lesser time.Everyone likes betting on fast-moving trending stocks, but it isn't easy to determine the right entry point. These stocks often lose momentum when their future growth potential fails to justify their swelled-up valuation. In that phase ...

When it comes to short-term investing or trading, they say "the trend is your friend." And there's no denying that this is the most profitable strategy. But making sure of the sustainability of a trend to profit from it is easier said than done.Often, the direction of a stock's price movement reverses quickly after taking a position in it, making investors incur a short-term capital loss. So, it's important to ensure that there are enough factors -- such as sound fundamentals, positive earnings estimate rev ...

Most of us have heard the dictum "the trend is your friend." And this is undeniably the key to success when it comes to short-term investing or trading. But it isn't easy to ensure the sustainability of a trend and profit from it.Often, the direction of a stock's price movement reverses quickly after taking a position in it, making investors incur a short-term capital loss. So, it's important to ensure that there are enough factors -- such as sound fundamentals, positive earnings estimate revisions, etc. -- ...

Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the importance of identifying and maintaining trends in short-term investing, highlighting that sound fundamentals and positive earnings estimates are crucial for sustaining momentum in stocks. Group 1: Trend Analysis - The trend is a critical factor for successful short-term investing, but it can reverse unexpectedly, leading to potential losses for investors [1] - A unique short-term trading strategy, the "Recent Price Strength" screen, helps identify stocks with strong fundamentals that can maintain their upward trends [2] Group 2: Stock Performance - Materion (MTRN) has shown a solid price increase of 45.2% over the past 12 weeks, indicating strong investor interest [3] - MTRN has also increased by 7.2% over the last four weeks, suggesting that the upward trend is still intact [4] Group 3: Market Position - MTRN is currently trading at 92.1% of its 52-week high-low range, indicating a potential breakout [5] - The stock holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), placing it in the top 20% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimate revisions and EPS surprises [5][6] Group 4: Analyst Sentiment - The Average Broker Recommendation for MTRN is 1 (Strong Buy), reflecting high optimism from the brokerage community regarding its near-term price performance [6] - The Zacks Rank system has a strong historical performance, with Zacks Rank 1 stocks averaging a +25% annual return since 1988 [6] Group 5: Additional Opportunities - Besides MTRN, there are other stocks that meet the criteria of the "Recent Price Strength" screen, suggesting further investment opportunities [7] - The article encourages exploring over 45 Zacks Premium Screens tailored to different investing styles for potential stock picks [7]