Expectations of multiple interest rate cuts in 2024 had faded long back and now the Federal Reserve has almost assured that it isn’t going to happen anymore.On Jun 12, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said in the post-FOMC meeting statement that the central bank sees the possibility of only a single rate cut this year, sharply down from three rate cuts hinted earlier this year.This came as the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged in its June FOMC meeting in its current range of 5.25-5.5%.Alth ...

Given the current scenario, investors should gauge the changing market dynamics and accordingly chalk out a sturdy investment strategy. Well, you can decide to buy or sell a particular stock by looking at its sales and earnings numbers. However, such a strategy does not always warrant superior returns when the market faces a myriad of issues. A critical analysis of the company’s financial background is always required for a better investment decision.Indeed, a company should be sound enough to meet its fina ...

It’s no secret that we all love to get paid. And when you think about it, dividend stock payments are essentially investors’ versions of paydays within the stock market.Dividends provide a passive income stream, limit the impact of drawdowns in other positions, provide more than one way to profit from an investment, and provide the ability to reap maximum returns through dividend reinvestment.There are several parameters investors can follow to aid them in constructing an income-generating portfolio. Let’s ...

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Atmos Energy (ATO) . Shares have lost about 3.5% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Atmos due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts. Atmos Energy Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Up ...

The utilities sector is generally defensive in nature. U.S. stock markets witnessed an impressive bull run in 2023, but the utility sector suffered a blow. Of the 11 broad sectors of the market’s benchmark — the S&P 500 Index — the Utility sector declined more than 11%.Wall Street’s bull-run continues in 2024 except for a brief setback in April. Cooling economic data, especially the labor market data, a slow GDP growth rate and a slowly declining inflation rate boosted investors’ confidence in risky assets ...

Most of the major U.S. stock indices ended the month of May on a high note, reflecting investors’ optimism after inflation data offered some relief.  Inflation in the United States, as measured by the change in the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, came in at 2.7% on a yearly basis in April, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on May 31. This was in line with the market expectations.In such a situation, we recommend stocks like Vital Farms (VITL) , Trip.com Group Limited ( ...

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores a ...

Atmos Energy (ATO) has been beaten down lately with too much selling pressure. While the stock has lost 6.2% over the past four weeks, there is light at the end of the tunnel as it is now in oversold territory and Wall Street analysts expect the company to report better earnings than they predicted earlier.How to Determine if a Stock is OversoldWe use Relative Strength Index (RSI), one of the most commonly used technical indicators, for spotting whether a stock is oversold. This is a momentum oscillator tha ...

Growth stocks are attractive to many investors, as above-average financial growth helps these stocks easily grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. However, it isn't easy to find a great growth stock.In addition to volatility, these stocks carry above-average risk by their very nature. Also, one could end up losing from a stock whose growth story is actually over or nearing its end.However, the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the trad ...

Investors interested in stocks from the Utility - Gas Distribution sector have probably already heard of Atmos Energy (ATO) and Southwest Gas (SWX) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The Zacks Rank is a proven str ...