Here are three stocks with buy rank and strong momentum characteristics for investors to consider today, September 18th: J. Sainsbury (JSAIY) : This leading UK food retailer with interests in financial services, has a Zacks Rank #1(Strong Buy), and witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 3.6% over the last 60 days. J. Sainsbury's shares gained 19.2% over the last three month compared with the S&P 500's gain of 3.0%. The company possesses a Momentum Score of A. Popular ...

Gold has been enjoying a huge rally in recent months. It touched a new all-time high above $2,550 per ounce. The bullion is up more than 24%, outperforming the broader market index and the trend is likely to continue, given the looming Fed rate cuts next week. Given the optimism, investors have a long list of options to tap into the metal's rally. We have highlighted the five most popular options that are directly linked to the spot gold price or futures to gain exposure to the metal. These include SPDR Gol ...

Semiconductor makers have been big winners in artificial intelligence, but not all chip businesses have enjoyed the same level of success. When it comes to semiconductor stocks and data center businesses, I'd wager that companies such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices come to the top of your mind. The thing is, there's a whole lot more than just those two juggernauts when it comes to emerging opportunities in AI-powered chips and infrastructure solutions. Broadcom (AVGO 5.25%) is a company that is often ...

One number from Nvidia's earnings report has me more concerned about the company's growth. When the word "semiconductor" is mentioned, it's nearly impossible not to think of Nvidia (NVDA -4.08%) -- and for good reason. Over the last five years, the company has grown its revenue and free cash flow by nearly 900% and 800%, respectively. With that level of growth, it's no wonder industry analysts estimate that Nvidia holds at least 80% market share in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip realm. By all account ...

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks. Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional v ...

Financial Performance - Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, was $177,789 thousand, up $26,629 thousand from the prior year[281]. - For the quarter ended June 30, 2024, the Corporation recorded net income of $177.8 million, an increase of 17.6% compared to $151.2 million for the same quarter of the previous year[290]. - Adjusted net income for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was $313,008 thousand, reflecting non-GAAP adjustments[285]. - Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was $271.2 million, compared to $89.2 million for the same period in 2023[381]. - Banco Popular de Puerto Rico reported a net income of $157.2 million for Q2 2024, compared to $131.8 million in Q2 2023, attributed to higher net interest income and service fees[317]. Asset and Liability Management - As of June 30, 2024, total assets increased to $72,845,072 thousand, up $2,086,917 thousand from December 31, 2023[280]. - The Corporation's total liabilities were $67.5 billion at June 30, 2024, an increase of $1.9 billion from December 31, 2023[334]. - Stockholders' equity rose to $5.4 billion, an increase of $225.7 million, driven by net income of $281.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024[342]. - The Corporation's borrowings decreased to $1.0 billion as of June 30, 2024, down from $1.1 billion at the end of 2023[341]. - The Corporation's total deposits reached $54.5 billion at BPPR and $11.9 billion at Popular U.S. as of June 30, 2024, with a total of $65.5 billion consolidated[366]. Loan and Credit Quality - Loans reached $35,599,845 thousand, reflecting a $530,573 thousand increase compared to December 31, 2023[280]. - The total allowance for credit losses for loans held-in-portfolio amounted to $730.1 million as of June 30, 2024, with a ratio of 2.05% to loans held-in-portfolio, slightly down from 2.08% at December 31, 2023[306]. - The provision for loan losses for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was $116.5 million, an increase from $82.8 million for the same period in 2023[304]. - Total non-performing assets (NPAs) decreased by $26 million compared to December 31, 2023, with non-performing loans (NPLs) held-in-portfolio decreasing by $16 million[400]. - The allowance for credit losses to loans held-in-portfolio ratio was 2.56%, up from 2.05% in the previous period, indicating a strengthening of reserves[403]. Interest Income and Margin - Net interest income for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, was $568,312 thousand, an increase of $36,644 thousand from the same quarter in 2023[281]. - Net interest margin for the second quarter of 2024 was 3.22%, an increase of 8 basis points from 3.14% in the same quarter of the previous year[290]. - Taxable equivalent net interest income reached $1.2 billion, up by $75.6 million from the same period in 2023[301]. - Higher interest income from investment securities increased by $112.7 million, driven by a 75 basis point rise in yield due to reinvestment of maturities[301]. - The net interest margin for the six months ended June 30, 2024, was 3.36%, up from 3.26% for the same quarter in the previous year, driven by higher yields from investment securities and loans[321]. Dividends and Stockholder Returns - The Corporation announced a common stock repurchase program of up to $500 million on July 24, 2024[278]. - The quarterly common stock dividend will increase from $0.62 to $0.70 per share starting in the first quarter of 2025, pending Board approval[278]. - The Corporation declared cash dividends of $1.24 per common share for the six months ended June 30, 2024, totaling approximately $89.7 million[371]. - The Corporation's latest quarterly dividend was $0.62 per share, amounting to approximately $45 million per quarter[370]. Economic and Market Conditions - The Puerto Rico economy's real GNP is estimated to have grown by 2.8% during fiscal year 2024, with a projected growth of 1.4% for fiscal year 2025[387]. - Inflation in Puerto Rico increased by 2.5% during the 12-month period ended April 2024, compared to a 3.0% increase in the U.S.[388]. - The Economic Activity Index for Puerto Rico reflected a 2.0% year-over-year decline in April 2024[387]. Operating Expenses - Operating expenses for Q2 2024 increased to $469.6 million, a rise of $9.3 million compared to Q2 2023, primarily due to higher technology, personnel costs, and FDIC insurance expenses[310]. - For the first half of 2024, operating expenses totaled $952.7 million, an increase of $51.7 million year-over-year, with personnel costs contributing $22.6 million to the variance[311]. Credit Loss Provisions - The Corporation recorded a provision for credit losses of $46.8 million, up from $37.2 million in the same quarter of the previous year, driven by loan growth and higher reserves in the auto leasing portfolio[291]. - The provision for credit losses for the period ended June 30, 2024, was $44.2 million, an increase from $35.7 million for the same period in 2023[418]. - The total commercial loans held-in-portfolio was $17,728,126 thousand, with total commercial ACL at $260,087 thousand, resulting in an ACL to loans ratio of 1.47%[420].

Investors in Popular, Inc. (BPOP) need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Aug 16, 2024 $80.00 Put had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today. What is Implied Volatility? Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also m ...

Data by YCharts High Yield Stock #1 There are good reasons for the recovery in its stock price: High Yield Stock #2 However, the company has seen volume demand for its smokable products decline significantly and in fact has seen its volume declines accelerate recently, indicating that its core business model is not sustainable for the long term, and continued price hikes will only go so far in propping up the company's profits. While there is hope that some of its external growth investments will bear fruit ...

Popular (BPOP) appears an attractive pick, as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This upgrade is essentially a reflection of an upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices. A company's changing earnings picture is at the core of the Zacks rating. The system tracks the Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus measure of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years. Therefore, t ...

The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks. One company value investors might notice is Popular (BPOP) . BPOP is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 10.56, while its industry has an average P/E of 11.94. Over the past ...