Ted Waller is a private investor who bought his first stock at age 13 (GTE) and has over 55 years of investing experience. His focus is on value and favorable risk/reward ratio, and special situations. Acquiring wealth is an incremental process that requires setting goals, adherence to principles, and patience.Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the pu ...

Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that mea ...

Core Insights - CNA Financial Corporation (CNA) shares are trading at a discount compared to the Zacks Property and Casualty Insurance industry, with a forward price-to-book value of 1.22X, lower than the industry average of 1.57X, the Finance sector's 4.23X, and the Zacks S&P 500 Composite's 8.3X [1] - The market capitalization of CNA is $12.59 billion, with an average trading volume of 0.4 million shares over the last three months [1] Valuation and Price Performance - CNA Financial shares closed at $46.53, representing an 11% discount from its 52-week high of $52.36, indicating potential for growth [3] - The average price target for CNA is $49 per share, suggesting a potential upside of 5.38% from the last closing price [11] Growth Projections - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CNA Financial's 2025 revenues is $13.43 billion, reflecting a year-over-year improvement of 5.4% [4] - The consensus estimate for 2026 earnings per share and revenues indicates increases of 11.7% and 3.5%, respectively, from the 2025 estimates [4] Analyst Sentiment - Mixed analyst sentiment is observed, with two analysts lowering estimates for 2025 while one raised estimates for 2026 over the past 60 days; the 2025 earnings estimate has decreased by 6%, while the 2026 estimate has increased by 1.3% [5] Financial Performance - CNA Financial has a trailing 12-month return on equity (ROE) of 11.9%, outperforming the industry average of 7.8% [13] - The company has experienced a 2.3% share price gain over the past year, compared to the industry growth of 19.2%, the Finance sector's 19.9%, and the Zacks S&P 500 composite's 11.7% [9] Business Strategy and Capital Management - CNA drives premium growth through strong retention, favorable renewal premium changes, and new business gains [8] - The company maintains a solid balance sheet with capital above target levels, exiting the first quarter with statutory capital and surplus of $11 billion [15] - CNA has a history of rewarding shareholders through regular dividend hikes, with a 10-year CAGR of 6.3% and a current dividend yield of 3.6%, significantly higher than the industry average of 0.2% [17] Future Outlook - Favorable growth estimates, higher return on capital, and attractive valuation position CNA for long-term value creation [18] - The company is expected to continue benefiting from solid retention, favorable renewal premium changes, and new business growth across its segments [18]

Key Takeaways Chevron boasts a 4.8% yield and 38 consecutive years of dividend growth, outperforming key rivals. CVX earnings is expected to drop 32% in 2025 before a 27% rebound in 2026 from key project gains. Shares have fallen 2.5% over three years, underperforming ExxonMobil's 23% and Shell's 36% gains.Chevron Corporation (CVX) remains a household name in energy, boasting an incredible dividend history. It has consistently increased its payout for 38 years straight! With a current dividend yield of 4. ...

Company Overview - First Commonwealth Financial (FCF) is headquartered in Indiana and has experienced a price change of -3.37% this year [3] - The company currently pays a dividend of $0.14 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 3.3%, which is higher than the Banks - Northeast industry's yield of 2.77% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.58% [3] Dividend Performance - FCF's current annualized dividend of $0.54 represents a 4.9% increase from the previous year [4] - Over the past five years, FCF has increased its dividend four times, averaging an annual increase of 4.10% [4] - The company's current payout ratio is 39%, indicating that it pays out 39% of its trailing 12-month earnings per share as dividends [4] Earnings Outlook - FCF is expected to see earnings growth this fiscal year, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 at $1.43 per share, reflecting a 2.14% increase from the previous year [5] Investment Considerations - FCF is viewed as an attractive dividend play and a compelling investment opportunity, holding a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [7]

Analyst's Disclosure:I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of PLTR either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Any "sensible" investor is supposed to tell you that a massive yield, such as 12%, 15%, or 20%, is likely unsustainable and potentially signals ...

Analysts expect the Melville, New York-based company to report quarterly earnings at $1.03 per share, down from $1.33 per share in the year-ago period. MSC Industrial Direct projects to report quarterly revenue at $969.19 million, compared to $979.35 million a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro. MSC Industrial, known for producing metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products, reported a second-quarter net sales decline of 4.7% year-over-year to $891.7 million. It missed ...

There seem to be several reasons why the stock is struggling on the NYSE. Some of them include the Fed's delay in cutting interest rates, weak financialMr. Mavroudis is a professional portfolio manager specializing in institutional and private portfolios. He focuses on risk management, which is accompanied by in-depth financial market analysis (fundamental, macro and technical) to control the risk undertaken by the portfolios. He invests in all financial instruments globally (stocks, bonds, fx, commodities) ...

Constellation Brands, Inc. STZ will release earnings results for the first quarter after the closing bell on Tuesday, July 1.Analysts expect the company to report quarterly earnings at $3.29 per share, down from $3.57 per share in the year-ago period. Constellation Brands projects to report quarterly revenue at $2.56 billion, compared to $2.66 billion a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro.On Thursday, Barclays analyst Lauren Lieberman maintained a Constellation Brands rating of Overweight and ...

Given escalating tensions in the Middle East and related uncertainty, investors may want to think about adding some exposure to energy stocks. Although the sector hasn't exactly crushed it in recent years, and talks of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran have kept oil prices down (as of June 24), the region is erratic, and there are plenty of scenarios that could lead to higher oil prices.Having some exposure to oil and gas stocks can keep investors hedged against such a scenario. The good news is that many ...