Komal is passionate about finance and the stock market. She enjoys forecasting future market trends using a fundamental and technical approach with a focus on both short- and long-term horizons. She intends to provide unbiased analysis to assist investors in selecting the best investment strategies to stay ahead of the market. Analyst's Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. ...

Core Insights - B2Gold Corp. (BTG) shares have increased by 31.3% over the past three months, outperforming the industry growth of 26.3% and the Zacks Basic Materials sector's 8.3% increase, as well as the S&P 500's 10% rise [1][2]. Financial Performance - In Q2, B2Gold's revenues rose by 40% to $692 million, primarily driven by higher gold prices, while sales volumes remained flat compared to the previous year [4][5]. - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) for Q2 were 10 cents, reflecting a 67% year-over-year increase [5]. - Total cost of sales increased by 22% year over year to $341 million, with gross profit rising by 34.8% to $351 million [6]. - Operating income surged to $329.5 million, a significant increase from $31 million in the prior-year quarter [6]. Production and Projects - B2Gold achieved consolidated gold production of 229,454 ounces, a 12.3% year-over-year increase, and is on track to meet its 2025 production target of 970,000-1,075,000 ounces [7]. - The Goose mine is expected to ramp up to commercial production in Q3 2025, with projected output of 120,000–150,000 ounces for the year and an average of 300,000 ounces annually from 2026 to 2031 [8]. - Approval for underground mining at the Fekola Mine has been granted, with expected contributions of 25,000–35,000 ounces in 2025 and approximately 180,000 ounces annually from 2026 through 2029 [9][10]. Financial Position - As of June 30, 2025, B2Gold had cash and cash equivalents of $308 million and working capital of $19 million, with an undrawn $800 million revolving credit facility [11]. - The company's total debt-to-capital ratio stood at 0.12, lower than peers Eldorado Gold (0.22) and IAMGOLD (0.24) [11]. Dividend and Valuation - B2Gold offers a dividend yield of 2.07%, surpassing the industry average of 1.21%, with a payout ratio of 33% [14]. - The company is trading at a forward price/earnings ratio of 6.58X, significantly lower than the industry average of 13.49X and peers IAMGOLD (7.82X) and Eldorado Gold (9.21X) [15][16]. Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for B2Gold's 2025 earnings indicates a year-over-year growth of 262.5%, driven by rising gold prices and production [20]. - The earnings estimate for 2026 shows a slowdown in growth to 2.7% [20].

Core Insights - The earnings revisions trend remains favorable, with expectations for Q3 2025 showing earnings growth of +4.8% and revenue gains of +5.4% [2][4] - A significant proportion of S&P 500 companies reported Q2 results that exceeded estimates, with total earnings up +11.6% year-over-year and 80.5% beating EPS estimates [4][10] - The overall earnings outlook for Q2 2025 is positive, with S&P 500 earnings expected to increase by +12.0% on +6.0% higher revenues [10][13] Earnings Performance - For Q2 2025, 457 S&P 500 companies reported earnings growth of +11.6% and revenue growth of +5.8%, with 78.8% beating revenue estimates [4][10] - The Tech sector is projected to see Q3 earnings growth of +10.5% with revenue growth of +11.6% [6] - Meta Platforms is expected to report earnings of $6.69 per share for Q3, reflecting a 14.4% increase in estimates over the past month [8] Sector Analysis - Five out of 16 Zacks sectors, including Finance, Tech, and Energy, have seen modest increases in Q3 estimates, while 11 sectors face downward pressure [5] - The Finance sector, particularly large banks and brokers like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, shows a notable positive revisions trend [9]

Investment Strategy - Piper Sandler focuses on stocks outside the tech sector with similar attributes, such as high earnings growth, profitability, and strong balance sheets [2] - The recipe for outperformance lies in companies with strong fundamentals, applicable across market caps [2] - Diversification is key, rather than concentrating investments in a few mega-cap stocks [6] - Investing in the most profitable names across all 11 sectors has outperformed the tech sector in recent years [5] Tech Sector Analysis - The tech sector offers multiple avenues for outperformance [5] - Discrepancies exist in performance among different groups within tech, such as software and semiconductors [3] - The distinction between hardware and software remains relevant, especially concerning AI disruption [4] Macroeconomic Factors - Scale provides companies with advantages like better access to capital and cost management [8] - Small caps have recently outperformed due to market pricing in interest rate cuts [8] - Small cap sales estimates are still falling, suggesting the outperformance is not due to a broad macro pickup [9]

Company Overview - Zions Bancorporation (ZION) is headquartered in Salt Lake City and has experienced a price change of -2.01% this year [3] - The company currently pays a dividend of $0.43 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 3.24%, which is higher than the Banks - West industry's yield of 3.1% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.5% [3] Dividend Performance - Zions has an annualized dividend of $1.72, reflecting a 3.6% increase from the previous year [4] - Over the past five years, Zions has increased its dividend three times year-over-year, with an average annual increase of 5.20% [4] - The current payout ratio is 31%, indicating that the company pays out 31% of its trailing 12-month earnings per share as dividends [4] Earnings Growth and Future Outlook - For the fiscal year 2025, the Zacks Consensus Estimate predicts earnings of $5.78 per share, representing a year-over-year growth rate of 16.77% [5] - The future growth of dividends will depend on earnings growth and the payout ratio [4] Investment Considerations - Zions is considered a compelling investment opportunity due to its attractive dividend and strong Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) [6] - The company is positioned well as a dividend option, especially compared to high-growth businesses or tech startups that typically do not offer dividends [6]

Market Sentiment & Performance - Bank of America's flow data indicates net selling of small-cap stocks by clients last week, while large and mid-cap stocks saw net buying [1] - 44% of fund managers surveyed believe large-cap stocks will outperform small-cap stocks this year, an increase from the previous reading [1] - The Russell 2000 is up only 1.5% year-to-date, indicating continued underperformance of small caps [1] Concerns & Cautions - B of A remains near-term cautious on the Russell 2000 index and does not expect any Fed rate cuts this year [2][4] - Tariff risk poses a greater threat to small caps due to their thinner margins [3] - Inflation remains sticky, leading to the expectation that the Fed will remain on hold, potentially negatively impacting the Russell 2000, which is sensitive to interest rates [4][5] - Small-cap earnings recovery has been slower than expected compared to large caps, with lofty expectations for the second half of the year [6][7] Opportunities & Recommendations - It is advisable to be selective within small caps, favoring mid-caps due to cleaner balance sheets and lower risk from tariffs and refinancing [8] - Despite risks, small caps offer wider performance spreads and alpha opportunities, with relatively cheap valuations compared to large caps [8] - Focus on higher quality areas within small and mid-caps, prioritizing stocks with positive revisions and stronger margins [9][10]

Group 1 - The article highlights the author's background as a law graduate specializing in company and corporate law, combined with self-taught financial analysis expertise, providing a unique perspective on business dynamics [2] - The author has published insights on respected platforms such as InvestorPlace and GuruFocus, and has been featured in well-known publications like Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and MSN, indicating a strong presence in the financial analysis community [2] - The author collaborates with another Seeking Alpha author, Saba Sadiq, which may enhance the depth of analysis provided [2] Group 2 - The article does not provide any specific company or industry analysis, focusing instead on the author's qualifications and contributions to financial discourse [3][4]

Core Viewpoint - Investors are seeking growth stocks that can deliver above-average growth and exceptional returns, but identifying such stocks can be challenging due to inherent risks and volatility [1] Group 1: Growth Stock Identification - The Zacks Growth Style Score system helps identify promising growth stocks by analyzing real growth prospects beyond traditional metrics [2] - Global Partners LP (GLP) is currently recommended due to its favorable Growth Score and top Zacks Rank [2] Group 2: Earnings Growth - Earnings growth is a critical factor for growth investors, with double-digit growth indicating strong prospects [3] - Global Partners has a historical EPS growth rate of 12%, but projected EPS growth for this year is 23.2%, significantly higher than the industry average of 10.7% [4] Group 3: Asset Utilization - The asset utilization ratio, or sales-to-total-assets (S/TA) ratio, is an important indicator of efficiency in generating sales [5] - Global Partners has an S/TA ratio of 4.74, indicating it generates $4.74 in sales for every dollar in assets, compared to the industry average of 0.97 [6] Group 4: Sales Growth - The company is expected to achieve a sales growth of 37.2% this year, while the industry average is 0% [6] Group 5: Earnings Estimate Revisions - Positive trends in earnings estimate revisions correlate strongly with near-term stock price movements [7] - The current-year earnings estimates for Global Partners have increased by 4.6% over the past month [8] Group 6: Overall Positioning - Global Partners holds a Zacks Rank of 2 and a Growth Score of B, positioning it well for potential outperformance in the growth stock category [10]

Investment Opportunities - The firm favors growth stocks and small-cap companies, particularly in the healthcare and energy sectors, which have underperformed this year [1] - Within healthcare, medical diagnostics and medical equipment are attractive due to relatively stable earnings growth despite concerns over Medicaid and capex [3] - AI infrastructure, including power, connectivity, and cooling, presents opportunities within small and mid-cap names, driven by hyperscaler capex [5] - Small-cap defense tech companies, especially those in drones, rockets, and motors, are favored over large-cap legacy players due to their nimbleness and superior technology [11][12] Market Trends and Analysis - Healthcare's representation in the S&P 500 has significantly decreased from 16% to 9% in recent years, despite strong earnings growth in the last quarter [2] - Small-cap earnings growth expectations for 2024 did not materialize, but an upward inflection is anticipated in the next quarter and into 2026 [4][5] - S&P 500 companies reported 118% earnings growth, 700 basis points above expectations, but a pullback is possible after earnings season [6] - US oil growth is expected to stagnate and potentially roll over into 2026, which could benefit energy companies by increasing capex, rig count, and frack count [8][9] - Natural gas prices are strong due to data center demand, and natural gas companies with cheap valuations have upside potential if oil rolls over [10] Risk Factors - Headline and political risks affect some healthcare companies, necessitating discerning stock picking [3] - Tariffs and volatility, particularly concerning China, impact small-cap companies, requiring careful stock selection [5] - Energy stocks have underperformed due to lagging oil prices [8]

>> Welcome back. S&P is coming off its best week since late June. Stocks are mixed as the market tries to add to some of those gains, as investors look ahead to some key data that's on deck later this week.Citi's U.S. Equity strategist, Scott Krone, is with us this morning. Just raised his target to 6600 from 6300. Happy Monday, Scott.Good to have you. >> Good morning Carl. >> Is this about an earnings season that's come in pretty strong. >> It's about earnings season that's coming pretty strong.The differe ...