Thursday, March 14, 2019

Central Federal Co. (CFBK) Director David L. Royer Acquires 5,000 Shares

Central Federal Co. (NASDAQ:CFBK) Director David L. Royer bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $13.42 per share, with a total value of $67,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $89,243. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

NASDAQ CFBK traded down $0.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $12.87. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,973. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Central Federal Co. has a one year low of $10.62 and a one year high of $16.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.71 million, a P/E ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 0.66.

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Central Federal (NASDAQ:CFBK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 19th. The savings and loans company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter. Central Federal had a net margin of 15.48% and a return on equity of 10.08%. The business had revenue of $5.81 million during the quarter.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Central Federal during the 4th quarter worth $106,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Central Federal in the fourth quarter valued at about $871,000. Finally, Macnealy Hoover Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Central Federal by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Macnealy Hoover Investment Management Inc. now owns 198,382 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $2,319,000 after purchasing an additional 17,377 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.57% of the company’s stock.

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About Central Federal

Central Federal Corporation operates as the bank holding company for CFBank that provides various financial services in the United States. The company accepts savings, retail and business checking, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also offers single-family mortgage loans; commercial real estate and multi-family residential mortgage loans; commercial loans; construction and land loans; and consumer loans, such as home equity lines of credit, automobile loans, home improvement loans, and loans secured by deposits, as well as other loans.

See Also: What is an investor looking for in an SEC filing?

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Why VirnetX Holding Stock Gained 19.4% in February

What happened

VirnetX Holding (NYSEMKT:VHC) stock gained 19.4% in February, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The software and intellectual-property company scored a big legal win against Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in January, as an appeals court shut down the tech giant's challenge to a previous ruling that found it had infringed on patents held by VirnetX. The decision sent VirnetX shares skyrocketing, and the positive momentum continued last month.

VHC Chart

VHC data by YCharts.

The appellate court judge presiding over the matter reaffirmed the district judge's initial ruling finding Apple liable for $439.8 million in damages stemming from patent infringement. VirnetX stock gained 112.5% in January, with most of the stock's movement related to the case, and the gains rolled into February and March.

Cloud icons connecting a network of messaging and media icons.

Image source: Getty Images.

So what

The initial intellectual-property case actually kicked off back in 2010 and alleged that Apple had used communications security technologies and other software in apps including FaceTime and iMessage without the proper license. The overall situation regarding these issues and the legal battle between the two companies over the general matter has actually been going on for more than nine years. January's appeals court ruling upheld the previous judgment finding that Apple had infringed on patents held by VirnetX -- and this set the smaller company up to receive a substantial payday.

Now what

VirnetX stock has continued to gain ground in March, with shares trading up roughly 14.9% in the month so far.

VHC Chart

VHC data by YCharts.

VirnetX stock has now nearly tripled year to date and sports a market capitalization of $467 million as of this writing -- roughly $30 million more than the judgment in the Apple case. Of course, the court battle does not appear to be over, with both companies appealing different judgments related to the issue, so it's still too early to fully bake that money into VirnetX's valuation.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

NVIDIA Hurls $7 Billion at the Data Center

Graphics chip company NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) agreed on Monday to pay $6.9 billion in cash for Mellanox (NASDAQ:MLNX), a supplier of interconnect solutions for data centers. NVIDIA reportedly outbid both Intel and Xilinx, although neither company has confirmed being part of the bidding process.

This deal comes as NVIDIA faces dual headwinds that are derailing its two biggest segments. In the gaming market, the crash in cryptocurrency prices has reduced demand, leading to excess channel inventory and questions about whether demand will ultimately stabilize. In the data center market, weakening demand from cloud and hyperscale customers has put an end to the relentless growth in what is now a $3 billion annual business for NVIDIA, and GPU alternatives could spell trouble in the long run.

NVIDIA's total revenue plunged 24% year over year in the fourth quarter of last year, and the company's guidance calls for a 31% tumble in the first quarter. The Mellanox deal is expensive, but it will give NVIDIA's data center segment a jolt that should help return the company to growth next year.

A notepad drawing of a big fish eating a smaller fish.

Image source: Getty Images.

Immediately accretive

NVIDIA will pay $125 for each outstanding share of Mellanox, adding up to an enterprise value of roughly $6.9 billion. The deal won't require any debt, with NVIDIA's rock-solid balance sheet providing enough cash to fund the acquisition. NVIDIA had $7.4 billion of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities at the end of fiscal 2019, which ended in January.

The deal is expected to close by the end of calendar 2019, which will give NVIDIA time to generate additional cash. NVIDIA produced free cash flow in excess of $3 billion last year, but that number may decline this year as the company struggles with weak demand. Still, it should be enough to fund NVIDIA's already-announced capital return program for fiscal 2020. The company will stick to its plan to return $2.3 billion to shareholders this year via share buybacks and dividends.

Once the deal closes, NVIDIA expects the combination to be immediately accretive to non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP earnings per share, and free cash flow. Mellanox is a profitable company, producing $134 million of net income and $228 million of free cash flow on $1.09 billion of revenue in 2018. Mellanox's non-GAAP gross margin of 69% last year topped NVIDIA's non-GAAP gross margin of about 62%.

NVIDIA is certainly paying a high price. At $6.9 billion, this deal values Mellanox at nearly 6.5 times sales, more than 50 times earnings, and more than 30 times free cash flow. Mellanox is a growing company, posting revenue growth of 26% in 2018, and NVIDIA may be able to accelerate that growth once the company is part of its data center business. But big acquisitions have a way of falling short of expectations.

A big bet on the data center

NVIDIA has been very successful selling its GPUs into the data center, pitching them as accelerators for computationally intensive tasks like artificial intelligence. But those ultra-fast processors need to be fed data quickly enough when workloads span many nodes. That's where Mellanox's interconnect technology comes into play.

"Datacenters in the future will be architected as giant compute engines with tens of thousands of compute nodes, designed holistically with their interconnects for optimal performance," NVIDIA said in the press release announcing the deal. "With Mellanox, NVIDIA will optimize datacenter-scale workloads across the entire computing, networking and storage stack to achieve higher performance, greater utilization and lower operating cost for customers."

The deal makes sense strategically, and NVIDIA is preventing a rival like Intel from scooping up Mellanox for itself. This year is going to be rough for NVIDIA, with revenue very likely to decline. But folding Mellanox into the data center segment next year should help reignite growth in what has become a very important business for the graphics chip company.

Monday, March 11, 2019

Desjardins Weighs in on Aecon Group Inc’s Q3 2019 Earnings (ARE)

Aecon Group Inc (TSE:ARE) – Desjardins issued their Q3 2019 earnings per share estimates for shares of Aecon Group in a note issued to investors on Thursday, March 7th. Desjardins analyst B. Poirier anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.84 per share for the quarter. Desjardins also issued estimates for Aecon Group’s Q4 2019 earnings at $0.57 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $1.03 EPS, FY2020 earnings at $1.17 EPS and FY2021 earnings at $1.23 EPS.

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Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on ARE. National Bank Financial increased their target price on shares of Aecon Group from C$21.00 to C$21.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity increased their target price on shares of Aecon Group from C$24.00 to C$25.00 in a report on Thursday. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a C$23.00 target price on shares of Aecon Group in a report on Wednesday. Finally, CIBC raised their price objective on shares of Aecon Group from C$21.00 to C$23.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of C$22.56.

ARE opened at C$18.97 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 99.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.66. Aecon Group has a twelve month low of C$14.27 and a twelve month high of C$19.79.

Aecon Group Company Profile

Aecon Group Inc provides construction and infrastructure development services to private and public sector clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Infrastructure, Energy, Mining, and Concessions. The Infrastructure segment is involved in the construction of roads and bridges, and rail and transit systems, as well as in asphalt production and aggregates, municipal construction, commercial site design, and material engineering and design activities.

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Saturday, March 9, 2019

Beware the hidden costs of pet ownership

It's no surprise why people get so attached to their pets.

They're cute and hilarious, hence why pet videos are so popular on YouTube. They're perfect for providing companionship. They basically become your children, only better, because they're a different species.

What many people don't consider before they decide to adopt that new companion is the true price tag of their pet. The reality is that one pet could cost you more than $10,000 over the course of its lifespan, and much of that will come from hidden costs you may not have thought about.

Whether you're considering getting a pet or you already have one, it's important to be aware of all the potential costs that could come your way.

 (Photo: Getty Images)

What it really costs to own a pet

These pet costs will focus on cats and dogs, since those are undoubtedly the most popular animals people keep as pets. If you have a bird, lizard, rabbit or other type of pet, your costs will vary.

How much does a cat cost? 

According to PetFinder, cat costs typically range from:

$405 to $2,285 for the first year$340 to $1,825 for every year thereafter

That's for all the basic costs of owning a cat, including food, vet visits, vaccinations, toys, a litter box and litter, a scratching post and a bed. First-year costs are higher since several of those expenses are purchases you won't need to make every year.

How much does a dog cost?

Dogs are similar to cats in terms of costs, with PetFinder reporting the standard range as:

$395 to $2,455 for the first year$326 to $1,967 for every year thereafter

Again, that covers basic costs, including food, vet visits, vaccinations, toys, a collar and leash, a bed or crate, and preventative medications.

Now, the lower ends of these estimates are essentially the bare minimums for keeping your pet reasonably happy and healthy. You may find that you spend more on pet toys and higher-quality foods. After all, you want your loved one to stay healthy for as long as possible. These estimates also don't include some pesky hidden costs.

The hidden costs of pet ownership

We've gone over the basic yearly costs, but in all likelihood, there will be other expenses you incur with your pet.

Let's start with the biggest – medical problems. These are often "out of sight, out of mind" when your pet is in its prime, but pets of all ages can incur hefty medical bills. An illness, an accident or a fight with another animal could all end up costing you quite a bit at the vet.

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Just how much can medical bills for your pet cost you? Here are the average costs of a few common treatments, courtesy of Trupanion:

Fractured pelvis from being hit by a car: $3,717Chemotherapy for cancer: $5,351Surgery to remove foreign object that pet ate: $2,964Surgery and medications for hip dysplasia: $7,815Medications and blood tests for diabetes: $10,496

In addition, there are other extra costs that pet owners often don't think about, such as:

NEWSLETTERSGet the Managing Your Money newsletter delivered to your inboxWe're sorry, but something went wrongA collection of articles to help you manage your finances like a pro.Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-872-0001.Delivery: FriInvalid email addressThank you! You're almost signed up for Managing Your MoneyKeep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration.More newslettersExtra rental costs: For renters, your landlord could want a pet deposit, and some places even charge pet rent.Petsitters: Going on a trip? Petsitters can cost between $15 and $40 per day, making a two-week trip from $210 to $560 more expensive.Flying with a pet: If you're moving or you just want to take your pet with you on a vacation, most airlines charge a minimum of $100 each way to travel with your pet.Grooming: Some pets won't need any grooming other than simple things you can do on your own, but for dogs or cats that need it, the typical cost is anywhere from $30 to $100.How to budget for pet costs

Avoiding pet debt is just like staying out of any other type of debt. You need to anticipate the expenses you could have and start preparing for them ahead of time instead of waiting until you're under the gun.

Here's how to do that:

1. Open your pet fund.

The smartest way to do this is to open a new bank account. Then there's separation between your pet fund and the rest of your money, which is a good reminder that the pet fund is off-limits for everything but pet-related expenses.

Before you open your pet fund, check out the best bank accounts to find one that has a high interest rate and no fees. Savings accounts and money market accounts are both smart choices because they can earn you more interest.

2. Calculate how much you need to save.

Estimate the larger expenses your pet could have, and then break down how much you need to save per month to be ready. For example:

If you plan to take a two-week vacation at the end of each year and a petsitter will cost you $360, then you need to save $30 per month.If your pet just turned four years old and you want to have $5,000 saved for any potential medical bills by the time it's eight, then you need to save $104.17 per month.

3. Set aside a fixed amount every month.

Once you know how much you need to save, you can see if that works within your budget. If not, you'll need to decide whether you can get by with saving less or if you should cut spending in another area.

Make sure you're consistent in depositing money into your pet fund every month and avoid the temptation to skip a month here and there. You'll be happy you did if you need that money in the future.

Should you get pet insurance?

One popular way to deal with vet bills and other medical expenses for your animal is pet insurance. Opinions are mixed on whether pet insurance is worthwhile, but if you can trust yourself to save money for a pet fund consistently, then you're probably better off doing that instead.

Pet insurance works similarly to health insurance in that you pay premiums every month, and then pet insurance helps cover the cost of your pet's medical treatments. The cost of pet insurance varies depending on your pet and what the plan covers, as you can get plans for health problems, accidents, or both. The typical price range is:

$10 to $35 per month for cats$20 to $70 per month for dogs

The problem with pet insurance is that on average, people pay more in premiums than their pet's plan pays out for treatments. You'd be better off saving money on your own for your pet's expenses, as described in the section above, instead of paying premiums every month.

What to do about emergency pet costs

It's always good to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. With a pet, that means having a plan in case it needs a costly treatment that you can't pay for out-of-pocket.

This is a situation many pet owners find themselves in, and sadly, it can even lead to what's known as economic euthanasia, where people need to put down their beloved pets because they can't afford treatment costs.

That's incredibly difficult and something no pet, or its owner, should have to go through. If you find yourself unable to afford your pet's bills, here are a few options to look at:

CareCredit: CareCredit is a line of credit for financing health care costs, and it's also an option at some veterinary clinics. It offers deferred interest plans where you can pay zero interest if you pay off the entire balance within a promotional period (here's more about deferred interest plans and why it's crucial that you pay off your full balance during that promo period).Nonprofit clinics: Many cities have low-cost or nonprofit veterinary clinics that offer services to pet owners in need at a discounted rate.A payment plan with the vet: Depending on your vet, you may be able to negotiate a plan where you pay off your bill in installments instead of all at once.A 0 percent APR credit card: If you have a good to excellent credit score, there are plenty of great 0 percent intro APR cards that offer intro periods of well over a year.A personal loan: While you'll need to pay interest on what you borrow, the best personal loan lenders offer low interest rates along with loan terms and monthly payment amounts to fit your needs.Giving your pet the life it deserves

People often get pets without putting much thought into the costs involved, but it's important to know what expenses you could run into.

After all, your pet is a part of the family, and you want it to have the best quality of life possible. When you're aware of how much pets really cost, you can better prepare for the future.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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Why The Trade Desk Popped 38.4% in February

What happened

Shares of The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) climbed 38.4% in February, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, after the programmatic advertising specialist announced significantly better-than-expected fourth-quarter 2018 results. 

The stock roared 31.3% higher on Feb. 22, 2019, alone, the first trading day after The Trade Desk's report hit the wires. In that report, the company confirmed its quarterly revenue had soared 56% year over year to $160.5 million -- accelerating from 49.6% a quarter earlier and far above the 43% growth management had predicted -- while adjusted earnings more than doubled over the same period to $51.1 million, or $1.09 per share.

The Trade Desk employees at the NASDAQ stock exchange

IMAGE SOURCE: THE TRADE DESK.

So what

The Trade Desk revealed broad-based growth across its various channels; mobile channel spending rose 69% (including 130% growth in mobile video and 90% gains from mobile in-app spending), connected TV skyrocketed 525%, and audio increased 230%. The Trade Desk also boasted its 20th straight quarter with customer retention remaining over 95%.

The Trade Desk founder and CEO Jeff Green called 2018 "huge" and a "foundational year" for the company, adding:

We launched the biggest product, called the Next Wave, in our history; Connected TV became a must-have on the media plan; we partnered with some of the largest internet companies in China; data usage on our platform accelerated; and our Unified ID initiative gained steam across the industry. Our vision is to change the way advertising is bought by enabling programmatic, data-driven decisions and 2018 marked another year of great strides toward that goal.

Now what

Looking to the full year of 2019, The Trade Desk told investors to expect revenue of "at least $637 million" -- again well above consensus estimates at the time for 2019 revenue of $617 million -- starting with $116 million in sales for the first quarter. 

In the end, following this straightforward quarterly beat with an equally impressive financial outlook gave the market more than enough reason to drive The Trade Desk stock to fresh all-time highs. And if the company extends its habit of underpromising and overdelivering going forward, I suspect there will be plenty more gains in store from here.

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Why Chico's FAS Stock Took a Hit Wednesday

What happened

Shares of Chico's FAS (NYSE:CHS) fell on Wednesday, declining as much as 11.2% but finishing the trading day down 10.3%.

The stock's decline followed Chico's fourth-quarter earnings report, which featured better-than-expected sales and adjusted earnings per share but also included a weak outlook for first-quarter revenue and comparable sales.

A chalkboard sketch of a chart showing a stock price falling

Image source: Getty Images.

So what

Chico's reported sales of $524.7 million, down from $587.8 million in the year-ago quarter but higher than analysts' average forecast of $516.4 million. Chico's non-GAAP fourth-quarter loss per share was $0.07, narrower than analysts' consensus estimate for a loss of $0.09.

Consolidated comparable sales were down 3.8%, driven by a lower transaction count and a decrease in average dollar sale. Comparable sales for the company's namesake brand took a particularly hard hit, falling 7.9% during the quarter.

Chico's first-quarter revenue guidance likely disappointed. Management said it expected a mid- to high-single-digit percentage year-over-year decline in both net sales and comparable sales in Q1, "reflecting softer sales throughout the month of February." Analysts were expecting first-quarter revenue to decline 5% year over year.

Now what

Management said lower sales and investments in its omnichannel programs will likely weigh on profitability, leading to a gross margin headwind in its first quarter. Management guided for a 300 to 400 basis-point year-over-year decline in its gross margin during the period.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Buy Biocon, target Rs 823: Anand Rathi

Anand Rathi

Biocon, is one the largest and fully-integrated, innovation-led bio pharmaceutical company emerging globally bio pharmaceutical enterprise serving customers in over 120 countries.

The Top 10 brands in its India portfolio reported a strong double digit growth.

The key developments during the quarter were approval of Fulphila (Pegfilgrastim) Biosimilar co-developed by Biocon and Mylan for launch in US markets.

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The company's sterile Drug Product manufacturing facility in Bengaluru received EIR from USFDA and EUGMP certification.

Syngene extended its collaboration with Baxter upto 2024 and strengthens its growing client base amongst others.

Going ahead, we continue to expect company to get benefits of first wave of Biosimilar commercialization in the next two years which should drive higher revenues along with higher growth in formulation business on back of new launches and deeper penetration.

We expect company to grow at a CAGR of around 29 percent over next two years which should also improve better profit margins going ahead.

We have a buy rating with a target price of Rs 823 per share (61x FY19e EPS of 13.50).

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. First Published on Mar 5, 2019 03:45 pm

ETRADE Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 18,162 Sealed Air Corp (SEE)

ETRADE Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sealed Air Corp (NYSE:SEE) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 18,162 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $633,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Doyle Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Sealed Air in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Essex Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Sealed Air in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC raised its position in shares of Sealed Air by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Massey Quick Simon & CO. LLC now owns 2,311 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 770 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of Sealed Air by 364.0% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $111,000 after buying an additional 2,177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Honkamp Krueger Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sealed Air in the third quarter valued at approximately $140,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.59% of the company’s stock.

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SEE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Sealed Air in a research report on Wednesday, January 16th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upgraded shares of Sealed Air from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, December 14th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Sealed Air from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Sealed Air from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 18th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Sealed Air in a research report on Sunday, December 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Sealed Air presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.40.

Shares of NYSE:SEE opened at $44.02 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.13. Sealed Air Corp has a 1 year low of $30.22 and a 1 year high of $46.21.

Sealed Air (NYSE:SEE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 7th. The industrial products company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.24 billion. Sealed Air had a net margin of 4.08% and a negative return on equity of 104.71%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sealed Air Corp will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th will be paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. Sealed Air’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.60%.

In other news, SVP Emile Z. Chammas acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.40 per share, with a total value of $167,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president now directly owns 169,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,661,600.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Harry A. Lawton III acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $42.33 per share, for a total transaction of $42,330.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $94,184.25. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 13,500 shares of company stock worth $462,455 over the last three months. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: “ETRADE Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 18,162 Sealed Air Corp (SEE)” was first posted by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are reading this piece of content on another publication, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of US and international copyright and trademark legislation. The original version of this piece of content can be viewed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4195548/etrade-capital-management-llc-acquires-shares-of-18162-sealed-air-corp-see.html.

Sealed Air Profile

Sealed Air Corporation provides food safety and security, and product protection solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Food Care and Product Care. The Food Care segment offers integrated packaging materials and equipment solutions to provide food safety, shelf life extension, and total cost optimization for perishable food processors in the fresh red meat, smoked and processed meats, poultry, and dairy markets under the Cryovac, Cryovac Grip & Tear, Cryovac Darfresh, Cryovac Mirabella, Simple Steps, and Optidure brands.

Read More: What is a stock buyback?

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SEE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Sealed Air Corp (NYSE:SEE).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Sealed Air (NYSE:SEE)

Monday, March 4, 2019

5 Ways Investors Can Profit From Streaming Video

There are a growing number of streaming services and many people believe that internet television will eventually replace much of linear TV, as the world is rapidly adopting streaming video in all its forms.

This leaves investors wondering what is the best way to profit from this once-in-a-generation shift in entertainment delivery. There's a growing divide between paid and ad-supported services, as well as peripheral businesses that benefit from them. Here are a few obvious choices and some that investors may not have considered to profit from these changes.

Sandra Bullock rowing a boat wearing a blindfold in a scene from Netflix original movie Bird Box.

Sandra Bullock in the Netflix original movie "Bird Box." Image source: Netflix.

The one that started it all

The most popular and well-known service is Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), which pioneered streaming video as we know it. From its humble beginnings more than a decade ago, the company gave birth to an industry. With 139 million subscribers and growing, it's the most obvious pure play among paid streaming services.

Netflix stock has already gained 30,000%, so some would argue that much of the easy money has already been made, but the company has continued to produce robust subscriber growth, generating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 25% over the past three years, while its operating margin has grown from about 4% in 2016 to 10% for 2018. Netflix expects this growth to continue for many years to come.

Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Rachel Brosnahan in a scene from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." Image source: Amazon Studios.

Streaming and so much more

If Netflix is a pure play, Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) is just the opposite. No one knows for sure how many people actually watch Amazon Prime Video, as it's offered as one of the benefits of Prime membership, as well as a stand-alone service. Early last year, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed that the company had more than 100 million Prime members, but not all of those avail themselves of Prime Video.

From an investment standpoint, however, Amazon offers a diverse group of quickly growing businesses that go far beyond its e-commerce roots. The company's leading cloud-computing operation (Amazon Web Services), its sprawling logistics operation, its growing physical retail footprint, and a vast array of AI-powered electronic devices give investors many ways to benefit in the coming years. Amazon produced revenue that grew 31% in 2018, to nearly $233 billion -- a massive increase for a company Amazon's size -- while net income more than tripled to $10 billion.

A number of viewing options available on The Roku Channel.

Image source: Roku.

A Netflix offshoot

Investors may not remember that the first Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) streaming video player was actually developed by Netflix itself, before Netflix decided to remain hardware-agnostic and spin off the team and its technology in early 2008. The leader of the project, Anthony Wood, became Roku's CEO.

In the ensuing years, Roku has come into its own. While streaming devices remain part of the company's DNA, Roku changed the primary focus to its platform, which seems like a no-brainer in hindsight. Revenue topped $742 million in 2018, up 45% year over year, while platform revenue soared 85% compared with 2017 and now accounts for more than 56% of the company's revenue. Last year it added The Roku Channel and the ability to subscribe to premium video offerings from the likes of Showtime, Epix, and Starz, among others. Roku is still in the earliest stages of its international expansion, which should drive growth for years to come.

The Disney+ logo.

Image source: Disney.

The happiest stream on Earth?

Disney (NYSE:DIS) put the streaming world on notice in 2017, announcing its intention to buy Twenty-First Century Fox and develop two homegrown over-the-top services. The massive merger is nearing the finish line, and Disney has already introduced the first of its two streaming services, ESPN+, which has quickly signed up more than 1 million subscribers. The House of Mouse plans to introduce its next offering -- Disney+ -- before the end of the year. The company plans to provide greater details regarding the upcoming service during an investor day presentation on April 11.

This doesn't even include Hulu, widely regarded as one of the top streaming services. Disney will own a 60% controlling interest in the company when the Fox merger is complete. Hulu added 8 million new subscribers in 2018, growth of 48% year over year, to 25 million. Ad sales also grew 45% last year, topping $1.5 billion. Hulu's still losing money as it continues to focus on growth, but that won't be the case forever. 

Two hands touching digital globe showing various consumer advertising touchpoints.

Image source: Getty Images.

A play on advertising

Investors may not have considered The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) as a streaming play, but there are reasons they should. The programmatic advertiser uses artificial intelligence and high-speed computers to automate the process of digital ad buying in real time. The company can place more than 9 million ads per second with its next-generation platform across a host of key channels -- included connected devices and TVs. In fact, ads for connected TVs has been The Trade Desk's fastest-growing channel. In the most recent quarter, it said growth in the segment was 525%.

Growth accelerated for the company last year, with revenue of $160.5 million, up 55% year over year, on top of 52% gains in 2017. Profitability is also soaring, as net income of $39.4 million jumped 134% compared with the prior-year quarter. This illustrates that consumers continue to choose ad-supported streaming options, and The Trade Desk stands to benefit significantly from the trend.

Sunday, March 3, 2019

2 Stocks With Fresh, Double-Digit Dividend Growth

One of the best facets of quality dividend stocks isn't their regular payout or even their dividend history, but rather their track record of dividend increases. Companies that regularly increase their dividends give investors a growing stream of income and confidence of a likelihood of more payout increases in the future.

But what companies are paying out meaningful, growing dividends that are likely to keep seeing growth in the coming years? Two stocks that fit these characteristics are Home Depot (NYSE:HD) and Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN), both of which announced significant increases to their dividends in February.

Here's a look at each of these dividend stocks.

A chart showing a bar chart with a growth trend up and to the right

Image source: Getty Images.

Home Depot

Alongside its fourth-quarter results on Feb. 26, Home Depot announced it was increasing its dividend by 32%. This is a significant acceleration over the company's 15.8% dividend increase last year. Indeed, it's even higher than the company's average annualized dividend growth of 25% over the last five years.

The company's new quarterly dividend is $1.36, up from $1.03 previously and amounting to $5.44 annually. This translates to a forward dividend yield of 3%.

The 32% dividend increase marks the company's 10th straight year of increases. The meaningful increase is "a testament to our commitment to create value for our shareholders and a demonstration of confidence in the business going forward," said Home Depot CEO Craig Menear in the company's fourth-quarter earnings release.

The company has plenty of room for further growth in its dividend. Over the trailing 12 months, just $4.6 billion of Home Depot's $10.1 billion in free cash flow was paid out in dividends. 

Wendy's

Wendy's announced an 18% increase to its quarterly dividend on Feb. 13. This put the company's quarterly dividend at $0.10, up from 0.085 cents. On an annual basis, Wendy's new dividend comes out to $0.40, giving the stock a forward dividend yield of 2.3%.

"Returning cash to shareholders remains a key priority for us," said Wendy's CEO Todd Penegor in a press release when the company announced its higher dividend. "This is the seventh consecutive year that we have increased our dividend, which is a testament to the strong cash flow generation from our resilient and predictable business model."

This is a slight deceleration from a 21% increase last year, but it still represents a strong, double-digit percentage increase.

Like Home Depot, Wendy's has more room for dividend growth, as it paid out just $81 million of its $154 million in trailing-12-month free cash flow.

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Critical Analysis: Sterling Bancorp (SBT) and Brookline Bancorp (BRKL)

Sterling Bancorp (NASDAQ:SBT) and Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, valuation, earnings, risk and institutional ownership.

Risk & Volatility

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Sterling Bancorp has a beta of 1.19, suggesting that its share price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Brookline Bancorp has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its share price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Sterling Bancorp and Brookline Bancorp’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio
Sterling Bancorp $183.81 million 2.91 $63.47 million N/A N/A
Brookline Bancorp $339.12 million 3.79 $83.06 million $1.07 14.93

Brookline Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Sterling Bancorp.

Dividends

Sterling Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Brookline Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.42 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Brookline Bancorp pays out 39.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

31.5% of Sterling Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Brookline Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 3.0% of Sterling Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.5% of Brookline Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Sterling Bancorp and Brookline Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Sterling Bancorp 34.53% 20.88% 2.04%
Brookline Bancorp 24.49% 9.58% 1.17%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Sterling Bancorp and Brookline Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Sterling Bancorp 0 0 1 0 3.00
Brookline Bancorp 0 3 0 0 2.00

Sterling Bancorp currently has a consensus target price of $13.00, indicating a potential upside of 28.84%. Brookline Bancorp has a consensus target price of $17.75, indicating a potential upside of 11.08%. Given Sterling Bancorp’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Sterling Bancorp is more favorable than Brookline Bancorp.

Summary

Sterling Bancorp beats Brookline Bancorp on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Sterling Bancorp

Sterling Bancorp, Inc. is a unitary thrift holding company. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Sterling Bank and Trust, F.S.B., has primary branch operations in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California and New York City, and a loan production office in Seattle, Washington. Sterling offers a broad range of loan products to the residential and commercial markets, as well as retail and business banking services. Sterling also has an operations center and a branch in Southfield, Michigan. Sterling was named as the top performing community bank in the United States with total assets between $1 billion and $10 billion in 2017 by SNL/S&P Global Market Intelligence.

About Brookline Bancorp

Brookline Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Brookline Bank, Bank Rhode Island, First Ipswich Bank, and Brookline Securities Corp that provide commercial, business, and retail banking services to corporate, municipal, and retail customers in the United States. Its deposit products include non-interest-bearing demand checking accounts, NOW accounts, savings accounts, and money market accounts. The company's loan portfolio comprises first mortgage loans secured by commercial, multi-family, and residential real estate properties; loans to business entities comprising commercial lines of credit; loans to condominium associations; loans and leases used to finance equipment used by small businesses; financing for construction and development projects; and home equity and other consumer loans. It also provides cash management, investment advisory, and online banking services, as well as invests in debt and equity securities. As of December 31, 2017, the Company operated 51 full-service banking offices in greater Boston, the north shore of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Brookline Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Why 3 Top Semiconductor Stocks May Be Incredible Buys Now

If any segment has been known over the years as cyclical, it is the semiconductors, and with good reason. Peak to trough moves for the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) have been dramatic, and the key for investors looking to be in has been to pick the right time to devote capital. Often that time is when earnings have bottomed, and sentiment is still lousy.

In a new research report, the analysts at RBC make the case that the SOX index cycle may have hit the trough when the market bottomed near the end of December. They concede that while there could be another quarter or more of flat to down movement, this gives investors a chance to start scaling in capital now, especially to secular growth and deep cyclical companies.

The RBC report noted this:

Although the Semis & Semi Equipment industry is not on our list of the most interesting industries, we remain intrigued for two reasons: (1) Valuations for the group are deeply attractive relative to the broader market on forward P/E (back down to 2015 lows) and are only back to neutral on EV/EBITDA. (2) The group looked deeply oversold by hedge funds as 2019 began, with positioning at a slight underweight and back down to past lows. The main risk we see is that sell-side sentiment does not yet look washed out.

These analysts are bullish on three top semiconductor companies, all of which are rated Outperform at RBC.

AMD

After years of frustrating performance, this top company appeared to have turned the corner, but it was absolutely destroyed in October and November. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) is one of the largest suppliers of PC microprocessors and graphics processors worldwide to computing original equipment manufacturers. The company’s main product lines include desktop, notebook and graphics processors, and embedded/semi-custom chips.

Last year the company released its first major offering in five years, the Ryzen chipset, which many feel is uniquely positioned to compete with the big players like Intel and Nvidia in the $50 billion total addressable market for personal computers, gaming, artificial intelligence and servers.

While last quarter’s earnings were somewhat disappointing, new catalysts could drive the shares, with AMD having a generational share gain opportunity. EPYC 2/Rome can leverage the software and qualification work started with EPYC 1, and most expect Rome to ramp in the second half of 2019. The new Vega GPU will be industry’s first at seven nanometers, and AMD is already annualizing $100 million or so in data center GPU sales, addressing a $10 billion potential opportunity.

The RBC price target for the shares is $34, while the Wall Street consensus target is much lower at $23.70. The shares closed Wednesday’s trading at $23.48.

Cadence Design

This company has remained very resilient, and shares have surged since the December low. Cadence Design System Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) engages in the design and development of integrated circuits and electronic devices. Its products include electronic design automation, software, emulation hardware and intellectual property, commonly referred to as verification IP and design IP.

The company's System Design Enablement strategy helps customers develop differentiated products — from chips to boards to systems — in mobile, consumer, cloud data center, automotive, aerospace, Internet of Things, industrial and other market segments.

Cadence Design recently released the ConnX B20 DSP, which provides a faster and more power-efficient solution for the automotive and 5G communications markets, including next-generation radar, lidar, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), user equipment (UE)/infrastructure and Internet of Things applications.

RBC has a $62 price target for the shares, and the consensus price objective is $59.01. Shares closed at $57.45 on Wednesday.

ALSO READ: Goldman Sachs Raises Price Targets on 4 Red-Hot Stocks Synopsys

This semiconductor design stock is another Wall Street favorite and the top pick for 2018 at RBC. Synopsys Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) is the largest provider of electronic design automation (EDA) software used to design, verify and layout semiconductor chips and electrical systems.

Synopsys represents roughly 28% of the $5 billion EDA market and is the market leader in digital synthesis (Galaxy product) as well as the largest EDA provider of intellectual property for common interconnects like USB. Synopsys continues making inroads into the analog space with the launch of its Galaxy Designer product.

RBC sees the company a winner as research and development spending continues to surge in 2019. With Synopsis a big player in the EDA market, this looks to be a strong tailwind for the company.

The whopping $130 RBC price target is higher than the $117.43 consensus target. The shares closed at $102.64.

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

These factors determine whether you will be part of the haves or have-nots in retirement

Charles Dickens famously began his novel "A Tale of Two Cities" with the line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

That same description can be used to describe the dual nature of today's retirement.

Depending on how well you've saved and prepared, you are either ready to enjoy your golden years or wondering how you will make ends meet.

"We really have a portrait of the best of worlds and the worst of worlds when it comes to retirement," said Deborah Carr, professor and chair of the sociology department at Boston University.

Close up of older woman counting coins Clarissa Leahy | Cultura | Getty Images

Carr's new book, "Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life," sets out to explore why. The findings are based on Carr's own research and government data.

The research points to several factors that can set you back during your retirement years before you even approach that life stage.

The first is education, according to Carr. Whether you have a college education helps determine what kind of job you have. That, in turn, determines how long you will work.

If you have a college education, you typically have a desk job that is not physically strenuous. If you do not attend college, your job is more likely to involve strenuous physical labor.

While most college-educated individuals express the desire to retire early, and non-college educated workers want to work longer, the opposite often happens, Carr said.

Non-college educated individuals are more likely to have to step out of the work force early because their jobs become too physically strenuous.

"It's kind of the grand irony that those who can afford to retire aren't actually the ones retiring, because they have the jobs that actually fit their aging minds and bodies," Carr said.

In addition to education, two other factors are strong contributors to how well you live in your elder years: gender and race, according to Carr.

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Women, in particular, tend to suffer more compared to men because they typically take time out of the workforce to care for their children, parents and spouses.

"Because women have such discontinuous work histories, they have lower income, they have lower private pensions and they have fewer savings of their own," Carr said.

Women are more likely to outlive their husbands. With the rise of "gray divorce" among more mature couples, they are also more likely to wind up single in their later years.

Minorities such as African Americans or Latinos also often come up short in retirement, Carr said, but for different reasons. They are more likely to work in jobs that require more physical labor and often have fewer opportunities to climb the corporate ladder.

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Because these forces are mostly beyond an individual's control, there is really only one way to improve them, according to Carr.

"What we need is to really think collectively about public policies that strengthen the social safety net," Carr said.

That includes proposals such as the Social Security 2100 Act that was recently proposed in the House of Representatives. That legislation, if enacted, could help boost the minimum benefit so that it's well above the federal poverty line, Carr said.

And while sweeping changes included in Medicare for All proposals might be tough to get through Congress, lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 50 could help those individuals who have to leave the work force early, Carr said.

WATCH: Withdrawal tax rules need to change

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Monday, February 25, 2019

Community Health Systems Inc (CYH) Files 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended on December 31, 2018

Community Health Systems Inc (NYSE:CYH) files its latest 10-K with SEC for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2018. Community Health Systems Inc is a operators of general acute care hospitals. The company operates in hospital operations which includes its general acute care hospitals and related healthcare entities. Community Health Systems Inc has a market cap of $522.100 million; its shares were traded at around $4.49 with and P/S ratio of 0.03.

For the last quarter Community Health Systems Inc reported a revenue of $3.5 billion, compared with the revenue of $3.7 billion during the same period a year ago. For the latest fiscal year the company reported a revenue of $14.2 billion, a decrease of 7.8% from the previous year. For the last five years Community Health Systems Inc had an average revenue decline of 0.4% a year.

The reported loss per diluted share was $6.99 for the year. The Community Health Systems Inc had an operating margin of 6.16%, compared with the operating margin of 1.41% a year before. The 10-year historical median operating margin of Community Health Systems Inc is 7.65%. The profitability rank of the company is 5 (out of 10).

At the end of the fiscal year, Community Health Systems Inc has the cash and cash equivalents of $196.0 million, compared with $563.0 million in the previous year. The long term debt was $13.4 billion, compared with $13.9 billion in the previous year. The company's operating income of cannot cover its interest payment during the last fiscal year. Community Health Systems Inc has a financial strength rank of 3 (out of 10).

At the current stock price of $4.49, Community Health Systems Inc is traded at 79.6% discount to its historical median P/S valuation band of $22.01. The P/S ratio of the stock is 0.03, while the historical median P/S ratio is 0.18. The stock lost 24.92% during the past 12 months.

For the complete 20-year historical financial data of CYH, click here.

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Is Merck Overpaying for Immune Design?

Immune Design Corp. (NASDAQ: IMDZ) shares absolutely exploded on Thursday after Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) announced that it would be acquiring the firm at what some might call a ridiculous premium.

Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will acquire Immune Design for $5.85 per share in cash for an approximate value of $300 million. Although this is an incredible premium for Immune Design, it is just a drop in the buck for Merck, which boasts a market cap of roughly $206 billion.

It's worth pointing out that, Immune Design shares were only up about 9% so far year to date, and over the past 52 weeks the stock was down over 57%.

Immune Design is a late-stage immunotherapy company employing next-generation in vivo approaches to enable the body’s immune system to fight disease. The company’s proprietary technologies, GLAAS and ZVex, are engineered to activate the immune system’s natural ability to generate and/or expand antigen-specific cytotoxic immune cells to fight cancer and other chronic diseases.

The transaction is expected to close early in the second quarter of 2019.

Dr. Roger M. Perlmutter, president of Merck Research Laboratories, commented:

Scientists at Immune Design have established a unique portfolio of approaches to cancer immunization and adjuvant systems designed to enhance the ability of a vaccine to protect against infection, which could meaningfully improve vaccine development. This acquisition builds upon Merck's industry-leading programs that harness the power of the immune system to prevent and treat disease.

Shares of Immune Design were last seen up about 309% at $5.81 early Thursday, in a 52-week range of $1.10 to $5.82. The stock has a consensus price target of $4.13.

Merck traded at $79.25 a share. The 52-week range is $52.83 to $80.19 and the consensus price target is $82.81.

ALSO READ: 20 Companies Profiting the Most From War

Thursday, February 21, 2019

ICU Medical (ICUI) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

ICU Medical (NASDAQ:ICUI) is scheduled to be releasing its earnings data after the market closes on Thursday, February 28th. Analysts expect ICU Medical to post earnings of $1.56 per share for the quarter.

Shares of NASDAQ:ICUI opened at $253.01 on Thursday. ICU Medical has a 12-month low of $210.94 and a 12-month high of $321.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a PE ratio of 45.84 and a beta of 0.68.

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In other news, Director Robert S. Swinney sold 1,500 shares of ICU Medical stock in a transaction on Monday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.19, for a total value of $363,285.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 19,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,732,392.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 12.50% of the company’s stock.

ICUI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded ICU Medical from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $297.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 1st. ValuEngine downgraded ICU Medical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 6th. Finally, BidaskClub downgraded ICU Medical from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 8th.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: This piece was originally published by Ticker Report and is owned by of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this piece on another website, it was stolen and republished in violation of United States and international trademark and copyright law. The legal version of this piece can be accessed at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4167285/icu-medical-icui-set-to-announce-quarterly-earnings-on-thursday.html.

About ICU Medical

ICU Medical, Inc develops, manufactures, and sells medical devices used in vascular therapy, critical care, and oncology applications worldwide. It offers infusion therapy products comprising a tube running from a bottle or plastic bag containing a solution to a catheter inserted in a patient's vein.

Further Reading: What Is An Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)?

Earnings History for ICU Medical (NASDAQ:ICUI)

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Tivity Health, Inc. (TVTY) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript

Tivity Health, Inc.  (NASDAQ:TVTY)

Logo of jester cap with thought bubbl

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 19, 2019, 5:00 p.m. ET

Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

Operator

Good afternoon and welcome to the Tivity Health Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2018 Financial Results Conference Call. Today's call is being recorded and will be available for replay beginning today and through February 26, 2019, by dialing 855-859-2056. The replay passcode is 6390017. The replay may also be accessed for the next 12 months on the company's website.

All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers' remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions]

To the extent any non-GAAP financial measure is discussed in today's call, you will also find a reconciliation of that measure to today's most direct comparable financial measure calculated according to GAAP in today's news release, which is also posted on the company's website.

This conference call may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements, among others, regarding Tivity Health's expected quarterly and annual operating and financial performance of 2019 and beyond, as well as the closing of Tivity Health's pending acquisition of Nutrisystem. For this purpose any forward -- any statements made during this call that are not statements of historical fact, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words believes, anticipates, plans, expects and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

You are hereby cautioned that these statements may be affected by the important factors, among others, set forth in Tivity Health's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in today's news release. And consequently, actual operations and results may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

And now, I'll turn the call over to the company's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Donato Tramuto. You may begin, sir.

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Welcome and thank you to everyone who has joined on the call today. I have with me Dawn Zier, Nutrisystem's President and Chief Executive Officer, who will review Nutrisystem's 2018 results as well as stand-alone 2019 outlook. Adam Holland, our CFO, will review Tivity's fourth quarter results, discuss the financial details around our acquisition of Nutrisystem and provide a preliminary combined company outlook for 2019. Mike Monahan, Executive Vice President and CFO of Nutrisystem, is also with us and he will be available during the question-and-answer session following our prepared remarks. Finally, Tommy Lewis, who leads our Investor Relations and Integration Initiatives, is also joining us today. We've also published a few supplemental slides on our company website that add some additional color on our comments.

I'll begin today's call by discussing our 2018 highlights and then provide comments around Tivity's 2019 outlook. First, I am very pleased with our 2018 results and the execution that the Tivity colleagues have applied to both managing and transforming our business model.

In 2018, we delivered 39% EPS growth, partly due to our debt pay-down and tax law changes. During 2018, we won 10 new clients, had three competitive takeaways won back a client that had previously left and we closed 97% of business renewals.

All of this allows us to enter into 2019 with strong market momentum, due to the wins as well as the retaining key clients, whose trust we have earned by one, investing in SilverSneakers; two, leveraging the power of the SilverSneakers brand first with the digital strategy that we introduced in 2017, and other key market initiatives, and now for the first time that we can recall television.

All of these efforts drive enrollment and engagement and make no mistake about it, it is working. For example, in just last week, I was in Arizona and I spent time in our call center and participated in a number of calls. 75% of the inbound calls were triggered by the TV ads and many of those calls were eligible members, who had never been enrolled. Further, many were individuals who were months away from aging-in and are now aware that they have a choice to select a Medicare Advantage Plan that offers SilverSneakers.

All of these growth levers have supported, our transformational strategy introduced in August of 2016. Namely, our future growth will be driven by more awareness, more enrollment, and more engagement of our SilverSneakers members. We have also had strong growth in our Prime business for the third consecutive year. In 2018, we recommitted with a key Prime customer one-year ahead of our renewal that was driven primarily by the innovation, we will bring to that partnership.

And today, we are announcing a multi-year agreement with Walmart to offer first, and I emphasize first, a comprehensive fitness program to its 1.5 million full-time U.S. associates, which is going to be called the Walmart Associate Program. And it will be powered by Prime and our National Fitness Network, which provides national reciprocity at thousands of fitness centers nationwide including national chains, community centers, recreation centers, and locally owned facilities.

Long-term, we are very excited to work side-by-side with the Walmart leadership, to build not only a healthier workforce, but also healthier communities. This is the first step, what is a tremendous opportunity for us to partner, with the largest retail chain Walmart to address many other social determinants of health and to look at other channels for delivering our core programs including our marquee brand SilverSneakers.

As I have explained many times before, we have built a revenue mosaic where we offset loss of lives, with new lives from customer wins and organic market expansion. Every year, there are ins and outs, hence and why under the leadership of Steve Janicak we overhauled our sales organization two years ago with the fierce focus on winning new customers.

Steve has been leading our sales organization for our more than two years and his team has secured a nearly 16 million of new business with an average of a 98% renewal rate. Thank you, Steve and his entire team.

In August, and once again in November, we leaned in and provided a preliminary output into 2019 that reflected, a reduction in the UnitedHealthcare lives. We felt comfortable on both of those occasions with our projections of a mid to high single-digit revenue growth in 2019. But as the final enrollment data came in during the last week of January, we discovered that UnitedHealthcare had pull forward even more lives.

UnitedHealth's removal of those additional lives a year ahead of our expectations and other factors account for nearly $20 million less revenue than we initially expected in 2019. As we have indicated in previous calls, we do plan for a final wave of individual UnitedHealthcare lives to go away in 2020. And as is our customary and normal approach with our revenue mosaic, we plan to offset those lives by anticipated new sales this year.

We believe that the most significant impact of the loss of these individual lives is now behind us. This will not affect the long-term growth of SilverSneakers or our overall business. That said, UnitedHealthcare continues to be an important customer and we believe that SilverSneakers is an important part of their business strategy as it relates to the group lives. And as has been the case throughout the UnitedHealthcare entire transition, we have not seen any reduction in the group lives and we continue to serve members of UnitedHealthcare's group business in all 50 states.

In my three-year tenure as CEO of the company I have met nearly 10,000 members as well as most of our top leadership with our customers who truly appreciate and recognize the value and the results of the iconic brand known as SilverSneakers. Allow me to provide you some perspective on this point. Setting aside the impact from UnitedHealthcare just for a minute, our revenue guidance would have been up 8% in 2019.

In the last few years, we have made significant investments even this year in SilverSneakers as it relates to media and I believe we have made a meaningful impact on our customers and the benefits that they now receive. We are well positioned to continue growing revenue with the combination of five critical and essential components. Number one, every single day 11,000 individuals turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare Advantage.

Number two, we have a strong and robust organic pipeline of new customer opportunities. Three, we continue to evolve our successful digital and media strategy. Four, the SilverSneakers brand is one that garners instant trust in the senior population we serve and the recent media investment is proving out this premise. And last, we have a leadership team that I am most proud of whose focus is on fierce execution.

All of this culminates in our 2019 stand-alone Tivity Health outlook of revenue between $612 million and $627 million, adjusted EBITDA between $140 million and $145 million and free cash flow excluding the transaction between $95 million and $100 million.

I will now turn the call over to Dawn. I'm thrilled that she's here with us. Dawn, if you can review the Nutrisystem's fourth quarter 2018 results and the outlook.

Dawn Zier -- President and Chief Operating Officer

Thank you, Donato and good afternoon. I'm pleased to report that our results for 2018 were in line with our revenue and earnings per share guidance adjusted for transactions and tax-related items. Revenue for 2018 was $691 million and earnings per share was $1.95 inclusive of $0.16 of transaction tax items. Adjusted EBITDA came in at $104.1 million.

I'd now like to give a quick update on our 2019 projections based on the first seven weeks of our diet season. At this point, we're expecting slight revenue and adjusted EBITDA growth year-over-year based on the midpoint of our guidance. This does not reflect any revenue or cost synergies, which we believe can be realized from the combination of Nutrisystem and Tivity Health.

To provide some color around the start of 2019, our early diet season trends indicate mixed results. On the program and product innovation front, our focus has been on personalized nutrition and enhanced flexibility, which will allow us to have increased engagement with customers, both at the start and throughout their journey to optimal health.

We remain excited about our new program wins for 2019. Nutrisystem Fresh Start, which offers the best balance between structure and flexibility and our new Keto-Friendly South Beach diet program both of which reflect evolving consumer trends. Looking ahead, we'll continue to lead on the personalized nutrition front. This is of high importance to consumers and health plans alike.

Our DNA Body Blueprint is just one example of how we will continue to innovate. Other examples of programs targeted to specific chronic conditions and general nutrition for seniors, plus you can expect a wider range of products, at different price points and configurations some with and some without food which will drive revenue per customer as we deepen and extend out our customer relationships.

Our competence around driving customer engagement which results in a higher revenue per customer, along with our ability to win back former customers continue to be stressed. Regarding our customer acquisition campaigns, response in January started out softer than anticipated, which led us to proactively pull back media spend versus last January, as we assessed an initial spike in competition which was driving up short-term cost and we reevaluated our initial media plan taking into consideration these new inputs.

The good news is that, toward the end of January and February we've seen sequential week-over-week improvements as we refined our marketing strategy, optimized our media mix and layered back in some additional spend. As we readied ourselves for 2019, we made some deliberate decisions around media deployment and media mix based on input and analysis from multiple independent and internal experts that have deep knowledge around media deployment and digital optimization. These recommendations were directionally right, but required some refinements. We've been able to increase our digital media mix year-over-year by focusing more on top-of-funnel channels and believe that there is much more to be done here.

Building off our success with social influencer and brand ambassador Jessie James Decker, we launched a multi-tiered social influencer campaign for South Beach Diet. We're gaining traction as we continue to add ambassadors and influencers throughout January and February and we're pleased with early results.

As previously discussed and based on external expert input and analysis as we strategically increased our focus on digital, we deliberately pulled back on television spend. However, January actual results indicate that we cut back too far on TV. Given the competitive environment and the media habits of our core customers the effect of this media mix shift drove a reduction in total response.

In late January, we began to layer back in television spend on top of our digital spend. And we're now seeing improved response and efficiency. Our objective is to continue to reach our traditional target audience and expand to new segments.

Media mix is a balancing exercise. As we adjust predictive models based on current viewership and media consumption and take into account the in-the-moment competitive environment.

Our 2019 creative approach supports our evolving brand promise and consumer trends. You will see different applications across digital and TV as we've some creative that appeals to our core demographics and different creative that allows us to expand reach. We'll continue to introduce new creatives throughout the year.

Based on what I've just shared, we're expecting revenue for the full year to be in the range of $682 million to $702 million and adjusted EBITDA of $100 million to $110 million, independent of synergies.

For consistency with how Nutrisystem has historically provided the adjusted EBITDA metric, our adjusted EBITDA range excludes estimated noncash compensation expense of approximately $10 million.

As a result of changes in our media deployment, the cadence of our 2019 revenue and adjusted EBITDA by quarter is expected to be slightly different than 2018. Currently we expect approximately 28% of revenue and 5% to 6% of our adjusted EBITDA to come in the first quarter. Free cash flow for the 2019 full year is expected to be in a range of $65 million to $75 million excluding transaction-related items.

I'd now like to take a moment to share what I personally believe that the combination of Tivity Health and Nutrisystem is good for investors. Our companies are highly complementary. I believe that Tivity Health's expertise and fitness and deep relationships in healthcare combined with Nutrisystem's nutrition and consumer engagement and marketing expertise, can change the paradigm for health and wellness and provide significant upside growth opportunities in the coming years.

Here is why? One, Like Donato, I believe Tivity plus Nutrisystem will be able to do what others are only talking about, when it comes to a holistic approach to health and wellness. And a critical first step to that is weight management which is the calories in plus calories out equation.

Two, the health plans are asking for nutrition-based solutions and we are best positioned to tailor our programs to specific chronic conditions and extend beyond weight-loss to broader nutrition based solutions for seniors, for example.

Three, Tivity Health's distribution channels that we currently do not have access to these channels have significant barriers to entry for stand-alone nutrition companies, I believe that we will be able to drive meaningful long-term revenue and profit growth by partnering with their health plan, accessing the fitness partner relationships and cross-promoting our brands across the two companies.

Four, Nutrisystem's expertise lies in direct-to-consumer marketing as well as driving revenue per customer, these skillsets will help expand brand recognition for SilverSneakers and Prime as well as drive visits to the fitness locations.

An opportunity that we will be able to capitalize on upon close is tapping into our data base of health conscious consumers. Approximately 25% of our database is 65-plus. We'll educate these customers about SilverSneakers and make it easy for them to conduct eligibility checks. Likewise, the remaining 75% are perfect targets for Tivity's Prime Fitness offering.

Our companies are healthy stand-alone organizations and we'll be even stronger combined as we will now have a 360-degree approach to the consumer in multiple points of access. I'm personally excited about joining forces with Donato and his team and the future ahead of us.

I will now turn the call over to Adam to provide a more detailed run down of the financials. Adam?

Adam C. Holland -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you Dawn and good afternoon everyone. I'm going to share a few financial highlights for the fourth quarter before commenting on the full year 2018 results and key points surrounding Tivity's stand-alone 2019 outlook. Then I'll conclude with an update regarding the Nutrisystem transaction as it relates to our combined company 2019 outlook.

Our fourth quarter results generated revenues of $153 million, an increase of 9.8% over the same period in 2017. SilverSneakers revenue represented 80% of total revenue or $122.4 million, growing 8.7% over Q4 of 2017, driven by an increase in eligible lives, enrollment and visits.

During Q4, we tallied 25.7 million SilverSneakers visits that's an increase of 13.2% over Q4 of 2017. Prime Fitness business accounted for 17% of total revenue or $26.1 million for the quarter. Prime's growth over Q4 of 2017 was driven in part by a 35,000 net increase in member of pay subscribers. We ended the fourth quarter and the year with approximately 296,000 Prime subscribers.

Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $37 million, an increase of 24.2% compared to 2017, which led to adjusted diluted earnings per share of $0.73 compared to $0.41 in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Results for the fourth quarter of 2017 reflected an effective tax rate of 62.2%, which included a $0.17 per share impact from tax reform while results for the fourth quarter of 2018, reflected an effective tax rate of 10.1%, primarily due to a lower statutory rate, following tax reform as well as a meaningful amount of windfall tax benefits related to divesting of stock-based compensation awards during fourth quarter. From a cash flow perspective, Tivity generated $31.6 million in free cash flow during the fourth quarter.

Moving to the full year 2018 results. Revenues were $606.3 million, an increase of 8.9% compared to 2017. SilverSneakers comprised $487.6 million or 80.4% of total revenue and Prime generated $101.4 million or 16.7%. WholeHealth Living made up the remainder.

Adjusted EBITDA of $142.2 million increased 10.5%, demonstrating some of the operating leverage highlighted during our Investor Day last June. Full year adjusted EBITDA margin increased 30 basis points to 23.4% compared to 2017. Tivity generated full year free cash flow of $99.7 million.

Regarding our SilverSneakers business for 2018, we ended the year with approximately 15.9 million eligible members with 76% coming from Medicare Advantage contracts and the remainder through Medicare Supplement. At the end of 2018, approximately 62% of our eligibles were under a form of a hybrid contract with the remaining under a PMPM structure. From an enrollment perspective, we ended the year with approximately 3.7 million members enrolled, compared to 3.5 million at the end of 2017.

Turning now to our stand-alone outlook for Tivity's business without regard to the transaction. As Donato shared we are guiding to a 2019 revenue range of $612 million to $627 million, implying a low single-digit growth rate over 2018.

The key assumptions are as follows. First, we expect SilverSneakers to decline slightly in total revenue for the year due to a net reduction lives much driven by what Donato discussed earlier. As noted in our supplemental slides, our expectations for United's total revenue is estimated to be approximately $61 million in 2019. We expect that the group business, which makes up approximately two-thirds of the revenue will continue at approximately current levels for the United contract.

For 2019, our expected key metrics for SilverSneakers are. One, as Donato had telegraphed last year, our focus is to maintain at least 15 million eligible lives. Two, in the year with at least 3.6 million enrollees. And three, we have by design focused the organization on an increased ratio of hybrid to PMPM business. We believe this will provide us with the same or better revenue growth. And as a result, we only need 4.5 million enrollees as compared to five million to achieve our longer-term targets.

More hybrid enrollees dovetails with more aggressive digital and media strategy to drive more engagement, aligning all the incentives both health and financial. We expect to hit about 100 million visits again, and we expect these visits will be weighted more toward the hybrids members.

And lastly, number five, with total hybrid enrollees expected to comprise approximately 75% of the 3.6 million eligibles throughout the year, up from 63%. This change in mix offers potential upside to revenue from our engagement initiatives knowing that every dollar of investment, to get somewhat engaged should better translate into our receiving payment for that activity.

The last 24 months has been about a transition from an eligibility driven company supported by a high number of PMPM members to one in which growth comes from an enrollment and engagement of members, where our incentive is to keep them active, and well and this is potentially transformative, as we now have the opportunity to get paid more for increased member activity.

Our Prime business is expected to represent over 20% of total Tivity revenue in 2019, driven by strong growth in member pay Prime and the new relationship with Walmart that Donato mentioned that we will believe will have multiple facets. WholeHealth Living is expected to have slight growth during the year.

Moving on to adjusted EBITDA, we have established Tivity's stand-alone guidance at a range of $140 million to $145 million. Free cash flow on a stand-alone basis is expected to be at a range of $95 million to $100 million.

Next I would like to update you on a Nutrisystem transaction previously announced on December 10. We anticipate the transaction will close in early March and after the Nutrisystem shareholder meeting scheduled for March 5. The transaction's consideration is a mix of Tivity's shares and cash and the cash portion is anticipated to be financed through a combination of cash on hand and a committed term loan.

We are currently working through the process of raising debt for the acquisition. And at the close of the transaction, we anticipate having approximately $1.2 billion of outstanding debt representing a pro forma leverage ratio of 4.4 times taking into account trailing 12-month EBITDA at an estimated run rate cost synergies of $9 million to $12 million.

Our business model continues to be capital light and we intend to aggressively pay down the outstanding debt with a robust free cash flow from the combined company. As we have previously indicated, we are currently targeting a leverage ratio of less than 3.5 times by the end of 2020 and less than 2.5 times by the end of 2021. As you're aware, our leadership team have a proven history of success in managing debt and leverage.

And finally, I want to cover our initial 2019 combined outlook. Based on Nutrisystem's outlook and assuming an early March close, on a combined basis, we anticipate revenue to be between $1.146 billion and $1.177 billion excluding potential revenue synergies. The combined revenue is expected to be composed of $612 million to $627 million of revenue from Tivity and $534 million to $550 million of revenue from Nutrisystem from the point of the transaction close in early March to year end. As a result of the timing of the closing of the acquisition, we expect Nutrisystem will only contribute approximately three weeks of results to the first quarter of 2019.

I also want to highlight some of the seasonality differences between the two businesses. Most of you are familiar with Tivity's quarterly cadence with a notable step-up from the fourth to the first quarter. As a result of Medicare Advantage plans determining their eligibles and starting their coverage year each January 1st. The results of their -- is their membership is relatively steady over the course of the calendar year. As Dawn mentioned, Nutrisystem's seasonality is a little more front-end loaded as the diet season is early in the year which is their busiest period.

Adjusted EBITDA for the combined company is expected to be between $240 million and $258 million which includes the benefit of an estimated $9 million to $12 million of cost synergies that we expect to realize in 2019.

Adjusted EBITDA excludes transaction-related expenses and restructuring and integration costs. As for earnings per share, we're not yet in a position to provide net income or EPS until a few things happen; one, the deal closes; two, the financing is in place; and three, we complete our accounting for the transaction. We expect to provide an outlook for net income and EPS on the first quarter call in early May.

And finally, for modeling purposes going forward, after we close the transaction, we will be reporting two revenue lines; one from our Fitness division and the other from our Nutrition division. Both divisions will likely be reported as individual segments within our quarterly and annual reports and we will continue to provide updates on many of the key metrics for both divisions.

Now, I'll turn the call back over to Donato for some closing remarks. Donato?

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Adam, and thank you Dawn. In closing, I want to share with you our key areas of focus for Tivity and the excitement we all feel about the powerful combination of fitness and nutrition.

As we have clearly demonstrated before in both businesses we are committed to reaccelerating our growth and we view 2019 as a transition year for Tivity for several reasons.

Number one, the number of UnitedHealthcare members who will have the benefit of SilverSneakers has arrived at a point now of predictability. Two, our customer pipeline is stronger and further confirms that we will continue to be able to offset the loss of lives with new business. Three, the investments we have made in enrollment and engagement are working. We now believe that about 2% and possibly more of our SilverSneakers 2019 revenue will be related to our ability to drive enrollment and engagement through media. We are just scratching the surface and Nutrisystem will play a significant role in future media launches.

However, let me share with you the first seven weeks of our 2019 media plan surpassed our expectations for eligibility and location checks two leading indicators for enrollment. Thus far, in 2019, we have seen an 85% increase in total SilverSneakers eligibility checks over 2018. We believe this is primarily due to our increased digital reach as well as our TV campaigns. This could be a nice upside to our engagement strategy and we will be monitoring this metric very closely.

Following the close of the Nutrisystem acquisition, we will have the benefit of Dawn's leadership and the Nutrisystem marketing and media expertise to further enhance our media program with more efficient spend. We are laying the groundwork to quickly capitalize on the revenue synergies between Tivity and Nutrisystem, which I'll cover more in a minute. Fourth, there is significant interest with both our current and prospective Medicare Advantage health plans to work with Tivity around a holistic care model that addresses the needs of our seniors, specific to nutrition, loneliness and activity.

Just recently I was with the CEO of a health plan who we are in fact putting on our pipeline who basically stated, what you've done here is a game changer. There is no company out there we believe who's offering this type of integrated solution at scale. We are moving fast on this opportunity to help our Medicare Advantage plans better serve their beneficiaries with the added flexibility provided by CMS in the CHRONIC Care Act of 2018. We will share updates throughout this year on our progress.

As a reminder, the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act fueled the growth of SilverSneakers. And subsequently, we believe the same will happen for our combined offering as a result of the recent changes by CMS and the CHRONIC Care Act passed by the Senate in 2018 as well as the advancement of the pay-for-value model. The movement to a value-based healthcare system will reward providers for providing healthcare and not seek care.

We believe these factors will positively affect our growth by demanding services that integrate activity, nutrition and social isolation programs to address the nearly 65% of health cost in our system that is associated with those living with three or more chronic conditions.

If any one lesson has been telling throughout the evolution of our modern healthcare approach it is this one. Single-point solutions cannot address the larger challenges and our partners need efficient and effective solutions that are difficult to achieve, when you have multiple single-point solutions.

And then to that end, in last December and as you are fully aware, we announced our intent to acquire Nutrisystem. We continue to believe that this combination represents a transformational step in both delivery and executing on this next growth opportunity, creating what I believe will be a new revenue stream that will integrate nutrition, fitness, and social engagement solutions to support overall health and wellness.

Meanwhile a few comments on the revenue synergies we have identified several opportunities as a combined company that really is exciting our entire teams and who are already at work planning. So I want to reiterate those opportunities and let me first focus on the near and midterm opportunities.

In March, we will provide a unique Nutrisystem offering to our Prime Fitness members. Additionally, we will leverage our relationship with Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association to promote Nutrisystem. We will also offer a unique promotional opportunity for the WholeHealth Living members adding Nutrisystem as a benefit. We will also offer a unique nutrition and food delivery opportunity to SilverSneakers members. We will promote Prime Fitness through Nutrisystem and the South Beach Diet.

We will develop a turnkey solution for participating locations to offer weight management solutions to their entire member bases including starter kits and a la carte options. We will leverage Nutrisystem's digital and direct-to-consumer marketing expertise to better and faster engage our SilverSneakers and Prime Fitness members.

And in the longer term, we believe we have the opportunity to create new and differentiated offerings, which could include items such as creating a unique SilverSneakers food offering and nutritional management program creating an integrated fitness nutrition offering for chronic conditions for diabetes, COPD and the like and targeting these benefits to caregivers.

We are incredibly enthusiastic about this transaction. We see Tivity Health and Nutrisystem as a strategic fit and we believe that it will be a powerful combined organization offering an invaluable holistic solution to improving the health and wellness of our members and will we believe unlock a unique ability to address critical health needs of a large portion of the population.

In closing, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued interest in our company and express my sincere gratitude to the Tivity Health and Nutrisystem colleagues whose execution of this transaction has been simply remarkable.

Further. I want to welcome our Nutrisystem colleagues into the family. It's been clear to Dawn and me that the values of the two organizations are well aligned and the culture will be a key priority in our successful integration.

2019 could be another exciting year and we look forward to keeping all of you up-to-date on our success.

Operator, we will now take questions. Thank you.

Questions and Answers:

Operator

(Operator Instructions) Your first question comes from Ryan Daniels with William Blair. Your line is open.

Ryan Daniels -- William Blair -- Analyst

Yes. Thanks for taking my questions. Let me start with a few Tivity specific. You mentioned that United would be about $61 million in revenue going forward as a combined entity. How much of that is the individual versus group? Meaning, how much is it risked for future in souring in your view versus the group which is a little bit more stable?

Adam C. Holland -- Chief Financial Officer

Yes. Ryan, this is Adam. If you look at the supplemental slides, you can see the group business makes up about two-thirds of that total $60 million. And so what Donato had mentioned in his prepared remarks is we anticipate the individual lives will continue to roll off once we get past 2019 leaving just essentially just group life business in 2020.

Ryan Daniels -- William Blair -- Analyst

Okay. That's helpful. And then the data you got in late January, is that just in regards to the enrollment in the specific markets they're in-sourcing, because I thought you guys already knew kind of what markets they were going to bring in, what markets they were going to leave? Did they just do better in those markets and your existing customers didn't capture as much shares you thought? Or any color there? I'm a little bit uncertain.

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Yes, actually Ryan, good question. Actually our major customers actually did better. And so this did come as a surprise to us when we looked at the entire eligibility list that it surfaced during the last -- I'm going to say, the last two weeks of January, which by the way is one of the reasons quite honestly, why we normally don't lean in in the summer months to give any of those updates.

Ryan Daniels -- William Blair -- Analyst

Right.

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

...because we don't know. Quite frankly, the other plans did have a very good the larger plans without getting into the specifics did have some good numbers for us. And we were looking very, very optimistic in the first two weeks, and then of course, the news with United kicked in in the last 10 days of the months.

Ryan Daniels -- William Blair -- Analyst

Okay. Fair enough. And then in regards to Nutrisystem, a question we get a lot, so I'm going to pose it you on the call and I'll end here. Obviously, versus the numbers you had initially that were in the proxy, the EBITDA guidance is about 13% below what they had suggested; revenue is about 9%. So it bodes the question why not wait till after the diet season to bid for the company and determine valuation given that the diet season really does set up the entire year? So why do the deal if you will before having that critical piece of information? Thanks.

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, let me say this, and listen, it's a fair question. And we didn't acquire Nutrisystem for the short-term. We acquired it for the long-term. And I do think that there's more to come certainly on the cost synergies. It is my belief that we can do better there. And quite honestly, already we're starting to see these teams work together around the revenue synergies. So I think we've taken the long-term approach here.

Ryan Daniels -- William Blair -- Analyst

Right. Fair enough. I hop in the queue. Thanks.

Operator

Your next question comes from David MacDonald with SunTrust. Your line is open.

David MacDonald -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Good afternoon. Donato just wanted to come back to the Walmart relationship for a minute. And I was wondering if you could spend a minute and just talk about the potential ability to leverage that into the SilverSneakers area with the amount of seniors kind of running around Walmart's potential opportunity for either marketing flex locations just any general thoughts there?

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Yes. It's a great question. Thank you, David. I want to be a little bit careful because one of the things that we value in partnership is to make sure that we are working together. What I can say to you that, you've kind of answered your own question, we are going to be working with Walmart that's why I wanted to emphasize in my prepared remarks that the Prime opportunity is the first of what we see as a longer opportunity. And I do think that in the next quarters, we will provide you update in a number of venues that quite honestly, doesn't just wrap its arms around SilverSneakers it will wrap its arms around this combination between Nutrisystem and Tivity Health. So what I would ask in the spirit of good partnership with Walmart, this is great news for us today. We've been working on those for the last six, seven months that it is my belief that you'll be seeing more announcements this year. Stay tuned.

David MacDonald -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Okay. One other quick question just there were some comments around mixed results early in terms of diet season and initial spike in competition. Can you just give us a sense of what incremental on the competition side you saw? I mean any new participants? Anything there that kind of call out or just kind of the ebb and flow of diet season?

Dawn Zier -- President and Chief Operating Officer

Sure. This is Dawn. So as we -- I don't want to call out any specific competitors or anything, but we did see more in the digital space quite a few more people. And what we generally, see happen honestly is people come in early on during those first couple of weeks and then they fade fast. So there were a couple of new entrants that came in spent heavy and then pulled back a little bit and that's typically what we see. So when I talk about that, we decided to pull back on spend, because we saw spike in cost. We then are able to now redeploy that. And as we've talked about, we've seen some sequential week-over-week improvements and that goes to the core of our ability to buy media in a very nimble way and adapt quickly to any environment that we're facing.

David MacDonald -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Okay. And then just another one quick question on, you talked a little bit about the breakdown by demographic within the Nutrisystem business that's about 75% from an age standpoint fit with Prime about 25% is 65-plus. Do you guys have any statistics or any visibility in terms of how many of those folks currently are not using a gym opportunity to cross-sell? Any details around that, with regards to the Nutrisystem book?

Dawn Zier -- President and Chief Operating Officer

Hi. This is Dawn, again. We haven't matched the files yet. We'll be able to do that after we close. But I will tell you that, I was pleased to see that 25% were right in that SilverSneakers bucket. And again, I believe with Donato that there is a lot that collectively we can do together to grow that Prime and increase awareness around that. So, a lot we have a big database, a lot we can do that.

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah. Let me just answer that David, because, call it coincidental, I was at a dinner party the other night and there was an 88-year old senior there who has used Nutrisystem product for two years not for weight management. They have used it because his wife was unable to cook any longer. And so we also have our database, which as all of you know, I've been telegraphing since I've arrived here that when I did arrive here there was only 500,000 members in that database. We're now well over 3 million. And this is an opportunity now for us to work with Dawn and to be able to develop I don't know whether we'll call it silver-spoon, but we'll come up with the right name. But to develop a program that can reach, if you will those individuals who are not going to be joining the program just to lose weight. They're going to join it because it's probably their only mechanism in terms of having a proper nutrition. What we liked about Nutrisystem quite frankly is the way that they can scientifically tailor, if you will programs to the respective population. So there is two databases that obviously are going to benefit here.

David MacDonald -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Okay. Thanks very much.

Operator

Your next question comes from Sean Wieland with Piper Jaffray. Your line is open.

Sean Wieland -- Piper Jaffray -- Analyst

Hi. Thank you. So on the revenue synergy side you mentioned BlueCross BlueShield is going to promote Nutrisystem's. How does that work exactly? Is that -- does that involve discounting? And do you anticipate this being a template some of your other health plan customers?

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Yes. Hi, Shawn, it's Donato. So one of the discoveries that we had during the due diligence is the fact that, as you know, with Prime, it's comprised now with Walmart. It's comprised of three significant partnerships.

BlueCross BlueShield Association is one of the most significant ones. We have been advertising Prime on their website, but also working with them on cool marketing activities. Nutrisystem has been doing the same for Nutrisystem. I think Dawn will be the first to say this, because they don't have those plan relationships, we have been light years ahead of Nutrisystem in terms of getting traction.

And so we are, already as we speak, we are in dialogue with them on a program that we're going to launch here very soon before the end of the first quarter. The specific of the program, I would ask that you allow us to get it done and then we can reveal it to you.

But that's the nature of us bringing a plan relationship to the tables. The plan has been extraordinary excited, because they do realize that a lot of those members are absolutely trying to lose weight not just by exercising but also nutritional management.

Sean Wieland -- Piper Jaffray -- Analyst

Okay. Fair enough. And then one quick follow-up on United. So my understanding that United had some guaranteed minimums in place as part of their current term of their contract. Is that accurate? And what do you anticipate happening in 2020 with that $40 million stub?

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Yes. So the answer is, yes, to your first part of the question. And I'm going to answer this kind of in four buckets. First of all, I think, that this has been scripted exactly the way United has shared with me that they were, in fact, working to diversify before our time. I don't want to get into the previous leadership, but I think that that's there.

I think the focus has been on individual lives, which is controlled by one contract. As you know, that's United. The group, as you know, is controlled by many, many, many different organizations. And there have been no reduction in the group lives at all. And so, I think, if you look at the minimum, I think, that you can read the tea leaves, that the group fits into that minimum.

Sean Wieland -- Piper Jaffray -- Analyst

Okay. Thank you very much.

Operator

Your next question comes from Mohan Naidu with Oppenheimer. Your line is open.

Mohan Naidu -- Oppenheimer -- Analyst

Thanks for taking my questions. Donato, on the Walmart contract. Do you still need to engage individual associates to sign on to the program? Or do you get to a minimum as you roll it out in the summer then?

Adam C. Holland -- Chief Financial Officer

Hey, Mohan, this is Adam. We're not going to get, like, Donato said, into too many of the details of the arrangement, but it is a benefit-driven arrangement through Walmart, which is one of the country's largest self-insured employers.

And so, it's a little bit different take and we think it's going to be certainly pushed by Walmart itself, part of their overall benefits package. And frankly, we think it's going to be a spear tip to other opportunities with other large self-insured plans in the United States that can benefit from the robust Prime network that we offer.

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

If I may just add to that. Remember the -- keep Walmart to the side for a second. The other two contracts that we have within Prime, remember the aggregation of those lives are from employers and those plans aggregate those lives. The unique part about this one is we're dealing with the employer. We're dealing directly with the employer. And if you're following Walmart's commitment in terms of wellness of their population and we were just recently on a panel with them at Harvard. They made a very clear that, they think that one of the most significant ambassadorship of promoting wellness is their employees themselves, 1.6 million. So there are a lot of antecedents on this particular arrangement that I think makes it different than the other two.

Mohan Naidu -- Oppenheimer -- Analyst

Thanks for that color. Maybe just a separate question, we've been talking about the 5 million enrolled member target. That seems like a pretty big growth over the next couple of years. Is that still a target, should we revisit that and how comfortable are you with those targets right now?

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Well the good news is, I may say to you is that when I put that target out there, we had a lower blend if you will, of hybrid versus PMPM. And I've been telegraphing this and I realized or perhaps maybe I haven't been as clear.

When I became CEO, it's amazing what you learn as CEO versus when you're Chairman of the Board is that, I saw this quintessential opportunity that having if you will, a balance between PMPM and hybrid was not at all an alignment of incentives between this organization and our health plans.

And the reason why now we're saying between 4.5 to 5 because the good news is there is a heavier weight now with hybrid. And that heavier weight means that when I advertise and when I push members to get enrolled, their going more often means that, I'm going to get paid more often.

And so it's now between 4.5 to 5 with the same financial modeling that we in fact scripted when we put five million out there. So I think with the media and everything else that we've done and the fact that it's proven out to be in many respects something we should have done three to five years ago, I think that we continue to maintain our commitment to getting there.

Mohan Naidu -- Oppenheimer -- Analyst

Okay. Thanks a lot Donato.

Operator

(Operator Instructions) Your next question comes from Dave Styblo with Jefferies. Your line is open.

Dave Styblo -- Jefferies -- Analyst

Hi there. Good afternoon, thanks for the questions. And maybe I'll come back to the nutrition plan outlook for this year and just get a better sense Dawn of -- you've had a very nice turnaround after taking the CEO seat, produced some very attractive revenue growth for several years.

Some challenges last year, some initial challenges this year. I guess what gives you confidence that this can be an attractive growing business when there seems to be a whack-a-mole that might just pop up every so often?

Maybe what did you learn over the last couple of years that you could do things a little bit differently either from a marketing spend campaign or if it's a product challenge, just to get a better sense of how the market can get more comfortable about the visibility on this business over the longer term? And how do you think about growth over the longer term for the company?

Dawn Zier -- President and Chief Operating Officer

Sure. I'd like to just start off by saying, we're doing OK in each of the areas we talked about, when we were talking about confidence for 2019. But we can do more. So again, we're excited about our 2019 product launches as they move forward. But there's a lot more we can do around different price points and configurations in food and nonfood. So I think that is a growth opportunity for us and something we're excited about.

On the creative front we overhauled our digital campaigns. And if you just take a look kind of before and after you can see the amazing progress that we made there, but again still more to come. We're seeing initial success with our social influencer campaigns especially with the South Beach Diet program and you we can expect to see us do more on this front. We've started rolling out brand ambassadors in January and more in February and expect to continue to roll out people.

And then on television, as I said, there are multiple creatives running, that are geared to different audiences, creative is about getting that right message to the right audience in a way that breaks through the noise and the more we can fine-tune the messaging, the more we can target.

For media deployment, it's really a balancing act between sources. We shifted more of our mix to digital which is a good thing and we see more opportunity on this front. Social media is working. We see this as an expansion opportunity and again, I think we pulled back on TV perhaps a little too much in January and we've been successfully able to layer back in.

The final point I think is when we talk about the market in general. This is a large addressable market and there are rooms for multiple players in it. So, I think if we look at it, its $10 billion to $15 billion addressable market, we're only a small part of it. So, I think growth will come from those mechanisms.

But also I think with the combined dealing, that we haven't talked about revenue synergies, but one of the things that's really important to us is expanded reach in this 360 approach to reaching customers and having access. And I think there is a ton of opportunity with building out these relationships with the fitness plans as well as with the health plan.

So, I think combo offers with stand-alone offers, I think we're entering into a really transformative and exciting period as a combined entity and I thank Donato for his decision around that.

Dave Styblo -- Jefferies -- Analyst

Okay. And then maybe for the Tivity management, just to get a better sense of the guidance and what you might contemplate in there. If I add back the United or adjust for that, it looks like revenue growth was about 5.5% for 2019.

What -- I guess technically that captures your mid-single-digit to high single-digit previous range. What levers might bring that up higher from here? For example, are you guys thinking about the benefits to the TV advertising campaign that has been going on? Any impact from the new Walmart relationship? Just to give us a sense of how conservative or aggressive the outlook would be for this year on a stand-alone basis?

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, I think you have identified a number of them. And quite honestly my favorite philosophy, Yogi Berra said, "You don't want to make the wrong mistake." And I think that we're taking a conservative approach here.

And I think that you've identified a number of the areas that quite frankly we see as an upside. The media, certainly, as I stated in my prepared remarks, it's kind of beaten our expectations, but let's let it play out, just because they're checking on eligibility, you want to make sure now that they're actually signing up and we have metrics and algorithms that have definitely in the past given credence to that.

The territory managers that has been a significant hit in the 2018 season and continues to be a very strong momentum in terms of a growth lever.

The digital, the opportunity that we are going to now -- I get asked the question, how are you going to monetize loneliness? But let me just reveal a secret, we have been getting paid for people to show up at these fitness centers, and maybe just go to the community centers and we are now advancing that forward and putting that on steroids. The opportunity with flip50, we've launched that this quarter and we're continuing and we are getting sign-ups and we're continuing to invest there, so there's an opportunity.

Walmart, you are absolutely correct on the Walmart, and if we could launch that earlier than what we are planning. So those are the growth levers that we continue. And quite honestly working with Dawn with respect to some of the areas that she can help us with media, we are a consumer business. I think that we have been fooling ourselves to say we are simply a member business, we are not. We're in the consumer business.

Dave Styblo -- Jefferies -- Analyst

So to recap, I mean, can you give us a sense then like, are you talking about Walmart and some of those impacts being in guidance already to some extent and the upside if you launch earlier or is -- are none of the potential levers there in the numbers?

Adam C. Holland -- Chief Financial Officer

I think the marketing enrollment is probably the biggest lever of upside. And then it's just so early, our enrollment season really runs strong through April of every year. And so if we can keep the momentum that we've seen in January and continue to add-on there's certainly some upside potential to the SilverSneakers visit profile on revenue.

The Walmart is probably -- there is a modest assumption in there inside this guidance launching in late summer. There's always potential for that. I wouldn't count on that as the biggest lever. I would point back to the digital and TV affecting the first four or five months of the year.

Dave Styblo -- Jefferies -- Analyst

Okay. Thanks.

Operator

There are no further questions at this time. This concludes today's conference call. You may now disconnect.

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you. Make it a great evening everyone.

Duration: 61 minutes

Call participants:

Donato Tramuto -- Chief Executive Officer

Dawn Zier -- President and Chief Operating Officer

Adam C. Holland -- Chief Financial Officer

Ryan Daniels -- William Blair -- Analyst

David MacDonald -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Sean Wieland -- Piper Jaffray -- Analyst

Mohan Naidu -- Oppenheimer -- Analyst

Dave Styblo -- Jefferies -- Analyst

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