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?

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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 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 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.