MarketBeat: Week in Review 8/16-8/20

This week, the retail sector dominated a robust week of earnings reports. Most of the big name retailers posted strong reports. However some concern exists. Specifically, the U.S. Retail Sales Report showed a 1.1% decline in retail sales in July. That in concert with growing concerns about the Delta variant of Covid-19 is causing some analysts to speculate that the best growth may be over. Next week will be a lighter week on the earnings calendar, but investors are expecting word about the PCE Price Index which could give some direction on inflation. And the MarketBeat team is here for all of the news that impacts the equity markets. Here’s a look at some of the stocks they analyzed this week.

Articles by Sean Sechler                                                                                                                                                                

Sean Sechler points out that healthcare stocks are among the best options for buy-and-hold investors. One reason for this is that many pay dividends which help bolster an investor’s total return. And Sechler gave investors his three picks for the best healthcare stocks to buy and hold at this time. Sechler was also looking at sports betting stocks as mobile gambling is now becoming legal in an increasing number of U.S. states. As Sechler mentions, many of these stocks have underperformed the market and gave readers his three picks for sports betting stocks that are a good buy for growth-minded investors. And for investors looking at a strong return in a market that may be underappreciated, Sechler recommends looking to capital markets stocks and gave his top three picks for an often overlooked sector.

Articles by Jea Yu

One way to play the rise in prices due to inflation is to invest in grocery stocks. That’s because whether inflation is transitory or not, food prices will likely continue to rise which should help these companies on the top and bottom lines. And Jea Yu points out that Kroger (NYSE:KR) is among the strongest in the sector.  Yu was also looking at CuriosityStream (NASDAQ:CURI) which is another strong stock in a growing sector. And the producer of factually based streaming content should have much higher to move forward. However, Yu points out that investors may want to avoid Weight Watchers International (NYSE:WW) as the stock is in the midst of a downturn. But frequently when a stock is dropping, investors’ expectations drop as well. Which means opportunistic investors should look to buy the stock on the dip.

Articles by Thomas Hughes

The semiconductor industry stands to be among the best-in-class for the sector. The global chip shortage may last well into 2022 and that means the rally should continue for NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA). The company already stands out as one of the best-in-class among the chip makers and will have several more quarters to reward investors. Hughes was also helping investors make sense of Roblox (NYSE:RBLX) the gaming platform that it calls the metaverse. The company is actively pursuing an older demographic and the results say that its strategy is working, although not quite as much as analysts were expecting. Still, you should read what Hughes has to say before making your decision on this intriguing stock. Hughes was also looking at two under-the-radar retail stocks that have received analysts’ upgrades in the past week. These two stocks are positioned to leverage revenue gains later in the year.

Articles by Sam Quirke

Sam Quirke was diving deeply into the opportunity that Palantir (NYSE:PLTR) offers to investors. The big data company has been a polarizing stock pick for investors since its direct listing earlier this year. And the company’s recent announcement that they purchased $50.7 million in gold bars as a hedge against a “black swan” event only adds to the company’s intrigue. However, one piece of the puzzle that was missing was evidence of strong, consistent growth. With its recent earnings report, it seems investors may be able to check that off the list. Quirke was also sizing up the recent dip in PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) stock. The company delivered a solid earnings report, but the stock has suffered a pullback. However, with the platform continuing to gain acceptance as a viable, and preferred, medium, Quirke maintains a bullish outlook on the stock.

Articles by Chris Markoch

The Delta variant is keeping Covid-19 in the headlines. And it also is breathing new life into some vaccine stocks that had been left behind. Inovio (NYSE:INO) was one of those stocks. However, as Chris Markoch writes, Inovio still faces a long timeline to approval on a Covid-19 vaccine. And while its platform is intriguing, this is a stock best left for speculative investors. That theme was also present in Markoch’s analysis of Romeo Power (NYSE:RMO). Romeo is attempting to build a better lithium-ion battery. So far the market is not buying it, but as Markoch writes speculative investors won’t need that big of a bump to get rewarded for a small position. Finally, one way for investors to identify stocks that are likely to shoot upwards is to focus on analyst upgrades. Markoch identified the 10 stocks receiving the most analysts’ upgrades in the last 30 days based on the MarketBeat screener.

Articles by Kate Stalter

One of the retail stocks that Kate Stalter was eyeing this week was Target (NYSE:TGT). The company delivered a strong earnings report in which they beat analysts’ estimates on the top and bottom lines. However, the stock is falling and Stalter points out that’s year-over-year sales growth declined both in-store and online. It’s impossible to say whether this will be part of a larger correction, but Target remains a stock to keep an eye on. Another stock for investors to keep an eye on is Chipotle (NYSE:CMG). As Stalter writes, the stock is holding near its all-time high. But while technical signals indicate CMG stock may have further to run, Stalter points out that it is beginning to show signs of being overextended. Stalter has no such concerns about Darling Industries (NYSE:DAR) whose stock looks to be in the buy range after a strong earnings report.