MarketBeat: Week in Review 8/9-8/13

The markets want what they want. And for now, they want equities to move higher. Despite sobering news on stubbornly high inflation and falling consumer confidence, the major indexes all hit record highs this week. Investors have to be buoyed by the likely passage of an infrastructure bill that will provide several new growth opportunities. The persistence of the Delta variant is also making it unlikely that the Fed will begin tapering their asset purchases anytime soon which is another bullish sign for equities. The dog days of summer are winding down and that means it won’t be long before the institutional investors are back in the market in a big way. Until then, it’s a good time to prepare your portfolio for what is still looking like a strong end of the year.  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                                                                                                                                                                

The market continues to cycle in and out of growth stocks. But Sean Sechler reminds investors that the upside potential of growth stocks are still the best way for risk-tolerant investors to achieve their goals. And as earnings season winds down, Sechler gave investors his three picks for growth stocks with a lot of upside. Keeping on the subject of growth stocks, Sechler was pointing investors towards the medical technology sector. As the name states, these are companies that combine health care and technology. Sechler writes about three high-tech healthcare stocks that were put on pause at the beginning of the pandemic, but are poised for sharp growth. For growth of a different type, Sechler took a look at the cryptocurrency market which has been staging a recovery. As Bitcoin (CCC:BTC-USD) begins to rally, Sechler gave readers his three picks for stocks that give investors exposure to crypto via equities.

Articles by Jea Yu

Investors in Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) stock are discovering that sometimes a strong earnings report isn’t enough.  Despite a double beat, slowing growth is the culprit for a 13.6% decline in ROKU since the company reported earnings on August 4. But Jea Yu points out that the underlying fundamentals of the company remain strong making the stock a strong buy-the-dip candidate. Yu was also looking at Xerox (NYSE:XRX) as an under-the-radar recovery stock. With offices expected to reopen in some fashion in the fall, orders for the company’s equipment is expected to rise despite ongoing supply chain disruptions. XRX stock has been trading in a tight range, but Yu identifies price targets to look for as buying opportunities. And as employers continue to search for qualified talent, the outlook for Robert Half International (NYSE:RHI) looks bright. Yu points out that Robert Half’s focus on temporary staffing solutions plays right into the uncertainty facing many organizations who, for various reasons, may not want to immediately commit to full-time employees.

Articles by Thomas Hughes

Infrastructure is on the minds of many investors. And Thomas Hughes was looking at Blink Charging (NASDAQ:BLNK) as a potential growth play. As funding from the anticipated infrastructure bill flows into the company’s coffers, Blink offers investors a strong growth opportunity. However, with short interest over 30%, a range of outcomes, including heavy short selling, is possible. Another company that Hughes sees as being a strong growth play is Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN). After its heavily anticipated IPO earlier this year, the stock seems to be finding its footing. Coinbase is an ideal way for investors to invest in the cryptocurrency trend without investing in any specific digital currency. And while it’s not a growth stock, Hughes also believes investors can be bullish on a potential 50% growth in the stock price of Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN). The company just had a strong earnings report, has a growing cash position to go along with a reliable dividend.

Articles by Sam Quirke

Sam Quirke was offering investors his perspective on Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) one of the trendiest names among financial technology (fintech) stocks. As Quirke points out, UPST stock bounced 26% higher after a blockbuster earnings report. And analysts have been quick to raise their outlook for the stock which Quirke believes may soon crack the $200 mark. Another company that delivered a stellar earnings report was Disney (NYSE:DIS). Disney has become a bellwether stock of sorts for the travel and tourism sector. And while the company’s performance last quarter may be mitigated by the Delta variant, the company is proving that the whole of the company is greater than the sum of any one part. Quirke was also taking a closer look at the long case for owning AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC). The ubiquitous meme stock reported second-quarter earnings that showed its recovery has begun. But as Quirke points out, as the hype around AMC starts to die down, investors will begin to pay attention to valuation and may not like what they see.

Articles by Chris Markoch

Analyst ratings are an easy way for investors to identify stocks that are ready to take a significant move higher. Chris Markoch gave investors the 10 companies that received the highest average rating by Wall Street analysts in August 2021 according to the MarketBeat stock screener. One stock that didn’t make that list but still merits investors’ attention is FuboTV (NASDAQ:FUBO). The sports-centric streaming platform is showing strong revenue and subscriber growth and is preparing to launch its own sportsbook as an additional catalyst. On the other side of the spectrum, shares of Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) are trading wildly after the company posted earnings on August 12. While some investors are identifying the Delta variant as a potential headwind, Markoch points out that there may be a bigger concern for Airbnb and related hospitality stocks.

Articles by Kate Stalter

As more retail investors enter the market, Kate Stalter reminds them to keep it simple when looking for buying and selling signals. Two of the easiest signals to observe are a stock’s support and resistance levels. These signals tell investors a great deal about the short-term momentum behind a stock. Stalter was also looking at a trio of stocks that recently went public via an initial public offering (IPO). After an initial flurry of activity, the stock prices of these companies have been quietly consolidating. And being under the radar, as Stalter points out, lets these stocks establish a trading history without outsize hype. A stock that rarely gets accused of being overhyped is Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM). The alternative asset management company focuses on direct investment in real estate, renewable power, infrastructure, credit and private equity.  However, even after a strong earnings report, the stock took a sharp downturn as investors cycled back to growth stocks.