Stock Opinions by Sarat Sethi, Managing Partner, Douglas C. Lane & Assoc.

PARTIAL SELL

Down 25% this morning and shares halted. The situation is changing constantly. He's watching it. Depositers are safe. Who will the bank merge with, etc? He has sold part of his position to a small holding. He will eventually decide whether to keep it or dump it.

DON'T BUY

They're different from other megatechs, because they have many pressures on them--cloud and retail. This is not a cheap stock, close to 40x PE. This is a pure show-me story in a decelerating economy. AWS's market share in 2016 was 74% but 51% today. There will be margin pressure.

BUY

They sell snacks and not just the drinks. Are raising prices as input prices decline. A tailwind will be the USD when it eventually weakens. Well-run company and defensive that you need in this market.

BUY

Well-capitalized bank. Boast a great management business.

BUY
Goldman upgraded it

In this market, fundamentals matter and Apple has good fundamentals and can increase earnings. This upgrade is a positive signal for the wider market. You can be safe in Apple, but fundamentals will determine where the market goes.

BUY

Stock is down 12% this year. They will spin off their consumer business. It pays a 3% dividend. The lawsuit is an overhang (https://www.forbes.com/sites/korihale/2023/02/07/appeals-court-clears-the-way-for-38000-johnson--johnson-baby-powder-lawsuits/?sh=45077c8ed7fc). But the valuation is cheap, good balance sheet, and catalysts lie ahead. Likes it.

BUY

Gas prices are coming down and consumer spending remains strong.

BUY
He owned it when people hated it. There's not enough supply, so even if there's a recession these oil companies will do well. Has a solid balance sheet. Defensive.
BUY
Next week, FAANG reports. Even if they report positively, will the market believe it, because their PE's are above the S&P's. That said, he likes MSFT for its recurring revenues from enterprise cloud, a high-margin business.
BUY
It's a well-run business. Management is already absorbing a potential economic slowdown in its growth projection; they know it's happening. They said that consumers are out and about (and spending). Trades at only 13x earnings. Earnings will accelerate and they have a diversified consumer base.
BUY
Same tailwind as Visa: spending is up. Likes it.
BUY
Trades at 9x earnings. Has a great pipeline of drugs. Pays a great dividend.
BUY
Their report will be interesting: they'll talk about supply. The last two years they couldn't meet demand and now where is it given borrowing costs and higher rates? It trades at 6x earnings. Demand needs to improve.
COMMENT
The S&P may not break 4,200, but parts of it like financials and energy are up today because rates are going up. He feels that the Fed will keep raising rates.
BUY
Just reported solid Q2 earnings and the price target rose Energy demand will still be strong (even though crude oil prices have been declining). Majors like Chevron make a lot of money even if oil is at $60. He likes it and has not been trimming his shares. In fact, he would add to it. You have staying power in Chevron especially with their strong balance sheet.
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