Shares of Chipotle (NYSE: CMG) have had a rocky year in 2016. Last quarter’s weak earnings report showed that the company is still suffering in the wake of the E. coli and other health-related outbreaks.  These health scares have led to a fall in traffic to its stores and Chipotle can’t quite figure how to get customers excited again, much less investors.  #-ad_banner-#Same-store sales (those opened for longer than a year) were down a whopping 29% in Q1. Second quarter same-store sales will likely be down 20%, which is tracking below Wall Street expectations.  Yet, with the stock down 28%… Read More

Shares of Chipotle (NYSE: CMG) have had a rocky year in 2016. Last quarter’s weak earnings report showed that the company is still suffering in the wake of the E. coli and other health-related outbreaks.  These health scares have led to a fall in traffic to its stores and Chipotle can’t quite figure how to get customers excited again, much less investors.  #-ad_banner-#Same-store sales (those opened for longer than a year) were down a whopping 29% in Q1. Second quarter same-store sales will likely be down 20%, which is tracking below Wall Street expectations.  Yet, with the stock down 28% over the past 12 months, it’s now convincing value investors like myself to take a closer look. But I’m finding that Chipotle might still have a lot of issues with no quick or easy fix.  But Is There A Silver Lining? Now, there could be an opportunity for Chipotle to rekindle eaters’ interest. This includes rolling out new menu items and potentially breaking into the heated breakfast market. The company has already announced that it plans to start offering chorizo as a protein option in its restaurants.  Then there’s the breakfast opportunity. Breakfast has proven to be big business… Read More

Twitter (Nasdaq: TWTR) has been the worst social media stock to own over the past year. And that’s no easy feat.  Shares of LinkedIn (Nasdaq: LNKD) have fallen 54% over the past twelve months. Yelp (Nasdaq: YELP) is off 56% over the same period. The online advertising market has been unkind for these social-focused companies.  But none of those falls rival Twitter. Shares Twitter are down more than 65% in just the last year. They’re also off more than 33% from the 2013 IPO offer price of $26. As a Twitter shareholder myself, the journey has been especially painful. … Read More

Twitter (Nasdaq: TWTR) has been the worst social media stock to own over the past year. And that’s no easy feat.  Shares of LinkedIn (Nasdaq: LNKD) have fallen 54% over the past twelve months. Yelp (Nasdaq: YELP) is off 56% over the same period. The online advertising market has been unkind for these social-focused companies.  But none of those falls rival Twitter. Shares Twitter are down more than 65% in just the last year. They’re also off more than 33% from the 2013 IPO offer price of $26. As a Twitter shareholder myself, the journey has been especially painful.  However, after all the negativity surrounding the company — which has ranged from rumors of changes in character limits to an exodus of top executives — Twitter could finally be hitting a turning point.  #-ad_banner-#Twitter has been having issues attracting and keeping users. The changes it has made recently, including revamping the “Moments” tab and changing its timeline algorithm, won’t be enough to keep users engaged over the long-term. Instead, Twitter needs to be leveraging its own platform and unique ability to mesh live content with social to grow users and revenues. The Potential Game Changer … Read More

Ever get the feeling that you can’t get ahead, no matter how hard you try? That’s the case for many households across the country. In fact, a recent Pew Charitable Trusts research report crunched Bureau of Labor Statistics data, tracking expenditures and incomes of Americans for the last couple of decades. Per the report, median income is down over 10% from where it was just 10 years ago; meanwhile, household expenditures are up close to 15% over the same period.  #-ad_banner-#For the low-income households, it appears that the recession never really ended.  Discount retail leader Dollar General (NYSE: DG) highlighted… Read More

Ever get the feeling that you can’t get ahead, no matter how hard you try? That’s the case for many households across the country. In fact, a recent Pew Charitable Trusts research report crunched Bureau of Labor Statistics data, tracking expenditures and incomes of Americans for the last couple of decades. Per the report, median income is down over 10% from where it was just 10 years ago; meanwhile, household expenditures are up close to 15% over the same period.  #-ad_banner-#For the low-income households, it appears that the recession never really ended.  Discount retail leader Dollar General (NYSE: DG) highlighted that fact at its recent investor conference. The company also made a point to show that inflation is outpacing total wages as health care costs and rents continue to rise. But it’s not just about rising expenditures. The economy itself could be on shaky ground.  Duke’s Fuqua School Business surveyed some 1,600 CFOs this month, and found that their respondents believe there is a 31% chance the United States could enter a recession by the end of this year. If a recession does hit, low-income families will struggle even more, forcing them to turn to retailers that offer necessities for… Read More

It’s been a long decade for Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO). The search and tech company has seen its stock rise just 10% over the past 10 years.  This comes after years of battling activist investors, a carousel of CEOs, and a declining business. The saving grace has been Alibaba (Nasdaq: BABA), where Yahoo has a 15% stake in the company. The success of Alibaba has helped overshadow Yahoo’s own problems.  #-ad_banner-#However, a perfect storm has been brewing at Yahoo. The company announced plans to spin-off its stake in Alibaba in early 2015. Yahoo invested in Alibaba back in 2005 and was… Read More

It’s been a long decade for Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO). The search and tech company has seen its stock rise just 10% over the past 10 years.  This comes after years of battling activist investors, a carousel of CEOs, and a declining business. The saving grace has been Alibaba (Nasdaq: BABA), where Yahoo has a 15% stake in the company. The success of Alibaba has helped overshadow Yahoo’s own problems.  #-ad_banner-#However, a perfect storm has been brewing at Yahoo. The company announced plans to spin-off its stake in Alibaba in early 2015. Yahoo invested in Alibaba back in 2005 and was finally looking to unlock value from the appreciation. However, Yahoo abandoned the plan, because the spinoff won’t be tax-free as initially anticipated — and the tax bill would be sizable given the growth in Alibaba. Instead, Yahoo decided to try and spinoff its own core business, including the search business and websites such as Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Finance, which would still be a taxable transaction. Then, just last month, Yahoo also said it’s willing to sell the core business. There are now tensions over the future of the company and whether Marissa Mayer is the best CEO for the… Read More

President Barack Obama is visiting Cuba this week, making him the first sitting President to visit the country in nearly a century. The last President to visit was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Relations for the United States and Cuba have been strained for more than 50 years, going back to the Cold War and including the trade embargo imposed by John F. Kennedy in 1962.   #-ad_banner-#But a lot has happened over the past few years, and Obama continues to make more headway than any other President when it comes to mending the relationship.  In late 2014, he announced a… Read More

President Barack Obama is visiting Cuba this week, making him the first sitting President to visit the country in nearly a century. The last President to visit was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Relations for the United States and Cuba have been strained for more than 50 years, going back to the Cold War and including the trade embargo imposed by John F. Kennedy in 1962.   #-ad_banner-#But a lot has happened over the past few years, and Obama continues to make more headway than any other President when it comes to mending the relationship.  In late 2014, he announced a restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba. Then in mid-2015, the two countries reported their respective embassies in Washington D.C. and Havana, Cuba.  A strengthening of relations would mean that Cuba as a country is now open for business, which would be great news for U.S. companies, as well as Cuba.  A Prime Spot For Travel One of the best ways to profit on a strengthening relationship with Cuba will be with tourism.  Cuba’s impressive beaches hold a lot of potential as a vacation destination, and it also holds appeal for business travel as the Caribbean’s… Read More

Tax season is in full swing, and the tax filing deadline just a little more than a month away.  Although it’s rather annoying for taxpayers, the beauty of the tax business is that taxes must be filed every year regardless of how the economy is doing. This makes the companies preparing tax returns and selling tax software steady businesses.  #-ad_banner-#Plus, with the U.S. economy strengthening there has been a steady rise in employment, which is increasing demand for tax-related companies.  But the industry has become more aggressive when it comes to attracting customers. The winners will be those that can… Read More

Tax season is in full swing, and the tax filing deadline just a little more than a month away.  Although it’s rather annoying for taxpayers, the beauty of the tax business is that taxes must be filed every year regardless of how the economy is doing. This makes the companies preparing tax returns and selling tax software steady businesses.  #-ad_banner-#Plus, with the U.S. economy strengthening there has been a steady rise in employment, which is increasing demand for tax-related companies.  But the industry has become more aggressive when it comes to attracting customers. The winners will be those that can offer the most value to customers, while keeping things relatively cheap and easy. With that, there are a number of ways to use your portfolio to play tax season this year.  The DIY Play Intuit (Nasdaq: INTU), parent company of TurboTax, is a big bet that people will continue to gravitate toward the do-it-yourself tax prep model.  The latest data from the Internal Revenue Service shows that self-prepared e-filings are up 3% so far in 2016. But TurboTax is seeing even bigger gains, with 9% growth in e-filings from this time last year. This means that TurboTax is stealing… Read More

Donald Trump, the real estate mogul and reality TV star, continues to gain ground in his quest to become the 45th President of the United States. He also continues to face opposition, as leaders of the Republican party lash out against Trump’s seemingly bombastic tactics.  #-ad_banner-#Granted, Trump has laid out some aggressive tax and national security plans, but he’s resonating with a large number of supporters.  Trump is leading all other Republican candidates in both delegate count and in popularity polls. And in some general election polls, Trump has been neck-and-neck with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Whether Trump can maintain… Read More

Donald Trump, the real estate mogul and reality TV star, continues to gain ground in his quest to become the 45th President of the United States. He also continues to face opposition, as leaders of the Republican party lash out against Trump’s seemingly bombastic tactics.  #-ad_banner-#Granted, Trump has laid out some aggressive tax and national security plans, but he’s resonating with a large number of supporters.  Trump is leading all other Republican candidates in both delegate count and in popularity polls. And in some general election polls, Trump has been neck-and-neck with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Whether Trump can maintain his momentum and dispel the naysayers remains to be seen. However, investors would be foolhardy not to consider what a Trump presidency may hold for their portfolios.  So which companies could benefit from President Trump’s policies?  Discretionary Stocks Could See A Boost One of Trump’s planned tax breaks includes increasing the number of low income households that don’t pay taxes. Additionally, his platform includes a rate cut for corporations, to 15% from 35%. These cuts have the potential to spur economic growth.  More money in people’s pockets means that consumer discretionary stocks should do well. The best play on… Read More

Shares of Disney (NYSE: DIS) are trading below $100, yet again. The stock appears to be having serious issues with breaking through its all-time high of around $122 a share.  This comes as Disney has a real problem on its hands. DIS has traded up to $120 per share twice in the past six months. Both times it quickly tumbled to below $100, due to worries about growth challenges for cable channel ESPN.  #-ad_banner-#The stock is now off close to 20% in just the last three months after a damning earnings report. The big question has become: what could help… Read More

Shares of Disney (NYSE: DIS) are trading below $100, yet again. The stock appears to be having serious issues with breaking through its all-time high of around $122 a share.  This comes as Disney has a real problem on its hands. DIS has traded up to $120 per share twice in the past six months. Both times it quickly tumbled to below $100, due to worries about growth challenges for cable channel ESPN.  #-ad_banner-#The stock is now off close to 20% in just the last three months after a damning earnings report. The big question has become: what could help Disney finally break through the $120 level in 2016?  The short answer is a break-up.  That’s right, breaking up the House of Mouse might be the answer. But even if we don’t see a breakup, investors should take a closer look at Disney.  Does ESPN Need To Go?  The obvious answer is to get rid of the problem child. Right now, Disney’s biggest issue is ESPN. The media industry is troubled, to say the least. Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) has tried to buy 21st Century Fox (Nasdaq: FOXA), and an activist investor is pushing for change at Viacom (Nasdaq:… Read More

After losing over 20% in 2015, David Einhorn is back with a vengeance.  For Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital hedge fund, 2015 was only the fourth time in its history that it experienced what it calls outsized losses — the previous three being in 1998, 2000 and 2008.  #-ad_banner-#Many have been quick to write off Einhorn, criticizing him for owning some of the worst performing stocks in the S&P 500 during 2015, including SunEdison (Nasdaq: SUNE) and CONSOL Energy (NYSE: CNX).  But since starting Greenlight in 1996, Einhorn’s fund has managed to generate an annualized return of 16.5%. Einhorn is one of… Read More

After losing over 20% in 2015, David Einhorn is back with a vengeance.  For Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital hedge fund, 2015 was only the fourth time in its history that it experienced what it calls outsized losses — the previous three being in 1998, 2000 and 2008.  #-ad_banner-#Many have been quick to write off Einhorn, criticizing him for owning some of the worst performing stocks in the S&P 500 during 2015, including SunEdison (Nasdaq: SUNE) and CONSOL Energy (NYSE: CNX).  But since starting Greenlight in 1996, Einhorn’s fund has managed to generate an annualized return of 16.5%. Einhorn is one of the best investors around, and for good reason.  So how will he be positioning himself to beat the market in 2016? Here are his recent moves:  These Big Names No Longer Make The Grade First and foremost, Einhorn sold off a large chunk of his top holding, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL). He dumped 44% of his stake during the fourth quarter of 2015.  Einhorn has been an Apple bull since 2010, when he first purchased shares. And since the third quarter of 2013, Apple has made up more than 10% of the Greenlight Capital portfolio. But shares of Apple are… Read More

The Bakken is one of the hottest oil and gas plays in the world. Great fortunes have already been made banking on the Bakken, which is located below parts of Montana, North Dakota and stretches into Canada.  #-ad_banner-#The most notable fortune is that of Harold Hamm, the Chairman and CEO of Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR).  Over the last five years, shares of Continental Resources are up over 400%. With Harold Hamm owning 70% of Continental, he’s become the 40th richest person in the world with a net worth of $19 billion. For those that missed the move in Continental… Read More

The Bakken is one of the hottest oil and gas plays in the world. Great fortunes have already been made banking on the Bakken, which is located below parts of Montana, North Dakota and stretches into Canada.  #-ad_banner-#The most notable fortune is that of Harold Hamm, the Chairman and CEO of Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR).  Over the last five years, shares of Continental Resources are up over 400%. With Harold Hamm owning 70% of Continental, he’s become the 40th richest person in the world with a net worth of $19 billion. For those that missed the move in Continental Resources, there is still opportunity. One of the best plays on the Bakken shale that many investors have never heard of is Triangle Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: TPLM).  Hamm sees the Bakken as a can’t miss opportunity. Years ago he predicted that the Bakken would produce 1 million barrels of oil per day. That goal will likely be hit this year. With an estimated 24 billion barrels of recoverable oil in the Bakken region, this shale play could still be the opportunity of a lifetime.  A unique situation in the Bakken Triangle Petroleum is composed of three different… Read More