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John Macris

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  • Highlights from the Goldman Sachs Healthcare Conference

    By John Macris - June 18, 2013 | Tickers: AET, BMRN, XLV

    Goldman Sachs recently hosted its 34th Annual Global Healthcare Conference on June 11 – 13 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

    Healthcare was considered a defensive sector during the 2008–09 recession, but I believe it will continue to perform going forward. An aging baby boomer population, the Obamacare rollout, and a growing need for disease treatments should lead to profitable investing for many years to come.

    The Health Care Select Sector more »

  • This Week: Three Stocks to Move the Market

    By John Macris - June 17, 2013 | Tickers: FDX, RAD, KR

    Equity markets remain in an upward trend as investors approach the halfway point for 2013. Discussions remain centered on the NSA surveillance, with public companies such as Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft revealing the number of requests received from local, state, and federal agencies.

    The Federal Reserve is also hosting a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, June 18 and Wednesday, June 19. Investors are focused on the sustainability of the Fed more »

  • Tale of the Tape: Insider Buying at Three Large Companies

    By John Macris - June 16, 2013 | Tickers: AOL, CUK, LNCO, LINE

    One of my weekly rituals as an investor is to review insider activity through the SEC Form 4 filings. Corporate executives and board members (“insiders”) are required to fully disclose their stock purchases pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940.

    Individual investors can benefit greatly from studying insider activity. Whether you are taking a sector view or considering an individual company, learning more »

  • Goldman Sachs Weighs in on the Dividend Debate

    By John Macris - June 12, 2013 | Tickers: F, GE, WU

    Financial markets have delivered a strong performance in the first half of 2013.

    The impressive returns YTD have caught everyone by surprise, including the major investment firms on Wall Street which are now hastily raising their full-year targets on the S&P 500. Analysts at Goldman Sachs raised their S&P targets through 2015; the index is now expected to reach 1,750 by year-end 2013. This is significantly higher more »

  • Is This Luxury Brand the Next Turnaround Candidate?

    By John Macris - June 11, 2013 | Tickers: COH, TIF, VRA

    Luxury retail is one of the most remarkable sub-sectors in the market today. Forecasters often predict that demand for high-priced goods will fall during times of economic hardship, but current data shows that wealthy consumers will purchase their premium goods during good and bad times.

    While this logic may seem counterintuitive, hard evidence confirms its validity. At the moment, the success of luxury retail in London, combined with a national more »

  • This Could Be Facebook's Next Billion Dollar Business

    By John Macris - June 11, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, FB, GOOG

    Today’s technology heavyweights are facing a simple question: “What’s next?”

    As revenue and profit growth have slowed at major tech companies, investors are searching for answers. In particular, household names such as Apple, Google, and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) have fallen under the spotlight.

    With a consistent history of innovation in the last 5+ years, Apple has yet to introduce a new product in 2013 that has quenched the more »

  • Three Hedge Fund Favorites With Upcoming Reports

    By John Macris - June 7, 2013 | Tickers: BNNY, HRB, LULU

    The overall characteristic of the hedge fund industry has changed dramatically over the last several decades. While the catch phrase “hedge fund” continues to draw attention and captivate the investing public, many are beginning to question whether hedge funds can outperform the broader market going forward.

    Large hedge funds significantly outperformed the S&P 500 index from 1986–1996, earning a 1,400% return while the S&P returned only more »

  • How to Beat the S&P 500 Every Year and Sleep at Night

    By John Macris - June 5, 2013 | Tickers: CPB, GIS, PG

    How many readers wish they could handily outperform the S&P 500 each year and easily sleep at night?

    

It turns out, there’s a unique stock that has beaten the broader market over nearly every time frame. And while this company may not be the next multi-bagger in your portfolio that delivers exponential returns, it hasn’t disappointed in delivering consistent, stable returns that readers can feel good about more »

  • Insider Transactions From Barron's Latest Issue

    By John Macris - June 5, 2013 | Tickers: MO, CAB, FITB

    What’s the best method for picking stocks?

    In my own decision-making, I employ a variety of tactics, including fundamental analysis and metrics such as price-to-earnings ratio, low debt, and high cash flow. These are traditional approaches to the stock market that should yield good results over time.

    However, the retail investor often overlooks a powerful resource during their investigation: the value of insider ownership. An insider can be defined more »

  • Mega Billionaire Stevie Cohen Is Buying for the Long-Term

    By John Macris - May 31, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, SBUX, BA

    56-year-old Steven A. Cohen is the founder of SAC Capital Advisors, a group of $14 billion hedge funds founded in 1992. Mr. Cohen is widely considered to be the father of the modern hedge fund industry and has amassed an $8.8 billion personal fortune in his career.

    In recent months, Cohen’s professional life has turned sour as a five-year-long insider trading scandal has increasingly gained attention. SAC Capital more »

  • Stock Gift Ideas for Today's Graduates

    By John Macris - May 30, 2013 | Tickers: CHDN, MSFT, DIS

    Recent coverage of university commencement speeches, the passage of the Memorial Day holiday, and warmer summer weather all serve as reminders that a new class of graduates is upon us.

    While the U.S. economy is recovering at a tepid pace, unemployment remains high, which may present a challenge for today’s workforce entrants. Our country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve, has maintained a dual mandate since it was more »

  • How to Invest for a 13-Fold Increase in Mobile Web Traffic

    By John Macris - May 29, 2013 | Tickers: ARUN, CSCO, QCOM

    The Federal Communications Commission, responsible for regulating the wireless airwaves, is hoping to reserve a large portion of wireless spectrum for an anticipated 13-fold increase in mobile web traffic by 2018.

    Yes, you read correctly. Mobile data usage is expected to increase by 1,300% in the next 5 years, and regulators are hoping to avert what FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel labeled as an “end of world” scenario for cell more »

  • Billionaire Leon Cooperman's Top Stocks for the Rest of 2013

    By John Macris - May 29, 2013 | Tickers: C, S, RIG

    Leon G. Cooperman is one of Wall Street’s most beloved sons. The Bronx, New York native began his financial career at Goldman Sachs following graduation from Columbia Business School in 1967.

    After a splendid and fortuitous 25-year passage, Cooperman retired from Goldman in 1991 and founded Omega Advisors, a New York-based hedge fund which has grown to $8.1 billion AUM as of April 30, 2013. He is still more »

  • Bull or Bear? Tales From Barron's Insider Buying List

    By John Macris - May 29, 2013 | Tickers: AIG, CHK, OFIX

    Part of my ritual as an investor is to review the Insider Transactions column in Barron’s Magazine. The popular weekly publication makes an effort to highlight the largest insider purchases and sales in recent days.

    While Barron’s provides basic information about insider activity, readers are left on their own to explore whether a solid argument can be made to buy or sell a stock.

    Here are three stocks more »

  • 3 Hot Luxury Stocks with Considerable Upside

    By John Macris - May 24, 2013 | Tickers: COH, KORS, TIF

    Could anyone predict that luxury retail would emerge from the 2008-09 recession at an accelerated pace?

    According to BrandZ, the world’s largest brand equity database, the value of the world’s top luxury brands increased by an average of 6% during the course of the last year. BrandZ measures the perceived consumer value associated a given brand, in addition to visible factors such as market capitalization. The single-digit 6 more »

  • Looking for the Next Apple or Google? It's Already Here

    By John Macris - May 23, 2013 | Tickers: F, GM, TSLA

    During my senior year of college, I had the opportunity to fly from Cleveland to New York in order to interview with the equity research department at JPMorgan Chase.

    My good fortune started with sending an e-mail to a high-powered alumnus who received his MBA at Case Western Reserve and had risen to become a Managing Director at one of Wall Street’s most prestigious banks.

    Before continuing the story more »

  • Why Microsoft Is the Best Investment in Cloud Computing

    By John Macris - May 22, 2013 | Tickers: CSCO, INTC, MSFT

    Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), the American software giant founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, is arguably the most overlooked tech stock in the market due to the perceived maturity of its Windows and Office product lines.

    Formerly the world’s largest company, the Microsoft name no longer carries the luster it once did during the tech bubble heyday. Competitors such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and even Amazon have more »

  • Looking for Growth? 3 Undervalued Stocks to Buy Ahead of Earnings

    By John Macris - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: M, JWN, TMHC

    Market participants are entering the week of May 13 with fresh memory of two major conferences held this month.

    First, Berkshire Hathaway held its annual meeting back on May 4. Investors were actively discussing Warren Buffett's noteworthy statements from the opening bell on Monday, May 6 through the closing print on May 10. I expect the conversation to continue for some time.

    Looking to the stock market, Mr. Buffett more »

  • 3 Must-Own Stocks from Barron's Insider Buying List

    By John Macris - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: BAC, HBAN, WAG

    One of my weekly rituals as an investor is to review recent insider activity through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Form 4 filings. Corporate executives and board members (“insiders”) are required to fully disclose their stock purchases pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940.

    Barron's magazine makes an effort to highlight the most noteworthy insider purchases and organizes them in more »

  • 3 Overlooked Stocks to Buy Ahead of Earnings

    By John Macris - May 6, 2013 | Tickers: EA, VCLK, DIS

    What’s been the biggest surprise in earnings season thus far?

    In my view, Apple CEO Tim Cook stole the show when his company announced plans to issue debt in order to return a greater amount of capital to shareholders. Prior to the earnings announcement, the Silicon Valley giant received copious amounts of criticism that its board of directors had become deaf to investors.

    Shares of Apple have rallied following more »

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