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Cabot Prime Plus Week Ending May 5, 2023

Latest Summary

Cabot Weekly Review (Video)

In this week’s video, Mike Cintolo is sticking to the same tune -- there are many subtle positives out there, including the fact that he’s not having any trouble filling his watch list. But for the moment, most of the market remains in a washing machine-type environment (up, down and all around), so he’s staying cautious but also flexible, waiting for the time when the perception of big investors changes for the better.

Stocks Discussed: UBER, HUBS, SMCI, CELH, MLM, SHAK, Z, OLLI, BLDR, DKNG, SPOT

UPCOMING CABOT EVENTS:

How to Profit from the Biotech Bear Market

FREE WEBINAR: May 18, 2023 Sign up now.

Advisory Services

Portfolio Updates This Week

Cabot Growth Investor

Bi-weekly Issue May 4: The market remains in a rough spot, with a hawkish Fed that continues to raise rates into what’s become a rolling bank crisis, with some big names going under and others walking the plank. Far more important to us than the news is the market’s reaction to the news--and it remains mixed when it comes to the indexes (intermediate-term trend neutral), but growth stocks remain iffy at best, with many good-looking setups falling apart on earnings of late, and with relatively few really powering ahead. All of this can change in a hurry, but until it does, we continue to think growth investors should remain generally cautious and flexible as we wait for a more certain environment that will entice big investors to pile in.

Bi-weekly Update April 27: WHAT TO DO NOW: Remain cautious. The market and (especially) growth stocks have come under further pressure this week, and while many names are still setting up well, more are hitting air pockets. Overall, we think the general environment is mostly unchanged (tedious, up and down, etc.), but we are making a couple of small defensive moves today—we’ll sell one-third of our stakes in both Academy Sports (ASO) and Wingstop (WING), taking some profits and holding the cash (around 63% of the portfolio) for now.

Cabot Top Ten Trader

Weekly Issue May 1: For the big-cap indexes, last week was intriguing, with a sharp dip from resistance on Monday and Tuesday leading to an equally-sharp snapback—a possible shakeout of sorts. That said, the bullish action remains concentrated in a handful of names; the broad market is still meandering at best and there were more than a few air pockets last week among potential leaders. All in all, we’ll drop our Market Monitor to a level 4—that said, there are still tons of earnings reports on tap this week and next, so a bunch of gaps up (and broad market strength) could give us plenty to work with.

Movers & Shakers April 28: It’s been a highly divergent week in the market—everything started the week lower, but some positive mega-cap earnings have brought the Nasdaq and S&P 500 back to even-ish for the week. However, the action is far, far worse under the hood, with small- and mid-cap indexes down and, among growth-oriented stocks, many more air pockets emerging (including lots of poor earnings reactions).

Cabot Options Trader and Cabot Options Trader Pro

Cabot Options Trader Pro Weekly Update

Cabot Options Trader Weekly Update

Cabot Value Investor

Monthly Issue May 2: Thank you for subscribing to the Cabot Value Investor. The new name for the former Cabot Undervalued Stocks Advisor more clearly and broadly describes our mission to serve value-oriented investors. We hope you enjoy reading the May 2023 issue.

Fitting for a value investment newsletter, your chief analyst will be making the pilgrimage to the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting this coming weekend.

In this month’s letter, we include our recent new Buy recommendation: NOV, Inc. (NOV). This high quality mid-cap company ($7.3 billion market cap) appears to be in front of an upshift in demand for sophisticated drilling equipment even as its shares trade at a modest valuation.

We also cover earnings reports and provide other relevant updates on our recommended companies.

Please feel free to send me your questions and comments. This newsletter is written for you and the best way to get more out of the letter is to let me know what you are looking for.

Weekly Update March 28: This past week, among the 1,000 largest companies by market cap, the average percentage share price change was zero. Half of the stocks had moves of no more than +/- 1%. And, only 14 stocks had share price movements of +/- 10% or greater.

Cabot Stock of the Week

Weekly Issue May 1: The good times keep rolling in the Stock of the Week portfolio, as more than a handful of our stocks are either at 52-week highs or all-time highs thanks in part to big earnings boosts in recent weeks.

While there are myriad potential potholes out there – another big regional bank failed, another interest rate hike is likely coming this week, the debt ceiling and mild recession are looming, earnings overall have been mixed, and so on – the market has been remarkably resilient of late. So this week we take another big swing by sticking with what has been our bread-and-butter niche since taking over this advisory last summer: up-and-coming retail leaders. The latest addition is a favorite of Cabot Growth Investor Chief Analyst Mike Cintolo.

Cabot Explorer

Bi-weekly Issue May 4: The Federal Reserve yesterday raised the target for its benchmark interest rate by 0.25% to a new range of 5%-5.25%, the highest since September 2007. This will impact the value and stability of the U.S. dollar and stock markets in several ways.

During the only stable dollar eras of the last century, annual GDP growth averaged 4.9% from 1922-29, 4% from 1948-71, and 3.7% from 1983-2000.

Bi-weekly Update April 27: This week tech stocks looked better while First Republic Bank continues to struggle to gain its footing. It was a relatively quiet week for Explorer stocks as movement up or down was minimal. However, the news on the global electric vehicle (EV) race is coming fast and furious.

Cabot Small-Cap Confidential

Monthly Issue May 4: For the second month in a row we’re going where the growth appears most resilient. Which means MedTech.

This month it’s another company focused on the spine. But a very specific area. The company specializes in implants for sacroiliac joint (SI) fusion. It already reported Q1 results (beat expectations) and the stock is acting well.

Weekly Update April 27: The market has been a little soft this week as better-than-feared results from many large caps, including Microsoft (MSFT) and Facebook (META), have been somewhat overshadowed by renewed fears of banking turmoil. Thanks First Republic (FRC). That stock is down 96% from its 2023 high (and that wasn’t a particularly high price).

Cabot Dividend Investor

Monthly Issue April 12: So far, this has been a positive year for the market. But an enormous amount of uncertainty remains. The painful high inflation/hawkish Fed conundrum that caused last year’s bear market appears to be ending. But a high risk of recession is taking over. It will be difficult for stocks to rally into the next bull market without knowing the timing, severity, or duration of a possible recession.

Weekly Update May 3: A big week in the market has started badly. The failure of First Republic Bank (FRC) and fears of further fallout have sent stocks reeling ahead of more news the market may not like later this week. The market moved on from the banking crisis. But it is rearing its ugly head again. There is now worry of more bank failures and an escalating crisis. More small regional banks could fail. But the situation is still unlikely to devolve into a major crisis, at least at this point.

Cabot Early Opportunities

Monthly Issue April 19: In the April issue of Cabot Early Opportunities, we take a quick look at what to expect from portfolio positions set to report in the coming weeks and dive into fresh opportunities that are shaping up nicely now. At the top of the buy list is a software name we just added to our Watch List last month. We also take a position in a cosmetics stock that looks superb, pull back the curtain on a rising biotech star, tour an enterprise software name based in Canada and revisit a MedTech stock that’s finally getting some respect from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Cabot Profit Booster

Weekly Issue May 2: This week has the potential to be volatile as earnings season continues and the Federal Reserve interest rate decision on Wednesday afternoon could shake up the market.

Cabot Micro-Cap Insider

Monthly Issue April 12: Today, I’m recommending a failed biotech that is undergoing a strategic review. Key points:

  • Based on conservative assumptions, I see 30% to 92% upside within 12 months.
  • Low downside risk given stock market cap is 51% of net cash.
  • High insider / institutional ownership assures incentives are aligned.

All the details are inside this month’s Issue. Enjoy!

Weekly Update May 3: This week, I wanted to highlight two quick things before getting into our regular update.

First, I’ve talked a lot about the biotech bear market and how it’s lasted longer than most previous biotech bear markets.

I just stumbled upon the below chart on Twitter which shows the length of the current biotech bear market versus the previous three.

Cabot Income Advisor

Monthly Issue April 25: In the middle of an earnings recession and a slowing economy, defensive stocks are probably the best places to be. These companies can maintain earnings growth while most companies are sliding and remain consistent even as the economy deteriorates further.

Defense is king right now. But defensive stocks are even better when they offer growth as well. In such uncertain times, it makes sense to bank on things that are more certain. Stocks poised in front of a megatrend are the best bet. A megatrend acts as a powerful tailwind for a stock that can make a mediocre pick very good and a good pick great.

In this issue, I highlight a defensive stock that is also one of the world’s largest producers of alternative energy. At the same time, it is also one of the best traditional regulated utilities in the country. It offers defense as well as growth and can thrive in any kind of market.

Weekly Update May 2: This is a very important week that should determine the near-term direction of the market.

While the market digests the JPMorgan (JPM) buyout of First Republic Bank (FRC), the largest bank failure since the financial crisis, it looks ahead to a packed week. There’s a Fed meeting on Wednesday, where the Central Bank is widely expected to raise the Fed Funds rate by 0.25%. But the Chairman’s comments afterward will probably have a bigger impact on the market.

Cabot Turnaround Letter

Monthly Issue May 3: We highlight three cash-rich companies that have real products and services whose shares are out-of-favor. We also discuss six additional companies that have both promising turnarounds ahead yet also discounted share prices. Our feature recommendation this month is Frontier Group Holdings (ULCC), a major ultra-low-cost airline focused on leisure travel. Its shares have fallen 50% from its IPO price due to investor concerns about demand, pricing and costs. We think these worries are overblown, leaving ULCC shares ready for take-off.

Weekly Update May 5: We discuss earnings from Adient (ADNT), ESAB (ESAB), Frontier Group Holdings (ULCC), Gannett (GCI), Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (IRWD), Janus Henderson Group (JHG), Kaman Corporation (KAMN), Molson Coors (TAP) and Western Union (WU). And, some comments on First Horizon Corp (FHN) following the deal termination.

Cabot Money Club

Monthly Magazine April: Bonds or bond funds should be part of most investors’ portfolios or retirement plans because of the predictable income they generate. But with interest rates vacillating wildly, let’s take some time to explore how that impacts bond investors and some strategies you can employ to optimize your fixed-income returns.

Stock of the Month April 13: The broad markets have improved nicely in the past month, albeit with a recent pullback. Leading sectors were Communication Services, Consumer Staples, Healthcare, Technology, and Utilities. Style-wise, large-cap growth stocks beat their value peers, gaining 3.64% for the month.

The employment picture remains healthy, with 236,000 jobs added in March, taking the unemployment rate down to 3.5%. This was the slowest job growth in two years, so economists are hoping that will slow inflation—and the Fed’s rate hikes!

Ask the Experts

Prime Question for Jacob: The market is going crazy, as you know. Everyone is predicting it’s going down. From what I keep hearing it’s probably going to pull back another 15 to 20%. I’m wondering why you’re not sending out any put recommendations?

Jacob: I’m not so sure the market is going to fall 15-20%. I think the odds of that happening are 5% (total guess, and open to anything). And in fact, the market has been range bound since October and is within striking distance of a multi-month high. That would lead me to believe everyone is not predicting a 15-20% decline.

That being said, we do own SPY September 400 puts already, and if I was looking for more bearish exposure I might look at a buy of

...QQQ September 315 puts.

Mike: Yeah, it’s not super bearish per se, but it’s definitely not ideal – and as more and more stuff comes under pressure (today is a bloodbath for growth earnings) it becomes more iffy.

Long story short, it’s not something I particularly key off of, but whether it’s the RSP vs SPY, or just looking at small/mid cap indexes, etc., it’s clear fewer stuff is hanging in there. Not enough to say the choppy environment is over (and we’re going down), but heading in that direction.

Quarterly Cabot Analyst Meeting

The recording of the Cabot Prime Members Meeting with the Analysts from January 18, 2023 is now available for you to listen to at your convenience—click here for access. This private call with our analysts is one of your exclusive Cabot Prime Pro member benefits.