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It’s been a sideways summer market. Perhaps earnings will change that. But summer markets have a tendency to do whatever they were doing before investors stopped paying attention in the dog days of August.

In this issue I highlight a high-paying REIT that has been bucking the trend and moving higher in this market. It presents a timely buying opportunity that can create a call writing opportunity in a short amount of time.



Few income stocks have had consistent upward momentum in this market, but those that do generally fetch higher call premiums. The target buy is a fantastic REIT that pays a high dividend and continues to move higher. It should provide a great income opportunity in an otherwise lackluster summer market.

Stocks slipped a bit yesterday after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting showed officials increasingly in agreement about pulling back on the central bank stimulus. This was prompted by increasing evidence of mounting inflation. Markets are a bit choppy against this backdrop but earnings continue to be relatively strong, such as Sea Limited (SE) posting another superlative quarter yesterday. This week you will see I have divided Explorer stock updates into two categories: “trading” and “buy and hold,” as we turn to clean tech infrastructure for a new recommendation.

Current Market Outlook


We continue to see more good than bad in the market as an increasing number of growth stocks move into new high ground, many other growth stocks set up nicely and even some cyclical names are getting into the act, rounding out nice launching pads. Still, there’s no question the chop factor is still real, as the vast majority of names that pop higher generally attract sellers for at least a couple of days, with more than a few sinking right back to where they started. Overall, we are encouraged by the rising level of leadership, so we’re nudging our Market Monitor up to a level 7, but the game plan remains generally the same—we favor starting small and/or buying on dips or consolidations, while focusing on stocks showing outsized accumulation.

This week’s list is another chock-full of recent earnings winners and other names showing excellent action. Our Top Pick is Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), which has lifted off nicely and has a great story.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Albemarle Corporation (ALB)	231	218-227	195-199
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY)	200	195-202	174-177
Datadog (DDOG)	130	124-128	110-112
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS)	400	394-404	375-380
Lending Club (LC)	26	25-27	21-22
Lightspeed POS Inc. (LSPD)	93	90-93.5	81-83
ON Semiconductor (ON)	45	44-46	40-41
Paycom Software (PAYC)	469	448-462	405-414
Under Armour, Inc. (UAA)	25	24-25	21.5-22
ZoomInfo (ZI)	61	59-62	52.5-54.5

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq just made new all-time highs. Strong earnings and a booming economy are outweighing concerns about the delta variant, the Chinese slowdown, inflation and a Fed tapering of bond purchases.

It’s difficult to say what narrative will be dominant after the summer. The cyclical slump could gain traction or turn around. Much will depend on the headlines, which are unpredictable. While I like the way the current portfolio is positioned, it needs more stocks with momentum that generate high call premiums.



In this issue I highlight for purchase one of the very best financial stocks on the market. Prospects are dazzling over the rest of this year. But the stock is also moving right now. It should offer a quick opportunity to ring the income register with a covered call.

Current Market Outlook


Last week was generally one of rotation back out of growth and into the broader market, and today, that trend accelerated, with growth-oriented funds and indexes (like ARKK and IWO) gapping below multi-week support and longer-term moving averages, while many recent leaders tested their 50-day lines. This sets up a key test—if a lot of stocks go down the drain, it’ll clearly be a sign of cut back on growth titles, though if we see a strong bounce from here, it could actually set up some decent pullback/resumption entry points. Meanwhile, we’re seeing an increasing number of setups in the cyclical areas, which are coming to life after two-plus months of rest. Right here, we’re not making any dramatic changes, but be sure to honor your stops. The next few days could be telling.

As for this week’s list, it definitely has more of a turnaround/cyclical feel to it as those stocks find buyers. Our Top Pick is Paylocity (PCTY), a leader in what’s looking like a new group upmove for HRM stocks.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Avis Budget Group (CAR)	93	91-94	81-82.5
CPRI (CPRI)	58	57-59	52-53
Colfax (CFX)	49	48-49.5	44.5-45.5
Dexcom (DXCM)	506	488-508	445-455
Five Below (FIVE)	228	221-228	200-204
HubSpot (HUBS)	657	630-650	570-580
LTHM (LTHM)	25	23-25	19.5-20.5
Nucor Corporation (NUE)	124	117-122	103-106
Paylocity (PCTY)	251	242-248	214-218
Saia Inc. (SAIA)	247	237-244	217-220

Explorer stocks had an unusually quiet week as the Delta variant and weaker-than-expected job growth gave markets something to worry about. Meanwhile, the economy moves ahead. In particular, the pace of U.S. electric vehicle sales doubled in the first half of 2021 as we try to catch up to other parts of the world. Today’s recommendation is an indirect but powerful way to play this accelerating trend.

Please join me for the 9th Annual Smarter Investing, Greater Profits Online Conference, August 17-19. We have an incredible line-up of experts ready to share their best picks.

There remains a lot of choppy action, where it seems like one stock does well and another hits a pothole. But we also continue to see improvement among growth stocks, with more launching pads and some names beginning to pop out to new highs. All in all, we’re paring our weakest names while holding (or averaging up in) our best performers. Tonight, we’re holding our 40% cash position but are looking to add a new holding soon if things hold together.

Thank you for subscribing to the Cabot Undervalued Stocks Advisor. We hope you enjoy reading the August 2021 issue.

Earnings season is in full gear, and we review the several companies that have reported as well as provide some expectations for those yet to report. General Motors (GM) releases its earnings on Wednesday, August 4, after our publishing deadline – this is a highly anticipated report.



Perhaps the biggest difference between value investing and growth and momentum investing is what to do when a stock price falls. Many investors using growth and momentum strategies have a discipline of selling if a stock price falls 15-20%. This may make excellent sense for these strategies but is the exact opposite of what one using a value strategy should do. With value strategies, one generally should buy when their stocks go down in price. We touch upon this more in today’s note.



I’d like to invite you to our 9th Annual Cabot Investor Conference, held online again this year, on August 17-19, that’s Tuesday – Thursday. You can see presentations by all of our analysts, which will include updates on their areas of expertise and discussions of their best picks.



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.



I’m best reachable at Bruce@CabotWealth.com. I’ll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

Among all the small-cap stocks I’ve studied in recent weeks one keeps jumping out at me. In fact, I’ve been eying it since March. It’s time to act.

This stock is different in virtually every respect from our typical stock. It’s not high tech and growth isn’t off the charts. That’s because it’s a value stock.



I think once you read my report you’ll “get it.” And in a year or so I believe this stock will be trading 50% to 100% higher than it is now, meaning it could offer the same upside potential as growthier names.



Enjoy!

The market weakness has been spreading in recent weeks, and as a result, we have three sell recommendations in today’s issue, as well as three downgrades to Hold.

As for the new recommendation, it’s a major retailer with a stable of familiar names that has transitioned its business very successfully through the pandemic, and it pays a nice dividend!



Details inside.

It’s been eleven weeks since the marijuana sector topped, sending the Marijuana Index down 50%. But as the picture of this correction gets clearer, every day I get a little more bullish about the possibility that the sector is ready to turn up again.

Two weeks ago, acting on this belief, I used half our cash to average up in the industry leaders and add one new small stock to the portfolio and today I’m doing just a little more buying, averaging up in another small operator.



After this buying, the portfolio will be roughly 29% in cash, and going forward, we’ll continue to take our cues from the market, always working to own the market’s leaders as we move closer and closer to full federal legalization.



Full details in the issue.

The market has recovered remarkably quickly from last Monday’s sharp selloff. Thus, the long bull market remains intact and I continue to recommend that you be heavily invested.

Today’s featured stock is another conservative one, with a good yield, and in an industry that’s truly unloved. And that means its valuation is dirt cheap.



As for the current portfolio, I am selling our biggest loser, DocuSign (DOCU), and downgrading Tesla (TSLA) to Hold.



Details inside.

First, a scheduling note: With Christmas coming quick, next Monday (December 27) is the second of our two regular weeks off for Top Ten. We’ll be in later that week, but if we don’t talk to you have a great holiday season!

After an encouraging bounce, the sellers immediately came back to the well last week. While we don’t think this is going to morph into 2008, it’s clear that most of the evidence remains negative: The intermediate-term trend of most indexes and stocks is pointed down and the vast majority of former leaders are in shambles. We’ll let others predict (guess) what happens from here, but with most things acting poorly, it’s best to remain cautious, holding plenty of cash, building your watch list and keeping any new buys on the small side.



This week’s list has a variety of names that are resisting the market’s weakness, so if you want to nibble on something, you’ll find it here. Our Top Pick is a unique IoT-related firm whose stock is acting just fine.