WSTNN, Author at WStNN.com™ WallStreetNewsNetwork® Stockerblog™ WSNN®

Amazon Partners with Ownera on Hackathon to Launch the Revolutionary Ownera Digital Securities API

Los Angeles – Ownera, the institutional-grade blockchain network for digital securities (AKA Security Tokens), has announced it will be releasing its Digital Securities API utilizing the Amazon (AMZN) Managed Blockchain service running HyperLedger Fabric. Ownera is a network where all nodes will be regulated financial entities (such as banks, asset managers and exchanges), who underwrite and distribute the assets on the network.

The Ownera API to be released is so simple and powerful, that the Hackathon will challenge digital securities platform developers to fully adapt their applications to support Ownera within the 3 days of The Global Hackathon, between October 13-15 at the CIS conference (as part of the Los Angeles blockchain week).

A Blockchain for Asset Ownership

Ownera will be demoing the API and also leading a technical session for developers on October 15-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center during CIS. The API will also be made available early to participants in The Global Hackathon that begins on October 13 and ends on stage at CIS, where Ownera and AWS will give an award for the most innovative use of their API.

The Ownera Digital Securities API connects ownership apps to Ownera, while unlocking the core features necessary for launching compliant digital security platforms and apps:

Connects to the Ownera institutional-grade test net, built with HyperLedger Fabric utilizing the Amazon Managed Blockchain Service.
Runs on a version of HyperLedger Fabric, converted by Ownera from a private to a public network, which will initially be permissioned, and eventually become permissionless.
Connect digital securities platforms and developers to a network of verified assets managed by nodes which are all regulated financial institutions.
Enables the simple development of institutional-grade digital securities issuance, trading and management platforms.
Includes profile management, including KYC, investor accreditation, etc.
Includes asset management, including Know your Asset (KYA), an innovation Ownera pioneered to include verified asset information and investor rights in an immutable and legally-binding way in the blockchain as an integral part of every digital security – so investors know exactly what they are getting.
Has built-in Atomic Swap transaction capabilities to enable the instant sale of digital securities for any currency credit, fiat or digital, minimizing counterparty risk.
Connects to the innovative Ownera Regulation App Store, turning regulation compliance into AI-powered blockchain apps that asset-issuers can simply choose from a list!.

Fireside Chat with Ami Ben-David

Additionally, Security Token Pioneer Ami Ben-David, the Founder and CEO of Ownera, will be doing a presentation, followed by a fireside chat at CIS to discuss the next evolution of digital securities into the instituitional market, and how Amazon is providing the infrastructure for this paradigm shift on which Ownera will be running.

About Ownera

Ownera is an institutional-grade digital securities network, where all nodes are regulated financial entities (such as banks, asset managers and exchanges), who underwrite, verify transactions for regulation-compliance, and then distribute the assets to their institutional clients across the network. Ownera is built on a version of HyperLedger Fabric, upgraded from a private blockchain configuration, to a public permissionless model.

How to Live Forever & the Stocks that will Benefit

Do you want to live forever? Many billionaires want to, or at least want to support the research into improving and extending the lives of people. Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT) created the Allen Institute for Cell Science with $100 million, to develop treatments for diseases related to aging. Unfortunately, he passed away last year from septic shock caused by cancer.

Adam Neumann, the CEO of WeWork, has invested in the anti-aging company Life Biosciences. Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal (PYPL), has donated money to the SENS Research Foundation, a longevity organization. Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) co-founder Sergey Brin has donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and to the Parkinson’s Institute.

There are many companies involved in longevity through several different approaches, including medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and senior care facilities.

One company that fits into this category is Edwards Lifesciences (EW), a California based company involved in the production of products to treat heart disease. This $44.7 billion market cap company trades at 44 times trailing earnings and 35 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest reported year were up 23.7% over the previous year.

Boston Scientific (BSX), a $60 billion market cap company, makes and markets an extensive array of cardiology products. The sock has a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 43 and a forward PE ratio of 24.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) developer and markets treatments for cystic fibrosis. The stock trades at 21 times earnings.

Terumo Corporation (TRUMY), based in Japan, makes and markets numerous medical products, primarily for transfusion and cardiothoracic surgery. The stock has a PE ratio of 13.

All of the above, plus many other longevity related stocks make up the portfolio of the Global X Longevity Thematic ETF (LNGR), which has a portfolio of anti-aging stocks. It pays a small yield of 0.85%.

Hopefully some of these stocks will make your portfolio last a long time.

Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written.

Top Technology Short Squeeze Stocks

If technology stocks are heavily shorted, the potential gains can be significant. When stocks rise quickly, no matter what the reason, short sellers scramble to cover their positions by buying shares, and causing the price of the stock to move up even more.

So how can you make money on the long side from short squeezes? One technique that stock traders utilize is buying short squeeze stocks, companies have been heavily shorted. Here is a more extensive explanation of what a short squeeze is.

When you short a stock, it means that your goal is to make money from a drop in the price of a stock. Technically, what happens is that you borrow shares of a stock, sell those shares, then buy back those shares at a hopefully lower price so that those shares can be returned. This all happens electronically, so you don’t actually see all the borrowing and returning of shares; it just shows up on your screen as a negative number of shares.

Short sellers can be profitable, but sometimes when the stock moves against them, and begins to rise, the short sellers jump in right away to buy shares to cover their positions, creating what is called a short squeeze. When a short squeeze takes place, it can cause the share prices to increase fast and furiously. Any good news can trigger the short squeeze.

Some traders utilize this situation by looking for stocks to buy that may have a potential short squeeze. Here is what a short squeeze trader should take into consideration:

Short Percentage of Float ~ The float is the number of freely tradable shares and the short percentage is the number of shares held short divided by the float. Amounts over 10% to 20% are considered high and potential short squeeze plays.

Short Ratio / Days to Cover / Short Interest Ratio -This is probably the most important metric when looking for short squeeze trades, no matter what you call it. This is the number of days it would take the short sellers to cover their position based on the average daily volume of shares traded. This is a significant ratio as it shows how “stuck” the short sellers are when they want to buy in their shares without driving up the price too much. Unfortunately for the shortsellers, the longer the number of days to cover, the bigger and longer the squeeze.

Short Percentage Increase ~ This is the percentage increase in in the number of short sellers from the previous month.

Here is one example from the list below. Ebix Inc. (EBIX) is a stock that is heavily shorted. As a matter fo fact, 32.6% of the float is shorted. Plus, the short interest ratio is 19.5. That means it would take the short sellers over nineteen days to cover their positions, based on the number of shares that trade each day on average.

So what technology stocks are heavily shorted that may be worth a closer examination? Check out the following list, but be aware, that often some stocks are heavily shorted for a reason.

All these stocks have significant short metrics, but they also have price to earnings ratios less than 15 and price to earnings growth ratios of less than 2..

Maybe a short squeeze will cause a few of these to rise sharply, with lemons becoming lemonade.

Stock	Symbol	% of float	Days to Cover
Ebix	EBIX	32.64%	19.5
GreenSky	GSKY	60.88%	18
Turtle Beach	HEAR	37.55%	8.3
JinkoSolar	JKS	21.04%	9.3
Stamps.com	STMP	27.13%	7.4

Disclosure: Author owns STMP.

What Warren Buffett has been Buying

by Fred Fuld III

Warren Buffett, top investor and one of the richest people in the world, is in charge of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) (BRKB) which is up about 50% over the last five years. Even during the last month, BRKA outperformed the S&P 500 by 1.3%. So many look to Buffett to see where he is investing his money.

According to the latest reported filing with the SEC, Berkshire has made the following purchases earlier this year:

Bank of America (BAC) bought 31,081,000 shares

US Bancorp (USB) bought 3,150,787 shares

Amazon (AMZN) bought 54,000 shares

Red hat (RHT) bought 61,419 shares

In regards to what Warren Buffett sold, he liquidated all shares of USG Corp. (USG), and sold 284,102 shares of Charter Communications (CHTR).

Disclosure: Author owns AMZN & BAC.

Highest Yielding Marijuana Cannabis Pot Stocks

by Fred Fuld III

You may have seen some of the major gains in some of the marijuana stocks and wanted to jump on the bandwagon. As an example, Cronos (CRON) has increased by 13% so far this year and Aurora (ACB) rose 26% even after experiencing a big drop during the last six months.

Maybe you are a relatively conservative investor and you want to receive a dividend in return for the risk you are taking. Fortunately, there are several cannabis stocks that provide investors with a yield.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG) has a couple divisions in the marijuana industry. Its Hawthorne Gardening Co. subsidiary purchased General Hydroponics which makes and markets products for the pot growers. The company has also invested in the hydroponics company AeroGrow International (AERO) which markets to the small scale grower. Scotts’ current yield is 2.17%, with the latest dividend of 58 cents paid September 10 (today), an incense of 5.5% over the previous quarter. The dividend has increased on an annual basis since 2015.

AbbVie Inc. (ABBV), the marketer of Marinol also known as Dronabinol, a form of tetrahydrocannabinol, one of the main psychoactive ingredients of marijuana. The company has been paying quarterly dividends and has increased the annual dividend every year since 2013. AbbVie’s annual forward dividend yield is 6.28%. The company’s most recent dividend is $1.07 per share, which will be paid to investors on November 15, 2019 to shareholders of record on October 11.

Innovative Industrial Properties Inc. (IIPR), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, owns, manages, and leases properties to state licensed cannabis growing facilities. Annual dividends since 2017 were 55 cents, $1.20, and $2.40. The dividends are paid quarterly, currently 60 cents per share, up from 45 cents for the previous quarter, an increase of 33%. The company pays a dividend yield of 2.79%.

Altria (MO) is the tobacco company that manufactures and markets cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. The company invested over a billion dollars in Cronos Group (CRON), the Canadian marijuana company. The stock has a forward yield of 7.9%.

Molson Coors (TAP) is the seventh largest brewer in the world. The company is in partnership with HEXO (HEXO) to produce cannabis-infused beverages in Canada. Molson Coors yields 4.03%.

Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF (HMLSF) is an exchange traded fund that invests in many companies involved in the marijuana industry. It has a yield of 7.54%.

Constellation Brands (STZ), the beer, wine, and liquor producer, has a significant ownership in the Ontario, Canada based cannabis company Canopy Growth (CGC). Constellation has a dividend yield of 1.44%.

Let’s hope some of these stocks get high, and provide you with a smoking portfolio.

Don’t forget to read:

Exclusive Interview with Chet Billingsley CEO of Mentor Capital on the Marijuana Industry

Is Apple Getting into the Marijuana Industry?

Disclosure: Author owns CGC and a long option position in ACB.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in September 2019

by Fred Fuld III

The following is a short list of some of the many stocks going ex dividend during the next month.

Many traders and investors use the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ This is the strategy of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend.

This technique generally works in bull markets and flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the strategy during bear markets. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can’t sell the stock until after the ex date.

The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and many with yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the periodic dividend amount, and annual yield.

Cedar Fair, L.P. (FUN)	9/3/2019	0.925	6.74%
Schlumberger N.V. (SLB)	9/3/2019	0.50	6.33%
Pepsico, Inc. (PEP)	9/5/2019	0.955	2.83%
CBS Corporation (CBS)	9/9/2019	0.18	1.70%
HP Inc. (HPQ)	9/10/2019	0.16	3.54%
Domino’s Pizza Inc (DPZ)	9/12/2019	0.65	1.15%
Coca-Cola Company (KO)	9/13/2019	0.40	3.62%
Tiffany & Co. (TIF)	9/19/2019	0.58	2.71%
Yamana Gold Inc. (AUY)	9/27/2019	0.01	0.82%
Republic Services, Inc. (RSG)	9/30/2019	0.405	2.31%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found HERE . (If you have been to the page before, and the latest link doesn’t show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists HERE . Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company’s books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don’t forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

How About Meghan Markle’s House as an Investment

If you are looking for an unusual investment, here is an idea, a house owned by a princess.

More info courtesy of TopRealEstateDeals.com

When Megan Markle, now Duchess of Sussex and a princess of the United Kingdom, first got her acting part in Suits in 2011, she was married to Trevor Engelson and they rented this charming Colonial-style home in L.A.’s Hancock Park neighborhood – a stone’s throw from downtown Hollywood. Though it was necessary for her to live nine months of the year in Toronto while filming, this is where she would return between filming and where she called home until her divorce in 2013. It has recently been put on the market staged in pure Megan style, almost as if she had just stepped out for a quick trip to the grocery. It is now for sale priced at $1.8 million.

Filled with sunlight bouncing off of white walls and bright minimalist decor, the 1924 Colonial measures 2,262-square-feet with four bedrooms, three baths, family room, living room with fireplace and dining area, all on an open plan. The eat-in kitchen is also filled with natural light and white cabinets are covered with marble countertops. The dining room opens onto a patio for entertaining and there is a two-car garage with additional parking.

Although romantics love to believe that Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry was a real life Cinderella story, she had been starring in Suits for six years and was paid, at what Fortune estimates, $450,000 per show. In addition, her two clothing lines were popular, selling out quickly and her fashion-lifestyle blog was also pulling in about $80,000 annually. Not one to sit back and waste time, she had a number of small acting roles in between and made about $200,000 for each of her minor film roles. By the time Markle became engaged to Prince Harry, her estimated wealth was already hovering at $5 million.

Although Markle was divorced from Engelson in 2013 and married Prince Harry in 2018, with whom she now has a child, it is rumored that the Sussexes may be looking for a second home in California where Megan’s mother still lives. But would they be interested in this home? Not likely, as times and fortunes have changed and security needs have changed, but for Megan followers who themselves have big dreams, it is the perfect house. Now for sale at $1.8 million, the listing agent is Sheri Bienstock of The Bienstock Group, Los Angeles.

Photo credit: The Bienstock Group

Top Airline Stocks for Summer Travel

by Nkem Iregbulem

This summer is the 10th consecutive summer to see an increase in the number of passengers flying. Airline for America (A4A) expects the number of passengers to rise 3.4% from 248.8 million travelers last summer to 257.4 million travelers this summer. Low airfares, higher household net worth, and a strong U.S. economy could all be driving this record high air travel. In response to this growing demand, airlines have added more seats to existing planes and increased the capacity of new ones.

Airline stocks may benefit from this busy travel season. These include Alaska Air (ALK), American (AAL), Delta (DAL), SkyWest (SKYW), Spirit (SAVE), Southwest (LUV), and United Continental (UAL). The ALK, DAL, LUV, and SAVE stocks are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and the SKYW, UAL, and AAL stocks are traded on the NASDAQ exchange.

Alaska Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S. when measured by fleet size, passengers carried, and destinations served. With its fleet size of 334, Alaska Airlines flies to over 100 domestic and international destinations. The airline is headquartered in Washington and was founded in 1932. Alaska Air has a market cap of $8.01 billion and pays a dividend yield of 2.16%. The stock trades at 14.34 times trailing earnings and at 11.10 times forward earnings. It has an excellent price-to-sales ratio of 0.95 and a price-to-book ratio of 2.02. The company boasts a 3-year revenue growth rate of 13.86% and a 5-year revenue growth rate of 9.89%.

American Airlines is the world’s largest airline when measured by number of passengers carried, fleet size, revenue, and destinations served. Founded in 1926 and based in Texas, the airline serves 350 destinations in over 50 countries. It has a market cap of $14.09 billion and pays a dividend yield of 1.26%. The stock trades at 8.26 times trailing earnings and at 6.03 times forward earnings. It has an excellent price-to-sales ratio of 0.33 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.25. The company enjoys a 3-year revenue growth rate of 2.81% and an even better 5-year revenue growth rate of 10.74%.

Delta Airlines is ranked the world’s second largest airline when measured by the number of passengers carried and fleet size. Headquartered in Georgia and founded in 1924, it serves 325 destinations across 52 countries. Delta has a market cap of $40.46 billion and pays a dividend yield of 2.59%. The stock trades at 9.86 times trailing earnings and at 8.85 times forward earnings. It has an excellent price-to-sales ratio of 0.92 and a price-to-book ratio of 2.90. With its revenue increasing each fiscal year since 2016, Delta enjoys a 3-year revenue growth rate of 2.97% and a slightly better 5-year revenue growth rate of 3.30%.

SkyWest is the largest regional airline in North America when measured by fleet size, number of passengers, and destinations served. Based in Utah and founded in 1972, it flies to over 250 destinations across in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas. SkyWest has a market cap of $3.11 billion and pays a dividend yield of 0.79%. The stock trades at 9.99 times trailing earnings and at 10.12 times forward earnings. It has a normal price-to-sales ratio of 1.02 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.56. SkyWest’s revenue has increased each fiscal year since 2015, giving it a 3-year revenue growth rate of 1.34% but a 5-year revenue growth rate of -0.47%.

Spirit Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier and the seventh largest airline in the United States. Based in Florida and founded in 1983, it serves 76 destinations across Central America, South America, and the United States. Spirit Airlines has a market cap of $2.88 billion and does not pay a dividend yield. Spirit has a fleet size of 75 and flies to 76 domestic and international destinations. The stock trades at 10.27 times trailing earnings and at 7.15 times forward earnings. It has an excellent price-to-sales ratio of 0.79 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.37. Spirit Airlines boasts a 3-year revenue growth rate of 15.77% and a 5-year revenue growth rate of 14.97%.

Southwest Airlines is the world’s largest low-cost carrier. The airline carries more domestic passengers than any other United States airline. Based in Texas and founded in 1971, it serves just over 100 destinations within the United States and 10 other countries. Southwest has a market cap of $29.82 billion and pays a dividend yield of 1.31%. The stock trades at 13.06 times trailing earnings and at 11.95 times forward earnings. It has a normal price-to-sales ratio of 1.40 and a price-to-book ratio of 3.05. Southwest enjoys a 3-year revenue growth rate of 3.48% and a slightly better 5-year revenue growth rate of 4.41%.

United Airlines is another large airline. Founded in 1926 and headquartered in Illinois, it serves over 200 domestic destinations and over 300 destinations in total across five continents. United Continental has a market cap of $24.13 billion and does not pay a dividend yield. The stock trades at 8.63 times trailing earnings and at 8.07 times forward earnings. It has an excellent price-to-sales ratio of 0.59 and a price-to-book ratio of 2.34. With its revenue increasing each fiscal year since 2016, United has a 3-year revenue growth rate of 2.94% and a 5-year revenue growth rate of 1.53%.

Maybe some of these airline stocks will be flying high.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in August 2019

by Fred Fuld III

The following is a short list of some of the many stocks going ex dividend during the next month.

PetMed Express, Inc. (PETS)	8/1/2019	0.27	6.71%
Citigroup Inc. (C)	8/2/2019	0.51	2.84%
MetLife, Inc. (MET)	8/5/2019	0.44	3.52%
Boeing Company (BA)	8/8/2019	2.055	2.42%
Walmart Inc. (WMT)	8/8/2019	0.53	1.89%
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY)	8/14/2019	0.645	2.37%
Duke Energy Corporation (DUK)	8/15/2019	0.945	4.31%
Moody’s Corporation (MCO)	8/19/2019	0.50	0.99%
Carnival Corporation (CCL)	8/22/2019	0.50	4.22%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)	8/26/2019	0.95	2.86%
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS)	8/29/2019	1.25	2.27%
Molson Coors Brewing (TAP)	8/29/2019	0.57	4.03%
Kellogg Company (K)	8/30/2019	0.57	3.90%

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don’t forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

You May Be Entitled to Free Credit Monitoring or $125 Cash Payment

by Fred Fuld III

Equifax has set up a website for the settlement of the data breach back in September of 2017.

If you have been impacted, you can file a claim and receive free credit monitoring, or if you already have credit monitoring, you can request a $125 cash payment.

In addition, you may be able to claim for time you spent to remedy the misuse of your personal information, assuming you can provide documentation.

To see if you have been impacted, go to the following site, scroll down and click on the Find Out If Your Information Has Been Impacted button.

https://www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com

To file a claim, go to the following link:

https://www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com/file-a-claim