A recent boom in oil and gas prices, along with severe weather, is making the mix of energy sources in the U.S. more expensive, volatile, and pollution-heavy.

Investors interested in Oil and Gas – Exploration and Production – United States stocks are likely familiar with CNX Resources Corporation. (CNX) and Diamondback Energy (FANG). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, CNX Resources Corporation. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Diamondback Energy has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that CNX has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

CNX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.53, while FANG has a forward P/E of 10.65. We also note that CNX has a PEG ratio of 0.31. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. FANG currently has a PEG ratio of 0.49.

Another notable valuation metric for CNX is its P/B ratio of 0.70. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, FANG has a P/B of 1.67.

These metrics, and several others, help CNX earn a Value grade of A, while FANG has been given a Value grade of C.

CNX has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than FANG, so it seems like value investors will conclude that CNX is the superior option right now.

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CNX Resources Corporation. (CNX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Diamondback Energy, Inc. (FANG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Investors might want to bet on CNX Resources Corporation. (CNX), as earnings estimates for this company have been showing solid improvement lately. The stock has already gained solid short-term price momentum, and this trend might continue with its still improving earnings outlook.

The rising trend in estimate revisions, which is a result of growing analyst optimism on the earnings prospects of this company, should get reflected in its stock price. After all, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. This insight is at the core of our stock rating tool — the Zacks Rank.

The five-grade Zacks Rank system, which ranges from a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record of outperformance, with Zacks #1 Ranked stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 2008.

For CNX Resources Corporation. There has been strong agreement among the covering analysts in raising earnings estimates, which has helped push consensus estimates considerably higher for the next quarter and full year.

The chart below shows the evolution of forward 12-month Zacks Consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Current-Quarter Estimate Revisions

The earnings estimate of $0.29 per share for the current quarter represents a change of +625% from the number reported a year ago.

Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CNX Resources Corporation. has increased 23.19% because four estimates have moved higher compared to no negative revisions.

Current-Year Estimate Revisions

The company is expected to earn $1.27 per share for the full year, which represents a change of +86.76% from the prior-year number.

There has been an encouraging trend in estimate revisions for the current year as well. Over the past month, four estimates have moved up for CNX Resources Corporation. versus no negative revisions. This has pushed the consensus estimate 10.34% higher.

Favorable Zacks Rank

The promising estimate revisions have helped CNX Resources Corporation. earn a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Rank is a tried-and-tested rating tool that helps investors effectively harness the power of earnings estimate revisions and make the right investment decision. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Our research shows that stocks with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and 2 (Buy) significantly outperform the S&P 500.

Bottom Line

CNX Resources Corporation. shares have added 6.8% over the past four weeks, suggesting that investors are betting on its impressive estimate revisions. So, you may consider adding it to your portfolio right away to benefit from its earnings growth prospects.

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CNX Resources Corporation. (CNX) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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CNX Resources Corporation. (CNX) closed the last trading session at $13.30, gaining 6.8% over the past four weeks, but there could be plenty of upside left in the stock if short-term price targets set by Wall Street analysts are any guide. The mean price target of $17.67 indicates a 32.9% upside potential.

The average comprises nine short-term price targets ranging from a low of $13 to a high of $28, with a standard deviation of $4.36. While the lowest estimate indicates a decline of 2.3% from the current price level, the most optimistic estimate points to an 110.5% upside. More than the range, one should note the standard deviation here, as it helps understand the variability of the estimates. The smaller the standard deviation, the greater the agreement among analysts.

While the consensus price target is highly sought after by investors, the ability and unbiasedness of analysts in setting price targets have long been questionable. And investors making investment decisions solely based on this tool would arguably do themselves a disservice.

But, for CNX, an impressive average price target is not the only indicator of a potential upside. Strong agreement among analysts about the company's ability to report better earnings than they predicted earlier strengthens this view. While a positive trend in earnings estimate revisions doesn't gauge how much a stock could gain, it has proven to be powerful in predicting an upside.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Here's What You Should Know About Analysts' Price Targets

According to researchers at several universities across the globe, a price target is one of many pieces of information about a stock that misleads investors far more often than it guides. In fact, empirical research shows that price targets set by several analysts, irrespective of the extent of agreement, rarely indicate where the price of a stock could actually be heading.

While Wall Street analysts have deep knowledge of a company's fundamentals and the sensitivity of its business to economic and industry issues, many of them tend to set overly optimistic price targets. Are you wondering why?

They usually do that to drum up interest in shares of companies that their firms either have existing business relationships with or are looking to be associated with. In other words, business incentives of firms covering a stock often result in inflated price targets set by analysts.

However, a tight clustering of price targets, which is represented by a low standard deviation, indicates that analysts have a high degree of agreement about the direction and magnitude of a stock's price movement. While that doesn't necessarily mean the stock will hit the average price target, it could be a good starting point for further research aimed at identifying the potential fundamental driving forces.

That said, while investors should not entirely ignore price targets, making an investment decision solely based on them could lead to disappointing ROI. So, price targets should always be treated with a high degree of skepticism.

Why CNX Could Witness a Solid Upside

There has been increasing optimism among analysts lately about the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by strong agreement among them in revising EPS estimates higher. And that could be a legitimate reason to expect an upside in the stock. After all, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

For the current year, four estimates have moved higher over the last 30 days compared to no negative revision. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased 10.3%.

Moreover, CNX currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which means it is in the top 20% of more than the 4,000 stocks that we rank based on four factors related to earnings estimates. Given an impressive externally-audited track record, this is a more conclusive indication of the stock's potential upside in the near term. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

Therefore, while the consensus price target may not be a reliable indicator of how much CNX could gain, the direction of price movement it implies does appear to be a good guide.

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CNX Resources Corporation. (CNX) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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Zacks Investment Research

Email in court shows former CEO said grocery chain did hundreds of hours of due diligence before inking Theranos deal.

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 11, 2021 – Stocks in this week’s article are C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. CHRW, ArcBest Corporation ARCB, AutoNation, Inc. AN, Phillips 66 PSX and Peabody Energy Corporation BTU.

Recent Analyst Upgrades Bring These 5 Stocks into the Limelight

With the third-quarter earnings season commencing shortly for most sectors, investors will look to add stocks to their respective portfolios, which have the potential to surpass earnings expectations in the to-be-reported quarter. Generally, an earnings outperformance results in stock price appreciation.

The task of selecting appropriate stocks from a plethora of options available in the stock market at a given point of time is anything but easy. The current scenario of the Delta-variant induced uncertainty made the task even more daunting. The procedure becomes further difficult when one tries to select a winning portfolio without proper guidance.

Time for Some Broker Advice?

In view of these unprecedented times and economic constraints, it is in the best interest of investors to be guided by the experts in the field. The concerned experts are brokers. Brokers, irrespective of their types (sell-side, buy-side or independent), undertake a thorough research of the stocks that they cover.

They have at their disposal a lot more information on a company and its prospects than individual investors.  To attain their objective, they go through minute details of the publicly available financial documents apart from attending company conference calls and other presentations.  Broker opinion should thus act as a valuable guide for investors while deciding their course of action (buy, sell or hold) on a particular stock.

Direction of Earnings Estimates Serves as a Proper Pointer

As brokers meticulously follow the stocks in their coverage, they revise their earnings estimates after carefully examining the pros and the cons of an event for the concerned company. Naturally, their estimate revisions serve as an important pointer regarding the price of a stock.

To take care of the earnings performance, we designed a screen based on improving broker recommendations and upward estimate revisions over the last four weeks.

Do Not Ignore the Top Line

However, designing a strategy based solely on the bottom line is unlikely to lead to a winning approach. Actually, according to many market watchers, a revenue beat is more creditable for a company than a mere earnings outperformance. To address top-line concerns, we included in our screen the price/sales ratio, which serves as a strong complementary valuation metric.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/amp/stock/news/1808244/recent-analyst-upgrade-brings-these-5-stocks-in-the-limelight

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine.  But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.

Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
AutoNation, Inc. (AN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Phillips 66 (PSX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
ArcBest Corporation (ARCB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — CNX Resources Corp. (NYSE: CNX) will announce its financial results for Q3 2021 at 6:45 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, October 28. At that time, CNX will issue a brief press release containing a link to presentation materials providing a Q3 2021 update, which will be available on CNX's Investor Relations website. This release will be followed by a conference call and webcast.

Conference Call Information

CNX Resources (NYSE: CNX)

• 10:00 a.m. ET: Thursday, October 28

• Dial-In: 855-656-0928 (domestic) 412-902-4112 (international)

• Reference "CNX Resources Call"

• Webcast: investors.cnx.com

A replay of the conference call and webcast will be maintained on the Investor Relations page on CNX's website.

About CNX Resources

CNX Resources Corporation (NYSE: CNX) is the premier independent natural gas development, production, and midstream company, with operations centered in the major shale formations of the Appalachian basin. Our vertically integrated model includes transmission, storage, gathering systems, and water infrastructure that support energy development from wellhead to end user. With the benefit of a more than 150-year legacy and a substantial asset base amassed over many generations, the company deploys a strategy focused on responsibly developing its resources to create long term per share value for its shareholders, employees, and the communities where it operates. As of December 31, 2020, CNX had 9.55 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor's Midcap 400 Index. Additional information may be found at www.cnx.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cnx-resources-corporation-announces-third-quarter-2021-financial-results-and-conference-call-schedule-301397250.html

SOURCE CNX Resources Corporation

TULSA, Okla., October 11, 2021–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP) will report its third quarter 2021 financial results before the market opens on Monday, October 25, 2021. Alliance management will discuss these results during a conference call beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern that same day.

To participate in the conference call, dial (877) 407-0784 and request to be connected to the Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. earnings conference call. International callers should dial (201) 689-8560 and request to be connected to the same call. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial U.S. Toll Free (844) 512-2921; International Toll (412) 317-6671 and request to be connected to replay using access code 13723742.

About Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.

ARLP is a diversified natural resource company that generates operating and royalty income from coal produced by its mining complexes and royalty income from mineral interests it owns in strategic oil & gas producing regions in the United States, primarily the Permian, Anadarko and Williston basins.

ARLP currently produces coal from seven mining complexes it operates in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia. ARLP also operates a coal loading terminal on the Ohio River at Mount Vernon, Indiana. ARLP markets its coal production to major domestic and international utilities and industrial users and is currently the second largest coal producer in the eastern United States.

In addition, ARLP also generates income from a variety of other sources.

News, unit prices and additional information about ARLP, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), are available at http://www.arlp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of ARLP at (918) 295-7674 or via e-mail at investorrelations@arlp.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211011005084/en/

Contacts

Brian L. Cantrell
Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.
(918) 295-7673

If you want to know who really controls New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX:NHC), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership.

New Hope has a market capitalization of AU$2.2b, so we would expect some institutional investors to have noticed the stock. In the chart below, we can see that institutional investors have bought into the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about New Hope.

View our latest analysis for New Hope

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About New Hope?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

We can see that New Hope does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see New Hope's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

New Hope is not owned by hedge funds. Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited is currently the company's largest shareholder with 40% of shares outstanding. With 7.4% and 4.8% of the shares outstanding respectively, L1 Capital Pty. Limited and Vinva Investment Management Limited are the second and third largest shareholders.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 3 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of New Hope

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of New Hope Corporation Limited. It is a pretty big company, so it would be possible for board members to own a meaningful interest in the company, without owning much of a proportional interest. In this case, they own around AU$21m worth of shares (at current prices). It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with a 22% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Public Company Ownership

Public companies currently own 40% of New Hope stock. This may be a strategic interest and the two companies may have related business interests. It could be that they have de-merged. This holding is probably worth investigating further.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 4 warning signs with New Hope (at least 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

With the third-quarter earnings season commencing shortly for most sectors, investors will look to add stocks to their respective portfolios, which have the potential to surpass earnings expectations in the to-be-reported quarter. Generally, an earnings outperformance results in stock price appreciation.

The task of selecting appropriate stocks from a plethora of options available in the stock market at a given point of time is anything but easy. The current scenario of the Delta-variant induced uncertainty made the task even more daunting. The procedure becomes further difficult when one tries to select a winning portfolio without proper guidance.

Time for Some Broker Advice?

In view of these unprecedented times and economic constraints, it is in the best interest of investors to be guided by the experts in the field. The concerned experts are brokers. Brokers, irrespective of their types (sell-side, buy-side or independent), undertake a thorough research of the stocks that they cover.

They have at their disposal a lot more information on a company and its prospects than individual investors.  To attain their objective, they go through minute details of the publicly available financial documents apart from attending company conference calls and other presentations.  Broker opinion should thus act as a valuable guide for investors while deciding their course of action (buy, sell or hold) on a particular stock.

Direction of Earnings Estimates Serves as a Proper Pointer

As brokers meticulously follow the stocks in their coverage, they revise their earnings estimates after carefully examining the pros and the cons of an event for the concerned company. Naturally, their estimate revisions serve as an important pointer regarding the price of a stock.

To take care of the earnings performance, we designed a screen based on improving broker recommendations and upward estimate revisions over the last four weeks.

Do not Ignore the Top Line

However, designing a strategy based solely on the bottom line is unlikely to lead to a winning approach. Actually, according to many market watchers, a revenue beat is more creditable for a company than a mere earnings outperformance. To address top-line concerns, we included in our screen the price/sales ratio, which serves as a strong complementary valuation metric.

Screening Criteria

# (Up- Down Rating)/ Total (4 weeks) =Top #75: This gives the list of top 75 companies that have witnessed net upgrades over the last 4 weeks.

% change in Q (1) est. (4 weeks) = Top #10: This gives the top 10 stocks that have witnessed earnings estimate revisions over the past 4 weeks for the upcoming quarter.

To ensure that the strategy is a winning one, covering all bases, we have added the following screening parameters:

Price-to-Sales = Bot%10: The lower the ratio the better, companies meeting this criteria are in bottom 10% of our universe of over 7,700 stocks with respect to this ratio.

Price greater than 5: A stock trading below $5 will not likely create significant interest for most investors.

Average Daily Volume greater than 100,000 shares over the last 20 trading days: Volume has to be significant to ensure that these are easily traded.

Market value ($ mil) = Top #3000: This gives us stocks that are the top 3000 if one judges by market capitalization.

Com/ADR/Canadian= Com: This eliminates the ADR and Canadian stocks.

Here are five of the 10 stocks that made it through the screen:

C.H. Robinson Worldwide CHRW, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), operates as an asset-light logistics company.  This Minnesota-based freight broker is being aided by the improving freight scenario in the United States. The company has an impressive track record with respect to earnings, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, the average being 14.5%. 

ArcBest Corporation ARCB provides freight transportation services and solutions. Improving freight conditions in the United States bode well for this presently Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) player. Solid customer demand and higher market rates are supporting growth at ArcBest. The stock has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter earnings being revised 29.8% upward over the past 60 days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

AutoNation AN, currently sporting a Zacks Rank of 1, is an automotive retailer in the United States. The stock has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings move 7.3% north over the past 60 days. The company is benefiting from factors like its diversified product mix and cost-containment efforts.

Based in Houston, TX, Phillips 66's PSX operations incorporate refining, midstream, marketing and specialties, and chemicals. The company, currently carrying a Zacks Rank of 3, is strongly positioned to gain from rising demand for midstream assets in the United States. It has an impressive history with respect to earnings, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters (missing the mark in the remaining one). The average beat is 28.6%. 

Peabody Energy BTU: St Louis, MO-based Peabody Energy engages in the coal-mining business and has both thermal and metallurgical operations to manage. Revival in the domestic and international coal markets augurs well for this currently Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock that outperformed on earnings in each of the last four quarters, the average being 48%.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial to day. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
AutoNation, Inc. (AN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Phillips 66 (PSX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
ArcBest Corporation (ARCB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Yields of up to 15pc are on offer next year as FTSE 100 dividends return to record levels, rewarding investors who make early moves to capture 2022’s top payouts.

Total payments could reach £85.1bn, just behind the £85.2bn record paid out in 2018, according to the stockbroker AJ Bell, as profits and economies rebound after the pandemic.

Analysts are predicting British blue-chip stocks will build on a strong recovery in dividends this year. Payouts from FTSE 100 companies are forecast to reach £84.1bn in 2021, a rise of 37pc from £61.4bn in 2020.

Dividends from some of the London stock market’s biggest payers this year have sent their yields soaring.

Shares in miners Rio Tinto and Evraz yield almost 18pc, based on payouts for their 2021 financial year and current share prices, according to AJ Bell. Rival BHP Group yields 11.3pc.

While dividends from miners have ballooned, investors haven’t left it too late to cash in, according to experts. More than half of Rio Tinto’s 17.8pc yield is forecast to come from a bumper final dividend expected to be paid in April. Similarly, half of Evraz’s $1.48 dividend predicted for its 2021 financial year has yet to be paid.

The FTSE 100’s trio of top dividend payers are meanwhile forecast to continue to offer high payouts next year. Analysts have estimated 2022 yields of 14.9pc for Evraz, 12.4pc for Rio Tinto and 12.2pc for BHP.

Is this too good to be true? Ian Williams, the manager of the Charteris Premium Income fund, said he did not think so. Mr Williams, who holds around a third of his portfolio in mining stocks, said he expected double-digit yield forecasts to come good, despite a slump in the iron ore price from its summer high amid waning Chinese demand.

“Even if commodity prices fall, mining companies are so profitable they can still pay high dividends,” he said.

“Rio Tinto takes iron ore out of the ground for around $20 a ton. Prices have fallen by almost half since July to $118 a ton, so even after a crash it can still afford to pay shareholders.”

Mr Williams argued that miners could continue to raise their dividends in the future as they rode a wave of higher demand for metals as governments and companies pushed to decarbonise the economy.

“You can’t have decarbonisation without metals. Electric cars use four times as much copper as their petrol equivalents – demand for the metal could rise more in the next 10 years than it has done in the past 2,000,” he said.

“Rare earth” metals will also be in demand thanks to their use in the lithium-ion batteries used to power electric cars. Mr Williams highlighted Poly­metal International, forecast to yield 9.8pc next year, as a major miner of these metals.

However, other investors warned that chasing the high yields offered by mining stocks was dangerous. Laura Foll of the fund group Janus Henderson said: “Be wary of relying solely on the yield to value shares.”

She added that Rio Tinto and BHP’s high forecast dividends depended on the prices of a narrow basket of metals.

Ms Foll highlighted shares in rival miner Anglo American, which she owns in her funds, as an alternative. Expected to yield 6.6pc next year, she argued that the stock’s dividend was more reliable as the company made money from a large basket of commodities, including copper, diamonds, iron ore and nickel.

Shares in banks also offered good dividend prospects, she said. Lenders have resumed payouts after the Bank of England scrapped restrictions imposed at the start of the pandemic, and their dividends are expected to grow. Lloyds Banking Group and ­NatWest, which Ms Foll owns, are forecast to yield 5.6pc and 4.7pc respectively next year.

Simon Gergel, manager of the £660m Merchants Trust, also cautioned on the outlook for miners’ dividends. He said payouts from Rio Tinto and BHP would fall next year should the iron ore price remain at its current level.

He recommended tobacco companies as an alternative source of dividends as their profits were more predictable. British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands are forecast to yield 8.5pc and 9.2pc next year, and the former has raised its payout in each of the past 23 years.

TORONTO, Oct. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (TSXV: TVC) Three Valley Copper Corp. (“Three Valley Copper” or the “Company”) announces that it has granted 234,075 Deferred Share Units (DSUs) to directors and 49,938 Restricted Share Units (RSUs) to the CEO pursuant to its long-term incentive plan.

The Company intends to grant DSUs quarterly to its directors, with each grant representing one-half of each director’s board retainer, payable in cash or common shares of the Company, upon the holder ceasing to be a director of the Company. The 234,075 DSUs granted reflect the total of owed to directors for the quarters ending March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021.

The RSUs granted to the CEO represent 20% of the base compensation of the CEO and are payable in common shares of the Company on exercise, and vest on January 1 of the second calendar year after the date of grant. The Company intends to grant additional RSUs representing 20% of the base compensation of the CEO on a quarterly basis.

About Three Valley Copper

Three Valley Copper, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is focused on growing copper production from, and further exploration of, its primary asset, Minera Tres Valles. Located in Salamanca, Chile, MTV is 91.1% owned by the Company and MTV's main assets are the Minera Tres Valles mining complex and its 46,000 hectares of exploratory lands. For more information about the Company, please visit www.threevalleycopper.com.

For further information:

Michael Staresinic
Chief Executive Officer
T: (416) 943-7107
E: mstaresinic@threevalleycopper.com

Renmark Financial Communications Inc.
Joshua Lavers: jlavers@renmarkfinancial.com
T: (416) 644-2020 or (212) 812-7680
www.renmarkfinancial.com

Source: Three Valley Copper.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ranchero Gold Corp. (formerly, Melior Resources Inc.) (TSXV: “RNCH”) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced reverse-takeover transaction (the “Transaction”) with the private entity Ranchero BC Holding Corp. (formerly Ranchero Gold Corp.) (“Ranchero”). In accordance with the terms of the Transaction, the Company has acquired all of the issued and outstanding securities of Ranchero by way of a three-cornered amalgamation in accordance with the terms and conditions of the amalgamation agreement dated February 17, 2021, as amended, between Melior Resources Inc., Ranchero and 1274169 B.C. Ltd. The Transaction constituted a reverse takeover of the Company by Ranchero pursuant to Policy 5.2 of the Corporate Finance Manual of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”), as following the closing of the Transaction, the former shareholders of Ranchero own a majority of the outstanding common shares of the Company.

The Company has filed a filing statement dated September 30, 2021 (the “Filing Statement”) on SEDAR under its profile relating to the Transaction. In connection with the Filing Statement, the Company also filed a technical report regarding the Santa Daniela property titled “CSA NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Santa Daniela Gold Project, Municipios of Sahuaripa and Yecora, Sonora, Mexico” with an effective date of August 24, 2020 (the “Technical Report”). Investors are encouraged to review the Filing Statement and Technical Report, which provide detailed information about the Transaction, the Company and the Santa Daniela property.

The common shares of the Company are expected to commence trading on the TSXV on or about October 18, 2021 under the new trading symbol “RNCH”. The Transaction remains subject to the final acceptance of the TSXV.

Name Change and Consolidation

Prior to the completion of the Transaction, the Company changed its name to “Ranchero Gold Corp.” and consolidated its common shares (the “Consolidation”) on the basis of 32.6764 pre-Consolidation common shares for one post-Consolidation common share of the Company. Letters of transmittal providing instructions on exchanging pre-Consolidation share certificates for post-Consolidation share certificates or Direct Registration System (DRS) Statements to be issued in the name of “Ranchero Gold Corp.” will be mailed by TSX Trust Company to the Company’s registered shareholders. Registered shareholders are encouraged to send their share certificates, together with their letter of transmittal, to TSX Trust Company in accordance with the instructions in the letter of transmittal. Beneficial shareholders holding common shares in the capital of the Company through an intermediary should be aware that the intermediary may have different procedures for processing the Consolidation and are encouraged to contact their respective intermediaries in this regard. No fractional common shares will be issued as a result of the Consolidation. Where the Consolidation would otherwise result in an entitlement to a fractional common share, the number of post-Consolidation shares issued will be rounded up or down to the nearest whole number of common shares.

An aggregate of 57,862,322 common shares of the Company were issued pursuant to the Transaction. Following the completion of the Transaction, the Company has an aggregate of approximately 65,737,322 common shares issued and outstanding. The CUSIP number of the common shares of the Company has been changed to 75189P109 and its ISIN has been changed to CA75189P1099.

Debt Settlement and Success Fee

As a condition to closing of the Transaction, the Company settled its debt of approximately C$35.5 million owing to Pala Investments Limited (“Pala”) through the conversion of approximately C$32.0 million of the outstanding indebtedness into an aggregate of 6,449,759 common shares of the Company, on a post-Consolidation basis, and Pala forgave the remaining indebtedness of approximately C$3.5 million pursuant to the terms of a debt settlement agreement between Pala and the Company.

As Pala was a control person of the Company prior to the Transaction, the debt settlement was a related party transaction pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI 61-101”). The Company relied on the financial hardship exemptions from valuation and minority approval contained in sections 5.5(g) and 5.7(e) of MI 61-101. The debt settlement was unanimously approved by the board of directors of the Company. Prior to the debt settlement and Transaction, Pala owned 47.3% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company, and following the debt settlement and Transaction, Pala owns approximately 11.6% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company.

The Company also issued an aggregate of 510,154 common shares of the Company, on a post-Consolidation basis, to LACG Capital Inc. (“LACG”) in consideration for LACG’s assistance in introducing Ranchero to the Company.

The common shares of the Company issued to Pala and LACG are subject to a hold period expiring on February 8, 2022, and the shares issued to Pala are also subject to a TSXV Form 5D – Escrow Agreement.

Concurrent Financing

Ranchero previously completed a private placement of an aggregate of 9,561,613 subscription receipts, at a price of $0.55 per subscription receipt, to raise aggregate gross proceeds of $5,258,887 (the “Concurrent Financing”). Haywood Securities Inc. (the “Agent”) acted as the agent and bookrunner to locate purchasers in the Concurrent Financing on a best-efforts agency basis. Immediately prior to the closing of the Transaction, each subscription receipt issued in the Concurrent Financing was converted one common share of Ranchero, which was immediately exchanged for one common share of the Company pursuant to the Transaction. The gross proceeds of the Concurrent Financing less certain deductions and 50% of the cash fee payable to the Agent, applicable taxes and expenses of the Agent incurred in connection with the Concurrent Financing were released from escrow concurrently with the completion of the Transaction. The Company issued an aggregate of 319,093 broker warrants (the “Broker Warrants”) in exchange for the broker warrants that were previously issued by Ranchero to the Agent and the finders of the Concurrent Financing. Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.55 until October 7, 2023.

Shareholder Approval

In accordance with the policies of the TSXV, the Company obtained the written consent of shareholders of the Company holding greater than 50% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company to the Consolidation and the Transaction.

Board of Directors and Management

Following completion of the Transaction, the board of directors of the Company has been reconstituted to consist of Martyn Buttenshaw, Gustavo Mazón, Steven Ristorcelli and William Pincus. Management of the Company has been reconstituted to consist of William Pincus as President and CEO and Ranbir Sall as CFO and Corporate Secretary.

On behalf of the board of directors of the Company:

William Pincus
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

For further information, please contact:

William Pincus
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
+1 303 589 3734

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell and is not a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. The securities of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws unless pursuant to an exemption from such registration.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate” “plans”, “estimates” or “intends” or stating that certain actions, events or results “ may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, the final acceptance of the TSXV to the Transaction.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: risks related to regulatory approval, including the approval of the TSXV. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statement will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipate in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Coal as a fuel source was losing its dominance globally, primarily due to rising awareness about emissions and its impact on climate change. Coal was a major source of fuel in electricity generation, and other heavy industries like steel and cement but the increasing usage of clean burning natural gas as well as renewable sources of energy to generate electricity has pushed back coal as a fuel source. The outbreak of COVID-19 last year and the resultant decline in commercial and industrial activities have further lowered demand for coal on a global scale.

Nonetheless, things have started to change in favor of the coal industry, as is quite evident from the Zacks Coal industry’s surge of 275% in the past 12 months compared with the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s 28.4% rally. Increasing medical knowledge to effectively deal with the virus and rollout of vaccines on a global scale have restarted economic activities, creating a demand for electricity. With prices of natural gas remaining high, coal has again become a preferred source of fuel for utility operators.

The World Steel Association in its Short Range Outlook for 2021 and 2022 forecasts that steel demand will grow 5.8% in 2021 and reach 1,874.0 million tons (Mt). It is projected to see further growth of 2.7% and touch 1,924.6 Mt in 2022. Metallurgical coal (met coal) is the primary source of carbon used in steelmaking. An increase in steel production will also increase the demand for met coal globally.

Per the U.S. Energy Information Administration release, coal production in the United States will increase 12.3% year over year to 601 million short tons (MMst) in 2021. Coal production is expected to increase further by 47 MMst in 2022 and reach 648 MMs. Coal exports from the United States are expected to increase from 69.1 MMst in 2020 to 90.5 MMst in 2021 and 94 MMst in 2022.

Peabody Energy Corporation BTU, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), and other companies that have exposure to thermal coal and met coal are well poised to benefit from the revival in domestic and international coal markets. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The expected increase in U.S. met coal exports in the 2021-2022 time period is going to benefit other coal stocks such as Arch Resources Inc. ARCH, Ramaco Resources METC and CONSOL Energy Inc. CEIX. While Arch Resources and Ramaco sport a Zacks Rank #1, CONSOL Energy has a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.

Steel, cement, and other coal-intensive industries in European and Asian countries are expected to restart operations in full steam backed by government stimulus, and rising demand due to the opening up of economic activities.

All the coal stocks mentioned above have outperformed the Zacks S&P 500 composite in the past six months.

Price Performance (Six months)

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 earnings of Peabody Energy, Arch Resources, Ramaco Resources, and CONSOL Energy has moved up 358%, 148%, 153.2%, and 53.1%, respectively, in the past 90 days.

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MELBOURNE (Reuters) – BHP Group, the world's largest listed mining company, announced on Thursday that from the end of January all workers and visitors entering its workplaces in Australia will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Those requirements will be introduced earlier for some sites in high risk areas, such as Mt Arthur coal mine in New South Wales state, BHP said in a statement.

Australia has struggled since mid-year to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.

It is now pushing to increase vaccination rates so that cities can begin lowering their lockdowns.

“The science is clear that widespread vaccination saves lives," BHP Minerals Australia President Edgar Basto said in a statement.

"We recognise the path forward is through widespread vaccination in Australia and we are looking at a range of practical ways to support that while protecting communities and workforces," he said.

The Mining and Energy Union said that it did not support BHP’s decision to mandate vaccines and that it was working through the legal implications of the decision.

"We have strongly advocated to government and industry that COVID-19 vaccinations should be voluntary for mineworkers," it said in a statement.

Western Australia, where BHP runs its iron ore operations, and which has remained mostly coronavirus free, said earlier this week that it would require all employees that work with natural resources to have a first COVID-19 shot from December.

That was to help protect vulnerable Indigenous communities as the country begins opening up, it said.

Australia's coronavirus numbers are relatively low, with some 120,000 cases and 1,381 deaths. The country's double dose vaccination rate has climbed to around 47%.

(Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

Active investing isn't easy, but for those that do it, the aim is to find the best companies to buy, and to profit handsomely. When you buy and hold the right company, the returns can make a huge difference to both you and your family. For example, Hallador Energy Company (NASDAQ:HNRG) has generated a beautiful 371% return in just a single year. And in the last month, the share price has gained 43%. In contrast, the longer term returns are negative, since the share price is 46% lower than it was three years ago.

After a strong gain in the past week, it's worth seeing if longer term returns have been driven by improving fundamentals.

See our latest analysis for Hallador Energy

Hallador Energy isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Hallador Energy actually shrunk its revenue over the last year, with a reduction of 16%. This is in stark contrast to the splendorous stock price, which has rocketed 371% since this time a year ago. There can be no doubt this kind of decoupling of revenue growth and share price growth is unusual to see in loss making companies. While this gain looks like speculative buying to us, sometimes speculation pays off.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

This free interactive report on Hallador Energy's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Hallador Energy has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 371% in the last twelve months. That certainly beats the loss of about 9% per year over the last half decade. This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Hallador Energy (at least 2 which shouldn't be ignored) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Of course Hallador Energy may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of CNX Resources Corporation (NYSE:CNX) by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for CNX Resources

Crunching the numbers

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)
Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$2.7b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.0%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 10.0%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF₂₀₃₁ × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = US$459m× (1 + 2.0%) ÷ (10.0%– 2.0%) = US$5.8b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)¹⁰= US$5.8b÷ ( 1 + 10.0%)¹⁰= US$2.3b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$5.0b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$12.9, the company appears quite undervalued at a 44% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

The assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at CNX Resources as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 10.0%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.831. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Moving On:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For CNX Resources, we've put together three pertinent elements you should further examine:

1. Financial Health: Does CNX have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk.

2. Future Earnings: How does CNX's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart.

3. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

Steven Burd led the grocery chain as it invested more than $350 million in a deal that never fully materialized.

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) closed the most recent trading day at $32.20, moving -1.56% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500's 1.05% gain on the day.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the mining company had lost 9.49% over the past month. This has lagged the Basic Materials sector's loss of 8.25% and the S&P 500's loss of 5.07% in that time.

FCX will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. On that day, FCX is projected to report earnings of $0.83 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 186.21%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $6.17 billion, up 60.3% from the prior-year quarter.

FCX's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $2.97 per share and revenue of $23.04 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +450% and +62.27%, respectively.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for FCX. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.42% higher. FCX is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, FCX currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.02. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.39.

It is also worth noting that FCX currently has a PEG ratio of 0.33. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Mining – Non Ferrous industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 0.55 as of yesterday's close.

The Mining – Non Ferrous industry is part of the Basic Materials sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 71, putting it in the top 28% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow FCX in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

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One stock that might be an intriguing choice for investors right now is Peabody Energy Corporation BTU. This is because this security in the Coal space is seeing solid earnings estimate revision activity, and is in great company from a Zacks Industry Rank perspective.

This is important because, often times, a rising tide will lift all boats in an industry, as there can be broad trends taking place in a segment that are boosting securities across the board. This is arguably taking place in the Coal space as it currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 92 out of more than 250 industries, suggesting it is well-positioned from this perspective, especially when compared to other segments out there.

Meanwhile, Peabody Energy is actually looking pretty good on its own too. The firm has seen solid earnings estimate revision activity over the past month, suggesting analysts are becoming a bit more bullish on the firm’s prospects in both the short and long term.

Peabody Energy Corporation Price and Consensus

Peabody Energy Corporation price-consensus-chart | Peabody Energy Corporation Quote

In fact, over the past month, current quarter estimates have risen from 45 cents per share to 72 cents per share, while current year estimates have moved from a loss of 55 cents per share to a profit of $1.20 per share. This has helped BTU to earn a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), further underscoring the company’s solid position.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

So, if you are looking for a decent pick in a strong industry, consider Peabody Energy. Not only is its industry currently in the top third, but it is seeing solid estimate revisions as of late, suggesting it could be a very interesting choice for investors seeking a name in this great industry segment.

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PepsiCo, Inc. PEP has reported robust third-quarter 2021 results, wherein earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved year over year. The company continues to benefit from investments in brands, go-to-market systems, supply chains, manufacturing capacity and digital capabilities to build competitive advantages. It also gained from the resilience and strength in its global snacks and foods business as well as growth in the beverage category. It witnessed resilient trends in the North America business, while the international business delivered growth despite uneven recovery across geographies.

Driven by the strong results, the company’s shares gained 1.2% in the pre-market session. Shares of the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have risen 0.7% in the past three months against the industry’s 0.2% fall.

 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

Quarter in Detail

PepsiCo’s third-quarter core earnings per share (EPS) of $1.79 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.73 and increased 7.8% year over year. In constant currency, core earnings were up 5.5% from the year-ago period. The company’s reported EPS of $1.60 declined 3% year over year. Foreign currency aided earnings per share by 2% in the reported quarter.

Net revenues of $20,189 million improved 11.6% year over year and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $19,441 million. Revenues benefited from volume growth and robust price/mix in the reported quarter. On an organic basis, revenues grew 9% year over year, driven by broad-based growth across categories and geographies. On a two-year basis, organic revenues increased 13.3%. Foreign currency aided revenues by 2% in the third quarter.

Consolidated organic volume was up 4% and price/mix improved 5% in the third quarter. Pricing gains were driven by strong realized prices across all segments. The unit volume was up 4% year over year for the snacks/food business and 8% for the beverage business.

PepsiCo, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
PepsiCo, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | PepsiCo, Inc. Quote

Revenues were also aided by the resilience in the snacks business as well as gains in the beverage business. Organic revenues grew 8% for the snacks business and 10% for the beverage business. Region-wise, organic revenues improved 6% for the North America business and 14% for the international business.

On a consolidated basis, reported gross profit increased 8.7% year over year to $10,795 million. The core gross profit rose 9%. The reported gross margin contracted 145 basis points (bps), while the core gross margin declined 118 bps.

The reported operating income of $3,159 million increased 4.9% year over year, while the core operating income improved 6%. The reported operating margin fell 100 bps, while the core operating margin declined 77 bps. The soft margin performance can be attributed to the impacts of supply-chain disruptions as well as the negative effects of the inflationary pressures from labor, transportation and commodity costs. The factors impacted core operating profits for the FLNA and QFNA segments.

Segment Details

On a segmental basis, the company witnessed revenue growth across all segments. Organic revenues also ascended for all segments.

Revenues, on a reported basis, improved 6% in FLNA, 2% in QFNA, 7% in PBNA, 9% in Europe, 33% in AMESA, and 27% each in Latin America and APAC segments. Organic revenues increased 5% for FLNA, 1% for QFNA, 7% for PBNA, 19% for Latin America, 8% for Europe, 20% for AMESA and 15% for APAC segments.

The operating profit (on a reported basis) was flat for FLNA, while it increased 11% for PBNA, 57% for Latin America, 63% for AMESA and 23% for APAC. However, it declined 27% for QFNA and 8% for Europe.

Financials

The company ended the third quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $6,506 million, long-term debt of $37,023 million, and shareholders’ equity (excluding non-controlling interest) of $15,872 million.

Net cash used in operating activities was $6,634 million as of Sep 4, 2021, compared with $6,123 million as of Sep 5, 2020.

Outlook

Backed by the strong results, the company raised its sales guidance for 2021. It now expects organic revenue growth of 8% compared with 6% growth stated earlier. Core constant currency earnings per share are expected to increase 11% versus the previously mentioned 11% growth. Core earnings per share are anticipated to rise 12% compared with 12% growth stated earlier. Consequently, it estimates core earnings per share of $6.20 for 2021, whereas it reported $5.52 in 2020.

The company continues to expect a core effective tax rate of 21%. It expects currency tailwinds to aid its revenues and core earnings per share by 1 percentage point in 2021, based on the current rates.

PepsiCo remains committed to rewarding its shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. The company anticipates total cash returns to shareholders of $5.9 million, including $5.8 million of cash dividends and $106 million of share repurchases. It has completed its share-repurchase authorization and expects no more share repurchase through the rest of 2021.

Don’t Miss These Better-Ranked Stocks

Albertsons Companies, Inc. ACI has a long-term earnings growth rate of 12%. It currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Coca-Cola FEMSA S.A.B. de C.V. KOF, with a Zacks Rank #2 at present, has a long-term earnings growth rate of 14.3%.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners CCEP, also a Zacks Rank #2 stock, has a long-term earnings growth rate of 21.1%.

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BHP Group BHP recently entered into a deal to supply nickel sulphate to Prime Planet Energy & Solutions (“PPES”), one of Japan’s leading lithium-ion battery producers. This will enable Prime Planet Energy & Solutions to develop lower carbon batteries, which will be supplied to Electric Vehicle (“EV”) manufacturers including Toyota Motor Corporation TM.

To this effect, a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) has been signed between BHP Group, Prime Planet Energy & Solutions and Toyota Tsusho Corporation. Notably, Prime Planet Energy & Solutions is a joint venture between Toyota Motor and Panasonic Corporation. Toyota Tsusho Corporation is a general trading company that is part of the Toyota group.

Per the MOU, BHP Group will supply nickel sulphate to Prime Planet Energy & Solutions from its newly constructed Nickel West facility in Western Australia. Nickel West is one of the most sustainable nickel producers in the world. On Oct 1, BHP Group announced that it has produced the first nickel sulphate crystals from the plant. The plant is the first of its kind in Australia and will produce 100,000 tons of nickel sulphate per year, when fully operational. Its production will be enough to make 700,000 electric vehicle batteries each year.

BHP Group, along with Prime Planet Energy & Solutions and Toyota Tsusho Corporation, is making every effort to create a more sustainable and transparent industry, which is working collectively to lift standards and reduce emissions. According to the terms of the MoU, the parties will seek to identify ways to make the Japanese battery supply chain more sustainable by lowering carbon emissions in battery value chains. They will also explore the possibility of recycling battery scrap and used batteries at BHP Group’s Nickel West for further processing and production of nickel bearing products.

Amid the heightening climate-change concerns, development of batteries used to power EVs is gaining utmost importance. This, in turn, has fueled demand for metals, particularly copper and nickel, utilized in the production of batteries. Riding on this, demand for nickel in batteries is estimated to surge more than 500% over the next decade. Thus, BHP Group has been investing in its Nickel West facilities. The company is one of the world’s leading nickel suppliers to the battery metals market, with 85% of its nickel metal currently sold to the battery market. It delivers some of the world’s most sustainable and lowest carbon emission nickel to customers. BHP Group is working toward its strategy of focusing on commodities (copper, nickel and potash) that will help it capitalize on growing global trends such as decarbonisation, electrification population growth, rising living standards in the developing countries among others.

Earlier in July, BHP Group entered into an agreement with Tesla TSLA to supply nickel from the Nickel West mine. In addition to the supply agreement, BHP and Tesla will collaborate on ways to make the battery supply chain more sustainable with a focus on end-to-end raw material traceability using blockchain and technical exchange for battery raw materials production. The companies will also focus on promoting the importance of sustainability in the resources sector, including identifying partners who are most aligned with BHP and Tesla’s principles and battery value chains. BHP Group will also collaborate with Tesla on energy storage solutions to identify opportunities to lower carbon emissions in their respective operations through increased use of renewable energy paired with battery storage.

BHP Group’s shares have fallen 18.4% so far this year compared with the industry’s decline of 8.9%. This can primarily be attributed to the recent plunge in iron ore prices due to weak demand in China on account of its intensified curbs on steel production and slowdown across its property sector. In the third quarter of 2021, iron ore plummeted 49% — the first quarterly loss since the first quarter of 2020.

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Zacks Rank & a Key Pick

BHP Group currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

A better-ranked stock in the basic materials space includes Veritiv Corporation VRTV which sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Veritiv has a projected earnings growth rate of 214.9% for the current year. The company’s shares have skyrocketed 359% year to date.

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“The outperformance of high-quality growth companies this quarter therefore indicates that investors’ risk appetite was simply not there to reward the constituents of the St. Louis index, driving them to underperform as a group and causing the index to lag year-to-date,” said Ithiel Turrado, small cap portfolio analyst at Argent Capital Management.

Albertsons was downgraded by BMO analysts to underperform with a raised price target to $26 a share.

Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One company to watch right now is Albertsons Companies, Inc. (ACI). ACI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 14.02, which compares to its industry's average of 21.73. ACI's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.98 and as low as 5.35, with a median of 9.62, all within the past year.

We also note that ACI holds a PEG ratio of 1.17. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. ACI's industry currently sports an average PEG of 1.79. Over the last 12 months, ACI's PEG has been as high as 1.25 and as low as 0.45, with a median of 0.82.

Finally, our model also underscores that ACI has a P/CF ratio of 7.77. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 13.90. ACI's P/CF has been as high as 8.31 and as low as 2.15, with a median of 3.62, all within the past year.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Albertsons Companies, Inc. Is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, ACI sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

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TORONTO, Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (TSXV: TVC) Three Valley Copper Corp. (“Three Valley Copper” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that, through its indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary, SRH Chile SpA (“SRH”), it has delivered to the minority shareholder (the “Minority Shareholder”) of Minera Tres Valles (“MTV”), the required written notice of its intention to acquire the remaining ownership of MTV that SRH does not already own.

The Company through SRH owns 91.1% of MTV and under the shareholders’ agreement (the “SHA”) between SRH and the Minority Shareholder, beginning October 2, 2021, SRH has 30 days to deliver a written notice to the Minority Shareholder of its intention to acquire all the shares of MTV owned by the Minority Shareholder.

“This is the first step in completing the acquisition of the remaining ownership of MTV,” stated Michael Staresinic, President and CEO of Three Valley Copper. “The SHA provides for a sequence of steps to be undertaken in completing this acquisition and the delivery of the call notice is the first step. We believe it will be several months before a purchase price is concluded on and the transaction complete.”

The Company will provide future updates as it completes this acquisition.

About Three Valley Copper

Three Valley Copper, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is focused on growing copper production from, and further exploration of, its primary asset, Minera Tres Valles. Located in Salamanca, Chile, MTV is 91.1% owned by the Company and MTV's main assets are the Minera Tres Valles mining complex and its 46,000 hectares of exploratory lands. For more information about the Company, please visit www.threevalleycopper.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this news release, contain forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as the "Forward-Looking Statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify Forward-Looking Statements. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains Forward-Looking Statements pertaining to: the proposed acquisition of the Company’s remaining interest in MTV and the timing of the steps required under the SHA to acquire the remaining interest.

Although TVC believes that the Forward-Looking Statements are reasonable, they are not guarantees of future results, performance or achievements. A number of factors or assumptions have been used to develop the Forward-Looking Statements, including: the purchase of the remaining interest in MTV being completed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the SHA and not being subject to undue delay, there being no additional significant disruptions affecting the development and operation of MTV; the availability of certain consumables (including water) and services and the prices for power and other key supplies; expected labour and materials costs and available supply; expected fixed operating costs; permitting and arrangements with stakeholders; certain tax rates, including the allocation of certain tax attributes, being applicable to MTV; the availability of financing for the Company's and MTV’s planned operations and development activities; assumptions made in mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates and the financial analysis based on these estimates, including (as applicable), but not limited to, geological interpretation, grades, commodity price assumptions, metallurgical performance, extraction and mining recovery rates, hydrological and hydrogeological assumptions, capital and operating cost estimates, and general marketing, political, business and economic conditions, the continued availability of quality management, critical accounting estimates, all terms of the restructuring agreement and facility agreement to which MTV and the Company are parties will be satisfied in the future including no events of default, existing water supply will continue, supplemental water availability will continue, the geopolitical risk of Chile will remain stable, including risks related to labour disputes, the construction and expansion of mining operations including the Papomono Masivo incline block caving underground mining project, as well as the timing thereof and production therefrom; favorable outcomes of litigation and /or arbitration initiated by the minority shareholder of the Company’s operating subsidiary, MTV; the timing of production and results for the recently restarted Don Gabriel mine; and expected timelines for drawdown and repayment of indebtedness of MTV.

Actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Statements should assumptions underlying the Forward-Looking Statements prove incorrect or should one or more risks or other factors materialize, including: (i) possible variations in grade or recovery rates; (ii) copper price fluctuations and uncertainties; (iii) delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing; (iv) risks associated with the mining industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to mineral reserves, production, costs and expenses; and labour, health, safety and environmental risks) and risks associated with the other portfolio companies' industries in general; (v) performance of the counterparty to the ENAMI Contract; (vi) risks associated with investments in emerging markets; (vii) general economic, market and business conditions; (viii) market volatility that would affect the ability to enter or exit investments; (ix) failure to secure additional financing in the future on acceptable terms to the Company, if at all; (x) commodity price and foreign exchange fluctuations and uncertainties; (xi) risks associated with catastrophic events, manmade disasters, terrorist attacks, wars and other conflicts, or an outbreak of a public health pandemic or other public health crises, including COVID-19; (xii) those risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Management" in TVC’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the period ended December 31, 2020; and (xiii) those risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" or incorporated by reference into TVC’s Annual Information Form dated March 3, 2021. The Forward-Looking Statements speak only as of the date hereof, unless otherwise specifically noted, and SRHI does not assume any obligation to publicly update any Forward-Looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be expressly required by applicable Canadian securities laws.

For further information:

Michael Staresinic
Chief Executive Officer
T: (416) 943-7107
E: mstaresinic@threevalleycopper.com

Renmark Financial Communications Inc.
Joshua Lavers: jlavers@renmarkfinancial.com
T: (416) 644-2020 or (212) 812-7680
www.renmarkfinancial.com

Source: Three Valley Copper.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

(Bloomberg) — BHP Group is in talks about buying into a copper project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, marking a dramatic departure from the world’s biggest mining company’s policy of shunning risky jurisdictions.

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The Melbourne-based miner is in early discussions with billionaire Robert Friedland’s Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. to buy into Western Foreland, a huge exploration territory that neighbors Ivanhoe’s Kamoa-Kakula mine, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the talks are private. There’s no guarantee BHP will agree a deal with Ivanhoe, and other mining companies are also interested in the project, the people said.

Ivanhoe said in an emailed response that it doesn’t comment on specific negotiations. A spokesperson for BHP said the company declines to comment on market rumor and speculation. Ivanhoe shares rose as much as 10% on Monday, the biggest intraday advance since June last year.

A foray into a nation emerging from decades of conflict would mark a shift in strategy for BHP, which has operated mainly in more developed countries in recent years. The company sold its last mining asset in Africa — the rights to develop an iron ore deposit in Guinea — to Friedland in 2019 as it focused on Australia, Canada and Chile.

During the 18-month tenure of Chief Executive Officer Mike Henry, BHP’s position has softened. There’s a realization that to get access to the best mineral deposits for the global energy transition, the company needs to operate in more risky jurisdictions. BHP shifted its exploration headquarters to the financing hub of Toronto this year.

BHP is especially bullish on copper, a metal used for wiring that’s crucial to decarbonization. Like its major rivals, BHP is expecting a surge in demand, while long-term supply looks constrained amid a lack of new mine development and as growth in top producer Chile slows amid deteriorating ore quality and huge investment burdens.

Congo Bet

While BHP has already shown more appetite for risk by building a stake in Ecuador copper mine developer SolGold Plc, making a bet on the DRC is a significant step further. While the country is the biggest source of cobalt and Africa’s largest producer of copper, corruption in the industry has kept the nation among the poorest in the world.

The challenges of the DRC are highlighted by Ivanhoe’s Kamoa-Kakula mine, which started operating earlier this year. While it’s one of the highest grade copper mines in the world, with the potential to become one of the biggest, Chinese companies helped fund it as Western rivals were deterred by the risks associated with the country.

Ivanhoe points to the presence of BlackRock Inc. and Fidelity on its shareholder register as underscoring the transparency of the Vancouver-based firm’s operations in the DRC.

Friedland, who is Ivanhoe’s founder and executive co-chairman, made his fortune from a Canadian nickel project and was behind a massive copper-gold discovery in Mongolia that’s now operated by Rio Tinto Group.

(Adds share price in third paragraph)

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Investors in Peabody Energy BTU need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Nov 19, 2021 $15.00 Call had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.

What is Implied Volatility?

Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.

What do the Analysts Think?

Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Peabody Energy shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Peabody Energy is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) in the Coal industry that ranks in the Top 37% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 30 days, one analyst has increased the earnings estimates for the current quarter, while none have revised the estimate downward. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from 45 cents per share to 72 cents per share in that period.

Given the way analysts feel about Peabody Energy right now, this huge implied volatility could mean there’s a trade developing. Often times, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.

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BOISE, Idaho, October 04, 2021–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) will release financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2021, which ended September 11, 2021, before the market opens on Monday, October 18, 2021. ACI will host a conference call that day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, which will include a brief discussion of the results followed by a question and answer session. The conference call will be available at the following address by accessing the "Events & Presentations" link included therein:

http://albertsonscompanies.com/investors

A replay of the conference call will be available for at least two weeks following completion of the call.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. Albertsons Companies operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia with more than 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw's, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Haggen, Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lovers Market.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211004005066/en/

Contacts

Melissa Plaisance
melissa.plaisance@albertsons.com | 925-226-5115

(Bloomberg) — The global energy crisis is intensifying, hammering the shares of companies that consume a lot of power and sending the stocks of those that produce it soaring.

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Economic recovery from the pandemic has boosted demand for gas and coal but their supplies have not been able to keep up. With the northern hemisphere winter on the horizon and China — the world’s biggest electricity user — ordering state-owned energy firms to secure supplies at all costs, investors are in a race to pick the winners and losers.

A key measure of international energy producers, led by names including Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. and ConocoPhillips, has rallied almost 10% over the past month. Utilities stocks have gone into reverse, wiping out this year’s gains, with materials companies joining them among the biggest laggards on the MSCI World Index.

“The energy crisis can exist for the next several years. I think a super cycle in energy has started and will continue for several years,” said Sumeet Rohra, a fund manager at Smartsun Capital Pte. in Singapore. “Energy stocks are very well poised to generate big returns.”

China’s factory sector contracted in September for the first time since the pandemic began, thanks to power cuts that have affected regions making up more than two-thirds of the nation’s gross domestic product. The energy crunch has also reportedly halted production at suppliers of global tech giants such as Apple Inc. and Tesla Inc.

Meanwhile, European inventories of natural gas are running low as economies come out of the pandemic lockdown and the White House has expressed concern about the jump in oil prices.

Here is a guide to how the crisis is playing out in equities market:

Energy Producers

Companies that produce gas, oil and coal are set to continue benefiting as winter approaches and demand rises.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc, TotalEnergies SE, Eni SpA, and BP Plc are among big European names that may rally further. In Asia, traders have their eyes on companies including Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Petronas Gas Bhd., Inpex Corp., Oil and Natural Gas Corp. and Reliance Industries Ltd.

“It is not just about a short term supply-demand imbalance,” said Gary Dugan, chief executive officer of the Global CIO Office. “The energy crunch is very concerning as it leads to the worst case scenario for markets — that of stagflation,” he said, referring to a situation in which economic growth stalls while inflation and unemployment rise.

If the current tightness in the gas market endures into next year, then Total could see 2022 earnings boosted by 18% and Eni by 12%, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts including Lilia Peytavin wrote in a note last week.

Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Talon Custer said U.S. exporters of liquefied natural gas, such as Cheniere Energy Inc. and Sempra Energy, appear well positioned in an LNG market that should stay extremely tight through the winter.

Exxon Mobil Corp. said on Sept. 30 that elevated gas prices will boost its third quarter profit by about $700 million.

A three-year-high in oil prices also helps Exxon, and should keep others such as Schlumberger Ltd., ConocoPhillips and Halliburton Co. on the radar of traders.

In contrast, gas distributors such as China Gas Holdings Ltd., Hong Kong and China Gas Co., Kunlun Energy Co, and Indraprastha Gas Ltd. may face margin pressure if they are not allowed to pass on rising input costs.

Amid surging prices of coal, key stocks to watch are Arch Resources Inc. and Peabody Energy Corp. in the U.S., Glencore Plc. in Europe, and China Shenhua Energy Co., China Coal Energy Co., Adaro Energy Tbk, Whitehaven Coal Ltd. as well as Coal India Ltd. in Asia.

Materials & Metals

While rising power prices hurt all users, it is particularly acute for energy-intensive materials and metal companies.

In Asia, these stocks include Aluminum Corporation of China Ltd., Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Angang Steel Co., China National Chemical Engineering Co. and Zhejiang Longsheng Group Co.

European construction material maker Sika AG also fits the mold, as does steelmaker ArcelorMittal and cement producer Holcim Ltd. In the U.S., steel producer Nucor Corp. and paint maker Sherwin-Williams Co. may be focus.

Bank of America Corp. analysts see input-cost headwinds for Indian cement makers such as UltraTech Cement, Shree Cement Ltd. and companies in the paint sector.

Power Utilities

Many government-backed electricity providers are likely to face margin pressure while those that are less regulated or independent have a better chance profiting from higher electricity prices.

Barclays Plc.’s analysts including Peter Crampton expect further strength in power prices to create winners in less heavily regulated northern Europe. They identified Electricite de France, Engie SA, Fortum Oyj and RWE AG. The analysts expect significant earnings-per-share upgrades, particularly for EDF, and raised their 2021 and 2022 estimates by 82% and 61%, respectively.

The most visible signs of stock market distress so far have been in southern Europe’s heavily regulated utilities. Iberdrola SA and Endesa SA shares are both trading at their lowest levels in more than last year.

In Asia, potential losers include Korea Electric Power Co., Tokyo Electric Power Co. and India’s NTPC Ltd. In the U.S., companies such as Southern Co., American Electric Power Co. and Duke Energy Corp. could face pressure.

Green Stocks

Higher energy prices and efforts to cut carbon emissions are also flowing through into the share prices of renewable power and nuclear stocks.

Bloomberg Intelligence’s Laurent Douillet sees large nuclear and hydro electricity companies as potential winners over those that rely on gas and coal.

READ: China’s Energy Crunch Sends Coal Shares Up, Renewable Firms Down

Key stocks to monitor are Europe’s Scatec ASA, Azelio AB and Orsted A/S, North America’s First Solar Inc. and SolarEdge Technologies Inc., and Asia’s LONGi Green Energy Co., Trina Solar Co., Sungrow Power Supply Co. and Adani Green Energy Ltd.

“There hasn’t been a confluence of so many factors happening at the same time in energy and commodity markets since at least the 1980s,” said Robert Ryan, chief commodity and energy strategist at BCA Research.

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