Cramer's lightning round: Slow and steady wins the race

SVMK Inc.: Dynamite. Fabulous quarter. A lot of people didn't react to it correctly at the beginning. When they dug down, they liked what [CEO] [Zander Lurie] had to say, and I did, too. The stock came too cheap. It should never have been down where it was."

Axsome Therapeutics Inc.: "Yeah, they got some sort of great breakthrough designation on a new drug, but we're not gonna cuff it. No how, no way, we're gonna find out what that [is] about. We have a list of homework and we better get it—maybe the dog at it."

Sprint Corp.: "No, no, no. We're sellers [of] Sprint. If you wanna play that, you gotta play T-Mobile, which is the one I've been behind the whole way. [CEO] John Legere knows I've been behind it even when he's wavered, I've been there."

NIO Inc.: "I do not want you in this stock ultimately, but I can't" tell you to sell here. "That would be a mistake."

General Electric Co.: "It does feel like it's gonna" get to "$10. I feel, look, it's [CEO] Larry Culp. He's doing his thing. It's gonna take a little while. It's not an overnight fix. He's approaching it correctly. I wouldn't touch it."

JD.com Inc.: "Maybe it goes up. To me it's a dice roll and I don't invest that way. I like to have more than dice."

American Water Works Co. Inc.: "It's been fine. I've liked that forever. I mean, I never had a problem with that one. It's just a good stock, it's slow growth. Slow and steady wins the race."

WATCH: Cramer's lightning round show chapters Cramer's lightning round: Slow and steady wins the race    3 Hours Ago | 04:09

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Guess shares tumble on earnings shortfall as Levi Strauss IPO looms

Shares of clothing company Guess tumbled nearly 16 percent Thursday after reporting earnings that missed analyst expectations.

Guess posted adjusted earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 70 cents. Analysts polled by Refinitiv expected a profit of 75 cents a share.

The company also said its same-store sales in the Americas fell 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet had forecast an increase of 1.5 percent. Gross margins also contracted from the year-earlier period.

Thursday's wiped out Guess' year-to-date gains. The stock was up 6.3 percent through Wednesday's close.

The move also comes ahead of blue jeans maker Levi Strauss' initial public offering. Levi Strauss is set to go public on Thursday after pricing its IPO at $17 per share.

show chapters Levi Strauss is going public again. Here's how it dominated the denim market for 150 years.    45 Mins Ago | 11:27

This is one of the most anticipated IPOs of the year. Three sources told CNBC the IPO was more than 10 times oversubscribed, indicating high demand.

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Here's how to navigate the booming business of college advisors

Helping kids get into college is a big business — and it's growing fast.

The industry gained some unwelcome notoriety early this week when dozens of people — including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin — were arrested in an admissions bribery scheme.

The person behind it was William "Rick" Singer, founder of the Edge College & Career Network. He pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including racketeering, for masterminding the scheme, which included bribing college athletic coaches and having other people take admissions tests for the children of those who hired him.

Members of the profession swiftly condemned Singer's actions and pointed out that the charges exemplified the concern parents feel about getting their children into the right college.

"We know anxiety is off the charts. Part of the reason anxiety is off the charts is the decision-making in colleges has become so opaque," said Mark Sklarow, CEO of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. "We see that parents are willing to do just about anything."

His organization, a nonprofit that represents independent educational consultants, estimates there are about 8,000 people in the profession full-time, as well as thousands more who "dabble" in it.

The IECA has about 2,000 members — double the number from five years ago — who are required to abide by a code of conduct.

What you get for your money

The purpose of a college consultant is to help parents and their children navigate the application process, prepare for entrance exams and choose the right college — and it can cost a lot of money. The average hourly fee in 2018 was $200, according to the IECA. Comprehensive package costs range from $850 to $10,000.

Chris Rim, founder and chairman of Command Education, told CNBC on Friday he creates a yearlong road map for students that includes their objectives and what they need to do to stay on track. His fees start at $950 an hour.

"Because admission rates are so low, you can't just have ... straight As, perfect or near-perfect SAT or ACT scores. You are going to need something that makes you stand out," he said on "Power Lunch."

Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images A view of people visiting the University of Southern California on March 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Federal prosecutors say their investigation dubbed Operation Varsity Blues blows the lid off an audacious college admissions fraud scheme aimed at getting the children of the rich and powerful into elite universities.

Colleges want someone with a singular focus, not a well-rounded student, Rim said. "They want students who know what they want to do," not someone who is the president of six clubs, he added.

Private college counselor Sara Harberson touts her experience as the former associate dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania and the former dean of admissions at Franklin and Marshall College. She also worked as a director of college counseling at the Baldwin School in Pennsylvania.

"I teach them how to think like admissions officers. That's what parents want. They want to get the inside scoop," she said on "Power Lunch."

It's also more than just helping prep for entrance exams or filling out applications.

"If they do it right, they understand kids. They understand teenagers and really what is the very best essence of who that student is. Most students in high school, they do what everyone else does," added Harberson. Her rates go up to $600 an hour, but she said she also does free work and provides consulting at a low monthly cost.

How to find the right advisor

The first thing to figure out is if you even need one, said the IECA's Sklarow.

"If you are at a school that has a low student-to-counselor ratio, you may get all the help you need in a school setting," he explained.

Students who know they have to attend a state university or are only choosing between a couple of schools likely don't need to hire an advisor either.

The next step is to decide if you need a few hours of consultation to get headed in the right direction or if you need a full package of service, said Sklarow.

""Unless states are going to infuse and overhaul their college counseling programs at high schools, parents are going to want this. They are going to need it — all income levels." -Sara Harberson, Private college counselor

When checking out potential consultants, parents should look at the messaging on their website and pay attention to what is said in the first "get-to-know-you meeting," Sklarow said. If it is all about getting into college, that's a short-term outcome. If it is about finding the right place where the student is going to thrive, that benefit lasts a lifetime, he said.

On top of that, check out the consultant's credentials. He suggests parents look for someone who has a background in counseling and find out how many colleges the person goes to each year. Ideally, it would be someone who spends one-third of the time on the road visiting campuses.

"So much of that match is to really understand the college socially, educationally and other ways," said Sklarow.

He also said it's important to make sure the person is vetted and is a member of a national organization that has already done a background check.

Scandal aftermath

While those in the industry "held their breath" after news broke about the admissions scandal, it now looks like it ultimately is starting to improve the profession, Sklarow said.

He's seen a spike in membership at the IECA over the last few days.

"Maybe in some ways this is going to lead to an industry that looks inwardly and finds a way to even improve on what we've been doing," he said.

Rim said he's already seen an increase in interest from potential clients. "Our phones have been ringing off the hook."

He thinks part of it is that parents "didn't know how competitive this process was. Just because you have perfect scores does not mean you are going to get in."

And it is something that isn't going to change — at least for now, said Harberson.

"Unless states are going to infuse and overhaul their college counseling programs at high schools, parents are going to want this," she said. "They are going to need it — all income levels."

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Hindustan Unilever declines 2% on management rejig; analysts remain bullish

Hindustan Unilever shares declined more than 2 percent in morning trade on Friday after the management rejig, but global brokerage house CLSA remained bullish on the stock.

The stock was quoting at Rs 1,697.40, down Rs 39.95, or 2.30 percent on the BSE, at 11:36 hours IST.

The FMCG major, on March 14, has elevated HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta as the President of Unilever South Asia with effect from May 1, 2019.

Mehta would also continue as the Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever. As part of the new role, he would also become a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE).

related news D-Street Buzz: Nifty IT outshines led by TCS; ICICI Bank at new 52-week high, Zee Ent jumps Ujjivan Financial, Coal India fall 1-2% on interim dividend news

Unilever also announced appointment of Nitin Paranjpe, President, Foods & Refreshment, as the Chief Operating Officer.

He will be responsible for all of Unilever's go-to-market organisations, driving and co-ordinating in-year performance across our countries in line with company's divisional strategies.

Hanneke Faber, currently President, Europe, has been appointed as the President, Foods & Refreshment.

Kees Kruythoff, President, Home Care, has decided to leave Unilever after 27 years of service to pursue external opportunities, the company said.

Peter ter Kulve, Chief Digital Officer and EVP South East Asia & Australasia (SEAA), has been appointed President, Home Care.

While maintaining outperform call on the stock with a price target at Rs 2,010 (implying a 16 percent potential upside), CLSA said Q4FY19 is an important quarter for Indian staples to gauge consumption trends.

The research house said as input price trend remains benign and medium-term guidance on modest margin expansion stays, premium Valuations will likely sustain.

Deutsche Bank also remained positive on the stock with a buy call and price target at Rs 2,100 apiece as it expects company to report volume growth of 7.5 percent in Q4 YoY.

It expects sales/EBITDA / PAT growth of 11/15/16 percent for Q4.

"Rural growth is still higher than urban growth, but moderated to 1.2x urban growth," it said.

Initially this week, Reliance Securities initiated coverage on Hindustan Unilever with a buy recommendation and a target price of Rs 2,000.

Looking ahead, it expects HUL to witness the fastest earnings growth among the major FMCG companies, notwithstanding the size and scale of operations.

"HUL is expected to register earnings CAGR of 23 percent over FY19-21 driven by both organic and inorganic initiatives. Acquisition of GSK Consumer's India business provides HUL a strong foothold in the foods segment in terms of diversifying its portfolio and reducing dependence on homecare and personal care segments," it said.

At CMP, the stock trades at a premium valuation multiple of 50x FY20E earnings, which it believes to sustain owing to strong growth visibility.

Disclaimer: The above report is compiled from information available on public platforms. Moneycontrol advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. First Published on Mar 15, 2019 12:20 pm

Apple’s Streaming Venture Is a Distraction for Roku Stock

Although I’ve helped InvestorPlace readers successfully navigate Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU), I still find shares difficult to decipher. Less than a year-and-a-half has passed since the company’s initial public offering, yet the ROKU stock price traveled all over the map.

Source: Shutterstock

The trailing six months provide a telling example of the volatility you can expect with the streaming-TV equipment provider. From an all-time record high in October last year to a devastating multi-year low less than 90 days later, ROKU stock at least keeps traders busy, and employed.

However, some analysts believe that the choppiness may soon fade. With Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) probably on the verge of announcing its video-streaming service, it has added incentive to market Airplay 2. A proprietary system, Airplay facilitates audio or video streaming from an Apple product to a different device.

The second iteration of this technology expands this capacity to include several non-Apple brands, such as Samsung and Sony (NYSE:SNE). But Roku was left out in the cold. Of course, as a comparative minnow, losing such a high-profile partnership levered an exponential impact. Unsurprisingly, the ROKU stock price took it on the chin.

But with Apple needing to establish credibility in the content space, a partnership with ROKU makes sense. Recent rumors indicate that the two companies are on the verge of inking a deal. If so, Roku-armed T.V.’s can stream content via an iPhone, iPad or Mac computer, generating an instant value-add.

On the surface level, this is the type of fundamental driver that should sustainably and consistently drive the ROKU stock price. But after gaining 4% on the news, shares have more than given up that burst of profitability. How then should investors proceed?

Apple Streaming Is No Panacea for ROKU stock

In my last write-up about Roku, I had confidence that a strong showing for its fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 earnings report could spike shares. We got exactly that, and like clockwork, the streaming-equipment provider launched into low-earth orbit.

At the same time, I urged readers not to chase the ROKU stock price. Shares had already gone berserk prior to the Q4 report. After management disclosed their earnings beat, the company became even more of a unicorn. Year-to-date, the upstart streamer has skyrocketed over 137%.

Unfortunately, unicorns aren’t real. While the fundamentals support ROKU stock — the company’s user base has increased dramatically and productively — we’ve seen this before. I worry that the good news has been priced in. That means shares are rising based largely on emotion, such as the “fear of missing out,” or FOMO.

I’m going to stick with my last assessment: I encourage you to miss out, at least at this price point.

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Primarily, I don’t see Apple’s streaming overtures as a panacea for Roku. For one thing, Android operating systems dominate mobile market share. Therefore, you’re talking about a necessarily limited market for Apple. From Roku’s perspective, they need to expand in total numbers, and not just with revenue-per-user.

Plus, Apple doesn’t really offer anything compelling or groundbreaking with its newfound original-content venture. Although it has aggressively courted executive, acting and directing talent to kickstart their entertainment enterprise, they’re way behind the curve.

Of course, Apple being Apple, they’re likely to throw their vast riches into the content and streaming space. But even then, I go back to my original concern about Roku: nothing new or exciting exists to justify the excess in the ROKU stock price.

As a result, I’d rather stay on the sidelines until a better opportunity arises.

Don’t Feed Your Emotions

If you take a look at Roku’s long-term chart, you’ll unmistakably recognize a pattern of sharp peaks and valleys. You don’t have to be a technical analyst — or even believe in the technical approach — to recognize that this is an emotional stock.

Specifically regarding Apple and the Airplay deal, Roku dropped nearly double digits on a single day when Apple apparently snubbed the streaming company. Later, it jumped significantly when AAPL relented, only to give up those gains 24 hours later.

Clearly, this isn’t about Airplay. Instead, most of the markets are reacting emotionally to any noteworthy news or even rumors. Don’t get me wrong: I think ROKU has serious upside potential. It just needs a reality check before it gets there.

As of this writing, Josh Eno

Time is running out to switch or ditch your Medicare Advantage Plan

Don't like your Medicare Advantage Plan? You have a couple weeks left to do something about it.

During a window that opened January 1 and will close March 31, enrollees who are unhappy with the choice they made during Medicare's fall open enrollment period have two options: ditch it for original Medicare or switch to a different plan.

"Sometimes people just chose the wrong plan," said Danielle Roberts, co-founder of insurance firm Boomer Benefits in Fort Worth, Texas. "Maybe they thought their doctor was in network and then discovered the person wasn't."

"Sometimes people just chose the wrong plan. Maybe they thought their doctor was in network and then discovered the person wasn't." -Danielle Roberts, Co-founder of Boomer Benefits

Separately, but also possible until March 31: If you missed your initial Medicare enrollment period and don't qualify for an exclusion, you can sign up now. In this case, coverage won't start until July 1.

If you're among those who already have an Advantage Plan and want to change your coverage, there are some things to keep in mind.

show chapters How American health care got so expensive    12:55 PM ET Wed, 13 Feb 2019 | 14:58

For starters, because you only get one shot at this, make sure you know what you're signing up for if you choose another plan. That includes ensuring that your medications are covered and that your favorite doctors or other providers are in-network.

Roberts said that even if you see your doctor listed on a plan's online directory, you should confirm that status directly with their office because those listings can be outdated or contain errors.

"When you call your doctor, ask specifically if they are in network for your particular plan," she said. "Don't just say the name of the insurance company."

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If you're planning to drop your Advantage Plan in favor of original Medicare — which consists of Part A hospital coverage and Part B outpatient coverage — you also likely need to get a standalone Part D prescription drug plan. This often was included in your Advantage Plan, and life-long penalties can be applied if you go more than 63 days without coverage.

Additionally, if you're planning to get a supplemental Medicare plan — called Medigap — to pair with original Medicare, be aware of additional rules for applying. These policies help cover costs such as deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance.

When you first enroll in Medicare (typically at age 65), you get six months when you're guaranteed Medigap coverage. That is, you can get a policy without the insurance company nosing through your health history and deciding whether to insure you.

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After that, it can be a different story. In most states, you have to go through medical underwriting. If you're in this situation and have underlying health issues, you could be charged more for a policy or denied coverage altogether.

"Ideally, you applied for Medigap early in this enrollment period," Roberts said. "It could take a few weeks to underwrite you."

Special exceptions to this rule include when your Advantage Plan is no longer available or when you're within the first year of trying an Advantage Plan for the first time and decide to ditch it, Roberts said.

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Best Small Cap Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:UCTT,ITRI,ATLC,

Troubled small cap department store stock J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) reported Q1 2017 earnings before the market opened this morning. Earnings will be closely analyzed as J.C. Penney Company would be the 10th most shorted stock on the NYSE with elevated short interest of 38.26% according to Highshortinterest.com as the turnaround effort grinds on.

Q1 net sales were $2.7 billion versus $2.8 billion with comparable store sales being 3.5% for the quarter. Home, Sephora, Fine Jewelry and Salon all comped positively, and were the Company's top performing divisions during the quarter while geographically, the Southwest and Southeast were the best performing regions of the country.

The Company's net loss was $180 million or ($0.58) per share versus $68 million or ($0.22) per share due to the following:

Best Small Cap Stocks To Own Right Now: Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc.(UCTT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  Shares of Ultra Clean Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UCTT) declined 19.2% in July, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, after the semiconductor equipment specialist announced mixed second-quarter 2018 results and disappointing forward guidance.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Headlines about Ultra Clean (NASDAQ:UCTT) have been trending somewhat positive on Tuesday, Accern reports. The research firm identifies negative and positive news coverage by analyzing more than twenty million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Ultra Clean earned a media sentiment score of 0.17 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media stories about the semiconductor company an impact score of 45.3293552269826 out of 100, meaning that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Shares of Ultra Clean Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UCTT) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.67.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Own Right Now: Itron Inc.(ITRI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Companies Reporting After The Bell Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $1.21 billion. Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE: VIPS) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.18 per share on revenue of $3.10 billion. Rexnord Corporation (NYSE: RXN) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.39 per share on revenue of $551.94 million. Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE: INVH) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.03 per share on revenue of $423.13 million. Switch, Inc. (NYSE: SWCH) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.05 per share on revenue of $99.83 million. Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.13 per share on revenue of $579.85 million. Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: HOLI) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.44 per share on revenue of $119.06 million. Amyris, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRS) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.07 per share on revenue of $68.14 million. Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRNA) is projected to post quarterly loss at $0.38 per share on revenue of $1.87 million. VOXX International Corporation (NASDAQ: VOXX) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.05 per share on revenue of $130.00 million. Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE: FENG) is estimated to post quarterly loss at $0.12 per share on revenue of $45.38 million. Restoration Robotics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIR) is projected to post quarterly loss at $0.17 per share on revenue of $5.93 million. YogaWorks, Inc. (NASDAQ: YOGA) is estimated to post quarterly loss at $0.22 per share on revenue of
• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Eight Seconds… $1,260 Richer: Words can't describe what you'll see in this shocking footage – because you'll witness, live on camera, one man become $4,238 richer with just three clicks of a mouse. And if you follow the simple instructions in this video, you'll learn how to set yourself up for an instant $2,918 payday opportunity. You need to see this to believe it…

  Three Stocks to Watch Today: COP, HD, HSBC ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) has seized assets from the Venezuelan-owned firm PDVSA in the Caribbean. The company won a court case that will allow it to take over assets owned by the Venezuelan government. The court enabled the seizures as part of a broader plan to allow the firm to recoup roughly $2 billion following the 2007 nationalization of its assets in Venezuela by the huge Castro-led government. Monday will be a quiet day on the earnings front. Investors are looking to Tuesday's calendar, when The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) reports earnings. Tomorrow, Wall Street analysts expect that Home Depot will report earnings per share of $2.07 on top of $25.2 billion in revenue. Investors will be hoping that the company reports strong profits thanks to an improving U.S. economy and the recent tax reform law. Expect a lot of chatter today about blockchain technology. That's because ING Bank and HSBC Holdings Plc. (NYSE: HSBC) announced over the weekend that they engaged in their first trade ever using blockchain technology. The two engaged in a trade on behalf of Cargill to finance a shipment of soybeans from Argentina to Malaysia. Today, look for earnings reports from Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A), Itron Inc. (Nasdaq: ITRI), Vipshop Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: VIPS), Amyris Biotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), Sky Solar Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: SKYS), Mazor Robotics Ltd. (Nasdaq: MZOR), China Lodging Group Ltd. (Nasdaq: HTHT), and Mimecast Ltd. (Nasdaq: MIME).

  Follow Money Morning on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Itron (ITRI)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Itron (ITRI)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Logan Wallace]

  TheStreet cut shares of Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) from a b rating to a c rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning.

  Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on ITRI. BidaskClub upgraded Itron from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Oppenheimer reiterated a buy rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Itron in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Canaccord Genuity upgraded Itron from a hold rating to a buy rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $78.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Cowen upgraded Itron from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $80.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 1st. Finally, JMP Securities set a $108.00 price objective on Itron and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, March 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $83.36.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Own Right Now: Atlanticus Holdings Corporation(ATLC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Money Morning Staff Reports]

  However, Seven Star's gains are already on the books. After looking at last week's top performing penny stocks, we'll show you a penny stock on the verge of jumping over 70%…

  Penny Stock Current Share Price Last Week's Gain Seven Stars Cloud Group Inc. (Nasdaq: SSC) $4.49 175.13% Alliance MMA Inc. (Nasdaq: AMMA) $0.37 121.05% India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE: IGC) $1.14 74.38% Obalon Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: OBLN) $3.23 63.16% Cytori Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: CYTX) $0.56 55.76% Atlanticus Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: ATLC) $2.85 43.55% Research Frontiers Inc. (Nasdaq: REFR) $1.28 41.37% Koss Corp. (Nasdaq: KOSS) $4.08 41.28% GLG Life Tech Corp. (TSE: GLG) $0.88 33.90% Geron Corp. (Nasdaq: GERN) $4.76 32.40%

  While those gains are already in the book, you don't have to miss out on the next penny stocks to soar.

Brokerages Set Paycom Software Inc (PAYC) Price Target at $149.07

Shares of Paycom Software Inc (NYSE:PAYC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $149.07.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. ValuEngine lowered Paycom Software from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 20th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Paycom Software from $133.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 6th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Paycom Software from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Paycom Software from $134.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Paycom Software to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

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Paycom Software stock traded up $3.07 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $181.15. 13,598 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 658,054. Paycom Software has a 12 month low of $96.44 and a 12 month high of $186.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $10.57 billion, a PE ratio of 83.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.78.

Paycom Software (NYSE:PAYC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 5th. The software maker reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.13. Paycom Software had a return on equity of 38.83% and a net margin of 24.20%. The firm had revenue of $150.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $144.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 31.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Paycom Software will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In related news, insider Bradley Scott Smith sold 2,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.53, for a total transaction of $471,978.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Craig E. Boelte sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.78, for a total value of $1,545,360.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 51,600 shares of company stock worth $8,478,698. Corporate insiders own 16.24% of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Paycom Software by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,348,359 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $675,778,000 after acquiring an additional 93,152 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc grew its position in Paycom Software by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 4,348,359 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $675,778,000 after acquiring an additional 93,152 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in Paycom Software during the 3rd quarter worth $488,601,000. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Paycom Software by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,212,593 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $270,933,000 after buying an additional 23,876 shares during the period. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Paycom Software by 72.6% during the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,964,610 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $240,566,000 after buying an additional 826,529 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.35% of the company’s stock.

Paycom Software Company Profile

Paycom Software, Inc provides cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software service for small to mid-sized companies in the United States. It provides functionality and data analytics that businesses need to manage the employment life cycle from recruitment to retirement. The company's HCM solution offers a suite of applications in the areas of talent acquisition, including applicant tracking, candidate tracker, background checks, on-boarding, e-verify, and tax credit services; and time and labor management, such as time and attendance, scheduling/schedule exchange, time-off requests, labor allocation, labor management reports/push reporting, and geofencing/geotracking.

See Also: Purposes and Functions of the Federal Reserve

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:VGSH,APL,DCM,UIHC,ASGN,TIK,REG,ESES,CINF,ISP, &l;p&g;Imagine you are at a roulette table in a casino and are given an opportunity for your lifetime savings of $500,000. You have two choices, A and B. If you choose option A, you will receive a monthly paycheck of $2,000 for the rest of your life. With option B, you could receive a monthly paycheck of $5,000 for the rest of your life.

The choice seems obvious, right? Not quite. If you read it correctly, option B does not offer the certainty of option A. The word &a;lsquo;could&a;rsquo; expresses possibility &a;ndash; and only possibility. That means there is a risk involved &a;ndash; a spin on the wheel. If it lands on red, you will receive the $5,000 monthly paycheck for the rest of your life, but if it lands on black, you receive nothing. Now, what do you do? Is the reward worth the risk?

That is the BIG question! Since I began focusing on income planning in 2005, four out of five clients I meet face this decision: the known versus the unknown, the certainty of a paycheck versus the possibility of making more money in the market. We refer to it as &a;lsquo;income planning&a;rsquo; versus &a;lsquo;income guessing.&a;rsquo;

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: Vanguard Short-Term Government ETF(VGSH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: “NEXT Financial Group Inc Acquires Shares of 2,069 Vanguard Short-Term Government Bond ETF (VGSH)” was first posted by Ticker Report and is the property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this piece of content on another domain, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of United States and international trademark and copyright law. The correct version of this piece of content can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4203155/next-financial-group-inc-acquires-shares-of-2069-vanguard-short-term-government-bond-etf-vgsh.html.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  News stories about Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund (NASDAQ:VGSH) have trended somewhat positive this week, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group scores the sentiment of news coverage by monitoring more than 20 million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund earned a media sentiment score of 0.19 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave press coverage about the company an impact score of 47.214477788243 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near future.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  FDx Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Vanguard Short-Term Government Bond ETF (NASDAQ:VGSH) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 24,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,486,000.

• [By Jason Hall]

  Here's the same chart, with the Vanguard Short-Term Govt Bond ETF (NASDAQ:VGSH) added for context. While the Total Bond Market fund invests in both long- and short-term funds, the Short-Term Government Bond ETF maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity between one and three years. This reduces the fund's exposure to day-to-day price volatility:

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: Atlas Pipeline Partners L.P.(APL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Apollo Currency (APL) uses the hashing algorithm. It launched on July 28th, 2018. Apollo Currency’s total supply is 21,165,096,531 coins and its circulating supply is 14,685,096,531 coins. Apollo Currency’s official Twitter account is @ApolloCurrency and its Facebook page is accessible here. The official website for Apollo Currency is www.apollocurrency.com.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Apollo Currency (CURRENCY:APL) traded 4.9% higher against the dollar during the 1 day period ending at 23:00 PM E.T. on August 14th. One Apollo Currency coin can currently be bought for $0.0010 or 0.00000016 BTC on major exchanges including IDAX and CoinBene. During the last week, Apollo Currency has traded 24.2% lower against the dollar. Apollo Currency has a total market cap of $0.00 and $33,150.00 worth of Apollo Currency was traded on exchanges in the last day.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Apollo Currency (APL) uses the hashing algorithm. It was first traded on July 28th, 2018. Apollo Currency’s total supply is 21,165,096,531 coins. Apollo Currency’s official Twitter account is @ApolloCurrency and its Facebook page is accessible here. Apollo Currency’s official website is www.apollocurrency.com.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: NTT DOCOMO, Inc(DCM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of NTT Docomo Inc (NYSE:DCM) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  DATA Communications Management Corp (TSE:DCM) insider Michael Sifton purchased 12,500 shares of DATA Communications Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$1.52 per share, for a total transaction of C$19,000.00.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Bank of Hawaii bought a new position in NTT Docomo Inc (NYSE:DCM) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,664 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: United Insurance Holdings Corp.(UIHC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on United Insurance (UIHC)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Max Byerly]

  American Financial Group (NASDAQ: UIHC) and United Insurance (NASDAQ:UIHC) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings and risk.

• [By Motley Fool Transcribers]

  United Insurance Holdings Corp  (NASDAQ:UIHC)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 19, 2019, 5:00 p.m. ET

  Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

  Operator

• [By Shane Hupp]

  United Insurance (NASDAQ:UIHC) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The insurance provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.02, Bloomberg Earnings reports. United Insurance had a return on equity of 9.16% and a net margin of 2.05%. The company had revenue of $182.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.33 million.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: On Assignment Inc.(ASGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Transcribing]

  On Assignment (NYSE:ASGN) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 13, 2019 5:00 p.m. ET

  Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

  Operator

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  ASGN (NYSE: ASGN) and Amn Healthcare Services (NYSE:AMN) are both mid-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, profitability, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Insperity (NYSE: NSP) and ASGN (NYSE:ASGN) are both mid-cap business services companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, dividends and valuation.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: Tel-Instrument Electronics Corp.(TIK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Amedica Corporation (NASDAQ: AMDA) rose 31.3 percent to $4.11 in pre-market trading after climbing 181.98 percent on Tuesday. ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) rose 18.7 percent to $13.65 in pre-market trading after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings. TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) rose 18.6 percent to $46.00 in pre-market trading after the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Tuesday. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) shares rose 15 percent to $2.08 in pre-market trading after reporting Q4 results. Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAXN) rose 9.8 percent to $49.00 in pre-market trading following a big Q1 beat. The company raised its fiscal 2018 sales growth guidance from 16-18 percent to 18-20 percent. Centennial Resource Development, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDEV) shares rose 8.1 percent to $21.06 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. OPKO Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPK) shares rose 6.8 percent to $3.44 in pre-market trading following Q1 beat. Tel-Instrument Electronics Corp. (NYSE: TIK) rose 6.7 percent to $3.20 in pre-market trading after surging 25.37 percent on Tuesday. KBS Fashion Group Limited (NASDAQ: KBSF) rose 6.4 percent to $5.84 in pre-market trading after jumping 9.36 percent on Tuesday. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARWR) rose 6.6 percent to $8.26 in pre-market trading after reporting Q2 earnings. New Relic, Inc. (NYSE: NEWR) rose 6.3 percent to $82.00 in pre-market trading following Q4 results. Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MTCH) rose 5.8 percent to $38.43 in pre-market trading after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PBH) rose 5.2 percent to $30.62 in pre-market trading.

  Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: Regency Centers Corporation(REG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of Regency Centers (NYSE:REG) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday.

  Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on REG. Jefferies Financial Group set a $64.00 price objective on shares of Regency Centers and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Co reiterated an outperform rating and set a $65.00 price objective (down from $76.00) on shares of Regency Centers in a research note on Friday, March 2nd. SunTrust Banks set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Regency Centers and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank decreased their price objective on shares of Regency Centers from $73.00 to $72.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a buy rating and set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Regency Centers in a research note on Wednesday, March 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Regency Centers presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $68.32.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Regency Centers (REG)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Legal & General Group Plc cut its holdings in Regency Centers Corp (NYSE:REG) by 8.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,086,765 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 101,099 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.64% of Regency Centers worth $67,466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: Eco-Stim Energy Solutions, Inc.(ESES)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Eco-Stim Energy Solutions (NASDAQ:ESES) and Quintana Energy Services (NYSE:QES) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation and risk.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Eco-Stim Energy Solutions (ESES)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Hurricane Energy (OTCMKTS: HRCXF) and Eco-Stim Energy Solutions (NASDAQ:ESES) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and valuation.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Press coverage about Eco-Stim Energy Solutions (NASDAQ:ESES) has trended somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research firm scores the sentiment of press coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Eco-Stim Energy Solutions earned a daily sentiment score of 0.12 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned media coverage about the oil and gas company an impact score of 47.1001025646776 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the near term.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: Cincinnati Financial Corporation(CINF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. decreased its position in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 5.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,145 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 914 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $1,013,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp increased its position in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,582 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,527 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $4,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By ]

  Insurance company Cincinnati Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CINF) defied the Great Recession and stayed healthy throughout. The insurance company raised its book value per share by 17 percent in 2017, and even paid a special dividend in late 2017 due to the company's equity portfolio appreciation exceeding expectations.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) and Third Point Reinsurance (NYSE:TPRE) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and dividends.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Tibra Equities Europe Ltd purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 11,909 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $796,000.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  FDx Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) by 14.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,572 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 7,490 shares during the period. FDx Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $3,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Buy For 2019: ING Group, N.V.(ISP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Intesa Sanpaolo (BIT:ISP) received a €2.90 ($3.37) price target from research analysts at Deutsche Bank in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Goldman Sachs Group set a €2.90 ($3.37) price target on Intesa Sanpaolo (BIT:ISP) in a report published on Wednesday. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Berenberg Bank set a €2.20 ($2.56) price target on Intesa Sanpaolo (BIT:ISP) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Jefferies Financial Group set a €2.05 ($2.38) target price on Intesa Sanpaolo (BIT:ISP) in a report published on Tuesday. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Summit Materials Inc (SUM) Stake Increased by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Summit Materials Inc (NYSE:SUM) by 46.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 150,864 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,582 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.14% of Summit Materials worth $1,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SUM. Vanguard Group Inc increased its holdings in shares of Summit Materials by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 10,023,710 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $182,230,000 after purchasing an additional 253,306 shares in the last quarter. Crestline Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Summit Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,757,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Summit Materials by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,791,576 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $32,571,000 after purchasing an additional 199,491 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Summit Materials in the 3rd quarter valued at about $744,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Summit Materials by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,023,710 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $182,230,000 after purchasing an additional 253,306 shares in the last quarter.

Get Summit Materials alerts:

In other news, CFO Brian James Harris purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.00 per share, with a total value of $26,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $969,592. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas W. Hill purchased 31,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.25 per share, for a total transaction of $507,812.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 135,652 shares in the company, valued at $2,204,345. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SUM. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Summit Materials in a report on Wednesday, December 19th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Summit Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 15th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Summit Materials from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $24.00 price target on shares of Summit Materials in a report on Thursday, November 8th. Finally, Scotiabank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Summit Materials in a report on Thursday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $24.00.

NYSE:SUM opened at $17.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Summit Materials Inc has a twelve month low of $11.25 and a twelve month high of $32.68. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 117.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.88.

Summit Materials (NYSE:SUM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 6th. The construction company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.20). Summit Materials had a net margin of 1.68% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The business had revenue of $491.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $459.58 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Summit Materials Inc will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: This report was posted by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are accessing this report on another site, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of international trademark and copyright law. The correct version of this report can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4206311/summit-materials-inc-sum-stake-increased-by-rhumbline-advisers.html.

Summit Materials Company Profile

Summit Materials, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells construction materials and related downstream products. Its products include aggregates, cement, ready-mix concrete, asphalt paving mixes, and concrete products. The company also provides paving and related services to private and public infrastructure sectors.

Further Reading: How to use beta for portfolio diversification

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SUM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Summit Materials Inc (NYSE:SUM).

Echo Global Logistics (ECHO) Lifted to Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Echo Global Logistics (NASDAQ:ECHO) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report published on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Morgan Stanley currently has $25.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $22.00.

ECHO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Investment Research raised Echo Global Logistics from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $27.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 7th. ValuEngine cut Echo Global Logistics from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, November 12th. SunTrust Banks started coverage on Echo Global Logistics in a research note on Wednesday, December 12th. They set a buy rating and a $28.00 target price for the company. BidaskClub cut Echo Global Logistics from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 13th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lowered their target price on Echo Global Logistics from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $31.14.

Get Echo Global Logistics alerts:

NASDAQ ECHO opened at $23.12 on Tuesday. Echo Global Logistics has a 52-week low of $18.83 and a 52-week high of $36.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The company has a market cap of $725.66 million, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.89.

Echo Global Logistics (NASDAQ:ECHO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.09. Echo Global Logistics had a return on equity of 12.01% and a net margin of 1.18%. The business had revenue of $583.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. Echo Global Logistics’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Echo Global Logistics will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ECHO. Standard Life Aberdeen plc bought a new position in shares of Echo Global Logistics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,950,000. Federated Investors Inc. PA grew its stake in shares of Echo Global Logistics by 8,317.6% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Investors Inc. PA now owns 351,098 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,866,000 after acquiring an additional 346,927 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc grew its stake in shares of Echo Global Logistics by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 2,037,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $63,065,000 after acquiring an additional 320,525 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Echo Global Logistics by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,037,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $63,065,000 after acquiring an additional 320,525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Echo Global Logistics by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,274,645 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $132,301,000 after acquiring an additional 226,616 shares in the last quarter. 98.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Echo Global Logistics

Echo Global Logistics, Inc provides technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management solutions in the United States. It uses a proprietary technology platform to compile and analyze data from its multi-modal network of transportation providers for the transportation and logistics needs. The company offers services in various transportation modes, such as truckload, less-than truckload, small parcel, inter-modal, domestic air, and expedited and international.

Featured Story: How To Calculate Debt-to-Equity Ratio

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:AMGN,BIIB,ARQL,ALNY,

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC grew its position in Vericel Corp (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 157,372 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 3,048 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC owned 0.36% of Vericel worth $2,738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of Vericel by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,443 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Vericel by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,765 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank purchased a new position in Vericel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Financial Architects Inc purchased a new position in Vericel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, American International Group Inc. raised its position in Vericel by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 28,505 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $403,000 after buying an additional 4,474 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.31% of the company’s stock.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019: Amgen Inc.(AMGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) has been the hands-down winner over Celgene (NASDAQ:CELG) in terms of stock performance over the last year. It's the same story for revenue generated. Celgene beat Amgen in earnings, but only because of a technicality: Amgen incurred a big one-time tax hit in 2017.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The iShares biotech ETF has a structure that's familiar to anyone who invests regularly in exchange-traded funds. The ETF tracks an index of nearly 200 biotech and pharmaceutical stocks, with roughly 80% of assets dedicated to true biotechs and the rest split evenly between pharma and life sciences equipment and services providers. Top ETF holdings Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB), Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) make up a total of roughly 25% of the fund's assets.

• [By ]

  Amgen's (NASDAQ:AMGN) past is filled with excitement. The company rose to become one of the biggest biotechs in the world. It grew a product lineup with multiple blockbuster drugs. Over the last decade, Amgen's share price has more than tripled. But the excitement appears likely to diminish considerably for Amgen -- at least for the next few years.

• [By Todd Campbell, Chris Neiger, and Sean Williams]

  Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR), Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) are very different companies, but they all share one thing in common: Our Motley Fool contributors think now's a good time to add them to dividend portfolios. What makes these companies special? Read on to learn why Whirlpool could be a bargain-bin buy because of tariffs, Amgen could benefit from dividend growth thanks to new drugs, and Microsoft's big bet on the cloud makes it a savvy buy.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019: Biogen Idec Inc(BIIB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Campbell]

  Unfortunately for investors, June's discovery wasn't exciting enough for Sangamo partners Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) and Shire (NASDAQ:SHPG). In 2015, Biogen announced a delay to its beta-thalassemia and sickle-cell disease treatment program with Sangamo. And then Shire, a Sangamo collaboration partner since 2012, walked away from Sangamo's hemophilia program.

• [By Cory Renauer]

  Biotech traders get heaps of attention, but buying promising young drugmakers and holding them for the long term is a far easier way to get rich. Case in point: Spreading $10,000 evenly among shares of Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB), Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG), and Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) around this time in 1998 would have made you a millionaire already. 

• [By Keith Speights]

  Surprising only begins to describe the latest clinical study results announced by Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) and its partner, Japanese drugmaker Eisai (NASDAQOTH:ESALY). On July 5, the two companies reported positive topline results from a phase 2 clinical study of experimental Alzheimer's disease drug BAN2401 at 18 months.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) ended the day down 10.6% after an earnings report from partner Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) started the day on a sour note. Then shares dropped even further midday after data was released for IONIS-HTTRx, a treatment for Huntington's disease. Biogen managed to end the day in the green, up 1.1%.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Short interest in Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) increased to 4.33 million shares from the previous 3.86 million. The stock recently traded at $306.68 within a 52-week range of $249.17 to $370.57.

• [By Cory Renauer]

  Healthcare is something that people need no matter what's happening in the economy, so the sector is full of great stocks for investors seeking steadily growing income streams. That said, Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABMD), Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB), and Canopy Growth Corporation (NYSE:CGC) are three popular healthcare stocks that would make horrible additions to a retirement portfolio.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019: ArQule Inc.(ARQL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on ArQule (ARQL)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday.

  Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on ARQL. Zacks Investment Research upgraded ArQule from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $2.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 20th. BidaskClub upgraded ArQule from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, March 24th. B. Riley set a $4.00 price objective on ArQule and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, March 26th. Leerink Swann upgraded ArQule from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. Finally, Roth Capital boosted their price objective on ArQule from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $5.35.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on ArQule (ARQL)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL) rose over 70% today after the company reported full-year 2018 operating results and provided full-year 2019 guidance. That said, investors are probably used to wild swings in the stock price by now. The development-stage pharma didn't turn in a particularly impressive performance last year. Management expects revenue to drop significantly in the year ahead as collaboration revenue dries up, which will also widen operating losses.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ALNY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a hold rating to a sell rating. According to Zacks, “Although Alnylam has a broad and promising pipeline, we note that most candidates are in mid stages of development. These candidates still have a long way to go before hitting the market. The company relies highly on collaborators for funding. Any development/regulatory setback would be a negative for the company.  However, Alnylam reported positive data from the ATLAS study in the first quarter which led to regulatory filings for its late-stage pipeline candidate patisiran and the FDA set an action date of Aug 11, 2018. The company along with its partners Sanofi and The Medicines Company, restarted fitusiran's ATLAS phase III study and advanced inclisiran in the ORION-9, -10, and -11 phase III studies, respectively, with results expected for both programs in 2019. Alnylam expects to achieve the profile of three marketed products by the end of 2020.”

• [By Jim Crumly]

  You would think that when a drug company that's been working for 16 years to develop drugs using a novel therapeutic approach wins its first-ever approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), confetti would fall from the ceiling and its investors would be celebrating a huge stock gain the next day. That didn't happen this week for shareholders of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY), with shares dropping 6.6% the day after the announcement, and there were two main reasons for that.

• [By Jim Crumly]

  Commercial success for Tegsedi is not a done deal even if it's approved worldwide; Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' (NASDAQ:ALNY) competing drug patisiran was approved by the FDA on Aug. 10. Alnylam's clinical testing showed cardiac benefits for patients whose cardiovascular systems have been affected by the disease, and Alnylam believes that will give patisiran an advantage over Tegsedi. But in the conference call, Akcea executives brushed off that concern and pointed to the advantage Tegsedi has in being an injection that can be delivered at home, versus patisiran, which is administered intravenously in a clinic. We shall see.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) updated investors last month on how the launch of Onpattro, its first drug that was approved to treat transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR), was going at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

Korn/Ferry International (KFY) Q3 2019 Earnings Conference Call Transcript

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Korn/Ferry International  (NYSE:KFY)Q3 2019 Earnings Conference CallMarch 07, 2019, 4:30 p.m. ET

Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by, and welcome to the Korn/Ferry's Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2019 Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Following the prepared remarks, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded for replay purposes. We have also made available in the Investor Relations section of our website at kornferry.com a copy of the financial presentation that we will be reviewing with you today.

Before I turn the call over to our host, Mr. Gary Burnison, let me first call -- read a cautionary statement to investors. Certain statements made in today's call, such as those relating to future performance, plans and goals, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements.

Actual results in future periods may differ materially from those currently expected or desired because of a number of risks and uncertainties, which are beyond the Company's control. Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties can be found in the release relating to this presentations and in the periodic reports filed by the Company with the SEC, including the Company's annual report for fiscal year 2018. Also, some of the comments today may reference non-GAAP financial measures such as adjusted fee revenue, constant currency amounts, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA.

Additional information concerning these measures, including reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is contained in the financial presentation and earnings release related to this call, both of which are posted in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.kornferry.com.

With that, I'll turn the conference over to Mr. Burnison. Please go ahead.

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay. Thank you, Anna. Good afternoon, everybody and thank you for joining us. I would say that the quarter was very good for Korn Ferry. We grew the top line 10% at constant currency and the profitability was outstanding. This is my 67th earnings call it kind of feels like number six, but today Korn Ferry is a much, much different Company. We are an organizational consultancy that helps companies look at their talent and strategy together. Most clients can come up with a sound strategy, but many struggle to make it stick because their talent strategy -- they're not in sync and that's exactly where we come in. We help companies make sure that they have the right people in the right places, for the right rewards that bring their strategy to life.

How do we do that? Well, we do it by redesigning their org structure, by helping them hire and hold onto the best people with the right skills and mind set for the future and also most importantly by motivating the people to not just fulfilled, but to exceed their potential. And as I've said before, strategy without talent is hopeless, but talent without strategy is helpless and we connect those dots, that's what Korn Ferry does. And so on the 67th earnings call, I see a substantially different Company today than even two or three years ago with a completely different profile.

Number one, we're 50% bigger, more than half of our revenues now generated from outside the US, 61% of our colleagues are women, 53% are millennial and only 14% of us are baby boomers. Our advisory business is over $800 million in revenue, which alone is bigger than any other search firm. And in fact, it's about the size of our entire firm 10 years ago. And most importantly, I think we've got a much more balanced and less cyclical Company, an evolution that's taken place all while our flagship search business has thrived. It operates at the highest level and you would look to that, not by hyperbole, but you'd actually look at your average fee and our average fee is $125,000 and we're generating more revenue by far than any industry competitor.

This Company today is not a cyclic binge or bust company, we're now a firm for all seasons whether the challenge is globalization, cost synergies, M&A, digital transformation, we can help organizations make an impact in any kind of economic environment. And the breadth and depth of our Company is substantial. Our organizational strategy capabilities, it's about 11% of the Company today. With that we help companies align their strategy with their people to their organizational structure. Our succession and assessment offerings, we help clients close the gap between the talent they have and the talent they need, nearly 50 million people have been assessed by Korn Ferry. The assessment and succession offerings represent about 12% of our firm.

Every year, we develop 1.2 million executives. We have almost 1,000 colleagues every single day, the only thing they're doing is leadership development, that accounts for about 10% of the Company's footing. We have reward data on 25 million people. We know what it takes to keep your best talent. Our rewards business is about 10% of the Company. So we absolutely have the foundation for a multi-billion revenue opportunity. So the real question is, well, what do you do to get there? And it has to start outside and it has to start with pursuing, enduring, scalable, meaningful client relationships, engagements that deliver measurable results for our clients. Today about 18% of our clients utilize more than one line of business, so we got a lot of runway, with the remaining 80%. But specifically, we got to relentlessly focus on five areas.

One, the centerpiece has to be the approach to client development and it starts with our marquee accounts. Those companies where we have a strong opportunity for impact today, those clients represent about 20% of the Company. The growth rate for those marquee accounts have been twice the rate of the remaining portfolio. And as part of our one KF strategy that we announced last summer. We are now in the process of expanding this account program to another 200 regional accounts, which is approximately about another $200 million of revenue. We're going to continue to develop and add account leaders to ensure that we bring the full weight of the firm to these clients and gain more wallet share.

Secondly, we've guided take those single the smaller clients, so we got to make them doubles and triples. We're doing that practically right now through solution training. And again as part of the one KF initiative last month we kicked-off a firm wide program to educate every single colleague in the Company at every level about all of our solutions. We have over 100 trainers with about 330 sessions already scheduled across the globe today.

The third piece of the growth strategy is the product business. When you look at advisory that $820 million, $840 million business today on a run rate basis, two-thirds of it is consulting and one-third of it is product. So it's about a $250 million product business today. Those products are much less cyclical, they are substantially profitable and we've got the opportunity to scale that. Fourth, as you know, M&A has been a pretty consistent pillar. We're continuing to explore opportunities at the intersection of talent in strategy.

And then the final piece is about our own people. I spent a full two days with Colleague Advisory Council, almost 50 people from around the world at all levels. And we have to have a commitment to developing our own talent and providing growth opportunities for everybody. And at the same time, we have to continue to bring in world-class consultants. And then finally, in addition to the M&A, we continue to execute a balanced approach to capital. Year-to-date, we've allocated about $18 million to dividends and $37 million to share repurchases representing a payout of about 25% of EBITDA.

Our return on invested capital has continued to improve, it's up about 200 basis points from the end of fiscal 2018 and as -- I'll let Bob get into this, but the Board of Directors approved an additional stock repurchase program that would take us up to $250 million.

So with that, I'm going to turn it over. I'm joined here by Gregg Kvochak and Bob Rozek and so Bob, I'll turn it over to you.

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

Great. Thanks, Gary and good afternoon, everyone. As Gary said, we're pleased with what we delivered this quarter and as usual, I must start with a couple of highlights. So demand for our industry leading solution remained solid in the third quarter and what is our seasonally slowest quarter, we ended calendar year 2018 with new business growth in both November and December, and transitioned into the beginning of 2019 within the acceleration in new business activity for January, giving us a great start toward achieving what should be record revenue in our fourth quarter.

In the third quarter, our global fee revenue reached $475 million, which was up 10% year-over-year at constant currency. This marks the sixth consecutive quarter in which we achieved double-digit revenue growth measured at constant currency. Growth continued to be broad-based with each of our operating segments, benefiting from synergies, realized by tying our solutions together. In constant currency, RPO and Professional Search grew 19%, Executive Search grew 10%, and revenue growth for advisory was 6%.

More importantly, our results in the third quarter continue to demonstrate the earnings power of our business with adjusted EBITDA growing at a pace faster than revenue and adjusted EBITDA margin reaching a record high of 16.4%. Adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter is approximately $78 million, which is an improvement of $6.3 million or 9% measured year-over-year. And finally, consistent with our policy to maintain balanced approach to capital allocation. In the third quarter, we repurchased approximately 353,000 shares of our stock spending about $14.6 million and our Board approved a declaration of a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share. In addition, as Gary mentioned, our Board of Directors approved an increase to our share repurchase program, bringing the amount available to repurchase under the program up to approximately $250 million.

Now, turning to new business trends, globally in the third quarter, Executive Search new business totaled approximately $191 million, that's up 6% year-over-year driven by strength in North America and EMEA. For Advisory, global new business in the third quarter was $221 million and that's up 5% year-over-year and we saw growth in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. And finally, in the third quarter RPO and Professional Search secured $104 million of total new business, that's the best quarter of new business so far in fiscal 2019. Total new business consists of $78 million of long-term RPO awards and $26 million of Professional Search. The $78 million of RPO awards consist of approximately $59 million of contract expansions and renewals with existing clients and approximately $19 million of new client contracts.

At the end of the third quarter, total cash and marketable securities were $623 million, that's up approximately $94 million compared to the third quarter of fiscal '18. Excluding amounts reserved for deferred comp and for accrued bonuses, our investable cash balance at the end of the third quarter was approximately $296 million, that's up approximately $54 million year-over-year and $52 million quarter sequential. The firm had outstanding debt at the end of the third quarter of approximately $223 million.

Last, adjusted fully diluted earnings per share in the third quarter were $0.81, that's up $0.11 or 16% compared to the third quarter of fiscal '18. On a GAAP basis, which includes the final month of the amortization of retention bonuses related to our acquisition of Hay Group, our fully diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $0.80.

I'm going to turn it over to Greg now to review the operating segments in more detail.

Gregg Kvochak -- Investor Relations

Thanks, Bob. Despite calendar year and holiday seasonality fee revenue for Executive Search continue to grow in the third quarter, improving to over $193 million globally. Compared year-over-year and measure at actual exchange rates global Executive Search fee revenue grew $13 million, or 7.2% in third quarter and 10% measured at constant currency. Growth for our Executive Search segment remained broad-based. At constant currency, North America was up 12%, Europe was up 3%, Asia-Pacific was up 10% and Latin America was up 34%. By specialty market growth was mixed in the third quarter, compared to the third quarter a year ago at actual exchange rates, our financial services and technology practices were each up 25%. Our industrial practice was up 7% while our life sciences and healthcare and consumer goods practices were down 13% and 3% respectively.

The total number of dedicated Executive Search consultants worldwide at the end of the third quarter was 552, up 16 year-over-year. Annualized fee revenue production per consultant in the third quarter improved year-over-year to $1.4 million and the number of new assignments opened worldwide in the third quarter was 1,608, which was up approximately 3% year-over-year. EBITDA for the Executive Search in the third quarter was $48.2 million, which was up $10.9 million or 29% year-over-year. The consolidated EBITDA margin for Executive Search in the third quarter of fiscal '19 was 24.9%, compared to 20.7% in the third quarter of fiscal '18.

Now turning to Advisory, in the third quarter, global fee revenue for Advisory reached $201.5 million, which was up 6% year-over-year measured at constant currency. By geographic region, growth in the third quarter was strongest in both the Europe and Asia-Pacific regions. Similar to Executive Search, the Advisory segment was impacted by year end holiday seasonality were fewer working days resulted in fewer billable hours with clients. As previously mentioned to start calendar year 2019, global new business awards accelerated for Advisory. January new business was up nearly 11% year-over-year, providing a solid backlog to begin the fourth quarter. Advisory earnings and profitability trends also remained strong in the third quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for Advisory was $38.2 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 18.9%.

Finally, turning to RPO and Professional Search, we're in the third quarter growth continued at double-digit pace. The RPO and Professional Search segment generated $79.6 million of fee revenue in the third quarter, which was up 19.4% year-over-year at constant currency. All geographic regions continued to grow double-digits in the third quarter led by North America and Asia-Pacific, which were up 23% and 20% respectively at constant currency. As previously mentioned, in the third quarter, the RPO and Professional Search segment secured a total of $104 million of new business consisting of $78 million of larger long-term RPO assignments and $26 million of smaller shorter-term Professional Search assignments. Earnings also improved sharply in the third quarter for the RPO and Professional Search segment. EBITDA in the third quarter was $13.1 million with an EBITDA margin of 16.4%, which were both up sharply year-over-year.

Now I'll turn the call back over to Bob to discuss our outlook for the fourth quarter fiscal '19.

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

Great. Thanks, Greg. Following the seasonally slower month of December, new business activity to begin calendar year 2019 has ramp back up. January and February new business across all our operating segments has been strong, providing us with a solid backlog to start the fourth quarter, which in a typically year is our seasonally strongest quarter. For Executive Search global new business awards in the month of January and February combined were up 6% year-over-year with growth in every region. If monthly new business patterns are consistent with prior years, we expect March to be one of the best months for new business this fiscal year and that we will finish the year with a solid April.

For Advisory, the fiscal fourth quarter is also typically a seasonally stronger quarter where both backlog and new business awards combined with more hours with clients to execute assignments drives a quarter of strong revenue. To start the fourth quarter, Advisory global new business awards for the month of January, February combined were up 6% year-over-year. With regards to RPO and Professional Search, a number of large RPO contracts early the backlog are ramping up in the fourth quarter and the pipeline of potential new business opportunities remained strong. We expect both of those facts to combine -- on a combined basis will drive a stronger quarter of revenue growth.

Considering these factors and assuming worldwide economic conditions financial markets, foreign exchange rates remained steady and assuming a 25%, 26% effective tax rate for the quarter. We expect our consolidated fee revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal '19 to range from $485 million to $505 million. And we expect our consolidated diluted earnings per share to range from $0.85 to $0.93. When comparing to the fourth quarter of last fiscal year, it should be noted that our fourth quarter revenue guidance reflects a significantly stronger US dollar relative to a number of currencies including the British pound and the Euro.

Finally, the amortization of retention bonuses associated with a Hay Group acquisition over three years ago ended in December of 2018. Therefore, in the fourth quarter, there will no longer be adjustments to earnings per share presented under US GAAP for this item.

That concludes our prepared remarks and we're glad to take any questions that you may have.

Questions and Answers:

Operator

(Operator Instructions) And our first question comes from Tobey Sommer with SunTrust. Please go ahead.

Joseph Charles -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Hi. This is Joseph Charles (ph) on for Tobey Sommer this evening. I have one quick question about consultant productivity. Last quarter, I think you referenced that consultant productivity is lot higher in the US than it is in a lot of the other countries in which you operate. Are there any particular regions or industries that you'd like to highlight that you think you still have runway for growth? Thank you.

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, I think first, overall, when you say consultant productivity, I don't know if you're talking about our consulting business.

Joseph Charles -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Executive Search consultants.

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

The Executive Search consultants today, it's about the overall global average is about $1.4 million or so. Average fee per assignments $125,000. Obviously, we have a much a far-reaching footprint probably more level than any other search firm. So when you look at regions around the world, you're going to find a great disparity in the level of executive pay. So our fee and our productivity is going to vary substantially from Mexico to China to Ecuador to Belgium to the United States. And I would just say that when you look at it, the overall average of $1.4 million there is clearly room for productivity. Now whether that is 15%, whether that's 20%, I'm not going to put an exact number, but clearly there's still headroom there.

Joseph Charles -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Got it. And do you see that headroom more so in the developing markets you're in or the developed markets you're in? Thank you.

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Sorry, no, it's -- look it's in both, I mean just look at, when I started at this place the -- I think the average search fee was like, I don't know $55,000 or $60,000. Today, we're at $125,000, a part of that has been wage growth, part of it has been our strategy. But if you just look at the underlying dynamics, what are you seeing, well, you're seeing career nomads. So new people coming out of college are going to work for 30 different employers. So there is going to be more and more churn. So I think that both bodes very well for this company over the long term. In the United States, there is 7 million unfilled jobs, I mean there is a ton of jobs out there, high skilled good paying jobs. We're seeing that in our RPO and Professional Search business, where the demand for talent is robust and people are finding, they are having to pay much more for talented people than what they thought.

Joseph Charles -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Got you.

Operator

Our next question is from Kevin McVeigh with Credit Suisse. Please go ahead.

Kevin McVeigh -- Credit Suisse AG -- Analyst

Great. Thanks. Hi, Gary or Bob, kind of heading into the last kind of inflection point in the cycle, you folks did a real nice job of kind of acquiring assets that really prove to really differentiate the firm through this up cycle. Any thoughts on that, just within the context of boosting the buyback, because it seems like a pretty sizable step up in the buyback. Just any thoughts on that relative to the acquisition strategy? Is that just a function of, you got the footprint you need, just any thoughts on that would be super helpful.

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

We're going to continue to -- we've followed a pretty consistent playbook. We've made 10 acquisitions over a 10 year period of time and we are continuing to follow that playbook. And so we have to have a balanced approach to capital. We have to think of stakeholders. We have to think of our clients. We have to think of our colleagues and we have to think of our shareholders. And we've got to make sure we've got the right balance. So we did think that the buyback, we only had about $50 million left. And so we thought it prudent to raise that, so I think you're going to see us have a very balanced approach to capital deployment. But now we very much have an appetite to make investments that would increase our breadth and depth.

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

And Kevin, this is Bob.

Kevin McVeigh -- Credit Suisse AG -- Analyst

Hi, Bob.

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

Just put a little bit more -- Hi, how are you doing? -- A little more color on it. When we first put the buyback authorization in place back in 2014, it was roughly somewhere between 10%, 12% of our market cap. And so, the number that we're at today is roughly the same, obviously we're a bigger Company today and hence you get the larger authorization amount.

Kevin McVeigh -- Credit Suisse AG -- Analyst

And then maybe Bob just any thoughts on within the context of the Q4 guidance, what gets you to the upper end of the range versus the low end and conversely on the EPS just any kind of factors that would kind of swing it toward the upper end or the lower end?

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

Yeah, I think the -- as we sit here today what's going to push us toward the upper end of the range is our ability to convert our advisory backlog into revenue is one factor. They've had strong new business in Q2, strong new business in this past quarter, Q3 and what we're seeing is as they sell larger engagements, the conversion to revenue takes a little bit longer. We've also seen a bit of a change in mix in that business where the leadership development is a higher proportion of the mix and that takes a little bit longer. So our ability to actively manage, proactively manage that and convert it to revenue is one area. And I think the other area that's going to get us to the higher end of the range is in the RPO business. They've sold a number of large engagements that were standing up now so our ability to execute against those successfully will help us get there as well.

Kevin McVeigh -- Credit Suisse AG -- Analyst

Got it. And then any sense of -- any color on kind of upticks across any segments or any thoughts around that?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah. We haven't seen much change in Executive Search in upticks, it's been pretty consistent. I mean, over the past couple of years they've drifted up but not remarkably. We're seeing a little bit more uptick activity on the positive side is in the Professional Search area. Again, that it's not remarkably different, but we're starting to see a little bit of upward advancement in Professional Search.

Kevin McVeigh -- Credit Suisse AG -- Analyst

You bet. Thank you.

Operator

Our next question comes from George Tong with Goldman Sachs. Please go ahead.

George Tong -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Hi. Thanks. Good afternoon. You indicated that your marquee accounts are growing at twice the rate of the overall business and that you're expanding the program to another 200 regional accounts, which would yield another $200 million in revenues. Can you elaborate on the rollout of this expanded program and the timing of when this $200 million in incremental revenues will be achieved?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, the $200 million in revenue is from those existing, it's the run rate. So it's from the existing portfolio of regional accounts today. So today we've got 100 marquee accounts and that represents about 20% of the company's overall footings. We're now expanding that to include another couple hundred accounts where we would have dedicated account leaders, people that we are either recruiting from outside the firm that have account management responsibility, experience or promoting from within.

And so today, the run rate on those 200 accounts without real dedicated account ownership would be $200 million. So you could look at the whole piece of the dedicated account program and say today, OK that's something like $600 million or 30% of the overall company. So you would think about the growth from that kind of starting point and definitely the marquee accounts, the performance of those accounts the growth of those accounts has outperformed the rest of the portfolio.

George Tong -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Got it. That's helpful. In the Advisory business, the growth there decelerated from 11.8% constant currency in fiscal 2Q to 6% this quarter. Can you help unpack the quarter specifically if there were certain onetime items that weighed on growth and if not what strategies you have to accelerate the growth?

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

Yeah. I think, George, this is Bob. How you are doing? I think the -- if you go back to how we responded to Kevin's question, the conversion of backlog into revenue as we move our solutions to larger scalable solutions does take a bit longer, so that had some impact. And as the change in mix of leadership development again takes a bit longer to convert, so that had some impact. And then the only other piece is, If you look at the number of days in way that the holidays fell this year, we had one less business day. So they had obviously if you're not working you can't judge your time and generate revenue.

George Tong -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Got it. Any other active strategies you have to improve the growth performance there, because it sounds like the exit rate for January, February sounds relatively comparable at 6% in terms of new business trends?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah. No, it's I would say, it's OK. I mean, am I satisfied with the growth? No, but when you look at it, today you've got an $820 million Advisory business that 10 years ago was a 10th of the size. But I think when you look at it at a moment in time and you say OK, well what do you have to believe? How did you get there? Well, you look at the components we've got an organizational strategy component that's 10% of the Company. That has to be a much bigger percentage being able to link business strategy with organizational strategy. So that has absolute runway.

The assessment and succession is about 12%. We've got a lot of different instruments and we've assessed 50 million people. We can do anything from simulations to onsite. I mean we've got it, we've got great IP there. If we were to pick something up that's fine, but we're not out purposefully looking for that. The leadership development area, if you look at the market opportunity that's the biggest area. I mean when you look at HR services, that is a substantial market. And so, for us today that's call it a couple hundred million dollar business, I mean that's got a lot of headroom.

Then the other piece is rewards, which again is about 10%. And so, when you look at the business, one of the things that we have to solve for is to moving to bigger more impactful engagements. And so today you'll find a lot of the volume is actually sub six digit engagements and a lot of that comes from the heritage of assessments. And so, we're doing thousands of assessments. And so, you have to believe that you can move that portfolio toward bigger more impactful assignments. And so when you look this last quarter at the dollar volume 50% of the new business was for engagements that were over $500,000. So that's something you have to believe.

The whole reason for the account strategy, I mean is for this very reason, is we have incredible relationships. We're dealing with 10,000 clients a year, but the reality is only 18% of those are using us for one thing. So you've got to have a purposeful strategy with dedicated leaders that are working those clients all the time, that are walking the halls. That has to be something that you really have to believe in and you've got to execute.

And then finally, when I come to the North American market, we've got fabulous people. We don't have enough people. I mean just plain and simple. So the market opportunity is absolutely there and we've demonstrated that we can cross introduce people from different parts of the organization. The solution training that we're doing is the whole reason for that solution training, is to get at the very question that you ask.

George Tong -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Very helpful. Thank you.

Operator

Our next question is from Tim McHugh from William Blair. Please go ahead.

Trevor Romeo -- William Blair -- Analyst

Hi. Thanks. It's actually Trevor Romeo in for Tim. Thanks for taking the question. So first just wanted to clarify, are those new business growth rates you provided for January and February in constant currency or is that reported growth and how much of an impact are you expecting from currency in the fourth quarter?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah. So the first question it is an actual dollars, the rates that we quoted. If you go back and you look at sort of Q4 of last year, the rates that were in place at that point in time and you kind of compare that to what we did for January, we did it for February rate and it's about a 4 percentage point impact.

Trevor Romeo -- William Blair -- Analyst

Okay. Got it. Thank you. And then it seems like your revenue in Europe has held up fairly well despite kind of some of the softer economic data lately. So what is your assessment of the demand environment there, given some of that recent economic weakness?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

I think that's one of the strengths of the Company today is that when people say the brand Korn Ferry you kind of think of one thing, but the reality is the portfolio is way more balanced today than it was say a decade ago. So you've got a products business that is definitely going to be less cyclical, for sure. So you've got a different profile and even when you look at it, you know you look at it on a regional basis, you would draw that same conclusion. And so even like look at new business in China in February, yes, search was down a little bit, but guess what we were up overall because we had a couple other parts of the business that made up for it.

The European business I think is probably what I'm most proud of. It's an incredible business. And the UK believe it or not, I mean the UK in the quarter grew. This is again constant currency, but I think it's the most comparable way to do it. It was up 14% in the quarter. So -- which you would find very, very hard to believe. So I think it's the balanced nature of the portfolio between the consulting business, the products business, the RPO and the search business. In Europe, there was weakness in France that you would probably guess even on a total portfolio basis, but the UK has held up better than you would have thought.

Trevor Romeo -- William Blair -- Analyst

Okay. Great. Thanks. And then maybe if I could just sneak in one more, have you seen any meaningful change in turnover in the Advisory segment since the Hay Group retention program ended?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

No, that the business there is going to looks like the firm does today. It's completely different. So you've got an employee base that today is now 53% millennial. And so for the company overall, that's why we're on college campuses now recruiting them. And then we just had our winter start class, we put them through eight weeks of training, consistent training around the entire solution footprint of the organization. They just graduated a couple days ago. That's why we're ramping that up in a very big way because I really think that for young people coming out of graduate or undergrad they're going to be career nomads. And the challenge for any company is to identify the high potentials to develop them and that's a business opportunity actually for us.

Trevor Romeo -- William Blair -- Analyst

Okay. Thank you. That's all. Very helpful.

Operator

Our next question comes from Greg Mendez with Baird. Please go ahead.

Gregory Mendez -- Robert W. Baird & Co. -- Analyst

Hi. Thanks. This is a Greg on for Mark Marcon. Thanks for taking the question. I guess first just going back to the talent piece that you've been discussing Gary. With what you guys are accomplishing and building, how are you thinking about just the mix of the talent that you need to add? You mentioned folks coming from college, but the balance between experienced versus new, new and then given the labor environment, how tough is it to find right now you know those experienced folks?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah. It's definitely -- look it's tough. I mean there's no doubt about that. I think that the -- one of the things that we're very, very focused on is bringing people that have account management experience. So that has -- we've got a big focus on that today. And that's something we're going have to do. I think secondly, we have an eye on consulting talent that can sell and deliver bigger more impactful engagements. In other words, they can sell the integrated solution. So that the crossover between org strategy assessment, succession, leadership, development and more integrative business outcome solutions.

Then the final piece that we have to get right is promoting from within, because this does need to look like a professional services firm where, where you do hire lots of people off graduate or undergraduate campuses and give them the right kind of development and the right kind of opportunity to grow. And so that's not only for the consultants, it's for the entire organization, but we have to have a real orientation on that. That's why we've got all these solution training sessions, scheduled. To this day, we've got 330 of them scheduled. It's to give everybody -- to try to give everybody a lens into pivot points around clients how to broaden the conversation and all that.

Gregory Mendez -- Robert W. Baird & Co. -- Analyst

That's great. And on the profitability side, you've done a really good job of continuing to expand the margins. With a focus on marquee with the focus on product as we see that subscription model build over the coming quarters, I mean how -- assuming the economy stays where it's at? How do you think about profitability then over the next two, three years or maybe just the aspiration if we can guess product goes to 40% or 50% of Advisory for example and we see the continued strength in the -- from marquee accounts?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, the way that we -- it is about the way we kind of manage our activities is we have this concept we call flow-through and we look at things on an incremental basis. And so, as an overall Company, if our margins in this quarter were 16.4%, so on the incremental revenues that we generate if we're not driving margins on those dollars at the 20%, 25% then we're not growing our profitability. So we set targets for the whole Company as well as for each individual line of business because they're all they have different profit profiles, but we manage to the flow-through and generally, rule of thumb, I would set it somewhere between 20% and 25% overall for the Company.

Gregory Mendez -- Robert W. Baird & Co. -- Analyst

Okay. Great. And then just my last question. I know you did the rebranding in a few other countries in January that continues to go on. Just any update there on that initiative?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Now listen, I think it continues to and we've got a playbook that, it's like when we did the, Hay acquisition put a playbook in place in the integration. I mean, it was a lot of hard work but it went without a hitch and that's what we're seeing on the One Korn Ferry initiatives that we've got under way. I mean the legal entity rationalization which is what you just referred to. We did six countries. We're in the process of doing another seven or eight countries now and we've got it down to a science and so there's no, I'll say just continuing and again a lot of hard work, but we're not encountering any real issues that are sticking points.

Gregory Mendez -- Robert W. Baird & Co. -- Analyst

Great. Thanks a lot.

Operator

And our next question comes from Marc Riddick with Sidoti. Please go ahead.

Marc Riddick -- Sidoti -- Analyst

Hi. Good afternoon.

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Hi, Marc.

Marc Riddick -- Sidoti -- Analyst

Quick question, I guess maybe a pivot toward some of the things that we saw with financial services, I was wondering if you could share some thoughts there because it certainly seemed as though at least from year-over-year perspective that those were very strong words there? And then maybe if you could sort of touch a little bit on what that the -- that sort of continued as far as, I mean growth that outpaced the rest of the Company? And then I had a couple of follow-ups there?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, when you look at the quarter, I mean clearly that too from an industry perspective year-over-year you would look to financial services and technology and both of those were actually, they were good and the Advisory, the financial service was pretty good then the Advisory, but actually both of them were driven in North America and were driven by search. So, in particular financial services, we've got an incredible commercial banking business, investment banking business, asset management, and so there's not any single large engagement. So I wouldn't point anything that was wow, this is kind of one-off or anything, but it was good growth in North American search.

Marc Riddick -- Sidoti -- Analyst

Is it fair to think about the pace of part of the business being as strong as it is to think that back of continued into the beginning of this quarter?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

I don't have the confirms broken down by February. I'll tell you overall for the search business it was kind of up 10%, I want to say right, in February it is right, so we don't -- I don't have it broken down by industry. Again, I think it's kind of the -- and hopefully we're building a company that is not binge or bust and that one part can kind of compensate for another, that kind of growth. I would not at all quarter-on-quarter I wouldn't kind of factor that in by any means.

Marc Riddick -- Sidoti -- Analyst

Okay. That's fair. And then I was wondering if you could touch a little bit going back to the ambition of expanding to another 200 accounts under another marquee program. I was wondering if there's sort of a similarity or differences that you would call out as to the mix of that customers and maybe what it might look like whether it's be it industry vertical or geographic or is there any type of mix differential for that next 200 accounts that we should be thinking about?

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Well, there is definitely a series of screens that were run against the 10,000 clients that we have and so there was a very systematic process. And so, out of the 10,000 we picked another couple hundred more where we really believe we have the opportunity for impact. There wasn't any, and it would follow, a pretty much follow the geographic distribution of the Company. There wasn't any, there wasn't something that was over weighted in terms of geography. We hope to see more out of Asia. So, I would, I have a personal bias there, but I wouldn't say there was anything over weighted from an industry perspective. No I mean there are some practicalities. I mean our life sciences business is unbelievable. I mean we're -- it's almost 17%, 18% of the company, something like that. It's got incredible penetration. I mean, we have to be mindful just how far that can go, so maybe there was going to be a little bit less in life science, but that would really be about it at a very, very high level.

Marc Riddick -- Sidoti -- Analyst

Okay. Great. And then last one from me, I was wondering if you could just sort of give us a bit of an update on CapEx, year-to-date and what you might be looking at for full year? Thanks.

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

Marc, it's Bob. Our CapEx year-to-date and that includes stuff we're doing on the IT platform. What we're doing lease holds as well as some of the investors who make it into the products area, to date it's somewhere around $35 million, that I would expect on a run rate basis to continue through the course of the rest of this year. We're just kicking off our annual operating plan process for fiscal '20 right now and so we'll set our thinking around capital for next year as we go through that process. But I wouldn't expect there to be a dramatic change up or down at this point in time assuming the economy everything holds as we see it today.

Marc Riddick -- Sidoti -- Analyst

Okay. Great, I appreciate. Thank you very much.

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

Yeah.

Operator

That appears, there are no further questions. Mr. Burnison, please go ahead for any closing comments.

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay. Thank you, Anna for moderating this. And for everybody on the line, look we're redefining an industry, creating a firm that possesses the right knowhow, the science, the data, and the offerings to help global organizations deliver superior performance. So we're very, very proud of what we have here and what we're building and thank you for taking the time to listen to this call and we'll talk to you next time.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, this conference will be available for replay for one week starting today at 5:30 P.M. Eastern Time running through the date March 14, ending at midnight. You may access the AT&T executive playback service by dialing 800-475-6701 and entering the access code of 464633. International participants may dial 320-365-3844. Additionally the replay will be available for playback at the Company's website www.kornferry.com in the Investor Relations section. That does conclude our conference for today. Thank you for your participation and you may now disconnect.

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Anna.

Duration: 51 minutes

Call participants:

Gary Burnison -- Chief Executive Officer

Robert Rozek -- Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Officer

Gregg Kvochak -- Investor Relations

Joseph Charles -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Kevin McVeigh -- Credit Suisse AG -- Analyst

George Tong -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Trevor Romeo -- William Blair -- Analyst

Gregory Mendez -- Robert W. Baird & Co. -- Analyst

Marc Riddick -- Sidoti -- Analyst

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