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5 Top Consumer Staple Stocks For Your August 2021 Watchlist

Could these stocks be a staple for your portfolio amidst the current market conditions?
The post 5 Top Consumer Staple Stocks For Your August 2021 Watchlist appeared first on Stock Market News, Quotes, Charts and Financial Information | StockMarket.c…

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Check Out These 5 Top Cosumer Staples Stocks That Are Trending Right Now

As we approach the end of July, consumer staples stocks are in focus in the stock market. For one thing, this could be due to several underwhelming updates on the state of the economy earlier today. Namely, both the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and initial unemployment claims missed expectations this week. The U.S. GDP rose at a 6.5% annualized rate, well below the Dow Jones estimate of 8.4%. Furthermore, weekly jobless claims came in at 400,000, above the 380,000 estimation. Overall, some would argue that all of this indicates a potential slowdown in the current red-hot economy. As such, consumer staples, whose offerings are in demand in good times and bad, would be gaining traction.

When you pair this with the mentions of another wave of coronavirus cases, I can understand the shift in focus. For one thing, consumer staples will likely continue to cater to the needs of consumers. Companies such as Kroger (NYSE: KR) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) would be notable names to know in the stock market today. Even now, these companies are finding ways to expand their current revenue streams. Specifically, Walmart is now marketing its e-commerce tech to small-and medium-sized retailers through a collaboration with Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE). As you can see, even the consumer staples space remains active now. With that said, could one of these companies be a good investment now?

Best Consumer Staples Stocks To Watch Right Now

Yum! Brands Inc.

Yum! Brands is a consumer staple stock that has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories. It is the face behind many popular brands like KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. The company’s family of brands also includes The Habit Burger Grill, a fast-casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches, and more. YUM stock closed Thursday’s trading session at $130.31 a share.

Today, the company reported impressive second-quarter results. Firstly, worldwide system sales grew by 26%, with strong double-digit growth in KFC and Taco Bell. Yum! also posted total revenue of $1.60 billion. On top of that, the company posted diluted earnings per share of $1.29, increasing by 91% year-over-year. Yum! says that its strong results are led by record unit development and same-store sales growth. The resilience of its diversified global business positions it perfectly to drive growth and could provide value creation for its stakeholders. All things considered, will you be watching YUM stock right now?

YUM stock
Source: TD Ameritrade TOS

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McDonald’s Corporation

McDonald’s Corporation is a fast-food company that is one of the largest in the world. It has over 39,000 locations in over 100 countries. The company serves over 60 million customers daily and features a wide variety of chicken products, breakfast items, and desserts. Shares of MCD stock ended Thursday’s trading session at $244.02 and have seen year-to-date gains of over 15%. The company, on Wednesday, reported its second-quarter financials for 2021.

Firstly, McDonald’s reported that its global comparable sales were up by 40.5% for the quarter. This includes an increase of 25.9% growth in the U.S. and its international operated markets segment increased by 75.1% year-over-year. Secondly, consolidated revenue increased by 57% to $5.88 billion. Also, it reported a net income of $2.22 billion for the quarter or diluted earnings per share of $2.95. With that in mind, will you consider adding MCD stock to your watchlist?

consumer staples stocks (MCD stock)
Source: TD Ameritrade TOS

[Read More] Best Stocks To Buy Right Now? 5 Aerospace Stocks To Know

Target Corporation

Target is a retail corporation that is also a component of the S&P 500 Index. The company serves guests in all 50 U.S. states and employs over 350,000 associates. It announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per common share in June, a 32.4% increase from the prior quarter. Impressively, this would be the company’s 216th consecutive dividend paid since October 1967 when the company went public. TGT stock currently trades at $261.66 as of Thursday’s closing bell.

In June, it announced Target Forward. The company acknowledged that sustainability is tied to business resiliency and growth and given its scale and size, it can bring positive change for its business. Target Forward will influence every corner of its business and deepen collaboration with its partners. Ahead of its second-quarter earnings on August 8, 2021, the company reported that it had gained more than $1 billion in market share in its first quarter and posted GAAP earnings per share of $4.17 for the quarter. Given the great start the company has had in 2021, will you watch TGT stock?

best consumer staples stocks (TGT stock)
Source: TD Ameritrade TOS

[Read More] Up And Coming Stocks To Buy Right Now? 3 Retail Stocks In Focus

Beyond Meat Inc.

Another upcoming name in the consumer staples space now would be Beyond Meat Inc. Now, while most would not immediately think of the company when discussing consumer staples, its products continue to gain traction. In brief, Beyond Meat primarily produces and markets plant-based meat substitutes. The likes of which are known to emulate the taste of meat to a high degree of success. Now, the company offers its revolutionary products in a variety of forms. This includes but is not limited to meatballs, ground meat, and sausages.

As it stands, BYND stock is currently trading at $124.56 a share as of Thursday’s close. Given the current focus on sustainability, could BYND stock be worth buying now? Well, to highlight, the company is also actively working with several global consumer staple names now. As of this week, the company is expanding its existing partnership with Yum Brands subsidiary Pizza Hut. In detail, Beyond Meat’s Italian Sausage and Beef crumbles are now a permanent part of Pizza Hut’s U.K. delivery menu. This would be a solid win for Beyond Meat, bolstering the company’s market reach significantly. With this in mind, would you consider BYND stock a top watch now?

BYND stock
Source: TD Ameritrade TOS

[Read More] Top Stocks To Watch Today? 5 Health Care Stocks To Know

PepsiCo Inc.

Last but not least, we will be taking a look at a leading player in the global beverage market, PepsiCo. Most consumers today would be familiar with the company’s industry-leading food and beverage portfolio. Notably, the company’s portfolio is home to renowned brands such as Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, and Tropicana. Through all of this, the company generated a whopping $70 billion in net revenue for the fiscal year 2020. Given its operations spanning over 200 countries and territories globally, this would be the case. PEP stock now trades at $156.81 a share as of Thursday’s closing bell.

By and large, it seems like the company is seeing continued momentum on the financial front now. We can see this in its recent quarter fiscal posted earlier this month. In it, PepsiCo reported earnings per share of $1.72 on revenue of $19.22 billion for the quarter. More importantly, these figures crushed Wall Street’s estimates of $1.53 and $17.96 billion respectively. At the same time, the company also increased its quarterly dividend by 5% to $1.075. With PepsiCo seemingly kicking into high gear now, will you be keeping an eye on PEP stock?

top consumer staples stocks (PEP stock)
Source: TD Ameritrade TOS

The post 5 Top Consumer Staple Stocks For Your August 2021 Watchlist appeared first on Stock Market News, Quotes, Charts and Financial Information | StockMarket.com.

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NY Fed Finds Medium, Long-Term Inflation Expectations Jump Amid Surge In Stock Market Optimism

NY Fed Finds Medium, Long-Term Inflation Expectations Jump Amid Surge In Stock Market Optimism

One month after the inflation outlook tracked…

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56 mins ago

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March 11, 2024

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NY Fed Finds Medium, Long-Term Inflation Expectations Jump Amid Surge In Stock Market Optimism

One month after the inflation outlook tracked by the NY Fed Consumer Survey extended their late 2023 slide, with 3Y inflation expectations in January sliding to a record low 2.4% (from 2.6% in December), even as 1 and 5Y inflation forecasts remained flat, moments ago the NY Fed reported that in February there was a sharp rebound in longer-term inflation expectations, rising to 2.7% from 2.4% at the three-year ahead horizon, and jumping to 2.9% from 2.5% at the five-year ahead horizon, while the 1Y inflation outlook was flat for the 3rd month in a row, stuck at 3.0%. 

The increases in both the three-year ahead and five-year ahead measures were most pronounced for respondents with at most high school degrees (in other words, the "really smart folks" are expecting deflation soon). The survey’s measure of disagreement across respondents (the difference between the 75th and 25th percentile of inflation expectations) decreased at all horizons, while the median inflation uncertainty—or the uncertainty expressed regarding future inflation outcomes—declined at the one- and three-year ahead horizons and remained unchanged at the five-year ahead horizon.

Going down the survey, we find that the median year-ahead expected price changes increased by 0.1 percentage point to 4.3% for gas; decreased by 1.8 percentage points to 6.8% for the cost of medical care (its lowest reading since September 2020); decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 5.8% for the cost of a college education; and surprisingly decreased by 0.3 percentage point for rent to 6.1% (its lowest reading since December 2020), and remained flat for food at 4.9%.

We find the rent expectations surprising because it is happening just asking rents are rising across the country.

At the same time as consumers erroneously saw sharply lower rents, median home price growth expectations remained unchanged for the fifth consecutive month at 3.0%.

Turning to the labor market, the survey found that the average perceived likelihood of voluntary and involuntary job separations increased, while the perceived likelihood of finding a job (in the event of a job loss) declined. "The mean probability of leaving one’s job voluntarily in the next 12 months also increased, by 1.8 percentage points to 19.5%."

Mean unemployment expectations - or the mean probability that the U.S. unemployment rate will be higher one year from now - decreased by 1.1 percentage points to 36.1%, the lowest reading since February 2022. Additionally, the median one-year-ahead expected earnings growth was unchanged at 2.8%, remaining slightly below its 12-month trailing average of 2.9%.

Turning to household finance, we find the following:

  • The median expected growth in household income remained unchanged at 3.1%. The series has been moving within a narrow range of 2.9% to 3.3% since January 2023, and remains above the February 2020 pre-pandemic level of 2.7%.
  • Median household spending growth expectations increased by 0.2 percentage point to 5.2%. The increase was driven by respondents with a high school degree or less.
  • Median year-ahead expected growth in government debt increased to 9.3% from 8.9%.
  • The mean perceived probability that the average interest rate on saving accounts will be higher in 12 months increased by 0.6 percentage point to 26.1%, remaining below its 12-month trailing average of 30%.
  • Perceptions about households’ current financial situations deteriorated somewhat with fewer respondents reporting being better off than a year ago. Year-ahead expectations also deteriorated marginally with a smaller share of respondents expecting to be better off and a slightly larger share of respondents expecting to be worse off a year from now.
  • The mean perceived probability that U.S. stock prices will be higher 12 months from now increased by 1.4 percentage point to 38.9%.
  • At the same time, perceptions and expectations about credit access turned less optimistic: "Perceptions of credit access compared to a year ago deteriorated with a larger share of respondents reporting tighter conditions and a smaller share reporting looser conditions compared to a year ago."

Also, a smaller percentage of consumers, 11.45% vs 12.14% in prior month, expect to not be able to make minimum debt payment over the next three months

Last, and perhaps most humorous, is the now traditional cognitive dissonance one observes with these polls, because at a time when long-term inflation expectations jumped, which clearly suggests that financial conditions will need to be tightened, the number of respondents expecting higher stock prices one year from today jumped to the highest since November 2021... which incidentally is just when the market topped out during the last cycle before suffering a painful bear market.

Tyler Durden Mon, 03/11/2024 - 12:40

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A major cruise line is testing a monthly subscription service

The Cruise Scarlet Summer Season Pass was designed with remote workers in mind.

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58 mins ago

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March 11, 2024

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While going on a cruise once meant disconnecting from the world when between ports because any WiFi available aboard was glitchy and expensive, advances in technology over the last decade have enabled millions to not only stay in touch with home but even work remotely.

With such remote workers and digital nomads in mind, Virgin Voyages has designed a monthly pass that gives those who want to work from the seas a WFH setup on its Scarlet Lady ship — while the latter acronym usually means "work from home," the cruise line is advertising as "work from the helm.”

Related: Royal Caribbean shares a warning with passengers

"Inspired by Richard Branson's belief and track record that brilliant work is best paired with a hearty dose of fun, we're welcoming Sailors on board Scarlet Lady for a full month to help them achieve that perfect work-life balance," Virgin Voyages said in announcing its new promotion. "Take a vacation away from your monotonous work-from-home set up (sorry, but…not sorry) and start taking calls from your private balcony overlooking the Mediterranean sea."

A man looks through his phone while sitting in a hot tub on a cruise ship.

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This is how much it'll cost you to work from a cruise ship for a month

While the single most important feature for successful work at sea — WiFi — is already available for free on Virgin cruises, the new Scarlet Summer Season Pass includes a faster connection, a $10 daily coffee credit, access to a private rooftop, and other member-only areas as well as wash and fold laundry service that Virgin advertises as a perk that will allow one to concentrate on work

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The pass starts at $9,990 for a two-guest cabin and is available for four monthlong cruises departing in June, July, August, and September — each departs from ports such as Barcelona, Marseille, and Palma de Mallorca and spends four weeks touring around the Mediterranean.

Longer cruises are becoming more common, here's why

The new pass is essentially a version of an upgraded cruise package with additional perks but is specifically tailored to those who plan on working from the ship as an opportunity to market to them.

"Stay connected to your work with the fastest at-sea internet in the biz when you want and log-off to let the exquisite landscape of the Mediterranean inspire you when you need," reads the promotional material for the pass.

Amid the rise of remote work post-pandemic, cruise lines have been seeing growing interest in longer journeys in which many of the passengers not just vacation in the traditional sense but work from a mobile office.

In 2023, Turkish cruise line operator Miray even started selling cabins on a three-year tour around the world but the endeavor hit the rocks after one of the engineers declared the MV Gemini ship the company planned to use for the journey "unseaworthy" and the cruise ship line dealt with a PR scandal that ultimately sank the project before it could take off.

While three years at sea would have set a record as the longest cruise journey on the market, companies such as Royal Caribbean  (RCL) (both with its namesake brand and its Celebrity Cruises line) have been offering increasingly long cruises that serve as many people’s temporary homes and cross through multiple continents.

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International

This is the biggest money mistake you’re making during travel

A retail expert talks of some common money mistakes travelers make on their trips.

Published

58 mins ago

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March 11, 2024

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Travel is expensive. Despite the explosion of travel demand in the two years since the world opened up from the pandemic, survey after survey shows that financial reasons are the biggest factor keeping some from taking their desired trips.

Airfare, accommodation as well as food and entertainment during the trip have all outpaced inflation over the last four years.

Related: This is why we're still spending an insane amount of money on travel

But while there are multiple tricks and “travel hacks” for finding cheaper plane tickets and accommodation, the biggest financial mistake that leads to blown travel budgets is much smaller and more insidious.

A traveler watches a plane takeoff at an airport gate.

Jeshoots on Unsplash

This is what you should (and shouldn’t) spend your money on while abroad

“When it comes to traveling, it's hard to resist buying items so you can have a piece of that memory at home,” Kristen Gall, a retail expert who heads the financial planning section at points-back platform Rakuten, told Travel + Leisure in an interview. “However, it's important to remember that you don't need every souvenir that catches your eye.”

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According to Gall, souvenirs not only have a tendency to add up in price but also weight which can in turn require one to pay for extra weight or even another suitcase at the airport — over the last two months, airlines like Delta  (DAL) , American Airlines  (AAL)  and JetBlue Airways  (JBLU)  have all followed each other in increasing baggage prices to in some cases as much as $60 for a first bag and $100 for a second one.

While such extras may not seem like a lot compared to the thousands one might have spent on the hotel and ticket, they all have what is sometimes known as a “coffee” or “takeout effect” in which small expenses can lead one to overspend by a large amount.

‘Save up for one special thing rather than a bunch of trinkets…’

“When traveling abroad, I recommend only purchasing items that you can't get back at home, or that are small enough to not impact your luggage weight,” Gall said. “If you’re set on bringing home a souvenir, save up for one special thing, rather than wasting your money on a bunch of trinkets you may not think twice about once you return home.”

Along with the immediate costs, there is also the risk of purchasing things that go to waste when returning home from an international vacation. Alcohol is subject to airlines’ liquid rules while certain types of foods, particularly meat and other animal products, can be confiscated by customs. 

While one incident of losing an expensive bottle of liquor or cheese brought back from a country like France will often make travelers forever careful, those who travel internationally less frequently will often be unaware of specific rules and be forced to part with something they spent money on at the airport.

“It's important to keep in mind that you're going to have to travel back with everything you purchased,” Gall continued. “[…] Be careful when buying food or wine, as it may not make it through customs. Foods like chocolate are typically fine, but items like meat and produce are likely prohibited to come back into the country.

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024

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